#it's been a while since i've answered asks!

[achilles-rage]

Cookies

summary: you and buck bake cookies at 3am.

word count: 1.8k

a/n: hey... how y'all doing... i am finally making my comeback!! if you missed my post from yesterday (i answered a bunch of asks so now it's pretty far down there), i'm gonna be posting again, but probably less regularly. i've been stressing myself out i think by feeling the need to post a fic every 2/3 days, otherwise i feel like shit, so i'm trying to get away from that mindset, so i hope that less fics are okay!! i love and appreciate you guys so much!! anyway, enjoy<33

warnings: none, purely fluff, no use of y/n, fem!reader, plus size!reader, race inclusive!reader

The light from the fridge casts a light across Buck���s face, harshly contrasting the dim light coming from the television as he opens the door to grab the ingredients he needs. 

“The butter needs to be room temperature,” he tells you sadly, glancing in your direction as he places the eggs and butter on the kitchen island. Your legs are dangling off the counter as you watch his every move, the cool counter pressing against the backs of your thighs in a way that makes you shiver in your sleepy state. 

It’s late; 2:30am the last time you checked, and you and Buck had the silly idea to pull an all-nighter, since you both have a few days off of work. Just like you used to do with your friends when you were kids.

“I’m sure they’ll be just as good. And, a lot better than store bought cookie dough,” you tell him with a soft laugh, rolling your eyes. 

Honestly, you’re just glad Buck has agreed to bake cookies for you this late. While you were watching a movie, the main character was making cookies, and suddenly you needed chocolate chip cookies. Like, immediately.

"Definitely better,” he says with a smirk, giving you a wink before pulling out the rest of the ingredients from the cupboards.

He helped you onto the counter before he began his work, telling you that he wanted to make them for you, and that all he needed from you was to sit there, look pretty, and keep him company. And with a face like that, how could you say no?

You watch as he measures out his dry ingredients, then mixes everything together, but he pauses every so often to give you gentle kisses, the ends of his curly hair tickling your forehead each time. When his hands aren’t somehow all sticky from the dough – you quickly learned how messy of a baker he was when you first started dating – he’d place a hand on your thigh, taking comfort in the warmth of your skin and the fact that he could feel the goosebumps under his palm. He always knows that you’re sleepy because you get cold, and your skin erupts in goosebumps.

“What do you think you’d be doing right now if we never met?” you ask quietly after a few moments of silence. He looks up at you from his bowl with furrowed brows, tilting his head to the side. 

“Is this the beginning of a breakup conversation?” he replies in a slightly teasing tone, although you can practically see the gears turning in his head as he studies your expression, and your body language, and your eyes.

Your eyes soften, and you immediately shake your head, giving him a reassuring smile as you hold your hand out. He reaches out for it, not letting it hang in the air for longer than a second or two, and lets you pull him forward until his body is positioned right between your legs, although with his hands all doughy, he opts to place his wrist under your palm.

“Baby, I have absolutely no intention of breaking up with you anytime soon. I was just thinking. How different would our lives be if we never met?” you say as you wrap your arms around his shoulders, letting your hands dangle behind his head as his lay on the counter on either side of you, making sure not to get your pajamas dirty from the dough covering his hands.

“They’d be very different. I’d be fast asleep right now, that’s for sure,” he teases with a cheeky smile. You laugh softly, rolling your eyes. It may have been your idea to pull an all-nighter, but he happily agreed that it would be fun. You didn’t even have to try to convince him.

“I’m serious,” you say with a laugh, leaning forward slightly, “I don’t know what I’d do if I never met you.” Your voice is softer now, a hint of vulnerability creeping in. You met Buck purely by chance, and you still think it’s a miracle that he took interest in you, despite him thinking the exact same thing about you.

“I’d be looking for you,” he says after a moment, shrugging as if it’s that simple. And to him, it is. 

Your eyes soften, and your head tilts to the side as your throat suddenly gets tight with your growing emotions.

“For me?” you ask in a teasing, yet slightly disbelieving tone, and he shrugs again with a nod. There’s no hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

“I’d be looking for someone who makes me happy, and who knows what I need without me even having to think to ask, and who is so beautiful that I can’t even believe that they’re with me. So, yeah, you.” You smile, feeling your face heat up. You can practically feel the love radiating from the deepest part of him and into your chest, and while your entire body suddenly feels warm, your cheeks feel like they’re on fire. Suddenly, you’re not so tired anymore.

“I’d be looking for you, too,” you reply, feeling tears prick your eyes as you lean forward and let your forehead rest against his. Buck has to keep a sliver of his mind occupied on not putting his hands on you, no matter how much he wants to feel your soft skin under his fingers. He wishes he washed his hands before coming over to you, but he wouldn’t have dared to let your hand stay raised in the air longer than a split second, just like he wouldn’t dare to part from you right now.

“Yeah?” he whispers, breathing in the faint scent of your body wash now that he’s so close. He wants to touch you so bad, and his self-restraint is wearing thin.

“Mhm. Except maybe without the snoring. I’ve never heard anyone that sleeps so loud.” You match his tone, letting out a soft laugh as he suddenly pulls his face back with a scoff, his brow raised and a smirk growing on his lips.

“Really? Because I seem to remember getting a text a few days ago saying that someone thought it was too quiet to sleep while I was at work,” he challenges, his eyes moving down to your lips for a second before moving back up to meet your gaze, the smug smirk still plastered to his face as you fight back a smile.

“I sent that in a moment of weakness,” you argue quietly, pursing your lips to stop the grin from making its way onto your face.

