#i also ought to be working but ahaha…

[mistymoth]

Started reading Charlotte and Her 5 Disciples and it’s already stupid good 😮‍💨 I’m 34-~200 chapters in and it’s on its way to becoming a fave.

That being said, I’m incredibly exhausted but don’t wanna sleep because manhwaaa 🙂🙃🙂🫠

[porekawa]

[eveningspringbreeze]

Madara's FS2 4* - Winter, in the Street Corners of Paris

Characters: Madara, Shu

Season: Winter

Shu: Mm… Yaawn...

(Perhaps it’s from pulling an all-nighter, or perhaps it’s burnout from finishing my deliveries, but it seems I’ve been fast asleep until the afternoon)

(Fortunately, I have plenty of time to spare until I must work again. So as to maintain perfection when working, I ought to rest properly)

(Perhaps I could relax with a stroll—) 

Madara: Excuse meeee!!! ☆

Shu: Gyoh!? M-mikejima….!? What in good heavens brought you here!? 

Do not bother me! Leave this instant! I do not want to have a barbarian such as you stampeding upon my atelier! 

Madara: Ahaha! This banter is so nostalgic! (1)

Didn’t we have a similar exchange back in Yumenosaki? If I’m not wrong, it was during Steamp— 

Shu: Non! I have no intentions of taking a trip down memory lane with you! 

You must have some business with me, right? Make it brief. 

Madara: Business, huh. And if “no” was my answer? 

Shu: …………

Madara: Sorry, sorry! I was just joking, you don’t have to glare at me all scary like that! 

Basically, Leo-san needed something from me. 

Shu: Tsukinaga did…? 

Madara: Yep. Apparently he’s been taking good care of a pen case that he borrowed from you. 

So much so in fact that he accidentally left behind the case’s stationary in this atelier. 

Shu: He’d only taken a pen case? Well, I suppose he is dexterous.

And that’s it? You came all the way to Paris just for Tsukinaga? 

Madara: Nah, I already had some work here in Europe, so I’m just dropping by.

Shu: “Dropping by”? No matter how trivially you say it, Europe’s not a place you can just casually travel through. 

 Either way, Tsukinaga’s forgotten belongings are not here. 

I had to send some luggage to the Starmony Dorms the other day, and I crammed in similar items as well. It’s probably all the way over there now. 

Good grief, why must everyone forget every little thing here? If they want to spend time overseas, perhaps consider bringing in some caution alongside? 

Madara: Mmhm. Since both language and culture are different, the way to do things here are bound to contrast with Japan’s. There’s no harm in being attentive. 

But also this atelier’s got such a homely feeling to it, it really calms you down. Maybe that’s why everyone’s losing their belongings here ♪

Shu: I'm not happy to hear that. This place isn’t a playground. 

Seems to me that you’ve been on a fool’s errand. Are you departing Paris after this? 

Madara: Nah. I’ve got time until my flight, so I’m planning on relaxing ‘til then. 

….Hmm? Why’re you dressing up? 

Are you going out? If so, please allow me to join you ☆

Shu: I refuse. I cannot relax when I’m near you. 

Madara: Now now, don’t say that! A journey is not just about the companions you have, but the people you care for along the way! (2) Having a friend is better than none…♪

<one hour later> 

Shu: …Seems like there’s a weekend flea market going on. 

Madara: Ooh, quite the Parisian spectacle! 

As you may or may not know, Paris is the one and only homeland for flea markets. 

It supposedly originates from the multitudes of secondhand-goods being sold resembling a flea infestation! (3)

Shu: I’m aware even without your quips, so do not spout such things at me. Just imagining it makes my back itch. 

Plus, that isn’t the only theory regarding its origin. 

I personally prefer the theory that it comes from the saying that “there is enjoyment found in taking the the time needed to search for treasure in the same way one would search for a flea”.

Madara: Enjoyment found in taking the time to search for things, huh. Truly, it must come from the exceptional feeling of accomplishment that comes with finding that rare piece of treasure. 

….Oh myyy? Something’s already caught my eye! 

This ceramic pot would be perfect for displaying plants ☆

Shu: Hm. Is gardening a hobby of yours? 

Madara: I wouldn’t quite call it a “hobby”. 

I’m not sure who started it, but my dorm room’s filled with plants, so I like bringing in some new ones from time to time. 

“Excuse me, shopkeeper-san! I’d like to buy this pot—” 

Shu: (....Ooh, looks like his constant traveling has lent him a rather good grasp on French) 

 (The real thrill of flea markets is the haggling. You must put your negotiation skills to its truest test….) 

<ten minutes later> 

Madara: —Thanks for waiting, Shu-san! 

Sorry for how long it took. I really hit it off with the shopkeeper. Before I knew it, we’d already talked for so long!

Shu: It’s alright. It’s good that your negotiations went well. 

It is of no concern to me what happens to you, however. But it would be a shame to watch an acquaintance get blatantly ripped off. 

Madara: Ah, so you were worrying about me. Thank you Shu-san, you’re a nice soul…♪

Shu: Don’t misunderstand. I simply do not want to feel unpleasant. 

Madara: Even then, that makes me happy to hear ♪

My haggling went great, so let me treat you to something as thanks for waiting.  

Tell me aaall about the specialties you’d recommend, Shu-san… ☆

Shu: Hmm… How about marron chauds— roasted chestnuts, then? 

It’s a winter specialty that you can find sold all around the city during the season. 

Madara: Sounds good! I’m sure it’ll warm us up. 

I can smell something fragrant over there, let’s go eat! 

---

TL Notes:

Shu’s lines aimed at Madara here is basically a 1-1 replica of a similar exchange in Steampunk Museum, which Madara tries to mention right after

Good old Madara idioms :] the original is 道連れ世は情け which doesn’t have an eng equivalent afaik? So I just used a shortened version of the meaning

This isn’t a correction or anything but Madara is so close to the actual most common theory… as Shu said there’s multiple theories, but one of the most common is that some of the goods sold in the markets were believed to have had actual flea infestations. I have never seen Shu’s theory before

This isn't proofread and was done in one go so feel free to correct me on anything!

[trashcanwithsprinkles]

the sheer zoomies my brain did when i realised i hadn't checked for new chapters for a few weeks and found that indeed, i have several to catch up on (which i'll go do in a moment, i am sure they'll be wonderful, and the more the merrier!)

i haven't caught up on reading the other asks & answers yet either but i am just going to assume no one came in with this particular one since it's rather specific,,, so

i was thinking the other day, y'know how the archons' eyes and stuff can glow? and it might be a slightly odd thing to pick on, but i don't think it's because of anything specifically gnosis related, since, well, playable character things ought to be all-time accurate or after stuff happens, if anything. and also ei/raiden. has not had hers for some time. but she still gets that. that's probably a better argument. so, i assume it's like a light/godly energy thing maybe? or just some kind of really strong amount of elemental energy kind of thing. i don't want to assume that it's only the archons that have it because, well, we haven't exactly gotten to see other gods very much, and with the archons it's not there all the time, either. ...and elemental things just tend to glow anyway, it's just a really specific instance of it. at any rate, that leads me to the question: since ajax/childe/tartaglia has his uh, very notably lightless eyes, which tends to be attributed to the whole. fell into the abyss time, which to me does make sense. if we assume it's just a light/godly energy thing in general, would he have any of that potentially in the fic now? how would that work if the lightlessness is from the abyss? it's not like the abyss influence disappeared, after all. even if it, say, might show but might not show really bright, because well, his eyes are still. kind of. lightless, usually, i assume, and it really is just an assumption (i could go on a whole debate with myself on if they would even still be pretty much. mostly lightless but i'll just stick with assuming for now,,,). but maybe if not really bright, something that feels more underlying but is still... there? the best way i can put it into words is how the "bright" feeling comes from the "light" which not always but sometimes comes from, you know, a colour that's closer to white, and therefore lighter or a colour that's just... a lot more potent, for lack of a better way to describe it (it's probably not that simple, i know, but.). so what i mean by something underlying would be if, say, rather than a really light or even more medium kind of colour "shining through", so to speak, something that's.... perhaps a bit darker than usual, but still there. that's a really random thought to spring on you but my brain handed it to me the other day and it's been bothering me when it comes to cool little details or concepts (a very pleasant thinky much thoughts kind of thing) so i thought i would ask your opinion on that one, highly specific detail :] just a concept im curious about is all! i had no idea what to make of it, ahaha,,, i kept wondering if it's stretching the idea too far, but if it is just a light/godly/super-high-elemental energy kind of thing, then well, i can't help but wonder about it now

and a very practically irrelevant tiny thing but im sending this right after a tiny madness of trying to figure out how to maximise childe's ranged charged bow shot damage without using food or bennett. the highest i got is 45,100 from the initial hit (it was on an enemy with pyro and with kazuha boosting hydro but.). sir. how. that feels illegal. he continues to surprise me,, although i got far too invested in that small exercise, and boy does it take a lot to remove his hydro,,,,, but anyway! hope you are having a good day >:] i am off to see how much fic i can catch up on before sleep time arrives

4- 45k.............................................

you got me thinking- i think it'd be cool if it were something like this. morax' glow is normal light, while ajax', which has an abyssal effect to it, is uv light. morax' eyes just shine while ajax' turn into electric eyestrain blue

[reliquiaenfr]

What is Aphid and Shiana's relationship like?

so shiana and aphid are based on ocs of mine! i looooove talking about my ocs ahaha

shiana is an oracle (in their original story, she's the second in charge of a church of oracles, but in fr she's just an oracle), she's a bit cheeky and doesn't take things as seriously as she ought to - though at least SOME of that is an act, she actually had a pretty traumatic event happen to her when she was younger so underneath the snark, she's very grounded. (the story is that since she can "pull" on the threads of fate to change the future, she thought she could help people and when she was younger she tried to expose someone for their misdeeds by meddling with their future, but it got her mentor killed instead, and since then she's been very VERY careful about what she does with her power). since shiana still wants to help folks, she has to find other ways to do it.

aphid (her real name is tao li, but she goes by aphid, mostly, and also other psuedonyms) is a spy academic. she's from a monastery village, worked in a library, and loves learning things. the only thing she loves more than reading things in a book is learning them in person. she's a bit of a stickler for rules and can come across as having a stick up her butt because she's a bit inflexible and snobbish lol.

all of which is to say that they have the sort of relationship that others look at and go 'but... why tho?' because shiana comes across as way too chill for aphid, and aphid is the kind of person who would unironically wear a no fun allowed shirt. but aphid is the only person shiana ever told the story about her dead mentor and aphid like... gets it. a lot of their initial friendship was built on the possibilities that teaming up would afford them: shiana can see when something unsavoury is going to happen, and aphid has the soft-spoken tenacity to do something about it.

as part of a governing group, shiana had access to a lot of resources, and aphid has the unassuming demeanour to use them without making others suspicious. so they started trying to help people and change the bleak futures that shiana saw without directly rewriting the future. now, they're both different kinds of hopelessly gay, and in exact opposite directions: shiana didn't want to mess things up with aphid bc aphid was like... her best friend, you know? someone who understood her fears and her powers. aphid didn't want to ruin what they had going either, but UNLIKE shiana, she's scarily observant and figured shiana out in ten minutes lmao.

these days, they're the annoying sort of in-synch couple that can have entire conversations in a single glance. aphid is very uncomfortable with public affection, so she often seems quite cold to shiana when others are around, but she absolutely adores that silly woman and she does a lot of things shiana will like (gifts, special date things, massaging shiana's scalp, etc). and although shiana likes to tease her (even in public), she always respects aphid's no pda preferences. it's extremely common for someone meeting them for the first time to have no idea at all that they're together, but once you know it's obvious.

their communication is fucking top notch also. it has to be because aphid can't see into shiana's head to visualise the futures she's seeing and how best to change them, so even before they got together, they were super good at talking things out. aphid's comfort boundaries are so excuriatingly well defined that it's like... shiana knows when it's okay to touch aphid's hand or back or something more intimate and when it's not. and althought shiana wasn't the most comfortable expressing her own boundaries to begin with, aphid is just very blunt about it all, she's like "well see, shiana, i happen to love you and i don't want you to do something that will fuck that up so here is my rulebook" and after that shiana was pretty cool with talking her feelings and desires out.

