#i'll need some brainpower to come up with something

[thewardenisonthecase]

I think they should have allowed Davrin and Lucanis to make out. Matter of fact, they should have coupled up. AND, they should have let rook be their third.

I'm just saying

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Sebek Zigvolt - Nightmare Suit Voice Lines

Halloween, eh... I've got this handled. I'll show everyone a very special fright! (Zero: Bark!)

Summon: This is Halloween! I'll teach you how truly terrifying Halloween can be.

Groovification: Here we go! Time to give everyone a taste of a completely new form of absolute terror. (Zero: Bark, bark!)

Home: I worry this will fray...

Swap Looks: Zero, are you coming along with me? (Zero: Bark, bark!)

Home Transition 1: I saw Leona-senpai taking a nap while surrounded by some undersea-creatures... He must have nerves of steel...

Home Transition 2: I passed by one of the townsfolk whose features resembled that of a bat... I feel as though they resemble one of the Thorn Fairy's men that I once saw in a painting.

Home Transition 3: Despite our strange predicament, Jade-senpai seems to be in high spirits... Is Octavinelle truly well with him as Vice Housewarden?

Home Transition - Login 1: Hey, don't let your guard down one bit! From under the bed, to the shadow cast by the doors... You never know where some strange creature might be lurking.

Home Transition - Login 2 (Swap Looks): Hey! Stop clinging to me, you ghost... Uh, dog...? Hmm. I guess I should just call you Zero, after all. (Zero: Bark, bark bark!)

Home Transition - Groovy: There cannot be a Halloween without candy! We require brainpower in order to think up ways to be frightening. Obviously, we need to keep our sugar levels high.

Home Tap 1: I never thought I'd ever be wearing something so stitched and patched up like this... In any ordinary situation, I would have disposed of such clothing before it became this shoddy!

Home Tap 2: I thought Sally was a mere rag doll, but it seems she actually has more of a spine than I thought. I misjudged her!

Home Tap 3: Jack may rule over Halloween, but he behaves in such a frivolous manner! A king ought to be dignified, powerful ruler over their people.

Home Tap 4: Skully is just overwhelmingly enamored by Jack and his fellows... I'm getting increasingly exasperated every single time he raves on and on about his adoration.

Home Tap 5: Aah! ...Oh, it's just you. Don't scare me like that. Just a moment ago, one of the townsfolk jumped out of a trashcan when I tried to open it... This is no good for my poor heart!!

Home Tap - Groovy: This truly is a strange town. For better or for worse, it looks as though there will be many memorable moments here.

DUO: [SEBEK]: Jade-senpai, I have no need for your assistance! [JADE]: I'll simply cheer you on, Sebek-kun.

Requested by Anonymous.

[yuwuta]

Nsfw // Remember the itfs talk?? Cause I was thinking, I was thinking so hard about what to answer cause like yesss!!!

I want to focus on the latter tags cause.... Wow thats what I'm talking about!! Whenever I read itafushi I like top yuuji and bottom (and more often than not sub) megumi. So it makes so much sense that you'd want to take revenge for that cause he liked you but chose to ask yuuji out before asking you?? Or, yuuji knew megs liked you and still choose to ask him out?? So, in the first scenario it would be more than fair to dom him! Maybe you were all just talking about how you all ended up together and yuuji just lets that slip. maybe you're feeling like being a bit (or maybe a lot) mean to megumi, get him on his knees, sucking, deepthroating really, yuuji with you controlling his movements absolutely forcing him to take all of yuus length down his throat and gag like crazy with an obscene amount of spit oozing out of the corner of his lips. It was definitely personal too, they way you were treating megumi. Yuuji is not innocent in all of this ofc, but I'll let that slide for the sake of the moment. To continue punishing megs you would have your way with yuuji while he just sits there and... watch. It would end with yuuji giving you a huge creampie, it was such a lewd sight too, his dick was already shining cause of megumis spit, and even more after he entered you cause you were soaked. So there you are, full of your bfs cum seeping out and you ask megumi to clean you, cause that wouldn't be the first nor last time that he'd taste yuuji. Your revenge on yuuji is definitely happening another day too

gnaws on a steel plate… godddddddd okokokok yuuji has such an effortless dominate aura about him that’s a little scary once he hones in on it. most of the time, it’s purely his outgoing, charming nature and physical strength that lures other people into submission by will or force, whichever comes first, and he’s sort of naive to it. but when he chooses to exercise that strength, when he chooses to be stronger than you, than megumi, when he chooses to seduce, it’s mind-numbing, it’s boyish, but there’s still a distinct power struggle that it’s dizzying… insane… 

anyway… you said two very important things in here and i only have the space (brainpower) to bring attention to one right now, and i will below, but just know we need to come back to the point about letting yuuji creampie you while megumi’s there bc i am firm believer that that’s actually one of megumi’s biggest fantasies. in general, seeing you and yuuji together does very bad things for his brain but not bad enough for him to deny that… also megumi king of safe sex until it comes to watching yuuji cum inside of you goddddd

yuuji is the one who instigates your revenge in the first place (and he will also do the opposite, will convince megumi that he deserves to take some frustration out on you, that you were sooo oblivious while he pined for you for all those years, how you weren’t very observant as his best friend and now he’s got the chance to show you exactly how badly he’s wanted you… but that’s for another time…)—but right now, yuuji’s getting into your head, he’s deceptively charming, not at all innocent, and far too calculated when he stops making out with megumi and turns to you, not too far away, sitting up against the headboard with wide eyes. yuuji thinks you look awfully cute—you always do when you three are together, you have this wide-eyed awe about you; not shy, but definitely still timid about the fact that you’re now dating your childhood best friend and his boyfriend. yuuji loves that look, but he thinks he’d like to ruin it more. 

and he takes the opportunity to do so, much to megumi’s surprised and distaste—ignoring megumi’s pawing at the hem of his shirt, impatient, yuuji looks over his shoulder to you and poses, “can i ask you something?” 

your eyebrows raise in surprise. megumi’s raise in suspicion, petulantly coming down from the high of making out with yuuji, and craning his head back to look at you. your eyes shift to his briefly, and then back to yuuji’s, almost embarrassed, and when he looks at megumi, there’s a slight blush at the tips of his ears. cute. you two are very cute, and yuuji likes it a lot. it confirms to him exactly what he wants to happen tonight. 

“you remember how i told you about yuuta-senpai? and how he’s my best friend, but when he started dating inumaki-senpai, i kinda hated him because they spent so much time together?” yuuji recounts casually, biting back a grin when megumi huffs. you nod, evidently confused, but yuuji continues, slowly reaching a hand up megumi’s arm, over his shoulder, up his jaw, until he reaches the shell of his ear, then asks, “did you ever feel that way about me?”

he can see the shock on your face, hear it from megumi when he gasps a bit and pulls away from yuuji’s touch, “what kind of a—”  

but yuuji doesn’t want to hear his side of the story right now. in fact, if all goes his way, he won’t be hearing much of anything from megumi tonight—he reaches his hand back up to pinch at megumi’s ear, and hushes him, “i’m just asking her, meg. she’s my girlfriend now, too. don’t i get to know these things?” 

your mouth is slightly ajar, and yuuji chuckles. you’re so quiet, he’s beginning to think he’s scared you, but soon, you smile, sweet, and gentle, and he can’t even blame megumi for fawning over you since middle school. “i—i didn’t hate you yuuji,” you reply, “i thought—think—you’re good for megumi. i just wanted him to be happy, and you make him happy.” 

yuuji hums. no wonder you two never got together before. “so you’re the self-sacrificing type, too, huh?” he smiles, far less innocently than you might think, “maybe i should have gotten you and yuuta-senpai together, instead.” 

you look like you’re about to refute, but megumi pulls back again, throughly annoyed when he interjects, “what the hell are you—”

but yuuji is quick to move his hand from his ear to his throat, pinching his fingers around his neck with just enough pressure to stutter and silence him. 

“i’m still not talking to you,” he reminds megumi, eyes sharp. he squeezes around megumi’s neck a bit tighter, before turning his attention back to you, “was he always like this? always biting before you can bark? must have been kind of annoying to deal with, huh?” 

your eyes widen, bambi-like and yuuji almost coos. from where you’re sitting against the headboard, you can’t see megumi’s face completely, just a sliver of his cheek, but you can probably tell by the reddening skin around his neck and ears that yuuji’s not just choking him for show. 

“i—uh… it’s not like that, it’s just… yuuji you’re gonna hurt him…”

but, you should also be able to tell that megumi’s not fighting it either. 