“Hey, come on, don’t pretend you don’t love it,” he continues, his hands now raised off of the counter and hanging in the air. They’re dangerously close to your waist; if he could touch you, he’d be tempted to tickle your sides to see that gorgeous smile grace your face, but he holds back. Instead, they just remain frozen, almost able to feel the warmth radiating from your soft body.

“I plead the fifth,” you tell him, reaching down and grabbing his wrists. You saw them out of the corner of your eye, full of dough and dangerously close to your pajama top, and the last thing you want to do is go upstairs and change.

You hold his wrists out between your bodies, and all Buck does is chuckle, rolling his eyes and murmuring a soft “brat” before leaning in and catching your lips in an intoxicating kiss. 

In the heat of the moment, you let go of Buck’s wrists, instead grabbing onto his hoodie and pulling him closer to you while your legs wrap around his waist, and he lets his hands go up to your cheeks. Neither of you notice at first, despite the sweet smell of brown sugar filling your nostrils, and he deepens the kiss, letting his lips work in tandem with yours as he savours the feel and taste of your mouth on his. 

Your noses brush against each other as you tilt your heads, and a low hum escapes Buck’s throat as his tongue meets yours when you part your lips. All you can focus on is each other as the oven beeps behind you, signalling that it’s time to put your cookies in, and Buck’s stubble scratches your face in a way that makes your head spin. You’re pretty sure the fire alarm could go off right now, and you still wouldn’t part from him.

You finally have to pull away to catch your breath, and when you do, you finally notice that your cheeks are now sticky. You giggle softly, and you can’t bring yourself to be upset with Buck about it. Not when he just kissed you like his life depended on it.

“Finish my cookies, Buckley,” you whisper after a moment of looking into each other's eyes, and then he finally pulls away from you, immediately missing the feeling of your thick thighs wrapped around him.

“Yes ma’am,” he murmurs, then dumps the chocolate chips into the mixture before mixing, humming in approval when they’re fully combined.

You take this time to wash the dough off your skin; not bothering to go upstairs to actually wash your face, rather merely using a wet paper towel over the sink to wipe off the residue. You know you’ll regret it later, but right now, you wouldn’t dream of being that far away from Buck. Not when the soft light from the tv mixes with the overhead oven light, and the soft sound coming from the credits of the movie envelopes the main floor of Buck’s loft and makes you feel so safe and calm.

When the cookies are in the oven, Buck helps raise you back up onto your spot on the counter, then makes himself at home between your legs, wrapping his arms around your plush middle and resting his head comfortably on your shoulder. You wrap your arms around his shoulders immediately, letting him melt into you as you wait for the timer. The steady feeling of his breath on your skin makes you feel even more at ease, if at all possible.

You don’t talk for those 10 minutes; you just bask in each other's presence. It’s past 3am now, you’re sure of it, but neither of you care. All you care about is how good it feels to be in Buck’s arms, and to know that you’ve found someone to bake cookies with in the middle of the night, just because you felt like it. Someone to bake cookies for you despite being so tired. Just because he loves you so deeply.

notes: likes/comments/reblogs would be much appreciated if you liked this<33

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[coldsaturn]

hiii! i have a question i thought you might be able to answer: how did aftg originally get so popular? i know it was mostly word of mouth on tumblr (still is, i think) (who says this website is unmarketable!!) but what were the early days of the fandom like? personally i've "only" been here since 2016, and by then the series was already decently popular. i remember at that time that the fandom was really welcoming and kind in a way that felt really exceptional to me, and it definitely contributed to me picking up the books, which is the only explanation i can really think of for why it got a bigger following than some to other books which did receive a whole big-publisher marketing campaign aside from it just being well-written. do you have any theories for why it got so massive on here? and do you know how the first readers found it? i hope you don't mind me asking you this, but i remember your blog from wayyyy back when and thought that if anyone had the answer, it would probably be you :)

Hello! I always get so happy when I can talk about the early days of the fandom <3 Sit down here around the fire, let me tell you about this wondrous tale.

So, story time: it was spring 2013, I had just finished a thorough read of In The Company Of Shadows and I was starving for another black hole. It was automatic for me to look up the goodread lists ICoS was featured in, to see what other titles I could pick up, and ended up on the list called "Online M/M stories that deserve to be published". The Foxhole Court was right there (it's not anymore because it IS published <3), so I read it. That was the start of the end lmao

If I remember correctly I didn't wait too long before reading TRK, but TKM didn't come out until the end of the following year, so in the meantime I all but shelved it as something that had incredible potential but that was possibly doomed to never be completed. Fast forward I think the start of 2015 when I accidentally stumbled upon TKM and I couldn't believe I could finally know how the story ended. Nora had a blogspot where she talked about the books (including updates between TRK and TKM), and I remember trying to get as much info as I could on this series. And that was it. For a bit.

So, by the first half of 2015, the fandom was made by people commenting on her blogspot, on her livejournal, the book pages on goodreads, and Ao3 literally had 2 fics ( webarchive gives you what we saw - btw Don't Speak Against The Sun is FIRE and instantly became a new standard for f/f for me). You can still find all this content online. Tumblr had a handful of scattered posts about TFC, mostly Nora's mutuals/friends on tumblr, and a couple of readers screaming into the void with no one answering their call.

I was pretty active on here, especially in the bellarke fandom, and I engaged with mutuals and other blogs often enough that I knew if I talked about something, at least someone would reply. A mutual was reading The Raven Cycle and got me curious enough to liveblog it myself. Instant love, of course, and if you've read TRC you know how strong the found family vibe is. So at the end of my liveblog (we've reached July 2015) I threw out a comment where I recommended AFTG as another worthy title. With the first book being free while the other two were only a dollar each, it sounded a fairly easy commitment. One mutual decided to read it (if you're reading, hi!!!) and liveblog it, and that got the party started.

