#honestly i'm very busy now also but eh | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

wonder-kid-pugh · 1 year ago

Text

The Beautiful Game and Books - Alessia Russo x reader

Hey guys! So I had this idea for a fic which I really liked. But as I was writing it I realized how long it was and saw that I could make it into a 2 parter. And when I put it to a vote you said to post the first part so here it is!!!!! This is my own little take on a jock x Nerd fic so I hope you enjoy! I am working on the second part but I am swamped at the moment but I will post it as soon as possible. But for now I hope you like this!

You let out a sigh as you entered the familiar house hoping it wouldn't be long. Your evening was busy with plans of laying in bed rewatching either The Vampire Diaries or Harry Potter, whatever you were in the mood for honestly.

But your plans to rush home had been interrupted when your mother had texted you to make a detour.

The Russo residence was a place you frequented often. What with your mother being best friends with Carol you were over to their house often whether it was just for regular catch-ups or for weekly dinners. It also wasn't lost on you that with their daughter being the same age as you and going to the same school that your parents had hoped you and Alessia would become best friends just like them.

Probably to give them more excuses to hang out.

But unfortunately for your mothers, their plan didn't work. You and the youngest Russo just didn't click really. Maybe it was just that your personalities didn't work. You were always quiet and very timid and enjoyed reading and kept to yourself. While Alessia was always the friendly outgoing loveable girl who was always outside playing football.

Don't get it wrong, you didn't hate each other. You were civil with each other when at each other's houses and when the two families were together. But your conversations didn't go much past how you were finding classes you shared or some stupid school gossip.

Honestly you probably got on better with her brothers than you did with her.

You were so familiar with the house that you entered without knocking and called out, "Mum?" You couldn't help but roll your eyes at the small joke of 'which one' your mother and her best friend shared as you walked into the kitchen where they were.

"Might as well be talking to Carol. At least she wouldn't forget to pick me up from school and leave me abandoned" you tease as Carol chuckles as she gives you a side hug just to tease your mother further.

But your mother takes it in stride as she rolls her eyes with a scoff. "It was one time. You would swear I'm neglecting you. I just got the days mixed up".

Which you fully understood you knew that you were usually busy studying in the library after school most days but after the library had closed for some small renovations for the week it meant you got to go home after school. Something your mother had forgotten and you were ready to walk home when Carol who was already picking up Alessia offered you a lift.

But that doesn't mean you couldn't tease your mother for it.

"Your only child. Left forgotten and abandoned at the school gates. About to walk the dangerous streets alone home if it wasn't for Carol" you sigh dramatically as you lean into the Russo woman who laughed at your dramatics.

"Maybe Carol can look after you then" Your mother quipped back as she sipped her tea.

But Carol quickly interjects with a shake of the head. "Oh I don't think so I think 3 is enough for me. Besides" she starts with a grin, "she's definitely your daughter. She's almost as dramatic as you".

"Hey!" You and your mother call out in unison. "I am not dramatic/ Almost?" You and your mother glare at each other before it's turned on the Russo as the two of you hear her giggle at you both.

"So how has school been?" Carol asks trying to quickly move on with the conversation.

You just shrug, "Eh. Fine. Nothing new. Learned some stuff, corrected a few teachers and helped a few people after school. The usual".

The best friends shared a look of amusement over their cups of tea. Honestly where your studious nature and love of books came from was lost on your mother. It definitely wasn't from her and your father wasn't exactly the brightest either. But you had always been academically gifted even going so far as to point out corrections to teachers in school.

A small part of her thought it was because of your father leaving when you were younger but that wasn't something either of you talked about.

Your teachers had gone to your mother a few times saying you would be better off looking into schools with a bit more challenging course work for you or at the very least maybe skipping a year or maybe two. But you were perfectly content where you were.

You and your mother against the world.

"So the call I got from the school earlier then?" Your mother prodded, "About Mr Wickerman?"

But you just shrug nonchalantly, "Personally I don't know what his problem is".

Your mother raised an eyebrow at you, "Well do you want to give me a heads up on the 'inappropriate writing assignment' you handed in so I'm not blindsided when I have to meet with him tomorrow?"

You held up your hands, "Hey I hit the brief!" You sighed as you were fixed with a look by both women. "The assignment was to write a short story about a secret gradually coming out" you explained to which they both nodded prompting you to continue. You ran a hand through your hair, "So I wrote about a girl's parents finding out she was dating someone. Only when they are finally introduced, they meet her girlfriend rather than her boyfriend". You shrug, "If anything I hit the brief twice. It was a secret gradually coming out AND an actual coming out! Not my fault Mr Wickerman is a homophobic prick".

Your mother gives you a stern glare before you relient a bit like a small child being scolded, "Sorry". For such a quiet and intelligent girl, your mother was forever scolding you for your language.

She always told you had a mouth like a sailor.

Your mother sighed before giving you a reassuring smile letting you know you weren't in trouble, "I'll sort it out".

And while you knew you were in the right you couldn't help but feel guilty in that instant. Knowing that your mother already had enough to worry about without having to defend your actions to the school.

Even if it was against homophobic asshole who should just retire already.

But like always it's as if your mother can read your mind as she reaches over and squeezes your hand with a soft look in her eye. "I've never liked him anyways" she jokes, making you let out a laugh.

"So now that I'm not in trouble…does that mean I can go home? I have plans" you try but your mother just scoffs.

"And plans you mean to sit in your room and watch Netflix" she says looking at you knowingly.

But you just smile at her, "You just know me so well". "Does that mean I can go?" You try again angling yourself towards the door when your mother stops you again.

"Actually no. There's something we need to talk to you about…"

That gets your attention as your eyes flicker to the Russo woman before landing back on your mother, "We? What's going on?"

But your question is interrupted by the front door opening once more and another call of "Mum I'm home" breaches your ears. It isn't long after the youngest Russo makes an appearance quickly moving to her mother and greeting her with a kiss on the kiss and then greeting your mother with a smile.

You just about barely got a nod of recognition.

Not that you really cared.

"Hey Honey how was training?" Carol asked as Alessia was already moving towards the stairs.

"Good" she answered simply before throwing a thumb over her shoulder, "I'm going to have a shower. I'm meeting some of the girls in town".

But just like you she was quickly stopped by her mother. "Actually Alessia we need to have a quick chat first".

She paused her movements but did as her mother told her. She briefly looked at you as if silently asking if you knew but you just gave her a shrug. Letting her know you were both clueless about whatever this is.

Carol's voice dropped slightly as she fixed her eyes on the brunette. "Less, the school have been on to us about your grades".

That was all Alessia needed to know what this was about. However, you could tell by how her eyes quickly glanced at you that she didn't feel fully comfortable talking about it in front of you. But that didn't stop her from pleading her case.

"I know Mum" she said quickly probably not wanting her to say anything else in front of me. "It's just with football it's hard to keep up all the time".

Carol quickly nodded and it was one of the things you loved about her, she didn't show any signs of anger only understanding. "We know Less. And we are so proud of you and we know how hard you work". "And even though we know how hard you work doesn't mean you don't need a hand" she says soothingly.

Once again her eyes flickered at you, "Mum can we please talk about this later?"

But she stood firm, "Less we decided that you need a tutor if you're going to keep up with both school and football".

You could tell she was displeased with the idea immediately. "Mummmm" she groaned and you had to withhold the scoff as you swore you could almost hear the childish footstomp to go with her tantrum.

"Alessia we only want what's best for you. In football and in school" Carol said firmly letting her know she wasn't budging on this.

She's quiet for a few second before sighing, "Fine. I'll find one later".

But it seems it was your mother's turn now. "Actually we already have one in mind" your mother said as she turned to you.

You could feel your eyes widen as they all turn to you. "Me?" You asked pointing to yourself.

"Your top of your class and don't think I don't know that Luca and Giorgio go to you when they need help with homework" Carol says as you blush.

"Not really…" you try but from the look of the two older women their minds were already made up.

"How about the two of you go upstairs and get started?" Carol said looking at the both of you. When you looked to your mum you knew she wouldn't save you.

"But mum!" Alessia whined once more but Carol was having none of it.

"Alessia don't be rude" she scolds as she nods towards you who awkwardly stood there as Alessia eyed you up.

Albeit grudgingly, Alessia sighed and nodded, "Fine". She then turned and quickly went up the stairs making sure to make her footsteps thump that little bit harder to let everyone know of her displeasure.

You gave them a tight lipped smile as you turned and followed her. Already dreading this. Like you siad you had nothing against Alessia but you knew if it wasn't for Carol you definitely wouldn't be helping her right now. Especially as it wasn't like you wanted to do this either.

You last about 45 minutes before you made the excuse of going home to plan future sessions which Alessia is only too happy to accept. You couldn't take the awkward looks and the weird tension. And it was clearly mutual as Alessia just busied herself on her phone instead of trying to actually talk to you apart from short answers anytime you tried to make conversation.

But you knew there would be no getting out of this. The Russo's were practically family after all. So when your mother asked how did it go on the drive home. Of course you gave her a fake smile and a nod saying it went well.

You made sure your mother seemed happy with your answer before you leaned your head up against the window and prayed that tomorrow with Alessia would be a bit better.

Who knows maybe you'll actually end up friends by the end of this?

~~~

Yeah you can forget about you and Alessia being friends.

Your day went about normally. You kept your head down and carried on with your classes as you usually do. Talking to the few people you usually talk to. You wouldn't classify them as friends, you didn't know them well enough for that.

It was more people you sat beside in some classes. They were the kind of people you would give a nod to in the hallway as well as just casual conversation in classes. Just so you wouldn't have to sit in that awkward silence.

The closest thing you would say you would have to a friend would be Ben. You sat beside each other in English and were both a bit of loners. And you bonded over the fact that you both hated Me Wickerman. As well as the fact that you both had the same teasing sense of humour. But again you wouldn't really talk outside of school apart from the odd time.

It was the end of the day and everyone was rushing out of class to their lockers to try and grab their things and run home. You walked out of English with Ben as you teased him how you scored higher than him (like always) when you spotted Alessia talking with her friends.

You waved goodbye to the boy as you ducked your way through the crowd. You had agreed yesterday that you would meet with Alessia to study but you hadn't said where so you decided you better catch her before she goes home as well as probably get her phone number so stuff like this can be avoided.

You didn't think it would be a good idea to get her number from her brother's. As they were still looking for revenge for the prank you pulled on both of them.

Let's just say they learned never to ask you to put in a good word for them with their crushes again.

But it was times like these that reminded you that Alessia probably forgot you went to the same school. Because she probably would have been more careful about being overheard if she did.

You had been walking up to her little group of friends when you could overhear their conversation. "Cmon Less everyone's going!"

You slowed down not wanting to interrupt their conversation. But you couldn't help but overhear them.

But the brunette just sigh as she rumaged through her locker, "I can't I have plans".

You couldn't help but roll your eyes at her disinterest. It wasn't like this was your first choice either. You didn't exactly get a choice in this either.

Her friends just groan, "But everyone is going! You have to come. Just come!"

While you can't see most of their faces, you could already tell they were slowly trying to convince Alessia. Not wanting their ringleader to miss out. But you weren't worried. This is Alessia. You knew you weren't the closest but you knew her. There was no way she would just blow you off like that…

"Yeah…maybe" Alessia started but you could see her resolve crumble as she looks at her friends. "Fine" she sighs, "I'll sort something out".

You honestly couldn't believe it. You knew you didn't know the football player well but you've known each other since you were babies. And Alessia was always the nice friendly girl. You honestly couldn't believe what you were hearing.

You couldn't stop the loud scoff from slipping out. But it must have been louder than you thought as it seems to catch the brunette's attention.

A tiny part of you enjoys how her eyes widen and an obvious blush tints her face at the fact she's been caught. But you just hardened your glare as your crossed your arms ignoring all the curious looks you received from her friends.

"You know I don't exactly want to do this either. But I thought you would at least have the common decency to at least not blow me off when your the one that needs help" you snipe. But you can tell but the way that Alessia couldn't look you in the eyes that you wouldn't be getting an answer you liked. "Whatever" you scoff before turning away to walk home.

Thankfully it was one of the days you were walking home so you didn't have to deal with your mother investigating your foul mood as she had work. And how you clocked Carol's car before she spotted you and you steered clear of the car. The last thing you wanted right now was to be in the same car as the brunette.

You were fuming the entire way home once again thankful that no one was home and you already had all your homework for tomorrow done. As the second you got home you slammed the door behind you, rush up the stairs taking 2 at a time and flopped into bed hoping that Harry Potter would help forgot the foul mood the football player had put you in.

~~~

You sighed as you heard a knock on the door. You leaned your head against your propped up fist not even turning to the door, "Mum I'll be done in a minute I just need to finish this up".

"Yeah not your mum…"

You looked over your shoulder unimpressed as you see Alessia standing nervously by your door. But don't say anything as you instead turn back to your work. "What are you doing here Russo?"

"I uh tried to find you after school but that guy you hang out with uh Ben? He said you left early" Alessia reveals.

You can hear her sigh as she moves behind you. "Look I know your upset with me. And you have every right to be". You heard her sigh as you pause your work again as you look at her over your shoulder letting her know you were listening.

"You were right" she sighed as she played with her hands. "It's not exactly like you wanted to help me either and I should be grateful that you're even willing to help me". Her cheeks darken with a blush as she pursues her lips, "That is if you still want to help me that is".

But that seems to do it for you as you scoff and drop your pen finally turning back to you. "What? Finally realise that you actually need my help?" You scoff as you shake your head, "I don't know why I expected any different".

"It's not like that" Alessia tries but you don't let her off lightly.

"Oh give me a break Russo" you spit out harshly. "Your only here cause you need something. Because no matter how sweet and kind you maybe seem everyone is the same. Everyone's looking for something and I've already been burned before and I rather not go through that again".

Your just about able to bite your tongue and you silently fume thinking back on that time. But you shake your head once again scoffing at the Football player, "You haven't even said your sorry".

"You're right" Alessia said after a small pause. "I'm sorry" she said, "I'm really sorry". There's another brief silence before Alessia asks, "Why didn't you tell my mum?"

While you were able to dodge her yesterday successfully, it didn't work today as she had caught me when she came around to drop something off to mum. She had asked how it was going with Alessia and I didn't have the heart to tell her what happened.

She only wanted what was best for her daughter.

"Because she's like a second mum to me and I didn't have the heart to tell her" you tell her honestly. "She adores you Alessia. I didn't have it in me to tell her that the apple of her eye decided to ditch me last minute".

"Thank you" she said shyly but you could tell she was genuinely grateful for you not snitching on her.

You nod before you were interrupted by your mother shouting up to you that dinner was ready. Alessia didn't even have a chance to escape as your mother already had a plate ready for her.

Dinner was another awkward affair but thankfully most of the heat was off you as your mother focused on Alessia asking about what she's been up to and how the studying has been going. Afterwards you were both excused to go back upstairs to study.

You both awkwardly sit in your room once more neither of you knowing what to say. Until it was Alessia who once again broke it.

"You said before" she starts cautiously, "that you already got burned once before". She eyed you carefully, "What did you mean by that?"

Your eyes close for a second as you really regret letting that slip out. But you knew you had no other option really. "I think it's obviously I'm not the most popular in school" you said jokingly trying to ease yourself into it. "So you can imagine my surprise when one of the guys on the soccer team started talking to me".

It took everything in Alessia not to correct you but she knew she was already on thin ice. That and it seemed that it wasn't exactly the time to joke about something so small.

You played with your fingers as you shrugged, "It was nice. And I let myself believe he was actually interested in me. When it turns out he was just interested in the fact that I could do his homework for him".

You couldn't stand the pitiful look the Brunette sent you. "Like I said Alessia. Everyone wants something". You shrug emotionlessly, "Probably should have suspected something earlier. I mean who would be interested in me right?"

There's a second silence which made you think Alessia was about to agree with you. But then you heard shuffling and you looked up to see her standing from your desk chair moving to sit on the bed beside you.

"I'm sorry" she started gentle as the two of you sat shoulder to shoulder on your bed. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. That he was too much of a jackass to see how amazing you are. And I'm really sorry that I was a right idiot as well. You didn't deserve any of that".

You just accepted the apology with a smile as you looked down at your clasped hands together.

You couldn't help but let out a tiny snort, "Don't you find this funny?" You grin as Alessia tilts her head at you. "I mean we've known each other since babies but I'd say we know hardly anything about each other other than the obvious".