“you’re always so worried about him,” yuuji pushes megumi back against the pillows, paying no mind to his panting, simply ordering, “stay down.” 

yuuji then reaches out for you instead, gently pulling your body towards in him stark contrast to how he’d treated megumi a moment ago—twirling you as best he can while you’re kneeling on the mattress, maneuvering your body so that you’re straddling megumi and yuuji’s back is pressed against yours. 

yuuji hears you gasp, ever so lightly, when you inadvertently press your crotch against megumi’s. he almost wants to watch you two do that instead, but right now he’s a man on a mission, so instead, he puts his hands on his hips to keep you still, “see—he can take it. he even likes it.” 

you raise a hand to reach out to megumi, but yuuji stops you, forcing your back flush against his front, and caging you in with his arms and resting his chin against your shoulder. he turns his head to kiss you on the cheek, slow, once, and then again, and then against your earlobe, “you wanna try?” 

“try—what, choking him?” you ask, trying to turn your head to face yuuji, but he keeps it steady, keeps you facing megumi. 

“it’s not like you’re gonna hurt him,” yuuji hums against your skin, trails open-mouthed kisses along your neck. “it’ll feel good, i promise.”  

“well, uh... megumi, do you—”  

but yuuji raises a hand to squish your cheeks together before you can finish, turns your head to him and tuts, “i’m telling you it’s okay. megumi didn’t ask you before he asked me out, right? you don’t need his permission for everything, princess.” 

yuuji’s not just leveraging your feelings against each other now—now it’s sexual knowledge too, all the fantasies megumi has indulged him in about you, all the kinks he has that you’re clueless to. yuuji knows that despite the history you and megumi have, he’s the bridge between you now—and right now, yuuji wants you on his side.

“must bother you a little bit, right?” yuuji coos, releasing his grasp on your cheeks and using his hand to tilt your chin upwards to face him, “that he asked me out when he still had a crush on you. it still bothers me sometimes—and yet he had the nerve to get upset when i asked you about it. kinda selfish, no?” 

“i’m just saying, i think you should teach him a lesson,” yuuji continues, using his other hand to help your body rock against megumi’s, drinking in the sight of your pliant lips and the sound of his strained sighs. 

megumi’s probably not far from cumming in his boxers at this point, and you’re not far from helping yuuji make him do worse. 

“come on, princess,” yuuji smiles, pressing a kiss to your cheek before looking at megumi, “you gonna help me put a leash on him?” 

it’s an invitation and a threat, this you seem to understand. you can say yes to yuuji, say yes to having megumi between you two tonight, say yes and have a little bit of power; or you can say no, and be on the receiving end of punishment. 

yuuji almost thinks you’ll choose the latter out of loyalty, out of devotion to your best friend, out of shyness and inexperience in taking what you want, but you’re not just megumi’s anymore—your his girl now, too, and you make it known when your soft hand crawls up megumi chest and to his neck, and hesitantly wraps around his throat. 

tonight, megumi’s yours and yuuji’s. 

“good girl,” yuuji grins, wicked with intent when he presses a kiss to the back of your neck, “now lets have some fun with him.” 

[edutainer2022]

@janetm74, I did a little thing for this prompt:

"I'll come quietly. Just don't hurt them."

***

Scott didn't know about coding and cybersecurity nowhere nearly as much as John or Brains did (or Alan, for that matter), but he knew enough to understand John didn't know about these files. The folder miraculously slipped past Eos, John approved and Kayo vetted firewalls, and materialized on the desktop in his private study. He used it far less frequently than Dad's desk or even Dad's old office, but sometimes insomnia struck when his batteries were running low and going down to get some work done was too much effort.

That meant he couldn't really know how long the folder had been there, which made his insides run cold. What made his hands numb, to boot, were the latest photos in the unnamed folder - pictures of his brothers on the latest rescue. Up close and from a distance. The pictures were not scrambled by their tech. Another batch were from Alan’s recent school trip to Melbourne. From Virgil and Gordon's night on the town. Maybe most unnerving of all - from INSIDE Five and a training hangar on Gran Roca. 

Scott swallowed hard, though his throat went instantly dry, and clicked on the last file - a candid photo of himself in the Tracy Tower penthouse, tying a tie, smiling at a hologram off screen, likely talking to a brother before a day of meetings. The file was uncharacteristically heavy so, just as he suspected, there was a hidden attachment, riding on it. Several more files popped up. Realistically, he should have gotten Kayo and John on the case by then, middle of the night or not, but Scott was frozen in place by the sheer magnitude of morbid implications.

One of the files featured four DNA sequences, neatly labeled Virgil through Allie. Nothing more, nothing less. Scott's vision swam. The threat was as conspicuous as it was cruel - spanning anything from customized targeted neurotoxins or viruses, nanobots masked in a bloodstream, carrying explosives to heart or brain, to a smart bullet, programmed to follow the target DNA like a bloodhound.

Their family had access to almost unlimited research resources and brainpower to counter even something that sophisticated, but Scott wouldn't ever take a chance the assault on his brothers wouldn't have an instant lethal effect. Since his own DNA was not on the list of targets, Scott had a pretty good idea what could be in the next file. It wasn't a sum - of course it wouldn't be that easy. When was it ever! It wasn't even a list of Tracy Industries or IR tech they wanted specs for. It was an instruction he needed to follow on his way. The destination he'd receive upon confirmation of being... cooperative. Whoever they were - wanted him to show up in person.

The next file was a cloaked, heavily encrypted chatbot where Scott typed in his response. Kayo would have his head for going through with it, heavily backed up by John and Penelope, but he couldn't risk his... everything. The only life he would willingly ever give up was his own. He typed in a quick message.

The response, likely pregenerated and tracable, biped almost immediately. No sarcastic niceties or eery foreboding of the consequences of Scott sharing any details of this arrangement with anyone, least of all his family or the GDF. Just a geotag. Scott had to catch himself from slumping sideways on the edge of the desk, as his vision went black for a moment.

The next thing he did after getting his breathing under control and passably certain not to keel over in the middle of his bedroom, was a beeline to his walk-in closet, the palm print activated safe in the far nook of it. His fingers hovered briefly over the cold shape of the gun he kept there, but moved on. Weapons, comms and trackers would be the first things stripped off of him, before he'd be moved to a different location, no doubt. He reached for a secure, strictly offline tablet, stashed in the safe. It held his will - updated frequently to include the ever expanding assets and charities he personally oversaw, in his line of work and lifestyle he left little to chance. He wouldn't have his family go through the same legal hoops Dad's unforeseen demise put himself through. Joint guardianship documents for Alan and Gordon. Gordie was turning 20 in several months, but Allie was still firmly a minor in any jurisdiction, and Grandma wasn't getting any younger since they had to do it the first time around. The consensus, Scott knew nobody wanted to think about ever since the first draft of his will after IR went operational again, was to name Virgil as Alan’s next-in-line guardian. Virgil, his trusted SIC and deputy biggest brother  - Allie would be taken care of. They all would. Scott could see deep brown eyes darken with pain and betrayal in the shadows of the closet - Scott trusted Virgil with his life and with absolutely everything important in his life, but not with THIS. He couldn't.

The tablet also hosted security codes and off the books protocols for IR operations and the island. That was for John. Some of them Casey, Lord Hugh and Kyrano read him into, no other family members present, after the search for Dad had been called off. Some were on an encrypted thumb drive kept in an indefinitely rented deposit box in the bowels of a Swiss bank, with instructions from Dad to transfer to him exclusively or to destroy. The instructions were clearly devised to be put in action decades later than they were and it hurt like hell to touch that thought. Some of the directives not even John knew about by now. That was about to change, soon. If Scott knew his ginger brother, he could be sure at least Virgil or the Tinies would never know.

His whole being ached to make one last round of the villa and check up on his loved ones - he harbored no illusions of ever seeing them again. But he couldn't risk missing the window of John's sleep cycle and not slipping out at least somewhat undetected. Eos and Kayo's sensors would flag him leaving the island in a private jet, not One, but he knew enough to not raise alarm and cover his tracks with a bogus errand in Warsaw at one of TI recent acquisitions. That was as far as he could take the traceable jet. But with Brains' reinforced engines, hopefully, he'd touch down and be on his way, before his absence would be noticed around Gordon's morning swim. As late as breakfast on the island, if he were lucky and they thought he were working some issues out on a long run.

***

A ring of lights changed from default white to orange - something John had come to recognize as a perplexed frown. A hurricane he had been keeping tabs on shifted from yellow to red and the alert woke him up earlier than he estimated. But the hurricane wasn't the source of confusion for his protégé.

"What is it, Eos?"

"I'm detecting a discrepancy in Scott Tracy's schedule and itinerary. He hadn't been due at any of the Tracy Industries subsidiaries this week or the next."

It was John's turn to frown. Scott business meetings and engagements schedule was guarded with what John was sure his PA's life and strictly need to know with any on site security teams. Unbeknownst to Scott himself, since his recent loosing round with exhaustion, hypoglycemia and dehydration, about two thirds of the "matters that urgently required Mr. Tracy's attention", be it Tracy Industries or GDF, hell or high water, were rerouted through Five and screened first by John himself, then Virgil, Grandma or Kayo, depending on the occasion. An ad hoc meeting at a new, fairly minor, Eastern European subsidiary would certainly NEVER slip past the carefully erected firewall around their favorite overworked idiot. Yet the lit up line on the holomap clearly outlined the flight path of Tracy S - Scott's personal jet, almost as fast as Shadow, but rarely taken out for a spin these past years.