A party of 2, and I'm not kidding. While we chatted and made up headcanon after headcanon on the phone, the intention was to get others interested in this story. But they'd never do it if there wasn't enough content around to engage with and motivate them to blog themselves, so we started with quote posts, liveblog reactions, a few timid edits and poems. An important choice was figuring out which tag to use (at the time tumblr search only scrolled through tags, not post content): "all for the game" was an actual sports tag, "the raven king" was the title announced for the next TRC installment, "the king's men" was the last book of the trilogy and it wasn't even the free one, so we settled for "the foxhole court" which was an empty tag. Even now my blog content is organized around "tfc" because of it, even though we took over all the relevant tags. A couple other mutuals I had from bellarke fandom got curious as well, and now we could consider ourselves a proper group. We were so starved for fan content that whatever you put out would be automatically reblogged and enthusiastically engaged with. It was a happy little fandom bubble. Then Nora noticed us and started interacting with us, and you got the birth of what would become the extra content page as she replied to our questions.

I possibly had a little bit too much time on my hands because I appointed myself as fandom archivist and tour guide. I reblogged every single post I saw in the tags, and I started a welcome page where I could keep track of everyone announcing they were reading the series. It was meant as a way to find mutuals to interact with since tumblr hadn't yet "canonized" all the tags, and it was entirely possible to lose each other in dashboard chains. I used to reply to everyone reading the series by "officially" welcoming them into the fandom, linking them the page where they could find mutuals, Nora's blog, and the extra content present up to that point. Oh and there was a fictional exy team where you could choose your position and then put it in your blog for fun or roleplay it. I also used smashword's gift system to buy the series for whoever said they couldn't pay for it, just to try and avoid pirating the book (good for word of mouth, bad for sales). This was on my side, but this fandom had so many people pouring their entire heart out I still get emotional thinking about it.

Everyone (before January 2016) made as much content as they could, be it meta, fanart, fanfics, headcanons, edits, wikia pages etc. We had fandom challenges where we pronounced the names of the characters and aftg keywords with our native accent, others where we said our favorite scene. Every headcanon was the first headcanon ever seen in the fandom. The fun thing was that at the time there was a strong etiquette toward "if you have nothing nice to say then don't say anything" so fan content really went in all directions with basically no limits. We tagged for triggers and that was it, we had free reign. For those who were around at the time, the sin squad was a group of us fans churning out the saddest/filthiest/fluffiest/most problematic content we could think of.

Then we reached January 2016. We were around 300 in the fandom at that point (I know because I counted them, literally), it had been slow but constant growth where each new fan brought at least other two people with them, and we had around 20 posts per day in the main tag. Then someone bridged the gap between us and the TRC fandom. If you ask me how the fandom got really popular, that's it. The TRC fandom was stuck in hiatus waiting for The Raven King, and now you had 300 rabid foxes spamming aftg content on tumblr, using trk as tag, too. Popular fanartists that were active in that fandom helped making aftg known, and semi viral posts did the rest. We went from 300 to 700 people in a couple of months, and shortly after I had to stop adding people to the welcome page because the post broke. I didn't even know that could happen. It wasn't long after that we were featured in the tumblr end of year recap for book ships. We were so many it was suddenly possible to meet in real life! Cosplays, tattoos, merch. You name it, someone in the fandom did it.

But how did it feel when we were only 20 people and a cardboard dog cutout? It felt like the most chaotic book club ever, and every new fan was automatically a friend. Nostalgia is a lying bitch, but I really don't think I'm making shit up here. We had fun and made great memories.

By the way, if you want to see how things were in 2015, you can! Just go through my archive starting from July 2015 (I think 17th) and onward. You can also search my blog for the tags "fandom history" and "started from nothing and now we're here", whereas here you can find a list of aftg fandom tags I used.

Tl;dr We were starving for good content, we wanted to have fun together, and we were lucky enough to half-hijack a bigger fandom in hiatus. That was all the marketing AFTG needed on tumblr.

[harmless-variety-of-garden-snake]

Day Twenty-Six?? Is already here?? Picnic Date time! Part of this has the cheesiest (positive) thing I've ever written, but I was encouraged to keep it in. So now you have to endure it, too. You can read this on AO3 over here. Tagging @bucktommyfluffebruary

When Evan knocks on his door, Tommy gives himself a second before he answers. He doesn’t want it to be totally obvious that he’s been hovering by the door ever since his boyfriend texted him that he was on his way.

He opens the door, and Evan’s already smiling, and Tommy feels like his heart is caught in a constant loop of melting and exploding. He tugs him in with a kiss and a soft greeting, and Evan holds on tight and returns the kiss. They haven’t seen each other in two weeks, because they only had a few hours here and there where their shifts weren’t overlapping. Those hours had mostly been in the middle of the night when they were both sleeping or close to it, so the most off-shift time they’d been able to get was over half-asleep FaceTimes.

“I missed you,” Evan says into his neck when he hugs Tommy.

Tommy skims his hands over Evan’s back and inhales the smell of him. “I missed you, too.”

They stand there for a long moment before Evan takes a half-step back, his hand sliding down to grasp Tommy’s.

“You want to skip lunch?” Tommy asks, and Evan shakes his head. “You sure?”

“You said you had a surprise,” Evan reminds him with a teasing lilt to his voice. “Surprise me, big guy.”