[starwonderz]

❓!!

meechi. ahaha, i'm going to admit outright i'm not very good at coming up with plots on the fly like this. i'm very good with seeing dynamics, but specific plot details are always kind of difficult for me. however, i will endeavor the best i can to give you something to work with! i'm going to try to avoid using any AUs so let's see what i can cook.

first of all, i definitely think we ought to explore more into Daisuke/Dark's phantom thievery and general criminal side. i'm not sure in what way specifically -- Tsukasa wouldn't be involved with heists, but he could end up in the crossfire due to his connections with Daisuke/Dark. his general cluelessness would make him a prime target for getting his dumbass into situations he shouldn't be a part of. perhaps with Daisuke/Dark having to come to his aid midway through a heist, and it sort of throws everything off from then on?

i also really like the exploration more into Daisuke's personal uncertainty of his future vs. Tsukasa's absolute insistence on it. i think there's a lot to be explored there, in terms of their dynamic. WxS is a home for the misfits & lost, so i think there could be a real potential for Daisuke to get invested in their work thanks to Tsukasa's stubborn nature. He would want to help now knowing how Daisuke feels about himself, and one such way would be to properly introduce him to the world of theater ( this could also tie - in to the first plot, being that Tsukasa wouldn't understand the hesitancy or why Daisuke outright won't do certain things, thanks to Dark ).

in general as well, i'd love to explore Tsukasa & Dark's dynamic more in particular, as something about it really kills me. Dark seeing all this potential in Tsukasa, even when Tsukasa is blowing himself up ( metaphorically and, sometimes, literally ), is big. i just . . . i dunno, Tsukasa doesn't quite recognize how much of an impact he has on people, and overall i think him learning more & more of how much Daisuke/Dark sees him could really be an eye - opener. being that Dark is already a pretty big deal & Daisuke knows so many impressive people already, it may even be enough to get past Tsukasa's usual imposter syndrome. much to think about.

plot potentials / @dnangelic

[thee-morrigan]

Caught up with Adam and Nate and ahhh!!! Katie!! Can I beg for a sneaky late wip-wednesday, or just ask you to chat about the story more for a bit? So very invested.

Bunny, you are WONDERFUL, thank you for asking about them/this story!! <333333 hmmm, okay, things to say about the story that don't totally reveal the mystery...what about a grab bag of lore about the upcoming chapter and things that have inspired different aspects of the whole piece?

the next chapter involves literary riddles (which will make this the second third fic in which I will have sent Nate on a bookish scavenger hunt lmao. at this point i might be indistinguishable from a bridge troll with my riddles three...or the library equivalent of one)

the term the ~mysterious voice~ called them in ch3 (Nachzehrer) will (probably) pop back up again next chapter

some things I've been (re)reading specifically for Story Reasons:

a book of love letters between Rainier Maria Rilke and Lou Andreas-Salomé (there are some lines in that book that are so deeply N-coded that they make me a little crazy)

a lot, a lot of Adrienne Rich (and specifically this poem, especially the first 1-2 stanzas of section II...the "what is not simple: to wake from drowning/...these two selves who walked half a lifetime untouching" destroys me, in general, but particularly in the context of N + A...!!)

I do ALSO have a snippet from the scene I was working on earlier today — dropping it below a cut with the caveats that:

1) it's not from the next chapter (and *probably* won't appear for at least another couple of chapters) and 2) it's somewhat spoilery as it's from a more...emotionally intimate section 😌 BUT it doesn't have any spoilers that pertain to the plot/overall mystery! (and like, it's not exactly a spoiler that they love each other ahaha)

“Did you mean it? What you said back…there?” For a long while, Adam was silent, his face inscrutable. Long enough that Nate wondered if he ought not to have brought it up, to have prompted a revisit of that particular conversation.  That particular confession. But Nate had never been good at pretending not to feel as he did. Had never had Adam’s gift for locking his emotions away, unexamined and ignored.  Still, after another long moment, another glance at his oldest friend’s face, another attempt to see whatever thoughts and emotions churned beneath that impassive facade, he offered, “We can leave it there — in that...place — if that is what you wish. Only tell me, please, if you meant it. What you said, before. Just…please.” Nate could not quite bring himself to say it more plainly, to let that bright kernel of emotion fill his mind — fill his heart —  just yet. “Only this once, please: tell me, and then we need never speak of it again, if that is what you would prefer.” 

[dajaregambler]

HeliosR - Sing in the darkness - Chapter 1 - Part 8

Translation of Sing in the darkness from ‘Helios Rising Heroes’, a new side arc alongside the current main story arc Like the dawning light.

Brad: They said to wait here since they’ll join up as soon as possible 

Sage: Thank you very much! I appreciate it…

Brad: Now then, we’ll be returning to our mission---

Sage: Ah…

Brad: Is there still something?

Sage: No… um…

Sage: Brad-san. Do you happen to know what Sensei is up to at the moment?

Brad: Sensei? …Ah, you mean Robin.

Brad: Given the current state of affairs, I’ve been all over the place with no time to contact him

Brad: Although I haven’t seen him much after I was put in charge of the 13th generation either.

Brad: Wouldn’t you have more of a chance to meet him, compared to me?

Sage: That is true but… I also haven’t been able to contact him since everything took a turn for the worse… 

Brad: I see. He ought to be busy with something himself. I’m certain you’ll hear something from him once things have calmed down.

Sage: Right. While I’m worried about Sensei, protecting the town and this child comes before anything else.

Brad: A wise decision.

Brad: Currently all heroes ought to work together and solve the problem at hand. For the sake of bringing back  the sun to New Million

Sage: Yes! You two please be careful out there

Akira: No matter what kind of pinch you’re in, everything will be fine as long as the genius Otori Akira-sama is here☆

Sage: Ahaha. I’ll be counting on you, Akira-kun

Brad: Akira, hurry up

Akira: !? Wait, Brad! You’re too fast-!

Sage: Haaah~... They’re really dependable, these two

Young boy: …?

Sage: They’re heroes from HELIOS just like me. Brad-san, is as I mentioned earlier, a major hero… Basically the greatest rank of hero there is.

Sage: Akira-kun is one generation below me. He’s a rookie that got admitted no more than one year ago.

Sage: Though, from the moment he joined his motivation and potential was amazingly high…

Sage: Of course there’s the fact how Brad-san is mentoring him, but his growth in just one year is almost shocking

Young boy: And who’s “Sensei”?

Sage: Eh? Aah… Sensei is my former mentor

Sage: What Brad-san is to Akira-kun… He’s someone that taught me much when I was a rookie

Sage: But to be more precise, he’s been taking care of me before I joined HELIOS

Young boy: Huuh…

Sage: Come to think of it, what’s your name?

Young boy: ….Licht

Sage: Licht, huh… Nice to meet you, Licht-kun♪

Licht: …..

Sage: …You’re on edge, right. Thinking that maybe Eclipse will attack you again.

Sage: But no need to worry since we’re here. We’ll definitely bring this town back to how it used to be---

Licht: That’s not it

Licht: What I’m scared of, is not that…

Sage: …Eh?

[unluckyhorseshoecrab]

okay so like in march you reblogged a post about HMLaG showing stuff about the band’s history in very pointed ways and i was wondering if you could elaborate on that? i’m fairly new lol. i take it the stealing painkillers thing is something pete has done lol

Ahaha this is a deep cut (March??? when was March??? Decades ago i'm pretty sure)-- I assume this was about the video bc of the stealing painkillers part, so here's a short list of Pointed FOB References in the HMLaG video (forgive me for not citing my sources here, it's a work night; if you want links lmk and i'll take some more time to dig some up):

the whole video kicks off at the end of the "this ain't a scene it's an arms race" video, which in turn was a sequel to the "Dance Dance" video

"When will fall out boy return to the stage?" article references the hiatus

pete being all over newspapers and articles was Very Much A Thing in the mid oughts

pete did live with his mom for a long time as an adult, mainly before FOB really took off

pete has been very open about his abuse of prescription medication but to my knowledge has never admitted to stealing any, though people in active addiction sometimes do steal drugs (feels weird and invasive to speculate further so i won't)

pete's whole arc of Being A Superhero and then retiring resonates with how he at a certain point decided to Be Less Famous than he had been (which was helped along by the waning of drama around him in the wake of the divorce et cetera)

pete also very vocally was posting about the hiatus being A Real Breakup and how FOB was Never Coming Back, which resonates with his arc in the video ("superhero vows to never run again" / "i haven't run that fast in years" and then he does it anyway)

patrick didn't wear a hat during his solo work but a) started wearing one originally because of pete (or so the legend goes), and started wearing one again when fob came back posthiatus

pete didn't not metaphorically 'break glass in case of emergency to get patrick back' during the hiatus, which ended up with the band getting back together

patrick took acting classes and has had multiple tv appearances, and complained that he kept getting typecast as like, nerds, and he wanted to play a villain, so he designed his wrestling character around that

patrick has likened being famous to having a wrestling character

patrick tried to karate kick pete in the parking lot of a taco cabana (not perhaps explicitly referenced in the video but a) this is a personal favorite piece of lore b) fighty patrick)

(extra fun fact: patrick did a whole voice for his wrestler character that got cut from the video but features heavily in the behind-the-scenes stuff they released on various platforms including youtube, which by now you very well may have seen already ahaha)

joe has worked in tv, including on the show mondo thrasho which you can watch in full on the fob youtube channel (though he hasn't specifically worked in motion capture to my knowledge)

andy has a reputation for being chill and unflappable and going with the flow (unless he's kicking someone's entire ass for You Hurt My Friend reasons) and is an anarchist and straightedge vegan, so all of that meshes together into the druid character

joe was initially the most resistant to rejoining fob posthiatus, but then patrick was on Exactly The Same Page about what needed to change in the band and led the conversation with that, and obviously he came back

patrick owned the 'i <3 bingo' hat for reportedly a week but it will live on in the fandom's collective heart forever

the stage/hall at the end is a reprise of the "this ain't a scene..." video set

pete's said that his conversation with his mom at the end is basically about how the band has fans who've had the attitude of "fob has been bad since--" since their first ever ep

[dcviated]

GET TO KNOW THE MUN.

what’s your phone wallpaper : oh it is in need of changing since its been the same for about half a year... the lock screen is Horn's E2 art from AK because she's cool and was the most wanted 6* I had for a good while ahaha. The background is some art of Ryza from the third game which looks real nice. I ought to change them both at this point. last song you listened to : Spotify DJ is currently playing Running Out of Time - Paramore, I can dig it! last movie : I also just saw the Mario movie on Sunday. It was really good and I had fun, but god some of the music choice just killed some of it... the DK racetrack especially they had an original composed song and it was so sglaksjdlfjsdkl last show : been watching plenty of anime this season, the last thing I was playing was Otaku Elf, I think. Kinda cute. But Kamikatsu is the one to keep an eye on because its over the top insane. And the studio knows it. what are you wearing right now : Tan khaki shorts, and a very lazy purple t-shirt... bare foot... it was a very lazy work from home Tuesday!!! but I'm going out to a lake tomorrow for work so I'll be dressing up more for that :V piercings / tattoos? : none to be had, but plenty of scars glasses ? contacts? : I'm pretty sure I'm on the verge of needing glasses at this point. My wife had the exact same prescription as me at our last checkup 5ish years ago, and she opted to get some for driving but I thought I was fine... now? well, might need another checkup to confirm last thing you ate? : we made bourbon brown sugar porkchops with an apple jam pan sauce, roasted brussel sprouts, and mashed sweet potatoes. very homey meal that tasted good. favorite color(s) : gemtones, blue purple greens current obsession : It's wobbling back and forth right now. I'm enjoying HSR but Warframe may get its hooks in me if I can hit a stride. Otherwise I'm mostly vibing. do you have a crush right now? : my wife (: favorite fictional character : I could never pick one are you crazy. My canon roster offers plenty that I enjoy. But if we went far back enough I think Bowser (particularly RPG portrayals) will take the cake for the all time favorite.

tagged by: @shadowborders thank!!! tagging: take, eat, do with this what you wish-

[happyandticklish]

A Matter Of Spirits

Notes: Does anyone actually want a Dorian Gray fic? Probably not. Am I going to write one anyway? Abso-fucking-lutely. I do have a fic request that I’m editing right now, so that’s also coming soon. Based off the book, not any of the film adaptations. 