Alessia thinks for a second before humming as she realizes how right you were. Beyond the basics, she couldn't think of a single thing she could say about you.

Which was highly concerning seeing as like you said you have literally known each other since you were born.

"How about we change that so?" Alessia asked as it was now her turn to grin as you turned to her confused. But she simply held out her hand for a handshake. "Hi, I'm Alessia Russo. But my friends call me Less".

You couldn't stop the grin blooming on your face at how stupid this whole interaction was. But that didn't stop you from shaking her hand. "It's very nice to meet you Alessia".

Alessia gives you a wide grin one that you've only seen when she's around her family or playing football. "I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship".

~~~

Honestly you could tell why Alessia was failing.

"Less! C'mon you need to focus!" You groaned as you can see her start to doodle on her page.

This was your second study session with the football player and you were already losing hope. It didn't take much for the Russo to lose focus. It didn't help that for the past half an hour her brothers kept coming in for the dumbest excuses. It seems that they heard about your struggles to help tutor their sister and used it to their advantage to exact revenge.

Any other time you would have found their distractions hilarious but not right now when you're failing to help Alessia.

"I'm sorry" Alessia sighed as she dropped the pen. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration and you couldn't help but feel bad, "I just can't seem to get this".

You take a deep breath as you slowly let yourself calm down. "I know I'm sorry. I'm sorry".

Alessia pouted as she stared at the book. "I don't know how you understand all this. I can't even keep focus long enough to actually get through it".

You roll your eyes as you lean against your fist. "I'm starting to think that the only time you're really focused is…" but you trail off as your eyes land on a random football in the corner of her room.

Alessia looks at you as you fall silent. But she jolts when you suddenly pop up from your seat. "What's wrong?"

But you don't answer as you grab both the football and the textbook in front of the brunette and stand up. "New plan. Get up c'mon". Alessia eager to get away from all her failed attempts at notes, gets up and follows you.

Her brother's both give you strange looks but you just wave them off as you lead her to their back garden.

"Here. Catch" you said as you throw Alessia the ball.

She just about catches it as she starts to mess with the ball in her hands. "Okay? So what now?"

You shake your hand at her as you try to explain it to her. "Can you do that thing? Where you mess with the ball? Just like kick it around?"

Alessia just scrunches her face as she tilts her head. "You mean juggling? Like juggle the ball?"

To be honest you're not even listening to her really as you flick to the page you left off at. "Yeah sure that". You look up as Alessia to see her giving you a strange look but eventually just starts playing with the ball.

You give her a minute or two to just mess about with the ball before you focus on the page in front of you. "You have to study the formation of a waterfall right?" You ask as you look down at the page. Alessia just hums but that's enough to show she's listening.

You smile as you start to read out of the textbook. Your smile widens when Alessia without looking up from the ball asks you to repeat the last part which proves to you she's listening.

You do as she says as you continue to read. Occasionally stopping in order to reread a section or to answer a question Alessia has.

When you finally finish the section you put the textbook aside as you stick your leg out and poke the ball away from Alessia who looks up at you with a pout. You couldn't help but chuckle as you pick up the ball. "Okay then. Tell me how a waterfall forms".

But her shoulders drop as she sighs with her hands on her hips. "You already know I can't".

But you just shrug with a smile throwing her the ball, "Humour me".

Alessia frowns at you but then slowly starts to explain as she repeats back what you just read to her. You can't prevent the smile spreading across your face as you almost dance on the spot. "Less! That's right!"

Her head snaps up at you, "Wait seriously?"

You clap your hands together with a nod, "Yes! That was practically perfect. Like it was right out of the book".

Alessia blushes at the small praise as she smiles, "I don't know how I did that". She scratches the back of her head, "I guess I just understood it better when you explained it to me".

You smile and nod, "You're an auditory learner".

She scrunches her face at you as she tilts her head obviously confused. "What?"

You can't help but giggle at her finding it a bit adorable at how clueless she was. "You learn better when someone is reading or explaining it to you rather than when you read it" you explained.

Alessia nods before throwing you back the ball. "Then what was the whole point of the ball?"

You shrug as your throw the ball between your hands. "You were too worked up. I thought messing around with the ball would help you relax a bit. Seems I was right".

Alessia smiles and can't help but squeal as she hugs you, "You are an actual genius! Thank you!"

You're shocked but you slowly hug her back. You let her hug you for a bit longer before you pat her back, "I try. Now c'mon we've got more studying to do".

Alessia groans but quickly shuts up when she narrowly dodges the ball you throw at her head.

~~~

"You do know we could just reschedule this right?" You said as Alessia makes sure she has everything she needs.

But Alessia just shakes her head as she tosses her gearbag into the boot, "I can't". She shuts the boot as she sighs and you can see it in her eyes how stressed she is, "We have that test coming up and I can't afford to fail".

You couldn't help but soften at the sight of her. You could see how worked up Less was about this test. She knew she was good at football and that is what she wanted to do. But she also knew that scouts would look at more than just her football ability but would also look at her academic ability.

But more importantly she didn't want to let her family down.

……or you

"Less" you say softly as you grab one of her hands. "You've been working so hard lately. We can all see it. You have been doing so good and I just know you're going to pass that test".

You're happy to see the small uptick in Alessia's lips as her eyes shine a little brighter. "You really think so?"

You don't know why but a small part of you feels warm at the fact that she seeks your approval. That your opinion really means that much to her. "Of course I do" you say gently, letting your genuinity shine through truly wanting her to know how much you really mean it.

You grin as you bump your shoulder against hers not wanting her to be nervous on the way to her match. "Do you seriously think I would be joining you and your dad on an hour's drive to watch a soccer match if I didn't have full faith in you?" You scoff in mock disbelief, "How dare you!"

Alessia laughs as she nudges you back as you lean back against the car.

You couldn't explain it. It was just something about the way she smiled and laughed made your chest feel lighter. It just made you want to keep her smiling and laughing always.

If you were being really honest, you wanted to be the reason she was smiling and laughing.

"And it's football not soccer weirdo" Alessia corrects you.

Honestly you didn't really care whatever you called it. You just liked to rile the poor girl up for your own amusement. "Oh so when my mother calls it soccer you have no problem. But when I do it, it's suddenly wrong".

But Alessia just tsks and shakes her head sagely, "That's because she's American. You on the other hand have lived here your entire life and should know better".

You roll your eyes and click your tongue at her, making her laugh. You open your mouth to argue but you're interrupted by her dad coming out to the car saying you better set off now if she doesn't want to be late. The two of you climb into the back seats getting your books out to study on the drive to the game.

Her dad tried to make small talk with you, probably not used to the quiet in the car. But it's surprisingly Alessia who shushes him.

You and Mario lock eyes in the mirror before you look over at her amused as she is fully concentrated on her (your) notes. As predicted she only lasted another 20 minutes before she begins to whine and beg you to read them out to her. Claiming as always it's easier when you read them to her.

You raise an eyebrow at her but the second she pouts at you, you crumble holding out your hand to take the notes. To which she passes them to you, a bit too happy in your opinion.

You start to read as Alessia leans up against you so she can follow along on the page while also looking at the different diagrams and graphs. Honestly you had become so use to her lying her head on your shoulder but you still had to school your face every time you could feel her breath brush against your neck.

The first few times it had happened you had thought you had actually bored her to death and she had fallen asleep. But with the occasional question or asking you to explain something to her, it was enough to know she was still following along.

It was almost funny how well the two of you worked together. It was almost as if you worked off each other. It was all the small things. How Alessia would turn the page for you (although you had a feeling that was also because she didn't want to compromise her comfy position). Or how when strand of hair fell in her face you would gently brush them behind her ear. Small little actions done without even having to communicate with each other.

Or how you knew when Alessia had a problem with a certain part as she would bring over your favorite treats as a silent apology for all the questions and help she was about to ask you for.

Or how Alessia would wordlessly take some books to carry for you cause you are the biggest bookworm she knew and didn't know how you carried all these books as she even struggled to take all of them.

It was all those small little actions which had not gone unnoticed by your mother's.

But that's entirely whole other problem.

Sooner than you think Mario lets you know you're about 5 minutes away. So you decide that enough has been done as you put the notes aside. Alessia tries to object but you just shush her as you tell her she should take a break and relax before she has to get ready for the game.

She lifts her head to pout at you but let out a sigh as she drops her head right back into the burrow of your neck. The car is silent for the rest of the drive as you allow her to get focused on the game. Even you take the few minutes to rest your head back and close your eyes. Not even opening them when you feel Alessia start to play with the rings on your fingers.

But you don't say anything as you just smile and close your eyes once more. A few minutes later you can feel the car roll to a stop as Alessia squeezed your hand thinking you might have dozed off.

The two of you stretch feeling slightly stiff from being stuck in the back seats for a while. But as Alessia takes off her seatbelt, you gently touch her arm stopping her from getting out.

"Good luck" you smile at her as you squeeze her arm, "you're going to smash it".

Alessia doesn't say anything but judging by the megawatt smile spreading across her face she appreciated the encouragement. With one small squeeze on your hand in thanks, she gets out of the car and grabs her gear before running over to some of her teammates.

You couldn't help but follow her as you watch as she joins over to some of her teammates before they rush off to the dressing rooms.

The car is quiet for a second before Mario snorts out a laugh. You look at him quizzically as he looks back at you in the mirror amused. "You haven't a clue about football do you?" He asks, grinning at you. You shake your head but you couldn't help but smile.

"Not a clue".

Mario laughs as he shakes his head as he nods his head, "Alright then. C'mon let's go find seats".

And after 90 minutes you still hadn't a clue. Honestly you didn't see the appeal. Chasing a ball around for 90 minutes. But that didn't mean you didn't find ways to entertain yourself. For one you found it highly amusing how worked up Mario got over the game as he acted as if it was the be all and end all.

And what also surprised you was how sassy Alessia got when playing. You spotted the sweet polite girl often talking back to the referee and making (what you could only guess) snippy comments to the other teams players.

But you did find it sweet how when she scores, she looked up to find her dad. Although you were probably easy to find due to Mario's loud cheering.

Honestly it was kind of refreshing to see the girl smiling. With the amount of studying the two of you had been doing and how much she was stressing over her upcoming test, it had been a while since you had seen her properly smile or look so relaxed.

But honestly it was worth standing out in the cold for the better part of 2 hours as when Alessia came over to us and Mario made a whole song and dance over her.

"Dad!" Alessia groaned as Mario cheered and swept her into a massive hug gaining looks from everyone around. "Dad, stop it!" Alessia whined as her face burns red. Her eyes narrowing when she sees you giggling at her embarrassment.

"Nothing wrong with showing everyone how proud I am of you" he says sternly but you can tell he's enjoying messing with her.

You take that as your chance to join in on the ribbing, "Yeah superstar. I mean you did score the winning goal after all". It seems that Alessia's mood considerably brightens at the reminder.

Mario laughs, "Yeah I don't think I have ever seen this one so excited. Much less over football".

You shrug, "Still don't see the appeal of Football".

But obviously that was the wrong thing to say as Alessia took that as an opportunity to try and explain to you every reason why football was appealing.

Even as you climb back into the car, Alessia continues on why football is the greatest sport alive as you nod along. Until you're completely drained and now the roles are reversed as you rest your head against hers. Alessia pausing her rant to let you settle softly against her.

She still continues on but in a softer tone until she sees you drift off. She feels your head start to slip off her shoulder as she wraps an arm around you and pulls you against her.

She practically holds her breath as you shift in your sleep. Her face darkens crimson when she realised your face is buried in her neck as your breath hitting her neck sends shivers down her spine. She tries to shift back a bit but realises she can't when she sees that you have her shirt balled up in your hands leaving her no chance to snuggle back up with you.

When Mario looks back, he smiles softly as he sees the two of you sound asleep in each other's arms peacefully leaning into each other for comfort.

~~~

Your eyes widen and you blink at the girl who shakes her head ag your reaction. "Sorry. Say that again? Because I definitely must have miss heard you". You shake your own head as you with out a small chuckle, "Cause I could have sworn you said you were going to teach me football".

It was a usually weekend dinner with the two families. But with the weather being unusually nice they had decided to move if outside to take advantage of the rare sunny day. So while both of your mother gossiped about God knows what and Gio and Luca helped Mario with a barbeque, Alessia had decided to drag you out to the garden.

Although you weren't expecting this.

But the footballer just smiled amusedly at you as she grinned at you, "No you heard right. That's exactly what I said".

You raise your eyebrows at her but you continue smiling at her, "You are insane".

"C'mon!" Alessia groans as she throws the ball between her hands. "You help me study for classes. I think it's my turn to teach you something".

You pouted and stomped your foot with a whine a bit like a petulant child but you didn't really care. Even though you rolled your eyes when you saw Alessia giggle at your antics. "But that's different! I'm helping you study for your education! That's important!"

Alessia pouted now tilting her head at you, "Football is important too".

You fixed her with a look, "Too you! Football isn't important to me!" You clarified knowing she had a point. Her whole life practically revolves around the sport.

But Alessia ignores your entire argument and instead grins smugly at you, "You called it Football".

You let out a loud groan that I'm sure your mothers could hear from their seats across the garden. "Really? That's all you got from that?"

But she doesn't say anything, only shrugs her shoulders with a grin. She drops the ball and starts juggling it with ease. "See look, it's not that hard!" She kicks it higher and catches it, "You're always saying I'm too clumsy. So if I can do it then so can you".

I raise an eyebrow at her, "First of all I stand by that statement. You are the clumiest person I've ever met. But at least on a soccer field you know what you're doing. I haven't an athletic bone in my body!"

Alessia grins widely, "Well that's about to change cause we're doing it!"

You groan but Alessia takes no notice as she kicks you the ball to which you squeal and slap the ball away. Alessia gives you a very unimpressed look as you just shrug at her as if to say 'what?' Before she rolls her eyes and goes to get the ball.

For the next hour and a half the two of you became the entertainment for both your families as they watched Alessia fail to teach you football.

"No no no you're meant to pass with the inside of your foot!"

"Hit it with the laces"

"You have to have power behind the pass or else it won't make it that far….imagine it's Mr Wickerman…NOT THAT HARD!"

Eventually you flopped onto the ground as you fail to get the ball off the Russo and she gives you a particularly hard shoulder that sends you to the ground.

"Okay I think I'm done" you say as you curl up on the grass. "Just leave me here to die peacefully".

Alessia just rolls her eyes at your dramatics, "It wasn't that bad".

You barely lift your head to look at her before dropping it back down with a thump, "Oh yes it was".

Oh course it was then her brother's decided to join you as Luca messes with your hair and Giorgio sits on your stomach as you let out a grunt before pushing him off you. "No she's right, that was painful to watch".

"She wasn't that bad" Alessia tries although very weakly. It was obvious that anything athletic wasn't your strong suit.

"Up for a 2v2 then?" Luca suggest as he tosses the ball in his hands. "Gio and I versus you two?"

"But those teams aren't fair!" Alessia argues immediately to which you lift your head in offense.

"You said I wasn't that bad!"

She sends you a sorry smile, "Yeah I lied". You scoff but wave her off letting her know you were only messing. You were genuinely terrible. And you didn't know how Alessia lasted so long with you.

It wasn't long after that you were all called for dinner as you ate together. Although it seemed this time it blended much easier with both you and Alessia actually conversing. Unlike before where it would be a civil conversation now the two of you actually sat beside each other.

Only after Alessia had to wrestle Luca out of his regular seat beside you.

"But I always sit there!" Luca complains as Alessia smiles in victory over having successfully pushed him off the chair beside you.

"Not anymore" Alessia mocks as she sits happily in the chair as you giggle at the siblings.

"Mom!" Luca whines while Carol just shakes her head.

"Luca it's just a chair" Carol sighs but has a hint of a smile on her face. Clearly amused by her children's antics.

"But I always sit there!" Luca argues once more. He looks at you, "Tell them Sherlock!"

You shake your head at his nickname for you but hold up your hands declaring neutrality, "Sorry Watson".

He looks at you betrayed as Alessia wraps an arm around you pulling you into her slightly as she smirks smuggly up at her brother. "Sorry, looks like she has a new favorite Russo now".

Luca sighs sadly before he eventually takes his new seat beside his brother as he mopely eats his food.

Everything after that was fine apart from the few teasing comments thrown around.

It was later in the evening as you recovered from your evening of playing soccer and nursing your little food baby that Alessia suggested the two of you watch a movie.

You were playing on your phone as she dropped beside you on the couch. "Here" she says as she holds out a bowl for you.

You peek into the bowl, "What is it?"

"Skittles" Alessia answers simply before holding up her own bowl, "Don't worry I took out all the green ones".

You smiled softly at that. "You remembered?" You asked as you recall telling her in one of your study sessions that you loved Skittles but hated the green ones.

"Of course" she smiled at you before turning back to the TV, "I also remember you saying you love Harry Potter so which one are we going to watch?"

You smile softly before telling her your favorite one as she puts it on. You watch the film for a little while before Alessia moves beside you but your eyes remain locked on the screen. She calls your name and you hum showing that you're listening.

But when she doesn't say anything you look over at her to see her fiddling with her fingers. "Can I ask you something?" She asked quietly and albeit a bit nervously.

Seeing how nervous the girl was, you paused the movie and gave her your full attention. "Of course Less. You can ask me anything" you say as you take one of her hands and rub your thumb over her knuckles.

She watches how your thumb glides over her knuckles softly before she sighs. "What's up with you and Luca?"

You practically choke on air as your eyes widen at the thought. "What?"

But Alessia just shrugs as she looks at the paused screen showing a freeze frame of the golden trio. "It's just...at dinner. He seemed really upset that he didn't get to sit beside you. And you have those nicknames for each other...." she explains before trailing off.

You scrunch your face before shrugging, "I mean it's nothing? It's like he said. We always sit together. And he always calls me Sherlock just because he thinks I'm smart and help him with homework sometimes. So I just call him Watson in return".

She looks at you for a second longer before looking into your eyes, "So there's... nothing going on between you two?"

It takes a second for you to grasp what she's insinuating but once it finally clicks you gasp. "What! Wha? No! No no Less! It's not like that at all!" You almost gag at the thought, "God no!"

You shake your head, "No Less it's nothing like that. We just get along really well. God he's like a brother to me!"

Alessia laughs at how off put you are but the mere suggestion of the two of you dating but judging by the small blush on her face you can still tell she's slightly embarrassed by asking that now.

You take her hand and again give it a small squeeze paired with a smile, "Trust me Less. I will never date Luca. Ever". You give her a wink, "Like you said. I have a new favorite Russo after all".

She smiles brightly at the reassurance. Her head drops into your shoulder as you nuzzle into the back of her head. You stay like that a moment before the two of you decide to turn back to the movie. It's not long after the two of you are leaning up against each other discussing which Houses you would both be in.

It wasn't till later your mother came to tell you it was time to go home when both your mother and Carol found the two of you curled up together as Alessia had her arms wrapped around you as you were settled into her leaning your head against her shoulder.