They can’t get sidetracked, there are temperature-sensitive things in the literal picnic basket on his coffee table. He deserves another medal around his neck for resisting grabbing Evan and pulling him into the bedroom. Tommy does spread his hand over Evan’s lower back and flick his eyes down to his lips, enjoying the way Evan’s eyes dilate when he meets his eyes again.

“Stay here,” Tommy says, leaving a lingering kiss on the corner of his mouth and going to the living room so he can grab the basket, blanket, and small cooler that he’s able to loop over his arm. When he comes back, Evan looks surprised and then happy. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” Evan agrees, taking the cooler from his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I won’t peek.”

They start walking out, and Evan heads toward Tommy’s truck.

“No, we’re staying local,” Tommy says, nodding toward the left. “C’mon.”

They walk the few blocks it takes to get to the park by his house. Tommy had taken the kids to it once recently, but Evan had been home sick with a nasty cold while Tommy babysat. He’s pretty sure that unless he took a roundabout way to get to Tommy’s, Evan’s probably never noticed it before.

“Aw, this is cute,” Evan says as they approach. It really is. There's a couple of families clustered with kids who are climbing on a playground, several dogs are being walked, and there's a guy walking near some trees with a pair of binoculars.

“Table or grass?” Tommy asks, nodding toward the picnic tables.

“I mean, you grabbed the blanket,” Evan points out. “Let's use it.”

They settle under a lone tree so as not to interfere with the birdwatcher. Evan's been threatening to get into birdwatching again, which had been a nice excuse to go on walks with him and eat trail mix, but every photo that was texted to him for a month had been a new bird. It had taken Tommy a while to get over the disappointment of seeing the word “tits” in a text preview only to get a picture of a couple of gray-brown birds instead of his boyfriend's chest. Evan had made up for it with a series of pictures, at least.

The food is pretty typical picnic food: sandwiches, fruit, chips, dip, cookies, chicken salad, pasta salad, potato salad, and beer. Evan makes appreciative noises and moans, because Tommy told him to shift his cheat day back one day so he could eat everything on offer.

“God, you have the best ideas,” Evan says around a mouthful of potato salad. “Also, why haven't we gone to this park? We always run the other way.”

“Because then I wouldn't be able to check on the cats,” Tommy points out. He runs past a food and water station he and a neighbor set up for the feral cats in the neighborhood, because Tommy isn't home enough to have it outside his own house. He also checks on as many cats as he can see, tries to spot new ones, texts his neighbor if she's not home so he can find out if she needs traps or anything for the new ones he does see, and talks to her about them if she is home. The house is two blocks over and a block down in the other direction from his house, so they always go that way instead.

“It's cute,” Evan says, wiping his face with a napkin and settling back on the blanket with a happy squint up into the tree where a squirrel seems to be hopping around. “I wish I had a good park near my place.”

The opening is gift-wrapped. Tommy opens his mouth, but then he freezes. He shovels two cookies in his mouth instead.

It's when the food is gone and they're laying on the blanket and watching a very large dog and a very small dog get walked together that Tommy rolls onto his side and reaches out to rest his hand on Evan's belly.

“Hm?” Evan hums, looking over at him with a smile on his face. It hasn't left since they arrived. Everything about him makes Tommy ache, it has since that first night he kissed him, and it’s only gotten worse since they got back together. It used to scare him to death. It still scares him, but he’s gotten better about pushing it aside.

Evan Buckley has all the power in the world to destroy his heart, but Tommy knows now that it's not in him to do that.

“Can I ask you something?” he asks. “And it's probably going to be ironic, coming from me. So feel free to get a little angry. You earned it.”

“What?” Evan says, his face starting to pinch a little in confusion, but he's still smiling as he sits up. “What's up?”

“Do you want to move in with me?” Tommy asks, feeling like the words are being ripped out of him because this could fuck everything up.

But Evan's reaching for him, his eyes filling with tears, and he chokes out a shocked laugh. “What? Are you—really? You mean it?”

Tommy sits up, too, his heart pounding in his chest as he nods. “I know we've only been back together for—well, just over six months. But I—”

He's cut off by Evan kissing him, and Tommy is kissing him back, but it's difficult because Evan is smiling so much.

“God, yeah,” Evan whispers, and Tommy's face finally unfreezes into an answering grin as Evan nods. “Yeah.”

“Yeah?” he confirms, and they laugh at the absurdity after Evan’s just said it twice. “You started talking about your lease renewal and I didn't want to wait another year to ask. You were right before. I know I don't say it enough, but you were right.”

“Why be apart when we could be together?”

Evan was smart. So much smarter than Tommy. He hadn't been great at articulating it at the time, leaving out half the reasons he wanted them to live together, but they've talked it out since January. And Tommy's never been able to deny that Evan was right.

Everything about them works. It all fits together, molds around each other, fills in the cracks in the other person. And it's like a klaxon has been going off in Tommy's head every time one of them has to leave the other's place or if they're stuck talking on the phone when they're both off and on their respective beds because they're too tired to drive or the other one has a shift that starts in just a few hours.

Keep him by you, keep him with you, what are you doing, Kinard? You're wasting time, he's right there, he's your other half and he's right there.

His boyfriend presses their foreheads together as they tangle together as much as is acceptable for a public park near where they'll be living.

“I would've moved in by February,” Evan admits. “Maybe earlier. Like the day we got back together. I didn't want to scare you.”

“You still scare me,” Tommy confesses. “But I know I can trust you.”

Evan nuzzles their noses together and smiles. “Yeah. I—you know that poem?”

Tommy huffs out a laugh. “Gonna have to be more specific, sweetheart.”

“‘I carry your heart in my heart’ or something.”