Summary: When Dorian refuses to sit for a painting, Basil turns to Henry for assistance. 

“Dorian. Please.”

The other continued to slump in his seat, staring off into the distance in that irritating, brooding fashion of his. This had been going on for a while now, no matter how Basil attempted to persuade the other. Dorian was in a mood which meant he would not sit for the painter and he most certainly wouldn’t smile. Normally, Basil was patient with Dorian’s swinging fancies, leading him to great heights of euphoria one moment and the depths of despair in the next, but today was different.

The painting wasn’t for himself this time. A client had offered a great price for it, a sum that left the struggling artist dazzled. Normally, he didn’t sell portraits of Dorian—they were his secret joy, a beauty he could admire without the prying eyes of others. But that much could not be ignored, and so Basil had decided to make an exception, just this once.

Unfortunately, it appeared his plans were going to be ruined if Dorian continued to act like this. Basil’s brow pinched in annoyance and exhaustion as Dorian fell back against the couch, one arm thrown over his face, the very picture of agony.

“It’s just one painting,” Basil tried again, trying to force his voice to take on an appealing tone. “One painting and then you can go about your tantrum.”

“It isn’t a tantrum,” came Dorian’s muffled protest. “How can you expect me to pose when I’m miserable?”

“I hardly think the situation calls for one to be miserable—”

“My favorite pair!” Dorian interrupted, sitting up suddenly to glare stricken at the other. He pointed to his pants, which now spotted a rather unfortunate blue ink splot. “Ruined. It’ll probably never come out, and even if it does, there will be a stain, and then where will I be? How am I to go on with stained trousers?”

Basil resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was true that the paint might not come out, but Dorian was not one who could be accused of having a low supply of nice apparel. He had dozens of other pairs, all fairly similar in style. There was no need to get so worked up about the accident. Nevertheless, Basil knew if he put it like that his painting would never come about.

“What’s all this about?”

The pair turned to find Lord Henry strolling idly into the room, one hand poised elegantly on his cane. He was always elegant, no matter what the setting. Basil would have been impressed by it if he didn’t find it so irritating. Henry glanced between Dorian, distraught on the couch, Basil, standing next to an empty canvas, and finally at the empty chair in the middle of the room where Dorian would under normal circumstances be posing. He raised an eyebrow.

“Henry,” Basil said, a note of relief to his voice at the presence of his friend. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I let myself in. Dorian, whatever is the matter? You look as though poor old Basil here has just made an attempt on your life.”

Dorian sniffed, tilting his chin up petulantly. “He has, at least to me. Look at this!” He pointed to the stain, as though that itself should have been cause for outrage from the other.

Henry blinked, before nodding slowly. “I see. He has… stained your pants? To what end?”

“It was an accident,” Basil explained, crossing his arms. “I was showing Dorian some of the new colors I had got brought in recently, and a bit got on him, that’s all. He’s overreacting.”

“Ruined,” Dorian repeated with a lack of anything else to say in his defense.

Henry balanced his cane on the edge of the sofa, coming to take a seat beside the other. He examined the stain carefully, making sure to glance at it from all angles. Basil and Dorian watched him, both waiting to hear whose side he would take. Finally, he leaned back, clapping his hands together definitively. “Why, Dorian, you have nothing to worry about! It’s only a little stain, and hardly noticeable at that. A quick wash ought to fix it.”

Dorian fixed him with a suspicious glance, but it was difficult to doubt Henry, and finally a bit of hope came into his eyes. “Really?”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Henry assured him. “Now, come, you’re being ridiculous. Sit for Basil. He only wants a portrait, nothing more. Surely you can accomplish that?”

Dorian looked as though he were on the edge of giving in, but finally he turned his face aside stubbornly. “I can’t. The mood is ruined. I can’t pose when my spirits are so low. I’ll look dreadful.”

Basil threw his hands up in frustration, ready to give up altogether and try again tomorrow, though he knew it would heavily delay the process. Henry, however, was not deterred. “A matter of low spirits, you say?”

There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye, and all at once Basil realized his plan, recognizing the look from years of being around the other. Dorian had not yet experienced Henry’s fullproof method for cheering one up, and so he simply frowned in puzzlement, reluctantly glancing back at the other.

“What is it?” he asked apprehensively. “Why do you look like that? Henry, what—hey!”

Dorian’s next words were overtaken by a surprised giggle as Henry’s hands found their way suddenly to his sides. He squirmed back against the couch, weakly attempting to bat the other away. “W-Wahait, noho!”

“I’m simply raising your spirits, nothing more,” Henry replied calmly, expertly maneuvering against the clothing protecting the other and finding each and every spot that had Dorian desperate to get away. “After all, you’re laughing, aren’t you?”

Dorian was, quite a lot at that, and the sound was breathtaking as Basil listened and watched the scene unfold. His laughter had always been uproarious, a carefree, wild sound that brought to mind the joy of childhood; Dorian had never been one to hide away his emotions, always feeling and existing in his truest self. But now that same laughter took on a more frantic cadence, breaking off into fits of giggles and every once in a while a sudden shriek when Henry hit a good spot. It was unreasonably endearing, and Basil felt a blush fighting its way onto his features. He knew he should look away or help—though whether he was to help Dorian or Henry he couldn’t say—but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight.

Dorian was a mess of limbs, his outfit thoroughly rumpled by this point, something that he would have cared about if he wasn’t so focused on the way Henry’s fingers skillfully climbed his ribs. “P-Plehehehease, Ihihihi’ll dihihie!”

“I’m certain you shall be fine, there’s no need for dramatics,” Henry dismissed, working around Dorian’s attempts to shove him off. “Besides, to die of laughter would be a worthy death in my opinion.”

Basil scoffed at the vague poetry, stepping in and placing a hand on Henry’s shoulder. “Don’t you think he’s had enough?”

“That is up to Dorian himself,” Henry replied, his eyes sparkling with a mischievous delight.  “Well? What do you say, my friend? Are you significantly cheered up yet?”

In truth, Dorian could already feel his poor mood dissipating, but despite this he continued to persist. “Of course not,” he huffed, grabbing at Henry’s wrists finally and holding them firmly. “This is ridiculous, I am not still a child. I have no time for such silly behavior.”

“And yet you were certainly acting like one earlier,” Basil commented without thinking, and Dorian shot him a betrayed look.

“Basil is right,” Henry agreed. “Which is why he’ll be assisting me. I can’t have you squirming around so much, you’ll only get in the way. Basil, his arms please.”

Basil snapped his head up, having not expected to get brought into this. “Well, I don’t think—”

“Basil is far too soft-hearted for this torture,” Dorian interrupted before he could finish. “He is not so bold or ruthless as you.”

The comment worked better than anything Henry could have said to convince him, and in the next moment Basil was on the couch behind him, slipping his hands under the other’s arms and securing them in a tight grip. “Henry, proceed.”

Dorian’s eyes went wide as he realized his predicament, and he surged against the hold to no avail. “Wait, hold on, there’s no need—ahAHA!”

His words broke off into wild cackling as Henry continued his attack, wiggling his fingers with quick, deft gestures under his arms. “Feeling anymore cooperative now?” Henry teased, raising an eyebrow.

“Thihihihis ihihis cruhuhuel!” Dorian protested, his actions growing more desperate as the vulnerable spot was continuously pursued. Yet no matter how he thrashed, there was no escape. “Bahahahasil!”

“Yes Dorian?” Basil asked, growing more confident in his actions as he listened to the sweet giggles, and the delighted expression that Dorian was doing a poor job at hiding. “Going to me for help will do you no good, not after all you’ve put me through this afternoon. I’m afraid you’re simply going to have to face the consequences of your actions.”

“Mehehehean!” Dorian kicked his legs out uselessly, throwing his head back into Basil’s chest. He jerked suddenly when Henry’s fingers began to travel, pinching up and down his ribs. His laughter pitched several octaves, and his hands flapped about, attempting to grab hold of anything that would help him out. “AhAHAHA, HEHEHENRY!”

“Dorian, please, calm yourself,” Henry said, shaking his head. “You are causing quite the ruckus, what if the neighbors hear?”

Dorian could hardly reply, too lost in his own laughter. Each tweak or prod of his ribs had him spasming, his layers doing little to protect him. The spot appeared to be unbearably ticklish, worse even than the cruel scribbling under his arms. Dorian was no stranger to his own sensitivity, a fact which had been brought to his attention in stark clarity when he was a child, but he hadn’t been tickled in many years and he was unprepared for just how intense it could be.

Finally, he managed to form enough coherency to spew a stream of giggly protests. “I-Ihihihihi dehehehehemand thahahahat—ehehehe, aha—thahahahat yohohou stahahahap ahahahahat ohohonce! Ihihihi wihihihill—ah! Heh, nahaha, nohoho! I wihihihill gehehehet m-my, mihihi—stahahap ihihihit, nahahahat thehehere!”

“You’re not making any sense, I’m afraid,” Henry informed him sympathetically. “Really, I have spoken with you about the benefits of proper articulation before, there’s no need to stammer so. Basil, can you understand a word of what he’s saying?”

“I can’t say I do,” Basil replied, and suddenly his own fingers had been added into the mix, scribbling over the edges of his armpits from where he held him tight. Dorian shrieked, unprepared for the double assault, and burst into a round of cursing as his laughter advanced to an even more frantic pitch. “I suppose we’ll just have to keep encouraging him until he remembers the proper form of speech.”

Red had begun to creep across Dorian’s features as well, a testament to the teasing that was slowly working to unravel with along with the tickling. With that, his stubbornness finally caved. “Ohohohokay, OHOHohohohokay, I-I’ll sihihihihit!”

Henry and Basil exchanged a pleased glance and collectively sat back, releasing Dorian to wrap his arms around himself in a giggly pile between them. After he had regained his breath somewhat, Dorian managed a half-hearted glare in Henry’s direction. “That was wholly uncalled for.”

