#i just got to the chapter where you get the egg i think lol

[tactician]

i decided that i want a white baby yoshi in my current playthrough of paper mario. and his name is going to be:

babycake.

just the one cake. lets all support babycake when he is born (which will probably be today).

[cashmoneyyysstuff]

chapter 0 : top-ultra-super-ultra-secret-mission.

no quirk au, mentions of fighting and violence, the yakuza and my very little knowledge of it (msorry yall,,i know about the video games :>..!), gang violence, found family trope my love, crime syndicate boss daughter! reader, badboy bodyguard! katsuki x fem reader, sunshine reader, reader is a sweetheart but a little bratty, CHILDHOOD FRIENDS TO LUVERS TROPE MY STAR, almost polar opposites, you get off on the wrong foot at first so kinndaa enemies to friends, reader has a last name but it will be explained later, original characters, all might is a fictional character, one piece easter egg lol, food n cookies ! katsuki gets recruited into a crime syndicate at eleven years old, but he doesn't do any fightin till a years later !, lemme know if i missed sum (might add more in future chapters !)

katsuki doesn't remember anything besides his own bloody and bruised knuckles.

it's all he remembers and all he's known his entire life. where he comes from you gotta fight to survive and every dispute was resolved with conflict. bloody fists and busted lips was all he grew up with until the age of 11 years old.

the orphanage he'd lived in for years didn't help in reinforcing that point : the place was neglected, faded and crumbling like a mansion in a horror movie. he'd heard so many rumors going around the halls that the place was haunted. none of the adults bothered to shut it down but they didn't bother to take care of them either, so katsuki didn't expect much from them. katsuki wouldn't be able to count the amount of times their caretakers, if you could even call them that, let him and his housemates run off without supervision on both hands and feet. their disinterested eyes occasionally glancing at the poor kid getting ganged up on by kids twice his size and age.

"if you don't pull your weight around here, you're deadmeat." katsuki remembers an older boy, his roommate at the time, saying to him. he hasn't seen the boy in years and katsuki is sure that wherever he fucked off to was miles better than the shithole he currently lives in.

fights weren't uncommon either. petty fights over pudding were often brought to the communal area, ranging from food fights to all out brawls. power struggles between kids where mostly for dominance, to show others who was the boss. it was all for the sake of a survival kids their ages shouldn't have known, one that they shouldn't have been desensitized to.

the disinterest of the staff members meant that the kids could run wild, running amok around the city streets as if they owned them. stealing and fighting, forming groups and alliances only for those who lagged behind to be betrayed and ganged up on by their pack members.

he recognized it whenever people where trying to get something out of him. katsuki knew he was strong and he knew others knew it too and it got him nothing but enemies and wannabe lackey's acting like errand boys in exchange for services. beating up some guy who had owed them money, some people simply wanted to be around him, hearing that his name had gotten notoriety around their neighborhood and simply using him to scare people off, like parents telling their kids about the boogeyman.

it worked out fine whenever they'd stay out of his way, but katsuki was a lone wolf through and through and didn't like people sticking to his heels, so after many more bloody knuckles, the sound of bones crunching and broken noses, people knew not to mess, or associate themselves, with the rage that was katsuki bakugou.

" i heard he beat some guys face in so bad he never left his house again.." "if you look at him for too long, he'll kick your ass !" "that little brat thinks he's the shit just because he beat some shrimp’s ass." he'd heard whispers like these for years. scared fleeting glances and nasty glares was all people offered him and he learned that striking fear into others was the only way you'd be respected. beating people up was the only way others would leave you alone. stealing from others was the only way others wouldn't steal from you.

being a monster was the only way people would listen. and just like how continuing to spread legends kept horror movie creatures alive. other people spreading rumors about how ruthless he was kept katsuki safe.

until that man showed up.

one of their caretakers had announced that someone would be coming to visit, meaning they should be on their best behaviour so they could find a new forever home. katsuki scoffs, the idea that anyone would choose him to bring home was laughable to him. all the grown ups that came by came for the golden boys: the push overs or the crybabies, was what they were called amongst the other kids.

the man that appeared infront of the line of young boys was anything but what katsuki could’ve ever imagined. tall, extremely so, with a long leather jacket draped over his shoulder, rings could be seen adorning his fingers when he cracked his knuckles. he was completely decked out in black : black coat, black pants, black belt and dark, hardened black eyes that had all the boys shivering. unconsciously having them stand up straighter by the heat of the man’s stare alone.

katsuki and his housemates had all gathered around the windows minutes before to see the man arrive in a big black cadillac escalade, peeking the curiosity of everyone in the room as they wondered what the hell this person could want from an orphanage like this one.

katsuki for the first time in years, feels a hint of fear wash over him when the man stops right in front of him. he feels the eyes of his other mates on him as well and feels himself sweating a little when he gulps.

the mysterious man offers him a large, friendly smile and katsuki doesn't know if he should feel threatened by the warmth he feels in his chest. the tall man kneels down until he's at katsuki's height and his deep, honeyed voice catches him off guard, because he thinks such a man shouldn't have such a..welcoming voice. especially with the multiple men he saw surrounding his car outside looking anything but welcoming.

"hey, kid." the man starts, sharp canines on display as he grins "how would you like to come home with me ?"

katsuki, wide eyed and mouth agape, can only think of one response,

"..huh ?"

katsuki's shocked expression has not changed once. not since the grown ups had talked about boring grown up stuff he'd barely tuned into, only hearing the scritching of the pen on the paper when the mysterious badass man had signed the adoption papers.

and now, inside of the big black cadillac escalade surrounded by other huge badass guys, his expression has yet to change, though he’d managed to clamp his mouth shut.

katsuki is currently gripping onto an apple juice box, (frankly he prefers orange but he doesn't think he can form a correct sentence right now) offered to him buy a stoic man--who was introduced to him by another huge man, although not as scary looking as the other one, who told him not to be frightened by his straight-faced friend as he was "a scary lookin' dude, but a big teddybear once you get to know him ! " katsuki hadn't taken a single sip of the juice yet, juice that he didn't steal but was given to. without having to threaten anyone for it. a strange feeling grows in his stomach that he's not familiar with. and in katsuki's experience anything unknown is bad, so he doesn't like this.

the scary men all pulled a complete 180 from what they were like outside, going from being quiet and serious to extremely loud. so loud katsuki wonders how it's possible that four men in one car can be just as loud as an entire communal area at his now old orphanage. the thought of not having to step foot in that cursed building ever again has him holding back a little smile. he squeezes the juice box in his hands a little tighter.

the men who's names he doesn't know yet are cracking jokes. they smack his shoulder randomly, causing him to basically fly forward and he's sure that if he weren't wearing a seatbelt he'd have flewn right through the windshield. they laugh and tell him they're excited to start working with him. this has katsuki tilt his head in question.

" working with you ?" he asks, it's the first thing he's said and the two more expressive men in the car brighten up. one of the guys, who's squeezed next to him speaks. he has bleached hair with black roots still peaking through. his sunglasses are pulling his hair back and perfectly showing off the scar running over his left eyebrow.

"yeah, starting today you're a part of our clan, little buddy !" he grins. their clan ?

the boss man, he assumes, speaks up from the drivers seat " takashi, don't just jump that on him so suddenly," he reprimands jokingly. he looks at katsuki through the rear view mirror and smiles, katsuki simply looks away. he doesn't know how to react to situations, or people like this well. or at all. "you'll frighten him."

katsuki's head shoots up at that, eyes squinted and brows furrowed "i'm not scared of shit !" he exclaims "what do you guys even do ?" he glares around at everyone in the car. it's silent and he sees the ringed hand of the boss guy turn the radio down. then after a beat passes everyone bursts out laughing again and katsuki jumps despite himself, even the stone faced guy cracks a smile.

"you're a fiesty one, huh ?! you're perfect for the job !" the bleached blonde man, who is apparently named takashi, speaks. he wraps an arm around katsuki and doesn't notice how he tenses and growls, that or he ignores it. "you see, we have a very special job."

"what special job ?" takashi responds with a mischievous smirk.

"we beat up bad guys !" he chirps happily.

katsuki can't help the gasp that comes out of his throat nor can he control the sparkle in his eyes, yet he tries his best to sound cool " y-you beat up bad guys ?" he asks carefully.

"u--huuuuuh" he squeezes katsuki between his bicep tighter, apologizing when katsuki punches at his arm, loosening his extremely tight grip. he offers him a little apology that katsuki only graces with a stinkeye. "we find guys who mess with us or our turf, and we fuck 'em up good !" he makes punching motions at the air with his free arm " y'know, like all might !"

" all might isn't real." katsuki shoots back.

"well, yeah. but he's cool isn't he !" the bleached man whines, giving katsuki a slight noogie. he shoves at his arm and looks away with a huff and a pout. unwilling to admit that the tv show superhero had been his idol for years now. takashi chuckles knowingly at the boys pink cheeks before finally releasing him from his grasp.

katsuki suddenly remembers the conversation before he'd trailed off "so..you guys beat up bad guys ?" the young blonde starts "and i'm part of your clan now ?" he eyes everyone curiously and they all offer him firm nods.

"why me, though ?" he hates how..desperate he sounds, it reminds him too much of the other loser crybabies that he used to share a space with. he peers at the rear view mirror only to be met with the boss man's eyes already on him. he jumps despite the warmth in said man's eyes.

"i like you, kid. you've got this look in your eye." he explains, he focuses back on the road once he finishes " makes me think of myself when i was your age."

katsuki sits stunned as the rest of the men in the car start up again calling their boss superficial for "going for someone who reminds him of himself" they say, yet katsuki can't find it in himself to feel insulted. he's been told time and time again the looks he'd give people were rude, cocky, scary and every other adjective in the book, none of them being exactly positive one's.

but for someone to say they like the look in his eye is shocking. the lack of any praise besides about how much of a monster he was when he got into fights was something completely unknown to him.

during the entire ride, katsuki grips his untouched apple juice box to keep from smiling.

when he arrives into a large office like room, following closely behind the boss man, who's name he found out during the car ride was kento matsumoto, he's surprised to find the room empty once the door slammed behind him. katsuki's immediatly on his toes and ready, already in a fighting stance, his eyes zipping around the room ready to attack should any bad guys show up.

"what're you doing ?" the older man hums in amusement, slowly creeping towards his desk in the middle of the room. katsuki's too focused on a surprise attack to bother noticing.

"where are the bad guys ?!" the unruly blonde asks, adrenaline already running through his veins, a smirks growing on his features until matsumoto laughs and--wait why is he laughing ?

"there are no bad guys here, you can rest easy." he chuckles when katsuki's shoulders immediatly drop, a pouty frown etched onto his features. "you won't be fighting any bad guys today," the more he continues the more katsuki's eyebrows drop lower and lower. he finally realises how quite and gentle he's been and tilts his head in confusion. he walks up to his desk chair which is turned away from katsuki's eyes. mr. matsumoto walks up and kneels towards the chair and whispers softly. katsuki can hear someone whisper back if he strains his ears hard enough and his brows furrow harder.

after a bit more back and forth, the tall man stands back up, and limps a little as he has two tiny arms arms dragging along with him. along with two tiny legs following along at his pace.

"i'd actually like you to meet someone today." the man chuckles to himself lightly. he presses his hand to the back of the little person behind him. and katsuki finally makes eye contact with them.

the girl looks about his age, maybe a year younger. she keeps alternating her gaze to him briefly and longer towards the floor. her socked feet rubbing at the other as she grips the taller man's pant leg.

katsuki holds back the urge to scoff. she would've been eaten alive if she spent one day back at his orphanage. pushovers don't survive long before becoming someone's lackey unless they pull their weight. you mutter something under your breath and mr. matsumoto scolds you gently.

"you don't wanna be rude to your new friend don't you ?" he encourages. both of your eyes widen and while a grin breaks out on your face. katsuki's mouth drops in near horror

"huh ?!"

"bakugou, stop moving !"

katsuki doesn't know where that old roommate he had fucked off to, but if it's someplace like this, he feels bad for him.

he'd found out that you were mr. matsumoto's daughter, which was shocking news by itself but you can imagine how much more shocked he was when the older male had asked him to spend time with you.

"i'm not a babysitter !" katsuki stormed "i thought i was fighting bad guys !" mr. matsumoto raises his hands up in surrender from where he's knelt down to diffuse tension.

"you'll start your training soon enough, and then you'll be able to fight as many bad guys as you see fit." he compromises. katsuki's somewhat satisfied, but still crosses his arms across his chest, awaiting further explanation.

"i'm just asking you to keep an eye on her. spend some time with her, stuff like that..you'll be like her bodyguard !" he offers.

"more like babyguard." katsuki scoffs. the older man chuckles nervously.

"my job's real dangerous, so a lot of people wanna hurt me, and my family. i can't have that, you get what i'm sayin' right ?" he speaks sincerely. katsuki's eyes soften the slightest bit as he readjusts his arms. "i want her to be able to spend time with kids her age. not some old guys in suits, you know ?"

katsuki doesn't say but he thinks that reasoning is stupid. he thinks constantly being around men like your dad would be cool as hell, but he digresses. the unruly blonde stares at the pleading man pensively, mr. matsumoto had gotten him out of the wretched orphanage, he owes it to him to atleast help him with this easy sounding request.

katsuki heaves a long, deep sigh and looks down at the ground.

"fine..i'll do it."

he wishes he could punch his past self in the mouth for agreeing to this torture.

he grabs your wrist when you try to sneakily press a tiny flavored lip balm stick to his lips. you pout and whine at him and he growls and furrows his brows at you in response.

"c'mon !" you whine. straining your arm still tightly clutched in his grip to press the lip balm to his pink lips. “it tastes like peaches !” you try.

"no ! i already let you put these shitty braids in my hair, m'not putting your stupid makeup shit on." he throws your arm to the side and you gasp. before crossing your arms,

"swear." you mumble grumply. you shake your head and lean towards him with new found vigor. you’re stubborn and usually he’d at least give you that, but you’re the annoying kind of stubborn, so you’re not getting anything from him.

"it's not makeup, it's just lip balm ! dad let's me put it on him all the time !"

"yeah, well i ain't your dad."

"yeah you're not. cus my dad's not a jerk !" you stick your tongue out at him and katsuki scoffs at you, looking away from you. he bets you wouldn't act all cool if he shoved you once, you look like the type of wimp who'd cry about tripping over your own shoelaces.

"i'll tell my dad you're bein' mean to me." you announce. katsuki's head whips towards you and he feels a vein on his forehead when you turn your nose up at the sky with a 'hmph !". you make his head hurt.

"don't go lying on me !" he fumed.

"but i'm not lyin', you are mean ! i asked you nice an' you won't lemme put the chapstick on you !" you bite back. katsuki inhales through his nose in anger.

"you didn't ask me sh—anything !" he stops himself mid curse, your father doesn't like him swearing around you for some reason and he'd rather you not snitch to your dad about his cursing habits.

you suddenly stop, then roll your eyes like the brat you are. "well, i'm asking now..please ?" you bat your lashes at him and give him, what katsuki assumes, are your best puppy dog eyes.

you're so much more different than when he'd first met you two weeks ago and he definitely doesn't mean it as a good thing. he almost wishes you stayed the quiet, meek little mouse you were. that would've been way less annoying than the bossy bratty princess you are, despite being a few months younger than him.

katsuki groans, loudly to himself, than turns to you again. gripping at his criss crossed legs to control his nerves.

"make it quick, princess." he spits, glaring at your bright smile, obviously pleased you'd won the argument even though you didn't play fair at all. katsuki had won every fight he'd ever been in but you were making yourself out to be his toughest opponent yet. he grits his teeth and sucks his loss in for another day. you make a happy noise and press the sweet stick to his lips. it tastes like peaches when he briefly licks his lips to get a taste. he let’s out a quiet pleased grunt.

"it tastes good, right !"

"shut up."

katsuki looks at you strangely when he sees you sneaking around corners.

he's stuck on babysitting duty again while your dad and the others get to do fun stuff like beating the shit out of people. from what he'd gathered from mr. matsumoto and when he 'accidentally' listened in on his passing conversations with his coworkers, your father was the boss of an underground yakuza organisation. the men he'd sat in the car with being his most trusted companions.

they all bore a similar tattoo’s somewhere on their body : some had them on their arms or hands, others were more showy and had them on their necks or on their backs like your dad did. katsuki was bummed to find out he wouldn’t be able to get one yet, he scoffs at the memory of your dad ruffling his hair and telling him to wait a few more years.

he was dreading having to put up with your whiny tantrums and sticky flavored lip balms, although he guessed it was kinda fun to guess the flavour. but today you surprised him by beckoning him over and telling him you needed his help with something. at 9 in the morning.

“a top-ultra-super-ultra secret-mission ”, you’d called it. and from the moment you’d pushed him out of the huge spare room he was currently using as his bedroom, you’d been sneaking around corners even though katsuki would look ahead (he has to take some risks, he is your bodyguard after all) and see no one there.

the prospect of a secret mission did peak his interest, it was the reason he had followed you without making a fuss. but even though ‘patience’ wasn’t an unknown word in katsuki’s documentary, it wasn’t frequently used. so it shouldn’t have been a surprise when he started complaining.