John moved to enhance the map and shuddered. He'd probably faint if he were not in zero G already - the destination dot flashed over an abandoned airfield in Poland, in the grey zone now, 5 miles of a forest track shy of the Bereznik border.

A red alert clackson blared over the still sleepy island...

TBC?

[kabira]

a much-needed update.

hiiii so i realize i've pretty much left everyone here hanging for the past year, almost? and mentioned reposting on ao3 about a billion times but haven't really followed up on it. i've toyed with multiple ideas, like reposting, rewriting, deleting this blog off the face of the earth to disappear forever (jk), etc but! i've done some soul-searching in the sweltering summer and finally come to a decision.

there isn't a lot keeping me in this community now, but writing - for fun - isn't something i want to stop doing, because it's really important to me even outside the context of a fandom. i've become pretty rusty lately, though, owing to the fact that my last stint with writing a full-length piece was over a year ago, and i haven't really had the time or brainpower to chase down those plot bunnies (though they remain persistent). however, there's nothing that makes me want to write more than going through my old fics and being horrified by my many mistakes <3 so <3 i will instead be slowly rewriting and reposting my old fics.

does this mean i'll delete the old versions? probably not, because i like to see my own growth. i'll leave them unlinked on the masterlist and floating around on my blog in case anyone wants to revisit them. can't say i'm going to fix every single fic, but i'll try to do most of them. might even combine a couple of them into a single continuity (looking at you, spider-vernon).

i know i'm the prime example of all talk and no anything else, but i swear i'm going to try my best this time. hell, i opened my original draft of bhobc last night and redid the whole last scene on a whim, so i'd say the process is already in swing. if i can't bring myself to commit to something completely new, i'm at least going to try and redo what i already have. until then, i have some new ideas brewing that i'll probably end up either posting on ao3 (here) or my genshin blog (here) because i don't think i can fully come back to writing for kpop anymore. there's a million reasons for this, but the one that stands out the most is the way this community has responded to the events of the past few months.

despite all the atrocities being committed in gaza, i haven't seen most people even deem to comment on the state of affairs or use their accounts to bring light to them (some have talked it about their mains and not their kpop sideblogs with a SIGNIFICANTLY larger following - i wonder why!). even if you say it's for the sake of keeping content apart, why does this divide exist to you, truly?

it's disgusting to see that even some of the people here i used to respect haven't mentioned it, instead choosing to talk about their favorite kpop boy or, i don't know, what sonic character they'd be. even if something happens within the fandom, the outrage seems to be only momentary, a couple untagged posts expressing disappointment here, a two-week break there, and then they're right back to writing egregious smut as if nothing ever happened. where's your anger? where's your fucking humanity?

anyway, tldr, i'll be rewriting a big chunk of my fics and reposting the older versions anyway. also, fuck you to everyone who's been silent about the ongoing genocide.

[rinse-and-repeat2]

Decided to go through with it and start posting my different AUs, but I'll only do a few per post to keep it short (tried to do all of them in one post but it ended up being so long that it was crazy) so maybe about 3 per post? sure, yeah, and I'll add a small excerpt for each if I've written one for that particular AU. If you don't want to see them just uhh I dunno block the rinse AUs tag or something sure there you go anyway here's to the first group

Sunset Order AU - An AU about Dale, Warren, and their parent’s backstory. This includes something I created called the Sunset Order which is a branch off of the Knights of Dawn for any kind of behind-the-scenes work that would need to be done, including getting hands dirty (which was made while the Sphinx was the head of the Knights). When Dale is forced into the magical world not exactly by choice, he has to quickly adapt and continue to care for Warren after the recent deaths of their parents alongside uncovering secrets from their past. In its entirety, this is self-indulgent and cobbled together by how little we know about their past/the past of Fablehaven. (No excerpt written)

Street Magic AU - Another short idea I had where magic is more widely known, and the preserves instead serve as schools (very, very prestigious schools). This is in a much more modern world, and magic is incredibly complicated to wield. So, it's often not used unless you pay for the education. Much of the population cannot use magic because of this. Kendra, having shown a proficiency in her understanding of magic, is able to get a full-ride scholarship to what would be Fablehaven's school. Meanwhile, Seth (who is not good at typical academics, studying, and the like) finds a typical, yet hidden, magician's shop and begins to learn magic there instead, under many people's noses (as he does). While Kendra begins to learn what secrets Fablehaven was built on, Seth learns magic in its entirety, not the typical watered-down version by society. (No excerpt written)

Viridity - This one is very near and dear to my heart, but it may not be that near and dear to some others because one of the main people it focuses on is Knox and it also has to acknowledge the end of Dragonwatch (whatever that was). This is a character study on Knox, Seth, and the relationship between them, as they're the same age but such different people in such different situations. This deals with reflections, comparisons, and interactions between them in almost one-shot form. This is partially an AU because I change bits and pieces of the end of Dragonwatch as I wish, but I also keep it as a plot in order to sow doubt after the fact. This fanfiction is about masks, late night conversations, sleep deprivation, and the inherent doubt that is included in growing up (Excerpt Incoming).

Silence worked its way around the room again, filling the gaps no longer in a comfortable way, but in a way where it sunk into their bones, sidled up next to them and breathed down their necks. A shiver rattled down Seth’s spine as an undercurrent began to flow of some emotion he couldn’t identify. Breaths were no longer easy to come by as they had been moments before. Now, suddenly, Seth stood in the kitchen with someone else when before, he had been happily existing alone. It felt… off. Wrong. As if Knox’s eyes could somehow pierce through his very being, analyze him… despite knowing Knox couldn’t—wouldn’t—do that. Kendra would, of course, but not Knox. Not… Knox didn’t have the brainpower to do that, probably. Even now, he spun and flicked the milk bottle cap on the table, looking frustrated every time it spun out and fell. Seth would usually laugh at him, say something about the stupid face he made every time he failed, but Seth couldn’t. Tonight, the tension hung heavy in the air like a smog, having followed Seth down ever since his dream—nightmare, not dream, his mind tugged at him—and it wouldn’t go. It wouldn’t leave. “I’m sorry.” The word slipped from his mouth like a whisper, a small wisp that gets caught up in the smog. He didn’t know why the words came from his mouth—whether it stood as a betrayal from his mind or sleep deprivation finally grasping him in its claws. Maybe… maybe Knox hadn’t heard him. Maybe this would blow over and mean nothing. Knox, meanwhile, stared at Seth, eyes wide and bottle cap forgotten, halfway teetering off the edge before it fell, plummeting to the ground with a sharp clatter. “…What?” Well, shit.

(If you have any questions, want to comment, send an ask, anything else, please do! I love these AUs with my whole heart, whether or not they're anywhere close to being done and I'm going to keep sharing them)

[kaitoujokerscans]

Get Back Hachi’s Memories! CH8

<8> Sneak into the Iga Restaurant!

Iga's domain lay deep in the mountains far away from Koga. In a tranquil forest away from civilization, a lone ninja youth read a notice.

 "Tonight, I'll come to take the 'Legendary Wonder Herb' from the Iga village!

—Kaitou Phantom Thief Joker"

 For some reason, he'd made a mistake on the "Phantom Thief" part. He sent a notice and didn't even have the decency to fix it up nicely...!

The ninja youth clenched the note in his hands. His name was Iga Sennosuke. He was a young commander of the Iga ninja.

"Not only that, but... Hyakkimaru appears to be involved in this as well." Sennosuke caught a faint whiff of something from the notice. This was a kind of fragrance the Koga used to send coded messages. It meant "prepare for defeat". The two of them were long-standing rivals.

Sennosuke had long silver hair tied in the back and clean white attire. His conspicuous appearance hardly marked him as a ninja, yet his lack of scars was a testament to his skill.

However, there was one particularly strange thing about him.

He was wearing a large apron with a badge reading "Sennosuke" pinned on the front.

"Hey, get back to workin', newbie!"

"O-Okay! Sorry!" Sennosuke jumped up to answer the sudden bellow. He set the notice down on the counter and shifted his attention to the stack of dirty plates in front of him.

"We gotta prep for the dinner rush! Wash those damn plates already!"

"Okay, boss!"

Sennosuke lathered up a sponge with soap and started to wash the plates clean.

He was in the kitchen of the Ninja Restaurant "Gozaru" established in the Iga mountains. The restaurant served popular Iga dishes, and after it had gotten reviewed by an internet foodie site, they'd had people coming from miles away to eat there.

Sennosuke was doing job training at this particular restaurant. Ninjas needed to infiltrate all kinds of places, so they needed to train at many different professions. One part of this training was working at a restaurant. The person that Sennosuke had earlier referred to as "boss" was not his ninja superior, but rather the kitchen's head chef.