“Are your spirits not cheered?” Henry pointed out. “You cannot convince me you weren’t enjoying yourself. You’ve never been one to give in so easily to something you weren’t willing to engage in.”

Dorian blushed, sitting up straight and adjusting his jacket with a cough. “That is ridiculous, Henry, utterly ridiculous. I did nothing of the sort. And to think I thought you were a man of intelligence.”

Henry raised a wry brow, shrugging his shoulders. “If that is what you must tell yourself, I will let you believe it for now. Don’t fool yourself into thinking I won’t discover the truth on a later occasion, however.”

Dorian’s stomach flipped not unpleasantly at the idea, but he merely scoffed, springing from the sofa and bounding over to the sitting chair. “Well, if I’m going to sit, I’m going to need a change of outfit at once. Look at me, I look positively tousled, like I’ve been out in a storm!”

Basil watched him as he continued to waltz about the room, making endless comments about dress and hair, but with a far more agreeable air than before. “Thank you,” he whispered gratefully to Lord Henry, who startled at the sound, tearing his gaze away from Dorian where it had previously been taken.

“Yes, of course old friend, always happy to help. Although you might be careful he doesn’t discover your weakness as well.”

He reached over and tweaked Basil’s side playfully. Basil yelped, having not expected the sudden attack, and batted away his hand quickly. He flushed, glaring at him. “Quiet down with that, will you? For your information, that is not information that will be getting out anytime soon.”

“Basil! I can hardly paint this portrait by myself now can I?”

Basil’s attention immediately snapped back to the other, and he rose to his feet, offering an obliging smile as he made his way over. “No, you cannot. You would make a miserable artist.”

The two continued to talk and bicker contentedly as Basil helped him fix his hair which had gotten tangled in the earlier tussle. Henry watched them with a knowing smile, certain they would figure themselves out. Perhaps not that day, but eventually. After all, they must do it in their own time.

Henry slipped out quietly while they talked, allowing them to have the day to themselves. 

Maybe one day, he thought with a gentle smile. 

[honyakuninakunaru]

Ways to Spend a Birthday // Mithra SSR Card Story

CHAPTER 1

(Hallway)

Mitile: "Everything's set!"

Lennox: "All thanks to the hard work you two put into it."

Rutile: "Let's go invite him then!"

Figaro: "Ahaha. Be careful, running can be dangerous."

Mithra: "..... I've finally found you."

Mitile: "Oh, Mister Mithra."

Rutile: "What might you be doing here?"

Mithra: "I've been looking for you all morning ever since you went missing. Going as far to leave without my permission... What's with the get-up?"

Rutile and Mitile: "Pardon...?"

Mithra: "Your clothes are dirty, your faces are full of scratches, and you look worn-out."

Mitile: "Ah, t-that's...Um..."

Rutile: "Oh, um, it's nothing. We took a tumble, is all."

Mithra: "Where and what were you doing? I sure hope it wasn't somewhere dangerous. Right?"

Lennox: "Don't grill them so much."

Figaro: "Right, right. They came back in one piece so you can let them off, no?"

Mithra: "Come again? To begin with, you guys are impotent, so of course, things would turn out this way. And you, Figaro, why did you bother accompanying them? Have you fallen so low that you've become unable to protect these two?"

Figaro: "Now, now, calm down."

Rutile: "There's no need to get this angry. We've brought you a special souvenir, you see."

Mithra: "..... A special souvenir?"

Mitile: "Over here. Come with us, please."

(Dining room)

Mithra: "..... What is this?"

Rutile: "It's an entire feast we prepared, all for you, as you can see!"

Mitile: "We had Mister Nero help us make it!"

Mithra: "..... Huh? Including this animal's corpse?"

Mitile: "I-it's not a corpse! It's a roasted deer."

Rutile: "It looks like quite the delicacy. You like meat, right, Mister Mithra? I do hope it suits your taste."

Figaro: "Rutile suggested that we make a grand gibier feast for your birthday."

Lennox: "The four of us went hunting this morning. Sorry if we made you worry."

Mitile: "Yes, please rest assured, the hunt was a great success! I was very startled when a very big snake appeared midway, though..."

Rutile: "Its scales were rainbow-coloured, and it seemed to be poisonous, but it was so shiny and lovely!"

Mithra: "Hold o—... Please tell me you didn't touch it!"

Rutile: "It was a little further from us, but I managed to sketch it. I drew it really well, so I'll show it to you later. We've all been in high spirits since this morning. And so, happy birthday, Mister Mithra. Please eat to your heart's content!"

Figaro and Lennox: "Happy birthday, Mithra."

Mitile: "I only helped because Nii-sama asked me to, but... Happy birthday, Mister Mithra."

Mithra: "..... Goodness gracious. Since you didn't die, I'll turn a blind eye this time. But just so you know, there won't be a next time. In the future, I'm definitely coming with you."

CHAPTER 2

(Lounge)

Mithra: "There you are, Owen, Bradley."

Bradley: "Yuck, Mithra."

Owen: "Yikes..."

Mithra: "I was just thinking we could have a tea party, and here we've got the people for it."

Owen: "What's this tea party crap?"

Mithra: "We simply chat over a cup of tea."

Bradley: "He didn't ask what a tea party is. Why do we hafta do something like that..."

Mithra: "Earlier, the Western wizards asked me if us Northern wizards were going to hold one. According to what they said, you fall asleep faster after having fun at a tea party, so I thought I'd try it out."

Owen: "You're so easy to sway..."

Bradley: "Can ya even do one with three people?"

Mithra: "Just sit down already. Do you want to do it standing up?" 

Owen and Bradley: "Yeah, yeah." 

Mithra: "So, how have you been these days?"

Owen: "The absolute worst."

Mithra: "How come? Did something happen?" 

Bradley: "Just woke up."

Mithra: "When you say the worst, Bradley, weren't you hung upside down by the twins a while ago?" 

Owen: "I witnessed that too. It looked rather fun, I must say. How did you get yourself in that mess?"

Bradley: "Tch... They ordered me to go on some mission, but I just ignored em and skipped out. Apparently, that was enough to get to those damn geezers..."

Owen: "A similar thing happened to me recently. They were threatening me while also pleading me for help. They thought I'd listen to what they had to say if they turned into their adult form. It's absolutely sickening." 

Mithra: "If I don't obey them even after that and turn away, they'd have Oz bring me back."

Owen: "Same here."

Bradley: "One day it's all gonna be over..."

Mithra: ".....Talking about this is slowly making me angry."

Owen: "Hey, since the three of us have gathered today, how about we retaliate ourselves."

Bradley: "Count me in. But let's not overdo it, or Oz might show up. Let's do somethin that's gonna get those two real mad."

Mithra: "Then, shall we go to their residence? Rumour has it that they store powerful magic objects and charms there, and I want to take some of them while we're at it." 

Bradley: "Bastard... That's going a bit too far, dontcha think."

Owen: "It'll be a real pain later if they really do get angry."

Mithra: "It's going to be alright since it's my birthday and all. Isn't that what birthdays are for? A day when you can be selfish and say whatever you want. If it's for today, I can be forgiven anything, no?"

Owen and Bradley: "....."

Owen: "You're right. They seem to have a soft spot for birthday boys."

Owen: ("I should make a run for it as soon as we get found out.")

Bradley: "Fine by me. Let's give it a shot." 

Bradley: ("If somethin happens we can just let Mithra deal with it.")

Mithra: "Shall we get going then?"

Bradley: "They can't blame us if we get a lil rowdy, ya know how birthdays are."

Owen: "We're counting on you, birthday boy."

Mithra: "You ought to utmost thank me because if it hadn't been my birthday, we wouldn't be able to do this."

(Snow and White's room)

Snow and White: ".....M?"

Snow: "What is it with this sudden chill... I got this very loathsome feeling."

White: "Does this perhaps call for a punishment?"

CHAPTER 3

(Akira's room)

Akira: ("It's already this late, I should get going to Mithra's room...")

Looking at the clock, one could well say it's nighttime. On this very day, I was supposed to help Mithra, who was welcoming his birthday, fall asleep.

Akira: ("I just saw him receive sweets from the Central wizards, but I wonder if he's back in his room already...")

(Knock and door opening)

Mithra: "Good evening."

Akira: "M-Mithra...! What is it? I was about to head to your ro—..."

Mithra: "Do you know what this is?"

Akira: "Eh?"

Mithra boastfully showed off a very familiar-looking hat.

Akira: "...Is that Faust's hat?"

Mithra: "I received it as it's my birthday today. I've been fond of it for a while, actually."

Akira: ("He says he received it, but why do I feel like he stole it...")

Akira: "You should go and return it to him later since he probably got angry over it."

Mithra twirled the hat around his finger, showing no signs whether he was listening or not.

Mithra: "I don't know why, but for some reason, I'm feeling quite well today. I even feel like I could beat Oz and become the world's strongest wizard."

Akira: "A...ha."

Mithra: "Actually, Oz's mana would be the best present I could possibly receive. I'll go pay him a visit real quick."

I rushed to stop Mithra, who had began to make his way out the door with a light step, before he could leave.

Akira: "I-it's already late, so how about you leave that for next time? Instead, why don't you tell me how your day went?"

Mithra: "My day? Well, it was a rather busy one. In the morning, I was treated to the corpse of an animal. I also got angry with the Southern brothers who had left on their own, but the meat was good, so there's that. Later, Owen, Bradley, and I broke into the twins' residence. We did it because I can be forgiven all selfishness if it's just for today."

As he recalled the events that happened today, Mithra's voice was somewhat cheerful. He was like a happy child talking about the fun things he had done.

Mithra: "..... What so funny? You're quite the odd one."

Akira: "Ahaha, sorry, it's nothing."

Mithra: "A lot of things happened today, and I'm tired, so help me sleep, come on."

Is what Mithra said as he threw himself on the bed. I gently held his hand, enveloped in a pleasant feeling.

Akira: ("It seems to have been a birthday so fun, he didn't have time to spend by himself...")

Akira: "Good night, Mithra, and happy birthday."

Big thanks to @/_Zeotrope_ on Twitter for providing the raws for this story!

[jenivi7]

First Lines Tagging Meme

I'M SO HAPPY TO BE TAGGED IN THIS TWICE!  Thank you @ink-flavored and @clyde-side !! (I almost just did this on my own too because I love babbling about my own fics...)

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line.

Now pinned and under a cut because it became a really long, really good introduction to me and my stories! 

Hello!

Unnecessary and overly wordy introduction/personal musings: I love opening lines so much. When I worked at a bookstore, I used to open books and hardcore judge them on their first lines. I had barely any free time to read at that point so if it didn’t grab me in the first line or two, I put it back. The first Harry Potter book is actually in my pile of really good openers. “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” (Subtle alliteration, HELLO??) So I'm super excited to see if my own first lines come even close to the standards that I apply to other people lol. MY OWN MONEY IS ON NO. I have the feeling that I'm so frantic trying to get the story down on paper before the good words disappear from my head that I'm not actually paying attention to the first line. BUT LET'S SEE, SHALL WE.

So just straight up going backwards, I've written and posted TWO BRAND NEW THINGS after being away from fandom almost entirely for 10+ years! They're drabble length but they're shiny and new! <3 (All available fics are linked!)

1. Tango:

She teaches them to dance so that they can dance with her but when Atem gets that mischievous smirk on his face and pulls Yugi into his arms, their bodies spark and the dance floor smolders at their heels.