~~~

Honestly you didn't wake up today expecting to be rugby tackled. Let alone by a soccer player of all people.

You had been at your locker gathering books for your next classes when you had heard rapid steps coming up to you. You didn't even have time to turn as there was suddenly arms around your waist and your lifted off the ground.

You let out a yelp as you drop your books clinging onto the arms around you in fear of being dropped. When you finally are put back on the ground, you turn ready to rip whoever had the audacity to touch you, but you quickly stop when you see Alessia smiling brightly at you.

"Less! What the hell is up with you?" You whisper shout at her as you brace yourself on her arms trying to ignore the small thought in your head as you realise her hands were still on your waist.

But she doesn't say anything. Instead she just pulls out a sheet of paper as she holds it up doing a small little dance on the spot. "I passed!" She cheered as she shows you proudly the 84% marked at the top of the test.

Your eyes widen before you smile. "Less! You didn't just pass, you aced it!" You beam as you smile up at her. "Gosh Less I knew you could do it!"

Alessia is practically bouncing on the spot in glee before launching herself at you once more this time in a hug. The embrace nearly sends you to the floor if not for you balancing the two of you against your locker.

Honestly you weren't used to much affection apart from hugs from your mom and occasionally Carol.

But since you started to become closer with Alessia you were slowly getting more comfortable with touch. Purely because Alessia was very touchy. The girl had an affinity for hugs and small touches.

But it wasn't even that you just got use to the touches.

It was how patient she was with you when she found out you just weren't use to unfamiliar touch. How she noticed the first time she hugged you, you froze up. Or the time she grabbed your hand you flinched away. She was starting to think it was her until you sheepishly smiled and told her you just weren't used to touch.

It was then how she would always check to see if it was okay first. Instead of grabbing your hand she would offer it first. How she would usually wait for you to make the first move for a hug or anything physical as to make sure you were comfortable.

She was patient with you until you grew okay with her touch. If you were being completely honest with yourself, you probably had started to like it a bit too much.

Like in this instance, where you can feel yourself sink into the hug. Liking how safe and warm you felt in her arms. While you usually cursed your height difference as it gave the Russo girl something to tease you about, it worked perfectly for hugs. As you slotted together perfectly with your head tucked right into her neck. With hers rest on the top of your crown. In her excitement she gave you a kiss on the top of your head.

But reality seemed to hit you all at once as you started to recognize the looks and whispers from your classmates.

You suppose it was an unusual sight to see the resident nerd with the school's soccer superstar and It girl.

You cleared your throat shifting slightly uncomfortable under people's stares but still gave Alessia a smile. The girl was so escatic that she didn't even notice.

"Seriously I couldn't have done it without you, I don't know how to thank you" Alessia said, grateful.

You couldn't help but soften at that as you momentarily forget about all the eyes on you. You shook your head lightly, "This was all you Less. You worked hard for this". You squeezed her forearm lightly, "You deserve this. I'm proud of you".

That seemed to turn the girl shy as she smiled with a light blush dusting her face. She cleared her throat before realizing your books were still laid on the floor.

She quickly picked them up for you as she slipped them back into your hands with a smile, "I better go I'm going to be late to class I just had to tell you about the test". "But I'll still see you later then yeah?" She quickly asks as you zip up your bag.

That made you raise a brow. "You still want to study together? But you passed?"

There was a subtle roll of her eyes but you ignored it. What you couldn't ignore was how she bit the bottom of her lip almost as if she tried to contain a smile. "Yeah but I still need to keep the grade up now don't I?" She teased making it your turn to roll your eyes.

She giggled but smiled at you, "Despite what you might believe I actually enjoy our study sessions now and would hate for them to stop".

She smirked, "Besides, our mothers like us hanging out. And I'd say they will have a fit if we went back to how things used to be. They enjoy using us as an excuse to hang out I think".

You let out a laugh with a nod agreeing with her.

She started backpedaling as she realized she was about to be late for class. "So I'll see you later?"

You nodded, "Yeah I'll see you later".

She smiled and turned making her way through the sea of people. You couldn't describe how you feeling as you watched her walk down the corridor.

It wasn't until your breathing hitched as she turned to look at you over her shoulder. Even though she was half away down the hallway you could still see her beautiful blue eyes paired with her perfect beaming smile.

It was only then you realized how fucked you were as you came to the realization.

You were being to fall for Alessia Russo.

#alessia russo #alessia russo imagine #alessia russo imagines #alessia russo x reader #alessia russo x y/n

481 notes · View notes

jester089 · 1 year ago

Note

What would happen if, having appeared at the circus, the reader looked around and said animatedly. “Wow...this place has changed so much. You did a good job, Kane!” - instead of the usual panics. It was as if they were already here. And how do they know his name is Kane?

everything is very simple. The reader has already been to the circus once (back when the queener was alive), but was able to escape. The reader decided to come back, because they felt sorry for the people in the circus, but when they came again, all the old characters had long since disappeared, and instead they saw the main cast. They had to explain everything again: what the world looks like from the outside, how much it has changed, and most importantly, that there is a way out and they are helping them.

They know how to find a way out, remember their past and true name, and have decided to came back to help others escape. It would be cool if Kinder remembered the reader, because he was the first

Back so soon?

So their is what you asked. But it made me think of something. What if reader was someone who created Caine/the circus. And they check in like every 6 months or so just to see how everything is going, and to make sure nothing is going horribly wrong. But they can't get the others out. So they just do their best to make the place comfortable. I'll still write your request but my idea will probably be written soon. Maybe. I honestly don't know. But you didn't specify on if you wanted the crew sperate or not so I'm just going to do a one shot.

TADC crew x Reader who visits the circus

You pop in on digital circus every now and again just to check in on everything and see how Caine is. Your a coder and stumbled upon it by chance. That is actually how you found a way out, and help everyone with their memories. Those x'ed out doors are people you've gotten out, or ones who abstracted before you could help them. You sometimes use it as a vacation too. Life is stressful and that place is full of a childlike fun and relaxing atmosphere when you aren't worried about escape. I mean you don't have to eat, drink, or sleep. And you get to go on silly adventures. 10/10 vacation spot if that's your thing. You pop into the colorful main room and look around. It's about the same as last time, that isn't a bad thing though. "Caine! I'm back!" No response. huh. Eh he's a busy guy you can't really blame him. You start walking towards the rooms hoping to meet everyone new. ~~~~~

You get there and skim over the doors different pictures. "Ok so looks like we gottt. A comedy masked ribbon person. A mismatch of colors and pieces poor them. A chess piece. Oh no, their was a queen version. Oh geez now I feel awful. Maybe I should stop by more... Ok uhh, a ragdoll. A periwinkle bunny. And a Jester. Alright not a bad line up." You ring each rooms door bell getting no response each time. "Wonder where everyone is. I hope they're ok." You start wandering around calling out for Caine every now and again. ~~~~~ After around 20 minutes of wandering you find Caine and the group of people that the rooms belong to at the carnival. You jog up to them waving. "Caine! I'm back!" He does an over the top spin and hold the sides of his head like. "Y/N!!! What a pleasure to see you again! Back so soon too! We were having a day at the carnival! Seeing as how it wasn't used for a long time I made some changes! Their is now more rides! And an arcade! How about I introduce you to everyone!" "Yeah I would love that! Also I can't wait to try out the new rides. I had been on the old ones more times then I can count." He directs you towards the crowd of people some are looking at you confused as to how you know Caine, and aren't freaking out. Some just look like they don't wanna be there. ~~~~~

Around 5 minutes later you know everyone by name (Sorry I didn't write that. But you already know who they are and that would have taken me longer then I'm willing to take) so you introduce yourself and how you know Caine. "It's lovely to meet you all! I'm Y/N L/N, but you can just call me Y/N. I'm a coder who can get in and out of the digital circus so I visit sometimes." The short Jester who you now know as Pomni snaps her head in your direction. "You have a way out?!" "Uhh yeah. That's actually the main reason I visit so often. To help people out and get them out. It doesn't really work without me here so I try and visit whenever I can." "Get. Me. OUT OF HERE!" "Ok, ok geez. The rest of you want out too?" You receive only positive reactions so you take that as a yes. You motion for all of them to follow but before you walk off you turn to Caine. "Be back soon! Just gotta get these people home." "But of course. I feel their should be a way for me to be able to get people out. You'd think I would me being the controller of everything their would be. But at least their is a way for everyone to get out. See you soon Y/N and thank you again for all your help!" You wave then lead the group back to the main room and to the stage. "You can do this just about anywhere but this is the place that I've found is the best. My best guess is because it's always where people pop in when they first arrive." You walk up to a seeming specific wall and do something (?) to it. You move off to the side and motion for them to walk into the wall. Pomni essentially sprints into it not even thinking that you could be joking. And she goes straight through. The others soon following. After everyone's out you stretch and start walking back towards the carnival. "Some digital cotton candy sound pretty good right now. And I wanna try out those new rides Caine talked about."

(If I'm being honest I didn't really like how this turned out. But I digress. Sorry it took so long. And sorry only really Pomni talked. Still I hope you enjoyed it! I'm going to give this a special tag cause I feel like I'm going to continue it someday.)

xoxo, Jester

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #caine x reader #pomni x reader #noob author #not beta'd #A way out

257 notes · View notes

dilfjjk05 · 1 year ago

Note

Hi dear! Could I ask please for some NSFW between Nanami Kento and fem!reader after a LOT of tension? Thank you so much in advance!!❤️❤️

Secret Quickies.

────────── ✧《✩》✧ ──────────

─────────── ✧《✩》✧ ───────────

Nanami is currently currently attending his office Christmas party, and you his pretty wife is here as his plus one.

Nanami, he's a gentleman and you on the other hand are his brat. This honestly makes your sex life VERY interesting.

Before arriving to the party, while nanami was busy ironing your dress like a gentleman of course, YOU were busy putting Viagra in his drink. The drink being a "Thank you" for ironing and setting up your jewellery for the night when your intentions are to actually get him super riled up....oh how bratty you are.

At the party, Everything seems to be going fine..but Nanami is starting to feel hot. The tiny dress you're wearing isn't helping at all. You already know what's going inside his head. His stare, his sweaty forehead, his arms flexing and jaw clenching, god he's looks so fucking hot, you want his to rail you then and there

Maybe exactly that's what he'll do....

You're lost in your horny thoughts, when a big hand comes up and wraps around your waist.

"Darlin..." he whispers in your ears, his voice low and deep, sending chills down your spine.

"hmm?" you hum trying to keep composure when really you're already dripping.

He kisses the back of your ear before whispering "Come to the family restroom in five." It sounded like an order, an order you'd immediately listen to.

Five minutes later, as you open the door to the restroom, a strong hand pulls you in with force. The same hand grabbing onto your jaw and back you into the sink.

"I need you. At this instance. Please don't say no." You've never seen him sound like this. He's begging as well as ordering. Well, not like you're gonna decline anyways eh?

"Take me. Have me Husband" Oh god he might just cum in his pants with that voice of yours.

"I will wife. I will." He whispers as he turns you to face the mirror. Placing his hands on your hips, he moves to hurriedly raise your skirt and push your panties aside, as he also lowers his pants to let his angry cock free.He'd actually die if he doesn't push inside your right now.

"We don't have time for prep, okay baby? I'm sorry" with that he pushs into your cunt. Loud moans erupt from both of you. Your hands holding the sink, while his grab your waist tight, keeping his pace fast and deep. He needed to finish quick. Quick before anyone could notice you two gone.

He grabs your jaw to make you look up at the two of you Making love. "You like this baby? You see how well we fit together? f-fuck you're so perfect for me Darlin" He moans in your ear, you on the other hand are too cock drunk to even realize what's he's saying.

"You gotta cum quick okay? we don't have much time" he says as his free hand moves down to run you clit, his pace increasing and becoming harsh, yet he places soft kisses along your neck.

"Kento i-im c-close, p-please" Your fingers start to claw on his hands which are on your waist.

"Let go Darlin, bless me my love"

And with that, you let on him, head falling back on his shoulder. Soon after he lets go, filling you up to the brim. He places kisses on your neck and cheek.

"You okay baby?"

"Mhmpmh"

"Let's get you cleaned up and we'll head straight home okay?"

Kneeling down, he helps her clean up before they pull eachother together and head home, holding hands happily.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Hope your like this 🫶🏻 and is up to your expectations 🤍

✎ Requests are open⇢ ˗ˏˋcheck pinnedˎˊ˗

#jujutsu smut #jujutsu kaisen smut #jjk smut #jjk nanami #kento nanami #kento smut #kento x reader #nanami headcanons #nanami kento #nanami smut #nananmi kento #nanami kento smut

135 notes · View notes

th3d0nutl0rd · 9 months ago

Note

also uhhh if you want a request yourself, i’d love sone injured!nell content <3

Sure thing! :)

Injured! Nell x Gn reader

You were at home, minding your business. Word had been spreading recently about a highwaywoman, but that was honestly the least of your concerns at the time. You had other things to focus on- be it work, family affairs ect.

One night, while unable to sleep, you heard a scratching at your window. Intrigued by the sound, you opened it wondering what was out there. Nothing. How strange. You closed the window and moved towards the front room of your house, stopping in your tracks as you saw a shadow moving in the dark.

With your hands trembling, you picked up a matchbook from a nearby table, striking it. In the orange glow you saw the face of none other than the woman on the wanted posters littering the streets outside. You weren't scared though- you doubted some big scary highwayman would be routing around in the dark aimlessly.

You soon noticed she was hurt, spots of dried blood on her face and hands, and a noticeable wound beneath her coat. You whispered out to her in the dark of the night, reassuring her that you would not hurt her.

At first she held her pistol up, but her hands were noticeably shaking, she clearly was hurt. You guided her to an armchair, lighting some candles so you could see what you were dealing with. You may not have been a surgeon, but you were smart and had knowledge as to how to deal with these things.

