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[floating-mid-air]

The Princess of all Saiyans

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Masterlist

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Welcome back everyone. And welcome to anyone new. I'm back… yet again. New year… I won't say it again. I jinxed myself last year. As always, DM's/Comments are always open if you have any comments, questions, or concerns. I'd also like to thank everyone for the constant support. It means a lot.

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Chapter 16

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Gohan rushes over to your side with Krillin in tow. "Wow, Y/N. You really held your own against Frieza. I'm impressed." Krillin praises you.

"Ya, it was so cool!" Gohan exclaims. "I had no idea you were that strong."

"And talk about that transformation." Krillin continues to fawn over your brief display of abilities. "It was unreal."

"I lost." You scowl at the pair in disgust. You swear there's something psychologically wrong with them. This isn't the first time you've seen them praise failure. It's one of their many odd behaviors that you've managed to observe.

Kakarot and Frieza stand mere inches apart, sizing each other up. You never thought this day would come. You've been reduced to nothing more than one of Kakarot's accessories. You feel ill. Piccolo turns to the others, a hint of concern in his voice. "All four of us need to get out of here and go somewhere safe. Quickly."

Gohan and Krillin nod at the Namekian. "Get him, dad! Make him pay for what he did!" It's kinda cute how much the boy admires his father. In a way, it reminds you of the way Vegeta was with your own. Obviously, your brother was far less endearing.

Now, you all stand much farther away. Well, the other three stand. You don't have the energy. Damn, going Super Saiyan is a real energy drainer. "I'm quite surprised." Frieza chuckles with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"And why's that?" Goku asks.

"I've never seen Y/N so fond of someone before." Frieza's gaze jumps from you to Kakarot. "Lord knows Jeice tried."

"That weird little red guy?" Goku looks back, his eyes locking on you. You meet his gaze, glaring daggers at him. "I don't think she likes me that much." He chuckles, turning back to Frieza.

"I differ. Not even her precious Raditz would've gotten away with a stunt like that. I'm surprised she even allowed you to hold her."

"What are they talking about?" Gohan turns to Krillin, who just shrugs. Piccolo, however, has a faint smirk dancing on his lips. You've heard that Namkeians have a heightened sense of hearing. So whatever Frieza and that buffoon are discussing, it must be amusing enough to put a momentary pause on the Namkeian's brooding.

The epic battle between Goku and Frieza begins. They trade blows back and forth, creating rubble across the terrain as they go. You want nothing more than to watch Kakarot wipe the floor with that monster, but you're struggling. You can barely keep your eyes open. So much has happened today. You're both physically and mentally drained. "Y/N?" Gohan turns to you. "Are you alright?"

"Never better." You faintly grin at him.

"Maybe we should get her back to the ship." Krillin looks at Gohan skeptically.

"Touch me, and you won't have to worry about Frieza. I'll end you myself." Krillin gulps, diverting his gaze back onto the battlefield. Even injured, the human is still terrified of you. It's comforting.

Frieza manages to get the upper hand on Goku, knocking the Saiyan into the water. Far too much time for comfort passes. Something's off. You try to focus on his energy, yet you come up flat. You must be weaker than you thought. Maybe Kakarot came up somewhere else? Adrenaline kicks in. You hop up onto your feet without a second thought. "You shouldn't be standing!" The brat scolds you, rushing to your side. "You're too weak."

"This isn't right," Krillin mutters. "Goku should've come up for air by now."

"He's fine. I've been tracking his energy." Gohan assures him as he supports your weight, desperately trying to get you to sit back down. "You heard that right, Y/N. My dad is fine. You don't need to worry about him, alright."

"I'm not worried about Kakarot." You scoff. "If your idiot father insists on getting himself killed, so be it."

"You don't have to say it. I know you care. If you didn't, you would've left already." You grimace, your eyes locking back onto the water. If Kakarot's still under there, he must have a plan. But then again, it's Kakarot. From what you've been able to understand, his plans don't ever seem to have much consistency.

What the hell? The large body of water begins to illuminate. You're not very familiar with Namek's aquatic life, but you're pretty sure none of the creatures here glow. Three balls of energy shoot out of the water. Collectively striking Frieza and knocking him down. Wow. Kakarot may be smarter than you give him credit for. Though you'd never say that to his face. 

However, Frieza isn't down for long, quickly jumping back onto his feet. With ease Frieza, lifts a boulder the size of a small island. He tosses the rock into the air, shooting it straight at Goku. The Saiyan manages to catch it. But struggles with the sheer mass of the bolder. He's pushed into another mountain, trapping him between the terrain.

Not even a second passes before Goku shoots a beam, the rock fracturing around him. Allowing the man to easily escape. "You fell for it!" Frieza laughs manically.

Frieza's trapped Kakarot in some sort of bubble. You didn't know the freak had an ability like that. He kicks Goku back and forth as if he was a ball. You'd probably find this situation amusing if this was anyone other than Frieza. The pair continue to go back and forth, causing the whole planet to shake.

The winds pick up, causing their audience to be blown back. You and Piccolo managed to maintain your center of gravity, but the other two went flying. Krillin grabs onto a tree, and Piccolo grabs Gohan by the fabric of his attire. "They're causing an earthquake?" Krillin shouts, clinging onto the tree for dear life.

"But we're not on Earth... so is it still called an earthquake? Maybe it's called a namekquake?" Gohan chuckles.

"I don't think the technicalities really matter right now, Gohan!" Krllin tightens his grip. "Especially if we all die!" The planet stills, causing Krillin to land flat on his face. You laugh at his incompetence. How the hell has he even survived this long? It must be because of the Dragon Balls.

"That's not even the half of it. Frieza could destroy this planet in one blast if he wanted to. He certainly has the power." Piccolo says, his stoic expression not wavering.

"So he's just toying with us?" Krillin glances at Frieza through his peripheral vision. "That bastard."

"He's having fun with Kakarot." You scoff. "We're just a bonus."

Gohan frowns, furrowing his brows. "I-Is my dad gonna be okay?"

"Frieza's not the only one holding back." Piccolo's gaze moves onto Goku. "Look for yourselves."

"Dad!" The boy chuckles. The Namekian may be correct, but you've heard the rumors about Frieza. And if there's any validity to them, this isn't even a speck of Frieza's true power.

Your eyes wander around the rubble of Namek, and you see something... well, someone. For a split second, you thought it was Vegeta. But their build is shorter and far too slim. The name pops into your mind sooner than you'd care to admit. Tarble? You feel as if you're falling further and further into a bottomless abyss.

Your brother is dead... both of them are. Tarble's been dead for years. There's no way he survived in space all on his own. And if the slim chance he did, this would be the last place he'd be. He would never actively look for a fight or put himself in danger. He was always far too timid, far too afraid. Back on your home planet, people would refer to him as your shadow. Wherever you were, Tarble was just two steps behind. Just like... your shadow. You try not to think about him much. But once in a blue moon, thoughts of him slip into your mind. You can't help it.

"Y/N?" Gohan looks at you, concern shining in his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Krillin's expression mirrors Gohan's.

"Ya, it's nothing." You shake your head, squinting your eyes. "I just

 thought I saw something."

"What did you see?" Gohan turns his head in the direction you were fixated on, only to find nothing.

"I'm just delirious. My eyes are playing tricks on me." You close your eyes, massaging your temples. And just like that, the image is gone. You're losing what's left of your mind.

"Are you sure?" Krillin asks. You nod, not wanting to spend another second on this topic. You direct your attention back onto the battle.

As the battle continues, you hear a motor of some kind. It's heading straight for you. Your head darts towards the source. It's the Earth woman on some sort of pink vehicle. Has she lost her damn mind? She jumps onto the ground, landing in a v-shaped pose. "A perfect ten!" Her voice is more gravelly than you remember. Wait a second. You'd recognize that dorky pose anywhere... It's Ginyu.

"Bulma!" Krillin yelps. "What are you doing here? Do you have any idea how dangerous this place is?" 'Bulma' has his back turned to him, seemingly not listening to a thing he says. You doubt Ginyu even knows her name. "Bulma? Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh? Who's that?" You were right. That fool took her body without even learning her name. Oh, this is great. You begin to laugh hysterically, wiping tears from your eyes. After the day you've had, you really needed this.

"Y/N? What's so funny?" Gohan asks.

"This is the best thing to ever happen on this damn planet. It's so amusing that it hurts." You grab your stomach, wincing in pain from laughing so hard.

"Bulma, you can't be here!" Krillin scolds the false Bulma. "Goku and Frieza are having it out. You need to find somewhere to hide."

"Really?" 'Bulma' jumps up in excitement, moving closer to the direction of the battle.

"Hold on!" Krillin shouts. "Don't just waltz over there. It's too dangerous."

"Lord Frieza in his ultimate form." Ginyu looks on in awe, fangirling over his boss. "Wow. It's magnificent! Frieza's body is reacting to the Saiyan's power!"

Gohan and Krillin share a look. "Bulma?"

A frog leaps in front of Gohan, jumping into his arms. The animal attempts to communicate with him. Making several croaking sounds and lots of gestures. Wait. If Ginyu is in Bulma's body, then Bulma must be... she's the damn frog! Oh, if only Raditz could see this. He'd get a kick out of it. You can practically hear his brash laughter ringing in your ears.

Gohan's eyes widen. "I get it now. You're that Ginyu guy. It's beyond dangerous out here, little buddy. If I were you, I'd find a nice sturdy rock to climb under."

"This is bad," As you watch the battle, Piccolo speaks for the first time in a while. "The gap between their strength is widening."

"It... It can't be." Krillin and Gohan share an uneasy look as Bulma laughs maniacally.

"Bulma?" Krillin questions again, this time more concerned than ever.

"His Lordship Frieza does not disappoint. Victory is his."

"Enough of this. Who are you?" Piccolo questions. Looks like one of the members of Team Kakarot has finally caught on.

"Cap--" Ginyu's hands fling over his mouth, stopping him from finishing his sentence. He struggles to pose in the unfamiliar feminine frame. But quickly, he maneuvers into a fighting stance. His attention concentrated on the Namekian.

"Look out, Piccolo!" Krillin shouts. Unfortunately for Piccolo, the warning comes just a second too late.

"Change now!"

"Head's up!" Gohan shouts, tossing the frog-morphed human straight into the line of fire.

Once the blinding light disperses, everyone's eyes lock on Bulma. Who's standing there frozen in shock. Which means Ginyu must be... You look down to the floor and catch the frog scampering away. You shake your head and snicker. What a coward.

"That was a close one, huh?" Gohan chuckles.

"Ya... If I only knew what happened." The Namekian scratches his head. He seems a bit dazed.

"I'm back! Inner and outer beauty are in perfect harmony once again!" The woman jumps around in pure joy. You'd think being a slimy frog, even just for a few minutes, would've taught her a lesson about vanity. Looks like she hasn't learned a damn thing.

"We're all overjoyed for you. But look, you need to get out of here and find someplace to hide. This is the absolute last place you want---" A harsh gust of wind interrupts Krillin, blasting Bulma back.

Gohan gasps. "Bulma!"

"Save me!" The woman shouts as she's flung up into the air out of view."

You watch in horror as Frieza splits the ground in two, carving a massive trench in the landscape. It extends as far as your eyes can see, even through the waters. You always knew Frieza was the most powerful being you've ever encountered. Yet, this is the first time you've ever contemplated the level of strength he truly possesses. Because viewing him as the strongest being you've ever met is no longer sufficient enough.

"Did that really just happen? This is starting to seem like a one-sided fight." Krillin comments.

"Of course it does. Frieza is stronger than any of us could've even prepared for. The look on Y/N's face should tell you all you need to know. I don't think even she anticipated this." The other two turn to you as Piccolo speaks. The look of dismay clear across your features. "There's nothing else we can do now. He's just too powerful." You never thought you'd see it. It's as if the Namekian has given up entirely. He seems different than he was on Earth. You can't exactly put your finger on it, but something has changed.

The battle, more appropriately labeled as Kakarot's beating, continues. Frieza smacks him around like he's nothing. You watch as Frieza holds Kakarot underwater with only a single limb. That's not good. If Kakarot is so weak that that's all it takes to drown him, you're all in trouble.

For every second that tics on, you have less and less hope. Your mind filling with possible contingency plans for after Kakarot's demise. But not a single one is up to par. And just when you thought Kakarot was down for the count, he comes shooting up from the water. His voice booming louder than ever.

Gohan and Krillin cheer, shouting words of encouragement as they watch in awe. "For Gohan, everyone on Earth, and the future of Namek. I'm not about to give up!" Goku shouts as red energy engulfs his body.

You gasp as he goes right back at Frieza like the last few minutes never happened. If you ignore the whole selfless hero thing, you'd say you're impressed with his resilience. Goku uses the Kaio-Ken technique on Frieza. Frankly, you were impressed with its sheer power. Once the blinding light disappears, your vision clears once again.

And no surprises here; Frieza hasn't moved an inch despite the brute force Kakarot used. To the untrained eye, you'd think that little stunt had no effect on him. Unlucky for you, you're very well versed in Frieza's mannerisms.

"There's no way... Goku put everything he had into that. So how is Frieza still floating there with barely a scratch on him?" Krillin questions in utter disbelief.

"Dad's energy dropped like a rock..."

"There's no way someone this powerful exists." That human is sure shocked a lot. You think he'd learn by now.

"Goku's finished." Piccolo scoffs. "Guess that lunatic King Kai was right. We should've listened when he told us to avoid a monster like Frieza."

"Frieza's off," You speak in almost a whisper, your sights locked on the man. He's relatively unscathed. There's barely a scratch on him, only a few nicks. But you can tell. The slight spasm of his extended hand, almost as if he was shaking. Mixed with his eyes. His eyes give it all away. The twitching mixed with something you thought you'd never see from Frieza. Fear. A being has never come that close to scathing him before.

Three heads dart in your direction. "What do you mean?" Krillin asks you. "He's fine. That blast did nothing to him."

"You don't know Frieza like I do." You chuckle. "Out of the many years I've worked under that snake, not once have I seen him look like that. His physical condition may be fine, but mentally he's off." Frieza's fear is quickly replaced with a much more familiar emotion. Pure rage.

You watch as Frieza knocks the man down. And he continues to pummel Goku into the ground. "Wow. Kakarot's really gotten him all worked up."

"Dad, no!" Gohan tries to run out to his father, but Piccolo grabs his cape, restraining the boy in place.

"You might as well send Y/N back out here!" Frieza mocks. "Even in her injured state, she'd put up a better fight!" He's not wrong. You'd never give up like that. It's pathetic.

"I'm ashamed to even call you a Saiyan, Kakarot!" You shout as Frieza's beating of your fellow Saiyan continues.

"I can't take this anymore!" Gohan shouts. "I can't just stand here. I have to help him!"

"No." Piccolo, yet again, stops Gohan from running into the line of fire.

"But... Dad will die if I don't!"

"He'll die if you do too." You scoff. "You'd only be prolonging the inevitable... and I doubt it would be for long. We're all going to be slaughtered today. I say, if the boy wants to die sooner, let him."

"Don't listen to her. Goku has something up his sleeve. I can tell." Piccolo assures the boy. "But he has such little power left. I have no idea what it could be." Kakarot looks as if he's posing. Maybe he got possessed by Ginyu again. You chuckle to yourself at the thought.

"A spirit bomb!" Krillin abruptly shouts. "It's a special last-ditch move he picked up from King Kai. It gathers all the energy from everything around. The grass, trees, even us. Everything that has a life force."

"But how?" Gohan eyes the older man skeptically. "This place doesn't look like it has much life left."

"I know, but just look down there. It's not like he has many options." He notices the look of concern across Gohan's features, quickly throwing an arm around him. "Besides, your dad knows more about it than us. I bet he'll make it work."

"Oh, yes. Let's just blindly put our faith in Kakarot. When has that strategy ever failed you before?" You sarcastically mumble. "I'm not a gambler when it comes to my life. And if I was, my money's on Frieza."

"Do you always have to be so negative?" Krillin cranes his neck in your direction, his displeasure with you apparent.

"I'll start being more positive when---" And just like that, an idea pops into your head. "Wait. So the more energy Kakarot can get, the better?" Your energy increases significantly in your newly unlocked form. So, if this spirit bomb works as Krillin claims, your new form could still be an asset against Frieza.

"Exactly." Krillin narrows his eyes at you. "Why?" Without a word, you stand back up. You crack your neck, getting into a better stance. "Are you sure that's a good idea? Cause a few minutes ago, you could barely stand without Gohan's help."

You smirk. "I'll be fine, human." You start to scream in a desperate attempt to replicate your original transformation. It's much easier to do than the last time. It's different from the Great Ape one that you're so used to. That one you were born with and had to learn to control. This one you had to unlock. You quickly transform. Your hair changing into a yellow hue, and your eyes glow. You're the Great Super Saiyan again. Now that you're not using it directly in battle, it's less impressive than you imagined as a child. It's sort of anti-climactic. You just need to hold this form as long as possible and hope your body doesn't give out.