(The fic is so short that this is a full 1/5 of it but actually, I think I crammed all the good stuff right into that first line. This already might be my favorite. Like it says there in the line itself, Puzzleshipping.)

2. No Betting:

Anzu sat at the kitchen table writing carefully calculated answers onto sticky notes before attaching them to a fourth-grade math worksheet.

(Peachshipping! This one doesn't pop off until about line five so here's the rest of that bit:)

She had the same arrangement with her spouse as most parents had. When the kids were good they were hers. When they were bad, they were his. And when they were winning at games because they picked up rules with uncanny speed and read their opponents with more insight than ought to be available to a child, they were definitely, definitely his.

3. If you wanted honesty that's all you had to say (working title):

When he realized that the figure sitting under the game shop display window and smoking wasn’t Ryou, the physical body response was as though it had discovered a coiled snake not two feet away.

(This one! It's a NEW half finished(?) WIP. I actually started this one before the drabbles but wanted to finish before posting it. Then it got out of hand, then work got out of hand, then I started a couple more projects and well. I keep putting words on it though and eventually there will be a Kleptoshipper that turns into Puzzle and Tender for your reading enjoyment. Also, fair warning - don't use song lyrics as a working title. Every time I look at the document I get the song stuck in my head.)

Now we have polished up reposts of old stories for their move to AO3, where I'll basically keep my master archive. Not full re-writes but I fixed a bunch of typos and awkward sentences and they're much stronger for it. Most of these are from a pairings contest way back when so LOTS of different pairings and lots of AUs!

4. Human:

It was like a bad noir, the thought crossed both of their minds.

(Scifi AU, Rivalshipping. That one's not bad for a first line. Actually no link at the time of writing cause the re-edit is going up in like, a half hour? an hour? a half day? It's my next project after finishing this, finishing up the edit and posting it on AO3. Now with link!)

5. Blood:

Fingers through midnight black hair, whispers in his ear, touches that sizzled along the skin, awakening nerves and senses. 

(Dungeonshipping, Pegasus x Otogi, vampires AU. Oh that’s a nice first line! <3)

6. Crazy for You:

The keys are too large and too heavy for the doctor more used to more modern facilities but she doesn't say anything, just follows the orderly as he pulls the large door open.

(Manipulashipping, Anzu x Marik, Psychward AU. Still one of my favorites from that era. Big bold warning though, THIS ONE CONTAINS NON-CON)

7. Finality:

“What are you doing here?”

“Saying goodbye.” Bakura’s translucent arms swept across the graveyard. “Is this not an appropriate place for it?”

(First two or so bits of dialogue as the first first is a generic question. You can tell this is one of the really old ones just by that but it's a sweet, sad little Tendershipper that still has a special place in my heart.)

8. Pieces of You:

Glitter caught the light, leaving shimmering trails in the air as it got everywhere.

(Glittershipping, Anzu x Kisara. Another one that's special to me. Kisara is my girl and my first writing muse. <3)

9. Cambodia:

“It was summer of fifty three...”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute, it can't have been fifty three. You might be that ancient but I'm not. It must have been sixty three.”

(Jiishipping. Yes. Sugoroku x Arthur. HEY, IT CAME UP IN THE RANDOM DRAW FOR THE SHIPPING CONTEST OK. And my writer's brain hasn't backed down from a challenge yet... Another one that takes 4 lines to pop off but it's a good start. Actually, here's the rest of the bit just because I cannot get enough of these two bickering:)

“What do you mean it must have been sixty three? You don't even know what story I'm trying to tell.”

“Am I in it?”

“What?”

“So you're deaf now as well as daft? AM I IN IT?”

“Of course you're in it, y'old coot. Don't know why I'd tell a story without you in it when both grandkids are sitting here.”

10. Coffee and Cigarettes:

"Cigarettes and coffee? That's not a very healthy lunch." 

Mana crossed her legs and took a refined sip of her own coffee even as her company was not. 

(Mischiefshipping, Mana x Thief King Bakura. Oh this one I'm actually sad that it doesn't immediately sparkle in the first line cause it's one of my absolute favorites of everything I've written. And I think it's the only time I've ever written Mana but I LOVED IT AND HER. Oh no! I lied, I've written her at least one other time though I don't think that one quite captures her sheer chaos energy like this one does.)

11. A Million Missed Chances:

Somewhere along the line, someone made a choice.

(This one. THIS ONE. I think this is by far the most epic idea I've tackled. I still don't know if the sheer scale of the thing came across in the actual fic but in my head it was massive and I remember pounding away at my teeny tiny laptop late at night because the whole thing hit me maybe a day or so before the story was due for the pairings contest. We only had a week to write each fic and my really good ideas never came to me before the very last minute. T.T Conquestshipping, Mai x Valon.)

12. A Fear of Falling:

She drove.

Like she always did when something bothered her.

(Oh the first chapter on this is also one of the really ancient ones. Like one of the very first things I wrote. That first chapter really shows its age and is a little shaky but the others are better and the last one is what fits into the chorological order here. Polarshipping, Jou x Mai. One of my very first ships. Probably THE first actually <3)

13. What Our Creators Make Us:

"Well, well." The match flared, scattering dark shadows until it was blown out and the only light that remained was the red glow from the cigarette end. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

(Psychoshipping, Marik x Spirit of the Ring Bakura. With a bit of Bronze, Angst and Tender in the follow up. Old but I'm ridiculously proud of it, hence it's place in the master archive. Ahaha you can tell how old it is though by how clever I think I am. I thought it was funny to make my audience figure out who was talking and not reveal the characters for a good fourth to third of the fic. Ahhhhhhh. Sorry about past me.)

14. A Revolution of the Spirit:

It wasn't fair.  It just wasn't.

That they were close was understandable (you don't get much closer than sharing headspace) but that even now, after deals were made with gods, endless arguments, compromises and the ultimate guilt trip that he had only been a teenager when he willingly sacrificed himself for all of humanity, things she had only half seen and only partly understood even though they had all been there to witness, that even now Atem continued to invade Yugi's personal space as though he belonged there got on her nerves.

(Woah Nelly! That third sentence should probably be three, four and five. Even if I just split it in half we'd continue the pattern of things popping off in the fourth line. I think that's one pattern that's emerging! A really good bit takes me about four lines to set up and deliver! Oh, the challenge was Revolutionshipping, Anzu x Atem, but the fic is actually Spiritshipping, Anzu x Yugi x Atem.)

So confession time, I haven't been out of fandom completely, I just hadn't written my own standalone stories in a very long time. There are a few (ok ok more than a few) long-running rps that @miss-moberg and I have been adding to on and off over the years. I can't resist throwing in a couple of these.

15. Cafe!

The door shut behind them with the soft click of the latch and the exhale of a breath long held.

(This opening line was from December of 2020 when we rebooted a very old Prideshipper and that is a damn good opening line if I do say so myself. I can definitely see the difference now between the newer works and the older ones. I've gotten better, she's matched me pace for pace and eventually something will be finished, I'll work up the courage to ask permission to post it and the whole internet will get to see how brilliant the two of us are together.)

16. Treasure Hunt!

"Ryou, I think you're going to regret letting me tag along on your adventuring this time."  Yugi didn't bother turning away from the airplane's tiny window to see if his seatmate was paying attention.  He was more thinking out loud with his friend playing the role of a convenient sounding board.  "Because I think this trip is the only thing I'm going to talk about ever again."

(One more from RP because it's got that fun, four line punch that we've discovered is a pattern for me! Opening entry is from 2017.)

Also, in truth, my count is a little off when I say I'd been out of fandom 10+ years. I've been away from YGO for that long but I did spend a brief stint in Homestuck where I read a ton of fanfic, flirted with a couple group RPs and even wrote a tiny bit. 9 years without writing a new fic isn't as impressive as saying ‘over a decade’ but it is a little more accurate.

17. What You Will:

In the land of fair Illyria, along a small, sandy stretch of its rocky shore, a ship has come to ruin and one lone woman lies still as death among broken wood.

(The beginning of a Homestuck/Twelfth Night crossover that I'm still determined to work more on someday. It's only got a single chapter but it's magic though now I'm concerned about not being able to recapture that. Not a bad first line though. The style is so different it took me reading it a couple times before going, oh yeeeeeah, that's pretty good!)

18. Relentless:

You pull him to the deck and then across it by the remains of his shirt. Let him say one last goodbye. His ship pillaged, his crew murdered, his hands bound behind his back and at your mercy.

Funny word, that. Mercy.

(The first line is pretty decent but there's that four line combo again! Five but I could basically fix that with a comma. Featuring the troll ancestors Mindfang and Dualscar because every time Hussey introduced new characters they were instantly my favorite.) 

19. Black:

There is dark and there is dark and there is dark and then there is black. She is black. Licorice and coal. She is hate and resentment and everything that tastes bitter, the kind of black that coats the tongue like oil, drips down the back of the throat and keeps going.

(Oh wow. Am I allowed to say that about my own work? A Terezi/Vriska drabble that I'm putting as much here as I think I can get away with because it's so good that it fucks me up a little going back and reading it.)

And here it gets tricky because I think the more recent of the old, old fics are in the Drabbles and Shorts collection on ff.net and I can't see a post date. So I'll just pick a good one to end on.

20. Two Princes:

It was inevitable as the rising of Ra's chariot after a long night, as the flooding of the river banks every spring, and Atem always knew that Yugi's kiss would be as warm and gentle as the evening breeze in the summer that brought relief from the scorching day. It was.

(How about the final honor going to more Puzzle/Blind? This probably has the strongest first line of its era. Actually I'm not sure when it was written. It was just hanging out in my writing folder and, thinking about it, I probably wrote it when I was fading from fandom the first time around but still trying to hang in there. No wait! That’s too sad, we can’t end on that! Lets add one more to the list for the sake of personal narrative!)

21. Linger:

The world doesn't need him anymore. It doesn't need his sword and it doesn't need his pen.

(A tiny Princess Tutu afterward that I wrote for myself. Nice one-two punch in the opener. Also it rounds out the personal story that accidentally developed here with a line later in the fic, "Words, however, never stray far from a good writer..." Like, wait, stop. Past me, how did you know T.T)

Did that take a sudden emotional turn for anyone else or was that just me. Can I offset that a little with an honorable mention? Let’s do that while I collect myself. Here’s one more.

Honorable mention: Ryou and the Thief

There was a storm gathering and too much magic in the air. Much more than occurred naturally and magic at this level was never a good thing.

(I can’t have a list of things I’ve written without having Ryou and the Thief on it. If you click on this one though, BEWARE, it’s old, it’s silly and it has a ton of explicit gay sex that… would be written very differently if we were handling it today I’m sure! This is the first RP @miss-moberg and I ever did together and our excuse to Gemship and Puzzleship turned into us running the boys through a whole adventure based on the Osiris myth. It’s the longest thing I’ve ever completed and I’d still consider it kind of my legacy.)

And that’s the last 21(+1!) stories that I’ve written! 

The clear winner of best first line for me is 15. Cafe! It’s short, elegant and manages to contain a whole mood even without the context of what’s going on and who’s involved. (Spoilers: It’s Seto and Mokuba making an AU escape from Gozoboro.) Close second is Tango, the most recent story. It’s neat to see just how much better I’ve gotten and also really cool to see that even if the first line itself doesn’t contain a punch, it’s usually because there’s a nice, strong idea being set up and delivered in the first four lines (or so). What a pleasant surprise!