As you gathered the things you needed to treat the wound upon the table, she looked down at you as if she wasn't entirely sure what was going on, furrowing her brows and chewing her lip in pain.

"what are you doin' then?" She whispered, as you gently lifted her shirt just enough to access the wound. You stifled a laugh, as it was the first thing she'd said- and marked her questioning your judgement. You'd be skeptical too if everyone wanted you dead.

"I'm cleaning the wound, with alcohol." You said.

She opened her mouth to say something else but hissed in pain as you began to clean the injury site. Once you were done, you stood up, offering your hand. She ignored it, wanting to stand by herself. However, she quickly realised she could not and took it reluctantly, allowing you to guide her carefully to your bedroom.

It was dangerous, really. But you figured if people from the village were to catch on the last place they'd check for a highway woman was your bedroom- the debauchery of it all!

Out of respect, you took a seat on the floor. Maybe you were a little captivated by her, too- her lovely red hair, her soft features, the way her chest rose and fell as she slept. You slipped your fingers between hers as she slept, wondering momentarily what it would be like to live a life like hers.

Eventually, sleep came over you too, your head lolling back against the mattress with your fingers still intertwined with hers.

You woke up to a playful slap upside the head, shocked as you saw her standing before you in her full glory. Startled, you climbed up to your feet, body aching from sleeping on the floor but willing to ignore it momentarily for this.

"Thanks for the help, sweetheart." She said, dropping some coins into your palm with a wink.

"But, where will you go, you're still hurt!" You protested.

"I'm feelin' much better now- thanks to you! Hey, and, I'll know where I'll come next time I get into a bit of a pickle, eh?" She said with a wink. You felt your face burning up, she was really very charming. You opened your mouth to say something, but she was already out the door.

#renegade nell #nell jackson #nell jackson x reader #nell jackson x gn!reader #injured!nell jackson #hurt/comfort

120 notes · View notes

danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 10 days ago

Text

Dangancember 2024 - Danganronpa Top 24 Class Trials - Number 9: Danganronpa Another Case 6

//When I got to ordering this list, it honestly surprised me just how much I liked the ending to the original Danganronpa Another Despair Academy.

//Up until now, I've talked about all of the game ending trials with only one more to go, and so far, my opinions of them have ranged from catastrophically bad to "eh, it's alright."

//While not my top ending, this one still deserves a lot of credit. Mainly in the way it wraps up all the mysteries of the school, while also delivering an emotional punch to the face. Narratively, it's very well handled, but it still falls a little flat purely because of some contrivances contained within it.

//Which makes it all the harder to defend because I've seen that quite a few people are REALLY not on board with this ending. And trust me, I get why, but what are problems for you might not necessarily be problems for me, and if they are, then maybe I think about them differently in ways that I feel they're justifiable.

//I'm pretty sure that this is the trial that most of us have been anxiously waiting for me to cover, because I have drawn reference from it in almost every other Another trial that I have covered on the list so far, especially in regards to its masterminds, and finally, we are here.

//But let's go beat by beat, and let's start by explaining the full circumstances behind DRA1's Killing Game, as revealed in this chapter and trial. Sit down, because you're gonna spend the next hour hearing me lecture plot at you:

//As fans of the Danganronpa series know all too well, the franchise loves its convoluted plots, memory-erasing shenanigans, and high-stakes death games. Most of the action revolves around the antics of Class 77-B, who become the future Ultimate Despair, and Class 78-A, the unlucky stars of the first game, at Hope’s Peak Academy. These two groups are iconic for their tragic descents into despair and their respective experiences in nightmarish killing games.

//But Another Despair Academy takes a sharp turn, veering off into an entirely different story by introducing the stragglers: Class 79, the underclassmen of the Danganronpa 1 cast.

//Now, if you think this is going to be a copy-paste of Makoto and friends losing consciousness in the entrance hall, only to wake up trapped in a killing game with zero memories...

//Well, you’re right...

//But also spectacularly wrong. Class 79’s situation spirals into its own unique, chaotic mess.

//The story begins with Class 79 arriving for their first day at Hope’s Peak Academy. Or so they think. Like their predecessors, they lose consciousness right in the middle of the entrance hall, and wake up to find themselves trapped inside the school, with the only way out being to kill a fellow student and get away with the crime in the Class Trial.

//It's revealed in this trial that they’ve already been attending Hope’s Peak for months. As with Class 78, their memories have been wiped clean by the Killing Game’s resident neuroscientists.

//By the time Class 79 arrived at Hope’s Peak, the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History was already in full swing. Junko was busy doing what she does best: wreaking havoc, brainwashing Reserve Course students, and sowing chaos.

//This is where Yamato Kisaragi, a student in Class 79 and an early candidate for “guy-who-tried-his-best-but-still-failed-spectacularly," award comes in.

//Yamato realized something was very wrong at Hope’s Peak. Instead of sticking around to figure it out, he decided the best thing to do first was to evacuate his classmates to safety.

//This "safety," however, turned out to be a secluded Kisaragi Foundation research lab on a remote island. And because nothing in Danganronpa ever goes according to plan, things quickly went south.

//Unbeknownst to Yamato, and in an eerily similar fashion to Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba, two of his classmates were secret agents of Despair. These double agents infiltrated the lab, and what followed was a slow, methodical takedown of the rest of the group. Even Tsurugi, the group’s resident justice fanatic, couldn’t escape their grasp, despite holding out with a head-to-head confrontation.

//As tradition demands, the survivors had their memories wiped courtesy of Junko and Yasuke Matsuda’s patented "Forget Everything and Suffer" operation.

//But Here’s where the plot gets spicy: Class 79’s killing game wasn’t just another tragedy...it was the FIRST killing game.

//Junko orchestrated this bloody rehearsal to test the waters before unleashing her masterpiece with Class 78. Think of it as a twisted trial run for Despair Incorporated.

//To sell the illusion, the traitors and masterminds behind the operation even erased their own memories and remodeled the lab into a replica of Hope’s Peak Academy. The result? Class 79, now brainwashed, believed they were still attending school while being forced to participate in the experiment.

//This final trial reveals that the masterminds behind this disaster were the Ultimate Maid, Akane Taira, and an undercover Despair bigwig hiding among the survivors. Akane, regaining her memories before the final trial, takes on the role of the main villain and sets the stage for the grand finale.

//She scattered clues around the facility, leading the survivors to believe that solving the Killing Game’s mysteries in a class trial would secure their escape.

//The game’s protagonist, Yuki Maeda, has a rough time during all this. Thanks to some memory manipulation quirks, he keeps experiencing random flashes of how the Killing Game worked, which only adds to the chaos. During the final class trial, the surviving quartet, Yuki, Rei, Tsurugi, and Teruya, unravel most of the game’s secrets.

//Just when things seemed to be wrapping up nicely, Akane dropped the ultimate bombshell: the true mastermind wasn’t her. It was one of them.

//Cue the panic. The survivors scrambled to prove their innocence by recounting their lives, but Yuki hits a wall...literally.

//He can't remember anything about his past, not even his own mother’s name. Things go from bad to worse as Yuki’s headaches intensify, and he suddenly finds himself inside his own mind space. Here, he was presented with two choices: embrace Hope or give in to Despair.

//In the canonical ending, Yuki recovers all his memories, but his current persona vanishes, and his true identity emerges: Utsuro, an Ultimate Despair with godlike Divine Luck and a spot on Junko’s VIP list.

//As Utsuro, Yuki’s transformation reveals the depths of Junko’s machinations and sets the stage for everything to come.

//And there you have it: Danganronpa Another Despair Academy. It’s a prequel, a sequel, and a rehearsal all rolled into one. Now where do we start unpacking this?

//First of all, A-6's investigation is generally pretty solid. Similar to 1-6, it does, for the most part, feel like you're solving a mystery. However, the way it's executed is different from it in a good and a bad way.

//For one, the trial is still ultimately Akane lecturing you on everything that's happened, and all you're really doing is finding the clues that she on purposefully placed in the academy. So it's not just a matter of you finding the proof that was already there, it's basically just Akane planting them, and you're going on an easter egg hunt, which kind of takes away from the sense of accomplishment.

//But what I think balances that out is the fact that Akane genuinely gets ANGRY if you don't do as you're told and solve the mystery. And honestly, with how painstakingly obvious all the clues are, I totally understand that. She genuinely gets pissed when no one recognizes the fact that Yamato's diary referred to the Masterminds in plural, and she's the one who has to say "Jesus Christ, there's an S at the end of these words, what part of there being more than one of us are you not getting!?"

//Of course, the real reason why she's so frustrated is because she put the clues down to coax Utsuro out of Yuki. I just think it's funny, but it also really reinforces that everyone in this trial is just...really dumbed down so that it feels like Akane is in control the whole time. Akane herself is great, and she does feel like she towers over the others in terms of status for this trial, and the fact that the investigation is directly managed by her reinforces this.

//But at the same time, everyone who has made it to the end of this game is decently smart, except Teruya really, but it feels like the investigative skills they've all shown through the game don't even apply here. Even Teruya somehow feels as dumb as he's ever been here, because he's the one who has to ask the questions so that the other characters can explain things to him, and by extention, the player.

//And for what it's worth, the characterization for these characters in this final trial is generally fantastic despite this.

//ESPECIALLY Rei.

//This is just my personal bias really, but I think this trial and the way that Rei reacts to the fact that not all of them are going to make it out together is kind of heart-wrenching.

//The way that she breaks down and reveals her true feelings doesn't feel unnatural either. Throughout the whole game, through every class trial we go through, Rei becomes gradually more and more not okay with everything that's going on. And this just feels like the final nail in what is a slowly building coffin for her.

//I think what I like about this final trial is that this feels like the kind of death game ending that Uchikoshi would think up. It kind of ticks all the boxes for this genre.

//For one, it's the only one of the five main games to have a very prominent good and bad ending. Like the bad ending to the first Danganronpa game, it's pretty sudden, but I think it's way more impactful and way less...strange.

//Okay, so the whole point of DR1's bad ending was to be discreetly unsettling. But the bad ending of the original Another is far more...I guess poignant would be the best word.

//And no, I don't mean that in the sense that Yuki gets a claw run through his chest.

//At the end of the trial, when Akane urges everyone to figure out who the Mastermind is, and Yuki starts to bluescreen because he realizes that he knows nothing about himself, you are given two choices. You can either go through a white door, or a black door that forms in Yuki's mind.

//Going through the black door unlocks the true ending where Yuki reverts back into Utsuro, but if you go through the white door, he regains all of Utsuro’s memories, including the weight of his past atrocities and the existential despair that led to his identity crisis, but ultimately still remains Yuki Maeda

//Akane, as you can imagine, is furious over the experiment’s failure, but her rage doesn't come from a villainous origin so much as it does her desperation to save her beloved Utsuro, highlighting her complex, misguided loyalty to him. And when she realizes Utsuro had lost the will to live long before the Killing Game, her heartbreak drives her to end Yuki’s life, leaving his existence as both Utsuro and Yuki unresolved.

//And the last thing that Yuki hears as fades away are her tears.

//Can you see how that's already so much better than 1-5's bad ending!?

//This ending works well because it encapsulates the despair that defines the Danganronpa series. The stark contrast between Akane’s rage and her eventual sorrow adds depth to her character, showing her as more than a villain. It shows off the tragic figure that she was before she became a Despair, trying to hold onto the only one she ever cared for.

//It's just so incredibly creative that the ending where Yuki retains his personality and stays as himself is the "Bad Ending" while the one that he reverts back to Utsuro is the "True Ending."

//Because even though Yuki turns back into Utsuro, he's STILL the protagonist of the game, so the fact that he returns, and manages to kill off most of the students in the killing game IS HIS GOOD ENDING! He ACHIEVED his goal, and Akane achieves hers at bringing him back.

//It's just...SO genius!

//If I have any problems with the fact that Utsuro comes back, it's...I won't say it's bad, but it's conflicting that after he reappears, Yuki is basically just GONE!

//You've spent the whole game playing as this character, and while it's awesome that this is how it happened, Yuki effectively dies when Utsuro pops out again, and this is how his story ends.

//He just completely disappears until he gets resurected in SDRA2. Which ironically gives him a happy ending at long last and after all this, dear god he deserved it.

//Anyway, I kind of want to go through all these points in order as I can, so the next thing I want to talk about, and something that I kind of HAVE to talk about, is the huge flashback sequence that happens in this chapter.

//Before Yuki makes his choice to choose between Yuki and Utsuro, there's a lengthy scene that shows the events that unfolded with Yamato's evacuation, and how it actually happened, as well as how Utsuro and Akane subdued the rest of the students.

//It's...pretty long, and kind of doesn't need to be, but it's still interesting to watch. Especially in the sheer parallel between Mikako and Yuki.

//Ironically, Mikako is this bright and bubbly person who believes in people to a fault, while Yuki, or Utsuro, is just deep in thought, quiet, and doesn't speak to people. Meanwhile, both these personalities are completely flipped on their head when they actually meet in the Killing Game.

//The flashback sequence offers a glimpse into how the students interacted before their memories were erased. Unlike most games, where we meet characters already thrust into the despair-filled chaos of a killing game, this sequence peels back the layers to show their pre-tragedy lives and relationships.

//While Danganronpa 3: Despair Arc did something similar with Class 77, the focus there was more on Junko and Izuru’s rise to infamy, leaving the classmates as a supporting cast. Here, however, the spotlight is firmly on Class 79, making the flashbacks feel more personal and impactful.

//What makes these moments so intriguing is the contrast between the tense, fractured dynamics during the killing game and the warmer, more natural bonds we see in their past.

//During the game, it’s clear that trust is a luxury none of them can afford. Nobody truly feels like "friends." But in the flashbacks, when their memories are intact and their relationships less strained, you see glimpses of a group that could have grown into something special.

//Some standout moments include Kisaragi’s growing suspicion of Akane and Utsuro, which are ultimately undermined by Mikako’s misplaced trust in them.

//Seeing Mikako and Yamato as their true selves, unburdened by the effects of Yamato’s infamous retention machine, is a bittersweet reminder of the personalities they lost along the way.

//And then there’s Yuki, eerily silent as chaos unfolds around him, his passive demeanor from his own POV hinting at the dark truth of his identity.

//The truck sequence, where the classmates use their talents to defend themselves against Monokumas, is a real highlight. It showcases how each character reacts to the crumbling world around them, offering flashes of growth and camaraderie even in the midst of destruction. Even characters like Mitch and Kizuna, who we've already established as the bad eggs of the group, get their moments to shine, proving that they’re more than just walking red flags. There’s an underlying sense of tragedy in seeing the potential for all of these characters to become better versions of themselves, only for it to be snatched away.

//The key takeaway from this flashback is the strength these students draw from their bond with one another. They may not have reached the tight-knit unity of Class 77, but there’s a budding sense of a dysfunctional family forming among them.

//The killing game’s ultimate purpose, to strip them of that foundation, becomes all the more devastating in this context. By showing us what these students could have been, the flashback adds layers of depth and heartbreak, turning what could have been a simple backstory into a critical, character-driven tragedy. It’s the kind of storytelling that Danganronpa excels at, giving you just enough hope to make the despair hit that much harder.

//And speaking of flashbacks, as I already said, this game is actually a fanmade prequel to the entire Danganronpa series.

//I largely think the reason why LINUJ made the DRA series part of the same timeline as Danganronpa's is ultimately to play it safe. As one of the first big fangans, you already know the stakes as a player, and there's already established lore that you can work around. Ultimately, Utsuro and Akane do get tied back to Junko in this way, and the game itself is a prelude to the killing game that happens in Trigger Happy Havoc.

//A means of the Ultimate Despair testing the waters, if you will.

//These days, Fanganronpa games and series often choose to distance themselves from the Hope’s Peak timeline for a variety of reasons, with the primary one being creative freedom. The Hope’s Peak saga is rich with lore and intricate connections between its characters, but that complexity can also be restrictive.

//By creating entirely new timelines or settings, creators free themselves from the constraints of canon events, allowing them to explore unique storylines, characters, and themes without being tethered to established lore.

//This freedom enables creators to reimagine the series in fresh ways while still adhering to its core mechanics, such as the killing game and class trials.

//Also, unlike how this game seems to do it decently well, integrating their stories into such a tightly knit narrative without contradicting canon is insanely difficult.