That—Evan can't know. Tommy's never told anyone. Once again, Evan’s stumbled his way into a direct path to Tommy’s heart.

“It's cummings,” he says, swallowing around a sharp lump in his throat. “My mom used to read it to me. When she got sick.”

Evan’s fingers tighten on his arms, and he draws back, concern etched in his face. “I—”

“‘Here is the deepest secret nobody knows,’” Tommy quotes softly, his mind going to the last part even though he knows the whole thing. “‘Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide. And this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart. I carry your heart. I carry it in my heart.’”

There’s a bubble of silence that follows, and then Evan cradles his face in his hands and leans in to press a soft, sweet kiss to the corner of his mouth and then another on Tommy’s lips.

“Yeah,” he whispers. “That. That’s—yeah.”

Tommy hugs him close, and Evan buries his face in Tommy’s neck. He imagines he can feel Evan’s heart against his own, that they have to be beating in sync with one another. If he closes his eyes, he can see their hearts fitting together, beating in sync and cradled together in each of their chests. He might paint it, as grotesque as two actual human hearts pressed together would be. It doesn’t have to be displayed, it can just be for him to show Evan so he can say: “See? This is us, this is for us, this is us.”

He tips his face down to hide it in Evan’s shoulder, and he feels Evan’s breath puffing against the side of his jaw.

“Right here,” Evan says, his hand slipping between them to curl against Tommy’s chest, right over his heart. “I’m right here.”

Tommy nods and lets out a shaking breath. “I know.”

“And you’re right here.” Evan turns his hand to press against his own heart, and Tommy covers it with his hand and gives him a teary smile as he nods again. “Forever. Us living together is just the next natural step toward that. We do this, m-maybe we get married—if you want.”

“Yeah,” Tommy says, his voice coming out hoarse. “I want that.”

I’d marry you tomorrow.

Tommy knows he might have to wait a little longer than that. But he knows it’ll happen. He knows it’ll happen, and he knows that if he’s brave enough, he might put this moment in his vows. He knows that Evan will make him brave, that it’ll be nothing at all to hold his hands in front of their family and tell him and everyone else that on a picnic blanket in a park next to their house, Tommy knew that he would marry Evan Buckley.

[starchbean]

SVSSS Modern AU

Shen Yuan is an up-and-coming scambaiter with a growing Youtube audience. It's his way of giving back to society while being a terminally online shut-in, and he loves roasting a woefully transparent advanced fee scheme and so on. His scambaiting email address is Peerlesscucumber@(domain).com. The primary fake identity he portrays to scammers is Shen Qingqiu: a vain, short-tempered old man who can be mean but is primarily driven by loneliness.

At present, he has a scammer on the hook calling himself Zheng Yang - supposedly the barrister of a dying widow who has chosen Shen Yuan as the beneficiary to receive her "$28 million USD Dollars." He's having a great time stringing this guy along with inane questions, made up words, fake issues, discussions of legality, etc etc.

What he doesn't know is that "Zheng Yang" is Luo Binghe, a young man who has turned to a life of internet scamming to pay for his washerwoman mother's medical treatments and livelihood. His mother is an undocumented immigrant, and since Luo Binghe couldn't turn to legal means to help her, he turned to the means that were available, joining a syndicate of experienced online scammers called Demon Realm.

Zheng Yang answers all of Shen Yuan's questions about the widow and the fund with incredible patience and detail. Shen Yuan hadn't originally intended to have any voice communications with the scammers, but eventually does chat with Zheng Yang over Whatsapp with the help of a high quality voice changer.

This scammer... while he's very unorthodox, Shen Yuan has to admit he has a certain skill for tugging on the heartstrings of would-be victims. Many times he almost just caved and bought the 2 $100 Steam gift cards the scammer is asking for before remembering himself. He really... enjoys talking to Zheng Yang. Even if their communication is all lies on both sides, Shen Yuan knows that there are certain aspects of the character he's playing that are true to life, and he wonders if that could be the case for Zheng Yang too. He has too much personality for it to all be fake. Even as an act, it's clear to see that Zheng Yang is incredibly intelligent. In another life, he might have been a real barrister. Usually he looks forward to the end of a long scambaiting session when the scammer realizes they've been taken for a ride and he gets to thoroughly verbally trash them for being a lowlife. He... finds himself not wanting the shoe to drop. He wishes he could prolong his conversation with Zheng Yang forever. Maybe he could make more burner email accounts and get this same scammer to come after him again?

Meanwhile, people in his online scambaiting circles are talking about a new prolific scam from a Demon Realm employee known as Xin Mo, who tricks women into taking sexy photos of themselves which they later use to scam victims in romance scams. All the other scam baiters really want to get a piece of this guy, but Shen Yuan is content just talking to Zheng Yang even if it doesn't bring in the big viewer numbers anymore.

Until Xin Mo is arrested, and it's the exact day that Zheng Yang stops answering his emails.

"This is crazy..." Shen Yuan is muttering to himself as he's on the way to the jail where Xin Mo--Zheng Yang? Apparently, real name Luo Binghe--is being held and can't afford bail. He takes a deep breath, but keeps going. He's got plenty in his account to spare, so this is really nothing. And besides, some of the revenue from the videos he made about Zheng Yang really should go to him, right? He hasn't told anyone where he's going. He could stop and mention it to Liu Qingge or Yue Qingyuan, at least, but he doesn't. "I've absolutely lost it."

((Feel free to write this if you're so inspired!))

[mickules]

~The answer may surprise you~ take a peek below!👀

The answer is 6) the secret was that it was All of the Above! 🎉

Consider this as a bit of a life update!