AND WOW, this whole tag thing didn't need to be so long! Or personal! Seriously, if you get this tag from me the challenge is only to list the first lines to 20 stories and maybe try to draw one or two conclusions from them. You all thought I was joking when I said I loved talking about my own writing! But actually, I guess it’s fine like this as I ended up using it as a way to re-introduce myself. Like, "Hey, I used to live here a long time ago and oh my god I love what you've done with the place!" Rather than being someone who's just popped up out of nowhere a few weeks ago to creepily bother all your best of the best creators so....

^///^ Hello!

Thanks for letting me ramble!

Tags! I think I've seen most of the authors I follow do this already but on the off chance you haven't been tagged yet: @elexica (checked your blog to see if you'd already done the tag and saw that you're another person returning to writing fanfiction after 10+ years. Same! Hello!!), @danieco, @draconicmaw, @nedjemetsenen (has someone tagged you already?) and two shots in the dark, @miss-moberg and @edmondia (I'm so sorry you two. T.T Please feel free to block me forever.) And please, anyone else who wants to babble about their own writing! Do this, it was so much fun. <3

[becausewerehere]

Hey, there! I thought I’d drop by with a little (long-overdue) update on Because We’re Here. I’ve just re-read the last devlog post (the, uh, February 2020 update) and oh gosh, it’s like unearthing a time capsule! I was very optimistic 2020 was going to be a productive year, wasn’t I? Uh. Whoops.

Like last time, please manage your expectations! :’D This isn’t a very big update at all, and it’s more talking about the process rather than the game itself - but I thought I’d check in and just let you handful of faithful devlog-checkers know that the project’s still ticking along, haha.

Act III Development Update!

Act III is taking a bit longer than I’d hoped back in February, but it’s coming along! I've been trying not to burn myself out like I did with Act II (those last few months before publishing it were rough! And took me a good few months to recover ^^;) but also, it’s obviously been a bit difficult to stay focused and energetic throughout most of this year, and I’ve had a couple of points where confidence wasn’t really in ample supply either. What a year. Hoo boy. (This probably isn’t a very professional tone of voice for a project update, but that’s fine, I’ve long since accepted what kind of shambolic operation I’m running here and I’m sure you have too. xD)

The good news is: I’ve been on a bit of a roll for the past couple of months! I'm feeling much more clearheaded while I write, and I’m starting to get back to the level of gamedev optimism and energy I had in February. Which feels great! Obviously all those other factors mean that Act III isn't going to be released in 2020 as I’d hoped, but I doubt many of you are expecting that at this point, hah. :') However, I really want to get it out in springtime. As any of you familiar with the project's development will know, I'm effectively working as a solo dev and timetables may change, so that's very far from a guarantee, but that's what I'm currently aiming for! So watch this space!

(I will also mention that, with the work that’s been done so far, Act IV is unliiiikely to take a full year after Act III, and it's very plausible that that'll also be out in 2021 (albeit late 2021). But again, I really can't talk timings with any degree of certainty just yet!)

Anyway, the main thing I wanted to say today is: I'm actually going to start this devlog up again in the new year, and open with a proper, detailed update in earlyish 2021 -  looking more at where Act III (and IV!) are at that point. I’m aiming to have work on Act III almost complete and it sent off to my handful of beta-readers by then! But in any case, I’ll be able to give a much more concrete estimate of timings and so on.

It feels good to have broken the seal on posting again - this is me trying to slowly return to the world of Being Online. But for the most part, I'm staying true to my online nature (which is: hermit) and I’m going to keep quietly working on Act III for the rest of this year. And by January I’ll have done more of the programming and integrating the graphics, so I ought to be able to give some nice screenshots, and I’ll actually tell you a little bit about the act. And maybe launch the Steam page shortly after!! Exciting.

Though in the meantime, I might try and be around a little more than I have been. I was thinking of posting some more fanart up on here - I’ve had some really nice pieces come in on Discord and Twitter since Act II was released, and I’d like to keep them collected here with the rest! ;D

The Leftfield Collection

A really cool thing that happened (that I teased in the February update but ended up going a bit quiet on social media and didn’t get around to properly announcing on here) is Because We’re Here got accepted into the avant-garde Leftfield Collection showcase for the EGX Rezzed expo in London! It was supposed to be in March, but obviously fate had other ideas. Although BWH was briefly in a digital Rezzed showcase that got featured on the Steam front page and I got a couple hundred extra wishlists from it, so that was a really nice boost!

There was a neat article written about the collection on Rock Paper Shotgun here! I was very excited to go and exhibit there because I had such fun at AdventureX last November, so it was quite a disappointment that Rezzed couldn’t go ahead! But, I mean... by that point, it was definitely for the better. So, c’est la vie. In any case, I was super honoured to have had BWH selected for it, and it was really lovely to be included on a lineup with so many cool and interesting games! ^^

Alrighty, Then.

So that’s the Act III update. Thank you all for your patience! It's (QUITE OBVIOUSLY) been a strange old year. I know that a good amount of my setbacks this year have been shared by basically everyone in the world, ha. And I’m aware of how lucky I am that 'unproductivity and nerves' is roughly the extent of my 2020 troubles, so I can’t really complain. I hope you're all doing okay with everything the year has thrown at us so far.