“what are we even doing ? and why the hell are you sneaking around like that?” he asks, the urge to go back to bed still clinging to him as he rubs at his eyes sleepily. katsuki doesn’t know how you can navigate this huge house so well and he feels like he’s been following you through a maze.

you quickly, after peeking around another corner, shush him. “shhh !” you hiss, placing a finger over your lips. if katsuki weren’t so tired he would’ve rolled his eyes at you but he simply decides to narrow his eyes at you.

“i told you, it’s super secret ! i’ll tell you when we get there !” you huff “swear, by the way.” you chide playfully, giggling when he grumbles at you.

if katsuki could compare you to anything, he’d compare you to rubber. it’s weird because it’s an object rather than a living thing, but he thinks it’s pretty fitting. he pokes and prods, throws snarky comments and mean names at you, pulling at you like rubber, yet all you do is snap right back into place. like that rubber man you like on tv ( he prefers the sword guy better).

you pout about his mean spirited ‘princess’ nickname after he tells you he doesn’t mean it as a compliment because to him it means your snobby, bratty and spoiled, but you never let him get you down. often just saying that princesses we’re super pretty “so therefore, you’re just calling me pretty !” you’d grin. he thinks your reasoning is more than stupid and rolled his eyes hard when you’d first told him that, but you intrigue him in ways he doesn’t wanna admit.

you’re so annoying and bubbly it puzzles him, he wonders how someone like you could exist in the same world as his. the world he was raised in was cold and unforgiving, quickly stomping and crushing pretty bright flowers like you under its heel before they were even given a chance to fully bloom.

you’re something he’s never seen before and you piss him off. but that’s mostly because you’re annoying though.

after sneaking around for a bit more, you get to what katsuki recognizes as the kitchen. katsuki hears the sound of chopping and sizzling before he rounds the corner and the smell of food fills his nose and his mouth waters.

you put an arm out to hold him back from rounding the corner and point towards something, katsuki looks up at where your looking to see..

a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies.

his eyes widen like he’d just seen a stack of gold. back at the orphanage, they were barely allowed to have any sweets besides during holidays, two for everyone. katsuki didn’t really mind much, since he doesn’t really like candy, but your home chef nakazawa really knew how to cook and katsuki would gobble up anything the man cooked.

the long white haired man never commented on his table manners and messy eating, only smiling brightly and always telling him it made him happy to see people enjoying his food so much.

katsuki would never say it out loud, but he would sometimes sneak around to watch mr. nakazawa cook. he’d never had any time to be interested in..anything back at his old hell hole and it’d taken him a while to admit he’d taken a liking to not only nakazawa’s cooking, but also cooking in general.

he bets those cookies would be fucking delicious. he gulps.

“those are our objective !” you whisper, turning back to him with a determined grin “your job as my bodyguard today is to help me snatch up those chocolate chip cookies mr zawa made.” you explain.

katsuki almost exclaims before begrudgingly remembering this is supposed to be a secret mission and you were supposed to be inconspicuous “huh ?!” he hisses. you nudge him away from the opening and place your finger against your lips to shush him again, katsuki growls at you.

"just cus i'm your bodyguard..or whatever," he grumbles, rolling his eyes "doesn't mean i'm your errand boy. i'm not anybody's errand boy." he spits, glaring at you. you don't look the least bit scared, instead your eyebrows furrow and you pout.

"but you're not my errand boy, we're doing it together ! you're helping me out !"

"i don't help anyone." he shoots back "what am i getting from this anyway ?" he scoffs, shuffling on his feet.

" you don't like sweets, right ? so the least you could do is help me get some cookies !" you declare, crossing your arms." but if you want, i guess i could share the booty with you." you say with a roll of your eyes. katsuki wants to be surprised that you remembered something he’d mumbled to you in passing once but he ignores that to sneer at you, eye twitching at your brattiness.

"gross. don't call it that." he snarks, you roll your eyes again "don't be a baby, bakugou." you quickly flip around and sneak towards the main kitchen doors. bakugou glares at your back as you slip away and throws you one last snarky comment under his breath before following you "you're one to talk."

mr nakazawa’s back is to the both of you still, he seems to not have noticed you both yet. even though katsuki hates being ordered around by you, pointing at where he should go so as not to be seen, he ignores it in favour of the giddy feeling in his chest. you're holding back a laugh too, he can see it on your face and as annoying as you are, he can't help but hold back a snort with you when the cook stops in his movements to scan around the kitchen, you both still going unnoticed.

he hasn't been allowed to go out on missions with your dad and his squad yet, simply undergoing training starting from every wednesday, to going monday through thursday for a few hours and though it was fun, it was pretty irritating seeing the grown ups do all the fun stuff while he's stuck carrying you around on his back and watching dumb disney channel original movies with you (he won't admit he enjoys most of them, though. never.)

but right now that's all been forgotten, adrenaline is pumping through him but it's different than the adrenaline rush he gets from when he beats up some no name kid that wanted to start a fight to prove he was some type of big shot, surrounded by the choruses of cheering kids and screams. instead, he's simply sneaking closer and closer to a tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. accompanied only by you, who's covering your mouth trying not to make a single sound so you don't get caught and scolded for getting to the cookies early.

it's different, it's unknown. but katsuki realizes it's not bad.

it actually feels really warm, and nice. and good. it's good to have fun with you. it's good to be able to bicker and playfight with you without it leading to his knuckles being bruised up. he hates to admit it but he has to hold back a snicker at your dumb jokes and antics. and maybe he can admit that some of the movies you pick out are kinda fun.

he doesn't have to fight for the remote with you because you let him pick whenever he wants. you've set up a system where you pick one night and he gets to pick the next night and you hadn't broken your promise, always handing him the remote when it was his turn to pick a movie, though you huff about it sometimes, but that's cus you're a brat.

but when katsuki finally reaches the tray of cookies and you silently cheer for him with a smile so bright you could rival the sun itself and two thumbs up in the air, katsuki has to admit you're not so bad to be around.

"may i ask what you kids are doin' ?"

both you and katsuki stiffen at mr. nakazawa looming over him, he doesn't look the least bit angry. he's trying to, but he can't fight off the smile on his mock dissapointed face.

"mr. bakugou is a newcomer, so i can't really be mad at 'im" he starts, katsuki gulps when the white haired man's frosty blue eyes land on him, then zero on you "but lady yn should already know what happens to misbehaving children.." he slowly stretches his arms out towards you, making a grabby motion and you start uncontrollably giggling, eyes widening as you slowly stand up and back away.

"they go...into the oven !!"

"mission complete, cookies obtained, get outta there !" you exclaim, hightailing it with your laughter trailing down the hallway. katsuki starts up and dashes for the door to follow you. mr. nakazawa barely makes any effort to catch both of you and katsuki knows he's stopped following you but he doesn't bother telling you about it.

he's having too much fun right now.

he's holding the tray of cooled off cookies to his chest to keep them safe and he can't stop laughing especially because you're basically hollering next to him, cheering loudly and katsuki mimicks you. it's probably still around nine in the morning and you're running around like headless chickens, screaming around the hallways, but katsuki's having too much fun with you to care.

you get to your bedroom door first and katsuki would usually blame it on your hands being free, but he doesn't care about being first right now. you quickly wave your hand around, signaling for him to run inside before you slam your door shut and fall to the ground, helplessly snorting and giggling with your fluffy pyjama pant legs kicking in the air.

katsuki sits down next to you, placing the cookies down between you both slightly above your head. he's calmed down more than you have, but he's still buzzing, chest rising and falling. he snorts and giggles some more looking at you and after you finally calm down you sigh. you take a deep breath before looking up at him with stars in your eyes.

"that was so fun ! we booked it outta there so fast !" you giggle. katsuki sits more comfortable, cross-crossing his legs. he hums in response "mr. nakazawa always says he's gonna put me in the oven when i sneak a cookie, but he's super nice, so i knew he wouldn't do anything if he caught you !"

katsuki scoffs pridefully, turning his nose up in the air "he wouldn't have been able to do anythin' cus i woulda kicked his ass !" he smirks. you giggle in response.

"that's expected of my bodyguard !" you chirp. he rolls his eyes but doesn't complain. you sit up and look at him all starry eyed and katsuki's eyes widen in turn.

"you were awesome, bakugou ! no wonder dad likes you so much !" you beam. it's too bright, you're too bright. katsuki wants to look away, wants to go back into his shell and pull the curtain shut on the sun that you are. he wants to be scary and feared by all and yet for some reason he likes that you're not scared of him. he wants it to stay that way. he knows he shouldn't and yet,

"..you can just call me, katsuki. i don't mind.." he mutters, looking away from you and towards the wall. he doesn't dare look at you or he'll have to acknowledge your expression, acknowledge the fact his face is burning alarmingly hard and fast. "i don't care..if you do." he rephrases.

a beat passes and he feels the cold metal of the tray against his hand, he looks down to see your hand pushing the cookies towards him.

"since you did the most work, you can have the first one." you say shyly, fiddling with your soft sleeves.

katsuki feels his heart beating and thumping hard in his chest. he can faintly hear it in his ears, can feel it softly bumping in his head. he's never felt this before.

he doesn't like the unknown. but he can't find it in himself to care when he reaches out and takes a big bite of a cookie. it tastes heavenly and his eyelashes flutter as he munches away, his eyes snap open when he hears you giggle.

"s'good, right ?" you grin, leaning towards him to grab a cookie before popping a piece into your mouth with a hum. katsuki gulps a bite of his cookie down.

"mm.." he hums in agreement. that's enough for you, so you lean back more comfortably and you both continue silently munching away at the slowly dwindling tray of cookies. until you speak up again.

"usually i eat all of mr. nakazawa's cookies on my own. dad and my other uncles are always gone before i can share with them." you explain, katsuki sees your puppy eyes shining with sadness. they're the same as the pushover's at his old orphanage who'd cower in corners and cry as the bigger predators of the institution prey on them.

"they're really good.." the happy tone in your voice is gone and is instead replaced by a more bittersweet one. "but whenever i eat too many, my stomach hurts. and that's not fun at all." katsuki feels his chest tighten at your words, and it tightens harder when you look up at him and send him the sincerest smile he's ever seen.

"but today, i ate a lot of 'em and i'm completely fine, cus i shared them with you !"

katsuki only remembers the feeling of fighting. of bloody and bruised knuckles and the rush of adrenaline that eventually fades away and all he feels is the stinging pain in his body. and that's not fun at all.

but sitting here with you, he hopes and he hopes with all his might that the way he feels when his chest blooms with warmth never fades away.

"yeah..." is all he says, looking down at the ground. tugging at the carpet.

"y'know, you're my fifth bodyguard." katsuki's eyes widen "fifth ?" he parrots and you nod, stuffing the last bit of your cookie into your mouth.

"why so many ? you go out on missions or something ?"

you shake your head "no, but dad says it's safer because a lot of people could wanna hurt me." you say simply, wrapping your arms around your knees, wiggling your socked feet " 'i wouldn't let anyone hurt you, but you can never be too careful.'" you mimick, deepening your voice best you can to copy your father's tone.

"all my other bodyguards were super old, and they never talked, or played with me. no fun at all." you mutter bitterly, grounding your heel down against your soft carpeted floor.

"you're kinda mean, and very aggressive. especially for someone your age." katsuki scoffs at your doctor like tone like you'd just done an analysis on him. he kicks at your foot with his and you giggle and stick yout tongue out at him. katsuki wants to hold back the smirk growing on his face, but he can't. maybe because he isn't trying very hard to hold back at all.

"but you're funny..and you can be really nice when you wanna be." he hears it again, the thumping and beating of his heart at your words and your smile. "you're definitely my favorite bodyguard, katsuki !"

the thumping of his heart gets so loud he can feel it in the tips of his fingers, rhythmically beating away. he gets that feeling of adrenaline from when he wins a fight. when he's got a nasty bloody nose but people are inching away from him. whispers of his name and strenght all around and he feels like he's on top of the world for a while.

but this feels nicer. it's foreign, but katsuki feels like he can get used to that.

"'f course i am, i'm the best !" he exclaims. the warmth in his chest still present and burning harder when you smile at him brightly with a giggle.

katsuki unfamiliar with these kinds of burning feelings that aren’t accompanied with pain. they’re unknown and foreign, but he thinks he likes them. and, maybe, he can admit that he thinks he likes you a little bit, too.

soooowww...whatre we thinkiiinnnn..personally i like this alot and would love to hear whatyallthinkaboutthisconcepttttquestionmark... i was inspired to post this after getting back into akabane honeko no bodyguard, and my love for delinquents mixed w some childhood friends to lovers and i HAD to write this, i rlly like this and i hope yall enjoy !!

[deuxcherise]

Collar Crimes: All Bark, No Bite (1/2)

C/w: Unhealthy behavior (?) | Yandere | Female OC | Gender Neutral Reader | Reader is a bit of a… gold digger here (pun intended lol) | Comfort (?) | Fluff (?) | Slight Angst (near the end)| Swearing | Includes a cute pic of a Golden Retriever x German Shepherd mix dog for reference

A/n: So a long time ago, before reader met Eris, reader met a certain dog~ Hint, hint: she was mentioned in the last chapter (can I call it a chapter? It was in part 2). It’s not the bartender, by the way. So this is going to be a two parter because it got too long. Huh… Is it just me or are these getting longer and longer? Even the animal is getting bigger lol. Enjoy~

Masterlist | Part 0, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (1/2) (you’re here!), Part 3 (2/2)

[Seven years ago…]

“Hiiiii~ Welcome to Petal Blush Cafe, dear guest. We’re so happy-happy to see you~”

“Oh, what do we have here? I heard a lot of great things about you. Come give Papa a big ol’ smile, why don’t cha?”

You keep your ever present resting blank face on, place your index fingers together in front of your mouth and drag them apart in an upward curve. You throw in a tilt of your head, as a bonus.

He throws his head back in ecstasy. “AHHH! So it’s true what they say. I feel so refreshed. Papa’s got an appetite for some sandwiches… unless you’re on the menu today?”

“Oh my~ You flatter me~ But unfortunately, nooooo sir~” you say with a high-pitched cutesy voice that heavily contrasts your stiff-robot face, fanning yourself for show.

You’ve always hated these kinds of customers– actually you really hated this job in general. Not only were you forced to wear a ridiculously, scandalously short pink waitress dress uniform regardless of your gender, but you had to listen to yourself talk with an ear-gratingly high-pitched tone because that’s what sells the performance here.

It’s not like you can just leave, as much as you wanted to. Where else would they pay you enough to make rent? Besides, with who runs this cafe, do you think you’d be able to leave scot-free? No.

Ah… if only someone with a lot of money could just… sweep you off your feet. Someone kind. Someone considerate. Someone polite.

Pff. Like that’s ever going to happen.

You take his usual order on your paper notepad. As you leave, you feel something heavy slap against your behind, the action sending a jolt through the rest of your body. You glance behind you and see him don a sleazy smirk, which further adds to your disgust and increasing resentment for this place and this man, as you pick up the pace to hand over the order to the chef. You slam the paper down onto the counter with a little more force than expected, warranting Remy’s attention.

“Which table?” he nonchalantly asks, cracking a couple of eggs onto the pan.

Somehow, despite wearing the same outfit as you, he maintains an extremely powerful look with his exposed bulging muscles and trimmed beard held by his hairnet. You envy the man.

“Table 13,” you grumble.

“Special sauce?”

“Special sauce.”

“Got it.”

The bell rings and in comes a trio of brothers in fancy suits, three of your most loyal customers, along with an unfamiliar face. Upon their request, the hostess leads them to a table in your section. You grab four menus before walking over and greeting them as usual.

“Hiiiii~ Welcome back to Petal Blush Cafe, dear guests. We’re so happy-happy to see you~” you say, with your iconic blank face.

The three men roar with delight. The lady with them, wearing the same kind of suit, simply pinches and pulls at her sleeve as she keeps her face downcast. One of the brothers turns to the lady with them while pointing at you. “Hey, Sis. Whatcha think of (Y/n), huh? That straight face and cute voice– combo’s real nice, ain’t it?”

“O-oh… um…” The woman makes eye contact with you for a split second before she looks away, a blush appearing on her face. She nods animatedly, releasing another roar from the men, much to your confusion.

“Oh right! (Y/n). You already know the three of us: Dante, Vergil and Nero. This,” Dante says, placing an arm around the lady’s shoulders, “is our baby sister, Lyn. She may look shy right now, but put a weapon in her hand and–” He whistles before chuckling.

“Ah. Happy-happy to have you, Lyn~” you say, cutely wiggling your fingers.

“... T-thank you… (Y/n).”

“Good girl,” one of the brothers sitting across pats her on the head. She reminds you of a golden retriever, with her blond hair and gentle, round eyes.

“Yay~ Now, what will it be today~?” you ask, clicking your pen.

They order some sandwiches and some drinks. You place the order in exchange for picking up the order for that sleazy customer who calls himself Papa. You and Remy exchange knowing looks before you deliver the food.

“Oooh. This looks delicious. Thank you very much, sweetheart.”

You nod and start walking away, before your arm is grabbed by a meaty hand. You turn your head around to see the man grinning at you maliciously. 

“Now, wait a gosh darn second. I heard that this establishment offers a… special service. Now… you aren’t holding off on me, are ya?”

You rip your arm out of his grasp, used to being grabbed by unscrupulous individuals like this man. You answer, “Oh~ The special service~ Sorry, hon~ That’s a privilege only reserved for customers who have dined here more than ten times~ Since you’ve come here once, that means you’ll have to come back nine more times.”