Gohan and Krillin stare at you in confusion, but the Namekian chuckles. "Smart." Out of all of Kakarot's little friends, you suppose the Namekian is the most tolerable. Well, he's at least the most intelligent.

"I doubt it will do much." You roll your eyes before moving your gaze back to the battlefield. You can't lie. You do enjoy the look of bewilderment on Frieza's face.

After a few moments, the Namkeian looks around. "What the hell am I sensing?"

Krillin looks up at him. "Like I said---"

All three of you turn to Gohan, who's gazing at the sky in dismay. "The spirit bomb..." The three of you look up, finally seeing what Gohan does. You've never seen a ball of energy that size. Not even when you were flipping planets.

"That can't be it..." Krillin gulps. "It's gigantic."

"Damn." You shake your head. "Well, I guess I'd rather die by Kakarot's hands than Frieza's."

"By the look on your face, Krillin. I'm assuming this one is exceptional." Piccolo looks over to the human.

"The one on Earth wasn't even half that size. He must be collecting energy from all over the universe!"

"Frieza hasn't caught on yet," Piccolo announces. "Why doesn't he use that thing while he has the upper hand?"

"It must not be enough to... you know..." Krillin trails.

"You can say kill. It's not a bad word." You snarl. "You had no problem with it when you tried to murder my brother back on Earth."

"Come on, Dad!" You can hear Gohan shout as you glare at Krillin. "Hit him with everything you got!"

"How long do you intend to just stand there?" Frieza shouts, irritation evident in his voice.

"You know." Goku lets out a breathy chuckle. "That's a very good question." You adore watching the way Kakarot gets under Freieza's skin. Kakarot's antics sure are amusing when you're not the one being subjected to them.

You watch as Freiza twitches before knocking Kakarot back. "Oh, no!" Krillin shouts. "He caught on."

"No, Krillin. I don't think he did."

"The Namekian is right." You grin. "Kakarot's just pissing him off." Goku stands up, returning to his pose. Which only enrages Frieza more.

"I'm not going to ask you again." Frieza continues attacking him. Goku simply ignores his request, going back into the same stance. Your invasive laughter echoes throughout the remnants of the planet as Kakarot's beating counties.

The other three watch in horror with the occasional glance of disbelief at you. "Krillin, Gohan. Transfer any power you can spare to me. Quickly." The pair begin to give their remaining energy to the Namekian.

"What about Y/N?" Gohan asks.

"Right now. I think all of her energy is concentrated on keeping her transformation active." Piccolo chuckles. "Both of your energy will be plenty for what I have in mind. Don't worry."

"What's the big rush, Frieza?" Goku chuckles. "You're so impatient." Moments like this make it clear that there's still some Saiyan left in Kakarot. It might be the only thing attractive about him.

"You dare mock me, ape!" Frieza creates a large blast with his hand. Knocking Goku back further, sending him flying into the water.

"You two!" Piccolo shouts. "Pay no attention to what's going on down there. Just focus your energy." You do wonder what the Namekian has in mind. Neither of those earthlings have much power left. So, it can't be anything too powerful.

"This should be enough." Piccolo shoos them away. "Now listen here and listen well. None of you are to involve yourselves, understand? This is my fight and my fight alone." You scoff. It's like Vegeta never died.

"But---" Before Gohan can raise any opposition, the Namekian shuts him down.

"You'd only get in my way. You gave me all your remaining energy."

As Piccolo leaves the rest of you, Gohan speaks up again. "We can't just let him do this. He'll get himself killed."

"He's not trying to go after Frieza." You chuckle. "He's going to attempt to buy Kakarot sometime. It's a suicide mission... and he knows it."

"We can't just let him---"

"Then what's your plan?" You scoff. "You need to stop jumping the gun. I used to be just like that, too. You're gonna get yourself killed if you keep this up. How would your death help the Namekian?"

"It... wouldn't." Gohan sighs.

"Exactly. So stay there and shut up."

"Don't you think you're being a bit harsh?" Krillin turns to you. "He's just a---"

"You shut up, too!" You cut the human off. " I didn't know children were omitted from death on your planet." You sarcastically mumble.

While Frieza is distracted by Kakarot's idiocy, Piccolo finally strikes. Sending Frieza flying back and out of view. A sneak attack. Not a bad strategy. But that kind of thing only works once. You know that when Frieza returns, he'll be less than pleased.

"Piccolo!" Goku shouts in relief.

"Ya, ya. Just hurry up and finish that thing before he comes back."

"I owe you one." Goku gets back into his stance to finish the spirit bomb.

"You better make it quick. That sneak attack is the only thing I can manage right now."

Frieza launches back over. A vein bulging from his forehead. "How is that Namekian still drawing breath? I thought they've all been taken care of." You just love it when Frieza is enraged. It fills you with joy.

"Goku... hurry it up! How much longer do you need to finish that damn thing? Cause something tells me that Frieza is losing his patience."

"I'm sorry." Goku grunts. "I just need a bit more time."

"Ugh." Piccolo groans. "Just throw it already."

"No. It's still not done. It's too weak. If I throw it now, it'll do nothing!" Piccolo scoffs at him, flying up into the air.

"Too pesky to live but too stubborn to die," Frieza smirks at him.

"You're going to eat those words, scum." You watch, waiting to see who'll throw the first blow.

"What's he doing now?" Gohan asks.

"I think he's going to sacrifice himself. He can't have much power left after that move he just pulled. Since Goku's not done yet, I think Piccolo's trying to buy him some time." Wow, the human is observant for once. You assume there's a first time for everything.

"I told you he was going on a suicide mission." You cross your arms, wondering how this will all play out. You know it'll probably end with the Namekian splattered across the landscape. But the moments that lead to that are far more interesting to you.

"Goku... hurry it up! How much longer do you need to finish that damn thing? Cause something tells me that Frieza is losing his patience."

"I'm sorry." Goku grunts. "I just need a bit more time."

Piccolo groans. "Just throw it already."

“I don’t think Piccolo can last much longer… he’s really taking a beating.” Krillin looks on in horror.

"We have to help him!" Gohan starts to fly towards the two men. You shake your head. The boy has learned nothing. If he refuses to adhere to your warning, there's nothing more you can do for him.

"Gohan, wait!" Krillin's voice stops him dead in his tracks. He doesn't speak another word, just shaking his head at Gohan.

You roll your eyes. "As I said before, You'd just get in the way. You'd be more of a hindrance than an asset. Don't be stupid. That job belongs to your moronic father." You look away from the earthlings, directing your attention to the battle. The Namekian is far too weak to provide you with any kind of entertainment. The only attacks he can manage are several small yellow energy disks. 

"How can someone so resilient be so dumb?" Frieza mutters. You've often pondered the same question about Kakarot. "You must have a death wish, Namekian."

"We're at the end of our rope, Goku. Finish the damn thing!" With little effort, Frieza slams Piccolo onto the ground. "That's all I got. Please tell me you're almost done."

Goku shakes his head. "It's still not finished yet. If I throw it now, this all would've been for nothing."

Frieza grabs Piccolo by the collar. "Say goodbye, Namkeian. You get to die on your home planet. You should be thankful. The others aren't so lucky. Thanks to me, two of them don't even have one to die on." Before Frieza can kill him, Krillin and Gohan shoot a collective blast at Frieza with the minuscule energy they have left. Stopping yet another murder attempt. Frieza's three for three for his assassinations on this damn rock. That's not a bad stat in general, but it is terrible for Frieza.

"You... pests!" Frieza shrieks. "I hope you all end up suffering the same fate as this damn planet!" You've never seen Frieza look this unhinged. You've seen him pissed off countless times, but never to this degree. You watch as Frieza starts another attack. The ball of energy from his palms growing larger and larger by the second.

"Goku..." Krillin chuckles nervously. "It doesn't look like we have much time left!"

"Okay... Okay. I think it's ready!"

"Come on then!" Piccolo shouts. "Throw it!"

"Now, Dad!"

"While we're still young, Kakarot!" Wow, all of you are on the same page for once. Maye hell has frozen over? Goku screams, launching the spirit bomb at Frieza. "Holy shit..." That monstrosity absorbs Frieza's entire attack like it was nothing.

"Get down!" Piccolo shouts. Everyone falls to the ground, the spirit bomb causing severe damage to Namek's landscape... well what was left of it. The harsh winds send you all flying up into the air. The planet has turned entirely into a body of water. And you're thrown right into it. You weren't really intending to go for a swim today. Guess you have no choice now.

You grab onto some rock, pulling yourself up, gasping desperately for air. "I hate this vile planet!" You laugh as your eyes land on the earthlings staring at you with wide eyes. "Sorry to disappoint."

"Y/N!" Gohan exclaims, running over to you. The boy practically tackles you. Wrapping his arms around you, clinging onto you for dear life. "You're okay!" Your body goes rigid. You're not used to this. As you've said multiple times already. Physical affection isn't something your people partake in.

Krillin walks over to you, a faint grin on his features. "I never thought I'd say this, but oh boy, I am happy to see you."

Gohan finally releases you from his tight embrace. "Did you sense my dad or Piccolo down there?"

You shake your head. "I can barely sense myself right now, Gohan." You look around, taking in Namek's drastic remodel. The once vibrant planet is now drowning. This isn't exactly a foreign sight to you. For many years, your job was to destroy and flip planets for profit. You scan the area, searching for any source of life. You'd like to say you're looking for Kakarot or the Namekian, but that isn't true. You can't help but search for Frieza. That man has terrorized you since you were a small child. It's hard for you to believe he's gone. You can't ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. Everything just feels far too easy.

"Hey, over there!' Gohan points to another area. "I see something!" A green hand grabs onto a rock. Using all his strength, Piccolo pulls himself up, dragging Goku with him.

Your lips unconsciously curve upwards at the sight. What the hell is happening to you? You should've wanted Kakarot dead. The idea of getting rid of him and Frieza in one blast should have been joyful... but it wasn't. You were worried? Upset? You don't know how to define your emotions for this hypothetical scenario.

Though, Kakarot is the only other member of your race alive. With Vegeta and Raditz dead, you and Kakarot are the only things left of your home. And when you're both dead... it will be as if your planet never existed. Like your species never existed. The Saiyan race would be nothing but a distant memory... a tale of the past.

"Goku!" You hear the human shout. You see Kakarot there. He's alive. And yet, you can't help but think about what things would've been like if he wasn't.

The reality of everything begins to set in. Frieza, Raditz, Vegeta, they're all dead. And yet, you're still standing. For the first time in your life, you're truly alone. What do you do now? Where are you supposed to go? It's not like you have a home to go back to.

Your brother would know what to do. He always knew what to do. You feel so lost. You try to think about what Vegeta's next steps would be. First, he'd kill Kakarot, obviously. And with Frieza gone, taking over the universe would be a piece of cake. The Frieza Force is weak, but their soldiers are malleable. But is that what you want? Do you want to rule the universe?

That was Vegeta's dream. Not yours. You always just went along with his whims. Ruling the universe with Vegeta would've involved a lot of work; without him, it is next to impossible. The plan was always for Vegeta to do all the work, and you'd selfishly reap all the benefits. Without your brother, you don't desire to dominate the universe. But if you're not going to take over the universe, then what the hell are you going to do?

You watch their little reunion from a distance. It's filled with hugs and happiness... and all of the other shit you find nauseating. Frieza's dead... you should be happier than ever. Yet you're not. You feel... numb? You've never felt this lost in your life. Whatever is left of Raditz and Vegeta is somewhere underwater now. That is if their bodies weren't destroyed by Frieza's trench. Saiyans don't mourn. They suck it up and move on. That's what your father did after your mother died in childbirth with you and Tarble. Yet... you're melancholy. It's almost bitter-sweet. But mostly bitter.

Goku frowns, and starts to look around. Like he's searching for something, "Where's-" His eyes lock on you, a grin quickly replacing the frown on his lips.

You slowly saunter over to them. "You actually lived." You shake your head at the buffoon. "Color me surprised."

"Does that mean you're happy to see me?"

You roll your eyes, chuckling. "You really just hear what you want, don't you, Kakarot?"

"Man, that spirit bomb was a doozy. It was like the size of a planet." And they're back to their little celebration. Who are you kidding? It never ended.

"You better believe it was, Krillin. The hopes and dreams of the entire universe were packed into that thing." Goku looks at you from the corner of his eye. "And maybe a bit of extra help from Y/N, too."

"I was still afraid that you got caught in it."

"Come on, Gohan." Piccolo chuckles, ruffling the boy's hair. "Give your father and I some credit."

"Well, I guess it's time to head home with our heads held high. Might even have the chance to live the dream." Krillin announces.

"Huh?" The father-son duo looks at him in collective confusion.

Krillina laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "You're seriously going to make me spell out what's at the top of my victory list, aren't you?" His face flushes bright red. "A girlfriend."

You sneer in disgust. "Humans are such pathetic creatures." The other three stare at Krillin in surprise before breaking out into laughter. You'll never understand any of them. And you don't desire to.

Once the initial adrenaline passes, everyone's now standing. Goku has one arm around Krillin, the other placed on top of his son's head. "You all ready to go? My spaceship should be able to get us back home in just under six days."

Gohan jumps in joy. "Yay! I get to see everyone in less than a week."

Goku grins at his son before turning to you. "You're more than welcome to come with us."

"It's not like there's any other way off this damn rock." You look away, avoiding his gaze. Great, you get to go from one horrid planet to another. You can't even pick which one is worse. Namek, which is a shell of its former self. Or Earth, which is home to some of the weakest, most pathetic creatures you've ever encountered.

Your ears perk up as Krillin screams. "What is it?" Goku asks, alarm dripping from his voice.

"Bulma's out there somewhere. And I totally forgot." He looks terrified. It's the same way the human typically looks at you.

"Come on, Krillin." Goku laughs. "Don't scare us like that. From the look on your face, I thought that Frieza was back."

"Ya, well, he's got nothing on her when she's pissed off." Really? He finds the Earth women terrifying? You've seen insects with a higher power level than her. You doubt the earth woman has eradicated entire species when she was angry. It must be an exaggeration.

The others laugh, but you aren't amused. "Don't make me laugh." Goku chuckles more, gripping his side. "My body's already mad enough at me as it is."

You stare at your reflection in the water as the Namekian speaks. You look like crap. You desperately need sleep. You look back up and see the earthling, his mouth hanging ajar; he's practically shaking in fear. You turn your head to see what he's staring at. Laughter escapes your lips. It's Frieza. You knew it. You knew it seemed too fucking easy.

"How can this be happening? There's no way someone could survive a blast like that and not get obliterated." Krillin looks on in utter disbelief.

"He's not just anyone. He's Frieza...." Your voice trails.

Frieza extends his arm, shooting a blast at Goku and Gohan. Piccolo jumps in, knocking the pair out of the way. Taking the impact of the blast entirely. "Piccolo!" Gohan screams, falling to his knees.

"He's alive..." You cross your arms over your chest. "At least for now."

Gohan gets up and rushes over to the Namekians' side. "Piccolo... please get up."

You watch as Kakarot clenches his fists, his knuckles turning milky white. "Bravo, my friend." You don't think you've ever heard Frieza refer to someone as a friend. Pest, sure, but a friend? Never. It's unnerving. "You nearly brought the mighty Frieza down. I've never had a call quite that close before."

Goku's gaze darts from Frieza to you all. "I want you all to get out of here. My ship isn't far. Grab Piccolo, find Bulma, and set a course for Earth." Why is everyone always so bossy? First Vegeta, then the Namekian, and now Kakarot. Who’s gonna try to boss you around next? The brat? "I'm not leaving. So don't get any ideas about waiting for me." His eyes lock on his son, who's in a trance-like state. "Snap out of it, Gohan!"

"I won't!" The brat stubbornly stands his ground; how Saiyan-like. "I owe it to Piccolo to stay and fight." Gohan starts to tear up.

"With what?" Goku questions. "None of you have enough strength left. The most you'd do is get in the way."

"Goku..." Krilin's voice trails. "You're serious."

"I advise against placing much stock in your vessel. But if you'd like, I can bring you much closer to home." That sounds mildly threatening. You know he's not talking about your home. All that's left of your homeworld is most likely a handful of rocks floating aimlessly somewhere in space.

"Krillin! Look out!" Gohan shouts. Frieza takes control of Krillin's body, blasting him high into the air.

"Frieza... don't do it!" Begging will only encourage him further. You don't see a way where any of you make it off of this planet alive.

"Goku!" Krillin shouts as he dangles in the air. With a clench of Frieza's fist, the human implodes. Talk about going out with a bang. You don't even see a body. He must have... disintegrated.

"You are a ruthless... heartless... bastard." Kakarot's fists remain clenched, his entire body vibrating.

Frieza laughs mockingly. "I think the pretty princess should go next." He extends his index finger in your direction. "And after I take care of her, it'll be the brat's turn." Frieza shoots a blast of energy straight toward you. It all happens so fast that any attempt to move would be in vain.