//The Danganronpa series has a detailed timeline that spans decades, involving global events like the Tragedy and the rise of Ultimate Despair. Trying to slot a new killing game or set of characters into this timeline risks creating inconsistencies with established events. So instead, many creators opt for alternate timelines or settings, where they can craft original stories without the burden of reconciling their narrative with the complex events of Hope’s Peak.

//So people tend to really not like Fanganronpa's that tie into the Hope's Peak saga an awful lot. I already know a few of you who have admitted as much to me yourselves.

//However...I'm actually going to have to disagree with you.

//I'm not going to claim that a Fangan that takes place within the original timeline is better than one that doesn't, but I don't think they deserve to be looked down upon as a result of it.

//Granted, Another 2 seperates itself from the main timeline to branch off what LINUJ established in the first game, but Another 1, demonstrates that fanmade games can still take place within the Hope’s Peak timeline effectively.

//Another 1 acts as a prequel to the first Danganronpa game, leveraging the established world-building while adding its own layer of storytelling, which I think was the most creative approach to go about it.

//It's equally risky, but it works because it respects the existing lore while expanding on lesser-explored areas, such as the potential underclassmen of the original game, and their relationship to the overarching story of Hope’s Peak and the Tragedy.

//Most people would say that a safer approach to go would be to make a Killing Game that takes place after the series, like...

//Well...THE AFTER...

//But what makes Another 1 particularly successful is its ability to add new dimensions to the established timeline without overshadowing or contradicting the original story, even though it's really easy to add a detail that probably doesn't make sense in the main game's context.

//By simply presenting the 79th Class as precursors to the killing game experiments seen in the main series, it provides a unique perspective on Junko’s machinations and the broader impact of despair. It explores a fresh angle while still respecting the core themes and structure of the Danganronpa universe.

//Additionally, Another proves that stories set in the Hope’s Peak timeline can enrich the series by answering lingering questions or providing new insights into established events. For instance, it delves into the psychological effects of memory erasure and examines how the killing game concept was developed and refined.

//Ultimately, while many fanmade games choose to break away from the Hope’s Peak timeline for creative freedom, Another 1 stands as an example of how a well-crafted story can thrive within those boundaries. It demonstrates that even in a world as intricately detailed as Danganronpa’s, there’s room for new narratives that honor the source material while offering something fresh.

//But it's not this concept, or the truths that are revealed necessarily, that are the highlight for me with this trial. For me, my love for this trial, and why I put it so high up on this list, comes down to two things.

//The first...are the villains.

//This is going to be what I think is definitely...a take...But it's how I genuinely feel, and it's this:

//UTSURO AND AKANE ARE THE BEST VILLAINS IN THE ENTIRE SERIES!

//Genuinely, I was so excited to get to this trial PURELY because it means I get to rant and rave about how these two are FUCKING EXCELLENT! Not only are they portrayed as incredibly diabolical, but engaging antagonists in the game, but they leave such an astounding legacy across the Another series, and are well-rooted into it thanks to their backstories.

//Akane, on her own, is handled PHENOMENALLY well. The sheer fact that she is effectively this game's Deutragonist, as well as having such critical moments of frienship and potentially sexual tension with Yuki, really rides home the fact that she was one of the Masterminds behind it.

//And what's great is that LINUJ doesn't even make it obvious. Akane has such a compelling character arc throughout the game that really blindsides you to how she really is as a character.

//In Chapter 2, things take a dark turn for Akane. One night, she’s called to the Switchium by Kizuna, who tries to rope her into a plan to kill Yuki. Akane outright refuses, but Kizuna, desperate, attacks her. In the scuffle, and because it’s pitch-black, Akane accidentally stabs Kizuna. Shocked, she flees with blood on her hands, only to be seen by Ayame. To protect Akane from being executed, Ayame kills Kizuna instead. However, this selfless act seals Ayame’s fate, and she is executed.

//Akane is deeply traumatized, falling into a state of shell shock after Ayame's execution. The day after, the students investigate newly unlocked areas, but Akane isolates herself, refusing even Yuki’s attempts to comfort her. When she finally rejoins the group for breakfast the next day, she barely speaks, only murmuring Ayame’s name in a broken voice when someone mentions her.

//Things worsen when Monokuma reveals the third motive: personalized videos designed to provoke the students by showing them their desires. The videos are shown in a private, soundproof room, and students are forbidden from discussing the contents. Akane’s video, cruelly tailored, features Ayame blaming her for her death.

//This sends her over the edge. By the time the viewing session ends, Akane snaps out of her daze, screaming and running out of the gym. The others speculate her reaction was tied to the motive video and go looking for her, eventually finding her in her dorm room.

//The next day, Akane’s despair culminates in a suicide attempt. She’s discovered by Haruhiko, Satsuki, Teruya, Mikako, and Yuki, covered in blood and muttering about needing to join Ayame. Mikako steps in to calm her, offering reassurance and trying to remind Akane of her worth.

//This, coupled with the fact that Tsurugi spends all of the game after Chapter 2 refusing to let Akane live down what she did, and probably trying to STEER her towards this suicide attempt, leads to a long-running character arc that really keeps you hooked on Akane T. and her relationship with Yuki.

//The only other Mastermind who hides as part of the main group for the whole game is Tsumugi Shirogane, and as we've already said about a dozen times already, she's so pointless as a character throughout all of V3 that it ultimately means when she finally is revealed to be the Mastermind, nobody fucking cares.

//But this character is effectively your BEST FRIEND, possibly your love interest! Imagine being in Yuki's shoes for THAT revelation!

//But what makes Akane so bloody fantastic is that her being revealed as the Mastermind...DOESN'T WASTE THIS!

//As I've already said, Akane does cry when Yuki dies in the Bad Ending, which already shows a far more human side than the likes of Junko or the others.

//After Utsuro reveals the harsh truth about their families, sending Rei, Teruya, and Tsurugi spiraling into despair, he orders a group of Monokumas to finish them off. However, when the Monokumas close in, Akane unexpectedly turns against Utsuro, destroying the Monokumas with sheer force and disobeying his commands. Furious at her defiance, Utsuro orders Akane’s death as well.

//Just as all seems lost, the monitor broadcasting Monokuma’s presence is suddenly hijacked by an Alter Ego of Yamato. Yamato’s hopeful message reignites the trio’s will to fight, and they rally to confront Utsuro.

//As a Monokuma charges toward Rei, Akane throws herself in front of it, taking a deep slash to her side to protect her. When the facility's self-destruct sequence is triggered, Akane urges the trio to escape, choosing to remain behind with Utsuro.

//In their final moments together, Akane reveals to Utsuro why she defied him. She confesses that she heard Ayame’s voice in her head, reminding her of the person she truly was. Acting on that voice, Akane chose to reclaim her humanity and protect others, even at the cost of her life.

//What simply makes Akane such a fundamental and amazing character in this game is that unlike the rest of LINUJ's characters, she just never stops growing or developing as a person. And when you look at her backstory, and how she was an orphan who was saved by Utsuro, and swore undying loyalty to him, you kind of see how it works out.

//In reality, the Akane Taira of old grew up with just Utsuro to love. But as part of the memory erasure, she made genuine friends and bonds in the Killing Game, particularly Ayame, and that had an affect on her. When she saw what was happening to the survivors, even though she knew it was part of the plan, she found herself...not liking it.

//In a way that she herself couldn't explain, and before she knew it, she had acted on that doubt and turned against the one person she was faithful to.

//I just...GOD I love it!

//Akane is such a good Mastermind and villain compared to the other villains in Danganronpa because she feels like such a human by comparison. As far as the characters in this game are, she's written exceedingly well, and this reflects back on her brief appearances in SDRA2, and how she influences Sora in the final trial of that game.

//But of course, despite how amazing she is, Akane is ultimately the second fiddle to Utsuro in the same vein as Mukuro is to Junko. So we need to talk about him as well, and you might be wondering what do I actually think of Utsuro as a villain?

//Well, I really like him too!

//First of all, with Utsuro, let's not beat around the bush.

//One could argue that the twist that Yuki is the true Mastermind of the Killing Game is eerily similar to the twist that Hajime Hinata is actually Izuru Kamukura. There are very similar beats to it, namely that Utsuro and Izuru themselves seem devoid of any personality, ally themselves with Junko, and are beings up nigh unstoppable and ridiculous power, respectively with Divine Luck and Ultimate Hope.

//And you know what? I will concede with this. And I have said before that one of DRA's most controversial issues is that it copies/borrows a lot from the games that preceded it, due to LINUJ playing it safe with his Fangan.

//However, fundamentally, I actually think Utsuro ticks all the boxes for a stoic, overpowered antagonist that Izuru failed to tick for me. And I can boil it down into just one comparison:

//Utsuro is a character.

//Izuru...is a plot device.

//As much love as I do tend to show Izuru, I like him really as a concept, and for his role in the story. He exists for two reasons: to explain why Hajime is involved in the plot of DR2 despite being a Reserve student, and to show the moral corruption of Hope's Peak Academy and how Junko used it against them to end the world.

//Izuru’s design as the "Ultimate Hope" who possesses every ultimate talent makes him excessively powerful. This diminishes tension in the story because he lacks significant personal challenges or growth, he's essentially perfect at everything.

//And similarly, Utsuro's ability of Divine Luck, and the way people tried to exploit that from him is very similar. However, by comparison, Izuru doesn't evolve meaningfully as a character.

//While this reflects his existential ennui, it results in a static portrayal. Even when he appears in Danganronpa 2 and Danganronpa 3, he serves more as a plot device than a dynamic character.

//A tool to drive the story forward rather than a fully fleshed-out personality. His role is more about being a catalyst for Despair by creating the Tragedy and assisting Junko rather than a nuanced individual with his own compelling motivations.

//The big issue with creating this type of character is the concept of someone burdened by perfection and robbed of humanity is interesting, but it’s not explored deeply enough. This is something that I mainly do with his role in DR Survivor, but Izuru could have been used to explore themes like individuality, the value of imperfection, or rebellion against societal expectations. Instead, his apathy dominates his characterization, leaving these themes underdeveloped.

//But while Izuru fails to do that...Utsuro succeeds.

//Utsuro only appears twice in the series. He appears for the first time in this trial, and is present for the whole second half until the end, and then he shows up in the final chapter of SDRA2, where he's there, and has some good dialogue, but isn't as interesting as he is here.

//But somehow, not counting DR3, that's more screentime than Izuru ever gets, and really good things are done with it.

//For starters, yes, he's equally as stoic, and his facial expression rarely ever changes, but Utsuro has far more personality than Izuru. And on top of that, he is far more of an antagonist.

//I think largely the reason why this is is because Izuru had his personality taken out of him physically, but Utsuro fell into it naturally as a result of his abilities.

//Additionally, and this may ultimately be my personal opinion, I like Utsuro more than I like Yuki. At least more than I liked Yuki in the first game. I most assuredly, 1000% do NOT like Izuru more than I like Hajime.

//Hajime's journey of self-discovery, insecurity, and growth throughout Danganronpa 2 makes him one of the best characters in the franchise, but Yuki feels like such an everyman by comparison that it's hard to be as compelled by him. No disrespect to Yuki, of course, it's just that it's only when he vanished from the story, and was outed to secretly be the mastermind is when things got really interesting.

//In relation to that, the key difference between Izuru and Utsuro's origins is that while both of them undergo personality shifts and loss of memories, Utsuro was the ORIGINAL personality.

//Now, I still like Izuru's backstory more because the story of how Hajime fell into his slump after repeated mental abuse is fascinating to me (I'm not approving of it obviously, but still) but for Utsuro, it's his story from start to finish, instead of how Izuru just ends up as the unfortunate end product, then Junko steps in and is like "Quit your job, join my edgy high school boy band."

//(I say "boy band" most of the villains in this series are women, but...you get what I mean...)

//To recap, Utsuro was originally born into a loving family and had a happy early life born with a blessed power called "Divine Luck," "Divine Fortune," or "Heavenly Luck," depending on your translation.

//Utsuro possesses a unique ability tied to fortune, allowing him to bring anything he desires into reality and spread good luck to those around him. His power is absolute, and whatever he wills will simply happen. For instance, Tsurugi survives a gunshot to the head in the previous chapter solely because Utsuro (as Yuki) wished for him to live. Similarly, his extraordinary luck reshaped his appearance to perfectly resemble the real Yuki Maeda, aiding his deception.

//However, his parents soon discovered his supernatural luck and began exploiting him to satisfy their greed. This realization left Utsuro miserable, and while he eventually gained control over his luck, it came with an unusual caveat: his abilities bypassed the natural process of achieving things.

//For instance, he could ace a math test without ever learning math, or instantly become an expert in machines just by thinking about it. This effortless success robbed him of any sense of fulfillment or purpose, leaving him disillusioned and bored with life.

//Gee...doesn't THAT sound familiar...!?

//Frustrated, Utsuro ran away from home and survived on his own, using his luck to navigate life on the streets. Along the way, he helped many people, including Akane Taira and the members of VOID (Nikei, Iroha, Hajime M. Emma, and Mikado). However, his acts of kindness weren’t out of genuine altruism; they were simply things he thought he should do. Over time, even good deeds lost their appeal, and Utsuro became apathetic to everything. Repeated attempts at suicide failed, as his luck always intervened to save him.

//Eventually, Utsuro crossed paths with Junko Enoshima, who introduced him to something he hadn’t felt in a long time: Despair. A negative sensation, but the only one that he had felt in a long time.

//Fascinated, he began following her lead, assisting in her plans for Ultimate Despair. Utsuro masterminded Class 79’s Killing Game, which he orchestrated at Junko’s request as a precursor to her own.

//To infiltrate Hope’s Peak Academy, Utsuro kidnapped the real Yuki Maeda and assumed his identity. As part of this plan, his memories were altered at the start of the killing game to ensure he blended in seamlessly with the other participants.

//First of all, what makes this so interesting to me is that this answers a question of why people still rally behind Junko despite the fact that she's not shy about killing her allies, and is absolutely the worst person on earth to ever live.

//This. This is why.

//Because unfortunately, there are people out there in the world of Danganronpa who are just like Junko. Utsuro, Izuru, and Junko all fell into Despair and became some of the most dangerous people in the world because they all share a similar pain.

//Izuru was born with the power to do anything; Utsuro was born with the power to make anything; and Junko was born with the power to estimate and predict anything with 100% accuracy. As a result of this,

//They were all born too powerful. They were born with abilities that made life easy for them, regardless of what they were doing, and as a result, they all quickly became...bored.

//This is why all of them, even fucking JUNKO, are somewhat sympathetic as villains. Izuru was the only one of them who got any kind of look into the light, which is why he ended up as a more neutral party in the end, but they were all people who were there to be exploited by others, or who had no help or anyone to bring excitement to their lives.

//The sad thing is the only reason why they cause so much pain, despair, and destruction to humanity is because it's literally the only way any of them can FEEL anything anymore. And this is why Utsuro is so compelling, because he sits on that fine line between Junko and Izuru on the Scale of Villainy.

//He's sympathetic, and someone that you feel for, but at the same time, DEAR GOD this guy is FUCKING EVIL!

//In a typical Danganronpa format, what you might expect to happen is Yuki will reveal himself, and through the power of Hope, friendship, and the other shonen anime BS that the series is famous for in its finale's, he and Taira will somehow turn around and Yuki could come back.

//While Akane does see the light and try to comply to the power of Hope, Utsuro makes it abundantly clear to all of them that there's no going back for him. And this, for me at least, is my FAVOURITE PART of ANY of these class trials, at least of the one's in Another 1.

//You can kind of see me replicate this in ReProgrammed, but this final Non-Stop Debate is single-handedly the best thing I've ever had to do in a Class Trial for this series of games. See, what makes the final twist with Utsuro so awesome is that even after Yuki is repressed back into Utsuro, the perspective DOESN'T CHANGE!

//You'd expect maybe the protag view could switch to Akane like it briefly does in Trial 5, maybe to Tsurugi or someone, but no. In a way that eerily mirrors the final NSD of Danganronpa 1, you play as UTSURO, and your goal is to plunge the remaining Survivors into DESPAIR, instead of "planting your seeds of Hope to overcome Despair."

//And by GOD does Utsuro do this in the most fucked up, but entertaining way possible!