The special service in question refers to asking any server to sing the cafe’s jingle and perform a cutesy dance for the customer asking. Everyone who works here must learn this song and dance before they can be placed on the floor. Each server adds their own twist to it, of course, thus providing a unique experience.

The man slams a fist on the table and stands up, his face red with anger. “WHAT? I CANCELLED AN IMPORTANT MEETING FOR THIS. NOW IF YOU DON’T GIVE ME THE SPECIAL SERVICE, I AM GOING TO–”

Click!

Both your heads turn to the side to discover Lyn pointing a loaded revolver with one hand just a feet away, aimed directly for the man’s skull. Her eyes are sharp and narrowed, unlike the gentle, round ones you were introduced to earlier.

She raises her eyebrows. “Is there a problem here, sir?”

“D-do… do you know who you’re pointing that gun at, lady?” the man stutters, sweating beading up on his forehead.

Lyn shrugs. “Does it matter?”

“O-of course it does! Shoot me and you’ll have the West Razors going after you and your entire family.”

She raises an eyebrow. “... Never heard of them before.”

“What? Who are you then, huh bitch? Some don’s lady?”

She scoffs to the side. Her eyes widen, pupils contracting, as she cocked her head with a smirk. “Lyn Aurem-Diavolus. Of the May Devils.”

The man gasps and immediately lowers his knees, Lyn’s gun following. The man clasps his hands together in a prayer as he begs for his life. “I didn’t know! I didn’t know! Please forgive me! I didn’t know this server was your lover!”

…Who? Is what now?

Lyn’s eyes soften back to their round shape, her face darkening to a red hue as she stutters, “E-eh?”

“That’s right!” Dante pipes up with a smirk, coming behind Lyn, followed by the other two brothers. “Mess with (Y/n) again, and we’ll send you straight down to hell, capisce?” He gives the man a thumbs down with a frown. “Now scram.”who want to get on the bad side of the May Devils. The less competition, the better anyway.

Lyn replaces the safety lock before she puts it back into a hidden holster. She bashfully asks you, “Are you okay… (Y/n)?”

You nod and give a thumbs up. “Yeah. Thank you, Lyn~”

“N-no, well I mean yes, that too. But what I meant was–”

“Ooh, free sandwiches,” says Dante. “Don’t mind if I do–”

You throw a hand out. “No, wait!”

-----🔔-----

Ever since the brothers introduced you to Lyn, she has been visiting the cafe every day you’re scheduled to work for months now. Sometimes she comes with the brothers, sometimes by herself if they’re too busy dealing with… probably mafia stuff.

“Hiiiii~ Welcome to Petal Blush Cafe, dear guest. We’re so happy-happy to see you~”

“H-hi… (Y/n).”

At this point, there is no need to provide her with a menu anymore. She always orders a peanut butter milkshake and a plate of chocolate cake. Somehow, aside from the extreme sweet tooth she possesses, you always feel weird about giving her the chocolate cake. She’s definitely human but… she really does remind you of a very shy golden retriever… with perhaps a German shepherd side to her.

“Okay~ Here is your milkshake and your cake. Will there be anything else you’d like today, Lyn-Lyn~?”

You expect her to say no as per usual, but this time it seems she has something on her mind. Based on the way her face has turned red and her eyes look like they’re panicking.

“O-oh! U-um… (Y/n)?”

“Yes, Lyn-Lyn?”

“Do you… what time do you get off work? D-do you have time after work?”

That catches you off guard. “Why~?”

“UH… UM… I… I-I have something… to tell you! Come meet me behind the cafe.”

“Oh… kay. Okay~” you answer.

-----🔔-----

“Alright. Good job, everyone! Have a safe trip going home!”

“Yeah!” “Thank you! “Yes!” “Uh-huh.” “See ya!”

The day has ended and all of the customers have left. Your boss leaves first, but you and your coworkers stick around and begin making conversation.

“Oooh, you gonna go meet lover girl in the back, (Y/n)?”

You roll your eyes at a coworker’s words. “Ha ha. Real funny.”

“What does she wanna talk about anyway?”

You shrug, closing your locker. “Beats me.”

“Ooh, do you think she’s going to confess?”

You scoff. “No. Where’d you get that idea from?”

Your coworkers exchange looks before bursting into laughter.

Ever since that day when the don of the West Sharpies or something assumed you were Lyn’s lover, your coworkers have never let you live it down, especially with Lyn’s daily visits. She is… kind, considerate, polite, and she was pretty hot when she defended you back then. However! You do not have such a relationship with her, nor any kind of feelings like that.

You’re the last one to leave, the only one to leave through the back door to meet with Lyn. You see her leaning against the wall, dressed in her suit as always. The moment she spots you, she blushes again. She has never seen you in civilian clothes before, but you look so… beautiful. More so without the pink outfit.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?” you ask in your regular voice, out of character. Your face is still stiff though.

“O-oh, not at all, not at all. Um, here.”

She manifests a flower bouquet from behind for you. You take the bouquet, entranced by the largeness of it and how beautiful the colorful flowers look in the alleyway’s streetlight. When your eyes finally break away from the flowers, you find Lyn kneeling down on one knee and looking up at you with a very serious expression.

“Lyn?”

”(Y/n). Over these past several months,” she starts off, “I have been trying to figure out my feelings. I’ve thought about it over and over, tries to rationalize it as… as just infatuation, but… I know what’s in my heart. And I’ve finally come to a conclusion. Ever since I first met you, you have… captured my heart. I am in love with you, (Y/n).”

…..

You stare at her with wide eyes. “Huh?”

She clears her throat and starts glancing between you and the surroundings, embarrassed. “I-I know you may not feel the same. My brothers… and everyone else have told me already. And it’s not like I’ve really done anything to win your affection…” She mumbles something in between before continuing. “But if you give me the chance, I can show you what I’m capable of. As your potential girlfriend.”

She holds out a hand to you. “Will you… go out with me?”

“I…”

Do you want to try going out on a date with one of the May Devils, the youngest one too? You didn’t have any prior romantic feelings for the girl, which makes you feel bad. What if you never develop any feelings for her? What if she stops showing up to the cafe? What if you accidentally do something that triggers the entire famiglia after you?

In the midst of your thoughts, something dark emerges from you. A devil. It sits on your shoulder and whispers into your ear, “What if this is your chance to get out of here? She has money. You need money. It’s a match made in… well, ya know?”

…..

You smile, an expression Lyn hasn’t seen before but is entranced by, as you place your hand onto hers.

“I would love to.”

-----🔔-----

You hadn't expected to enjoy going out on dates with her, but you were sure glad that you said yes.

“(Y/n)! Look what I got for you!” Lyn excitedly says, holding a neatly wrapped box for you over your shoulder.

“Another one?” you chuckle, accepting the gift as she hugs you from behind and nuzzles the back of your neck. “Designer clothes. Designer bags. Luxuries cars. Lyn-Lyn, you're spoiling me too much. You're going to go bankrupt!”

She shakes her head, her hair tickles the back of your neck. “Mm mm mm mm. You're not being spoiled! You're being pampered! By me. Your loving, romantic girlfriend. Who regards you dearly very, very much! Forget about the money. Just let me enjoy spending it on you.”

You giggle and place a hand on her cheek, turning your head so you can share a kiss with her. Of course, Lyn starts planting lots of kisses on your face afterwards, like the lovely puppy she is.

You both fall into bed, full of laughter and joy until you both settle down to cuddle with each other. With your fingers interlocked with hers, Lyn gazes into yours with so much adoration, it makes you shy. You turn away and hide your face against the pillow.

“(Y/n), look at me,” she whispers.

You refuse, for a moment, but you make eye contact. You both gaze into each other's eyes, lovingly, until Lyn breaks the silence.

“I love you, (Y/n).

It makes you freeze, hearing those three words fall from her mouth for the first time in your relationship.

What shocks you more is that…

Well…

The thing is… normally… 

You're… supposed to say it back, right?

You open your mouth but not a single noise leaves it. You avert your eyes in shame, biting your lip.

Why can't you say it? After all she's done for you so far?

…..

“I-It's okay, (Y/n),” Lyn suddenly says, making you look at her. Her eyes and voice are filled with sadness. “I know… that it takes time for a person to develop feelings for someone. I mean, it took time for me to realize my feelings too, and… I did ask you out knowing that you might not… reciprocate my feelings. At least not yet. That's why people date, right? To get to know each other and hopefully fall in love. So… I'll wait for you. Besides, we’ve only dated for a month, right? I’ll do my best to make you fall in love with me. Okay? Prepare yourself~”

You nod, happy that Lyn still wants to be with you even if you can't say those three words back to her yet.

-----🔔-----

“Who are you talking to?”

You look up from your phone. “Oh! One of my old coworkers. He was just asking how I'm doing now since I've left the cafe. Thanks to you,” you answer, with a playful smile.

Lyn’s face doesn't share your expression. “Oh. Okay.”

You pout, wondering what's going on with Lyn lately. She'd catch you on the phone, ask you who you're talking to, and then ignore you until she finds something else to ask.

You crawl towards her on the bed and ask, “Lyn, I know you're upset. Do you want to talk about it?”

Lyn looks at you, looks away, and then looks back at you again before she leans forward and catches your lips with a kiss. She pushes you down onto the bed before releasing you from her lips and just looks at you.

Her eyes move from your eyes to your lips to your exposed collarbone before going back up to your eyes. She sighs before laying her entire weight on you, her head nestled in the crook of your neck.

“Lyn?”

“I love you, (Y/n)... Do you love me?”

“I…” Your voice catches in your throat for nth time.

You feel her breath as she sighs. “I know.”

Tears start to fill up your eyes out of frustration. “I'm sorry…”

She pops back on her elbows, worried. “Oh no, it's okay. Shh shh. It's okay. (Y/n). My (Y/n). I'm sorry,” she coos, caressing your cheek and wiping your tears.

For some reason, no matter what she did, nothing could spark you to say those three damned words back to her. It isn't your fault but…

It is starting to drive her insane.

[miffy1111]

Fish in a Birdcage

cross posted onto Ao3 (Account is Miffy_1111)

Tw! -Gross wounds, bugs in said gross wounds, violence and death Also fun fact when I was writing this, I grinded a little too hard (on this as well as a million others fics) and got a weirdly painful ganglion cyst in my wrist and it is currently stuck in a wrist brace for the next week or so :p so the end of chapter 1, the editing process and all this stuff here has been typed one handed, so I apologise for any mistakes. This was really fun to write, and I'm excited to get the second chapter out! This chapter here is basically a look into the past and why he'll be silly next chapter, Also I haven't gotten to book 7 yet so I apologise if General Lilia is ooc! Please let me know in the comments what you think, Im pretty new to writing so I'm always happy to hear what you think!

(Word Count: 3847)

1/2 Chapters

i. Damnation: condemnation to eternal punishment in hell. To be doomed to suffer in hell forever.  - do this one for the last word thing lol

The sun felt warm. Its heat soaked into Lilias's armour, making it feel rather stuffy to stand in the forest clearing. He couldn't see any reflection of himself in the lake before him, however he knew his cheeks were flushed. As a nocturnal fae, he hadn’t spent much time outside during the day, either training indoors or sleeping. 

However, due to the diurnal nature of humans, he often found himself needing to be up when the sun was. 

He pulled up his hood to shield himself and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He looked down on the human soldier below him, the cheeks of their face- left unconcealed by their metallic helmet, were also a reddish colour under the unforgiving rays of the sun.

During a patrol in the forest that further deprived him of much-needed sleep, a familiar yet unfamiliar scent caught his attention. It was heavily metallic, with undertones of bitter red wine. He followed the scent towards the mossy shores of a lake, where he saw a figure lying, body half in the water.

 Crimson leached into the lake from beneath them, the source of which was a large rather gorey-looking cut in their side. They looked to be a human soldier, a low-ranking one at that. The only armour they wore was a spangenhelm and a chainmail shirt, their dark blue aketon covering the rest of their arms. A shield bearing King Henricks emblem was half-sunk in the shallows of the lake, Lilia taking it as a sign.

Looking at the human soldier, Lilia noticed magenta scorch marks on the edges of broken chainlinks, indicating that the weapon used was likely enchanted. He also estimated by the blowflies laying eggs and chewing through the wound, that the soldier would have been here for a few hours, at least 4. Lilia knew that blowfly eggs took anywhere between 8-20 hours to mature to maggots, which the wound was devoid of.

A series of wheezy coughs snapped Lilia back to reality, as the soldier attempted to lift themself with their elbow, hand just barely clutching a broken sword.

“Just kill me. To die by the likes of you… is a better fate than this,” Their voice was hoarse, and shortly after they spoke they broke into another coughing fit, more blood dribbled from their side from the movement.

Lilia looked at the soldier, eyes narrowing as he scowled, “Silence soldier! I will not have a human such as yourself command me,” 

Lifting his boot to their head, he swiftly kicked off the helmet that covered their face, not bothering to avoid their nose. The soldier groaned in pain, the arm that lifted them gave in to cradle their seemingly-broken nose, blood trickling down their pale olive-toned skin. 

Though Lilia hated humans, he truly hadn’t aimed to further injure the soldier- he just wanted to get a better look at their face, without the barrier of the helmet. His eyes raked over their newly revealed features. 

The human soldier's gender was indiscernible, and their face was wet and speckled with dirt, with dark curly hair just barely touching their shoulders. 

Despite their nose being rather crooked due to the far-too-much force of his kick, Lilia could see its aquiline shape, different from the typical straight-pointed ones common in their comrades. Their jaw was clenched hard and they looked at him, dark eyes squinted in pain, as shaky hands attempted to lift their sword at him. 

He grabbed the sword by the handle, taking it from their hands and throwing it into the lake. The human soldier was no danger to him, this was just an example he would make. Grabbing onto the wrist that once held the sword, he hoisted them over his shoulder- ignoring their groans of pain, and walked back into the woods to return to the camp. 

The position was awkward for the both of you, the soldier was completely limp, so the tips of their boots smacked against his calves with each step, and he had to focus on his steps so that the both of your legs wouldn’t tangle together.  

Despite Lilias' disgust at the thought of having to save a human (especially one from the blonde bastard's side), he needed information, and if they survived they could be useful.

After another series of painful-sounding coughs that left little specks of blood on Lilias's armour, the soldier spoke up with a strained voice, “Where are you taking me,”

“You’ll see, try anything and I’ll leave you back there to perish,” he grunted out, eyeing the tiny red speckles that trickled down his torso. 

They went quiet.

Premonitory: A warning about something unpleasant before it happens. 

When Lilia arrived at his quadrant's temporary base, he barged into the healer's tent, curtly described the soldier's condition and why they were to live, dumped them in front of the healer and left. 

As he walked over to his tent, he looked at where the soldier had coughed on him. The splotches of blood left on his armour turned a strange almost burgundy colour, and turning as far as he could to see his back, a large patch, more purple in tone, was left there from their side.

As he tried to wipe as much of it off as possible, a sense of foreboding washed over him. It was no doubt just by looking at the state of their armour that they fell victim to something enchanted, however, there was no telling what effect such a weapon would have on them, or if they would even survive.

—

Around 4 weeks later, Lilia was called to the hospital tent, a mere blink in time for the fae. While at times he was left morbidly curious about the soldier's fate, it wasn’t something he lost sleep on. 

As he arrived he scanned over the room, ruby-red eyes searched like an owl hunting a rabbit. Only to find that they weren’t there. He looked accusingly at the now-trembling healer. 

His scowl had done all the talking for him, as the healer finally began to stutter out an explanation

“Ah-h! General Vanrouge, the human soldier, she was sent off to the dungeon in Black Scale Castle as of yesterday. They asked me to tell you to go… there for questioning,” he grew meek as he continued, irritation evident on Lilias's face.

“I see…” Lilia said calmly, confusion washing over the healer, “And the thought hadn’t come across you to tell me this, several days ago?!” his calm disposition quickly disappeared as he raised his voice, the healer quickly muttering something about him not finding out till this morning. 

Lilia sighed and shook his head, his features softening as his anger fizzled out, “Nevermind that, how was their health?”

“Ah yes! I suspect th-that they were hit with a spell, maybe corrosion magic? B-but! It hadn’t gone so far into their system that I couldn’t somewhat heal them, they were rather difficult to deal with…” he spoke with both constant stuttering and muttering, things that Lilia found rather irritating back in his youth. 

“Oh! Also, t-the nature of their illness, i-its similar to… something like, say mould for example,” The healer's shy nature crumbled away as a grim expression washed over his freckled face, “Once it's there, its roots slowly spread throughout the host. Meaning that- though it is a trace amount- there are still roots of the magic inside them. I give them a few months at best,” 

Lilia nodded, all the more reason to get the interrogation done sooner rather than later, “I understand,”

___

It took him almost 2 days to get to Black Scale Castle, with the first day spent being pestered by the Senate to receive permission and the second spent travelling without rest. Upon arriving at the castle, he was immediately sent to the dungeons. 

Looking at the soldier through the bars of their current prison, they seemed ever so slightly better than when he had last seen them. A torso covered by layers of chainmail and aketon was replaced with a hemp-cloth shirt, as were their linen pants, both several sizes too large. He could spy bandages wrapped around their shoulder and left arm, as well as around their chest. The air smelt of wet stone and medicinal herbs.