I don’t usually do this sort of thing, but as it’s such a big switch up I wanted to give a bit of a heads up. I don’t plan on disappearing, but it might be inevitable for a little while whilst I keep on top of things!

Firstly I’m moving country! Temporarily! I’ve taken a sabbatical from work so I can pursue some personal things whilst I still have the ability to do so, and whilst I have the savings for it, and as you can imagine! It’s! Stressful! They certainly haven't made it easy, but once all the wheels are in place it should be fantastic

I also have several art commitments; none of which I can really talk about yet, but all of which might take up a significant amount of my time (sob) Hopefully when I’m done I’ll be able to show yous!

On top of that I am looking forward to working on some longer dangan comics as well as animations (!) I’ve had on the backburner for like YEARS!

I’m also possibly going to look into maybe doing some commission work to tide me over – My brother has been tryna get me to do keyrings and things, so that’s another thing I’m mulling about.

You may have noticed I’ve closed my ask box, it’s been ages since I’ve been able to keep on top of them, but I’m hoping that I’ll get the chance once I’m settled in to actually go through them proper, I hate leaving them unanswered and I appreciate every single one, I've been spoiled with so many wonderful lovely messages 💖

Unfortunately I’m something of an insulated offline creature so keeping up with messages and comments takes a lot of my brain power which is usually too depleted once I’ve gotten home after work.

I do sit like this whilst I draw. I deserve everything that's coming to me.

I do have a danganranpan inspired tramp stamp, connected to the rest of my back tattoo

I’m not gonna show you.

You’re just gonna have to believe me.

I have a bad habit of slapping dethklok albums on repeat when I wanna pump up my energy for chores, I think I bolloxed my neck to Hatredcopter?

Fingers crossed for everything coming up and I hope I’ll have lots of things to share with yous soon!

[bm571158]

Free Now LN4 (Part 37)

The weeks that followed were a painful realisation for Lando that she really wasn't coming back. The first couple of weeks, maybe even the first month, there had been at least part of him that was sure she was coming back, that she was going to change her mind and reappear on his doorstep and things would go back to the way that they had been. Every time someone knocked on his door, or he saw someone who looked vaguely like her in the street, his heart would skip a beat, his stomach twist with excitement and then there would be the disappointment when he realised it wasn't Lottie and she wasn't coming back.

He had tried repeatedly to trick Flo into telling him where Lottie was, thinking maybe he'd just show up there and he could fix it all, but Flo had refused to tell him. If Lottie wanted to see him then she'd call him had been Flo's argument, and while it might be true it wasn't what Lando wanted to hear. It also hadn't stopped him from asking every time he spoke to his sister.

"Lando." Flo gave an exasperated sigh. "I've told you a million times, I'm not going to tell you where she is."

"Just... is she okay?" He asked again. It was the same question that he asked Flo every single time. Every time she assured him that Lottie was doing okay, it was hard to believe it without seeing it for himself.

"I haven't seen her for a few weeks." Flo told him. "But she sounds like she's making really good progress."

"What does that mean?" He asked, it wasn't the same repeated of course she's fine stop asking that he usually got.

Flo was quiet, and for a moment he thought that his sister had hung up on him, but then she spoke again. "She's been in an inpatient physio sports rehab kind place for a couple of weeks. She finally got the funding approved. She's having a real good go at getting herself back to normal, thinks she might even get back to riding if she carries on."

"Wow is that... should she be doing that?" Lando asked. "I didn't think that was even an option."

"Neither did I, I don't think Lottie did either... but the physios there seem to think it might be. We'll see." Flo answered. "I'm going to go up there to visit her next week, it'll be interesting to see how she's doing I guess."

"Where is this place?" Lando asked.

"It's... oh, no... I see what you did there. Still not going to tell you." Flo laughed. "You nearly got me there."

"Worth a try." Lando shrugged.

"Aren't you supposed to be going away for summer break anyway?" Flo pointed out.

"Yeah, but..." he'd cancel all his plans in a heartbeat if he thought he could go and see Lottie, they both knew it.

"No." Flo reminded him. "Go and do whatever it is you're supposed to be doing. I can't remember where mum said you were going, but just... go do your thing and leave her to do hers."

"But-" he protested.

"But nothing." Flo told him firmly.

"I miss her, Flo." He sighed. "Can you just... can you tell her I miss her?"

"You've got to stop doing this Lando." Flo sighed. "Just go and spend some time with your friends, enjoy the fact it's been a really good start to the season."

****

It was a week later that Flo made the drive to go and visit Lottie. She was curious to see how she was getting on, they'd kept in touch by phone fairly frequently and she had to admit it was the most upbeat and positive she'd heard Lottie sound since the accident had happened. She sounded almost like her normal self again,

"Hey! Look at you!" Flo grinned, wrapping Lottie in a hug as she walked over to greet her. "You look amazing!"

It wasn't an over statement either, not like when they'd been desperately trying to convince her to keep going and that every little step was an improvement, this time she genuinely did look amazing.

"Hey, Flo." Lottie smiled, hugging her back tightly. "Thanks for coming, I've missed you."

"Not as much as I've missed you. Are you sure you don't wanna come back and live with me again? The place seems so empty without you."

"Ah you don't mean that, you were probably sick of me after all that time." Lottie joked. "Shall we go outside and go for a walk or something?" She pointed to the door behind them.

"Sounds good." Flo nodded, still watching in amazement as Lottie walked in front of her, only the slightest trace of a limp now as an indication of what she'd endured.

"Lottie this is honestly amazing." Flo squealed in excitement. "Look at you!"

"I'm getting there." Lottie agreed. "It's been really, really hard work but yeah... I'm getting there."