The reason for the Ninja Restaurant's success lay with the "Legendary Herb" which the boss had secretly perfected. The boss was a legendary chef who had many students all over the world. Whenever his "Legendary Herb" was sprinkled into food, it would improve the flavor by leaps and bounds. However, the method of making it was an insider secret, and the recipe was kept in a bottle which the boss always had hanging from his neck.

This secret herb was Joker and Hyakkimaru's target. The boss didn't seem to be concerned and had just told him "Don't waste brainpower on that junk, just focus on cooking!" But Sennosuke had other ideas.

They won't get their hands on the wonder herb on my watch...!

Sennosuke tightly clenched the soapy sponge. The plate he was squeezing with it slipped right out. It hit the floor and shattered dramatically, prompting another holler from the boss.

"What the hell are you doing over there!?"

"S-Sorry, boss!"

That night, Joker, Hyakkimaru, and Hosshi arrived at a cliff overlooking the Iga-run restaurant "Gozaru". It had open-air seating, so there were tables spread across the green, much like a barbeque spot. The establishment was popular enough that patrons were milling about nonstop.

"So the wonder herb's at that restaurant..." Joker said, spying on the restaurant through a pair of binoculars.

"Yes. The head chef, who they call 'boss', always carries it with him," responded Hyakkimaru, arms crossed. "The head chef himself doesn't use ninja arts, but my investigation shows that a ninja corps headed by Sennosuke is doing job training here. In other words, there'll be a lot of young ninjas guarding the herb. I've sparred with Sennosuke many times. He's strong."

"Heh heh, I'll let you take care of him, then. I just wanna get ahold of that wonder herb as fast as possible."

"What about Hachi?"

"...I dunno. I didn't think he'd be that good at hiding himself," said Joker, biting his lip.

"Hosshi." Hosshi seemed to sympathize. It'd eat all the treasure in the Sky Joker if left alone, so Joker was left with little alternative but to bring it along.

After receiving the arrow with Hachi's letter of challenge, Joker went to all the places Hachi was likely to go and contacted the people he knew, but he hadn't found any leads on him at all. He was most likely in hiding, plotting a way to take down Joker.

"But he's only my assistant anyway. He can't put up that much of a fight," cackled Joker before putting away the binoculars and getting to his feet. Hosshi nestled under his hat.

"Wauugh, pseudocat!"

"Hosshi!"

"Sheesh, all right. Let's go!"

Joker hopped off the cliff and inflated a bubble of Balloon Gum. Hyakkimaru watched as he descended.

If only. Hachi may be more formidable than you realize... Keeping these thoughts unspoken, Hyakkimaru unfurled a cloth for his Ninja Art: Flying Squirrel.

As he transported food around the dining area, Sennosuke glanced at his surroundings. The establishment consisted of a large flat-roofed kitchen and terrace seating. Business was booming once again today, and it was busy enough to make your eyes spin. It was entirely possible that Joker and Hyakkimaru had already snuck in disguised as guests.

Meanwhile, the boss had come out onto the terrace to greet the guests. When a certain hour struck, he'd always stop cooking for a little while and come out from the kitchen.

"We hope you all enjoy your meal today! The food's so good, you won't be complaining even if your tongue falls off! Ha ha ha!"

The boss' joke elicited laughter from the guests. He looked completely vulnerable, even though he knew his wonder herb was at risk.

Aha, maybe this is when...! Just as the thought came to Sennosuke, it happened. A rope coiled around the boss and constricted him. The bottle with the wonder herb dangled from his neck and glinted.

"Gah!?"

"Boss!" Sennosuke looked up to see Phantom Thief Joker, holding onto Balloon Gum as he floated in the air.

"Ha ha ha! Phantom Thief Joker is here! I'm taking the Iga wonder herb, and the chef along with it!"

"You won't get away!"

Sennosuke set his tray on the closest table and immediately began to form hand seals. He briskly made a sequence of complex finger movements and began to focus his spirit. Then he flashed a mean look at Joker. "Iga Ninja Art: Falcon Whirlwind Formation!"

Sennosuke pushed his hands out and willed a tornado to blow from his palms. The tornado headed straight for Joker in midair, picking up speed and force as it rose.

"Waugh!" As Joker scrambled to get away, Hyakkimaru shielded him. Hyakkimaru canceled his Ninja Art: Flying Squirrel and brought his hands together in front of his face. He was forming different seals than Sennosuke. His fingers flowed as smoothly as liquid. Then he opened his eyes with a sharp look.

"Kouga Ninja Art: Dragon King Inferno!"

Hyakkimaru's hands glowed. He held his palms out in the path of Sennosuke's tornado, and massive flames spurted from them. The flames took the form of a dragon's head and plunged toward the tornado. The tornado and flames violently collided in midair. Deafening thunder and blinding sparks broke out, lighting up the area like an explosion. The guests looked up in astonishment, and immediately after, both the tornado and flames vanished without a trace. They had canceled each other out.

"Sennosuke, I see you've kept in practice!"

However, the shockwaves shredded Joker's rope. The boss fell to the ground, and Sennosuke helped him up.

"You bloody fool! Go kick their butts already!"

"Y-Yes, boss!"

Joker and Hyakkimaru, buffeted by the wind, landed in an open space not too far from the seating area. It was basically a storage area where the extra tables and chairs were kept.

Sennosuke quickly jumped over and came face-to-face with Hyakkimaru.

"I never thought my rival Hyakkimaru would stoop so low as to help out a phantom thief. Whatever happened to your pride as a ninja?"

"I have good reason for this. It's to save an old friend."

"Whatever your reason is, you're not getting the Iga wonder herb. You're going to kneel before me. And the phantom thief will, too! Ninja Art: Magical Chairs!" shouted Sennosuke. The extra tables and chairs around the pair clattered up and began to move. The chairs hurtled toward them.

Hyakkimaru and Joker frantically defended themselves and quickly tried to escape. But the chairs chased after them, moving as if they were alive. They rattled around and neatly stacked together, forming a tall tower which slowly arched down.

Joker tackled Hyakkimaru, pushing them both out of harm's way.

"Ghh, I'm in your debt."

"Drat, we're surrounded...!"

In no time at all, the pair had been entrapped by a bunch of chairs. The chairs had formed a gap-free wall encircling them and were now closing in.

One of the chairs flashed. With a fwish, the disguise was removed, and in its place was Sennosuke in his white uniform. In response to his signal, the other chairs each removed their disguises. Extraordinarily enough, the chairs were all Iga ninjas in disguise.

Joker and Hyakkimaru were instantly surrounded by a human wall of Iga ninjas.

Sennosuke grinned and swept his hair up. "Hyakkimaru, you're not getting away. We Iga ninjas know the importance of teamwork. Your pathetic excuse of a friendship can't possibly beat us."

Hyakkimaru took a stance and glared at Sennosuke. "We aren't friends. We're just aiding each other in pursuit of a common goal."

"What he said. And your pathetic excuse for ninja arts is no match for me!" taunted Joker.

"Phantom Thief Joker, you'll rue those words. Now prepare yourself for this! Iga Ninja Art: Vision Spin!"

The moment Sennosuke shouted, the ninjas caging them in slowly began to shift horizontally. They moved clockwise and gradually picked up speed.

"W-What are they doing!?"

"Don't look, Joker! It's an Iga ninja art that makes your field of vision spin and shows you illusions!"

"It does what!?"

The ninjas quickly covered the space above Joker and Hyakkimaru's heads. The two of them were entrapped in a half-sphere like a planetarium, and the walls were moving around and around.

"Ghh, we've gotta get out of this circle, and fast!"

"Ha ha ha, it's futile! You're already trapped. There's no escape!"

Just as Sennosuke said, the two of them were surrounded on all sides and had nowhere to escape to. Hyakkimaru and Joker mulled it over, keeping their gazes averted so they wouldn't look directly at the ninjas.

"Iga ninja arts are performed as a team under orders of a commander. If we defeat Sennosuke, who's the one in charge of this move, we should be able to break through it!"

But Sennosuke yelled to them as he went around. "Ha ha ha, it won't work! If you want to aim at me, that means you'll have to watch us revolve. That moment will be your doom! Team, it's time to finish this! Take aim!"

At his command, the ninjas held up shuriken all in unison. If they shot them at Joker and Hyakkimaru in the center of the circle, the pair wouldn't be able to dodge.

"Now surrender, Hyakkimaru! Joker!"

"Ngh, what can we do...!?"

Behind Hyakkimaru, Joker seemed to have hit upon an idea. "Hehn, it's simple. If they're spinning, we should just spin too."

"What!?"

In no time at all, Joker inflated some gum and formed it into a flat, round, manhole cover-shaped disc. Joker and Hyakkimaru hopped on top of it.

"Lemme show you my phantom thief ninja arts!"

"Your what!?"

"Here I come! Phantom Thief Ninja Art: Wheel Turner!"