You can feel the heat of the energy against your armored chest. Yet there's no pain. The beam reflects off your chest as if you were made entirely of rubber. Frieza dodges out of the way, just barely evading his own attack.

"What the hell?" You mutter to yourself. You look down. Your armor is the same... but your chest is glowing. You reach into your armor, pulling out your necklace, holding it by the chain. This is the source of the light; the stars of the charm are shining. It's never done that before. Your necklace... it saved you?

"What kind of damn trick was that Y/N?"

"I- I have no idea." You grasp the charm in your hand. It feels warm, an odd, comforting familiarity you can't describe. Where the hell did your father actually get this thing?

Frieza is about to speak again, but his attention quickly focuses on Kakarot. Whose anger has only seemed to grow. Beams of light shoot all over the planet. It almost resembles lightning. He must like Krillin more than all his other friends you had slaughtered back on Earth. The waters form waves, and rocks shoot everywhere. "I will make you suffer!" Now, this is a version of Kakarot you can get behind. His hair flickers from black to blonde. No way... he can't be.

With one final shriek, he transforms right before your eyes. His hair was now in a semi-permanent state of blonde, with his eyes a much lighter shade. Kakarot... is a Super Saiyan. "Holy shit..."

"Both of you go. Take Piccolo with you, and get the hell out of here." It's clear this isn't a request. "Find Bulma, find the ship, and go." Gohan hesitates, not moving. "Do as I say now before I lose what little sense of reason I have left!"

"O-Okay." Gohan nods, rushing back over to Piccolo.

"Move as fast as you can, and don't look back. If Piccolo dies, then Kami dies... and I don't think I have to remind you what happens after that." And still, after all of this, his priority is resurrecting his pathetic friends. Unbelievable.

"What are you trying to say?" Gohan's voice shakes.

"I'm saying go without me. Get back home; I'll be there when I can."

"But... if we take your ship, you'll be stuck here. You'd have no way to get home."

"I'm your father! Don't talk back to me!" Goku snaps. "Just do as I say!"

"Alright, Dad." Gohan nods. "I'll see you at home." Gohan picks up Piccolo, flying out of view."

After his son is gone, Goku turns to you. "That means you too."

"But I wanted to watch..." You pout.

He scoffs. "I'm not asking, Y/N."

You place your hands on your hips, rolling your eyes at the man. "You sound like Vegeta."

Goku takes several steps toward you. Now, standing directly in front of you. "Stop being a stubborn brat and listen!"

You chuckle. "Now you really sound like Vegeta."

"I'm not playing this game." He pinches the bridge of his nose. "Now get the hell out of here!"

"I never knew you could yell so much." You smirk.

"Well, that's because yelling seems to be the only damn thing you respond to!" He snaps.

"That's not---" Wait. Have you been conditioned to only listen when someone's screaming at you?

"Now, I'd happily entertain you any other goddamn day of the year, but not now." He takes a deep breath. "Now go before I lose my damn patience."

"Man, now you really sound like---" You're cut off by Kakarot's lips pressing against your own. The warm sensation causes your heart to flutter. Your eyes widen. Your breath catching in the back of your throat.

"How about now? Do I sound like Vegeta now?" You touch your lips. Did... Did that just happen? "Now go!" He takes a deep breath, seeming to have calmed down a bit. "When I return to Earth, we can get back to what we started before. So you'll get a turn, too. I'll gladly fight you... or fuck you if that's what you'd like instead. Maybe both if you listen." You choke on air. Who the fuck is this? Cause this isn't the Neanderthal Kakarot. Your brain is short-circuiting. "Just wait for me, alright. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"A-Alright." You're not sure if you love or hate this new Kakarot. You take a deep breath and regain your frosty attitude. "Don't die. Or do. I don't give a damn what happens to this planet. Well, it's not much of a planet anymore, is it." You fly up into the air.

"Hey!" He calls out to you one last time. "Take care of Gohan for me while I'm gone."

You grin, shaking your head. "You really are a terrible father!"

[mudskip-muses]

dont mind me, just expounding on what it would entail if gundham actually had real magic

@prophetrick i figured you may be interested in this uwu

gundham can ‘shadow walk’. basically hes not completely invisible, just makes himself less noticeable, but if you know he can do this, or know what to look for in terms of detection, you can pretty much make this moot. super sense of smell, sight, hearing and aura detection will help but other than that you either wont know hes there unless he makes himself known or if your character is astute, empathetic etc they may have the feeling of being watched

when he steps out of the shadows, so to speak, they fall off him like smoke. no real reason for this, i just think its neat. if hes getting angry or is trying to be intimidating he’ll ‘twist’ the shadows about him with the same effect

he can talk to animals, but only ones he has a connection with, and how effective this is can vary. his devas are a part of him in a way, he can understand them as if they were himself and vice versa. animals that are more trusting, ie. some dogs, cats, friendly animals in general, will have a ‘minor connection’. he can communicate ideas to them and they can do the same in turn, but its not a complete connection and will have its limitations. its more of a suggestion if he issues some sort of a command. animals that have a mistrust of people are less receptive if not completely out of tune with this, but it is very very rare the later happens. less receptive animals are anything wild, he can convey his intent and its up in the air if they’ll truly listen to him or not depending on what he is asking of them. any animal that has been severely abused will be unable to be swayed unless calmed or its proven they can trust him

animals ‘speak’ in the language they were raised with, and he can only understand those that speak Japanese or English. anything else is based on sensing and sharing their emotions instead of direct thoughts. there are some exceptions to this, ie. if the animals or gundham happens to know a singular word or phrase is a different langue for whatever reason

some of the animals he care for are magical in nature, though are hidden either though illusion magic of their own power or of his creation. the later is often held in a near indestructible collar or other such band, like that on a birds leg or a temporary ear/fin tag only able to be removed by him. if your character is also magic, there is a chance to see through this, or at the very least feel as if something is different about the animal. any sort of magic the animal posses is unable to be used or is severely negated form the collar to avoid detection

because the devas are a part of him in a spiritual sort of connection, they have a higher intelligence, close to that of a young child. they can carry out basic tasks and ‘speak’ to gundham, but they are still hamsters and thus have limitations. they also dont always realize not everyone can understand them, and can get frustrated if theyre trying to convey an idea and it goes unheard. they will have a general idea of where gundham is at all times because of this connection. they also have a longer life span, connected to gundham. as long as he persists, so do they

gundham has ‘ice touch’, basically his body temperature runs a bit colder than an average human, and if hes angry or upset, there will be a chill in the air or frost creeping out into his immediate surroundings. this is not a powerful thing and doesnt have much practical use beyond chilling a drink or dropping another persons body temperature a few degrees. because of this, heat is not something he favors in high amounts. his body temp may run cold, hence the constant scarf and coat, but if he gets too hot it becomes to much for him to combat and it will weaken him, making all his magic harder to cast and him more susceptible to adverse effects

his ‘poison touch’ just makes people uncomfortable when they touch him since its not something he often enjoys and wishes for it to happen as little as possible. this is an at will ability and if he is unconscious you will not be affected, and he may grant you an ‘immunity’ to it or take your ‘immunity’ away depending on how he feels about you in the moment

he uses many runes, some of his own making, combined from various sources and lore for whatever he needs them for, a sort of ‘mix and match’ spell. the one he uses the most is a ward against curses that raises his mental fortitude and makes it harder to read his mind or control him. this ward is contained in his hounds earring

his bandaged arm does indeed cover all his scars from his breeder profession, those are really nothing special, the bandages themselves however, are capable to unraveling themselves for other uses, such as an extent of his own fingers if his hands are bound. they act like snakes when he casts them at someone, but they are just simple enchanted gauze and are easily destroyed, especially if the red ball charm holding the magic together is severed, or if fire magic is used

his scarf also holds this power in a similar fashion, though is less effective because of the size of them garment. the enchantment is held together by the stitched pattern, if that part is cut in any way, it becomes just a normal scarf

his coat offers some protection against all elements, though is considered ‘light armor’ and under enough power its ability is weakened considerably. the enchantment is again held in the stitched pattern

his boots hold an enchantment that quiets his footsteps, only super hearing will be able to detect them 

the ‘scar’ is a sort of magical tattoo, it gives that eye minor enchanted sight that allows him to see magic trails/residue/auras. it and his left eye glow ever so slightly when this ability is being used

there is some truth in him being the product of an angel and a demon, the proof held in the color of his eyes. your muse may or may not pick up on this based on their arcane knowledge or abilities

he has a sort of ‘karma trigger’ the brings misfortune to those around him on occasion. he doesnt need to know that something has happened for this to take effect, its activated by sensing an ‘emotional trigger’ from anyone who needs it. every so often it will affect a stranger if hes in the area, but is more potent if he has an emotional connection with the victim. say youre a stranger and you get tripped by a bully and he happens to be in the room, if your emotional trigger is enough, that bully in turn will trip and fall within the next minute or so and any injuries they sustain are connected to the power of that unseen emotional state. if your a friend or loved one, the consequences of that fall will be more severe, more likely to result in a broken bone than a simple trip. this is proximity effective and it could be days before anything happens if he hasn’t been close to the victim in a while, and it has to opportunity to dissipate as time goes on. most refer to it as karma, but is a part of his ‘demonic’ half that he has no control over. the emotional trigger is a side effect of it being at ‘war’ with his angelic half, it not allowing anything truly heinous to happen, it must be justified and it must always be some sort of ‘benefit’ to half of the affected party

his demonic half also gives him an ‘intimidation aura’, though he is unable to control it. it is activated when he is angry

in turn, his ‘angelic’ half aids in his comforting aura, activated when it senses distress in him or someone he cares for 

this aura also acts as a pain reducer, though it is the equivalent of over the counter pain killers. this is exclusive only to him since it is at ‘war’ with his demonic half

he can see ghost, but only of animals and people with some sort of a connection to him, ie. ancestors or deceased friends. the animals often come to him for aid if they have an inability to cross over, either seeking revenge or some sort of blessing for their previous owners or outside party from when they were alive. he helps them whenever he can and can often be found wandering through graveyards in search of those who need him

ghosts cannot posses him unless they held powerful magic when they were alive, or if they are angelic or demonic in nature. his own duel nature prevents the possession of ‘average’ ghosts

[ask-the-crimson-king]

Tales from D&D: The Campfire Song Song

[It is I, your friendly neighborhood Hermit back with another tale from D&D. And this one is... Certainly a saga. LONG POST AHOY.

IT IS ONCE AGAIN FROM MY CURSE OF STRAHD CAMPAIGN! The characters, in brief, are:

AETERNUS -- Goliath wild soul barbarian, played more like a golem than a goliath. Stoic, remembers almost nothing of his past. ARAZEL -- Blood angel (aasimar x tiefling hybrid) bard, has a patron because he used to be a Warlock and the player wanted to keep the patron. Very much a Bard. Has tamed a fucking dire wolf who is now named Boris. He is a good boy. LEON -- Human time domain cleric, worships a god of time called Tempus. Old retired soldier sent out into the world because his god has plans for him. CALEB -- Vampire desperado gunslinger, a vampire hunter who wants revenge against the creatures who turned him and killed his family. 

In the last session, the players had made it to the Old Bonegrinder and met the three hags living there. Thanks to a Fifth Nat 1, the hags became hostile because Arazel mentioned how he had a pet dire wolf and the hags thought he was sent by Strahd. 

I told them at the beginning of this one,  “If you can talk your way out of this encounter, I’ll let you level up right now instead of waiting for Friday.”

What the fuck happens right after I say that?

Arazel fucking crits on persuasion and the party is now LEVEL FOUR! HURRAY!

Caleb is dealing with the two sisters upstairs, his gun is mentioned, and then Arazel’s player says, and I quote,

Arazel had also purchased a pastry, and Aeternus ends up charging upstairs and Arazel turns to him and says, "Hey Pebbles, eat this okay?" Aeternus made the con save, so instead of having weird dream visions, he instead felt this weird sense of nostalgia that he cant place his finger on. Seeing the cakes were safe, the rest of the party all pay for a cake themselves and they all. fail. the save.

So they get to fall into a pleasant, dreamlike state, for 1d4+4 hours... and OF COURSE I roll a 4. So eight hours of them being in this trance. Arazel, Leon, and Caleb, all conked the hell out. Which meant Aeternus was alone with this Night Hag who was now cackling. 

And so he asked the witch what was in the cakes, and she simply said “some very rare and exotic ingredients. it is an acquired taste.” aeternus then took many hints, scooped everyone up, and left with Ismark (Kolyana and Ireena were waiting outside in a cart, not trusting that place one bit, but Ismark went in to help guard the party and keep an eye on Caleb.) 

They run back to the cart and Kolyana is asking what happened. Aeternus explains the situation with the cakes, and Kolyana then facepalms. He says,

"You didn't eat any, did you?" "I did, why?" "Those are dream cakes. they're popular in Vallaki -- you'll see why." "I do not dream." "Everyone dreams, my boy. daydreams, plans for the future, or-" "I have nothing to dream about."  The cart goes quiet before Ismark speaks up. "What do you mean?" Aeternus then says, "I remember nothing but war from my past." "A miserable existence, then." "Heh, makes you sound like a barovian," Kolyana says with a snicker. "We're all miserable bastards." 

More silence. 

"You really don't remember anything?" Ismark then asks. "Nothing but war." Aeternus shakes his head. "How old are you?" "... I do not know. I have been wandering for some time, but I know I am quite old." "I don’t remember any wars in our recent history. You don’t seem to be old enough for any of those." "Definitely not," Kolyana agrees. The cart is silent, and Aeternus goes quiet.

Hours pass, and the cart is pulled off to the side of the road. Ireena and Valerie, a Vistana woman they had met, (who owned the cart), go off to build a fire, while the rest stay back in order to wait for the others to come out of their trances. 

When they do awaken, the world is darker. More grim, more miserable. The mists seem to cling to them, and they long to be back in their dreams.

Arazel awakes with a start, drawing out his magic string and wrapping it around Leon's neck while a thin knife hovers at Caleb's throat. Kolyana, Ismark, and Aeternus all stand to try and apprehend him as he asks, "What the HELL happened to me?" "You were dreaming," Aeternus tells him. "We didn’t do anything to you." "Put the weapons away, you're around friends here," Ismark says, his sword half out of its sheath. Slowly, Arazel backs down, checking his wings to see if any feathers are out of place. Boris looks up at him expectantly, and Arazel takes him to the fire as the rest of the party files out of the cart.

They all go and head down to the fireplace, and enjoy a nice thick stew. Some of the vegetables are freshly picked from the lands around them, although they are thick mountain-dwelling plants. They are a bit higher up in elevation, though more surrounded by foothills instead of mountains. 

They enjoy their dinner and Kolyana asks them what they saw in their visions. Leon goes first, recalling his home. recalling the people he loved, the community fostered, everything. It felt warm. It felt safe. But that wasn't here anymore. Kolyana gave him a small reassuring pat on the shoulder before Arazel spoke up.

"I saw my mother." "Your mother?" Aeternus asks. "Okay, well, here's the thing. My mother was this holy angel, and my father was a damned and hated tiefling. And my father kinda dipped on me when i was younger. My mother served a very holy god who didn't want to be sullied with such a sinful abomination," he then gestures to himself, "and so my mum had to leave me." "Wait, wait, your mom left you because her god said so?" Caleb asks. "Well yeah but I mean I get it. if she didn't then she would've lost her powers, and-" "That’s pretty selfish of her." Caleb shrugs. "sorry, man." "Not really. I’m sure any parent would do that." "I can tell you, as a father myself, I would never do that to my children. No matter who the god was. I'm sorry you had to go through that," Kolyana tells him, giving Arazel a meaningful look.

“And what about you, vampire?” the old man asks. “What did you see?”

"I saw my home. I saw the old homestead. I saw my parents, and my siblings. It was nice." Before Kolyana responds, a conspiracy of ravens descends from the sky. one lands on each of Aeternus' shoulders, cawing.  The three Barovians all gasp. 

"What fantastic luck," Kolyana mutters. Arazel is tempted to have Boris pounce on them, but Kolyana quickly says "DO NOT ATTACK THEM! That would bring nothing but doom and misfortune. Ravens are symbols of good luck, not evil. At least not here." 

Arazel shrugs, and tosses a piece of his stew at them. They caw and hop off the giant's shoulders, peck at the food, then flutter off into the night. The party all decides to settle in for the night, and this comes my FAVORITE fucking part of the session;

Dream Chats with Strahd!

(Yes I’m bending the lore a bit but it’s for the rule of cool okay)

I bring each of the players into the Special Corner (Discord call, we have a D&D voice chat and then Special Corner for 1-on-1 with the DM) one by one.

First in was Arazel.