The dungeon itself was poorly lit and dank, and each cell was only made accessible through a wooden door, with a slot for food trays to slide through on the bottom. The only light let into each cell was a small barred window at the top of the door, however after looking through, Lilia could spy a rectangular (also barred) window at the top right corner of the cell.

The dungeon was practically desolate, he almost felt a sliver of empathy for the human. Almost.

Holding a torch, Lilia opened the door to the human soldier's cell and prepared for what was to come.

iii. Ephemeral: Something that lasts a short duration of time, a fleeting moment, a brief period in time. 

His eyes pierced through them, attempting to either read them with a single glare or intimidate them into submission. It was always unnervingly quiet in the dungeon, all sound almost completely sucked up by the stone walls. It should have been considered a miracle that someone hadn’t gone insane in there. 

The soldier's face remained downcast, however, he could sense their vulnerable state. Dark circles were prominent underneath their eyes, however their skin was less sickly-pale than when he last saw them.

Lilia crouched down beside them on the stone floor and lifted their chin to meet their gaze

“You will call me General Vanrouge from this moment forth. You will answer my questions with nothing but the truth, fail to do so- and the punishment will be beyond any pain you’ve ever felt. Now state your name and rank, human,” he said, pointed teeth bared.

The way the soldier looked glaring upwards at him, jaw clenched and nose crinkled in disgust, such attitude flared the faes temper. 

“I am a low-ranking soldier, I was given the name Siro,” Despite the scowl on their face, the human spoke without malice in their voice. They made themself seem small against the cold stone, and even though their stare was poisonous, they almost wanted to look submissive. 

“And what were you doing in fae territory? I’m sure even the daftest of your kind would know that that forest is strictly overseen by fae,” he asked, no lack of his prior harshness

“I was given the wrong directions to camp, and I wound up by the lake you found me at. If you want to blame anyone- please, blame my commanding officer, Lucius,” they spoke with a flat voice, and even though Lilia wished he did, he couldn’t feel any indication of them lying.

“What a fool” He replied, “Now, tell me everything you know,” This was Lilias's favourite part of the interrogation. A human soldier's pride and ego often knew no bounds, so breaking them in was a lengthy process the Lilia thoroughly enjoyed. To wipe their dreadful smirks from their faces and tear that awful look of hope from their eyes. 

The soldier, Siro, looked up at him with an unreadable expression, opening and shutting their mouth as if continually deciding not to say something- like a fish gasping for air. 

Lilia moved his hand to his weapon, a threat to hurry things along.

“I-I! Uhm,” Siro quickly cleared their throat, “I don’t believe anything I know would be of use to you. I am of the lowest rank, so I am not trusted with important information,” They blurted out. 

Siro almost looked panicked. They clearly knew what became of hostages that weren’t of any use. Lilia once again almost felt bad for them. Even though Lilia revealed in their fear, it would be a pain to find yet another human soldier

“Well then, I want what little you do know, as well as how you came to be attacked. Surely you weren’t foolish enough to go alone into the forest?” 

“I was sent on my own. Before my unit made our way back to camp, my officer pulled me aside and asked me to stay and sharpen my sword on one of the rocks. It must have been a prank, as I only realised later well after everyone left that all the swords were sharpened only yesterday. He gave me a map as well, but it must have been the wrong one as I wound up at that lake,” Siro explained with a bitter edge to their voice and a glare in their eye. One that Lilia wanted to slap clean off.

Cruel pranks like those weren’t uncommon in human armies. Hazing, he believed it was called. Lilia could only imagine the officers all giggling together, telling each other ways to make fools of their subordinates. Lilia only wished he could see the look on the officer's face as the weeks rolled by and Siro was nowhere to be seen. Another one of their pathetic soldiers gone.

“Such pranks are common in human armies, I hear. Humans truly are foolish. You would have died out there,” He replied “Now, how did you come to be injured,”

“I don’t remember. I was by the lake looking around for anyone I may have known, then next thing I knew, I was in some healer's tent with a broken nose and a chunk out of my side,” they said.

“How strange…,” Lilia said, avoiding Siro’s eyes at the mention of their nose. 

An hour went by, and nothing more than basic questions and answers were shared. He hadn’t learned much, however they were far more cooperative than other humans he had interrogated.

As he prepared to leave the cell and return to his duties, Siro spoke up, “Was that enough for you? When will I be permitted to leave,” They asked him.

“I assume till either the war finishes or you do. Perhaps if you continue to behave I might be able to send you to a prison of… better quality,” He said, looking around the dank cell to further his point, “However it is out of my control,”

They looked at him, shoulders slumped as their standard glare was replaced with a melancholic gaze, “I understand”

iii. Wasting: Causing a person or a body part to become progressively weaker and more emaciated, typically by a wasting disease

As the months passed, Lilia (much to his dismay) often found himself returning to the dungeon. The first few times it was purely for information, however as time went on he slowly became more and more curious about them as a person. However, he wasn’t sure how long he could continue saying he was just curious.

Siro, the lowly soldier, no longer had any name of their own. Their birth name was Mariam, born a girl in a place they no longer remembered. The soldiers who raided their village assumed them to be a boy, only realising after a week their mistake. Their name had already been changed to Siro, and so they were brought up as a boy.

They would never be able to return to their family, all slaughtered in a land now foreign to them. Their sister, Arev, Siro assumed was still alive, as she too was taken. Siro had told Lilia with eyes as dead as a fish how it was obvious Arev was a girl, and a beautiful one at that. He knew to read between the lines and assume that she had been taken to be some soldier's wife; a war prize. Such was one of the many things about humans that disgusted Lilia.

After they had been taken, they were banned from their language. The commanding officer Lucius, the one who played that rather cruel prank on them, was the one who taught them how to speak the common language. Lucius never had a son, so he helped raise Siro, and despite his somewhat cruel tendencies, Siro never said much on their feelings about Lucius, and Lilia never asked.

Being born a girl and raised a boy, Siro never really saw themself as either. They weren’t ashamed of what they were born as, nor were they embarrassed about what they were raised as. They were simply just a person, they had told him once.

Lilia hated how he remembered everything they told him, how he soaked up their words and near reveled in the sound of their strained voice. 

Siro the human soldier. Truly an example of how cruel fate can be. Born in a place to a peoples that weren’t seen as human enough, forever fated to being a glorified slave. They were a slave to their own race, and they would be chained in this prison for the rest of their life. Chained to him. Despite the change in scenery, they would never be free, something they never truly accepted, even through their growing weakness.

The months went on, and both him and Siro slowly became consumed. The former, his mind- as it became overrun with the thoughts of Siro, and the latter, their body. As the months passed, deep purple veins became more and more prominent across their skin, which too grew to be a sickly pale. Their eyes looked glazed over and dark circles emerged underneath despite their frequent sleeping. Their body, though already thin when they were first found, grew even more so as their muscles fizzled away. They knew they were dying, and their appetite dwindled to the point Lilia had to come by every day to force food and water down their throat. He was never soft with them, and though he would say it was due to his hatred he knew deep down that he was in denial.

As the seasons changed and the weather grew colder, so did the cell. The cold had gotten to Siro, as their hands were even more clammy and their nose became stuffy and red.

When Lilia came to visit again, a spare blanket hidden behind his back, he found them shivering in the corner. The blanket draped over their shoulders was thin, a hole torn near the middle meant that it was doing little to provide warmth. 

Silently, Lilia draped the extra blanket over them, averting his gaze from the purple roots creeping across their face. The healer said himself, they would likely only live a few months, and it was a miracle they made it past 8. Siro wouldn’t live to see the end of the week.

​​As Lilia laid in bed that night, he regretted leaving that cell. Though Siro had an extra blanket, a twinge of guilt tugged at him. What if that was the last time he ever saw them? What if they were lying on that uncomfortable straw mattress, Lilias blanket wrapped around them as they breathed their la​​st breath? He tried to shake away those thoughts, they were nothing but a pathetic human!

He wasn’t sure what he would say, to his superiors, to himself, as he snuck into their cell. The opening and shutting of the heavy wooden door didn’t stir them from their sleep as it used to, and Lilia immediately went to check their breathing. 

He kneeled down and checked everything twice over; their soft pulse, the slow rise and fall of their chest, the laboured breaths that left their nose. He let out a sigh of relief, hand going to stroke their thinning- now wavy- hair. A strange feeling sat heavy in his chest. Why was he even doing this? He must look like a fool, he thought as he smiled at their sleeping face.��

Would they want to die here? He quickly shook the thought from his mind, he could only imagine the outrage from the senate if they found out he released an enemy soldier without written consent. Even if they were sick and dying, it wouldn’t be allowed.

Siro roused from their slumber with a painful sounding cough, more of that purple mucus splattering against their hand like phlegm. The roots had taken place in their lungs not long ago, shown by their recent difficulty in breathing. They looked up at him, tired and disoriented, “Lilia, is that truly you?” 

Lilia wasn’t sure what had got into him, his hand trailed down from their dark strands to gently hold the side of their face. He merely nodded then hushed them, a tenderness he had never felt before overwhelmed him, the feeling like a tide washing over him, blocking words from his mouth. They slowly pushed themself up till they sat up before them, opening their blanket so that Lilia could find warmth in there too. 

Intimacy, his first taste in a while. He cosied up next to them, allowing them to rest their head on his shoulder. Maybe Lilia was just tired, but he was finally able to ignore his internal feelings of disgust, of hatred towards Siro.

Suddenly his arms were wrapped around them, suddenly they were playing with his hair; suddenly their lips met and they both fell completely silent. An all-consuming warmth washed over him, silencing his doubts. They weren’t slowly dying before him, they weren’t a soldier from the enemy side, and they would be able to kiss like this again. The stoney walls of the dungeon disappeared around the two of them as his tongue slipped into their mouth. They ran their fingers down black and red strands of hair, then shakily caressed his cheek. 

It was unfortunate that all good things came to an end. Their body suddenly became too weak to hold itself up, and they crashed back into their bed, ending the kiss. They coughed again, it racked through their body as purple veins in their neck began to bulge slightly. They were in pain, it was only right.

With one last strained breath, they were gone. No final words were spoken, neither did Lilia say anything else. There was no point in shedding any tears or screaming out with regret, and even though his heart cried out, Lilia merely sat, still and silent as the stone walls around him.

He would have preserved them if he could, however, there was a war, and as the Silver Owls closed in, he had to have them cremated. Lilia had tried to find their sister, Arev, however he hadn’t the time or resources to do anything beyond scour through a few official records. He knew Siro would have wanted their ashes to be spread, Great Sevens, that was one of their dying wishes. Call him selfish, but something inside him couldn’t let go of them yet. They would have to wait a few more years, he would tell himself, to at least let his grief pass.

Siro, the human soldier, forever left longing for their freedom.

End of Part 1

I hope you enjoyed! Sorry if this was straight ass, this is only my second work in this fandom lol. The second chapter might not be released for a hot minute as I'm currently both flooded with school work and! stuck wearing a wrist brace for the next week or so. Stay well and stay hydrated!

[capnmachete]

Johnny Davis x plus-size fem!OC (Period piece -- mid-1960s, Bikeriders universe but canon-divergent)

PART 6: One Fine Day Good things come to those who wait. By-request tags: @mrs-hardy-hunnam-butler; @zablife; @lou1333; @potter-solomons If anybody else wants to be tagged, just LMK. FYI: for better or worse this will likely pick up steam shortly, several upcoming chapters already in the can and being edited and oo I like where it's going, hopefully you will also. Minor drama and romance and some sweet/fluffy spice ahoy, batten down the hatches and hoist the whatever-it-is and all that good stuff LOL

(Part 1, Part 2. Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5)

A month goes by.  Two months.  You keep your eyes open for the big red Peterbilt, hopin’ it’ll be there one night when you show up to clock in. Stay late, lingerin' around awhile after you clock out, in case he shows up closer to sunrise.

For awhile, you hustle over to the windows every time you hear big tires crunch gravel and air brakes squeak.  Damn near drop whole plates of food, you’re so eager to go see if maybe it’s Johnny Davis. 

It ain’t.  Not in June, not in July either.  You’re about to bust one Tuesday evenin', about midshift -- practically bouncin' on your toes when you see a big red rig roll into the parkin’ lot.  Except when it gets a little closer, it’s a Kenworth.  And the driver that gets out don’t look anything like him – tall and skinny and bald as an egg, head all shiny in the sodium lights.

Nice enough fella, polite and all that. Still, it’s hard not to be snippy and sour with him; when his pancakes are ready you slap his plate down hard enough to make him jump a little.  It ain’t his fault he’s not Johnny Davis, but that don’t help your mood much.

Purvis don’t understand why you give him the stinkeye, either, and why you don’t have much to say to him lately.  “What’d I do?” he asks you more than once, confused, when you slop his coffee over the edge of the cup on purpose.

He purely has no idea what all was goin’ on in that booth between you and Johnny that other night.  What he interrupted.  Johnny -- quiet Johnny who don’t say much -- confidin’ in you, talkin’ about things you figure he don’t talk much about ever, to anybody.  And holdin’ your hand.  And who knows where it might have gone if it wasn’t for Purvis and his damn hashbrowns?

And you ain’t about to tell Purvis Williams your personal business and have it get spread all over town.  So he’ll just have to keep right on bein' confused, unless he wants to drive on down the highway to Eagle Grove for his breakfast instead. Which wouldn't hurt your feelin's a bit.

By the time the beginning of August rolls around, and Sharlette shows up with the ice cream and three different colors of fingernail polish, you’re startin' to think you might not ever see Johnny Davis again. 

“Who knows?” she says through a mouthful of butter pecan ice cream.  “You can’t never tell about men; they seem like they’re simple to figure out, but they ain’t, not really.” 

The two of you are sittin’ on the floor of your bedroom, faces full of night cream, cotton balls between your fresh-painted toes, hair up in curlers. Radio turned up so Momma can’t eavesdrop, like she likes to do.

Sharlette finally got tired of watchin’ you mope around at work.  Pried the whole story out of you, and then invited herself over for a girls’ night.  Got her momma to watch the baby. Bought butter pecan ice cream and everything, tryin’ to cheer you up.

“You think I mighta said somethin'?” you ask her – pickin’ apart every little minute of that night, not for the first time. "Or been too forward, maybe?"

“By doin’ what?  Jeez Louise, ‘Reena.  Ain’t like you climbed up on the man’s lap and asked him for a horsey ride,” she points out with a snort of laughter. 

“Sharlette!” you say, mouth droppin’ open in a mix of shock and laughter, pink-faced under the goopy white Noxema. 

“Don’t tell me you ain’t thought about it, Miss Prim,” she says, grinnin’ and jabbin’ her spoon at you.  “You ain’t as proper as you look.”

Hard not to grin back.  She’s right.  Maybe you ain’t thought about that exact thing, but you’ve thought about plenty else.   “I’m takin’ the Fifth,” you tell her.  “Ain’t that what they say on Perry Mason when they go to court?  Anyhow, it don’t matter. He’s married,��� you remind her, a little blue.

“Thought he was divorced?”  One Noxema-slathered eyebrow lifts up.

“Was s’posed to be gettin’ divorced,” you correct her.  “Who knows, maybe him and the Mrs. patched things up or somethin’.”  The ice cream in your bowl’s gettin’ melty; you spoon the rest of it up real quick, partly to keep yourself from thinkin’ too much about that.

It ain’t like that kind of thing never happens.  People get all the way to the courthouse steps and decide they’re makin’ a mistake, decide to give it another go.  Happened to Gus once; happened to Momma too.  Still with Daddy, for whatever that’s worth, even though he’s just as dull as he ever was, never talks about anything but politics and pinkos and what wheat’s sellin’ for down at the mill. Would for sure explain why he ain't been around again.

“Naw.”  Sharlette shakes her head.  “I bet it ain’t that.  Prolly just one of those man things.  You know how they are.  They say a little too much, show you somethin’ they didn’t mean to show, and they get scairt.  Get to feelin’ embarrassed and shy and clam up again.  Start actin’ like they don’t know you.”

“ ‘s that what happened with Robbie?” you ask.  It ain’t none of your business, not really.  But y’all are already talkin’ real personal, and you’ve always wondered where Sharlette’s baby’s daddy got off to. 

“Pssh.”  Sharlette makes a sound like a deflatin’ balloon, and laughs.  “No. Robbie ain’t scairt of anything except havin’ to change diapers and act like a grownup.”  She sighs, a little blue herself.  “You want some more ice cream?” she asks, gettin’ up to go down to the kitchen.

“Hell yes, I do,” you say, and hand her your bowl.  Then you change your mind and heave yourself up off the floor to go with her.  “I think we got some chocolate sauce down there too.”

“Well now you’re talkin’!”  She grins and links her arm through yours, and for a short little while you forget all about your troubles.

****

By the end of another few weeks, you’ve pretty much resigned yourself to the idea that you probably ain’t ever gonna see Johnny again. Maybe Sharlette’s right; maybe he scared himself a little, openin’ up more than he meant to.  Or maybe you're right and he’s back with the Mrs., and steerin' clear of you and LaGrange.

It makes you sad.  Because even if nothin’ big really happened, and even if anythin’ past friendship was just a daydream anyway, you miss seein’ him, miss talkin.’  You wouldn’t mind havin’ that back, even if that’s all you get.  But it don’t seem like that’s in the cards, and pretty soon you don’t go runnin’ to the window at the diner quite so often anymore.