The disc immediately began to rotate. Joker and Hyakkimaru on top of it started to rotate as well. It gradually sped up, soon enough matching the speed of the ninjas.

"Now look, Hyakkimaru!"

"Mm, I understand!"

Taking a look, the ninjas in front of him had stopped — at least, they appeared to be stopped. Since the two of them were spinning at the same speed as the ninjas, they looked perfectly still.

"What!?"

"I've got you now, Sennosuke! Koga Ninja Art: Dragon King Inferno!" Hyakkimaru swiftly formed hand seals and invoked the art. Just like before, bright fire swirled into his hands and flames shaped like a dragon's head zoomed menacingly toward Sennosuke.

"Ghh!" Sennosuke tried to evade, but he couldn't move his body right. The centrifugal force from spinning had made him unable to move like he wanted to! "Grr, there's no other way! Disperse!"

At his order, the ninjas slowed their spinning and broke apart.

"Now!" Joker took the opportunity to start running. Once he was out of the circle of ninjas, there was the boss straight ahead. He stretched out a hand to the bottle that glinted over his chest.

"Hold it, Joker!" Sennosuke whirled around in midair and recentered himself. "Everyone, shoot!"

Sennosuke and the ninjas simultaneously shot out their shuriken. The sharp-edged throwing stars whirled dynamically, on course to strike Joker in the back.

"Hosshi!" Underneath his hat, Hosshi noticed this and yelped. Joker hurriedly turned around.

"Wha-!?" Joker immediately blew up a bubble of gum. A film of pink spread out in front of him.

But it wouldn't make it in time...!

BANG! There was a loud popping sound and the area was enveloped in smoke. Joker had probably intended to create a smokescreen with the gum.

"Joker!" Hyakkimaru rushed forward. Avoiding the spots where shuriken were stuck into the ground as he approached, he found Joker lying down within the smoke. The shuriken must have grazed his arms and legs, because he looked like he was bleeding.

"Joker! Are you all right!?" Hyakkimaru helped him up.

Joker groaned in pain "Urgh..."

The boss slowly came forward from the smoke and looked down upon Hyakkimaru. "Heh, Hyakkimaru of the Koga, you have some nerve trying to steal my wonder herb. Try again later when you've improved!"

"Mrrgh..." Hyakkimaru glared at the boss.

—But then he realized something. What the boss said just now... how does he know my name?

Now I understand...!

Hyakkimaru realized something. He picked up the injured Joker and shouted to Sennosuke. "Sennosuke, our match is on pause for now!"

"You're running? That's cowardly, Hyakkimaru!" Just as Sennosuke was about to go after him...

"Wait! Don't pursue him!" The boss shouted at him from behind. Sennosuke froze in his tracks and turned around.

"Please don't stop me, boss!"

"Don't talk back to me!"

While they were arguing, Hyakkimaru silently slipped away into the smoke.

"Why, boss!?" Sennosuke wouldn't back down.

The boss answered him. "That's enough. I got what I came for!"

"Huh? What you came for?" Sennosuke eyed the boss puzzledly, unable to catch his drift.

"Yeah. I mean the Iga wonder herb!" As soon as he said this, the boss' body started to inflate. He popped open with a bang, and from within appeared Joker! Hosshi peeked out from under his hat.

Joker inflated a bubble of Balloon Gum and started to float up into the air.

"What!?"

"Ha ha ha. Too bad, Iga Sennosuke!"

"Grrr... so then that Joker who Hyakkimaru carried off was..."

"Yeah, that was your boss. Hyakkimaru should've grabbed the herb off him by now."

"Hosshi♪

Joker hadn't made that smokescreen with gum in order to dodge the attack. He had used Image Gum to disguise himself as the boss and had covered the boss with a layer of gum to make him look like an injured Joker. Of course, he'd made sure to tie the boss up first so he didn't say anything inconvenient.

"Grr, how dare you... Joker!"

"Well then, I've stolen the Iga Herb! Au revoir!"

Looking down upon the ninjas and Sennosuke clenching his fists in frustration, Joker flew up into the night sky. His Balloon Gum picked up speed and headed toward the top of the cliff, where Hyakkimaru was supposed to be waiting.

"Heh heh now I just have to mix the herb into the curry and..." Totally carefree, Joker stroked his chin. That was when it happened.

"I found you," came a voice from above Joker.

"!"

In the night sky, a small silhouette approached him. The figure gripped a short katana in his hands which matched his stature. The blade gleamed, illuminating his form.

It was unmistakably Hachi.

[totaldramafan-lauri]

My "unwritten" writing rules

While I'm waiting on more people to finish my fic before I can give trivia about it, there's been something else I've wanted to do for a while, and that's talk about the rules I made for myself in regards to how I write X Reader fics. J-just cuz I've gotten compliments about it, and I wanna explain a few things I keep in mind when writing.

Now, this isn't me telling you what to do. Write however you want. This is what *I* do. XD I've been doing this for a few years now, and I figured out what stuff works best for me. These three are what I got so far. I'll make a second post if I can think of more of them:

I don't use the "Y/N" placeholder. Never have. I have no problem with other people using it, but it just doesn't work for me. It always comes across as awkward and out of place in my style. Not to mention that it takes extra brainpower for me to read, and know I have to replace it with my name in my head and not read it as literally "Y.N." That's more annoying than it seems sometimes. XD But mostly it's a style thing. Y/N works best in more casual formats like imagines and scripts. My fics are too literate to have a placeholder like that look natural and not like it's breaking things up, like serious dialogue interrupted by a censor bleep. So, instead, whenever another character calls the reader by their name, it's just not quoted. I simply say something like "they said your name".

2. I never do anything that can hint at the reader's appearance. This sometimes huuuuurts, cuz I'm a sucker for a good height difference, but yes, this includes things like height. Body type, hair color/texture, eye color, skin color, etc. This means there are certain phrases I can't use to deliberately avoid mentioning those traits, substituting for more inclusive ones. For example, saying "You felt your cheeks getting warmer" instead of something like "Your cheeks turned bright red" (as well as not mentioning whether other characters present can see it or not). The reader in MUOM is kinda an exception to this, cuz it's mentioned that they look "distinctly Hollyberrian", but that doesn't really narrow a lotta things down. If you look at all the NPCs in the Hollyberry Kingdom, you can see how varied the cookies there are. Pretty much the only thing that means is that they have berry-colored hair and eyes. What color? You decide. -v-

3. I never go outta my way to describe the appearances of canon characters, either, even when first meeting them. Some writers do this, but I don't. I have a couple reasons. One is that I'm writing for fans of these characters who already know what they look like. So, I don't see it as important to grind the fic to a halt and spend a paragraph telling people things they already know. And my other reason is that my writing style is ALREADY wordy enough, so I'd rather cut out stuff I see as pointless if I can help it. XD When the reader meets someone for the first time, I focus instead on how they're feeling, rather than describing everything in detail. For example, with Golden Cheese in MUOM, I just simply say she looks "gorgeous in a way no one else (they've) met has been" and then describe how overwhelmed the reader feels. Cuz, everyone reading already knows how she's gorgeous, so I don't need to explain. XD And with Affogato in Drowned, I have the reader emphasize how different he looks from everyone else, which is more important to the story than his exact appearance. Make sense? >.<

[honks-n-stonks]

save me.... I'm thinking about my goofy puyo x monhun au again..... (disclaimer: I have only played Rise/Sunbreak, GU (still in HR) and World (got to MR before my TV 💥)

EDIT ‼️‼️‼️ this thing got so LONG I'm just putting the entire thing under a "read more" because previously it was at the "characters" section but Jesus it looks so LONG on tablet I am so so SO sorry

nawr it's getting so bad I've been thinking about the TOWNS/VILLAGES now....

Primp (and Grimp, if we want to include Chronicle in all of this) would obviously become a village (Primp/Grimp Village oh how original you are Goose [not that I can come up with any better NAMES okay])

Not... sure about Suzuran.... Yeah it's a city, but MH doesn't have any modern or super technologically advanced civilizations (that are still around, anyway.) Something inbetween a kingdom and a village like. A Town. yeah. I don't know why the idea of a Town™️ seems so farfetched to me when Kingdoms Exist like does Sunbreak and the idea of Schrade (rip) not exist to me ????

Aahh,,, I really need to read up on the villages of the other MH games. Maybe that will help me get a feel for how I want Suzuran to be. Definitely much bigger than Primp or any regular village in GU/Rise, that's what I'll say. (Then again, the hubs don't give me a good feel of their true size. I need CONCEPT ART TO SAVE ME!!!!)

As for the Madou cast... instead of straight up being from another world, I think they'd just be from a distant village (or villages). I'm not TOO familiar with Arle's world, but that's the excuse I'm using! Same applies with Suzuran, and where Lemres, Feli, and Klug originate from. Comically far village! Though... this mainly stems from Primp Village being... prrreetty far away from other civilizations in general (stealing this from some HC that I saw where Primp is far from other towns, basically remote [unless that was already canon]).