Arazel feels the presence of his patron. He feels a warm, golden glow about him, even if he cannot visualize Sanguinius himself. He soon finds himself within a hall. It seems to be that of a cathedral. Polished stone, nearly gleaming, is under his feet. But everything feels... a bit fuzzed out. Just barely out of focus. He sees a lectern at the end of this great hall, with, what 40k fans would recognize, as the BA symbol, inscribed into it.

And then he hears a very familiar voice, and sees a very familiar figure walk out from behind a pillar.

Familiar dark clothing, familiar face, familiar dark eyes. 

It is Strahd von Zarovich, and he has come for a chat. 

And he doesnt greet arazel with hostility. He says that he is impressed with this place of worship, and that he knows very little about Arazel’s patron. But he would love to learn more about him, and about Arazel himself. Arazel asks “why are you here?”

Strahd takes a sip from his glass before he says, “You and your compatriots all fascinate me. So I want to learn just a little more about you. How you think, what your morality is." He shrugs, and then explains that he does not have too much time to speak. An invitation will be given -- soon, though he does not know when -- and tells him it is within Arazel’s best interests to accept it. He wants to be able to have an open, honest chat with him and his friends.

He also asks that he does not discuss this meeting with anyone. A measure of trust. Arazel agrees, and Strahd disappears.

Next up, Caleb.

Caleb is dreaming of his homestead. He feels grass beneath his feet, but none of his family is here. Everything around him feels fuzzy, blurry. The only crisp image is of the homestead itself. Strahd appears to him as well, coming out of the homestead, and says similar things to what he told Arazel, namely the reason for his arrival and his interest in him and his friends. However, he also remarks on how similar the two of them are, referring to their shared vampiric nature. Caleb says,

"Actually we're probably very different. I think we became who we are through very different ways." 

Strahd agrees, but he offers a solution to Caleb's little bloodthirst-issue, (which luckily has been able to be curbed thanks to Leon being generous), and potentially knowledge about his abilities. Caleb recently gained the ability to be able to shift into bat form, and he thinks he may have other skills locked away.

An invitation is mentioned, along with the same condition. He cannot tell anyone of this meeting.

Caleb, begrudgingly, agrees. Strahd vanishes once more. Interestingly, Strahd does not mention how one of Caleb’s current goals is to go into van Richten’s tower to find the old hunter in order to find a way to kill Strahd. 

But we’ll get to that.

Then we go to Leon.

Leon appears within an old library. The books around him are nothing more than vague shapes, and there is a musty smell from the bookshelves. Ahead of him is a strange device, a piece of machinery made of many different concentric rings, which he realizes must represent the different planes of reality. It slowly moves, casting around shadows as an unknown light source dances around the room. This is a representation of how Tempus views reality and its many potential timelines, he realizes. Just a very, very simple model, but it resembles the one from his own church. 

Enter Strahd, a warm smile on his face.

“I’ve been waiting to speak with you for some time. You and I have much to discuss.”

Leon asks why he is here, and Strahd explains what he had told Caleb and Arazel -- though he also adds he wants to learn a little more about him, here and now. He wants to also extend the offer for Leon to learn more about Strahd himself in a sort of private talk, and expresses interest in learning more about Tempus and Leon's nature and relationship. He asks Leon to tell him a few things, and Leon agrees to tell him a bit about his past -- his life as a soldier, the village he had settled within, how he found Tempus, that sort of stuff. 

Then Leon cuts right to the point, saying, "Why are you really asking me this? I don’t like to associate with bad people."

"Well I wouldn’t call myself bad. I have made my mistakes, and I am no saint, but I’m not a horrible person." Strahd shrugs. "I ask because I’m fascinated by you. By all of you, honestly. You're quite the interesting little crew."

He mentions the invitation, but also gives a different message.

"I know Caleb is going to be going to van Richten's tower. I want you to stay behind in Vallaki when he does. I will send my invitation then. Our conversation will be a little more... private, for lack of a better term, then the one I shall have with all of you."

He gives the same terms -- that Leon cannot tell anyone of this meeting -- which Leon agrees to, and Strahd disappears once more.

Last but not least...

Aeternus.

Aeternus doesn't dream, but his mind does come to a daydreaming-state. He comes to one of the few scenes he remembers. A field, with the rubble of a broken house nearby. Nothing else is clear, or even blurred. It feels like he’s standing on the edge of a vast void.

Strahd appears once more, commenting on how grim this place was. Aeternus is on edge at the appearance of the vampire, but simply replies, "this is all I can remember."

"Oh, I know. All you remember is warfare. But even then, of no clear battle. Just fragments of death and misery. A shame, really." Strahd sighs. "I know of a way for you to begin remembering all you had lost. My libraries may hold some of the answers you seek, as do I."

Aeternus is quiet. Before he speaks, strahd smiles. 

"Petting that wolf made you remember something, didn't it? And the cake you ate? You remember something about a raven, too."

Aeternus is caught way off guard. Strahd has, somehow (rule of cool and plot reasons) gotten into his head. He goes on guard, but Strahd puts his hands up. 

"I can offer answers. I will be sending an invitation, soon. I do not know when. But I need to be able to trust you. Tell no one of this encounter." 

"How can i be able to trust you?" Aeternus responds with a grunt. One hand is on his axe. Strahd chuckles. "Caleb wants to go to van Richten's tower. Go with him. There is something waiting for you there." 

And then he disappears, and that is where the session ended.

[chocochar]

ᴍʏ ɪᴅᴏʟ ʙᴏʏꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ | ɪᴅᴏʟ!ꜱʜᴏᴜᴛᴏ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ | Part 1

Part 2: TBA

(AN: I'm excited af to do this, and yet I've never written for Shouto before and I don't know how well this will do. XD But here we are! 

Quick Notes:

Everyone is 3 years older than canon, so like Shouto, Izuku, etc are all 18, Natsuo is 22, Fuyumi is 26-27, etc.

This is a no quirks AU.

(F/n) = First name

(L/n) = Last name

(C/n) = Cousin's name

With almost every chapter I'm going to include fake tweets or texts/DMs that the characters make during the chapters. Just mentioning this so they don't seem out of place, I thought it'd be an interesting idea... (＃⌒∇⌒＃)ゞ

I think that's it, so let's jump in, yeah? (๑´ω`๑) )

[(F/n)'s POV]

        It's a day that, for the most part, is like any other. I wake up at around 10 AM, shower, and get dressed before having something for breakfast and sitting on my couch. Living in a small apartment not too far from my college my walls hold pictures of me and my friends and family, some shelves with things I like to decorate my little home with, and posters of my favorite shows as well as my favorite idol group: DYNAMITE.

        In this day and age Japanese and Korean idol groups are the big things people talk about; social media is flooded with posts and profiles dedicated to these celebrities, from the girl groups to the boys. The top two, though, are undeniably H3R0 and DYNAMITE. While I'm a huge fan of the latter most of my friends and my cousin are big into H3R0. Given the groups rivalry we've discussed which is better and who would win in a 'singing and dance battle' between the two, that's supposedly been rumored about, but I've always tried to stay out of arguments involving which is better. Sometimes it's unavoidable, but most of the time I escape the situation.

        Not saying I don't like H3R0, they've got great music and the members are all gorgeous, I mean I follow them all on Twitter, I just prefer DYNAMITE. Checking my phone and Twitter I see the three boys of H3R0 all posted within the last hour, talking about their concert tonight... 

        ...Which I'm being dragged to. By (C/n). Having today and tomorrow off of work at my family's restaurant and currently on a break from school I was going to relax the days away, probably be glued to my laptop or TV, but last night she decided to call me begging I go with her tonight.

        "(F/n), pleeeeeeaaaasssse!! Suki fell through and Erika has work, please come with me!!"

        "Why me? You know I'm more of a DYNAMITE fan, plus I don't know how I feel being your last resort," I replied, in the middle of making dinner.

        "I'll give you all my DYNAMITE stuff if you do! And you were my first thought but obviously I didn't ask you right away since, y'know, you being a fan of their enemies and all," she said, and I nearly told her no, but then again staying home for 2 straight days might get a little lonely... And I wanted that merch.

        Checking the time after a couple of hours watching TV and playing around on my phone I see it's after 1 and knowing she'll be here around 4 to get me so we can get there early I stand with a groan and go to do any makeup I feel like doing as well as brushing my hair.

        By the time (C/n) shows up I'm all ready and I comment,"I thought you said 4, it's only 3:15."

        "Well it doesn't hurt to get there as early as possible! I want as much merch as I can get," she replies, crossing her arms. I grab my jacket and follow her out, replying,"They're not going to run out of merch just because we're behind a few dozen people."

        The drive there is as expected, busy and we get in nearly two accidents because she's driving like a crazy person. Parking she almost doesn't wait for me as she runs to get in line, the two of us getting a decent spot at least right before the mobs show up. Looking around I feel awkward; so many excited and screaming people, I feel sort of out of place knowing I'm like an enemy invading their territory. I scratch the back of my head looking up at the large screens on the outside of the venue, the trio all displayed with their names and their group's title in front of them. The place is huge, and even as they start filing us in after an hour and a half of waiting it still feels crowded; I get my foot stepped on her bumped into more than once, and I hold my phone and wallet tightly in my jacket pockets not knowing who might try to take them.

        "Okay, (F/n), what do you want?" (C/n) asks me once we reach the stands to buy merch and I look at everything provided. All in all, I really don't know what to get, but shrugging I figure a t-shirt won't hurt. Telling the woman behind the table she nods, takes my money, then grabs the one I want and hands it to me. "That's all you want?" my cousin asks, to which I nod.

        "Well I gotta save room for the DYNAMITE stuff you promised me," I remind her with a 'sweet' smile, and she averts her eyes, mumbling while pouting her lips something like,"Psh, lame..." before getting everything she wants (which I get stuck helping her hold, how does she have this much money?!) then we leave to go find our seats.

        The place is packed, again I feel way out of place here, and even as they start doing a countdown the boys coming out I stay quiet while the stadium fills with thousands of voices counting down. (C/n) and I aren't too far from the stage, hell we're in the third row in the front of it! I wonder how much she paid for these... Suddenly everyone stands and starts screaming so I jump to my feet and look up to watch as one by one the boys come running out. First is Izuku, waving his hands and holding the big, sweet grin everyone adores; next to come out is Iida, also waving his hand, who comes across as the middle man of the group, a bright personality but still fairly level headed and bookish; last is Shouto walking out smiling, who I've always thought was the best looking of the trio. He's won a lot of fans over with his more reserved, blunt attitude, a lot considering him so mature for his age. They're all dressed in outfits that, while different, still go together with Izuku in a green shirt with no sleeves, Iida in a long sleeved white shirt, and Shouto in a black hoodie over a blue shirt, all wearing black jeans and different types of sneakers.

        "Hey everybody, how're you all doing tonight?!" Izuku exclaims, the fans cheering in excitement.

        "Are you all ready?" Iida follows, the crowd somehow getting even louder and I cover my ears as Shouto adds,"I can't hear you, are you guys ready?" while pointing out to the crowd. I keep my ears covered over the piercing cries and I watch as the boys all shout,"Let's go!!"

        The concert starts, and while it's not the one I would normally want to go to the boys are pretty good! Their moves and voices in sync, I clap after every song and even sing along a bit when they do one I like or have heard over a dozen times thanks to (C/n) or my friends. The one I'm most mesmerized by is Shouto, his melodic voice enrapturing me as well as the smoothness of his dance moves, my eyes hardly leave him for more than a few moments when one of the other two is singing or taking center stage. If I was as big into this group as everyone else here I'm sure I'd be one of his thousands of fan-girls.

        As it seems to get closer to the end I say to (C/n),"Hey I'll be back, I'm going to go look for a bathroom!"

        Managing to squirm my way out of the masses of people I'm almost to the exit when suddenly people start rushing down the aisles as the boy's come down to the front rows to give hugs and high five or touch the hands of the fans, a barrier and the 'guards' being set up around the ground floor rows so the people in seats higher up can't come pouring down to crowd the trio more than they already are. I start getting pushed around, squished, but I push on until I find an exit and I rush out of it. It's not like the other exit doors, and I see a few doors lining the wall. When I walk further down I start to get confused, mumbling,"Uh... Where did I..." I don't see anyone, the stage crews and security all out making sure the boys aren't getting mobbed, and I freeze when I reach stairs to my right... leading up to the stage. My eyes widen, and I'm about to turn around and run out when the music ends and the boys are back on saying their thank yous.

        "We're so lucky to have fans like you! Seeing all your faces here tonight..."

        "... it makes us feel fantastic! If it weren't for all of you..."

        ".... We wouldn't be here, so..."

        "Thank you everyone!" They call out in unison, waving as screams erupt in the large room. I jolt when hearing someone coming and looking around I quickly duck into the nearest room. It looks like a dressing room... "Oh no..." I don't have time to dwell on that as I shut the door just as I hear the boys exiting the stage and I run to the couch against the opposite wall. Hopping behind it I hide and cover my mouth, waiting. I can hear my heart beating in my ears so loudly, which makes it difficult to hear if anyone is coming. When the door opens the noisy organ jumps into my throat and I hope I wasn't noticed slipping in. If I'm caught I have no idea what they'll do, and I also have no idea how to get out of here!! The person steps in and shuts the door; it's silent for a moment, and I almost wonder what he's doing.

        "I know someone else is in here, come out before I get security." 

        'Oh hell no, is that...?!' I think immediately, gulping. Do I get out or risk him going to get security?? Is that really Shouto?! Did he see me??! When I don't come out, being too lost in my panic to think straight, he sighs and I hear his feet shift as he adds,"Fine, have it your way."

        "W-Wait!" I exclaim, popping up from my hiding spot holding out my hand with a frantic expression. "Please, I swear I wasn't trying to sneak into any of your rooms!!"

        He looks surprised at first, like he wasn't expecting me to just show myself, before he grows immediately suspicious while looking ready to run out the moment I even move. "Then what were you doing here? How did you even get past security?"

        I scratch the back of my head and can't seem to find the words. Being in the presence of one of the biggest idol stars in Japan right now, it's a weird feeling, like I feel smaller than normal while also a bit anxious. Although that's mostly from being caught unintentionally sneaking into his dressing room. But I can see now is not the time to hesitate so holding up my hands to show I'm not holding a weapon or anything I reply,"Uh, well, you see, there wasn't anyone in the hall, I think they all either went elsewhere or were keeping you guys safe when you left the stage. B-But again, it wasn't my intention at all to sneak in here, I was only looking for a bathroom but the crowds basically forced me through the door leading here! I mean you can frisk me right now, I don't even have my phone on me!!" 

        His eyes narrow as he watches me, probably looking for any sign I'm lying, but fortunately he seems to loosen the stiffness of his body a bit as he says,"... Alright, I'll believe you." Letting out a sigh of relief I didn't realize I was holding I climb over the couch and I get a better look at him; He looks pretty exhausted, which I'm not surprised by, but his eyes don't look at bright like they normally do in pictures and interviews. I don't think much of it, maybe he's just really tired from the concert, but I do still feel bad for him. He's still watching me, and smiling at him I try to be as friendly as I can.

        "Sorry again about this, I'm sure you were pretty startled! Ummm... Oh, here, do you have a pen?" When he provides me with one I ask for his hand and I write down an address on the back of it, Shouto looking puzzled. "As repayment for giving you a scare that's the address of my family's restaurant. The place isn't very well known and small, but the food is 5 stars! If you and your group ever want a good meal come over and I'll treat you guys!... Even though I'm sure this is nothing for you guys, huh?" I nearly forget I'm still holding his hand and letting go my face heats up with embarrassment and I take a step back, scratching my cheek. "A-Anyways, uh... Can you help me sneak outta here? I don't really want to get busted and arrested..."

        He's quiet for a minute staring at his hand before he meets my eyes with his own heterochromia and nods. "Sure, let me look before we go out," he tells me, stepping past me and opening the door to see if anyone is outside. I sneak up behind him and peek out too, able to see a few people out there talking; one or two look like stage hands and security, while the other 3 are a chubby, sweet looking woman who looks quite a bit like Izuku, a rather muscled blonde man whose hair is slicked back, a man with black hair who looks a bit like Iida, and another muscled man with short, messy red hair and a beard and mustache. Shutting it he runs his hand through his red and white locks and faces me, saying,"Unfortunately, I think they're discussing some things with our managers so we'll have to wait until they leave."

        "Well... what about you go and distract them while I sneak out like a ninja?" I ask, somewhat joking although he cocks a brow. "Sorry, um, so what about that?"

        "I could try but they'll most likely only tell me to get some rest and brush me off," he admits, turning and walking over to his couch while slipping his jacket off. I rub my neck trying to think of something else but nothing comes to mind and I follow him, plopping down next to him. "They should only be there a few minutes."