You’re resigned enough that you actually give Smooth Melvin Hoskins– that’s the only way you can think of him now, and it makes you laugh and feel a little sad all at once – another chance.  This date’s not as bad as the first time.  A burger joint instead of a seedy bar, and he’s not quite as handsy this time, but it’s still nothin’ to write home about.  Same ol’ haw-haw laugh, same Skoal breath, same ol' everything.

You get dinner and a strawberry milkshake out of it, at least. And a ride to work afterwards, which doubles as a handy excuse not to go to the drive-in with Melvin after dinner.  And that’s good, because all that’s gonna do is wind up with him tryin’, not for the first time, to get into your panties, and that’s just not happenin’.  Not with Smooth Melvin.  Not lookin’ to be Mrs. Hoskins or even anything close to it, and for sure not lookin’ to end up like Sharlette.

And lo and behold, what do you see when Melvin pulls into the parkin’ lot at the diner to drop you off?  There’s the big red Peterbilt in the parkin’ lot, for the first time in months, big as sin and twice as shiny.  And your heart does a weird little flip.  And you near about bolt out of Melvin’s Chevy.  You almost trip over a big rock mixed in with the gravel, that’s how eager you are to get inside. 

Which is when you know for sure you’ve still got an almighty crush on Johnny Davis. One you thought had petered out, one you were pretty sure you'd talked yourself out of.

Guess not. Not the way your heart's thumpin' when you hustle across the parkin' lot.

“Dang! Don’t I get a goodnight kiss, even?” Melvin calls after you out the driver’s side window.

“Maybe next time, I gotta go!  I’m late!” you holler back without even turnin’ around. And bust in the glass door, the little bell over it ringin’ like crazy.  Everybody in the place looks up – Gus, big-boobied Tiffany, Purvis from the feedstore. Mr. and Mrs. Hoover from the farm up the road, plus a couple of other truck jockeys, from other big rigs out in the lot.

And Johnny.  Who smiles, pretty blue-grey eyes lightin' up and crinklin' around the corners.  “Hey, lookit who it is,” he calls out and raises his white china mug in your direction.  “Miss Corinna!”   And you can feel yourself smilin’ back, so wide you're surprised your face doesn't split in two.

It takes you a few minutes to clock in – fizzin’ and bubblin’ over inside like a glass of Coca Cola – and get back out there into the dining room, and fill a few coffee cups and pass out a few plates. Tiffany cuts her eyes at you when she clocks out, like she can't hardly believe Johnny's talkin' to you instead of her, and you grin back, pleased as punch. And maybe a little smug.

“I shouldn’t oughta have dumped all that on ya, last time i was here,” he says, when you finally get a minute and sit down on the other side of the booth between customers – stealing away a minute for your customary shared cup of coffee.  “ ‘m sorry,” he says, ducking his head a little. "That was a lot; I don't know what got into me."

“Stop it,” you say, waving him away with a plump pink-nailed hand.  “That’s what friends are for, and we’re friends, right?”

He lifts his head and a smile blooms across his face – the one that makes him look like a boy in a grown man’s body, brings a sparkle to tired dark-blue eyes.  “Yeah,” he admits, with a chuckle, chewin’ on a toothpick.  “Yeah, I guess we are, ain’t we?”   And looks at you in a way that feels like somethin’ maybe a little bigger than just friends.  Makes you all warm and tingly inside. And he lays his hand over yours this time, and don’t let it go until Gus starts hollerin’ and bangin’ on the little silver bell like his hair’s on fire.

------

Song inspo: One Fine Day, the Chiffons (1963)

[iwonderwh0]

What is a random scene you would have liked to have seen in canon?

0. Markus converting machine Connor / Connor having no choice but to deviate on his own due to SI reaching some peak, without a choice to remain non-deviant

I don't like the scene with him "become deviant/stay a machine". It's the most underwhelming while also most awaited scene of the game that could have been better, whether by having a scene that shows Markus converting him (slipping into his memories through an interface and making it a combined effort in breaking those walls for him) or through some kind of emotional shock (maybe later in the game)

If there is a scenario in which he has no choice but to remain a machine, there should have been the opposite. Markus vs Connor fight scene being only available in machine route is a crime.

1. HANK DECIDING NOT TO THROW CONNOR DOWN THAT ROOF 💯

I hate hate hate how that's the only decision he can make while Connor can decide to change his mind on this. I mean, I get it, but also, I wish there was a way for Connor to turn deviant somewhere during or after this scene. And I know there are people (exactly one lol) who'll fucking bite me for that and call me a stupid mf but Yeah, I want that

"You're a machine, Connor. Just a machine"

Well, there could have been literally no choice for Connor to become anything else, and you're a fucking hypocrite

1.1 OR Connor throwing himself off that roof like he does with Allen, but it being like

Hank: "<...> But humans don't come back, do they?"

Connor: "No, they don't. But I will."

2. Connor calling Hank out on his bullshit after shooting Chloe (previously being shot himself)

The fact that we can Never call him up on his hypocrisy is ANNOYING. I want to rub it back at him.

3. Markus(maybe together with North) meeting Kamski

Being presented with a test, but turning the gun on Kamski, or instead stretching a hand to help Chloe up (while converting), then handing the gun to her to decide.

I want a reverse-kamski test.

4. Alice saying Kara who she is when they're at Rose.

Get rid of that stupid fucking policeman scene and finally make it about Alice and Kara. And remove that stupid twist about her "knowing all along"

5. Jericrew members each talking about their past and how they got to Jericho first chapter they're introduced.

Not only North (although she might be the one who reveals her story later, like she does in canon)

6. Amanda showing more appealing traits making the player like her (more).

Making her look reasonable and trustworthy, not only strict and chronically disappointed to the point where status "betrayed" makes the player celebrate instead of going "oh, I think I might have fucked up". I don't have a specific scene in mind for this, just a general vibe.

7. EGG CONNOR 🥚

Show me. At least one scene, I'm begging. I don't know the context, whether it's Markus's final speech where EVERYONE is taking their skin off (please, why isn't it real), or maybe he himself turns it off to make a point, perhaps in response to Hank's whining about "what are you really" and him going skinless looking him dead in the eyes and going "a machine" or actually not saying anything, turning the skin off is enough of a power-move that doesn't require more words to be said out loud.

8. RA9 obsession among at least one of the protagonists. How is that they're all immune to that?

I don't know if I'd like it to be played along with RA9 = the player with some of them breaking the fourth wall and saying something like "RA9, help me" looking straight into the camera, or for it to be something completely different but idk, I really wish something could have been done about it. Perhaps it being a password needed to break the walls/escape the garden?

9. Appearance of current CyberLife CEO on the news or if not CEO then SOMEONE who's currently working in that company.

How is it possible that we only see Kamski who had been away from CyberLife for years and know absolutely nothing about who's currently in charge? Show usss, let them say something publicly.

10. More Perkins scenes.

Let him live his villain era to the fullest. Perhaps making him machine Connor's new partner after he's out of the DPD. I wanna see the two of them working together in order to achieve common goal of stopping Markus.

I think I'm forgetting something...ah YES (ignore the order, it means little about the significance of those non-existent scenes)

11. Markus crying during the revolution

Not only when Carl dies. (Why is it more soul-crushing for him than the death of his friend or lover?)

I can never understand how could they create a scene where Simon/North is literally giving him their heart and him taking it with barely any visible emotion. And in general, the way Markus can loose all of them, every single one of them, and never tear up. FUCK, let him SOB

If not here, make him have tears during his final speech or close to the end of it. From all the weight from recent events and grieve accumulated over the time of the game to the point where it's not possible to contain it in a stoic way. He's not a damn captain Picard to take everything with a strict frown.

Okay. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but it's a solid list already.

Thank you for the ask! Fuming about scenes that don't exist but could have been cool is never getting old with this game...

[monstersinthecosmos]

20 Qs for fic writers

Tagged by @jacqulinetan

1. How many works do you have on A03? 46 public, 3 private, 2 anon.

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 692, 623!

3. What fandoms do you write for? VC and Sheith with a few YOI fics thrown in. 😊

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? Star Eater, THE FRONT, Tonight the Stars Revolt!, Wayfinder, and Zero Hour!

5. Do you respond to comments? YES! I only share fics because I want comments lmfao. I want to talk to you!!! Sometimes I do like a quarterly roundup so I let them pile up and then answer them all every 3 months lol but I do try to reply to everybody!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I think for Sheith it’s C O A G V L A and for VC it’s The Lotus Eater or Gallows Bird? (The Lotus Eater and Gallows Bird have the Armand & Marius versions of the same ending bc Gallows Bird was a TLE remix LOL) Sfaíra Ti̱s Fo̱tiás also has a really bleak ending but it’s a PWP so it doesn’t hurt me as bad LOL.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? For Sheith it’s THE FRONT I think? For VC idk maybe Right Where it Belongs or In the Trials of the Heart?

8. Do you get hate on fics? I’ve gotten a lot of hate in fandom at large but never really got flagrant hate in an AO3 comment. I do occasionally get a rude unsolicited critique and I like to use that as an opportunity to write meta about why my decision was correct LOL

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I only write smut, thanks! WHAT KIND? idk I lean into BDSM but there's a few that aren't BDSM. I also write canon-compliant VC smut so it's either a vampire servicing a human or me trying to make blood drinking sound as horny as possible.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I used to when I was a teenager on my old accounts but it doesn’t really interest me anymore outside of like maybe a cute lil homage Easter Egg or something.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don’t think so!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I haven’t co-written in a long time but I used to! One of my fav fics from high school was written with my best friend where we alternated chapters and it was so much fun!  

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Sheith and Marius/Armand and Armand/Daniel and Marius/Pandora !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those are my fav ships to WRITE, I don’t really read a lot of VC though. I have lots of other fav ships to read.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I don’t start stuff that I won’t finish adsgjl when I was in high school my FFnet page was a DISASTER just like 60 fics, none of them finished, and so when I returned to fic writing using AO3 I promise myself not to post stuff that I wasn’t confident I’d finish. Ideally I don’t even begin sharing something until it’s finished but TTSR was an exception bc it started as a PWP and got out of hand.

16. What are your writing strengths? I get complimented the most on tension and pacing! Also on emotional meta like characters' behavior around trauma.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I really wish I was better at writing long fics. It’s been a goal of mine forever and I’ve gotten a little better but I’m not where I want to be.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Gjkaldsg I don’t think it’s necessary and often comes off as cheesy unless it serves a real purpose. I've seen it done really well before! (Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo came to mind!) And I think we’ve all seen this done badly enough in fanfic to kind of learn what not to do. I think there are times when the beauty and cadence of another language can add texture or say something that you simply can’t say in the default language, I also think it can be used to create a distance between the characters, even between the reader and the character. I used a lot of Latin in So Falls the World for example, because Marius and Pandora are reciting an ancient poem to each other, and it was important to me to leave it in Latin because I wanted to communicate their age, that they’re clinging to something archaic because it’s familiar to them, when it’s incongruous to the world around them and also the text around them. Same with the misinterpretation of silence and its disastrous consequences, where Louis is reciting a French poem. I mean do we assume that Louis and Lestat speak French to each other at home anyway? But putting the poem in the original language AT LEAST FOR ME created a sense that Louis is playing a role, that it’s something outside of himself. Basically I think media does this all the time and we are smart enough to know that the language we’re consuming might not be the language the characters are actually speaking, we all know that! So the question is, when people sprinkle random words into their stories or dialogue, I ask: What purpose did this serve? Is this how bilingual people actually talk? Is it written for bilingual readers as a shared experience or is it meant to confuse monolingual readers for effect? Is it used sparingly to add texture, is it just a fun word that you want to use? Do whatever you want but I think we need to ask ourselves these questions before writing something that’s a sloppy mess at best, and a racist caricature at worst!

19. First fandom you wrote for? Pro wrestling =P

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? Tonight the Stars Revolt! is my fav Sheith fic, it’s like my magnus opus that I do all my meta work for, everything I’ve thought deeply about was ultimately for this fic, I HAVENT UPDATED IT IN ALMOST 2 YEARS IM REALLY SORRY LIFE KINDA GOT AWAY FROM ME IT’S BEEN HECTIC but I think about it constantly, more than you know, I have 3 playlists for it that I listen to all the time, it’s just always on my mind. For VC it used to be So Falls the World but now that I wrote Gallows Bird I think it’s that, too. I can’t tell if it’s because Gallows Bird is just newer and less sloppy LOL but jkdlhakjgsd I THINK I AVOIDED WRITING MARIUS FIC FOR A LONG TIME BC I WAS INTIMIDATED BUT THE TIMES I DO WRITE HIM I HAVE SUCH A BLAST and I just love him so much!

TAGGING: @hekateinhell @apoptoses @mothmage @nothing-but-paisley @covenofthearticulate @lovevamp @bubblegum-blackwood & EVERYONE ELSE

[corneliaavenue-ao3]

time can't stop me quite like you did (A Graveyard fic)

Graveyard fics are fics that I started and will never return to. Some are vague outlines, some are 4 sentences, some are 40 pages. But if they haunt me, I want them to haunt you too.

OH BOY! Here is the 40 page fic lol.

It is the first fanfiction I ever started to write, and boy does it show. I do not have the time, skill, or energy to go back and make this fic good. But it will always have a special place in my heart for what it could have been.

Anywho.

Harry and Ginny get stuck in a time loop during the start of OOTP, stuck at Grimauld Place. They start to actually form a friendship during this time because they are the only two reliving the same day over and over again at Grimmauld. I wanted it set here because it gave Harry the opportunity to have more time with Sirius. It allowed Harry to get to know Ginny earlier. It allowed shenanagans and it allowed angst with no reprocussions because they got to relive the same day over if they fucked up.

Fun fact! It was also based on a Bellarke fanfiction, Meet Me in the Morning! It is just a time loop fic for Bellamy and Clarke for the first season of The 100, but it is what inspired me to write this.

Below the cut are some of my favorite scenes I wrote and an outline for where the fic was going! (Beware it is quite long!)

Chapter 1.

Opened with Weasleys et al. having to clean a room, and Ginny is having major deja vu because they did this yesterday?

Ginny lurched forward to snap the lid of the music box close. “Okay”, Ginny said, turning to everyone in the room, “Am I insane or did we do this yesterday?”

“You’re insane,” chorused the twins from the back corner of the room. 

“No, we definitely did this yesterday,” Harry chimed in. 

“Okay, you’re both insane,” replied Ron. 

“No, yesterday you idiots opened this same box and Crookshanks ate the doxy eggs in the corner.” Ginny pointed at her brother, “And Fred, you definitely took doxy eggs yesterday. I distinctly remember,” Ginny panicked to a room of blank stares. Only Harry seemed to not be looking at her like she had two heads. 

“I think the house is getting to you, Gin,” George said.

“No, I am with Ginny on this one. In the wardrobe Ron and Hermione were cleaning, Sirius’s Grandpa has an Order of Merlin for ‘Services to the Ministry.’ Ron tried on the medal and wore it for the next hour after we found it,” Harry pointed out.

George walked over to the wardrobe and dug around the opened drawer, pulling out an emerald green handkerchief that had dark spots splattered on it which could be blood, picking something small up and not so discreetly tucking it into his pocket, before proudly brandishing a gold medal with a big M on the front. 

“Merlin, it’s Merlin!” George exclaimed.

“You’re going to do all of my Divination homework for me this year, mate,” Ron said, reaching for the medal in George’s hands. “Look at me,” Ron said, placing the medal over his head, and puffing out his chest to brandish the medal, “Order of Merlin, First Class award winner.”

Fred snatched the medal off of Ron. “I don’t think they hand out Order of Merlin’s for being the biggest git, Ronnikins.”

“If I ever win an Order of Merlin, it will be because I put up with you,” Ron said, snatching the medal back. 

“Okay, but how did you know that Harry?” Hermione asked.

“I told you, we did this yesterday!” Harry exclaimed.

“No, Harry, we did not,” Hermione retorted.

“Okay we didn’t,” Ginny said, pointing at the group, “But Harry and I did.” 

It is important to note that Slytherin's Locket is in all the stuff that they are cleaning (that is an important tool that will become important later!)

They try talking with the adults and they can't come up with a solution. They think that Voldemort may have done something to Harry in the graveyard or someone at the ministry did something to Harry during his hearing and Ginny gets mad at all them for forgetting her. Harry and Ginny relive the next few days in frustration.

our next scene takes place on top of the roof of Grimmauld Place

“Well, I had the stupid thought that maybe if we both stayed up all night, the clock couldn’t reset. And I thought, why not at least start our night out here. We can go back inside later if you get too cold, Mr. I’m-too-good-for-a-jumper, but for now, being under the stars is nice. We don’t get out much anymore,” Ginny rambled.

“It’s not stupid.” Harry reassured her.

Ignoring the swoop in her stomach again, Ginny layed down on the blanket and stared up at the stars. She had always found the night sky fascinating. When she would sneak out at night to steal one of her older brother’s brooms for a night fly, she would always end the night staring up at the dark sky above her. Coming up on the roof at night made her feel slightly more at home, even if the sky does not get as dark nor the stars as bright as they did at the Burrow. 

“Why do you think it was us?” Ginny softly asked. “Why us and not you and Ron, or the twins? Or not even all of us?”