//Utsuro reveals harsh truths about their loved ones to drive the remaining trio into Despair. To Tsurugi, he explains that the leader of the Despair External Agents was none other than his father, Juu Kinjo. After mistakenly believing Tsurugi had died, Juu fell into despair, becoming the catalyst for the chaos in Japan. Utsuro further reveals that Juu consumed the remains of Tsurugi's childhood friend, Sasaki Kouhei, deepening Tsurugi's anguish and plunging him into madness.

//Rei learns from Utsuro that her parents, whom she believed had abandoned her, actually loved her deeply. They had gone bankrupt trying to repay dangerous loans and arranged for her to be cared for by a relative, only to be betrayed. Left destitute, Rei ended up on the streets. When they believed Rei had died, her parents sought out Junko for answers, but Utsuro intentionally withholds their ultimate fate, leaving Rei to spiral into despair over the unknown.

//To Teruya, Utsuro reveals that the funding used to transform the lab and create the executions came from his father, Kojiro Otori. Overcome with grief after Teruya’s presumed death, Kojiro donated vast amounts of money from his business to Junko's efforts. Utsuro cruelly blames Teruya, as his supposed death indirectly enabled the horrors that befell his friends, pushing Teruya into despair.

//Bro, I'm sorry, but NO friendship speech is saving this man!

//Utsuro definitely shows his more human and victim-of-circumstance side at the end of both stories, ironically both times speaking with Akane Taira or a form OF her (Sora.) And in the end, he stays with Akane in her final moments, largely because he wanted to die himself, but he also uses his Divine Luck on her to protect her body and somewhat keep her alive, even though she ends up braindead by SDRA2.

//But I think for me, what DRA tries to convey with this finale, and what makes it so great, is a simple idea that V3 later tries to explore with its theme. And I think it's an incredibly underrated part of the Another series narrative:

//Hope and Despair are two sides of the same coin, which in turn, means they can be equally as dangerous as each other.

//If you don't understand what I mean, let me give you a short list of some of the moments that convey this idea:

Utsuro is the main character of this game, even though he guises as Yuki Maeda the whole time. Utsuro is an agent of Despair, tride and true, while in comparison, Izuru/Hajime is more of a neutral party, and the only reason Hope wins out in the end of DR2 is because Izuru intentionally leaves a caveat in the Neo World that allows it to, should the survivors choose Hope for their future.

The final Non-Stop Debate is about shooting down the Hope of the surviving trio; Rei, Tsurugi, and Teruya. Implying that Despair is the side that you should be fighting for, while Hope is the enemy.

Picking the side of Hope, where Yuki remains as Yuki, is the BAD Ending. The one where he awakens to Utsuro, and falls back into Despair is the TRUE/GOOD Ending.

Akane is still technically a member of the Ultimate Despair when she does her heel-turn and saved Rei and the others.

If you really think about it, it's Mikako's Hope that caused this entire incident. Because she held onto Hope that Utsuro and Akane were actually good people, it stopped Yamato from taking care of them before it was too late. Unlike Jin, who genuinely trusted the students out of kindness, Yamato caught onto the fact that something was up with the two, and it's only because of Mikako insisting they were good people that he didn't act on those feelings. A fatal mistake that cost them and most of their classmates their lives.

All of the killers in the game are driven by the idea of Hope that Monokuma, or other circumstances, give them, not necessarily them falling into Despair or dissaray. 1 - Mitch's motive was entirely for himself and the Hope he carried for himself. He tries to convey the idea that he's doing it for soccer, but he doesn't really care about that. He just loves himself so much that he was willing to off anyone in the game 2 - Ayame killed Kizuna as part of a sacrifice so that Akane could keep on living. She had the hope that Akane would survive the game and move on from her and the pain she feels. 3 - Kinji betrayed his religious code as a priest, and committed two brutal murders because he held hope for the orphaned children of his church. If it meant they could survive, he acted against his almighty judgement. 4 - Haru set up the scheme so that Satsuki could get out and survive on her own. But Satsuki chose not to take that out because she was too kind to sacrifice everyone else like that, and even betrayed her loved one's wishes. (Maybe this point's a bit of a stretch, but it's how I kind of feel about it.)

By the time the game ends, despite having regained his feelings and gotten his head on straight, not only does Tsurugi regress by the time the trio escape the island, but by the time SDRA2 happens, he's learned to wield Despair and evil as a weapon against greater Despair and evil. Not through the power of Hope like the Future Foundation do.

In the second game, Mikado is not defeated through the power of Hope. Instead, Sora ends his reign of terror by speaking with her memory of Akane Taira, then uses harsh facts, and her power of Divine Luck, to slowly pick Mikado's plan apart and send him squirming. This is the EXACT strategy that Junko and Tsumugi use on the final players of their games to send them into a state of disaaray and Despair, and Sora's final line in the final PTA is even the same as Utsuro's.

In relation to this, the climax of SDRA2 is literally you trying to save Utsuro. And it's largely thanks to Akane Taira speaking directly with Sora that she snaps out of her BSoD.

Neither DRA nor SDRA2 have a necessarily "happy" ending. Another ends with Rei, Teruya, and Tsurugi severely traumatized, and both Utsuro and Akane die on the island. Another 2 ends with none of the people who died in the sim coming back to life, unlike DR2, Yuki is now forced to live in Akane's body, Sora herself gets erased from reality, with no guarantee that she'll return, Syobai and Iroha remain criminal scum and on the run, and the Kisaragi Foundation remain morally corrupt.

//For me personally, it doesn't feel like the message LINUJ is trying to convey is that life is pointless and that giving up and dying is the right thing to do. Obviously, that's a horrible way to think about it, even for some of the shit he pulls.

//It's more the idea that in this kind of world, the fact that things can end on such a high note are...highly unrealistic, to say the least. And you know what? He's exactly right. The fact that most, if not all of the Danganronpa games end on such a positive note really feels like the trauma you experienced throughout the game had no lasting impact, and that rubs me the wrong way.

//The Another series really handles the everlasting consequences of the death games well, and ultimately, this theme is what solidifies this trial in my good books.

//Now, I don't want to end this on a negative note, especially since I've already spent at least 5 hours of my life talking about this damn trial, but there are two final aspects that I want to talk about regarding this trial and what's revealed in it that ultimately prevent it from being my favourite finale in the series.

//Both, in short, are plot holes and problems that I have with the ideas at play here, so crucial in fact, that I actually had to RETCON them in Survivor so that it would make sense as part of the plot.

//First and foremost is the revelation that Mikako and Yamato used a device Yamato created to resist the memory erasure, meaning that when the Killing Game happened, the both of them still had their memories. The downside was that the machines side effects made it so that Mikako couldn't talk without slowly dying, and Yamato couldn't form a comprehensive sentence.

//So even though Mikako knew what was going on, she was physically incapable of talking about it to anybody. But...If that's the case...why didn't Mikako just write down her words for everybody to read?

//In Survivor, Uchui creates a type of pill that gives the same effects of Yamato's machine to Seiko when he demands Zetsubou release her; a maneuver that means Seiko can be cured of the affliction thanks to Dr. Ando. But not only does speaking hurt her, but her hand spasms when she tries to write, making her writing unintelligable, and sign language makes her dizzy.

//I added these weaknesses to reinforce the fact that Seiko couldn't communicate in any meaningful way to the Future Foundation, but these weaknesses, as far as I'm aware, were never established with Mikako. It's even dumber when you remember that the students were literally given notebooks at the start of the game for them to write in.

//So there's really no excuse or reason given for why Mikako just didn't do that immediately. The only reason I can imagine she didn't is because she still held on for hope that Yuki and Akane could be saved from becoming Utsuro and Ultimate Despair again, but even for someone as hopeful as Mikako, surely all bets would have been off the table by the time Chapter 4 came around.

//The other issue is with Utsuro's Talent.

//Divine Luck as Utsuro’s defining ability fits snugly into the pattern of over-the-top, reality-bending powers that seem to be a staple for Danganronpa masterminds:

Junko, and by extension, her AI version, have extraordinary analytical abilities, enabling her to process information at near-superhuman speed, memorize details effortlessly, and master new skills with just brief exposure.

Izuru, as a result of Hope’s Peak Academy’s experiments, possesses every talent researched at the school, making him superhuman. His most notable abilities include superhuman analytical skills, like Junko, enhanced physical abilities, stealth expertise, extreme luck, specialised knowledge, and being adept at basically every single human function in existence.

Though more of an assistant than a Mastermind herself, Mukuro has shown to have an absolute god-like level of speed and power thanks to her abilities as the Ultimate Solder; fighting on several battlefields and never recieving a single scratch.

Monaca in UDG is a natural-born genius who possesses exceptional skills in robotics and programming, which enabled her to lead the Towa Group's Robotics Division at a remarkably young age. Her most notable creations include the Monokuma Units, the Original Monokuma, Kurokuma, and the robotic double of Miaya Gekkogahara. It’s also suggested that she designed the mechas used by the Warriors of Hope during their activities.

On top of her cosplay effectively allowing her to shapeshift into anybody she wants, Tsumugi has said she has a certain degree of control over the narrative of V3, and the plans and actions each of the characters take. To what extent, is unknown.

Mikado is a highly skilled wizard capable of executing a wide variety of magical feats. It soon becomes evident that he can perform genuine magic within the context of the killing game. Notable examples include his ability to levitate for extended periods and his frequent demonstrations of fire-based magic.

//The bad guys in this franchise tend to operate on a level that transcends normal logic. Villains in this series aren’t just evil, they’re almost comically invincible, and Utsuro is no exception.

//Luck itself isn’t new to Danganronpa, either. Makoto and Nagito have already demonstrated how this seemingly mundane talent can warp the narrative in ways that benefit them, often hilariously or dramatically so. Utsuro is essentially the ultimate culmination of this theme. He doesn’t just have luck; he IS luck incarnate.

//But while the premise of Divine Luck might seem fitting, it’s also so overwhelmingly powerful that it feels like LINUJ wrote himself into a narrative corner trying to balance it.

//The problem lies in how Divine Luck operates. Utsuro’s ability is so absolute that whatever he desires, even casually, becomes reality.

//This omnipotence creates complications in the story because it makes Utsuro more like a walking deus ex machina than a character, giving him the power to twist the plot at will. While that might work for a thematic villain, it also leaves a trail of contradictions and plot holes.

//Take Utsuro’s backstory, for example. His luck initially brought his family wealth and prosperity, but their greed eventually turned him into an object to exploit, leading to his Despair and eventual departure. But if his Divine Luck can make anything happen, wouldn’t there have been some incident that corrected their behavior? If Utsuro could subconsciously will good fortune into existence, why didn’t it influence his parents to suddenly become loving and supportive? It feels like LINUJ overlooked this while trying to portray Utsuro as an embittered wanderer detached from the world.

//Then there’s the way Divine Luck functions during the Killing Game. For instance, when Tsurugi shoots himself in the head and miraculously survives, it’s attributed to Yuki subconsciously wanting him to live. But if Yuki’s will can override the lethality of a point-blank gunshot to the brain, why didn’t his desire for everyone to escape together override the deaths of the other participants?

//Does Utsuro’s plan override Yuki’s wishes? If so, why did Yuki’s will save Tsurugi at all? It creates a weird inconsistency that undermines the stakes of the Killing Game.

//Even worse, Divine Luck threatens to undercut the dramatic tension of the story entirely. It’s essentially a catch-all explanation for any narrative contrivance, making conflicts feel cheap or pointless. This becomes especially frustrating in the case of Yamato and Mikako, whose disagreements over whether to trust Yuki and Akane could have added depth to the narrative. If Utsuro can will the Killing Game into being anyway, why bother debating faith and trust? It robs the story of meaningful struggle and makes the characters’ actions feel like window dressing against Utsuro’s godlike control.

//And above all else, what transitions the game between the end of DRA and the plot of SDRA2 is that before his death, Utsuro gives Akane Taira his power, so that he'll die while Akane's body lives, albeit in a vegetable state.

//So you mean to tell me that you can just GIVE your whole-ass power to somebody else at will!? WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST DO THAT!?

//In reality, Divine Luck probably isn't perfect, and in Survivor, I do play with its weaknesses. One of the main ones is that in order for the Divine Luck to work, Yuki has to be present to trigger it. He also can only give a fraction of his power to people at any given time should they need it.

//But even I have trouble dumbing down this ability because of how manic it gets to be.

//In the end, while Divine Luck gives Utsuro a sense of grandeur and inevitability, it risks breaking the narrative by being too absolute. The stakes and conflicts lose their weight when a single character can essentially rewrite reality on a whim, and even the story’s emotional core gets lost in the shadow of Utsuro’s overwhelming power.

//It’s a classic case of a cool idea taken too far, where the mastermind’s abilities become more of a plot device than a believable, balanced element of the story.

//But even with all of those problems, it still doesn't stop this trial from being awesome as a finale, and getting into my good books.

#danganronpa survivor #danganronpa #danganronpa another 2 #sdra2 #mod talks #ranking #utsuro #yuki maeda #tsurugi kinjo #rei mekaru #teruya otori #akane taira #dangancember 2024

15 notes · View notes

koji-haru · 11 days ago

Note

What gave you the inspiration to make your AU?

Short answer? I'm delusional lmao.

Honestly, I was just bored during summer and thought, "why not get back to writing again?". I wasn't actually planning on staying long, like maybe write a few chapters and then dip and maybe delete the account once I'm bored. But here I am still, lol.

For the time travel au, I answered this before in another ask, but I just made my own version of @ironbatpaperturtle's time travel au since they deactivated and I really really wanted a continuation of that au. That, and I was just reading a couple of revenge stories, and as much as I love it, I also hated it when the authors usually make the mc not go through their revenge plot - 'revenge is bad' blah blah blah and then they get the bad end of the stick even though they were the initial victim. So, if you noticed with how I wrote the first parts of the time travel au, I made Adam very adamant and determined with his goals (he still is even in the latest chapters, even though he feels less worthy of the garden now). Now, I'm not saying the way I wrote Adam makes him a 'victim', my guy didn't even bother and try to maybe be friends with both Lucifer and Lilith in his second life. He's just a hater, and yes, that's a flaw, I'm not excusing it. I mean, at the start he was just cozying up to Mike to have a backup just in case things go bad. He does soften up in later chapters though.

Essentially, what I'm trying to say is that I mainly wanted a story not necessarily heavy on plot, but more so on the mc's development as a person.

For the swap au, well, I just love a good old role reversal story. It's just fun. Also, I'm not sure if anyone has noticed, but *kinda spoiler-ish* the swap au is, in a way, like the opposite of the time travel au. In what way? I won't elaborate lol. But it's fun! I love creating 'foils'; either for characters, developments, themes, or even whole stories. So, I guess, in a weird egoistic way, my own time travel au inspired me to write the swap au?

Honestly, I can't really properly answer what inspired me to write my aus. At the simplest reason, I just wanted to convey a theme or a feeling. That's how I usually start writing. Maybe I listen to a song, read a poem, see a nice picture, feel something, etc. Like I could be walking and something random would inspire me and I would just quickly make a note of 'the feeling' in my phone. Like one time I was on the bus and I thought the gloomy sky with the sun behind dark grey clouds looked pretty cool at that moment. It kind of reminded me of a hole in the sky, somewhat like a portal or a signal to the world ending, so I took note of that and now I have another story in the drafts (I don't think I'll ever get to it though, with how busy I am).

Sounds really lame, but I write to make an atmosphere, I guess? I just want to capture that sensation permanently into writing; doesn't matter if it's negative or positive or neither, I want it saved forever. So anything inspires me really, from the most random tunes to the prettiest words, and then I just piece them all together. I don't really have a singular inspiration.

What keeps me writing? I'm just too stubborn to leave things unfinished. There's also the fact that I'm currently obsessed with Adam lol.

On a somewhat related note, 'Birds of a Feather' by Billie Eilish really suits the time travel au.

So... Time travel au -> a soft, blooming change from within Swap au -> more like a crashing, unwanted change Promises au -> lonely people finding comfort with each other (I was probably just feeling lonely when I thought of this au tbh)

I'm not sure I answered your question properly, but, eh I tried. Really, I'm not artsy enough to draw proper, solid inspirations, I'm just a delusional student who's heavy into STEM - so no imagination at all lol.

Did I go off topic? Yes, multiple times. Did I answer your question, anon? Most likely not, sorry.

#ask #of course plenty of fanarts and many other fanfics inspired me to write too

15 notes · View notes

spywhitney · 2 months ago

Text

Thoughts on ships in The Bear

Sydcarmy (Sydney x Carmy)

I filtered out the tag weeks ago and I haven't undone it yet 💀.