        "Well then I hope you don't mind me sticking around until they leave," I say, smiling at him although awkwardness immediately settles around us. For a few moments I chew my lip trying to come up with some way to break the ice, and turning to face him I see he's on his phone. He doesn't seem too stiff like me, I'm sure he's realized by now I'm not a threat although I'm pretty sure he's not thrilled having a stranger in his room when he's supposed to be changing and relaxing, I'm guessing. So to make it at least a smidge less awkward I say,"So, uh, my name is (F/n) (L/n), although it's a really weird situation it's nice to meet you." 

        He looks at me before nodding, locking his phone and replying,"You too, I'm actually pretty glad it wasn't someone trying to steal my things or take my picture again. That's happened way too many times to count." He shakes his head, before asking,"You seem pretty calm, though. Have you done this before?"

        "Me? No, no this is my first time even being in the same room as someone famous. I guess..." I hum, trying to think about why I'm not freaking out over sitting next to a celebrity. Even though inwardly I'm still a little shocked by all of this. "I guess it's cause you seem pretty normal to me? Like you're a big idol, you've got millions of fans worldwide, I won't lie I am kinda starstruck, but I can tell you're a regular guy under all that spotlight." I go pink after saying this and I laugh, adding,"That was cheesy, huh?"

        He stares at me before turning his head away and giving a soft, tired looking smile as he says,"No, it's the first time I've heard something like that, thank you." He turns his head to look at me again, the smile gone but he adds,"You seem pretty nice, (L/n)-san."

        "Really? Thanks, I'm glad you think so," I grin, resting my chin on my palms and deciding to continue the conversation  we start chatting, asking each other different questions like our hobbies or silly stuff like that. I decide to ask,"So, how is showbiz like?" and I catch the way his face falls and he looks away, me now regretting asking since it seems personal.

        While he doesn't outright say it, I can tell he's not keen on talking about it, his words sounding like they hide bitterness underneath as he explains,"It's... Fine. It seems glamorous on the outside, but it isn't all like that. While having so many fans and making so many friends of big names is nice sometimes it feels a little lonely, that and all the lessons and the little rest some of us get wears us out when we have big shows like this." I feel sympathy for him hearing this; it sounds like he's been through or seen the darker side of the red carpet life, and now I wonder if that's why his eyes look a little lifeless. "Sometimes some of us just want to run away from it..."

        I watch him stare at the floor after mumbling this, sounding like he was talking to himself there. 

        "So, why don't you?" I ask. It seems to catch him off guard and he looks back up at me surprised.

        "What...?"

        I shrug and cross one of my leg over the other as I sit back, continuing,"Why don't you try to leave, or at least go on a break for a bit to get yourself in order? If you're an adult, even if you're on a contract, if you're wiped out you need to take some time for yourself. Granted I don't live in your world so I'm pretty sure it's not that easy, but maybe you or whoever is to that point, you just need to think of your own needs for a change."

        He stares at me speechless, eyes wide and his lips slightly parted. I'm guessing he's never been told that before. Noticing it's been at least 10 minutes it feels like, I stand and walk over to the door, peeking out and telling him in a whisper,"Oh, they're gone! C'mon, my cousin is probably waiting." He seems lost in thought so I walk over and poke his forehead, his heterochromia orbs blinking as he focuses on me. "You said you'd help me out, remember?"

        "Oh, right," he says, standing and following me to the door. He steps out, nobody luckily nearby or looking as he hurries me out. We take another way out where no one can see us, and it leads outside. Taking in the fresh air once out the door I face him, the night air causing a chill throughout my body as I hope my cousin didn't forget my jacket, phone, and t-shirt.

        "Thanks Shouto, and again, sorry for all that but it was nice meeting you," I say, getting ready to leave but I freeze when he grabs my hand. Looking at him I'm confused, seeing he has something on his mind.

        "Did you really mean what you said earlier, about doing what's better for yourself? Even if it means leaving?" He asks, leaving me more puzzled since he still seems stuck on this. He can't really be thinking about running away right?

        "Y-Yeah, I meant it all," I reply, tilting my head. I slip my hand out of his grip and start to walk away, calling back,"You should probably get inside before someone sees you, and remember to come visit the restaurant sometime!" With that I hurry and run off to find (C/n), glancing back to find he's gone back inside.

[X][X][X]

        I thought that was going to be the only encounter with the idol, so if you told me I'd run into him again a few hours later when he shows up at my family's restaurant as they're closing up looking for me I wouldn't believe you. Getting a call as I'm laying on my couch watching TV I'm confused about why my mom is calling me this late and answering I ask,"Hello? What is it mom?"

        "(F/n), sorry if I woke you up, but there's a young man here looking for you. He said he's your friend, I think his name was Shou... Shouta... Something like that," she tells me. I sit up right away, wide eyed and my phone nearly falling out of my hand. What the hell- I meant to visit when it's in the day time, when I'm actually there! But it sounds like it's just him...?

        "Mom, I'll be there soon," I say as I quickly get my shoes and jacket on and grab my keys as well as my wallet. Hanging up and essential items in my pockets I hurry out of my apartment.

        Getting there by taxi I rush in and look to find my mom talking to someone, who I can only guess is Shouto. He's wearing the hood of his jacket up, a beanie to hide his hair, and sunglasses. A bag rests on the floor beside him and when my mom looks at me he does too, my expression one of confusion and shock as he stands and takes off his sunglasses; he meets my eyes and lifting his bag onto his shoulder he walks up to me and says,"I know this is strange, but... I felt like you could help me."

        "... Huh?"

        "I took your advice, and I ran away."

        ".... Huh?!"

(AN: THAT WAS SO MUCH TO WRITE. And it wasn't even supposed to be this long, I just couldn't stop writing... (〃￣ω￣〃)ゞ 

Sorry about how long it is, later chapters won't be over 10 pages... Unless you guys prefer that?? But I hope you guys enjoy it, I'm going to try to regularly update it every few days or once a week, I guess the more response it gets the sooner the updates? 

Also I am looking for ideas for future chapters, since I'm planning some chapters dedicated to cute moments between (F/n) and Shouto along with the main story so if you have any ideas feel free to leave them in the comments! Hope you like it, let me know if you did?)

[yandere-society]

Hi. Classic bestfriends to lovers au with insecure yandere!JK who changes in the beggining of the relationship? Thank you sm!

Admin/Writer- Chinkbihh 

Trigger Warnings- Yandere, Violence, Unhealthy Relationship Behavior, Mention Of Split Personality

Word Count- 6.7k

Puppy Love

“And they called it puppy love, just because we’re seventeen…tell them all, oh please tell them it isn’t fair, to take away my only dream.”

“Jungkook, if you say what I think you’re going to say… then I’m gonna have to roundhouse kick you.”  

You glared at the doe-eyed boy as the warning left your lips in a mock menacing tone.

Jungkook held his hands up in surrender and gave you his traditional wide eyed innocent look when he knew he had successfully fucked with you.  

“I’m just saying, I really think you should give deep dish pizza a second chance.”  His breathy voice pleaded.

You rolled your eyes and turned your attention back to the assignment that you were meant to be working on.  Jungkook instead favored discussing what type of pizza to order tonight, knowing that he could push your buttons by mentioning your least favorite kinds.

“Kook, if I wanted to drink a jar of tomato sauce then I would’ve done it by now.”  You grumbled, trying to end this stupid argument before it got too out of hand. Sometimes you and Jungkook would have the biggest blowouts over the most unimportant things.  One time, you guys didn’t talk for a week because Jungkook had the audacity to bring you an onion bagel instead of your prefered rasin one.

Immature?  Yes.

But with that stupid bunny like grin that sparkled with mischievousness at every little bicker and trick he pulled, you couldn’t help but think he did it on purpose.  

So of course you fought back.  

But it never got too crazy.  

Jungkook and you were the best of friends.  

In a weird way, it was an opposites attract type of deal.  Jungkook was timid, a perfectionist and neat. On the other hand, you were outspoken, laid back and a tad messy.  Hell, you guys could’ve been your own sitcom. But it was simply just a good platonic friendship.

You were too boyish to have many girl friends.

Jungkook was a bit too shy to be part of the bro pack.  

Thus you found alliance within each other.  

That didn’t mean you didn’t have any moments of not wanting to punch him in the face.  

“Can you stop being an ass and help me with this problem?”  You moaned in misery, you had been on the same problem for ten minutes now with no solution.

Jungkook was a whiz with math meanwhile you were awful at it, like having dyslexia with numbers.  

Jungkook tilted his head and leaned over your desk, taking a good look at the problem before popping his head back up to smirk at you.  “I could…but why should I?”

You groaned and plopped your head face-first onto the desk.  You should’ve expected this, Jungkook never gave anything away for free.  You always had to bribe or blackmail him into doing anything helpful for you.  

Blackmail.

That’s it!

Acting as casual as one coul, you mumbled just loud enough for him to hear; “I guess I’ll have to ask that Namjoon kid for help.  He’s always getting straight A’s.”

1.

2.

3.

Like clockwork, Jungkook sprinted into action and snatched your paper away,

You looked up to see him with a pencil already in hand, scribbling down answers at lightning speed.

Secretly, you smirked.  

Worked like a charm.

You see, Jungkook had this weird overprotective thing with you.  It can best be described as what an older brother probably feels with a younger sister and boys.  All you had to do was threaten to hang out with a boy that wasn’t him, and Jungkook was putty in your hands.  

You must admit, you did abuse this power at times.  But you never took it too seriously.

Jungkook would never hurt anyone.  He was like a little puppy. And it wasn’t as if you had any serious intention of being with a guy, therefore it was all in good fun.  

When Jungkook was finished, he handed you back the paper.

You attrieved it, but while doing so Jungkook looked at you intensely and said; “You don’t need to run to other boys.”  

You chortled and stood up to pack your things.  “Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard this lecture before. All men only think with their dicks and I can only trust you.”

“It’s true (Y/n)!  You’re not in the boy’s locker room everyday, I am.  The things they talk about are disgusting and I don’t want you to be just one of these bastards’ tale to share.”  

You rolled your eyes and motioned for him to get up as well.  

“I wouldn’t put it past them.  C’mon, we gotta go. My mom wants me home early tonight.  So if we’re going to watch that movie then we better leave now.”  

–

Jungkook and you had a deal.  

You pick the pizza while he chose the movie.  

You readily agreed, already knowing that you wouldn’t eat whatever crap he would order just to spite you.  

So there you two sat, in his dark room as the screen glowed with some stupid action movie that Jungkook had probably seen hundred times already.  

It was kinda cute really, the way Jungkook’s eyes would light up or how he would mouth ‘woah’ everytime the good guy would do a cool move while defeating the evil dude.  He was like a nine year old fanboy of some dumb superhero.

You personally didn’t care for the film, so when you felt your phone buzzing, you felt no guilt in checking whom it was.  

You pulled out the device quietly, making sure to lower the brightness to not disturb Jungkook’s viewing.  He tended to get cranky when he caught you on your phone during movies.

Briefly, you took a peek from the safety of your notifications screen.

It was a DM from one of your social media accounts.  

The sender?  

Park Jimin.  

You inwardly face palmed as that name rung a familiar bell.  

To be honest, you were surprised it took him this long to reach out to you.  

He must have run out of girls to bother.  

Park Jimin was one of school’s biggest fuckboys.  The boy had more dick pics floating around than followers.  And that was saying something. A lot of girls had fucked him, half of them were just worn down by his constant begging for some pussy.  The other half genuinely thought he was attractive and wanted to hop on that dick. You couldn’t deny it though, Jimin was indeed good looking.  To bad he had a walnut for a brain and most likely more STDS than letters in the alphabet.

You clicked on the notification to see the message.  The choice was centered on the fact that you were curious and would’ve loved a good laugh.  

‘Heyy ;)’ it read, intentions somehow loud and clear.  

You couldn’t help but giggle.  How fucking orginal was this guy?!  It was as if he had the fuckboy for dummies book right beside his phone and was using it to start this conversation.  

‘Gee never heard that one before.  Not like most guys huh?’’ You texted back.  Might as well fuck with him…

“Who are you texting?”  

Your head snapped up to see Jungkook facing you, face wiped off of any amusement and movie long forgotten, focused solely on you.  Or more importantly…the phone in your hand.

You had been caught.  

“N-no one.”  You stuttered and tried to shuffle away to shield the screen.  

Bad choice.  

Jungkook leapt for your phone and with the obvious advantage for strength, he managed to pry the phone from your hand.  He stood up to his full height and positioned the phone over his head, looking up to read the screen and ignoring your eager jumping to get the device.  

Curse his height.  

You watched with dread as Jungkook’s face grew more grim as he without a doubt took note of who reached out to you.  

He was still for a moment.  

Creepily still.

You then watched in horror as Jungkook began typing something onto your phone.  

“Jungkook what the fuck?1”  You shrieked as he sent his message and tossed your phone back to where you two had been sitting.  

“No, what the fuck Y/n?!  Park Jimin, seriously?!” He yelled, his face growing red as his inky black eyes glared at you.  

“He messaged me and I literally sent something back for fun.  You’re acting like I’m trying to be his wife or something.” You couldn’t believe how absurd he was being.  Did he genuinely think you were trying to seriously talk to such a notorious fuck boy? How could your best friend think so low of you?

“You shouldn’t be responding to boys at all, Y/n.”  he huffed this out as if it was obvious.

Your eyes widened in shock at his own audacity to say something so blatantly wrong.  He had said ‘boys’….as in all males in general and not just Jimin. Now it wasn’t like you had any intention of getting a boyfriend or something, but to know that Jungkook wouldn’t even support you being with a decent guy just because he had such a deep rooted hatred towards his fellow gender was blood boiling.

“Jungkook, you can’t tell me who I can and cannot respond to.  And newsflash; I’m going to probably have a boyfriend one day and maybe get married in the future so you better accept that or stop being friends with me!” you yelled at him.  

His face crumpled in despair and instead of looking livid like we was before, he just looked depressed as if he just received soul crushing news.  You watched in bewilderment as unshed tears began to make his orbs look more glossy as his lips morphed from a snarl to a frown as his lips wobbled.  

“You-You don’t understand, Y/n.  I can’t let you be with any other guy.”  He choked.

Jungkook wasn’t usually a sensitive guy, you rarely ever saw him cry so this sight was new territory for you.  However you also were still angry. Why was he being so unreasonable? You thought it was obvious that you were going to marry someone one day.  You also thought it was obvious that one day Jungkook would find a nice girl and marry her. You could go to each other’s weddings and give speeches…why did he suddenly act like this was the end of the world?  What did he think was going to happen? That you two were just going to live out your days watching stupid action movies and video games until one of you croaks?

“Jungkook, what’s wrong?  Of course I’m going to get a husband one day.  Just like you’ll get a lovely wife one day. Maybe we’ll meet them in college or something and go on double dates.  I would be so happy for you. Won’t….won’t you be happy for me?” You trailed off at the end, watching closely as Jungkook’s face only got more and more dejected with every word you spoke.  

Your heart dropped as he avoided your eyes and your question.

He wouldn’t be happy for you….

You rolled your eyes and rushed to get your things before going home.  

So maybe your best friend wasn’t that good of a friend after all.  How tragic. Maybe you should’ve heeded the warnings given earlier.  You should’ve known something was up with how ‘overprotective’ he was.  

You gathered your things and was about to head to the door when Jungkook panicked and began to mumble incoherently.  You attempted to tune this out and reached the door, until he exploded with something that made you freeze in your tracks.  

“I like you, okay?!  I fucking like you and I don’t want you to be with another guy that isn’t me!”  

Silence.  

All that you heard was the sounds of your pounding heartbeat and his frantic panting after he just said something that could possibly ruin your friendship.

You took a deep breath and twisted the doorknob before walking out of it.  

Only on your way home did you allow yourself to send a text to Jungkook.  

‘I hope you’re a better boyfriend than you are a best friend.  FWI if our first date is a mortal combat night I’m literally dumping you.’

–

Dating Jungkook was not much different than being best friends with him.  

Surprisingly, the banter and casual playfulness amongst you two never stopped.  

Sometimes Jungkook would try to be ‘manly’ and ‘gentlemanly’ while doing something he thought was ‘romantic’, but that would only like about 5 seconds before you both fell into a giggly mess.  You guys never took yourselves too seriously and simply enjoyed each other’s company.

However, something was a bit different  

He became a bit more…present in your life.  

One day, you were complaining to him about how you had just started the swim unit in gym.  He didn’t seem to have a problem with it (even jokingly asked if he can get bikini pics) until you mentioned that the class was co-ed and the guys liked to be jerks and do constant cannonballs  in the pool.

His face dropped so fast.  

“What?  There’s boys in there?”  He asked incredulously.

You just nodded, pretty sure everyone knew that all the gym classes in your school weren’t separated by gender.  

He then proceeded to demand that you put on some type of shirt and shorts over your bathing suit because he didn’t want anyone ‘looking at you like that’.  Whatever that meant….nonetheless you agreed just to shut him up. You thought that this would be the end of it.

Nope.  