Harry joined Ginny laying down on the blanket, his arm slightly pressing against hers. Neither one moved. Ginny regretted throwing on the jumper so that her skin could actually touch Harry’s. Still, she could feel the heat radiating off of his arm that made her entire body flush with warmth.

“I don’t know,” replied Harry, turning his head to face Ginny. “I keep thinking back to the first day, maybe there was something we did just the two of us that caused this, but I keep drawing a blank. We were all in the drawing room cleaning, we all ate the same food all day. Ron and I played chess that night and you and Hermione watched, but why wouldn’t Ron and Hermione also be experiencing this if that was the cause. I just don’t know.”

“No one seems to know,” Ginny said in response, thinking back over the last several days when the adults tried to help, but no solution was given. 

Ginny looked down at Harry’s wristwatch. Five minutes until midnight. Making it past midnight is their first big obstacle, if they could make it to the 15th, then maybe they can break free from time’s grasp on them. 

“I’m sorry if I somehow caused this,” Harry whispered.

Ginny sat straight up and turned to Harry. “Let’s get one thing clear, you are not apologizing for something that is not your fault. Especially when so much of what is going on is unknown. You got that, Harry Potter?”

“Gin,” Harry said sitting up, “Let’s be realistic, when I am around, things have a tendency to go to shit. People get hurt because of me.”

Ginny understood immediately. Cedric.

Ginny placed her hand over Harry’s, “You were not the reason Cedric is dead, Harry. You didn’t kill him.”

“But if I didn’t tell him to grab the stupid cup with me, he would still be alive.”

“And if I didn’t write in that damn diary, I would not have been the reason so many people were petrified two years ago. I could have directly killed every single one of them, they were all just lucky. Harry, I understand the guilt you are carrying right now, but I also know that it was not our fault those things happened. It is Tom’s fault.”

Harry studied Ginny’s face, trying to understand. “I’m sorry, I sometimes forget everything you’ve been through.”

“It’s fine,” Ginny shrugged, “I’ve mostly moved on. Try not to let Tom control me anymore than he already has.” 

Harry bumped Ginny’s shoulder with his own, “Voldemort sucks doesn’t he?”

Ginny snorted. “That is one way to put it.”

Harry grinned down at Ginny. She could feel her cheeks begin to pink again. It wasn’t the same when she used to turn into a tomato and freeze up next to him. This felt warm like a summer day at the Burrow. Comfortable and Safe.

And then Ginny woke up.

Chapter 2

this chapter is really just the getting into shenanagans chapter. They fly brooms through the halls together. They completely destroy a room they are supposed to clean to get our their frustrations. One day Ginny pretends she is sick because she doesn't want to deal with it all and Harry brings her food.

The end of this chapter they go to Hogwarts to corner Dumbledore to see if he can actually help them because he avoids Grimmauld, so they haven't got his advice yet.

Inside the Headmaster’s office sat their headmaster himself behind his desk, hands gently crossed on the desk in front of him. The famous twinkle in Dumbledore’s eye was absent. Dozens of picture frames of former headmaster’s sat behind him. One of them gave a loud scoff at the sight of the two teenagers. The voice of Phineas Nigellus spoke, “Your mother is quite upset with you, child. She is making such a ruckus, yelling at all your siblings. My worthless great-great-grandson is doing quite a horrible job at calming her down.”

Dumbledore raised a hand in the air, and Phineas Nigellus immediately quieted down. “Please Phineas, can you return to your other frame and inform Molly Weasley that her daughter and Mr. Potter are safe in my office.” Phineas gave another grunt, but quickly existed left out of frame. Dumbledore returned his focus to the pair in front of him. “Now, why do I have the pleasure of this early morning visit from two students who should be at home right now?” Dumbledore asked them sternly.

Ginny rarely interacted with her Headmaster. A quick hello in passing in the halls on sporadic instances. Then there was that one time her second year he invited her up to his office to share some hot chocolate to see how she was holding up after the events of her first year. She was intimidated and lied saying she was fine, then promptly ignored the offer to seek him out if she were to ever need anything. So when she was lightly scolded by her Headmaster, she looked down at the ground in shame.

Harry, however, had no such qualms of embarrassment. “We need help, and I was hoping you could provide that for us, sir.” The bite and anger that was in Harry’s voice at the start of the summer was back as if the sight of Albus Dumbledore triggered the feelings of resentment and anger to return.

“Harry… I need you to take a moment to collect yourself.”

“Ginny and I have been stuck reliving the same day over and over again!” Harry yelled, each work punched with emphasis. “WE HAVE BEEN STUCK FOR MONTHS AND NO ONE CAN HELP US! YOU WON’T HELP US!” 

Harry seized a glass instrument on the table and threw it against the wall. Ginny recognized the seriousness of the situation they were in and the hurt that Harry felt, but she did want to give him a score of 9 out of 10 for that throw.

 Harry’s chest heaved, “I WANT TO BE NORMAL! WHY - DO - SHITTY - THINGS - KEEP - HAPPENING - TO - ME?” Harry yelled, voice hoarse with emotion. He kicked at the leg of the small wooden table causing it to crumble to the ground. 

Ginny cautiously took a few steps forward, “Harry?” she questioned, voice soft. Harry whipped around to face her, eyes alight with rage. However, they softened when the green eyes met her brown. Harry turned back to Dumbledore, much stiller than before.

Dumbledore slowly rose from his desk and walked around to his pensive in the corner of the room, ignoring Harry as he walked past. He picked up the basin and brought it to the center of the room, floating between the three of them. “Miss Weasley,” Dumbledore turned to her, “I am trusting you with sensitive information, that I have full faith in that you will keep to yourself.” Ginny could only nod at this request. 

Dumbledore spoke to Harry, “There is a prophecy.” Then he pulled out his wand taking a silver stream of a memory from his head and placing it in the pensive. A figure began to rise out of the basin. Professor Trelawney spoke in a loud, harsh tone. 

“THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES. . . . BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES . . . AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT . . . AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES. . . . THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES. . . .” 

A quiet hum fell over the room. Ginny held her breath, not wanting to be the first to make a sound. Eventually, Harry was the one to break the tension. “What… what exactly does that mean?” Harry paused, drawing in a breath, “Does that mean me?”

“Everything that has happened to you, is because Lord Voldemort decided it to be when he chose you.” Dumbledore stood in front of his pensive, but looked directly at Harry. “He marked you as an equal on that fateful Halloween evening in Godric’s Hollow.

Chapter 3:

The moping, but surprisingly, moping by Ginny and not Harry after hearing the prophecy. She thinks that the only way to end the time loop is to do something drastic. So, Ginny kills herself.

Thankfully, she wakes up the next day and Harry is not happy with her.

The bedroom door opened with a bang.  

“Harry!” Hermione shrieked, “We aren’t dressed yet!”

Ginny pulled back the blanket over her head and peered at the doorway to see a very disheveled Harry. He was still wearing his pajama bottoms and a shirt two times too large for him which must have once belonged to his cousin. His hair was sticking up out of place more than usual like he had literally just gotten out of bed. 

“Ginny,” Harry sighed, almost looking relieved. And then his attitude shifted. Ginny noticed his eyes darken and his posture stiffen before he strode over to her bed. 

He was pissed. 

“What the absolute fuck was that, Ginevra Weasley!” 

Oh, he is using her full name. He is really pissed. Angrier at her than he was at Dumbledore. She just hoped he wouldn’t chuck any crystal lamps at her head.

“Do you realize what the consequences could have been for your actions yesterday? Do you realize how incredibly stupid you were?”

He could be as mad as he wanted to be, but he was not going to call her stupid. She thought about this long and hard. She was not stupid. Ginny jumped out of bed and stood toe to toe with Harry, not planning on backing down from his anger.

“Obviously I knew what the consequences were going to be, Harry. Did you even read the letter?”

“Did I even read the letter?” Harry spluttered, “Yes I fucking read the letter. I read both of them. I realize you have some flaws like how feisty and short-tempered you are, but, damn, I never realized how selfish you could be too! Did you even think about how everyone would react when they found you dead? No, of course you didn’t!”

“How dare you? Of course I did, Harry! I thought about it for days!”

“For days!” Harry shrieked. “And you didn’t think to maybe tell me?”

“You know exactly why I didn’t tell you. You wouldn’t let me try!” Ginny pushed back.

“No shit, I wouldn’t have let you try because it was a dumb idea! If you brought it up to me, maybe you would have realized the consequences! Did you think about your family? You should have seen the way your mom sobbed all night long. Or the way Fred and George did not laugh let alone smile for the entire evening. Ron cried for hours blaming himself for something entirely not his fault! Hermione was the one who found you! Her scream echoed through the house and scared all of us!”

Hermione finally spoke up after hearing her name, “Harry,” Hermione said warely, “What are you even talking about?”

Harry put his hand up in Hermione’s direction, not even looking at her. “Not now, Hermione!”

“Oye! Don’t yell at her, she didn’t even do anything wrong!” Ron’s voice echoed from somewhere behind Harry.

“See, Harry!” Ginny yelled, ignoring the audience they have, “They don’t even remember. It doesn’t matter. It didn’t work, let’s move on!”

Harry growled at those words. “Fuck Ginny! I remember! You killed yourself yesterday, and I will always remember that! Yesterday was the worst day of my life! You know what the worst day of my life was before then? The day you got taken down to the Chamber of Secrets!”

“Why do you even care so much if I really did die?”

“Merlin, Ginny because,” And then Harry, as though without thinking, or truly even planning it, grabbed her face, pulled her up to him and kissed her. 

Oh.

Ginny was frozen in shock for a second, trying to fully grasp what exactly was happening. And then she was kissing him back. As a little girl, she had always wondered what it would be like to kiss Harry Potter. She imagined it to be soft and tender, maybe he would brush her hair back behind her ear before he leaned down to press his lips to hers. She never expected it to be so heated. Ginny wrapped her arms around his back and pressed her entire body into him. Minutes ago she had died, but now she had never felt more alive.

The rest of the chapter is them just trying and miserably failing at secret dating during the various days that they keep reliving.

“You would think that we would know enough hiding places by now to not keep getting caught.”

“If Sirius gives you the talk again, that is on you.”

The end of the chapter is when the reveal that the chest Slytherin's Locket is kept in also happens to have a broken time turner in it! (oooohhh)

Chapter 4: (This is where we jump the shark)

Harry and Ginny sneak out of the house and go on a date at Diagon Alley! But war is a thing, and Harry and Ginny should not be wandering around Diagon Alley all by themselves and lol, guess what, they get kidnapped by death eaters and taken to Voldemort.

They go to Malfoy Manor, and they realize that the best way to escape is actually by killing themselves because they know it won't actually stick thanks to Ginny's early attempt. They also are worried that if Voldemort kills Harry that then the prophecy might actually stick, so Ginny kills Harry by stabbing him with a knife. Unfortunately, before she can turn and kill herself, the Death Eaters stop her and take her to Voldemort.

A dangerous thought crossed her mind.

This was either going to extend her pain or kill her sooner. She hoped to Merlin it would kill her sooner. 

“Do all 16 year old boys keep a diary, or was that just something you did Tom?”

Voldemort stopped torturing the Death Eater who captured her and turned to face Ginny.

“How dare you use that name, little girl! How did you know of the diary?”

“I wrote in it. We became fast friends. Unfortunately it's gone now. Harry destroyed it, and killed your pet snake as well. You can thank Mr. Malfoy over there for giving it to me.” 

A flash of light was sent Ginny’s direction, she didn’t even have time to recognize that the color was not green before she fell to the ground in excruciating pain. It was like every nerve fiber was on fire and then on ice. It was unbearable. Ginny couldn’t tell if she was screaming or not. Her blood was pounding in her ears, and her head felt like it was going to explode. And then it was over. 

“You gave one of my horcruxes to a teenage girl?”

“My Lord, I was not aware that it was a horcrux.”

“Avada Kedavra!”

Unfortunately for Ginny, it was Lucius Malfoy that fell to the ground dead and not her. 

From her position on the floor, Ginny could see Voldemort kick Lucius Malfoy’s body out of the way before he sauntered over to her. Voldemort crouched down to Ginny’s level, pointing his wand at her.

“You might think that I would be thankful to the person who killed Harry Potter.” Voldemort said, tracing a pattern across Ginny’s face, “But they would be wrong. I was to be the one to kill the boy, and yet a teenage girl does it instead. My only question is why?”

Ginny let out a whimper as Voldemort’s wand continued to jab her cheek. 

“You speak when Voldemort speaks to you,” Voldemort sneered.

“I didn’t want you to get to Harry, Tom -” before Ginny could even finish the sentence, Voldemort sent another cruciatus curse at her. Somehow the pain was more excruciating than the first time the spell hit her. 

“How dare you! Potter may have killed the basilisk, but he did not get to Nagini. You will become quick friends with her.” Voldemort said, standing up and walking away from her. The familiar sounds of parseltongue were heard. Ginny looked up to see Voldemort’s pet snake slithering towards her with its jaw wide open. Nagini striked, biting down on Ginny’s neck. 

The pain was different from the cruciatus, but just as painful. 

“Kill me, please just kill me,” Ginny begged. And then Nagini struck again.

Ginny wakes up. And then it is basically a repeat of the time that Ginny first killed herself where Harry crashes into her and Hermione's room panicking that Ginny is dead.

The chapter ends with Ginny asking Harry if he knew what a horcrux was.

Chapter 5: LAST CHAPTER!

Everyone finds out what a horcrux is and realizes that the locket is one. We destroy the locket! With the sword, Ginny also gets to do it because Ginny deserves to destroy a horcrux!

And, like I have said before, I just really like digging into Ginny's trauma with Tom. So like the boggart scene in I Go On Too Many Dates and in the other graveyard fic, Haunted, I have Ginny face Tom again.

“How are you going to open it?” Ginny asked.

“Parsaltongue,” Harry replied, the answer somehow obvious now to the both of them. “Ginny,” Harry warned, “it is going to fight back. Are you sure you want to do this? I am sure Dumbledore-”

“Harry, we both know that it has to be one of us,” Ginny interrupted, “and you got to do it last time.”

Harry nodded at her, and set the locket down on top of the table. A quick swing down and then this nightmare would all be over. Ginny’s hands tightened on the handle of the Sword of Gryffindor. Just one swing.

With a hiss from Harry, the locket springs open.

With shaky hands, Ginny lifts the sword above her head. Just one swing. Why can’t she swing? Looking down at the locket, the eyes that have continued to haunt her nightmares for the past 3 summers stared back at her. Then the voice that haunts her began to speak.

“Ginny, I have missed you. Look at you, all grown up, but still so young. So naive. So stupid.” 

Out of the locket’s windows, two figures grew: one of Tom Riddle, the other of Harry. 

Ginny lowered the sword out of shock.

“Ginny, stab it!” Harry shouted from a million miles away. 

The voice of Riddle-Harry was much louder. “Do you really think that I could truly love you? That this bond we have formed was not out of desperation? Are you that stupid that you think I will continue to want to be around you once we break free from this loop?”

Ginny backed away as the figures of Tom Riddle and the dark Harry sauntered towards her. 

Tom Riddle spoke next. 

“I know everything about you Ginevra Weasley. I know how you hate to be coddled because you are the youngest. I know that worry that you disappoint your own mother because you are not the daughter that she always wanted. I know that even though you are a Gryffindor, you are still terrified.” Riddle stood directly in front of Ginny, “terrified of me. You have so many demons, and they all look like me, don’t they? I haunt your dreams. Hasn’t it been so nice not dreaming lately? You have almost forgotten about me? You have gotten to live out your childhood fantasies of being the love of Harry Potter. 

“Do you really want to lose that?” Tom Riddle asked, a long, cold finger hovering over Ginny’s cheek. Almost to brush away a nonexistent tear.

No, she didn’t want to lose that at all. Tom terrified her. The diary may be long gone, but Tom was still a part of who Ginny was since the Chamber. Ginny looked over to the real Harry. Her Harry. Harry was the reason why Tom’s voice that used to echo around her skull, had softened to a whisper. The risk of nightmares returning and Harry moving on was worth ending the loop. It was worth ending Tom. 

Ginny rushed forward with the sword brandished over her head and swung down on the metal locket, shattering it into pieces. Both Tom Riddle and Riddle-Harry vanished with a scream. Ginny dropped the sword to the ground, sinking to her knees next to it. Warm arms embraced her. Ginny turned to the familiar scent of Harry that was her best source of comfort during the past few months.

“He’s gone,” Whispered Harry, muffled by Ginny’s hair. Ginny clung on to Harry tighter. “He’s gone,” Harry repeated, “But I’m not going anywhere. It’s going to take a lot more than that for you to get rid of me. If one thing is for certain, Gin, it’s that you and I are stuck together.”

Ginny gave Harry a watery smile. “I know.” She could still hear the chill of Tom’s voice echoing around her skull. She knew this would only ignite the nightmares that have plagued her since the Chamber because Tom was right: she is still scared of him. 

“Let’s go to the roof.”

Ginny and Harry just held onto each other for the rest of the night, whispering words of reassurance to each other. At some point, Ron and Hermione came up to join them. The four of them stared up at the stars, very few words passing between them, waiting for the clock to strike Midnight. 

“Guys!” Hermione said, sitting up straight. “My watch says it's 12:04!”