As for the residents of the Tetra... well they uh. They live on a spaceship in the games. So, in the AU I'll just make them a traveling group of Hunters (sorta like mercenaries???? but for monsters duh) that go from village to village and help out with any particularly tough monster-related issues. Sorry, that's the best I can come up with...

Small tangent, is it weird I still want magic to be a thing in this AU? Despite the fact that none exists in MH- (Elders can do some goofy stuff, but it's usually from some special organs they possess/bioenergy crud [see: Ibushi and Narwa being able to float due to manipulation of the wind (Ibushi) and something akin to... magnetism, was it? Augh I KNOW it involves the thundersacs and electricity but I haven't played Rise in a fair bit])

Then again, it's an AU and I can technically do whatever I want..... bleh, they don't rely on it TOO much okay but perhaps the residents of Primp (and their neighbors) happen to have some... special powers that give them an edge in hunts and everyday life. I have no idea if I still wanna include Puyo themselves in this. Ehh.... I'll get to that eventually..... oughghjhjjdiskksiskj can you tell this is the most brainpower I've ever put into anything ever?

Oh god, this is becoming long. Too bad, I don't feel like stopping... I'll go onto some ideas for characters that I have... (aka The Trio™️)

Amitie: aw yeah!!! I kinda want her to be the focus in this AU? ahem. I think I want her to use a Sword and Shield, and as for her Hunter Rank I imagine her to be around Low-Early High Rank (4 stars?). I might have to make my own monster rank/difficulty chart for this AU, as there are some monsters I kinda feel are too dangerous for Low Ranks to take on? (see: Elders being in LOW RANK in GU for some ungodly reason, WHY WHY WHY ARE THEY THERE?! [not a complaint, just super hilarious, obviously i'm not taking that as "ooooohh canonically a LR hunter can fight Teostra" just a haha silly thought]) Probably basing it more on Rise/Gu's system works instead of World. Low Rank literally has its own storyline there! (Which obviously is expanded upon in High and probably Master Rank) That... and Hunter Rank isn't tied to the quest rank in World. Not gonna lie, that confused me a little...

Ugh, I went on a tangent.... anyways. Amitie. Sword and Shield User. HR 4 Hunter. I think... she'll have a Rath Heart SnS (why? PINK). Giving her a Fire element weapon might make more sense but... eh, she technically still uses magic in this AU, so it's probably fine. (I can imagine them using magic in tandem with their weapons, or using them as a... conduit? [is that it?] for magic. Think: Schezo's spells, where you can see the magic coming from the sword.) Typically goes on gathering/egg hunt quests, she's not quite good in direct confrontations with monsters! (Still a little klutzy, but when she's in a pinch, she manages to show an impressive-albeit brief- display of power. Not related to any sun goddess here, she's just stronger than she thinks she is!) Prefers to go on quests with other Hunters (Arle and Ringo, more on those two later), especially during a Hunt or Capture quest.

Arle: ALSO uses a Sword and Shield mainly because A) I can't think of anything better and B) hehe funny Arle and Amitie parallels though I can imagine her being proficient in most if not ALL the other weapons available, especially Bow. Can't think of a specific one she'd use though, sorry... I'll get back to that later. A more skilled Hunter than Amitie, she could probably tackle high-end High Rank monsters with ease (HR 7/8), even when going Solo. mmm, not sure about elders. I think it'd be neat if she managed to take down one or two (they're supposed to be fairly rare, I think), with a group of Hunters. (see: other Madou characters [Draco, Schezo, Rulue]). Probably Kushala Daora or Kirin. I consider them to be "easy" Elders (Chameleos is not here because I'd imagine him to be too elusive for her to have encountered... yet.)

Uhhh. Back on track. She currently resides in Primp Village with some other Madou characters. Maybe takes a sorta part-time job at Primp's canteen, I just think it'd be neat for her to make some KILLER curry. Always pumps up and invigorates anyone who eats it. Also just helps around with problems villagers have in general, she's pretty strong!

Ringo: Lives in the far off... town? yeah I'll just go with that of Suzuran. Albeit uncommon, her presence is always appreciated. I think it's mentioned that her family runs a small grocery store in Suzu, soo I think she'd be like... a traveling merchant? Of the food kind. Fresh fruit...? Perhaps her family even owns an orchid, with their apples being quite popular back home. HEY. WAIT. She could be the equivalent of the Argosy/Trader in the MH games! And the market in general. Anyways, although Ringo is not a hunter per say, she still can assist her buds in hunts (see: Sunbreak follower system). When out hunting, she prefers to use a Light Bowgun. (Modified, cause I imagine her with a Thunder or Paralysis iron tree LBG.) Hell, she's pretty damn good at it too. Probably has a good amount of experience fighting monsters, because a lot can happen when you travel around a lot with goods (especially of the food variety) in tow. Oh god, I just remembered those quests in Rise with this ONE dude who keeps getting his stuff wrecked in like... three different quests... by three different monsters..... that man CANNOT catch a break!!!!!!!!! Oh right. Not sure what Ringo's HR would be, cus' she's not officially a hunter. Sorta? Maybe. Would be around Ami's level, if not a tad bit higher. Since she's not quite really a hunter, she doesn't (or can't?) take quests solo. Not that I think she'd have too much of a problem with it, i think.

Um. That's all I got... well, not really. But this is becoming TOO LONG!!! If anyone sees this... lmk what you think? OH. YEAH WAIT BEFORE I FORGET... most of the characters probably are aged up in this AU (young adults?) because I don't think teens are really allowed to risk their lives Hunting that Monster if you get what I mean. No, I'm not counting the Rampage summons.... it's more of a "all hands on deck" kinda deal to be there!

As for how their designs would look.... Amitie's definitely gonna be based off her Swordfighter alt, and Ringo would probably have hers based around the Steam Ages one (but MHified, and that's obviously for her "hunting" look.) Arle? Uh. Probably a more armored version of her normal look. Can't remember any alts in particular. Sorry...

ANYWAYS THAT'S IT FOR REAL!!! Good god I spent too long rambling about this. I think I'm a little bit obsessed....

[mickmundy]

Do you think there's any solid worry twinge for them whenever the other has to respawn once the relationship starts? Like they have to remind themselves it will work to not get too worked up? (x)

OMG… you know what, i’m probably a total outlier in this, but i have given absolutely Zero theoretical thought to the respawn machine LOL. i think some things in the tf2niverse are better left just being Ridiculously Silly and respawn is one of them imo…! i just think it's an... Oversaturated subject that i personally don't think i can contribute anything particularly unique or meaningful to. while there are lots of interesting theories on it and how it functions, i just haven’t really applied any of my Personal Brainpower into how it works or why it works the way it does! the most i’d say is that you need to be within a certain Range (like how some areas on the maps in-game have Invisible Barriers ykwim) and you need to have the uber heart implanted into you. i think the rest is something only medic (mostly), engineer, demo and spy (less so than medic but moreso than the other mercs) are privy to!

that said…….. i don’t think respawn is a Pleasant experience nor do i think that it’s something one goes through for fun or for convenience (imo it causes nausea, bodily soreness, maybe sometimes vomiting depending on circumstances, etc), but i don’t think it’s “fatal” and i don’t think it’s like… painful or traumatizing to go through? like i think the uberheart eliminates a lot of pain or discomfort one would go through just in general… BUT i do think they worry about each other no matter what, it’s just a fact of being in a relationship! they know what one another is capable of and knows they can handle themselves, but they still can’t help but worry! i think medic worries about sniper as his second uberheart was done VERY much on the fly (in cteam’s medbay where he didn’t have his Formal Lab to work in) and that he doesn’t really bother asking sniper for a “post-op operation” to like… really get in there and make sure things are working as they should be... as i’ve said i don’t think either of them would be too keen to talk about it after it happened (since they never hung out before and sniper just doesn’t like asking for help + medic knows it’s a waste of time since sniper would likely refuse the checkup anyway. and as i’ve said i don’t think medic would bother with unwilling patients), so it would just be something that neither of them thought about until they started developing feelings for each other and Then would start to be like ;_;! ah! i have Emotional Stake in this person now! (adding this because cc's stupid character limit!) i think the only reason the gray mann thing was such an Ordeal was because they were out of respawn range and so sniper being revived was truly a medical miracle. i've said it a thousand times but i'll say it again, i don't think sniper was Traumatized by his death whatsoever, and i don't believe he Literally went to heaven, either. i think his grappling with his revival is also similar in that it's less so about the Science/Act Of Being Revived to him (as we see in the comics he doesn't seem particularly bothered!) and would be more about why someone like medic would bother, especially because he technically wasn't "on their side" and it went against the wishes of classic team, his employers. i think it's more about the Emotions and not so much him Gawking at the fact that he was revived, if that makes sense. anyway, i don’t think they’d Flip Out if the other went through respawn but i think that if either of them DID go through it a Lot in a match, they’d ask if they were okay, pamper them a little bit, etc… i think medic in particular knows sniper doesn’t like being “babied” (not that medic does. i think sniper just thinks any General Compassion is “babying him” LOL) so he has to be a little creative when it comes to doting on him, especially when they first start dating! i DO think that while medic Does love sniper as both a Masterpiece and a Romantic Partner and i do think that bleeds together much more for medic than it does for sniper because of his position as his/a doctor.. i ran out of characters on cc here but not on tumblr.. >:)c HEH... i am FREE i've talked about it on here before but i think medic Does find Discreet ways to "check sniper out" in a Not So Clinical way.. taking his pulse while he holds his hand/wrist, listening to his heart and lungs while he lays on sniper's chest while sniper falls asleep... etc...