The first day of the unit was the teacher just going through some basic pool rules before the students would hop in the next day.  You were in the middle of listening to the dumb lecture about caution in the deep end when you felt your phone buzz within your pocket.  You looked up to make sure the teacher was too engrossed to what they were saying before you pulled out your phone to see who it was.

It was Jungkook.

‘Are u in gym rn?’  

‘…..yes, why?’  

‘Send me a pic of the boys in your class.’  

‘Im sorry WHAT?’

‘I wanna see the guys in your class so I know what i’m dealing with if they see too much.’

‘Jungkook….pls reread the text you just sent and tell me you know how crackheadie you sound.’

‘I’m not playing around Y/n.  Send me pic. How am I supposed to know they’re not fuck boys?’

You briefly glanced at the other side of the room where the majority of the boys were sitting, grouped up together in some weird testosterone cluster/pack.  You scoffed after scanning their faces and almost giggled at how ludicrous Jungkook’s suspicion was.

‘Fine, see for yourself.’  you sent before you carefully took a quick snap of the boys and delivered it to him.  

You smirked as you saw Jungkook’s three little dots pop up only to disappear again, hinting that he was having trouble sending out another message.  

‘See?  It’s just soundcloud rappers and nerds.  I don’t think you have to worry ;)’ you tauntingly sent back to him.  

“Miss (L/n), please do explain why you have your phone out.”  

Your head snapped up as you stuffed the phone back into your pocket for safe-keeping.  

“Sorry Mrs. Bennett.”

–

Jungkook had you on your phone much more often too.  

He was in constant contact with you 24/7, and if you didn’t answer a text or call in time then you’d never hear the end of it.  

“I just don’t understand why it takes you forever and a day to answer a fucking snap Y/n.”  Jungkook huffed over facetime one night.

You rolled your eyes as you positioned your phone so you could comfortably get into your bed while not ruining his viewing of you.  “Kook for the last time pal, I was in the shower.”

“Still.”  He childishly pouted.   “You need to answer your phone more consistently.  How am i supposed to know if you’re alright or not if I can barely get ahold of you?”

You snorted as you nuzzled your pillow and brought your phone closer to your face.  “Jungkook, my phone literally dies like 5 times a day because of how often I’m on it with you.”  

“I hate not being with you all the time.”  He groaned. A sudden text notification popped up on your screen, you clicked on it and a reaction from Jungkook was instantaneous.  “Hey! What did I say about going on pause while we’re on facetime? If I wanted to look at a blank screen and not my beautiful girlfriend I would be doing that right now!”  He whined.

“It’s my cousin, kook.”  you blandly answered while reading over the message you just received.

“What do they want?”  he wasn’t pleased with anything that stole your attention.  World War Three could break out and he’d still want to be your main priority.  

“It’s her birthday this weekend and she wants me to go to her birthday party.”  You told him while clicking back to the facetimes screen to face his pouty expression.  

Your cousin was the same age as you but she attended another highschool and had other friends from that school.  For this reason, whenever she invited you to hang out with them you would always decline given you knew none of them.  But since it was her birthday party, you supposed you could put aside your awkwardness to celebrate with her.

“I thought we were going to that new cafe this weekend!”  he interjected, brows scrunching in frustration as he also got into his bed.  

“Jungkook I’m pretty sure our little coffee date won’t take 48 hours.”  you laughed.

His face melted into a expression of seriousness as he leaned towards the camera and stared at you with a dreamy gaze.  

“I never thought we’d end up together.”  He whispered, seemingly enchanted by your laugh with his previous frustrations forgotten.  

You blushed under the intensity of his gaze.  

It was quiet for a moment as you just let him study you with the adoration practically drowning you from across the screen.  He tended to do this often too; compley zone out and only focus on you no matter where he was or what he’s doing.

“Y/n?”  

“Yeah?”

“….you have a booger.”  

–

“Everyone is already here!  Y/n where are you?” Your cousin asked over the phone.  

You huffed and rushed apologizes through the receiver as you ransacked your closet in search of a dress to wear.  “I’m so sorry (c/n). I swear I lost track of time.”

This was a lie given that you were just at Jungkook’s house and he refused to let you leave his hold even after you pointed out that you were going to be late.  He needed his cuddles or else heads were gonna roll. His words, not yours.

“Whatever, be here as soon as possible.  My friends are stoked to meet you.” She told you before hanging up.  

You hastily tried to get ready and make yourself presentable under such a harsh time crunch.   When you were done you quickly ran out the door.

–

Jungkook hated the term ‘highschool sweetheart’.  

It was so offensive to him.  

It gave the implication that the love wasn’t serious or as valid as older people’s romances.  He hated it for it was such an umbrella term to shrug off the emotions people like Jungkook felt when he was with you- all because of his age.  But whenever he spent time with you or even just looked at you; he knew deep down that you were his soulmate. He knew that husbands who have been married to their wives for years could not hold a candle to the devotion he had for you.  

He was so relieved that you let him be your boyfriend, it was becoming so tiresome to have to play the ‘friend’ role.  He finally felt free to express his true thoughts and feelings with you due to no barrier of misunderstanding.

He was your boyfriend now.

The only man you should be with in a romantic way.  

He knew the relationship between you two was becoming more and more serious.  He could feel the intimacy grow whenever he was with you. Somehow, Jungkook found it hard to think he could ever be so vulnerable or real with anyone else.  The ‘awkward’ stage so many talked about was simply nowhere to be seen with you. You were comfortable and fit by his side like a puzzle piece. It was like you were made for him and the humorous and warm hearted banter never left because you two were just so….in sync.  

The moments he spent with you made him feel so delirious with joy that he quickly found himself experiencing withdrawals whenever he wasn’t near you.  

You were such a beautiful, smart and funny girl that he couldn’t help the paranoia that ate at him whenever you weren’t by his side.  Only a blind man wouldn’t be able to see what a angel you were. So of course he had a primal urge to keep what was his, his. He somehow just knew that when he wasn’t near you, other men were eyeing you with gazes that he should only be directing at you.  It was downright blasphemous for such things to be allowed.

The only way he could soothe his pandemonium of rushing thoughts is if he could talk to you.  So obviously he bombarded you with texts and snapchats to get his reassurance that you belonged to him.  He knew you noticed the change within him. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out. Yet Jungkook wasn’t embarrassed by his growing clinginess, surely if you had a problem with it then you would have voiced it by now?  But you didn’t, you seemed annoyed by it at times but it was a more fond type of annoyance as you only laughed and brushed it off. This was the only green light Jungkook needed to continue his obsessive streak.

He needed you by his side.

He finally got you by some sheer dumb luck that decided to take pity on Jungkook and gift him with the most flawless human being he’s ever encountered.  

He’d have to be a madman to let anything take you away after barely getting you himself by the skin of his teeth.  

When he wasn’t with you, he was thinking of the next time he would be with you.  

Thus here he was, pacing his bedroom while pulling on his messy raven strands and trying to ignore the sensation of his own skin smothering him.  

Only hours ago, you had been in his room; blessing it with your addicting perfume and honeyed voice as you cuddled with him.  His arms still tingled with anticipation to feel your impeccable body mold wonderfully against his once again, but he reminded himself with a cry that you were ripped away from him.  

You had to leave in order to go to your cousin’s party.  

He decided to be merciful and let you go with as little fuss as he could muster.  Your cousin was your family and even he was aware of his inability to completely take you away from them.  But now as the time passed, Jungkook was beginning to regret his decision. He should’ve just told you to send a card or something, that way he wouldn’t have to be spending his saturday night all alone in the shadow of your former presence.

He had pleaded with you to at least give updates.  You had laughed and told him that you would most likely be home early but you’d try to text him when you could.  This gave him some comfort, but it was quickly melted away when the night went on and he still had an empty inbox.

Were you hurt?

Did you forget about him?

Did you find someo-

No.

Jungkook wildly shook his head side to side and tried to end that train of thought.  He couldn’t let himself think like that. If he allowed himself to ponder the likelihood of someone else stealing you, he’d most likely punch his wall in rage.  

Maybe your phone is just low on battery?

Yeah!  That must be it.  

However a sudden ding sounded from his phone and shut down this idea.  It wasn’t a text from you, but it was a notification he had set for all of your social media account. Hastily, Jungkook rushed to the precious device to drink up whatever info he could possibly get on you.

It was your snapchat.

He clicked on the little circle that showed you recently added to you story and studied that image with great focus.  

It was  group photo of all the party guests posing for a picture while the birthday girl grinned and held up the cake in front of them.  

Jungkook’s young, black and glossy eyes skimmed through the faces with great intensity.  Until the phone in his hands began to shake.

–

The party turned out to be pretty decent, your cousin’s friends welcomed you and were overall very nice people.  You found out quickly that It was strictly a teenage party, your aunt and uncle weren’t home and one of the friends managed to bring some alcohol for the event.  Although you liked your cousin’s friends, they seemed liked they partied often which was a sentiment you could not relate to.

You declined every offer for a drink but still conversed and participated in any way that you could.  That was until your phone started ringing like crazy; demanding your attention.

You quietly excused yourself and went to the bathroom for the seclusion that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the house.  

It was Jungkook.  

You pulled the phone to your ear and quietly answered; “hey, what’s up Kook-”

“Who the fuck were those people on your story?”  He growled over the line, interrupting your greeting.

“Umm…what are you talking about?  It’s just my cousin’s friends.” You responded, confused.  

“I thought it was going to be a family type of celebration….” your boyfriend whined.

Your eyebrows shot up at that.  “Kook, I never said that.”

You heard a tired exhale as he probably realised that you indeed hadn’t lied to him.  You had hopes that he would recognized how unreasonable he was being and apologize or at least hang up but instead he said; “I want you home.  Now.”

“Tough shit bro.  You’re not my dad and there’s no reason for you to demand me to come home.”  

“Y/n, I saw the beer bottles in the pictures and I know there’s multiple guys there.  What if they take advantage of you? You look gorgeous in that dress and I’m sure at least one of them has taken notice.”  

“I’m with you, you idiot!  You can’t even trust me to attend a party on my own?!”  You shrieked, baffled by his ignorance.

“Of course I trust you but I know jack shit about those guys there and liquor almost never helps any situation!”  

“I…can’t even talk to you right now.  I haven’t had a single drink and all the guys here have been keeping their distance while still talking to me.  You’re just being a jealous jackass.” you huffed.

“Y/n don’t han-”  you clicked the ‘end’ button  and exited the bathroom.

You tried to forget the whole conversation, but it was clawing away at you even after the call.  Jungkook was usually a nice and reasonable guy, but his temper was slowly decreasing after you had agreed to be his girlfriend.  When you were with Jungkook and no one else was around, he was back to being that sweet and playful guy you have know all along. But if anyone else (particularly men) was around you?  He morphed into a paranoid asshole who’s suspicion was spared for no one. It was exhausting having to keep up with two split personalities. You never felt like you were doing the right thing unless you locked yourself away to prevent Jungkook’s possessive streak.  But you were a smart girl and obviously you were aware of how unhealthy this was. Yet you wanted to see the best in him, he wasn’t always like that and as his first girlfriend he probably didn’t know how to properly filter his emotions.

You continued to laugh and talk to the other guests but there was a constant buzzing of your phone from your pocket.  

Jungkook wasn’t giving up and he continued to send text after text.  But you were also stubborn and you refused to look at them. You didn’t want to enable his behavior any further than you already have.  Maybe this was just your first ‘fight’ as a couple but to you it was deeper than that.

The messages couldn’t be ignored for too long.  You had to check the time on your phone and the home screen was littered with texts from Jungkook.  Your eyes briefly went over them but the most recent one caused your stomach to drop.

‘If you don’t come home in the next thirty minutes, I’m telling your mom what those kids are doing at the party.’  

You bit your lip to suppress yelling at the device in anger.  

You couldn’t believe that he would blackmail you like that!  Just to get you away from the boys he deemed a ‘threat’. He would cut your night short just to satisfy his stupid little male ego.  Naturally, you wanted to tell him to fuck off and that he couldn’t control you. But, you knew that Jungkook didn’t bluff and you couldn’t risk your mother finding out what was happening around you at the party.  Plus she would most likely tell your aunt and uncle and that would be opening a whole other can of worms. With a huff you got up and began your search for your cousin, hoping she could give you a ride home.

Said family member was dancing wildly on her kitchen table, laughing loudly as her friends down below cheered her on.  You eyed this scene with a frown, knowing right away that she was far too drunk to drive safely.

How the fuck were you supposed to get home now?  

It was too late, far and dark for you to walk.  

You were screwed.  

“You good?”  

You turned around to see one of your cousin’s friends standing next to you.  You recalled getting introduced to him earlier, his name was Max and he seemed like one of the more mellow ones of the group.  You smiled at him despite being sure that he just saw you inwardly panicking. “Um, no actually. (C/n) was my ride home and something just came up so…”  

Max looked over at the dancing girl and cringed.  “Yeah, I wouldn’t want her on the road either.”

You groaned and pulled out your phone. “I guess I can just uber home.”

“Nonsense!  I can take you home.”  He offered with a grin.  

–

“I cannot thank you enough for this, Max.”  

He laughed as he pulled into your house, “It’s no problem, really.  I was also gonna leave anyway.”

It was quiet for a moment in the car as you tried to form the words to say goodbye while also confirming your gratitude.

“No seriously, you didn’t have to.  I’m forever in your debt.” You joked while opening your door to step out.  When you were fully out, you bent down to wave goodbye once more before slamming the door close to begin your jog to your front door.  

You were just a few feet from your door when you heard the sound of a car opening and a shout, “Hey, can I get your snap or something?”  

You turned around to see Max had gotten out of his car and was holding out his phone, most likely hoping you’d go back and put in your information.  

You shrugged and figured that it was the least you could do for him.  

But you halted your steps forward when you caught a flurry of movement from your peripheral.  

All you could see was a figure wearing black that had emerged from the bushes and was striding toward Max.

It was moving really fast and had jumped onto the unsuspecting man, knocking him to the ground.  

You watched in horror as a storm of fists began assaulting Max with such animalistic ferocity that you couldn’t help but scream.  

You raced forward out of instinct to help the victim.  

Max groaned and tried to put up his hands as barriers to the beating but it was no use as the attacker seemed much stronger and was already straddling him.  Soon, blood made a appearance as the attacker broke Max’s nose with more punches. It sprayed everywhere as you moved to shove the guy off.

Your desperate attempts to knock the male off Max seemed to have little effect, the man being big and sturdy while having such focus on beating this guy to near death.  

However one of your pushes managed to pull down the hood of this attacker.  

It was Jungkook.

His usual innocent and boyish face was overshadowed with a barbaric fury that was tainted with blood splatters, completely contrasting the pale complexion.  

“Jungkook?!  What the fuck are you doing?!”  You shrieked in shock.

As if broken from a trance from your voice, Jungkook snapped his head towards you.  

His eyes got wide and terrified, like a kid who was just caught doing something wrong and was awaiting a yelling.  He slowly got off Max and stood on shaky feet, holding his hands out as if you were a wild animal he was attempting to tame.  

You heard Max pathetically crawl back into his vehicle before taking off like a mad man.  

You didn’t break eye contact with Jungkook as this was happening, too paralyzed by the turn of events.  

“Y-Y/n, I can explain.”  

“YOU ATTACKED A STRANGER FOR NO REASON!”  You yelled at him, accusatory tone causing him to flinch.  

“What were you doing with him anyway?!”  He growled back, defensive tone entering his voice as he stood straighter; like he just remembered that he too was mad.  

“I needed a ride home!”  You cried.

“With a guy?!  What the fuck Y/n?!  Don’t be naive. I know how men think.”  He threw his hands up in disbelief. “He even asked for your snap and you almost gave it to him!”  

“Jungkook, he was the only one at the party who wasn’t drunk who could safely take me home.”  You explained before pointing a finger at him in prejudice. “And I wouldn’t have had to rush home if you didn’t demand I come back within 30 minutes or else you were going to snitch!”  

You were about to turn around and march right into your home when another thought dawned on you.  “And why the fuck were you in my bushes?!”

Jungkook opened his mouth to explain, before quickly snapping it shut in realization that he had no good explanation for why he was there.  You felt the color drain from your face as a horrible conclusion formed without the need of words.

Jungkook once was a sweet guy, like an older brother that was a little dorky but protective nonetheless.  The very worse he would ever do was huff and puff when he saw you doing something he didn’t approve of. But it was almost as if becoming his girlfriend was a triggering point for his sanity.  Never did you think you would see Kook attack someone without being provoked, you never thought you would have to witness him dent someone’s face in and stain his in return with blood. He would always look down on those meatheads who would brawl in the hallways at your school over the dumbest shit, but now he was (if not even more) violent and childish than those jocks.  It was terrifying to feel like you had known someone for so long, only for them to turn around and shed their pleasant persona as if it was a second skin and the true core of them was much darker than you ever thought possible.

You teared up and stared at those bottomless chocolate orbs that always held a film of fondness over them when they focused on you and only you.  