"So, what's next?" Flo asked. "What's the plan?"

"I've got a couple more weeks left on the programme here... then I guess I see how I am and go from there?" Lottie told her. "I could probably use a bit of a rest to be honest. They're working me pretty hard in here. I don't think I've ever spent so much time in the gym in my life."

"Well, whatever they're doing, it's clearly working." Flo pointed out. "This, this is amazing..."

"I honestly can't believe it." Lottie agreed. "I was about ready to just give up, though I was going to be stuck like that for the rest of my life. And now... I don't know, now it feels like maybe everything will be okay?"

"I'm so proud of you." Flo grinned, pausing mid step to wrap her in another hug.

The two of them walked in silence for a moment, Lottie plucking up the courage to ask the question that Flo knew was coming.

"How's.... How's Lando doing?" Lottie asked.

"He's away with his friends, it's summer break." Flo told her. "He's doing okay, I think. He's been better when I spoke to him."

"He's been doing well, on the track." Lottie agreed quietly.

"You've been watching?" Flo asked, although she wasn't exactly surprised.

"Of course." Lottie nodded. "He's going to do it, isn't he?" She asked, referring to the championship, Lando extending his lead significantly in the run up to the summer break.

"I mean he threatens to kill me every time I mention it." Flo laughed. "No one's allowed to talk about it, but yeah... I think he actually might this year."

"He deserves it." Lottie said softly.

"He's calls me, at least once a week to check in on you." Flo told her hesitantly.

"I've thought about texting him to say good luck a million times." Lottie admitted. "But I just..."

"You just what?" Flo asked.

"It's not fair on him." Lottie said quietly. "He was nothing but good to me, none of it was his fault I just... I can't."

"Lottie." Flo sighed.

"Don't." Lottie shook her head, she knew from Flo's tone of voice what she was about to say. "You never wanted the two of us anywhere near each other. You told me about a thousand times to stay away from him, you should be happy."

"I'd be happy if I thought that it was actually what either of you wanted." Flo reasoned. "I know what I said, and at the time I meant it but now... you might not want to admit it, I'm not even sure I want to admit it, but you two are meant to be together. I'm sure of it."

"No, we aren't." Lottie shook her head. "You just said he's fine. He's doing great without me, he doesn't need to be worrying about me and all my baggage."

"Yeah, he's doing fine as in he's not stressing mum out that he's about to have a nervous breakdown every five minutes. It doesn't mean he doesn't need you." Flo sighed. "None of us have ever seen him like he was when the two of you were together, Lottie. He loves you."

"I know he does." Lottie said quietly. "It was never about that. I'm just... I'm not what he needs. It's too complicated."

"Life's complicated, Lottie." Flo pointed out.

"Can we just leave it?" Lottie asked. "He's fine, I'm fine... we're both doing okay for once, let's not ruin it now."

"Alright." Flo agreed reluctantly.

****

"I'm going to tell you something, and you can do with it what you will..." Flo said slowly, still trying to decide if she was actually going to do it or not. She wasn't sure she wanted to be getting herself in the middle of any of this, but they weren't leaving her an awful lot of choice.

"Why are you being so cryptic?" Lando asked. "What's going on?"

"Lottie got home yesterday." Flo told him. "I'm... I don't know if this is the best idea, but I'm texting you her address. It's up to you what you want to do with it."

"You're... wait, what?" Lando spluttered. "You told me that she didn't want to see me."

"She doesn't." Flo agreed. "Well, she says she doesn't anyway, but I don't know... I cant promise that she won't just slam the door in your face and possibly never speak to me again."

"Then why are you doing this?" He asked curiously.

"Because, as much as I didn't want you two getting involved in the first place, you were really good together and I don't know... maybe I've watched too many rom coms." Flo joked. "Just... don't get your hopes up, okay?"

"Do you think I should go?" Lando asked quietly. He wanted nothing more than to see Lottie again, but the fear of rejection quickly settled over him. If he had to hear her tell him for a second time that she didn't want to be with him then he thought that it might just finish him off. At the minute he still had the delusional belief that she might change her mind and come back at least.

"I really don't know, Lando."

"Well... there's only one way to find out I guess." He mumbled. "Thanks, Flo."

He had to be back in Woking in a couple of days time anyway, having to head back to MTC to get back to work, the second half of the season now looming in the not too distant future. So he changed his flight to get him there a bit earlier, hiring a car and entering the address that Flo had given him into the satnav, his stomach churning with nerves as he wound his way down the narrow country lanes on the approach to the address.

He pulled up outside the cottage, heart pounding in his chest as he tried to work up the courage to get out of the car and go and knock on the door.

The noise of his shoes crunching across the gravel of the driveway seemed too loud, his heart in his mouth as he approached the door, raising his hand to knock hesitantly.

The doubts that had been plaguing him the whole drive there resurfaced as his knuckles tapped on the wood. Was she going to slam the door in his face? Tell him to leave her alone? Was he going to end up driving back to Woking missing that he'd never made this stop off in the first place, that he'd just left himself wondering.

There was no answer though when he knocked the first time, and he found himself raising his hand again, knocking more insistently this time. How many times did he knock before he accepted that she was probably in there and she just didn't want to answer the door to him?

He knocked again, waiting another couple of minutes and there was still no answer. His heart sank and his stomach twisted as he turned around to go back to the car. He never should've come here in the first place, the not knowing was better than this.

As he reached the car, opening the door to climb in a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"You came all the way here and you're going to leave without saying hello?" Lottie asked.

He spun around to the front door in confusion, but it was still closed. Then he whipped around as he realised he could hear her footsteps on the gravel as she walked up her driveway from the road.