“It’s past midnight?!”

“It’s past midnight!”

“Ginny!” Harry shouted, picking her up by the waist and spinning her around. “You did it, you’re amazing!” Ginny giggled.

“You do realize they are not going to forget this time and we will actually have to deal with the consequences of my family knowing we are dating, right?”

“You are so worth it.” Harry said, grinning down at Ginny and kissing her. 

AND THAT IS IT!

I have honestly had thoughts about what comes after all of this: Harry basically being like "lol no" to Cho as soon as he saw her, Ginny breaking up with Michael Corner because she basically cheated on him for over a year with Harry. The fact that, technically, both Harry and Ginny aged a year despite not moving forward a day, so does that then cause them to lose the trace a year earlier? The fact that we know about horcruxes a year earlier, and destroyed one a year earlier, so how does that impact the rest of the story.

etc. etc.

The world will never know

[sneezemonster15]

A lot of adults women behave like incels but less violent and more manipulative. They usually love the cringe romance movies where the main girl is average looking and not like the other girls and manage to make the badboy soft. Generally they hate hot girls bc they are jealous (see the way Skr stans talk abt Ino and feel victorious bc they "won" against her, the hot girl). Those women are full of insecurities, thats why Skr is so relatable.

The way Skr tries to not think about the fact Sske dont wanna spend time with her is the same way some irl women ignore that their husbands are cheating, and if they cant ignore it they will attack the other women but they will NEVER leave the guy. All their self worth is based on having a bf/husband.

Then there are some lesbian/bi women who stan her as an act of feminism. She is a female character who got what she wanted so its a win apparently. Fortunatly those ppl are minority bc as a queer woman and feminist, it is very embarrassing to read those takes. I'm all for uplifting women and for them to get everything they desire but not at the expense of non sexist men. Plus, Skr dont even look so happy at the end of the day. So is it really a win for her and women?

Yeah that makes sense. But it's sad isn't it? Because even trying to have a dialogue with them isn't helpful. There's no point having it if they aren't ready to be receptive to it.

Sakura really sees no contradiction between what she says and what she does.

And yet...

Lol. Till only two days ago, she was found styling her hair in the middle of chuunin exams, all skinned knees and having suffered minor injuries, while her team mates were working. She let her hair grow in the first place because she thought Sasuke liked it. Lol.

What impression can it possibly give to the reader? Kishi had to stress on it too, with another character this time.

Why would Kishi stress so much on Sakura and her obsession with her hair, just to make her say something totally hypocritical five chapters down? Lol. Kishi is very clever about writing his characters act according to the character traits given to them. Like for example, the panel below, Kakashi acts according to his character (where he has a blindspot for Sakura's negative shades) thinks Sakura is not the type to brag when she is actually exactly the type to brag.

Lol, Sakura's whole personality is about being obsessive for Sasuke which in turn makes her violently jealous of Naruto and Ino. She beats Naruto up regularly for no apparent reason and harasses Ino, even though that girl did nothing but try to help her. And she brags, it's the only thing she does properly. Lol.

And yet, she is always bragging, showing off. From start to end.

And I am positive I am missing some panels here lol. She is always looking for external validation. She revels in it. While external validation itself is not a bad thing, since humans need some amount of external validation to measure their abilities, and Naruto does it too, but for him, it's rooted in his quest for acknowledgement and acceptance, so he could make friends and not be ostracized from community. Sakura does it because of her ego. While Naruto has his principles rooted in his belief systems, his emotions and his dream that egg him on to do better, Sakura finds her motivation in the desire to show off and impress people, mostly Sasuke.

She disrespects Ino, Tsunade, and she fights Kaguya while she says this?

Girl, why are you so embarrassing? If you wanna attack her, just do it. Why even mention her being a woman? She wasn't mocking you, she barely even noticed you. You aren't worthy enough for her to notice.

Lol. And things she says about being a woman are just so cringe lol.

No one underestimates her because she is a girl, in fact Kakashi coddles her because she is a girl. She is underestimated because despite training, she is just weak and unskilled, as compared to her cohorts. And if she is skillful, we don't see it in the same proportion measured against the way she talks about herself. Tsunade never had to sing about her being a woman and yet people are bloody scared of her strength. Temari never had to mention it, neither did Kushina. Chiyo certainly briefly talks about how women always get the short end of the stick in their male driven society, but she not only belongs to a much older generation that has seen a hell lot, she is a master puppeteer and a superior warrior in her own right, she has earned it.

It would have been fine if only Sakura had actually consistently kept her word, proven herself through actions and not just empty words. Because when she doesn't, it reduces the value of those words. I don't know if she really meant it when she said women were fickle. Who? Tsunade? Kushina? Chiyo? Temari? Nope, they didn't give any such impression.

She constantly condescends to Naruto despite him having proved himself to be skillful, strong, the one who wins team seven several battles while she stands in a corner shaking and sweating. Thing is, she realises she makes mistakes. She acknowledges Naruto's strength as well, but she doesn't do anything to change. The whole point of a realization is to work on it and correct your behaviour. She is condescending towards Naruto till the end. Konohamaru takes her down a peg when she is being disparaging towards him and Naruto when they are doing the oiroke jutsu contest. She even hits Konohamaru, and he gets pissed off. So he makes a reverse oiroke jutsu just to show her true face, and that face has a streak of blood trickling down her nose lol. But when Naruto uses it against Kaguya, she again condescends to him. Narusakus are kinda embarrassing tbh, Sakura doesn't get Naruto. She thinks she does but she doesn't. She thinks she gets Sasuke but she obviously doesn't. And yet, she makes her 'strategies' in kage arc around her knowledge of Naruto and fake confesses to him. Naruto rejects her. Lol. She goes to Sasuke and tries to kill him (with a kunai...) by tricking him, only to be attacked, twice. Even when she drugs her cohorts before going to Sasuke, they clock her real plan. Lol.

She overestimates herself, even though it's clear that if she only thought things through, she would be much more successful. She is really blind to her own shortcomings even though she tries but remains unsuccessful, which is even sadder.

She does know Sasuke doesn't wanna spend time with her, she also gets a sense that she will always be much lesser than Naruto in Sasuke's eyes, she knows but she doesn't care. Even if it means long term misery for everyone involved.

Yes, I am sure some women find her character relatable. But relatable doesn't mean everything. I relate to Sasuke and I am very wary of establishing emotional connections but I know it's not something ideal or healthy. Connection is what people thrive on. If I ever started to relate with Sakura, I would really be compelled to take a hard look at myself. Lol.

[twst-drabbles]

(not a request - just me sharing thoughts lol)

Abvdhabsb I just wanna scoop some of the lil guys from the pet AU into my hands and give them belly rubs or something. Just have them on their back, cupped in my hands, with my thumbs squishing their cheek or tickling them or whatever,,,, they're so cute lol

I bet the twins would try to nom me though. And Vil wouldn't want his appearance to be messed up (although he may be willing to put up with some pampering,,,) I think Ace and Deuce would be smug little menaces - teasing the other if they're the one to receive the affectionate treatment...

Abshshsb I love your AUs so much you have so many great ideas and the way you execute them are!!! Amazing!!! Pet AU is one of my favs - alongside the Janitor AU and your Eldritch one too (those rose bushes have remained in my brain lmao - junji Ito is one of my favourite mangakas for a reason. The reason is that the eldrich horror is fun.)

I hope you have a great day! Also make sure you stay hydrated!

〜⁠(⁠꒪⁠꒳⁠꒪⁠)⁠〜

Thank you thank you! I have a lot of pets so I have a lot of memories to pull from and use as inspiration for the little shenanigans that happen in the house pet au.

Oh, and because of the most recent chapters, specifically the knowledge that Malleus was born from an egg, I've been in the mood to write a what-if where the house pets are genuine babies. As in, they're not at all old enough to be away from their parents just yet. Basically, nursery au type thing. Vil doesn't have his eyes open, a pretty bald little thing with only the lightest of fuzz on his head. The plant nymphs are still in their hard shells, tripping and don't even have their colors yet. Soils needs constant changing. You get the deal.

Would any of you like that idea? An AU of an AU. A Nursery AU.

I'm having the slightest bit of trouble with the spirits in Savanaclaw but I have a few ideas as to how they would be as real youngsters.

Anyways, funnily enough, I actually haven't gotten into Junji Ito until waaaay after I got into university. But, I have been exposed so a lot of Juniji Ito inspired works, so I suppose my horror writing style was, in the end, influenced by him. I like strange horror. I like beautiful horror! Like in the manga Hell's Paradise. I'll try and make some more horror pieces, mostly because I haven't done so in a while.

[worldismyne]

Kirona fics recs.

"@worldismyne thank you! I'll check it out! Yeah, I'd love some recs. I prefer Crona as a boy (trans or cis) but I still like fics with them as non-binary or a girl."

------

Alright, it's been a hot minute since I read some of these, so any ff.net recs are vaguely remembered through rose color glasses, but they def left an impact on me.

Masc recs...

The Lycan and the Vampire (T - Incomplete)

Summary: Crona is a lycan via bitten. Kidd is a vampire by birth. Kidd hates the lycans. Crona doesn't know how to deal with a vampire. Male!CronaXKidd. Rated T for sexual references mentioned mostly by a Lycan

Review: I am paranormal romance cringe. I remember this fic being the first I remembered when thinking of good MxM Kirona. The AU was fairly well world built as well.

Kid x Crona : Hades and Persephone (G - Hiatus)

Summary: Have you ever wondered if there was more to the story of Hades and Persephone? That there was more than what was said in stone?

Review: This is a mythology AU. I just got started with this one, but I'm a sucker for greek mythology. Seems pretty cute so far.

The Difference Between Us (M - Incomplete)

Summary: An ongoing Death the Kid x Male!Crona fanfic. Kid shows Crona what it means to be loved. Slow paced and many chapters long.

Review: tldr, have not read this one, 1st person is not my jam. But, the people for people who do like it (according to other reviews) it's got solid characterization and is a decent long fic to settle in with.

NB recs...

Beneath All the Hate and Despair (T - Incomplete)

Summary: Even after switching sides and making peace with most of Maka's friends, Crona has a rocky transition into Kid's good graces. Things get even more difficult when traces of Medusa crop up. An exploration of two wildly different but curiously similar people that come closer together. Mostly canon compliant, but an AU of sorts. NB Crona. (Revamped fic)

Review - This is the OG for me, and by that I mean how young me found out about they/them pronouns. (I didn't really get it at the time, but I still read the whole thing AND the author went back 10 years later to do another copy edit once they had more expirence. Mad respect.)

Stir the Cauldron (T - Updating)

My summery: A continuation of the manga where Kid uses his new powers to help save Crona.

Review - Really nice getting to see Kid adjust to being the new Lord Death, the internal dialogue is really on point. Bonus points for addressing Ragnarok and having Crona be artificially made (gotta be one my fav HC).

Devestation Rots (NR - Complete)

Summary: In which Kid is shattered by the loss of two people very important to him.

Review: Cute hurt/comfort two-shot. Bonus points for Liz/Patty + Kid in a sibling dynamic.

-----

I read mostly fem!Chrona longfics way back. So The Birth of Scelus the Kishen and Child Born of Love are the absolute classic longfics that have survived (I could have sworn there were four or five others, they may have been deleted). But both of them are complete and rated T. I have 0 clue how well they've held up, but they got me through many a class and roadtrip growing up.

There is 10 pages of fics on ff.net (the ship predates the ship filter feature. So just pop in romance into genre and only have them as the listed characters). There used to be more, but like I said, people like to delete their old stuff.

キックロ or Kikkuro is the ship name in Japanese if you ever want to look for art on other sites. I know there were a few doujins back in the day, but very few were translated to English at the time.

It's so interesting to see a ship that used to be in the main trifecta of ships fall out of favor. I'm mostly writing for other ships now too, so I'm not complaining lol.

Daughter of Madness is the longest fic I ever wrote and now with the sequel, they've fully transitioned from she/her egg to they/them god X'D

I still love these two together in any interpretation. So if you ever get brainrot or wanna talk headcanons, my inbox is open lol.

EDIT 10 Pages of fics when browsing on mobile, 28 if you're on web.

[creativeafterdark]

Chapter 8

So unfortunately this week I have no sketches for the chapter due to slight burn out and work related reasons (also I had completely forgotten we get introduced to the pilgrims minus Sanzang in this chapter and their designs are anything but ready). As a result, I'm just going to write my thoughts.

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

First things first: Guanyin. I love Guanyin. They're just so calm about being attacked by two monsters and letting Hui'an handle combat. It also shows the sheer difference in strength between the four disciples, after seeing the trouble that he went through fighting Sun Wukong. Guanyin is a true being of mercy, not really making a big fuss out of being attacked and I commend them for it, I would be chewing Zhu and Sha's heads off. Though the "Perhaps in Two or Three Years" answer they gave the great Immortal, I'll need to pay attention to how much time passes to see if that's accurate (but I recall the full journey takes 14 years? Correct me if I'm wrong).

Next up: Sha Wujing. So after I'd previously read the Abridged Version, I was utterly confused as to why the Jade Emperor was petty enough to punish this poor man for BREAKING A CUP. Then I found a comic by antidotefortheawkward that explained how breaking a cup could be seen as a signal to attack. And I was like "...ah. That makes more sense now." Still a little petty, not hearing him out, but it made sense that it would be his first thought. Especially if he was cast out AFTER Sun Wukong's Havoc. I don't think we got a clear answer on that timeline (again feel free to correct me!). Even if he did eat people, I still love this pilgrim and can't wait for his chapter.

Next: Zhu Wuneng, aka Zhu Bajie. Quick to lower his weapon for a woman, lol. Jokes aside, it seems as though he's very unlucky with women (and vice versa). There is his flirting with the Moon Goddess (which is still unclear if it was consensual or unwelcomed, that would change my opinion of how this all went down), him killing his new form's mother and siblings (I've heard people say human flesh tastes like pork, so I guess that's where he got the taste for it, huh?), and the death of Second Elder Sister Egg (and him getting all her stuff). Unlike Sha Wujing, it does feel like Zhu Wuneng was begging a lot more for mercy. But Guanyin chose to believe his intent as being genuine, so he will be the next disciple.

Next: OUR DRAGON BOY. I'm gonna call him Bai Longma, as that's the name most know him by. I feel out of all of these, his punishment was the most unfair, and the fact that his father went to the Jade Emperor and seemed to be just fine with a DEATH SENTENCE honestly kills me. Like, I feel as though everyone was so on edge after Sun Wukong that punishments just amped up. I am glad Guanyin immediately jumped to his defense, and as a result got Sanzang a much better mount than any old horse.

And finally: Sun Wukong. Our old monkey. And the start of my favorite relationship in the story (the friendship between Guanyin and Wukong). Sun Wukong is still very bitter of Tathagata's trick but appears willing to do what he must to get free, though knowing what I do, I'm already thinking "Uh huh. Sure. Whatever you say, Great Sage" in a sarcastic tone. But that's for another chapter.

And with that, Guanyin continues their own journey to Chang'an to find our Tang Sanzang.

All in all, a very short but important chapter, setting the stage for journey and meeting the key players.

I probably will be doing more writing than drawing for the next few chapters (minus the intro to Sanzang), to both get off this burn out and because I don't recall any characters that show up more in the story aside from these chapters, so I don't see a point in making a design for them.

[blackstarchanx3new]

FSR rambles PT

PART. 3 BABY OF BEING CRINGY ABOUT MY OWN AU

LET'S GOOOOOO (Big send of too this chapter, holy shit)

Lol so like: One thing I didn't wanna do was suppress how much Zelda meant to Shadow Link's character arc for the sake of Vidow "Working".

Shadow Link does love Zelda FYI our mans is Bi. Idk if you noticed...but this whole comic is just polycule central there's no shipping wars, you can ship everyone basically. X'D

Zelda was a huge role in Shadow Link's character development to being a good boy, so it's only natural he's attached to her. (This will also be shown in the next chapter...Hehe)

Also the way his emotions around Vio are so charged that the best way he can put it to words is Vio is "Really cool" is like, so dumbly sweet. Bro can't properly even word how much he adores this man.

Shadow Link has made it no secret he wants to be buds with Vio for reals this time, and he's also 100% not interested in helping Gannon. So...There really ISN'T a reason Vio and him should have the same issues Vio was worried about. Thus, he tries to sooth Vio's fears.

*cough cough cough* gay. Shadow Link's so anxious about asking.

Lol so I got a "Writing rule" for Vio...He ain't gonna cry till I crack him completely like an egg. X'D He will get very close tho: Like this moment.

The way I put blush on the nose area specifically indicates someone's like, close to crying or is crying. I just like this face particularly because there's so much shit going on in that head of his.

The start of the hug is so damn awkward (Intentionally so)

These panels mean so much to meeeeeeee-

Everything about em

The hug, Vio's so close his face is squished (He's so adorable.)

Shadow Link doesn't immediately hug him back he's stunned.

Hehehehe. Vidow go brrrrr..

This entire page is just: PAIN.

Shadow breaks the hug to show him the book.

The wording leaves it so ya can't help but think he hoped the introducing of their friendship would change Vio's mind about being Link again...That his words earlier were just mad ramblings and not how he actually felt. But with a clear head Vio verbally says he still wants to be Link again.

Lmao bro tries not to crack again aaaaand fails.