“Kook….”  Your trailed up as a lump started to raise in your throat, begging you not to say what you were going to.  “….We need to break up. I don’t know who are right now or why you changed but….you fucking terrify me. I-I can’t.  Please, don’t contact me again.”

His face crumpled within itself.  

Your hurriedly turned around and booked it to your front door, ignoring the tortured cries of your name and luke-warm apologies that escaped his scorched throat as he hollered like a mad man on your front lawn.  

–

Rest was hard to acquire after such a dramatic night.  

It took lots of crying into your pillow and listening to sad songs but eventually you managed to doze off.  You awoken the next morning with a blotchy face and swollen eyes, your night of sleep did little to rejuvenate.  

It took you a little longer than usual to hurl your dense body over your bed, but you did so as your bladder was screaming for relief and your stomach was loud with hunger.  After the first need was taken care of, you began your journey downstairs in search of food.

Luckily, the smell of pancakes and coffee was drifting in the air.  You noted with a grin that your mother must’ve decided to take the time to make a hearty breakfast, something that was reserved for weekend mornings.  But your quest to the kitchen halted when you saw who was helping your mom with the cooking.

“Oh looks who’s up, sleepy head!”  Your mom glowed after spotting you in the entrance.  “Your boyfriend decided to stop by and make breakfast with us.”

Indeed, Jungkook stood by your mom and was dutifully mixing the pancake batter as she flipped the ones on the stove.  He was wearing a white sweater, his hair neatly put together and his face as doughy white and innocent as his bunny grin that was slapped on.  

He was putting on a show.

He hummed with that musical and breathy voice of his as he whisked away the batter.  

Your mother noticed your strange silence and awkward stance.  She giggled and motioned for Jungkook to keep an eye on the cooking pancakes before she guided you over to the table and gave you your usual cup of coffee.  “What’s that look for? Jungkook told me that you two recently became more than friends. Don’t be mad! He’s just a very honest boy who wanted my approval.”  

You heard weighted footsteps as Jungkook approached you both to hand you a plate of food.  He pretended to be sheepish and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry babe, I just wanted to tell your mom so she could understand why I’ll be coming over more often.”  

“Frankly it’s about time you guys realized your feelings for each other!  I always knew something was up.” Your mom chided playfully while heading back to tend to the food.  Jungkook took his cue to sit beside you, wrapping a sturdy arm around you as he nuzzled your neck. “Also, we need to talk prom.”

“P-prom?!”  You spluttered, finally able to make a noise of any kind.  

“Of course, Jungkook and I were just talking about it before you came downstairs.  I said you looked lovely in blue but he said he adored green on you.”

Jungkook’s arm tightened around you as he propped his chin on your shoulder to grin up at you, voice sugary but eyes serious as he said; “No worries, honey.  Your mom said she’d help us dress shop today.”

Jungkook was a puppy when needed.  

But a feral dog when no one else was around.  

Later your mother muttered how she noticed there seemed to be some blood stains on her lawn and she sure hoped that no one got hurt last night.  

Jungkook just laughed and glanced at you with an odd gleam in his eyes as if it was some sort of inside joke.  

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t have to happen again.”  

[lexhq]

VEGAS SUBPLOTS.

please ready fully before taking a subplot. for our week long event , i wrote up some ( or took suggestions for ) subplots ––– or small side plots that you can be involved in. there are some that will only have one slot open and some that will be open to more , so make sure you read the details. this will be updated as people ask to fill the spots. they’re first come first serve , so scoop one up if you like it. just to keep this consistent , please im/dm the main to fill a subplot , i will not fill slots through ims on my characters or discord. please im the main only with the subplot number + your characters name. if they all fill up , i will write more ! you’re welcome to one slot per character unless saturday hits and there are still slots open. in that case , i’ll let you guys know and you can fill a second+ spot to make sure everyone has a full plot. these are totally optional ! 

you’ve obviously allowed to plot other things that happen individually , but we thought that it would be fun to have some specific plots that you guys can know about ooc to stir up some drama and create some plot points for the group. you can decide with your subplot partner(s) when the subplot takes place. please do not assume knowledge of any subplot until those characters have made it clear that it’s happened ! 

EXTRA VEGAS DETAILS.

they are traveling in whatever way with whoever you decide , but mostly they will be traveling by car in friend groups. hotel check in time is at 3 pm pst / 6 pm est ! they are all staying at the same hotel and pitched in to get a handful of rooms that they can share. room hopping is encouraged ! 

TAGGING.

during the week , you can use the tag lex.vegas to tag starters , social media posts , etc. please also keep using lex.start to keep track of starters. they will be in vegas from saturday until friday night , 3 pm est / 6 pm est and the event will be played out in real time ––– so each day is a new day in vegas ! if you have any questions about the event , subplots , etc. please ask me ! 

subplots are located under the cut. please like this once we’ve read it ! 

subplot one – lost on the strip. 

no one knows how these four all ended up spending time together , but they’re gone literally all night because they ended up getting lost. they started walking , trying to find a bar , and now it’s 6 am and they’re finally rolling back up to the hotel and boy did they get into some shit when they were lost. ( what happened while they were lost is to be discussed by the 4 players ! )

         x ––– taken by kurtis , maia , & tba - two / four slots. 

subplot two - i am fully aware this isn’t our hotel. ( full )

simple. hotel hopping. various excuses , various sneaking tactics , and now they’re in the rooftop pool of one of the most expensive hotels in vegas that they’re definitely not staying at , and the hotel security seems suspicious . . .

        x ––– taken by momo , gennie , yoshi & sierra - four / four slots. 

subplot three - extra road trippers. ( full )

deciding the main strip wasn’t all they wanted to focus on , these two decided to take a trip of their own and head down to the red rock canyon conservation area for some exploring. sure , their friends are all drunk at a club on the strip , but to them ––– this seemed like a better idea. 

        x ––– taken by rowan & fin - two / two slots. 

subplot four - have life , happy . . . wait , what ? ( full )

of course it had to happen. drunk and out of control , these two actually tried have have a vegas wedding. no one knows why , one second they were partying and next , elvis himself was having them say i do. thankfully , elvis’ notary certification expired four years ago , but unthankfully , it takes a minute for them to realize that. 

       x ––– taken by mimi & ken - two / two slots.

subplot five - nothing to see here. ( full )

they’re definitely not certified bartenders , but they decided to jump behind the bar and act like they own the place. free drinks , anyone ? they’ve got your covered ! hopefully the bar manager won’t notice that they’re literally taking tips for making drinks at a bar they don’t work at.

       x ––– taken by prima & capri - two / two slots.

subplot six - we’re just here for the alcohol. ( full )

despite the fact that the club was closed for a bachelors party , these few decided to find a way to sneak their way in and crash it ––– and it’s definitely not their fault if someone accidentally ends up sleeping with the groom to be. 

       x ––– taken by gracie , elijah , sofia , & amara. - four / four slots.

subplot seven - we lost them !  ( full )

apparently the hangover can relate to real life because three friends spend literally forever looking for the fourth friend who , unironically , fell asleep when they were on the roof of their hotel partying the night before. thankfully , no tigers were involved in the partying , and they find their friend without making too much of a ruckus , though they were this close to getting the police involved.

       x ––– taken by cruz ( fourth friend ) , dev , maya + ares - four / four slots.

subplot eight - jackpot ! ( full )

they decided to give their shot at gambling and ended up hitting it pretty big at the casino ! everyone was shocked and maybe it caused the group to go a little hard trying to win for themselves , but this person took their winnings and happily cashed in for the week. 

      x ––– taken by cove - one / one slot.

subplot nine - wait , you partied with who ?! ( full )

they don’t know how it happened. one minute , they were at a club minding their own business , and the next minute they’re in the vip lounge with literal celebrities. the bragging rights are definitely there , because no one else was able to get lucky enough to get it ! 

      x ––– taken by honey , blue , bambi , & zeke. - four / four slots.

subplot ten - i am not looking. ( full ) 

when in vegas , you might experience a ton of things , but strolling right up on a drug deal and then having to explain to the police no i swear i was just trying to by some chips from the store isn’t exactly what you think might happen . . . and yet , here you are , trying to assure the las vegas police that you and your friend were just trying to get into walgreens. 

     x ––– taken by fin & theo - two / two slots.

subplot eleven - can we please just go home ? ( full )

getting a misdemeanor in vegas was not the plan , but the smallest public incident and here you are , trying to make sure you’ll be able to get back home to california after all of this is over. sometimes it happens ! 

     x ––– taken by bren - one / one slot.

[shellheadtmarc]

Shipping  info  meme.

Answer  the  following  for  your  muse(s)  so  people  know  how  shipping  works  on  your  blog.

WHAT  IS  YOUR  OTP  FOR  YOUR  CHARACTER ? oh boy uh.  i don't have like a blanket otp necessarily, unless you count like...pepperony, i guess, and 616 and aa stony.  those two i'm weak af for i'll pretty much buckle early on even when i say i'm not gonna do the thing.

WHAT  ARE  YOU  WILLING  TO  WRITE  WHEN  IT  COMES  TO  SHIPPING ? i'm more fond of soft ships for tony.  like he's gotten enough hell in canon, especially 616?  where he's gone through toxic relationship after toxic relationship, be it romantically or with friends.  he's got a warped view of himself in relation to other people, because other people tend to use him for influence or protection or money.  so.  soft things, things where tony actually feels loved and secure in a relationship.  a little angst is good now and then but honestly i'm Tired of having him feel like he's being jerked around, you know?  let him be loved and soft and happy.

HOW  LARGE  DOES  AN  AGE  GAP  HAVE  TO  BE  TO  MAKE  IT  UNCOMFORTABLE ? usually i'm not really here for anything with a partner for tony under the age of 25.  that's really a pretty large gap - mcu or 616 - and maturity is a must because he's typically lacking.  i have one (1) ship that breaks that, where said partner is 22, and in that case he's 1000x more mature, practical, and level-headed than tony is, so it's a special scenario that couldn't be repeated with anyone else unless there were very specific circumstances that happened in that ship itself.

ARE  YOU  SELECTIVE  WHEN  SHIPPING ? i'm pretty selective, yeah.  i'm not really keen on being forced?  into a ship i nor tony wants?  it's happened before so it makes me a little gunshy when certain red flags pop up (goal post moving when i say no to something or say something won't work because of how it would pull tony ooc, etc).  i require some chemistry.  which isn't to say i'm not all for throwing our idiots together to see if they have a spark, that's totally cool, but that spark has to be there for it to be a ship.

HOW  FAR  DO  STEAMY  MOMENTS  HAVE  TO  GO  BEFORE  THEY’RE  CONSIDERED  NSFW ? my take on it is:  if it doesn't show up on syndicated tv in the us, it goes under a cut.  language i tend to tag but not cut, but actual...you know.  sexy times do.  not that...i have ever written actual sexy times on this blog.  the fact that this hasn't happened yet here is a goddamn head-scratcher.

WHO  ARE  OTHER  CHARACTERS  YOU  SHIP  YOUR  CHARACTER  WITH  ? uh...it all depends on chemistry of portrayals but.  i can be down for a few ships with the right combination, i guess.  ironstrange is one.  frostiron is another.  what is the ship name for it, y'all got too many of them, uh...tony/thor?  ironthunder?  if that's not the name it fucking should be.  i can get behind tony/jen in 616, and tony/janet.  616 pepperony is the ship never meant to be but i still pine for it.  ironhusbands is a good one, uh...i can be here for science boyfriends.  if you squint hard at some of the early and newer iron man runs you can see hints of doomtony.  there are a lot i could actually see happen with the right combination of mun and muse.

and as for ships going right now, i've got a small but tasteful selection of canon character ships, ships with crosscanon stuff, and some oc ships.

DOES  ONE  HAVE  TO  ASK  TO  SHIP  WITH  YOU ?   discussion is good!  i prefer that.  i want to see if there's anything there before jumping into it completely.  all you gotta do is hop into these dms and be like "hey i wanna shove these nerds' faces together" and we'll see where it goes.

HOW  OFTEN  DO  YOU  LIKE  TO  SHIP ? it's not my main priority.  full disclosure, when i say ship, from my rp background (livejournal and dreamwidth) i mean a romantic ship.  those aren't the most important things in the world for me.  like i'm here for them, i love them, but it's not the biggest thing ever.  so that's what i mean when i say ship.

otherwise stuff falls under the blanket of the term cr (character relationships), which could be anything from found family, real family, to frenemies and straight up archnemeses with no romantic connotation.

the more you know.

ARE  YOU  SHIP  OBSESSED  OR  SHIP  MORE  -  OR  -  LESS ? less, i'd say.  i like a wide variety of different kinds of relationships.

ARE  YOU  MULTI-SHIP ? always and forever.  i'm up for possible polyships, too.

WHAT  IS  /  ARE  YOUR  FAVOURITE  SHIPS  IN  YOUR  FANDOM(S) ? outside of with tony?  carolrhodey is a big one, they're fucking adorable.  reedsue.  ben and alicia.  doomreed.  pete and mj.  gwen and mj.  gwen and pete.  pete and harry.  i...i have a lot we'd be here all day if i tried to list them all.

HOW  DOES  ONE  SHIP  WITH  YOU ?   hop into the ims, shoot me a message on discord, like a ship call, whatever, and tell me you wanna lock our idiots in a closet together.  that's the easiest way.

TAGGED  BY :  stole it TAGGING :  steal it

[daturanerium]

2/3/2019, game one: never getting on a fucking boat again

some cast of characters to pique your interest before I insert the readmore!

Imzel, a female half elf druid (played by @alyssumasylum)

Arofyr (Ace), a male half elf ranger

Melvions (Mel), a nonbinary halfling monk

Kell, a male human fighter, future brute (played by @shaggy-kills-god)

Eva, a female human fighter, future gunslinger (played by me)

take a few minutes and read through our first game if you want. this is primarily so i can remember stuff, but i’m sharing it here just in case my followers are interested in eva and co’s crazy adventures. if you read the summary, send me an ask and let me know! 

we open on mel, Val’s character. they’re a gender neutral monk living in the monastery up on the hill. mel is regarded as pretty much a god among the other monks, and they all see them as the Chosen One. mel is an absolutely fucking jacked halfling that doesn’t y’all and has more of a punch-first mentality. a week before our story begins, one of the other monks, john, informs mel that the heads have been discussing things and they might be conspiring to kick them out. mel eloquently uses their ✨magic asl✨ to tell john they don’t give a fuck, and then goes to meet with the heads. they inform mel that things seem.....off......in the world, and since mel is the All Powerful Absolutely Brilliant Incredible Show-Stopping Jacked Chosen One they’re sending them out to figure out what the fuck’s going on. the monastery has a horse and a guide waiting for mel, but, true to their brand of Not Giving A Fuck, mel sets off immediately on their own, leaving the guide to somehow catch up.

next up is kell and eva, will and i. they’ve stayed the night in a simple home with a farming family after helping them out with an unspecified problem the night before. the family makes the pair a simple but lovely breakfast, which both eva and kell gratefully accept. during breakfast, one of the members of the family explains that their son went missing after visiting a traveling circus earlier that week. he knows that the pair have already done a lot, but could they held him find his boy please? kell chows down on biscuits while eva asks the questions, as is the usual. kell wears a mask around his mouth and is mute, and eva has known him for long enough that she knows what he means (aka usually will just whispers in my ear if I can’t figure it out). the man gives a description of the boy and tells them that he came back after visiting the circus but was gone the next day. eva and kell advise that the family continue searching here while they follow up on the circus, which is traveling to Westrun (or close to that, forgive me dm) next. eva and kell will have to head to the docks to catch them. they finish breakfast and head out, receiving some payment from the family member.

next is ken’s character, imzel. she’s a half elf druid currently sleeping in a nearby forest. she wakes up to a sunny, peaceful morning. to anyone else it would seem like a great day, but for someone like imzel that’s in tune with nature and her balance, something seems......off. she can’t quite put her finger on it, and tbh she really doesn’t get a chance to think about it much since she almost gets hit by a cart halfway through her morning meditation. the cart is driven by a man who looks VERY tired. he apologizes for almost hitting her and asks if she’s seen an absolutely ripped halfling running about because it’s VERY IMPORTANT he find them. imzel hasn’t seen this halfling, but she offers to help. he helps her into the cart and they continue on towards the city.

finally, we have ace, andrew’s half-elf ranger. he wakes in the same forest farther down towards the city. his dog, who is currently unnamed (👀), is with him. ace awakes to a strange sight: the trees behind him seem to have.....holes in them? they’re absolutely wrecked, and as a tracker and hunter it’s something he’s never seen before. he carefully follows the trail of wrecked trees, keeping his hand on his sword and his dog behind him. what he finds is a.......short humanoid /thing/ that has way to many muscles to be healthy. it’s mel, val’s character, who has been punching trees along their way down to the city (much to the surprise and amusement of val, who gave the dm free reign over most of their backstory). mel flexes their muscles in the direction of ace and their robes “fucking disintegrate”. ace, concerned for obvious reasons, asks who they are and what they’re doing. mel spends the next two minutes using their ✨magic asl✨ to paint ace a vivid picture of them punching the shit out of his dog. he’s obviously Not Having That. and then, a very tired and upset voice rings out: it’s Mel’s guide, who informs mel that he has been searching for them for AN ENTIRE WEEK. imzel hops out of the cart, sensing the tension. the guide all but orders mel to get in the cart, which mel eventually and very reluctantly does. the guide apologizes to both ace and imzel and gives them both ten silver for their trouble. then they leave for the city. ace and imzel decide individually to follow them down, realizing that mel should probably be kept in check and their tired guide is going to need some help.

eva and kell have been making their way to the docks to get to westrun. they watch as a monastery cart rides by at a moderately fast pace, followed by a half-elven man and a pretty......earthy......woman. that looks interesting. they continue down to the docks, realizing that this strange group is heading in the same direction.

after disembarking, mel takes out their flute and begins to play. val rolls a four, so it ends up being more of a godawful screeching. kell, not having ANY of that shit, lifts mel’s comparatively tiny body and takes the flute. eva gently says to put the halfling down. he does. the guide walks up and apologizes. he looks like he hasn’t slept in weeks, poor thing. he starts to explain that apparently it’s his “destiny” to help mel and that he doesn’t get paid when a new interest enters the scene. an Incredibly Fucking Rich yacht pulls into the docks, and an Incredibly Fucking Rich nobleman steps off. he starts loudly complaining that this can’t be right and there’s no way he was supposed to meet in this dump of a city. kell starts to play the flute and rolls a nat20. the Incredibly Rich Man looks up and is actually.....kind of charmed. he approaches kell and eva and says that kell’s playing is quite skillful for a Gross Peasant. kell doesn’t respond, obviously. eva says thank you for him.

eva: he says thank you.