[brimstonefireandeyesaglow]

Url, title, and description are lyrics from Little Big Boy. I cannot, in good conscious, send you to listen to it without telling you it is a Katsuki Bakugou Fansong.

Song was chosen because this blog is run by a Bakugou Fictive in a system primarily. And the rest of the system but I'm the one who made it.

I'm considering this blog "somewhat anonymous" in that I will not state who I am but I won't go out of my way to hide it.

There probably won't be any reblogs on here, just my own thoughts.

I'll make a proper tagging system soon, my plan is to make it so everything has its own tag so I don't show up in main tags.

If a post has reblogs off, don't ask me to turn them on/back on, yes, even if it's funny haha relatable.

I won't block you just for following but you're always on thin ice with this blog remember that, there will be a lot of vents.

I'm not going to call this a vent blog but it's certainly vent blog adjacent.

If you find this blog, and realize I'm talking about you, sorry, this is my blog and I'll talk about whatever I want to, that being said, it's almost never personal and if I'm venting about you I still love and care about you, I just need an outlet. There are a few exceptions. I'll come up with tags to tell them apart.

Something something, if you come knocking on enough doors asking for the devil, eventually he'll answer, or however it goes. Read at your own risk.

I'm not trying to be edgy and I will probably eventually reword this pinned to be a little nicer. But it is 6 am. I don't have the brainpower to be niceys right now sorry.

My point is, I will probably vent about my friends sometimes. Friends naturally get on each other's nerves sometimes. That's normal. If you are one of my friends, and you find this blog on accident one day, and you realize a post is about you, that's on you for reading some rando's vent blog adjacent blog.

Don't come at me with the "if you have a problem just message me directly" shit because sometimes it ain't important enough to bother talking about it and finding a solution together and I just. Need to get the emotions out somehow.

And yeah I have a physical diary but who give a shit. Tumblr Diary.

My tagging system will be designed specifically so that things are sorted but not showing up in main tags. The only way my posts will show up in search is if I use the word you're searching in the main body of the post.

I'm gonna talk about petty drama and things people do to upset me and shit like that. I'm gonna talk about things I'm enjoying. I'm gonna talk about when I'm depressed. I'm gonna talk about things I'm excited about. This is gonna be my stream of consciousness and that's that on that.

Goodnight and godspeed or whatever the fuck.

[alterrune]

ALTERNARUNE: INTERMISSION 1

(We exit from the boss kettle. Alter is holding Shiver up by her shawl, with her kicking and screaming like a toddler.)

LET GO OF ME YOU LITTLE BRATS! I WILL GET MASTER MEGA TO CHEW YOU TO BITS!

Yo, Dystopiac! This one's bitey. Want her?

Why yes, I would. Shiver, come here, you dumbass.

WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, DYSTOPIAC? I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO GET THOSE TWO FOR RUINING OUR GLORIOUS FUTURE!!!

Shiver, there's something I'd like you to realize:

I.

Moved.

The.

Fuck.

On.

(Shiver suddenly stops kicking and shouting. She looks at Dystopiac, who is giving her an ice-cold glare.)

Wow...maybe YOU'RE the cold-blooded one, Dystopiac...but I get it. You're absolutely right, we need to move on. And while the three of us are still not rejoining the New Squidbeak Splatoon, I see that circumstances have changed and that we will have to work together if we want Splatsville to survive.

Yeah. We will.

(All of us turn around to see that the Advisor just spoke actual words.)

Advisor Three...?! You...I thought you...

..."couldn't talk", Agent 8? No, I very much can. I just chose not to. But I'm done staying silent. Allow me to give you all some orders.

We have one of those pieces again. But we still need two more. The other boss kettles contain them. Like we've been doing prevoisly, the CSB along with the Burnway siblings will clear the areas and get to the boss kettles.

The rest of us will stay on the outside and do some recon around the areas to make sure Mr. Grizz doesn't do anything stupid.

Except for PMD!Kyle and Blastie. You two stay at the Squid Sisters Camp. You'll be our central comm link. Do you understand?

"Sir yes sir, Advisor!"

"We'll stay here and watch over everyone."

Good. Now then, let's get to...

(The PA suddenly crackles to life again. This time, another voice seems to be broadcasted from the speakers.)

"Dagnabbit, lemme go, you big bear! I already gave you my brainpower earlier! What more do you want from me?!"

"GRAMPS!"

"Callie? Marie? Oh, thank heavens, you two are safe! Considering I also got a signal from Off the Hook earlier, I'm glad to see everyone's safe and accounted for."

"Ah, it seems you've got your first piece of the puzzle. We at Grizzco Industries value hard work, but you are putting it in the wrong place."

BULLSHIT! Our work is NOT for you to exploit, you big teddy bear! I sprained a tentacle shredding that fuzzy buildup of yours earlier, Grizz, and I'll gladly do it again!

"Oh...finally talking, are we, Advisor? We train our employees to expect the unexpected during Salmon Runs, but this was more unexpected than even I anticipated. Regardless, it seems that you are all still on the premises, despite our past warnings. We will now use lethal force. Captain Cuttlefish, you are now fired."

(A loud BANG from a gunshot rings out through the PA system. From the sound of the gunfire, it seems like Captain Cuttlefish got shot with 10 high-calibre sniper rifles at once. Nobody could survive that...)

"Well THAT wasn't very nice!"

(...nobody human, at least.)

"WHAT THE---?! HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!"

"I'm not just the captain of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, y'know. I was also the captain of the original Squidbeak Splatoon. Do you really think I haven't been shot like that before?"

"(sigh...) We at Grizzco would like to formally apologize for that blunder. However, rest assured, we will eventually make sure to permanently fix this."

Go to hell, Grizz.

"We encourage you to go there first, Advisor. Have a nice day."

(The PA system shuts off.)

Okay, I think we all need a break from all that.

(We all nod in agreement. The Captain is in danger, and we have to save him. And from the look on the Advisor's face, this isn't the first time this has happened to him.)

(I get the feeling that now, our journey truly begins.)

SHIVER HOHOJIRO IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR ASKS

[mystic-panda-4]

Okay guys long rambling post for anyone that follows me on here just to give you all a bit of an update if you've been waiting for me to post something

I have been,,, criminally busy lately, I finished my first year of college, except unless I wanted to be in two places at once or take an extra semester to be able to declare my degree, I was forced to take a third, condensed semester of online classes that started a week after I moved from college back home

This means that I have not had a solid break from school since like January, which is insane and I have not had the time I thought I would have to write fanfiction as much as I would like to

Additionally! I have the really cool opportunity to write a musical that's going to be performed at some point in November or December of this year! A musical that is not currently written (and that I am procrastinating writing right this very second in favor of making this tumblr post hahaha,,, sorry about that to the people that know me irl and follow me on here)

In addition to all of that, I'm currently broke (not in a concerning way, just in a college student way) and while I would like to be able to help the people in Gaza right now, I am not in a place financially to be able to do so, however, I CAN spare the brainpower to write fanfiction, so I have signed up for several Gotcha4Gaza events in order to help raise money for the people of Gaza, which is why I've taken a break from most of the fanfiction I would normally be posting to do requests, because every request I fill, about $12USD gets donated to the people of Gaza

With that being said, once I have the brainpower to make a post, I plan on joining the @/ficsforgaza movement to allow you guys to make requests to me directly AND also sponsor my WIPs, meaning that if there's something you guys have been anxiously awaiting an update for, you'll be able to donate money to Gaza AND get me to write either an additional 200 words onto the WIP OR get me to write/post an entire new chapter onto a pre-existing WIP, that way I can still focus on using fanfiction for good and you guys get the long awaited fics that made you subscribe to me or follow me here

That's not to say that I'm only going to come back to my WIPs if you guys donate money, I will still be working on them when I have the time to, however, all current WIPs are taking a backburner until September, when I am no longer responsible for writing a musical and will have much more free time!

More information about sponsoring WIPs and making requests to me personally will be coming in a post soon, but in the meantime you can look forward to:

A BSD Gotcha4Gaza fill that is an arranged marriage Nathaniel X Margaret fic

A Truth Serum System Reveal + Shang Qinghua & Luo Binghe character study that I'm writing as a birthday present to an irl friend

THREE WHOLE SVSSS One Shots! That will all be under 2.5k words because I need a portfolio to apply to a zine!