98% of posts on my page in the last 6 months or so is to do with this ship- I've had a lot of thoughts about it.

S3 soured my opinion on it, and I've seen some eyebrow raising opinions emerge after s3 that are kind of wild, but sobering I guess?

But unfortunately I've hyperfixated on this ship now so I won't let go until it's over. So yikes for me I guess.

Like I've invested so much attention to it and the odds are looking terrible, but I hope it works out anyway?!?!

Sydrichie (Sydney x Richie)

It's the older man/younger woman trope. That's all it takes for me lol.

I read these fics when I'm tired of the above ship lowkey.

Their dynamic is so interesting to me.

If there weren't so many ****** **** ball sucking/suit licking on Richie while simultaneously trashing on Syd I'd like it a lot more (probably).

I was going to say how Richie treated Syd in s1 is what turns me off too, but I ship Syd with Carmen so, welp.

If they got together it would piss so many people off. Like the hater in me is cry-laughing thinking about how upset certain people would be lmao.

Wish we saw more of them in s3, it would've made so much sense too.

Sydmarcus (Sydney x Marcus)

Um, are the sydmarcus shippers even alive?

Y'all were done dirty. Y'all didn't deserve that man.

I never got the impression Syd liked Marcus however, but still.

If she did, they would've been so cute, like omg.

Marcus has had Syd's back the most and is arguably the only friend she has.

He treats her like a friend/overtly asked her out as more than a friend too etc etc.

The fact Syd didn't even acknowledge the fact Marcus made a dessert and named it after her is wild though.

Their dynamic has a healthy balance of reciprocation, exercised respect and care.

Obviously there are some that insist they should('ve) got together because they don't want sydcarmy which is ridiculous.

Then there's the "Syd deserves better" crowd which while I understand and somewhat agree, I also believe people choose what they deserve, so that's her business lowkey.

Saying all that I'd be all over Marcus. He's passionate, fine as hell and he's super chill?! Already climbing that man personally.

Claircarmy (Claire x Carmy)

I don't care about Claire, so it's hard to care about the relationship.

As much as the Claire hate is entertaining to me (and very valid points have been made about her), I'm pretty neutral on her for the most part.

I will say, the fact that their relationship has been shown to be perfect up until the s2 finale and Carmy calling her a waste of time was all it took for her to walk away is hilarious.

Like, if you can't deal with Carmy saying one mean thing about you, you're not ready to be with him girl lol (especially when compared with--)

The show pushes this a lot so if they're endgame fine, I just want that plot point to be done my goodness.

Carmrich (Carmy x Richie)

I've read a couple of fics and woah?

I like this quite a bit.

Their dynamic is so engaging in the fics I've read.

I almost feel like I don't appreciate their relationship enough in the show.

Sydluca (Sydney x Luca)

Kind of yummy if it was endgame, eh if otherwise.

I'm being dramatic, see my post here for more context.

The actor is british so maybe my bias is showing with this ship ngl.

He's one of the few actors I recognised also.

They look kind of cute, or whatever.

Fak x Richie

They have moments for sure.

I get it.

Marcus x Luca

I never saw this honestly.

To me, it was feel-good to just see a black man eagerly learning in a healthy environment.

I want Marcus for me though, like I said so lol.

Nat x Pete

They're canon.

They go well together, though I will say I don't have a strong opinion on them.

I guess since we don't see any significant conflict with them/they're very stable there's not a lot of emotional weight?

Nat x Richie

I felt some vibes here and there, you know?

They're sweet.

Richie x Jess

It would make sense as a part of Richie's arc.

Funny how some people that ship them based on a couple of looks hate sydcarmy with 3 seasons worth of interactions though.

Michael x Richie

I feel like I'd like this like camrich, but also it might break my heart, so idk if I want to see what's up.

Marcus x Chester

Chester was chill, shame he only got two seconds in s3.

Knowing Marcus had someone outside the restaurant who's supportive was comforting.

Tina x David

They were adorable in "napkins".

Makes sense they're married irl.

Tina x Michael

Felt a vibe for a split second when she talked about him in s1 ngl.

If she didn't have a husband atp--

Sydney x Claire

I think I saw a fic with this on ao3. Don't care about Claire, so you know.

Richie x Tiff

Clearly there's still love there, shame with what happened to them.

Carmy x Luca

I don't see why not.

Carmy x Chef David

😳 I mean, I get the appeal but in the context of the show, yikes. (Not that I haven't shipping something "worse").

#me blowing dust off this post I've had in my drafts for weeks #sydcarmy #sydrichie #sydmarcus #clairecarmy #the bear #the bear ships #if you actually read the whole thing #here's a cookie 🍪#let me know if I missed any I'll add them

16 notes · View notes

atypical-artisan · 7 months ago

Text

Punch out but make it pride 2!!!!

Even more gender and sexuality hcs for the lads, including Mr Dream, and pizza pasta. I've talked abt some of them already but I'll do it again!!

Gabby Jay:

As mentioned in my aroaspec post, Gabby is grey aroace. He'd never been attracted to ANYONE until he met Doc which, unsurprisingly, shook him up a bit. Finding the term 'grey' and understanding his aro/asexuality was immensely helpful for understanding himself and becoming more happy in life.

Realizing he was trans also came late in his life- roughly his mid 30s after Joe came out to him and explained what being trans was. Gabby had a bit of a mental crash afterwards, re-assesing his entire life and all the discomfort he'd been feeling since he could remember. But now he feels very comfortable with himself and happy in his body.

Piston Hurricane:

Gay, gay, homosexual, gay. Sure, he didn't know it when he was younger, but this man is absolutely gay. For years he thought he was bi, but after realizing that every 'chick' he'd ever dated ended up coming out as a trans man during or after their relationship, as well as many guy's gay awakenings, he came to the realization that he was very much a magnet for gay guys (Knowing or not). He kinda likes it though because it's a funny anecdote.

Cis, plain and simple. But he is way more knowledgeable about trans people, particularly trans men, because he's close to so many of them. He's an excellent ally!

Bob Charlie:

Attracted to anyone, but has a slight preference for men. He's honestly too loosey goosey to attach himself to a label, but if asked he normally says "Eh I'm bi... or pan... idk I like people." and shrugs. He likes the term queer quite a bit, though.

Tried being trans, def had fun, but landed on being a dude. Turns out he mostly just likes skirts n dresses lol.

Dragon Chan:

Realizing he was bi came through his exposure to the internet, but he never got any relationship experience until he was 22. For the longest time he felt like his attraction was 'fake' due to being too shy and preoccupied to consider dating. But he's slowly improving his confidence and healing that part of himself with Heike.

He's cis, but he's very attentive towards gender stuff and very curious about other's own experiences with gender because it fascinates him.

Masked Muscle:

God this man does not give a shit about the gender of the people he's with. He doesn't really care about anything except how hot someone is and how compatible they are lmao. With that being said, he's actually quite fond of the pan community (Even if he's run into some serious assholes) and enjoys the solidarity he has with other m-spec labels! Technically he fits other labels too but he prefers the look of the pan flag and so calls himself that.

He's cis through and through, doesn't really care about trans people's genders, even if he doesn't understand half the stuff he comes across online he figures it's just not his business. Even for people he knows personally he doesn't delve too deep into gender cause he simply doesn't see the point in it, though he does respect them, obviously. Heike tried to explain what being multigender was to him once and it completely flew over his head, absolutely no hope for this man fr (Positive)

Snes Aran Ryan:

Bi, with a very strong preference for men he really doesn't like to admit to himself. He spent most of his life only being with women and avoiding his feelings for men, until he almost lost to Hurricane because he found him so hot. It was hard, but also not cause he very quickly found a guy to crush on. He's still very out of the loop when it comes to the community and gets terms mixed up all the time.

Cis and pretty dumb about trans stuff. He straight up didn't understand that nonbinary wasn't a 'new gender' until Heike sat him down and explained it to him for an hour. It still confuses him a lot but he does his best adhering to proper pronouns and respecting people.

Heike Kagero:

gay, nonbinary

Heike is gay in the sense they're only attracted to men or nb men. Gay is just a term of convenience for him, really, but it works and it feels right so he's in no rush to change it.

As I mentioned in my first hc post about them, they struggle to find a perfect label but mostly sticks to nonbinary and bishonen to describe themself. He realized he wasn't 'quite' a boy from a very young age and made it clear to his parents that'd he'd be more than expected. They supported their child and have been very resolute in their support for their sexuality and gender.

Mad Clown:

Labels? The fuck are those? This bitches gender AND sexuality are noting but WACKY!!!

For real though, Clown just doesn't attach himself to labels that much- aside from very esoteric ones that are mostly silly and fun, he doesn't use them for his gender or sexuality. However, he does prefer women and generally more feminine partners.

Narcis Prince:

As I've said before in my first hc post about him and the aroace hc list, Narcis really can't decide on his orientation. Though he knows he's attracted to men he's not sure if he's interested in women romantically and sexually or just likes the way women look. He's also growing to believe he's demi or greyromantic because he has very little interest in romance and hardly distinguishes it from friendship.

He's very confident in the fact that he's a man and also very confident that his body is perfect just as it is. Narcis has Klinefelter (xxy) syndrome and gynecomastia as a result. His parents were horrified to discover he had it and heavily pressured him to get surgery to 'fix' his body, but it only led to him thinking they were idiots. He wears a shirt in the ring mostly for practical reasons because of it, but otherwise doesn't care how other's see his body because what matters is that he likes it.

Hoy Quarlow:

Hoy is old and doesn't get the desire for newfangled terminology. He doesn't mind people using it and respects other's labels but he finds it too cumbersome to label himself. He sees himself as nothing more than a free spirit, flowing from relationship to relationship like a breeze.

Like his sexuality, Hoy doesn't have much use for labeling his gender. When he was younger, he only thought of himself as a man. Nowadays, interaction with people like Heike and general curiosity made him, and his twin sister, realize their feelings on gender are no longer as concrete as they once thought. These days they'll steal each others clothes and go out as the other for a bit of relief from their 'expected' gender, a la a many of shakespeare's comedy plays.

Rick Bruiser:

Cis and straight (Mostly)

What else can I say, this guy is p simple. He's got no (Strong) attraction to men. (Tho he'll admit that Hurricane and a few of the others are p easy on the eyes if you get enough drinks into him.)

As for his gender- any form of non conformity was beaten out of him and Nick from a young age. He hates anything feminine and always needs to be one of the most masculine guys in the room. (Deep down he does deeply enjoy jewelry but doesn't go past rearing silver rings in his ears. Even gold is too gay for him.)

Nick Bruiser:

cis and gay but homophobic

God this man is so gay it's painful- he's had a crush on literally every guy in the wvba and especially Joe (Though that particular obsession is extremely unhealthy). However, because of his upbringing, he's deeply homophobic and disgusted by himself, forcing himself to date women even though he doesn't even care for them and isn't attracted to them at all. His life would be so much easier if he accepted he was gay, but that's not happening any time soon.

As with Nick, any gender non conforming traits were beaten out of him young. As an adult he deeply overcompensates for being gay by being hyper masculine and is extremely fragile about his masculinity.

Peter Punch/Birdie:

Peter honestly can't pick a label. He's bi, he's pan, he's gay- he can describe himself in so many ways and going down a rabbithole of cool labels and awesome flags only left him more confused and constantly stressing if he was using the 'right' ones. Nowadays He just shrugs and says he isn't straight. That's good enough for him and it'll be good enough for everyone else.

As with his sexuality, his gender is extremely hard to pinpoint. Even though he experiences dysphoria, it's very touch and go and his feelings on gender and presentation are so fluid and flexible that words are hard for him to find to describe himself. Even pronouns are pretty hard to settle on!

Mr. Dream:

Again, as mentioned in my aroace post, Dream is, well, Aroace!! It took him years to realize and process but nowadays he's very comfortable with his orientation and very close to the aroace community.

Though he is cis, he's also intersex, which, for him, is a very important part of the lgbt community. He found out VERY suddenly in his late 20s when, during what he and his doctors thought was appendicitis, they found he actually had Persistent Müllerian duct syndrome (PMDS) and fibrosis on his ovaries. Everything was removed and they later found out he has 45,X/46,XY mosaicism as well. All of this left him questioning not only his gender but much of his life beforehand. Though he's okay now, he advocates heavily for the intersex community and overall better knowledge and acceptance of them.

Pizza Pasta:

Refuses to label himself. He's interested in hot people, that's all you have to know. (Though he does find the bi flag very pretty and when pushed, uses that term exclusively)

Cis and doesn't give a shit about what other's do with their bodies. He thinks the whole debate about trans people is ridiculous and that people should be left to do what they want.

20 notes · View notes

frankencanon · 1 year ago

Text

Another AU where the DonQuixote Brothers get to be Happy and Hale

Teenage Doflamingo gets caught and arrested by Tsuru whilst he is still young enough that the marines think—or can be convinced to think—that he can potentially be rehabilitated...

Doflamingo himself is of course entirely against this plan and is fighting Tsuru and Sengoku every step of the way.

But eventually Sengoku manages to drag Doffy home with him, telling him that he'll be staying with him as part of a very special, tailored specifically to him, rehabilitation plan.

Doffy thinks ew, gross and continues to struggle against him all the way up until they get to the front door and there is a young marine standing there, tall and blonde and about Doffy's age, maybe a little younger.

Wait, hold up.

When the eerily familiar marine spots them approaching his entire being lights up, from his face to his body language—he's practically glowing.

"Doffy!" He cries out, and. Wait. Wait wait wait.

Hold up. Wha—?!

"...Rosinante?!"

"I'm so happy! Dad spent years looking for you—sorry, Sengoku—and I was worried something happened to you! You have no idea how happy I was when I saw your wanted poster!"

"..."

"I mean," he chuckles sheepishly, "I wasn't exactly psyched to discover you were a pirate, but... Honestly, I was too busy rejoicing over the fact that you were alive to even bother caring about any of that."

"..."

"I, uh... I convinced Da—Sengoku to try, uh, rehabilitating you instead of just sending you to Impel Down or something..."

"..."

"...Doffy, please... Please say something?"

"...you're alive, Rosi?"

The marine—Rosi?—stuttered, eyes widening. "I—yes, Doffy, I'm... Sengoku found me, some time after you left, and he took me in... He promised me he'd try to find you too, but he searched the North Blue for years and he couldn't find you anywhere... Not until recently, at least, when word started to spread about the DonQuixote Pirates..."

Doflamingo blinked, continuing to stare. "That...was you?"

"Eh?"

"The marines, everywhere... They'd seemed like they were...searching for something... Searching...for me?"

"You—" Rosi stumbled, "You saw them?! Then why...?"

"They were marines, Rosi," Doflamingo said, as if that explained everything. And...it kind of did? Because of course he ran from the marines; He'd just shot his father full of lead, spent a month carrying around his disembodied head, and was now traveling with established criminals twice his age.

Of course he ran, of course they ran, when they saw marines sweeping the streets, obsessively searching for something—or someone, rather.

And how would Doflamingo have known? It's not like Sengoku and Tsuru were going around advertising that they were looking for a ten year old Celestial Dragon child—that would've put Doffy in even more danger.

Even just admitting to be looking for a blonde male child with an eye injury would run the risk of having unsavory characters also searching him out, once they knew that the marines wanted him—either to use him, assuming he had some sort of talent or ability that made him valuable, or as a bargaining chip to blackmail the marines.

Off to the side, Sengoku groaned, covering his face, while Tsuru tsk'ed, frustrated. No wonder they'd never found the kid—he had literally been running from them the whole time.

But while the marines present were still stuck on that fact, Doffy was glancing around at their location. "So, why...?"

"Oh!" Rosinante startled, "This is our house. As part of your rehabilitation program you'll be living here with Da—with Sengoku and I."

"With...you?"

"Yes! Just like when we were kids, Doffy!"

"..."

"Won't this be great?! I'm so excited, Doffy!"

"...yeah. Yeah, me too, Rosi."

And, oddly enough, he was.

—

OK, this was just supposed to be an idea for an AU—I got a little carried away there, but...

Please, your honor...! I just want them happy and amicable and ALIVE for god's sake...!