IRM: [white-guy-blinking.gif]

the Rich Guy quickly realizes that nobody knows who he is. he walks into the center of the docks area, rhetorically asking if anyone is aware of his status. nobody is. eva does recognize the crest on his jacket, but she can’t quite place the name. the Rich Guy finally announces that he was supposed to meet with the mayor. he reads mel’s poor guide as the most approachable for a man of his status and demands the guide send him to meet with the mayor. the guide has no idea where the mayor lives and tells Rich Guy as such. Rich Guy is.....not pleased. he takes his best guess and walks off toward where he assumes the mayor would live. as he walks past, everyone around him gets physically pushed away by an invisible something. eva and kell know where the mayor is but decide not to say anything. they continue to the docks.

at the docks there are two boats heading to westrun, which is where everyone is heading. one is a small dingy boat run by a middle aged guy who is surprised and excited to have any customers at all. the other seems a bit more middle class: it’s bigger and looks cleaner, and the man stepping out looks at first glance to be dressed well. upon closer inspection, his enthusiasm seems a bit....scammer-like. ace, imzel, and mel get on the nicer boat. eva and kell get on the smaller one.

[note: i wasn’t on the nicer boat. this next part is Val’s narration with some edits]

The creepy nicely dressed man was really enthusiastic about his love for the boat he named after his dead daughter (plot point). After showing us some nice rooms he shows us a table full of nice food. Ace, Izmel, and Mel all chose a plate that morphed into different food. Idk what food we got except I remember that Mel got mac and cheese. While we were were eating our food the old man shows us with Ace's plate of food that when he throws a dirty plate in this hole in the floor it comes out completely clean. So obviously we get weirded out and roll to cast perception but get nothing expect for andrew, who starts to converse with the old man about the type of magic, revealing the boat is pretty much entirely magical. After that the old man leads us down a long corridor with a door with a cylinder hole in it. The old man with a deathly serious tone tells us to touch nothing and with the help of 2 of his crew members opens the door to the "engine room". Which turns out to be this unworldly room with this orb in the middle. The orb morphs into these little childish playful orbs that sound almost like they're trying to talk to us, but as soon as they appear their morph back into their original ball orb thingy. And at this point Mel immedently starts walking out of the room, back onto the dock, and jumps onto the other boat, arms folded, unwilling to describe what happened on the nicer boat.

[end Val’s narration. thx for adding in!]

the smaller boat is run by a man who seems a bit nervous and apologetic, but excited to be having customers. he explains that his family used to run a cookie business and he was supposed to inherit it, but that he wanted to be a boat captain instead. he gives them each a business card. the cards are completely blank white except for a little logo at the bottom saying [something about cookies lol I don’t remember exactly what it was]. the captain stresses that they shouldn’t let the cards get wet but won’t explain why. eva puts them in her bag. they make small talk before setting out. the man seems a bit nervous and a little shifty, but that was something they were both expecting. mel hops on at the last second. (at this point val had to leave). after the boat is mostly out of sight of the coast, the passengers start to hear weird whale-like noises coming from deep in the boat. the captain says it’s fine! 🙂 and then asks if he told them the name of the boat. he hasn’t. he says the boat will tell them eventually 🙂. the boat Knows You 🙂 .the boat knows What You’ve Done 🙂. the boat helped him, the captain, get away from his murderous tendencies by making him confront his demons 🙂. the boat’s noises start getting louder. kell and eva are not at all okay with this. the captain says that they have to be because the boat doesn’t listen to him and is temperamental 🙂. kell and eva are Okay With This 🙂. the captain says that the boat is more active at night and will definitely speak to them in their dreams about what they’ve done, which is not good news for either of them. the captain eventually goes to bed. the walls morph around him to let him in 🙂.

eva and kell are alone but Not Really 🙂

kell eventually goes to sleep. he dreams of his past. it’s not fun.

eva doesn’t sleep. she stays up all night. as she watches, the boat starts to grow and stretch very slowly, creating appendages of sorts. and then kell, asleep on the boat, falls through an open hole on the deck and disappears. the hole closes on top of him. eva, despite her best efforts, starts to panic. she carefully walks over to where he was and knocks on the wood. there’s no response. and then the deck starts to take her, too. eva, knowing she deserves this, lets it take her.

eva has a vision involving her biggest mistake (👀) and she’s not having a fun time whoop yikes

the boat shows her what it believes she needed to see and then drops her back on the deck a few hours later. she is silent for the first five minutes, cries for the next ten, and then waits for the others to wake up/return. the boat is still making noises, but they seem almost like they’re trying to calm her down now.

everyone eventually wakes up on the boat, the newcomers visibly shaken. eva tells kell she’s okay (but yeah she’s def lying). the guide had some Seriously Fucked Up Dreams and he doesn’t want to be here anymore. the captain, after a bit of thinking, tells kell and eva to get their business carts wet. since both are pretty on edge after last night’s visions, they’re a bit hesitant. Eva finally takes her card and dips it over the side of the boat, and then Kell does the same. The cards turn jet black. now there’s symbols all over the card; kell recognizes it as thievescant. the card basically translates to “pass”. the captain says that he used to be involved in some shady business, and these cards might help “people like you”. he tells them to flip the cards over. there’s a set of numbers on the back forming a shape of some sort. the captain explains that this is his “number” and if they need anything they can use that to contact him. kell and eva are.....very confused. the captain, realizing this, explains that since they’re entering a new country there’s going to be lots of new, unfamiliar technology. he informs them half-jokingly to not buy anything people tell them to buy. eva puts both cards back in her bag. they’re a few hours away from the Westrun docks.

meanwhile, back on the other boat.....

[narration taken up by ken, thx hun!]

After Mel left, both Ace and Imzel were shown down a suspiciously long hallway by Reginald(?), the scammy old captain, and into an open deck area for fresh air (HE CLOSED AND LOCKED THE DOOR BEHIND HIM, V IMPORTANT). Once we had gotten enough fresh air, he reopened the door to lead us to our rooms and it was a completely new hallway. There were 7 rooms. I picked #7, but was turned down. Ace picked #4 and was given a key (different to Reginald's cylinder key thing) for #4 and was specifically told to lock the door behind him and to not use the key on any other door. He saw a nice lavender room, but with illegible scribbles on the wall. Imzel also chose #4 and unlocked it and went in, saw the same room, but no Ace. We then proceeded to dick around trying to see what would happen if you'd mess up the bed then left and returned (it stayed the same) and Ace decided to see what would happen if he went in but didn't lock it. The walls started oozing goop and there was noise slowly growing in volume. He left immediately, not investigating any further. Imzel decided to try her key in door #7 and it worked, but she saw her same room. As soon as she stepped in, not even closing the door behind her, loud train noises began to shake the room and she grew very ill feeling, so much so that she couldn't make a high enough dex throw to make it out of the room 🙃 Ace freaked out and wanted to open every door... but was persuaded otherwise... while Imzel tried to yell for help. Reginald found her first, got vvvvvvv mad and threw her out of the room then proceeded to scold both of them, then he ran (surprisingly fast for a "65 year old") to go fix whatever problem we had caused on his precious ship that had taken him 30 years to build...

[end ken’s narration]

and that’s where we left off! this campaign is really fun so far. If you’re a follower of mine thx for reading! Let me know what you think and feel free to ask me questions about Eva or any other characters :)

[elliotwarren]

🎊 happy birthday gabriel adams! 🎊 

It was always his eyes that people noticed first. Well. That was a lie. If they got past his skin color, the way his fingers dug into his arms, the soft whispers to invisible things, it was his eyes. Silver, Meg always said, making him sound something special. Gabriel let a smile tweak his features and brushed dark, messy hair off his forehead. That was just as pointless as correcting Meg. 

all art pictured was commissioned by me and are not free to use. feel free to dm me for specific credits. 

I’m about to unpack a lot of shit and get way more intimate with everyone on this blog than I have previously, so I hope you’re mentally prepared for this. It’s going to be a hard read, but I’ve been wanting to talk about this stuff for a long time. 

so almost every year I try to talk about my oldest character, Gabriel. This year, I wanted to dig a little deeper, and address myself as a writer. Within the last couple of years, I’ve had to own up to some shit with this character. I was a bad writer.

“No, Elliot, you weren’t bad! You were just - “

No folks, I’m not discussing my skill as a writer. I’m specifically addressing my treatment of people, representation, and stereotypes.

I was a shitty person.

cw for ableism, discussion of own health, suicide mention, drug use in a fictional character, and general shitty handling of mental illness. 

I’m not super positive Gabriel started as Gabriel. The earliest I remember him was a novel I wrote my Freshman year - in 2006ish. I think I vaguely remember him existing as a something earlier on in middle school, but nothing concrete until later. My first ever novel! It was exactly 100 pages, front and back, written in black pen. It was a blatant rip off of an Anne Rice novel where vampires took over a city and killed and ate them in their court. I don’t even remember if that was actually the plot, but I do remember it being Anne Rice inspired, which is a whole other problem altogether. Towards the end of the novel, I asked my friends in choir class to check off next to character names to decide who died. 

I think 3 out of 45 characters made it out alive. Also there were 45 characters. Many of them had scenes from their POV. Yeah. 

Gabriel wasn’t the protagonist then, and he rarely has been until the last handful of years. He was just an edgy probably vampire guy who appeared at random with cryptic warnings, who periodically would get the protagonist out of trouble while also existing as a side antagonist. He did survive - although barely. 

Later, I had the super unique wild idea to make him ‘crazy’. I took to roleplay forums, where other teenagers I barely knew told me that my writing was good and my character was interesting, and I plagued them with my edgy, cool, sometimes serial killer character that all the girls were into. Sometimes the guys, which I was cool with - after all, I had a lesbian couple as a friend in high school. You know, I was tolerant. 

Made you uncomfortable yet? Me too. 

Gabriel was the troubled white boy who heard voices and saw ghosts, somehow got by as a homeless teenager, and sometimes he killed people but it was definitely not his fault. He went on to win character of the month on a forum based around experimental testing inside an asylum. I was ecstatic. I took him everywhere, and people loved him. Not one person called me out. Not a one. 

My freshman year of college, I joined a group on deviantart, where talented artists I’d admired from a distance were glad to have a rare writer, and after making a nervous start with another character I stepped in with Gabriel. The group was entirely based around the story line, as well as critique and self-improvement. I was ecstatic. 

With the assistance of a roleplay partner - now my roommate - I went on to finish my first novel in years, with Gabriel as one of two protagonists. I still have it, somewhere, printed out in a binder. Pretty sure I left it at a friend’s house. It featured Gabe, and my roommate’s character, after Gabriel ‘accidentally’ almost killed her because of the voices and kidnapped her to his apartment in an attempt to fix his mistake. The novel ended with Gabriel realizing he was an idiot, and heavily implied that he killed himself via morphine, which he was also somewhat addicted to for no apparent reason.

At some point in the mess, I down spiraled. I was upset and miserable and something in my brain finally cracked. I’d been dealing for years what I later learned to be chemical depression, but a specific event in my life caused a complete and total meltdown. I stopped writing. I was constantly making posts to tumblr rather than talking to anyone about how I wanted to kill myself. I stopped going to class, stopped seeing people, and my roommate at the time heard me crying at night more than once. I was completely devastated, and I will never forgive that person. 

Later, I made a bigger mistake and lost someone very close to me. In the last couple of years I’ve come to terms that I was definitely in love with her. I can never repair that damage. I snapped, for awhile, and became obsessive and gross and just a really shitty person. 

I eventually realized college and the situations were killing me, and after 4 and a half years - so close to graduating, everyone said, not realizing I’d failed most of my classes - I made the decision to drop. I moved in with my old college roommate, bummed around their house, and intended to go back to work at a summer camp like I did every year. Except I got fired, for essentially being too old and likely for budget reasons, as I made more than everyone else there. 

Obviously this was really good for my mental health.

Somewhere during the mess I started taking a look at self improvement, and turned back to writing. More specifically, what I was doing wrong. The more I wrote the more I started looking into developing Gabriel as a character, with an actual background I wasn’t making up to seem edgy as I hopped from forum to forum, and I started looking into how to write him accurately.

And I mourned all that time and all the damage I did and how many people who probably silently put up with my shit. 

I spent years writing Gabriel as this deranged, unhinged being who hurt other people. Now I try to make up for it - I spend extensive time reading articles on mental illness, specific case studies, listening to interviews and doing my best to soak up every little detail I can. 

Gabriel is schizophrenic, primarily experiencing mild visual hallucinations and occasional auditory hallucinations, typically in times of stress. He does not kill people - if he does, it has nothing to do with his mental health and more to do with that, once again, Gabriel is a vampire. Like me, he copes with depression and anxiety, born of a situation. I shifted Gabriel from being a shitty, ‘crazy’ white boy to a nervous, wary young man dealing with some shit that no one should have to deal with. I researched therapy, and coping mechanisms, and even found some that help me with my issues. I created Jamie, Gabriel’s psychiatrist and friend. I decided to cut some of the mayo out of my work and made Gabriel’s mother an immigrant from Mexico, and it’s been worth it! I get to research a fascinating, fun culture, and it has improved Gabriel as a character to have a culture. 

I realized, at some point, that I’m asexual - and Gabriel is too. I’ve put a lot of myself into him. It’s been therapeutic, and I feel better about Gabriel as a character. 

There’s been a lot of change over the years. Gabriel is an entirely different person, and it has greatly affected and I think improved my writing. More than anything, it has changed my outlook on everything, and I hope that some day I can some how make up for all the damage I did with presenting him the way I did. People with schizophrenia are no more likely to hurt or kill someone than anyone else, and many if not most serial killers are just shitty entitled white people. Like me. 

It’s been a long time - at least 12 years, if not more. I’ve changed a lot. Gabriel has too. I hope that the next 12 years let me finally finish telling a story about him, and that the world as a whole stop tip toeing around mental illness. I wish someone had told me 12 years ago that making someone ‘crazy’ wasn’t cool or neat or unique, and that I was a super toxic, harmful person. 

I’m never going to be writing a story about what it’s like to live and cope with mental illness. While I deal with it, it’s not really my story to tell. I’m never going to tell a tale about what it’s like to be the son of a Mexican immigrant in shitty white america. That’s not my job either. I might tell the story of being a queer asexual, because that definitely applies to me. But Gabriel is a vivid person to me, and I’m glad I’ve learned proper representation. I’m sure I’ll still make mistakes, and I keep waiting for someone to call me out on something. I wish someone had. I wish someone had said, hey, if your protagonist is also the villain and the only mentally ill person in the story, you’re a bad writer and you should feel bad.

That’s your personal call out, if it applies. I hope not. 

Don’t be afraid of representation of the ‘touchy’ subjects. But do right by them. Talk to people from those situations, read stories by people from those situations whether it’s relevant or not, watch interviews, see movies. If you can’t do right by a culture or an illness or a person, that’s okay. But take a step back, work hard, and just go for it. Don’t be afraid to ask for opinions, critique, help. 

Please. Learn from your mistakes. 

I talked a whole fucking lot and if you read all of it, you’re a star. Good night.