The book is one about healing magic...What kinds are in there I wonder. ;) A refrence...to a past Selda game mayhaps?~

Also this frame of Shadow Link full blown ugly crying while pretending to be fine is so hilarious to me idk if it comes off as sad or funny but it's kinda both to me. X'D

Mans is crying for him and Vio at this point.

Vio putting the book down in favor of comforting Shadow Link is just kinda one of those things that like, if he had ignored Shadow Link the reader would have noticed, but him being like, decent is smth that isn't nearly as "noticeable" (Like, ya typically notice a character being shitty WAY MORE than you notice all the subtle things they do that are just, kind.)

Also Shadow still wants to be helpful even though he's like, sobbing his eyes out. X'D

He also tries to hide from Vio lmao. Vio saw the water works bro.

Quite a few things:

Shadow's still toxic, just a little. X'D He WANTS Vio around, he misses him like crazy and does not want him to leave, AT ALL. This is very obvious lmao.

But he's also at the point where he knows he can do better than just screaming and throwing tantrums like he did as a kid. But his true feelings about how betrayed he feels Vio still wants to be Link are STILL THERE. Even if he chooses to try and hide them.

Also funny detail: Vio blushing was a lowkey gag because of the whole "They're both attracted to red flags" joke.

You could also take it as him being scared shitless, which he IS.

While he can't take back snapping at Vio, he certainly realizes his mistake very quickly and apologizes. So that's SOMETHING at least. (Considering the type of person he was before, a relapse or two is expected lmao.) I think him still having a certain level of anger management issues makes his character overall more interesting.

I like to think the only reason Vio gave him any patience for that, was because Shadow Link has been nothing but patient and there for him all night and he knows Shadow is emotional as fuck.

As Vio gave him shit for the fight with Blue earlier showed, Vio doesn't tolerate Shadow's crap when he's just being a violent shithead.

Hahaha. Remember when Link outright stated Vio wanted to be Vio and not Link. :) Link sure is a way more reliable narrator than...idk...The guy who lies...

*Whispers gently into your ear* Vio's not being very truthful here...

Notice: He only. ONLY brings up "Logical" reason...not his actual FEELINGS on the matter... He SAYS "I don't want to be Vio"

WHY. WHY!? TELL US WHY VIO!!!

He does have a reason but he's not tellin' lmao.

So, in the book it's not really...SPECIFIED where Shadow Link came from? Like I think all it says is "Gannon drew him out of the dark mirror"

...THAT IS SO UP FOR INTERPRETATION AND BRINGS UP SO MANY QUESTIONS:

Did he have a life in the dark world and was just, TOLD to do Gannon's bidding? His line of "I'm your living reflection in the dark world" MAYBE supports this idea...??? KINDA?

But my issue with that is: Shadow Link gives NO indication he has had a past in the dark world, like...at all. Nothing. No mention of family (Which...Reasonably wouldn't he have a dark version of Link's father???) He's the ONLY PERSON who's implied to be FROM the dark world. Also...The dark mirror isn't REALLY implied to be a PORTAL... The seal on Vaati and his demons was, but Shadow Link wasn't freed from that, Gannon "Drew him from the dark mirror" to release Vaati...So uh...HMMMM His also distinct lack of his OWN name kinda makes me go ???? Like...His NAME is Shadow Link...Like that's not a nickname. That's his NAME. (Like this just weirds me out because of a cannon "Reflection" of Link: in Ravio. Who like...HAS HIS OWN NAME???? ik Ravio isn't from the "Dark world", he's from Lowrule, but point still stands this is odd.)

Suffice to say, there's just not enough info here to draw a conclusion for me? So I gotta make shit up. X'D Shadow Link was created out of Link's Shadow by Gannon in FSR. This is also the reason he resembles a Gerudo male. Cause Gannon said "Mm yes, my evil Link sona will have my heritage. UwU"

Shadow link realizing he almost made Vio cry is so funny to me.

Vio looks so fucking pathetic there. lmfao.

Shadow's words only hit again like Link has stated: Shadow knows Vio

Whether intentionally or not: what he says hits Vio like a ton of bolders.

He's very hesitant to keep talking though because he doesn't want to hurt Vio either.

It's like, he's AWARE he's telling Vio this shit because he WANTS him to stay, but you also can't deny Shadow's at least CORRECT in a lot of his statements. How far should he push that though? Hmm.

His "Oh my god you're an idiot" face is hilarious. Shadow's like "You still don't get what I'm laying down dude??? REALLY!?"

*Explodes*

Lmao. That panel before they kiss is basically my favorite in the entire comic rn. X'D

Shadow pulling away and squishing Vio's face is also a favorite. Vio's just cute and squishable.

Vio stating the obvious: That his mental breakdown wasn't Shadow's fault. (Wasn't really anybody's fault it was inevitable, especially with the curse/Dark Link active)

Lmao. Vio's kinda dumb as bricks sometimes too. X'D

Shadow Link's fucking deadpan stare while Vio rants is so hilarious to me. Also the direct quoting of Vio instead of paraphrasing making his statement sound even more stupid.

Also fun dialogue thing: You'll notice the characters stutter or like, pause weirdly, Because I like writing dialogue a little more realistic. Like Shadow Starts off as "I-was" instead of like "W-was" like he thought of saying smth completely different at first or his mouth moved before his brain did. X'D

Their banter is fun, Vio's his sassy self. Shadow giving him all the kisses we desired...

Okay ngl this page hurts me X'D Like. Ouch. All of it hurts.

Because of how Link kinda abandoned Shadow Link (Even though he was always there) Shadow is OBVIOUSLY very hesitant to let go. It's super obvious Vio doesn't wanna let go either.

Also Vio kissing him back surprises Shadow. X'D He's still bamboozled Vio is receptive to his affection oof... (Would like to show him getting more comfy with it as the comic goes on like "Holy shit, nah he's not playing around with me he fr-")

They mean so much to each other. QuQ

Okay to make you laugh in these very serious panels: Because Shadow's floating Vio's standing on his tip toes.

On that note, can't wait to see yall for the next chapter, whenever I get around to it. X'D

[chen-chen-chen-again-chen]

Hi, hello, hola, and happy Stab Caesar Day! Tumblr ate my original draft because, um, I guess its hunger is horrible and insatiable? But here I am for take two. Thank you to @artsyunderstudy, @larkral, and @forabeatofadrum, who tagged me today and who continue to craft delightful things.

Updates on My Good Egg (Good morning, good night, good morning): My plan of posting Chapter 4 today ain't gonna happen. I updated the author's notes, but the next posting date is TBD. I need to focus on my health right now, and then I'll be travelling for a bit (March 24-April 7). But hey, if you've been meaning to read this one, now's a great time to catch up? 🤣

In the meanwhile, I'll share a snippet featuring several of my OCs, Baz's queer, chaotic uni friends. Behind the cut for mild spice. 🌶️

Bunce goes off with Simon so that she can pump the American bartender for information, and as soon as they’re out of earshot, Emma leans forward, her eyes glittering. “Well?”

“Well what.”

“I told Liu and Ramesh you got kidnapped,” Emma says, waving her hand dismissively, “and of course we’re all very worried and hope you’re doing okay and acclimating to regular life again, but have. You. Ridden. That.” 

Baz regrets downing a few rats before they left for the pub, because it means he has enough blood in him to blush. “We’ve been figuring out this kidnapping situation,” he says coolly. “It hasn’t left much time for carnal pursuits.” 

“Baz,” Liu says, aghast. “Why haven’t you fucked that nice himbo? He’s clearly gagging for it - he couldn’t stop staring at your arse in those jeans.” 

“Is he a himbo?” Ramesh says. He pulls out a pen and starts to doodle a triple Venn diagram on a napkin. “He seemed like more of a twunk to me. And he’s got a great bear belly.” 

“Ladies,” Emma says, her hands fluttering in mock-distress, “please don’t objectify that sweet boy before Baz gets to objectify him. Baz will eat his fill of the man-meat and then give us a report.” 

(Please put in the comments/tags if you think Simon Snow is a twunk, a himbo, or something else delightful. 🤣)

Hello tags and tagbacks: @whogaveyoupermission, @cutestkilla, @facewithoutheart, @captain-aralias, @fatalfangirl, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @whogaveyoupermission (THE EDGING CONTINUES), @raenestee, @ileadacharmedlife, @shrekgogurt, @hushed-chorus, @shemakesmeforget, @theimpossibledemon, @imagineacoolusername

More about the hiatus for My Good Egg:

(Warning for some hard stuff, Big Feelings, trauma recovery. Feel free to skip and just bask in Ides of March posts instead!)

Okay, so introspective life/writing blather here... I keep meaning to write a post, at some point, about some of the best practices that I follow when I am writing about material that is heavy, like in Baker boxer teacher grief or the Rosethorn girl universe.

A lot of stuff that works for me is probably self-evident: go slow, be gentle, ground yourself, talk to safe people, have a release valve, be able to walk away, offer yourself a lot of self-care and self-compassion, take care of the soft animal of your body. And don't feel like you have to put everything in - some of what you can write can just be for you, and it can be enough to have written it, and not include it in the finished product.

I honestly didn't expect Good morning, good night, good morning to get me where I live. It is, as I've always maintained, a dumb horny rom com (that somehow developed a plot and backstory and plot TWISTS and OCs but ANYWAY). But there was a line in Chapter 3 that kept rattling around in me:

“You were a kid,” Simon says, his voice low and angry. “You were just a kid.” 

This is not the first time I've been triggered by own fic (and probably won't be the last, LOL!), but this one did me a doozy. I've had to take a few steps back, and just focus on recovering from trauma that's been reactivated in my body. It is wild what the body remembers, and how it holds onto pain.

(There is, at the same time, other stuff happening with my family with grief and estrangement and just a whole mischegoss of hard feelings, so that adds another element into the mix.)

To circle back round to My Good Egg: I'm putting it to the side for now while I tend to my health and just recovering from the past few weeks. It's funny - I don't think it's a particularly angsty story or one that does a super deep dive into trauma, but I need to take some pieces off my plate right now, and this fic is one of them.

I will always keep writing - the WIP game has been a delightful brain refresher, and I have a very fun Six Sentence Sunday post that I'm already excited to share. But for now, My Good Egg is gonna have a li'l nap. When I come back to it, I think I'll switch over to writing the second draft in its entirety, and then posting the chapters weekly, whenever that happens. I'm not putting a timeline on it right now.

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED talk making your way through this personal essay, if you've gotten this far. I am continually blown away and delighted by everyone who engages with the fic, and I am so excited to serve you up some treats in the future.

To end on a lighter note, here is an exchange with my spouse, the inestimable EarlobeGreyTea who continues to offer thoughtful and nuanced feedback on this fic, Exhibit A:

EarlobeGreyTea: Did they fuck in this chapter?

Me: No Me: And they didn't fuck in the previous chapter Me: It's the EROTIC Grope Fest. It doesn't have to have explicit sex (yet) EarlobeGreyTea: Yeah, I guess it isn't the Sloppy Fuck Fest

Love you all. ❤️❤️❤️

[buoyantsaturn]

Hii if u wanted to, it'd be so cool if you talked about the band naming choices!! I think they're super sick

omg absolutely <3

first and foremost i should state that all of the bands were formed based off of certain vibes from real life bands (i had just finished reading where are your boys tonight. sorry <3) so some of the character traits / band groupings / names were slightly influenced by that. anyway <3

true blue: so. fall out boy has this thing about blue imagery in their songs. and as soon as that connection was pointed out to me i was like oh percy's band has to be the fall out boy equivalent. i did a bad job of actually making anything about the two bands actually line up in the canon of this fic. however you should know that percy and grover have an insane pete/patrick relationship. that didn't answer your question. true blue is a lyric in fob's ginasfs <3 i also fully stole fall out boy's evening out with a girlfriend to use as their debut album <3

psychopomp: the mcr equivalent. i think this will become more and more clear as the fic progresses. admittedly i was listening to a lot of hozier's new album during the planning stages of this fic. i also named the fic before i'd chosen all of the band's members i think, which is why there's the slightly strange combo of nico hazel lou and cecil. HOWEVER ive seen tons of people talk about how nico lou and cecil would get along great because all of their parents are chthonic deities (something something hermes used to be the one that ferried souls to erebos?? i think??) and i was also originally going to have a bit where all of the members of psychopomp had former jobs as tour guides of some kind (orientation leader at college, museum tour guide, etc) bc of. psychopomps being the ones that guide you to the afterlife. you know. btw 'the basement demos' is a play on mcr's 'attic demos' but there are no characters in this series that own a place that has an attic so. basement it was!

past tense: this one is actually so funny and if i explain it itll ruin a joke thats set up in like. one of the last 5 chapters lol. i just wrote it last night <3 also past tense is a dashboard confessional equivalent hence the swiss army romance demo chapter title <3

new fall of rome: what's so funny is. unintentionally. this band is basically the panic at the disco equivalent. there is nothing in the fic that really supports this other than the fact that these guys got a record deal before ever playing a show. if i wasnt a coward i wouldve found a way to include the fob/patd connection but it wasnt going to work with the timeline so they get a rivalry instead. no spoilers <3 anyway band name chosen for new roman reasons but also it has a similar feel to like. new found glory you know. or the new london fire. it just had a real band name feel to it honestly its the band name im proudest of bc its the one that i think could most realistically be used lol

and a future throwaway mention of heroz journey which was just because dreamy wanted an easter egg <3

thats all of the core bands and i dont think i named any others??? but if i missed one feel free to ask <3 i also went way overboard and explained the whole band vibe instead of just the name but ive been waiting for so long for someobdy to aks me about this fic so <3 congrats you got So Much.

[ddeongies]

(Is it softer? The skin of Yeji’s palm was so soft on her cheek, the rest of her must be soft too).

- YES SOFT YABS SOFT EVERYTHING U GET ME

Going straight from having worryingly horny thoughts about Hwang Yeji to her favorite professor all but begging her to join her seminar wasn’t what she’d expected of her day when she rolled out of bed that morning.

- damn the universe is siding with ryujin that day huh

“Yeah. Besides, I haven’t really been looking for anything serious since,” she offers, eyes glued to Yeji’s face. 

- that meme where it's like "WE'RE SO BACK" 📈 "it's over" 📉 "WE'RE BACK" 📈 yeah that's literally me bc how do u mess this up

“C’mere.” Her voice is low.

- holy shit i am on my knees.

“I’d really like to kiss you right now.”

- FUCKING FINALLY 😭😭😭😭😭😭🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

“Wait,” she gasps, “I can’t.”

- again that 📉📈📉📈 meme 😓

gosh the slowburn is burning!!!!! and they are burning me alive. it's nice to see how rj is INTO yj in her pov. like yes girl idk how u managed to not thirst /this openly/ (at least in her mind) over yeji. and that she deliberately planned the movie night as well with a motive in mind. they're both so down, your honor!!! i can say they both have a different approach in achieving their goals. like yeji wants to take it slow, calculating things, and that might be bc she got a headstart in realizing the depth of her attraction for ryujin. and ryujin might realized her attraction for yeji at a later time but once she did, she's kinda straightforward with it.

i might say this every chapter but how do i get myself a hwang yeji. seriously. i will never get tired of how perfect but humanly she is.

the rollercoaster ride this chapter put me through. miscommunication 📉 oh wow they cleared that up so fast 📈 goddamn it ryujin why would u say that now yeji might think you're only in it for casual 📉 OH BUT YES KISS SO HOT 📈 oh no they stopped i hope yeji doesn't think ryujin thinks it was a mistake 📉

oh well it was worth the ride and i will eat up every chapter. what i love the most about ur writing is the right balance between dialogue and introspection as well as crafting the setting so that i'm taken along for the college life again. i'm excited for the winter break and the second semester (most especially that karaoke scene bc they put it again in the itzzz behinds again) have a great weekend ahead!!! happy ryeji day 🥳 [also is it professor son chaeyoung or son seungwan] - 🌼

YES SOFT YEJI ALWAYS SHE IS SO SOFT I GET U AND U GET ME 🙌🏽

you know what they say.... ryujin always wins

that meme is the best description of this chapter LMAO like ryu please..... please you were so close she wants you so bad and you want her so bad??? please?

low voice yeji 🧎🏽🧎🏽🧎🏽

fucking finally indeed LMAO just took 40k!!

ryeji really said 📉📈📉📈

yes i'd say the feelings are incredibly mutual at this point LOL. our girl yeji has been simping hard since chapter 1, but ryu is finally meeting her right where she is it just took a lil bit :P

they def go about it differently! (and similarly in a way, they both seem to think making a plan is the best way to get with someone lol) but yeah i think the ways they're approaching it are impacted both by how they are as people and by what they assume the other wants when maybe they should try meeting in the middle! idk!

i know i'm writing her, but i'm seriously obsessed with nmau yeji... she's just a good egg i love her

would you believe me if i said the next couple of chapters are kinda 📈📈📈??

aaah thank you!!! i really actively try to strike that balance between dialogue, setting, action, and introspection! i read through and edit my chapters like 10+ times and i'm always adding and tweaking and trying to make it all nice and smooth so yay glad it's working :) honestly writing this has been very fun and nostalgic! i'm basing SoCo off of my time at a small liberal arts college if that wasn't very clear, and it's honestly been a blast writing about that! (you don't know how excited i am to write that karaoke scene