I’ve had fewer people getting in touch and asking me about Act III than I did about Act II, and I think that’s a combination of ‘pandemic; delays understandable’ and hopefully ‘Act II left people a lot more sated than Act I’ ahaha. But fear not... Act III is definitely still on its way. And things are going well! I hope you have a good rest of the year, and I’ll update you properly (and if things have gone to plan, maybe start on a longer run-up to release this time around) next year! :D 

~~~~~~

Because We’re Here is a bittersweet otome visual novel in an unforgiving WW1-inspired setting.

Acts I + II are out now on itch.io and Steam!

You can also support Studio Elfriede on Ko-Fi! You’ll help towards the cost of the new Act III artwork, and get in the Special Thanks if you’re not already~

[nanigma]

Blue Lions Translation Chapter 2

I’m still doing this guys. Things just got a bit hectic for me, but it’s cleared up for now.

Going forward, I am going to rely on the Datamine website a lot, so I’ll be using screenshots from it as well. Having the portraits next to it should help put things more in context as well.

Again, I gotta mention that things are tight for me financially, so if anyone can spare anything, I kindly direct you toward my Ko-Fi Page.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s continue:

My comments in italics

Scene 1 Discussing the Fugitive Bandits

Seteth: Anyway, as has been discusses before, this time your task is the suppression of bandits.

Seteth: For students currently studying battle only as theory, experiencing actual combat will prove a valuable experience.

Seteth: Of course, the suppression will be handled under the guidance of the Knights of Seiros. The battle ought to further prepare the students. 

Seteth: That being said, this is no mock battle. Be prepared to face an appropriate amount of danger. 

Seteth: Wait to receive a message from the knights and then depart. Until then do not be carelss in your preparations. That is all.

Dimitri: This will be our first real battle. We are counting on you, Professor.

[Choose: Same to you] or [Choose: I am worried]

Dimitri: During the mock battle, your commands were precise. With you there, professor, we should be able to handle the suppression well.

Dimitri: There still seems to be some time before our departure. Right now, we have to do whatever we can to prepare.

Exploration

Dimitri

Dimitri: Seems we have been entrusted to suppress a group of bandits just after enrolling at the academy. 

Dimitri: ... Hearing about the objective makes it sound all well and good, but it will mean fighting to survive. It's the same as war. 

Dimitri Even with the support of the Knights of Seiros, we must brace ourselves. 

The next section isn’t in the Datamine. Or at least not in the part I checked, so I got the script from elsewhere.

ディミトリ:  大修道院での過ごし方や戦闘について、 まだ何か聞きたいことはあるか？▼   

Dimitri: Is there anything about spending time at the monastery or battle that you wish to hear about?

[選択可: 教員研修]

[Choose: Faculty Training]

ディミトリ: 先生が俺たちを指導するのと同じように、 先生方も互いに指導し合っているそうだ。▼ もしも興味があるなら、ハンネマン先生や マヌエラ先生から指導を受けてみるといい。▼

Dimitri: Just as the professors instruct us students, they also offer guidance to each other. ▼ If you are interested, you should accept instructions from Professor Hanneman or Professor Manuela. ▼ 

[選択可: スカウト]

[Choose: Scouting]

ディミトリ: 生徒の所属する学級は出身によって決まるが 適性も、学びたいことも人それぞれだ。▼ そこで、生徒が希望し、かつ教師が許可した 場合には、他学級への転属が許されている。▼ 修道院での活動を通じて生徒と仲良くなれば そういった話も出てくるかもしれないな。

Dimitri: Though a student's affliation with their house is decided by their country of origin,each of them have their own strengths and interests. ▼ Meaning that if a student so wishes, while having their professor's permission, they can be allowed to transfer to another class. ▼ This might come up should you spend more time with students during monastery activities.

Back to better business

Dedue

(……近寄らんほうがいい )

(Speech Bubble: ... It would be best not to get close.)

Dedue: It would be best not to get close to me. 

Dedue: ..Associating with someone from Duscur might lead to rumours and the like.

Felix

(気をつけることだ)   

(Speech Bubble: You need to be careful)

Felix: Me and that boar prince have been inseparable since birth... no, even before that. 

Felix: That's why I am warning you. ... That guy harbours a beast in his heart.

Felix: You can trust in his skill and animal strength, but you cannot put your faith in this man as a human being.

Felix: You need to be careful, so you don’t end up getting gobbled up as well.

Ashe

(僕もあんな大人に…… )

(Speech Bubble: Becoming an adult like that...)

Ashe: It is all thanks to my adoptive father, Lord Lonato, that a commoner like me was able to enroll at the monastery. 

Ashe: He is strict yet kind, the very model of a knight... I like to think I'll be just like him someday.    

Sylvain

Sylvain: So our first mission is about taking down some bandits, I see. Makes you think just how Lady Rhea values human life, right? 

Sylvain: For example, there's my estranged older brother. That guy lost himself to bandits...

Sylvain:  is something that could have happened at some point. Ahaha, well, I was joking though.

Mercedes

(ここは落ち着くわね～)   

(Speech bubble: This place is so calming~)

Mercedes: The cathedral is so nice and quiet.~ Whenever I am here, I can let go of my worries.~ 

Mercedes: By the way, have you come to offer your prayers to the goddess as well, professor?

[Choose: That's right] (+Support with Mercedes)

Mercedes: My my, just the same as me. Shall we pray together, professor?

[Choose: I had no reason for coming]

Mercedes: My my, is that so? Since you are here already, let's pray together.

Annette

(甘いもの、辛いもの……)

(Speech Bubble: Sweet food, spicy food...)

Annette: To prepare myself for the day I'll be assigned cooking duty, I have to learn everyone's favourite and least favourite foods. 

Annette: Professor, do you prefer sweet food or spicy food?

[Choose: Sweet food] [+Support with Annette]

Annette: Ahaha, just like me! I'll be sure to remember it!

[Choose: Spicy Food]

Annette: Spicy food... you really are an adult, professor! I'll be sure to remember it!  

Ingrid

Ingrid: Me, Felix and Sylvain are childhood friends. His Highness too.

Ingrid:  ... Felix and Sylvain are the worst kind of problem children. Please be careful with them. 

The exact phrasing she uses is “Problem children among problem children” xD

Ingrid: Since I can remember, the second I take my eyes off of them, they're off to goddess knows where doing whatever they please.... haah..

The First Real Battle – Blue Lions

Dimitri: Professor, just now a message from the Knights came in. They have managed to gather up the bandits.

Ingrid: They seem to have cornered them just as planned. The location is the Red Valley, Zanado.

Ashe: We mustn't let such immoral bandits escape. Let's all work together and do our best!

Dedue: ... Whatever enemies we face, they will not lay a single finger on His Highness.

Felix: What a pain... We are facing simple bandits. I doubt any of them will pose a challenge.

Sylvain: Don't talk about it so indifferently. I am actually excited. I mean, hey, there could be a pretty girl among those bandits.

Annette: ... At any rate, this a great opportunity to see how we perform in a real battle.

Mercedes: That's true. We already did well in the mock battle, so if we act like before, we should be fine.

[Everyone besides Byleth and Dimitri leaves]

[Choose: Everyone seems to be having fun] ot [Choose: I wonder if we will do well...]

Dimitri: They are bit too excited, but... since we have the knights' support this time, it should be fine. ... 

Dimitri: Ah, speaking of the knights, I heard Sir Jeralt had returned to the Knights of Seiros.

Dimitri: If we get close, I might be able to see him and you fight alongside each other again.

[Choose: It's not that exciting.] or [Choose: It's not really strange]

Dimitri: Is that so? ... That might be the case for you, professor. 

Dimitri: To tell the truth, I am a bit jealous of you. My parents are gone after all.

[Choose: What do you mean?] or [Choose: They are gone?]

Dimitri: They died. Both of them. ... I was the only one to be left alive. 

Dimitri: ... I am sorry for talking about something so dull. Let us depart now, Professor!

[Byleth nods]

Before the Battle  

Dimitri: The Red Valley... This is the first time I've come here. I can see some kind of ruins, but... 

Dimitri: ... No matter, let's begin, Professor. The bandits must have already been driven into the valley.

Kostas: ... Damn! It's the knights? I can't believe I let myself get chased this far.

Bandit: Boss, let's make a break for it already! There is no way we can win against them!

Kostas: ... You goddamn moron, where are we gonna run at this point? How can you call yourself a bandit when you’re scared to die?

The bandits have a pretty rude way of speaking, but I am not about to embarass myself by repeating it in English. They sound like thugs, okay? 

1st Turn

Dimitri: According to our information, there is a short cut along the west side. How about we split into groups, heading both west and forward? 

Dimitri: If we move correctly, I think we should gain the advantage in the fight with a pincer attack... 

Dimitri: I will of course leave you to decide our movements, Professor. Either way, first we have to cross this bridge.

First time killing an enemy

Dimitri: No matter if they were bandits, this is something I can never get used to.

Dedue: ... I hope His Highness is all right.

Felix: You guys aren't worth killing. What, finished already?

Sylvain: Well, it couldn't be helped. Don't hate me for this.

Ashe: Had we hesitated, we'd be dead. ... So this is what a battle is like.

Mercedes: May you at least find rest at the goddess' side...

Annette: Thank goodness, I managed somehow.... Even I can fight... !

Ingrid: I mustn't drop my guard here. I have to prepare for the next enemy...!

Kostas vs. Dimitri

Kostas: You sheltered noble brat! You better shut up and die this time!

Dimitri: Unfortunately, I cannot do that. ... You will regret your actions.

Winning the Battle

Dimitri: We successfully dealt with the bandits. From here, we should listen to the knight's orders. 

Dimitri: You did well, Professor. ... Your commands were excellent.

After Battle

During Sothis’ Memories

Dimitri: Professor? It's about time we returned to the monastery. The others have already assembled.

After the First Mission

Dimitri: We've finally arrived. Professor, I'll entrust you with reporting to Lady Rhea.

[Byleth nods]

Dimitri: .......... Over there, is that... Edelgard?

[Edelgard and Manuela appear]

Dimitri: Are the Black Eagles headed for their first mission? You can never tell what is going to happen in a real fight. 

Dimitri: Even the worst case might happen. Take care of yourself, Edelgard.

Edelgard: No need to tell me. I wonder why you insist on worrying so much about me. 

Edelgard: Could it be you are looking down on me? If so, I am disappointed in you.

Dimitri: ... That is not what I meant. If I offended you, I apologize.

Edelgard: ... Well, no matter. Professor, everyone is waiting. Let us go.

[Edelgard leaves]

Manuela: Oh my... Anyway, I shall be off as well. No need to worry, Dimitri.

[Manuela leaves]

Dimitri: .......

[Choose: Why are you so worried?] Instantly skips to the end

[Choose: Are you in love...?]

Dimitri: Haha, no way. Looks like even you can tell a joke sometimes, Professor.

[Continuing]

Dimitri: I will explain the circumstances later. ... Later, okay?

[rivalsforlife]

one more ahaha but the cherry blossom scene at the end of catch up game ch 3 because i'm still thinking nonstop about it all the time 👀👉👈

ABSOLUTELY I CAN also for anyone reading this go look at Mika’s art which inspired this scene. It’s the tumblr version so you can reblog it too, which you should do, even if you don’t read my long rambling,

okay once again rambling below...

Traditionally, Larry Butz arrived at any social gathering anywhere from half an hour to three hours later than the time he was told, so all things considered, he was actually early. Phoenix wasted no time informing him of the latest betrayal among their small elementary school friend group.

this is a direct callout to one of my friends from high school, where we started seriously considering telling her that any social event we were planning started an hour earlier than it actually did so that she’d make it there on time. We never did in case this turned out to be the time she actually made it on time, but still.

“Larry, remember that one time we were trying to make that gigantic hopscotch game, and we ran out of chalk?” He pointed an accusatory finger at Edgeworth, who sighed. “It turns out, Edgeworth hid it all along!”

Larry blinked, then shrugged. “Oh yeah, right, that. Well, I kind of had an idea…”

“Wh — You hid this from me too?! D-Death! The death penalty for the both of you!”

“Why does this all sound so familiar,” Edgeworth commented under his breath.

I think this part is mostly there so Larry actually does something because I couldn’t find any real way to fit him into this fic...? Anyways the dialogue there with Phoenix threatening the death penalty on Miles and Larry is pretty much directly lifted from the end of Turnabout Goodbyes, which is why Miles comments on it sounding familiar. 

They continued on in that vein for some time, dredging up old elementary school memories. Phoenix proclaimed to be the only innocent member of that group, before Edgeworth brought up a set of very nice gel pens Phoenix reportedly stole from him. Phoenix and Edgeworth got caught up in their argument, and barely even noticed when Larry wandered away, joining Maggey and Gumshoe at the fishing pond while Franziska critiqued them.

This sort of familiar banter was normal. As Edgeworth teased in that same way he had ever since Phoenix first faced him in court, he had to wonder if he’d just imagined the way Edgeworth had been looking at him during the party. Maybe everything was fine, after all.

Not pictured: Phoenix and Miles leaning in closer to each other as they argue. too close. Larry tries to comment but neither of them hear him. Eventually he just walks away because he’s sick of third-wheeling with these two. It’s my firm belief that if there weren’t the court benches in the way that they need to slam, these two would slowly walk closer and closer to each other as they argue because they. uh. want to “intimidate” each other. that’s why they’re nose to nose like that. the whole courtroom is suddenly very uncomfortable.

Haha anyways also I think these two would pick the dumbest things to argue about all the time? Never seriously arguing, the just like bickering because they don’t know how to hold conversations about their feelings.

“You still haven’t explained exactly what happened to my gel pen set,” Edgeworth accused, as they circled around the argument for the third time.

Phoenix threw his hands up in the air. “I just forgot to return it! I didn’t know you were so bothered by it. You should have brought it up!”

“Back then? You were so sensitive. If I brought up that you might have upset me in the least, you would have burst into tears.”

“I wasn’t that sensitive.”

Edgeworth sighed. “Wright, you cried when I got a question wrong on a spelling test, because you thought I would be sad about it.”

“And you were!” Phoenix retorted. “You cried for like an hour!”

“Because when you started crying, I thought it was something I had to be ashamed of!”

More bickering, pretty much! Also I do think Phoenix cried A Lot and was super sensitive up until the whole Dahlia trial which traumatized him pretty badly... 

Anyways the REAL story behind this incident which I am making up just now is probably that Miles was on the verge of crying because of Getting Something Wrong -- which I totally get, I absolutely almost cried over spelling tests as a baby -- and Phoenix picked up on this and realized his best friend was sad and started crying, which made Miles start to fully cry, and it just became a mess.

Meanwhile Larry with the 3/10 on his spelling test was just like “I don’t get what you guys are so upset about a 9/10 is great” which just makes them cry even more.

(Then Gregory probably found out about this incident and sat Miles down and gave him a speech about “everyone makes mistakes and it’s okay to not be perfect all the time, this is a learning opportunity and it shows you what you need to work on!”