Something in the Hellaverse fandom because I signed up to be a fic writer for a Hellaverse Gotcha4Gaza project as well

Probably more BSD Gotcah4Gaza prompts, as I'm signing up for those on a rolling basis as they come in

All five of those bullet points will be posted throughout July and August, and in September I will be posting Living On, updates to Fortune, and much much more, but that's my current update for now

Additionally, if there is anyone out there that's a Miraculous Ladybug fan, and has heard of/would like to organize a Miraculous Ladybug Gotcha4Gaza event, and is looking for creators/someone to help organize an event, please let me know as I would be 1000% down to help with either of those, I just don't have the brainpower to do something like that myself

That's all for now, and I think the next post I make should be about the @/ficsforgaza project so I'll see you all soon!

[blurglesmurfklaine]

So a while back, @justgleekout mentioned how she really wanted someone to write something for this art she created and I thought--what better way to celebrate the most amazing person on the internet's birthday than by granting her that wish! Happy birthday, Anne <333

-

If this is how Blaine dies, he is going to declare some major beef with whatever higher power decides this sort of crap when he crosses into the afterlife. He is also going to haunt the shit out of Cooper's apartment. It's only fair, considering he's currently dangling off of the edge of the high rise luxury apartment's patio.

It's such a stupid way to die. Plant sitting some stupid two thousand dollar houseplant that his brother bought on a whim, while Cooper gallivants across Europe to promote his latest film.

Blaine just wanted to see the view. To be honest, he really didn't think he was tall enough to go over the edge, but he extended an arm out to feel the breeze, heard the groaning creak and explosive snap of the guardrail, and the rest is history.

Just like he will be. Because his grip on the last bar of the railing is getting slicker and sweatier with every passes moment. He yells out to help, uselessly. It's forty-five stories up--there's no one here to save him.

His pinky slips off. Then his ring finger. He is quite literally hanging on by a thread, his dying grip of two fingers the only thing separating him between life and certain death.

And then despite his greatest efforts to hold on, his muscles give out and he falls--down, down towards the fast approaching pavement. He braces himself for impact, shutting his eyes and hoping that his mother won't have to be the one to identify his body.

But the force never comes.

Blaine chances opening an eye, but the sight that greets him isn't the New York sunset, but instead a handsome man.

"Are you okay, citizen?" the stranger asks.

Blaine blinks, and doesn't answer. How can he, when all the mental capacity he has is currently drinking in so many things--the gentle, concerned expression on the man's face, the warm weight of his strong arms wrapped around Blaine's back cradling him in safety, his cape flapping in the wind, the cool breeze rushing by as they hover abov--

Holy shit. They're hovering. Fucking hovering.

"Are we flying?" Blaine asks.

The man's face transforms to a soft grin, glowing with fondness. "I'll take that as a yes," the kind stranger replies, and then the air moves around them until Blaine feels his feet touch solid ground once more.

"H-how did you," Blaine begins, but the man cuts him off. Maybe he can read minds as well. Hopefully not too well, or he's going to see some rather desperate visions of Blaine removing this stranger from his skin tight body suit.

"Whenever I hear someone cry for help, I'm there," he answers. He glances upward to the penthouse Blaine nearly died from. "You should probably get that railing fixed."

"Yeah," Blaine sighs, not having enough brainpower to do much else but agree with his savior.

"What's your name?"

Blaine nods again, mindlessly. "Yeah..."

It's only when the stranger raises an eyebrow that Blaine realizes he was asked a question.

"Oh! Uh, Blaine. I'm Blaine," he stammers.

"Nice to meet you. If we ever do again, I do hope it's under much less dire circumstances," he replies with a grin. "I have to go now, lots of other people to be saved tonight. None as handsome as you, but still in need."

The man turns to fly away, but Blaine reaches out for his hand. "Wait!" he cries. In hindsight, that might not have been the best idea, but the man doesn't seem perturbed or bothered at all. He glances backwards at Kurt, gentle surprise on his face.

"What's your name?" Blaine asks, not truly expecting an answer.

The man smiles. " Well, if you can keep a secret... you can call me Kurt."

The au that is literally always on my mind: superhero!Kurt and citizen!Blaine

K: “Citizen, are you okay!?”

B: ⁄(⁄ ⁄•⁄w⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄

[stillwanderingflame]

Loki thoughts

All right, here we go, finale day is upon us. I haven't been this tense about the outcome of a character's story in years. Probably not since Winter Soldier or XMFC. Those were such great movies that had me so invested in the characters and then everything that came after soured me to the point where I've struggled to re-watch the movies. Praying that doesn't happen this time.

Dropping some guesses/predictions under the cut because it's always fun to see what I get wrong.

Based on the scenes still left from the mid-season trailer, I expect we'll see Loki trying more than once to go back in time and stop the Temporal Loom's destruction, possibly going farther and farther back until we get the scene with him and Mobius in the time theater, just after he was brought in. I'm guessing Victor tries twice more to fix the Loom but to no avail, which makes me think Loki eventually realizes he can't fix it by changing the past and has to do something more drastic. This might be where the shot of him out on the walkway without a suit might come in. Maybe he decides he has to go face the Loom and use his new powers to save the day. How exactly he does that, I'm not sure but it seems like they're teasing hints of the God of Stories storyline from the comics. Plus I keep remembering that line in s1 where Loki said "I think we're stronger than we realize."

Not a prediction but a fear that I've voiced before: I really don't want an ending where Loki is alone as the new HWR. I'm hoping they won't go in that direction, especially after the bar scene in ep 5. Just...don't have him show that kind of vulnerability and then stab him right in the weak spot. My heart can't take it.

I have no clue as to what will happen with Sylvie. Part of me thinks the writers will let her go back to her life on the branch (if Loki can restore it) because I just don't see them setting up a Sylki ending. Sylvie seems to understand the need for intervention now, but I don't think she'd be happy monitoring the flow of time, even with Loki by her side.

There's also still that shot of Ravonna in the Void. Seems unlikely that she'd be shown just to be gobbled by Alioth so maybe they're going to try and find redemption for her character.

That's all I've got. I could keep spinning ideas but this show is consuming enough of my brainpower as it is. I can't believe it's already ending. 6 episode seasons are tough after a long streak of only watching kdrama and cdramas (even if I sometimes think the latter don't justify the number of episodes). Guess I'll have to wallow in my feels and see if any new fics pop up to help me cope in the aftermath. 🥲

[copperbadge]

I started Shivadh!verse this morning, and I am . . . almost a third of the way through Infinite Jes. I have also recommended it to at least three people. It's so fun!!! It's been a while since I enjoyed getting to know new characters this much.

Also, for some reason I got it in my head that one of the books was called "Romancing the Rambler" (I think I was mixing Royals/Ramblers with the general Romance genre?), but when I realized it *wasn't* I thought of how hilarious it would be if someone in-universe wrote a thinly veiled pastiche of Greg and Eddie's romance with that title - maybe a king falls in love with and woos the traveling bard known as "The Rambler" who's come to perform at some sort of royal celebration? I feel like Eddie would love it and read the spiciest passages out loud to a very embarrassed Greg.

I'm so glad you're enjoying it! I had to re-read a bit of Infinite Jes yesterday to check something for Twelve Points, and gosh I loved writing that story, and it's egotistical but I love re-reading it. I don't think that the Questions Game scene is the best prose I've ever written but it might be one of my favorite scenes ever.

At some point I do want to write a story -- either short or novel, haven't decided -- where either someone does write the thinly-veiled romance novel about the royals, or a film crew comes to Fons-Askaz to film a movie (something Gregory's been trying to woo a bit) and it turns out it's a Hallmark film based on Eddie and Gregory's unlikely romance. It's too recursive to do now, but most serieses that run for a long time eventually get rather weird, and I'm figuring around book 15 or 20 I'll hit the Weird Era and write the Hallmark Movie book.

I am admittedly feeling slightly scattered about the novels just now, mainly because everything's moving forward but all of it very slowly -- I'm in rewrites on Twelve Points, but I need to set a date to publish, and I'm working on Royals/Ramblers but I'm stuck a bit and feeling like I need to put Twelve Points to bed before I can keep going. And Simon the Chef's novel is going to take some extra brainpower to do the interesting experimental structure I want to try, so I need to get AT LEAST two of the four books I'm working on (Twelve Points, Royals/Ramblers, Chef Simon, Football Novel) off my plate first. Having four novels in various stages of completion is like, the best kind of problem to have, but it is still a problem. And I can't bump the football novel up ahead of it because Simon's book is set in the summer of 2023 and the football novel doesn't start until autumn 2023.

Also I still need to pin down Simon's love interest beyond "salty-ass chef who just moved to Fons-Askaz". If anyone has strong opinions now's the time to air them. The idea is that whoever they are, they manage to put Simon a little back-footed to start with, and then they're forced to work together -- it's a bit enemies-to-lovers but just light on the "enemies".