🦩❤️‍🔥🐦‍⬛

#donquixote brothers #donquixote rosinante #donquixote doflamingo #one piece #fanfic #fanfiction #cora san #corazon #donquixote corazon #corazón #doffy #op fanfic #one piece fic #sengoku #tsuru

111 notes · View notes

nearestend · 1 day ago

Text

will be moving blogs at some point in the new year. not sure when exactly (i'm busy right now) and it might just be temporary, but if you're interested in following me there, you can let me know. (feel free to like this post or send me a message on disco, anything really works.)

might make some changes? a lot of it is still being considered, but here's how i think it will go. (a lot of it is just me thinking out loud. that helps me. and i also just want to be transparent.)

canons will probably be secondary priority, if not lower. still really happy to write them with friends if we have ongoing plots or discussions, but generally not eager to put them at the forefront. for a lot of reasons. (i could say that i think a lot of canons get treated as trends that will die out eventually... and it's fine if that's your thing, but i don't really like it for myself and don't want to do that. there's a whole convo to be had about that. now is not the time for it.)

i think my general rule is going to just be, if i don't see potential for developing a character in depth, i'm not going to list them on my roster. there will still be some that are more developed than others, but if there isn't at least potential for me to do that, i won't be listing them. it's just a priorities thing right now.

honestly, if we're good enough friends and i've written someone previously that you want to continue interacting with, you can ask about it. just because they aren't listed, doesn't mean i won't write them but it will just be slower. that being said, i probably won't do this unless we know each other pretty well and you're still willing to write with the ones i prioritize.

in terms if who i will/won't follow ... eh i don't like this topic but i do think i should say that there is a chance i won't follow some people back. i don't have any actual beef with anyone, but there's been some stuff over the past year that wasn't really fun to even witness from afar (most of it pertains to how ableism and racism were handled). i don't care enough to hold that against anyone in a serious way or try to have that conversation with people who aren't willing to respond constructively, but it's not especially nice to see and better not to engage. idk. my general thing is that if it's not safe and enjoyable to engage with a certain aspect of this webbed site then i'm just not going to.

there might also just be some instances where i won't follow back because i don't know if we have anything to talk about. and that's fine! i think it's okay not to click with every person you know. but i'm not going to rule anyone out entirely — it's situational and i like to give anyone who expresses interest in being friends/mutuals a chance. no hard feelings to anyone if something doesn't work out.

i probably won't advertise my new url that much just because i like a small circle, but i'm not going to hide it either. most likely just going to privately message my new url to friends who want to follow. if you come across it in the wild, you're welcome to perceive it anyways!

in terms of what my actual priorities are ... we already know that it will always be alice (number one gal). probably lozzie and noah too (she's number two and he is number three but they're kind of interchangeable). hmmm everyone else is still to be determined because they usually fluctuate. i think mostly everyone on the current oc roster will stay though. might do a thing like "permanent roster, always available" and "who knows about these guys — they're here if you want 'em but (vague gesturing)". that being said, if i added any muses specifically for a friend, i'll keep them around because that's half the fun of this for me.

will continue to prioritize disco stuff, especially if it's for longer in-depth threads with more plotting. i think that disco's platform just makes it easier/more relaxing for me. tumblr tends to be a bit harder to write very intricate plots just because i'm conscious of perfectionism here, but i don't mind it for fun casual stuff. you can always let me know your preferences, i'm pretty open-minded.

triggers will be present. unfortunately, they will always be present due to the nature of a lot of these characters. and i'll include warnings for everything, but i do want to emphasize this very much. just be aware of your own needs and comfort, i'm available for a respectful and open dialogue as needed too, but ultimately i want us to make our own choices and not feel obligated to partake in anything just for the sake of it.

well. i don't know if any of this made sense because i did not plan this out when i began this post. but that's the general / important stuff that i wanted people to be aware of before following. i'll probably do the official move soon-ish, depending on my availability, and keep you all updated when i do.

AS ALWAYS! i'm on disco. if we are friends who talk regularly (or even semi-regularly) on there, you will probably get a follow from me regardless. pretty much anyone who i currently have an active server with will get a follow from me unless they don't want one (which you're welcome to actually say, if you want. i won't be offended even if you say "nah i'm good, see ya". honestly that would be pretty funny and i hope someone does that sincerely.)

#i got like a url picked out that i rlly like #only really holding off because idk how i want to present my layout for bios yet #i'll keep the current ones up anyways for reference. but smth condensed might also be good for this blog

10 notes · View notes

sicklyseraphnsuch · 1 year ago

Note

If you are do fic requests, can you do one with Simon meeting Ice king(ours, not WK)?

Ice King doesn't know how long he's been sitting on the floor, crying his eyes out as one does when sitting on the floor. Honestly, if you're on the floor, and you're not crying your eyes out, then you're not maximizing use of the floor. But so yeah, he's sitting there, and it must've been awhile because Gunter wandered off already, and he's all alone in the room.

Or he should have been. But he hears footsteps. It's not the slappity slap slap of Gunther, which means... Oh! Does he have a guest? Someone came to visit old Ice King? Could it be his princess has come home at last?

He lifts his head, a grin crossing his face. But it's not the lovely visage of Princess Bubblegum or Wildberry Princess or Turtle Princess or any princess. It's not even Finn who was like his third guess... okay fine, fourth! ... Fifth actually... Whatever. It's not him. It's not a princess. It's just some nerd, with his glasses and his tweed suit and his single streak of grey hair.

"What? Did you get lost looking for the geek convention?" Ice King sneers. "Can't you see I'm busy wallowing in despair? Scram! This place is for princesses only!"

The nerd looks at him for a very long time. It's preeeetty weird. And rude! Really, does this guy have no manners? Who barges into people's places and just does whatever he wants, huh? Freaks. Weirdos. Absolute lunatics.

Frowning harder, Ice King readies a freeze spell. He's just about to launch it when the nerd finally makes his move.

"Sorry, Ice King, I didn't mean to disturb your... I didn't mean to interrupt you," the nerd says, squatting down. "I'm not... exactly lost... But I'm stuck here for now, and I hope you don't mind company."

Ice King blinks. Like this, this nerdy guy is at eye level with him. Ice King doesn't have to keep looking up, like a bug waiting to get squashed. He tries to remember if anyone has ever met him where he's at before. It's kinda nice.

"Wait, you wanna stay with me?" Ice King stops. Wait. Jay T Dogzone says that looking needy drives chicks away. That could also apply to random nerds that pop into his house. So Ice King coughs into his fist, looking away. "I mean, I'm like the most popular guy around. I gotta check my schedule to make sure I'm free."

Ice King gets to his feet, pretending to search his sleeves for a notebook. He pulls out a stale sandwhich, with hints of mold around the edges. Eh. Close enough. He flips the sandwhich open, running a finger down a crusty slice of cheese like it's got a list of names.

Out the corner of his eyes, Ice King watches the nerdy guy stand back up. "Okay, you do that. I can make us some lunch. How does chicken soup sound to you?"

Ice King drops his sandwhich as he turns around to face the nerdy guy. "You can make chicken soup??"

The nerdy guy smiles, and okay. Maybe Ice King was a little too judgy. For a nerd, he has a pretty nice smile - it's a nicer expression than he's used to seeing, that's for sure.

"It's my favorite soup. It's a cure all for whenever I need to feel better."

Yeah. That makes sense to Ice King. But... "I don't know... I'm on this diet... I can't go ruining my hot summer bod."

The nerdy guy sighs the way Marcy sometimes sighs whenever she talks to him. But he doesn't look ready to shout or yell at him. No, nerdy guy keeps that soft look on his face. Actually, the look gets a little softer. Man, if Ice King had a look like that, he'd be mobbed by princesses.

"I can put in a lot of veggies. You can stick to your diet. Don't you worry about a thing."

Wow. That's just so nice. Ice King squints at him. There must be catch. "Waaait, I know your game, mister nerdy guy."

To his credit, the nerdy guy has the poker face of a mountain. "I am almost certain that you don't."

But it's too late. Ice King connected the dots. "The suit. The charming smile. The affable conversation. You're a door to door salesman!"

The nerdy guy snorts.

"You can't fool me! I see through your salesman schemes! Well, I'm not buying whatever you're hawking! Go bother someone else!"

The nerdy guy continues to stay put. "Okay, you got me. I'm a door to door salesman."

Ice King gasps. "I knew it!!!"

"You're very clever, Ice King. But you don't have to buy anything from me. Just listen to my sales pitch over a nice bowl of chicken soup. That doesn't sound too bad, right?"

Ice King wrinkles his nose. "You can try. But I have the mind of a fox! You won't get a dime from me!"

Then he shoves past the nerdy guy towards the kitchen. That guy must be really behind his quota because he follows Ice King despite his ruined sales schemes. And to his credit, the guy does make him chicken soup. Ice King didn't even realize that he had all the ingredients. But he does vaguely remembers Marceline stopping by some time ago, and dropping off a bunch of paper bags.

The nerdy guy may be terrible at his job, but he cooks a decent soup. And Ice King patiently waits for his sales pitch but the guy starts talking about random stories - good stories too.

"You're pretty funny for a nerd," Ice King announces. "I like the story where you swallowed a bug on accident! That one's my favorite."

"I figured you would," the nerdy guy replies as he collects their empty bowls.

"Are you leaving? Already?" The Ice King sits up. He was feeling all warm and cozy from all that chicken soup (with lots of veggies as promised). But now, panic seizes him like he hoped a woman would one day - hard and sharp and taking his breath away. "You can't! You haven't sold me anything!"

The nerdy guy shakes his head. "No, no, no. I'm just cleaning up."

"Oh..." Ice King slumps. After that shot of adrenaline, he now feels all sorts of tired.

The nerdy guy comes closer, to loop an arm around Ice King's shoulders. "Hey, if you need to take a nap or something, I won't mind."

Oh, a nice touch. Yes, this is nice. It's kinda like a hug, even if this nerdy guy is taking him somewhere. Is he about get kidnapped? Or locked in the closet? Held for ransom? Well, joke's on him! No one would pay out for Ice King.

He likes the kind-of hug though. He giggles softly to himself. His spine is all tingly and the nerdy guy is just so warm. So he lets himself be taken to wherever this nerd wants - which is apparently the bedroom. Oh. OH!

As if reading his mind, the nerdy guy rolls his eyes. "No, you need rest. When was the last time you slept through the night?"

"Oh, so you're into that, huh?" Ice King waggles his eyebrows. "Hey no shame here! You like what you like! Here, I can set the stage for you!"

Ice King flaps himself over the bed, settling in. He catches the nerdy guy pinch his brow before he firmly closes his eyes.

"How in the world did I survive this long acting like this?" He hears the guy mutter to himself.

Ice King doesn't know what he means but he's patient. He's sure everything will work out. Except then he hears footsteps going out the room. His eyes snap open.

"Hey, wait a minute! I thought we were gonna do some fun stuff! Where you going?" Realization strikes him like a bolt of lightning. He flies out of the bed and tackles the nerdy guy.

They both go crashing to the floor. The nerdy guy shouts as he barely avoids hitting his head.

"You're gonna rob me, aren't you? This was just an elaborate scheme to take all my worldly possessions and also my Guntie!"

"Ice King, get off!"

Ice King grabs hold of the guy's collar, shaking him. "You can't have him! You can do anything you want to me-"

"And I'm sure you's like that-"

"But not to my Guntie!"

"Ice King!" The nerdy guy manages to pry Ice King's hands off him, using his leg as leverage push him away. "How are you so strong when you've got the muscles of an anorexic teenager? Geez!"

"Hey!" Now that's just uncalled for. Ice King pulls himself away to flex his arms. "I'll have you know that I have a rock solid bod. Check out these guns!"

The nerdy guy groans. With Ice King no longer pinning him down, he sits up and cradles his face in his hands. "Honestly, what am I doing? There's no reaching him. It's impossible!"

Tch. Okay. Weirdo. What nonsense is he talking about now? Ice King turns away as clearly, no one is appreciating a masterpiece when they see one. Actually, isn't it about time for another workout? When wast the last time he lifted weights? Two hours ago? Two weeks? He better get on it.

He gets to his home gym and starts searching for his dumbbells. It's like those things grow feet whenever he's not looking. As he searches through his scattered stuff, he sees the nerdy guy walk into the room.

"Oh, you're still here? Man, you got nowhere to go or what? Are you homeless, is that it?"

The nerdy guy is staring at him again, not answering. Ice King wrinkles his nose. Seriously, what is this guy's damage? Hmph. He goes back to rooting through his piles of weights, tangled jump ropes, and other assorted exercise tools. Wait. What was he looking for again?

"Are you happy, Ice King?"

"No," he replies because that's an easy question - easier than figuring out what the hay he was looking for, at least. "Sometimes, I get very sad, and I don't know why."

Then Ice King looks at the nerdy guy and now he gets to staring at him. He's not young - man, check out those wrinkles, and that suit has seen better days. Did he get into a wrestling match wearing that? And he just looks wiped out - look at those arms and legs - skinnier than a chicken bone. Ah. That's it.

"You're homeless, ain't you? You got fired from your job and now you're depressed. I see how it is." Ice King nods. "You came to the right place! I know a thing or two about picking yourself up after a good cry. Just stick with me and you learn something!"

The nerdy guy blinks. "That's almost nice of you."

"I mean, you just look so pathetic. It's kinda hard not to offer."

The nerdy guy snorts. "Thanks, Ice King."

"I know just the thing to help!" He flies out of the room, towards his den.

He finally got the TV working again after Gunther broke the screen. The picture isn't the best, a little less saturated, but that's fine. He doesn't need high definition TV to watch his soaps.

Like before, the nerdy guy has no trouble finding him as he searches through his tapes. He's got quite the collection. He doesn't know how got so much but he sure has a lot. He gestures at the nerdy guy to sit on the couch - it's a couch made of ice but it's good for some binge watching.

Ice King scoops up a bunch of tapes and pops one in the VHS player before settling nice and cozy next to the nerdy guy. It's pretty sweet to have someone warm to cuddle with. Sometimes, Marceline stops by and sits with him for a little while, but she's not very warm at all. That makes his chest hurt for some reason. He thinks Marceline should have all the warmth in the world. Heck, he should introduce this guy to her. They could become good friends and he can stop squatting at his place.

... Maybe later...

Right now, this guy is just letting him snuggle and Ice King will take what he can get. Again, it's like the nerdy guy reads his mind because he shifts a bit so Ice King can fully lean on him. Wow. This is great. This is what - first tier? But that's okay. Every tier is special and good.

Sometime between episodes of Full House, the Golden Girls, and finally Cheers, Ice King nods off. When he wakes up, he's alone on the couch with a blanket tucked around him. The TV is still on but now there's a brick through the screen. Ice King gasps as he sees a shameless Gunther standing next to the scene of his crime. He immediately sits up but before he can say the first word of his lecture, he shivers a little.

That's a little weird. He doesn't get cold. But... He gets the distinct sense that for good couple hours - maybe even half a day - he was warm.

"Wenk."

Ice King shakes his head, lifting himself all the way off his couch. "Gunther! What have I told you about the TV? Stop messing with my stuff!"

"Wenk."

"Enough of your sass! Hey, don't you walk away from me!"

-----

Several decades into the future, Simon sits by a window overlooking the Candy Kingdom. Marceline hovers behind him, one hand reaching out but never quite touching.

"Are you sure you're okay? I've told Bonnie to be more careful with her experiments!"

Simon shrugs. "Oh, don't worry about it, Marcy. I'm okay. It was just a little time displacement."

Marcy only frowns harder. "And where did you go anyways?"

Simon grabs hold of her hanging hand, squeezing her fingers gently. "I got to meet the Ice King, face to face, in all his glory."

Marcy makes a full body wince. "Oh, that's rough. Do we need to schedule an extra session with Minerva?"

Simon chuckles, shaking his head. "No, in fact, I'm feeling a bit better. Ice King was a troublesome guy, but he... He was just a guy. He could be nice in all the ways he could be mean."

Marcy breathes out slowly, squeezing Simon's hand back. "And... And you didn't..."

Simon shakes his head slowly. "No... I thought about it. The whole time I was there. I could yell and scream at him, just really let him have it. But I think... I think I've been angry at him for long enough."

Marcy has no reply to this, simply drags him close for a hug. Simon falls into her embrace, something tender and sweet and just a little hurt settling between his lungs. It's the ache of a sore limb after a long workout, muscle fibers stretching and snapping into something stronger.

#adventure time #fionna and cake #simon petrikov #marceline the vampire queen #ice king #needs a tighter finish

69 notes · View notes