:)

That sentiment didn’t last very long.)

Wow I’m getting off topic, moving on --

Phoenix crossed his arms. “I remember this whole thing very differently than you do. You cried first.”

“I never cried in fourth grade.”

Phoenix leaned in and whispered into his ear, “Origami.”

“Do not bring that up!” Edgeworth hissed as Phoenix reared back, laughing.

I don’t know if you need to lean in super close and whisper that in his ear though Phoenix, that might be a bit unnecessary. Miles got lucky here in that his Eternal Shame over not being able to fold an origami crane in fourth grade overrode whatever reaction he undoubtedly would have had about Phoenix’s face being very close to his face.

Anyways this banter is here in the fic mostly because I really wanted to show them being all comfortable and happy with each other. That was a major thing I wanted to push as much as possible in these earlier chapters, that they do care about each other a lot even before we enter the more outright romantic territory.

“Regardless, I am certain you took my gel pen set, so don’t try to blame faulty memory on that one. I bet you carelessly used them all up, didn’t you?”

“Hardly! I wouldn’t even touch it after you left. It reminded me of you.”

Some of the fight left Edgeworth’s stance. “Really?”

“Well… yeah.” He wasn’t sure why the admission suddenly felt like a confession of an entirely different sort.

aw man Phoenix you brought feelings into your banter NOW what are you going to do.

I’m preeetty sure I have books that I lent to my friends in fourth grade that they never gave back so it’s of course not an inherently romantic thing, they probably just forgot it was mine and obviously aren’t going to bring it back now ten years later, but for Phoenix in this case it was probably more like “I borrowed these gel pens from Miles and then keep forgetting to give them back but was going to after winter break, and then he left, so I need to hold onto them until he comes back”. Miles was taken from his life so suddenly it probably had a huge effect on him, especially since he had few friends at the time and Miles made such a big impact on him.

The two of them sat underneath the tree in a sudden, serene quiet. They’d both discarded their suit jackets at some point, down to their dress shirts and waistcoats. Phoenix pretended not to notice the way Edgeworth’s eyes darted across the line of his shoulders and lingered longer than they should have.

I don’t ever really pay much attention to what people are wearing or what they look like at any particular time when I’m writing, but in this case I took extra care to make sure they were in the same outfits as in the art that inspired this!

Maybe I’ll ramble a bit more about that! Pretty much the “theme” of narumitsu week this year was “cherry blossoms”, so I wanted to find some way to incorporate them into this fic somewhere somehow. I decided to have that as a focus on Free Day because I enjoy having structure and wasn’t sure what to have for the day.

Some of this scene, mainly the picnic, is inspired by that one official art here. The first iteration of this chapter had everyone in it (with the obvious exceptions of Diego and Mia) but then I took out Maya and Pearl for reasons I explained when I was talking about the scene in chapter 6 where I decided to cut a lot of Maya’s scenes out of this fic... even though I love her a lot.

And of course when I thought about cherry blossoms and narumitsu I thought about Mika’s art, yes I am linking it again, which I believe she posted about a month or so before I started planning and I was Thinking About It Constantly. It’s gorgeous and since there was the perfect opportunity to use it here I just couldn’t resist and here we are.

Back to the paragraph: Miles attempted to subtly check Phoenix out. It was not subtle.

“Do you still have those gel pens?” Edgeworth asked, softer. “I think you owe me them, after everything.”

“Oh, shut up,” said Phoenix, but it was difficult to have a heated argument right now, for some unknown reason. “If I still have them, they’re in a box somewhere. Plus, they ought to have dried up by now.”

“I doubt it.” A faint smile was beginning to crawl on Edgeworth’s face. “Those gel pens were state of the art.”

“Sure they were,” Phoenix dismissed. “And, what, you’re going to use them? Sign your fancy prosecutor documents in bright pink?”

“What makes you think I don’t do that already?”

“You wouldn’t — oh, wait, of course you’d have customized ink in the same colour as your entire wardrobe, who am I even talking to…”

“Mhm.” Edgeworth brushed his bangs from his eyes, a motion that Phoenix’s brain decided to fixate on for some reason. “But really, you went to all the trouble of keeping the set, and you never used any of them?”

(Miles voice) “oh so you kept something as trivial as that for so long because they reminded you of me? Tell me more. Why do you want a reminder of me. What exactly do you think of me, Wright,”

hm pretty much as soon as Phoenix brought Feelings into this conversation the atmosphere kind of changed and you can now imagine Miles staring with the most adoring expression at Phoenix while Phoenix is ignoring this with such intensity that it doesn’t even show up in his narration. But he also watches the way Miles brushes his bangs from his eyes, so he’s not much better.

And thinking about it now this scene really went on for too long about gel pens hahaha... 

“Objection!” Phoenix declared. “I used the blue one to write you letters at first.”

“Ah, of course you did. I never got any of those… How many did you send?”

“I don’t even want to know…”

Edgeworth hummed and looked off into the distance, where Gumshoe was demonstrating how to cast a line. “Your level of dedication is something else,” he said, as if to himself.

“Well, yeah. You were my only non-Larry friend. You were…” Phoenix swallowed. “You were important to me, you know? You saved me.”

“You keep bringing that up. You’ve more than returned the favor, you know that, don’t you?”

“I’m inclined to disagree.”

I don’t have a consistent headcanon about whether Miles got or read the letters, in this fic presumably von Karma intercepted them and got rid of them... and then presumably Miles ignored any that were sent to him as an adult.

Also these two are going to have ridiculous arguments about who saved who until they’re on their deathbeds, I’m sure.

Edgeworth turned back towards him as if to retort, but stopped halfway, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at Phoenix.

“... Something on my face?” Phoenix asked, trying to quell the feeling of some sort of anxiety that bubbled up when Edgeworth stared at him like that.

insert mikacherryblossomart.png

Miles turns away for one second and then suddenly oh no he’s even more gorgeous now

Edgeworth was silent for some time. Then, very softly, he said, “You have cherry blossom petals in your hair.”

“What? Do I?” He reached a hand up to brush them out, but Edgeworth stopped him by grabbing his wrist, freezing Phoenix.

“With your hair, you’ll never get them out like that.” With his spare hand, Edgeworth began to pick each individual petal from his hair. “You look so — silly, Wright.”

Partially a callback to the beginning of chapter 3, when they were kids:

“Y-Your hair,” Miles managed to say through stifled laughter. “One of the flowers fell into it.”

Phoenix hands shot up into his hair. “Really?”

“You look so silly, Phoenix.” When Phoenix failed to find the flower, Miles reached out. “Here, let me.” 

 Phoenix remained still as Miles reached up to the top of his head and picked the flower out of his hair. “Your hair’s really soft,” Miles said quietly, before handing it over to Phoenix. “Here you go.”

because Miles apparently remembered that it was difficult for Phoenix to get the petals from his hair the first time, and also, wanted an excuse to touch Phoenix’s hair again.

But also the dialogue and interactions are ONCE AGAIN INSPIRED BY MIKA based on this reply to my reply to the art on twitter. look at that you can go and retweet the art on twitter too!

Overall this gives us an accurate Thoughts to Speech translator for Miles:

Miles: You have cherry blossom petals in your hair and it is going to kill me.

Phoenix: What? Do I?

Miles: No, wait, don’t brush them out, I want to touch your hair because it is soft and this is the perfect excuse. You look so captivating.

if Miles had said that out loud though it would probably have killed both of them.

Phoenix let out an awkward, low laugh, starting somewhere deep within his chest. “R-Really.”

“Mhm.”

Edgeworth’s eyes locked with Phoenix’s, and time seemed to freeze. There was a sudden thrum of tension in the air, as if Phoenix were in a play and he’d suddenly forgotten his lines, forgotten he was supposed to be in a play at all.

(chanting) “kiss kiss kiSS KISS KISS --”

But before either of them could break the sudden spell over them, a fishing hook whirred through the air, and —

“Ack, I — I think I got it stuck!”

but of course that needs to be interrupted at the worst possible time because this is fanfiction and this is how things work!

“In the tree?! How did you even manage to get it that far?”

“Don’t worry about it, Maggey, I can climb up the tree and get it unstuck, just hang on —”

“No, no, if I just give it a big yank—”

“Maggey—!”

I broke the first rule of writing dialogue because I can’t really remember who’s supposed to be saying what. I think that Maya had a few lines here and then I didn’t change them since there were no dialogue tags...

Pretty much -- Maggey with her eternal luck tried to fish but released the line too early as she was swinging back so the line went back and got caught in the tree branches directly above Phoenix and Miles.

I think the dialogue progression goes Maggey -> Originally Maya but now either Larry or Franziska -> Gumshoe -> Maggey -> everyone going MAGGEY NO!!!

I remember going fishing with my grandpa once a long time ago and either I or my brother did get the fishing line stuck in a tree. would not recommend.

The branch above Phoenix and Edgeworth jostled, and pink petals burst all around them, fluttering down and catching in their hair and on their clothes. One petal even fell behind Edgeworth’s glasses.

They stared at each other for a moment, stunned, Edgeworth’s hand still loosely wrapped around Phoenix’s wrist, as Maggey shouted apologies from the distance.

There are no cherry blossom trees where I live so I have no idea if we’re even in the right season for this or if cherry blossom trees even behave this way - but I’m basing it off of... you know when it’s that point in fall where if you shake a tree branch leaves will just scatter everywhere? That. 

Also RIP to the other four who were just having a grand old time fishing and then turn around seeing these two sitting really close to each other almost holding hands about two seconds away from a kiss... which they’d just interrupted...

And then — the most incredible thing happened, and Edgeworth began to laugh.

Phoenix could have catalogued all the laughs he heard from Edgeworth: the usual, short laughs often mistaken for a scoff by those who didn’t know him as well as Phoenix did; the triumphant, smug, courtroom laughs when he thought he had Phoenix cornered; to the quiet, restrained ones in private that were more of a hum than anything else. This laugh was new.

This was a full-on fit of laughter bubbling deep in his chest and spilling from his mouth, which Edgeworth quickly covered with his free hand, with the additional bonus of covering his reddening face. It wasn’t something hidden or faked or triumphant, it was genuine, and open, and Phoenix could swear it was one of the most beautiful sounds he ever heard.

Miles here is going through an emotional rollercoaster having been two seconds away from finally kissing the love of his life only to be interrupted at the worst possible time, which is just so on brand for the two of them that he can’t help but start laughing hysterically. Plus Phoenix probably looks absolutely shocked suddenly covered in petals, which doesn’t help.

Then the next two paragraphs are brought on by Phoenix Pining and also me wanting Miles Edgeworth to laugh more... 

From my notes for this scene:

They stare at each other for a moment and laugh, and Miles’ laugh just utterly captivates Phoenix and makes him fall so completely in love immediately and oh no he is screwed he is utterly screwed.

So pretty much I had to encapsulate the “falling so completely in love immediately” part which I decided to do by focusing on Miles laughing. I wanted to draw a lot of attention to that which is why there are so many paragraphs dedicated to Miles laughing and Phoenix thinking about Miles laughing.

Trucy’s laughter always made the world feel a little brighter, and made Phoenix feel stronger. Edgeworth’s laugh did the opposite; it dislodged something inside of him, it weakened him, it made the whole world go soft and fuzzy around him. Instead of illuminating all the good in the world, it turned Phoenix’s world into one person.

More focus on Miles’ laughter but also... kind of drawing attention to Phoenix’s reaction to this being different from his reaction to other people he cares about laughing? Because feeling warm and happy when seeing someone you care about non-romantically laugh is normal, but then I wanted to make it clear that this is a different sort of feeling for Phoenix. 

Also Phoenix has to realize this is a different sort of feeling for him because otherwise he could brush it off like he’s probably dismissed all of his romantic feelings throughout the years as “oh I’m just glad my friend is happy, and I rarely ever hear Edgeworth laugh so him being relaxed enough to laugh like that makes me feel happy too,” but it’s not what he’d expect if he just sees Miles as a friend. And it’s described as weakening in the paragraph because right now the subject of his romantic feelings for Miles isn’t something that Phoenix can fully or easily accept right now (as chapter 5 would indicate).

Edgeworth’s fit of laughter subsided, and he shifted his hand so he could look at Phoenix again, the hints of a shy grin peeking out between his fingers, his hair and his shirt and his face adorned with a sweet, gentle pink. It was like looking at an entirely different person — or, no, the same person, but with all armor off, all guards lowered.

Miles is very embarrassed right now but kind of... in a good way...? Like again, almost kissed the love of his life then rudely interrupted at the last possible moment, plus Phoenix’s whole reaction to the thing gave Miles the impression that Phoenix wanted to kiss him as well, so he’s feeling a little giddy. Plus he was just laughing a lot when he normally doesn’t do that. Overall he’s not used to expressing his emotions so he’s embarrassed and a little shy about it...

The part about Miles’ “hair and shirt and face adorned with a sweet, gentle pink” refers to both the cherry blossom petals (in his hair and clinging to his shirt and a bit on his face) and also him blushing quite a bit.

It all feels a little out of character honestly haha because Miles isn’t really the type to be blushing hardcore like this and be a little shy, buuut in this case I let myself get away with it because he’s dealing with romantic feelings he hasn’t ever dealt with at this level before, and it’s also out of character just enough to really strike Phoenix in the heart. You can just imagine him staring at Miles with the most lovestruck expression on his face because he hasn’t seen this side of Miles before and he loves it.

Phoenix’s heart stuttered in his chest, and may have stopped entirely.

He was screwed.

He was completely and utterly screwed.

And even Phoenix can’t deny that he’s super in love at this point. 

I think I wrote this part, changed the words “screwed” to “doomed” right before posting, and then switched it back again for no particular reason. The Vibe just felt a little off but oh well.

Then the next chapter skips over the rest of this picnic but honestly Phoenix’s brain skipped over the rest of this picnic as well. Imagine the two of them just kind of standing around in a lovestruck daze for a while. I think Franziska had to physically drag Miles out of there. no one knows how Phoenix got home, not even Phoenix and least of all me!

But thank you Mika for requesting this!! And for drawing such incredible art for me to base the chapter around haha!!!