"Wait..." his brain suddenly clicked into gear. "That was you I drove past earlier? You're running?" He asked in utter disbelief. He'd struggled to overtake someone running down the narrow lane on the way there but he hadn't even given her a second look, it never occurred to him that it might be her.

"I am." She smiled, walking the rest of the way up the driveway towards him. "Slowly, but it's still running."

"Lottie... this is... this is amazing." He choked out, watching her as she walked towards him. Flo had told him how much better she was doing, but it was something else entirely to see her with his own eyes.

"Don't cry." She joked. "It's not that exciting."

"It is." He grinned. "It's... it's amazing."

"Do you want to come in?" She asked quietly as she approached the front door, pulling her keys out of her pocket.

"Did Flo tell you I was coming?" He asked, curious as to why she didn't look at all phased by his sudden unannounced appearance.

"She may have called and confessed that she'd given you my address." Lottie told him, holding the door open as she followed her inside. She kicked her shoes off, dropping her keys on the side. "I wasn't sure if you were actually going to go through with it and show up though."

"I wasn't sure you'd want to see me." He mumbled. "I was a bit worried I get here and you'd just shut the door in my face."

"Well, you're here now." She smiled. "It's... it's good to see you."

Her eyes searched his face as he stood in front of her, taking in every last detail. The dark circles under his eyes, that seemingly permanent frown line that had been etched on to his forehead was gone. He looked lighter, happier.

"I can't believe how much better you look." He repeated in disbelief as he followed her through to the kitchen.

"Would you like a drink?" She asked, putting the kettle on. It felt bizarre having him stood there in her kitchen, within arms reach, and she didn't quite know what she was supposed to say or do.

"Sure, thanks." He nodded, burying his hands in his pockets to stop himself fidgeting awkwardly. He kept reaching out to touch her automatically and then stopping himself, it was force of habit and one that he needed to break.

She made them a coffee each in relative silence, and he just watched on at how easily she moved around the kitchen, only the occasional slightly uneven step here and there to ever suggest that anything had happened to begin with.

"So..." She said awkwardly. "I don't think you came all the way here just to see if I could walk yet?"

"I uh... I don't really know why I came here." He admitted. "I guess I just wanted to see you, make sure you're okay. I miss you."

"Lando..." she sighed. "Don't, please."

"Don't what?" He asked, taking a step closer to her.

"You know what I mean." She told him. "Just... don't."

"I miss you, Lottie." He repeated. "It's not the same without you."

"You look like you're doing pretty well to me." She told him.

"You've been watching?" He asked curiously.

"Every race." She nodded, although she wasn't entirely sure if that was something she should be confessing to. "I told you that you could do it."

"It's not done yet." He pointed out. "It's a long way from done."

"You can do it. I know you can." She smiled.

"I miss having you there to cheer me on." He whispered. It wasn't nearly enough to convey quite how much he missed her, because he missed her in everything he did, not just her company on a race weekend, but it was the best he could do it out it in to words. He just hoped that she would understand what he was trying to say.

"You don't need me there, Lando." She shook her head. "Look at you, you're doing amazing."

"It's not that I need you there, I want you to be there." He whispered, taking another step towards her. "I meant what I said, Lottie. I love you."

"Lando, I'm literally just starting to get back on my feet and figure things out." She sighed. "I'm not... I know you think that this is what you want, but I'm all over the place. It's not that simple."

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy." He pointed out, putting his coffee cup down on the kitchen counter and taking a bigger, more purposeful step towards her this time. "It might not be easy, but it would be worth it. I love you, Lottie."

"Lando." She mumbled, her hand landing on his chest as he approached in an attempt to keep some distance between them. Everything she'd been thinking in her head that she would say if he showed up seemed to have vanished. Her resolve was crumbling now that he was actually standing there in front of her. All she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and let him hold her.

"Why are you still trying to fight it?" He asked softly. "Why are you putting so much effort in to trying to convince yourself that we shouldn't be together?"

"I'm not... I'm... I'm trying to be sensible." She told him. "One of us needs to be sensible."

"Do we?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"This isn't going to work, Lando." She shook her head. "I can't be the person you need me to be."

"The only person I need you to be, is you." He took another half step towards her, and this time she didn't push him away, a look of indecision crossing her face as she looked back at him. "I miss you, Lottie."

[thevoicefromanotherworld]

Hey 🥰 Would you also do a Bucky imagine for me where his girlfriend is by his side during the events at Falcon & Winter Soldier and Sharon is being a bitch to her all the time but Bucky stands up for his girl and does everything to make the Mission go over fast. Later then at Zemos safehouse Bucky shows the reader that she's his girl and she forgets everything Sharon did when he's with him ?

Omg did this make sense ? English is also not my first language so I hope this is okay with you 😊

Of course, thank you so much for your request! @imagine-all-the-fandoms

First of all, I have to say that it's been quite a while since I watched the Falcon and the Winter Soldier series, so I don't really remember what happened in the series, so I apologize if some things don't add up, (I've tried my best with what I remembered)

Also, as you say English isn't your first language either. Can I ask what it is? (just out of curiosity, you don't have to answer if you don't want to)

I hope you like the fic!

"TILL THE END OF THE LINE"

You knew that this situation wasn't being easy for anyone, but especially for the super-soldier.

The fact that Walker was doing all those horrible actions while wearing Steve's shield as an emblem was something that was testing his patience.

-It's okay, Buck - you whispered, leaving a loving kiss on his cheek, letting him know that you were by his side, and that you weren't going anywhere- you're stronger than him in every way, we can handle him

-That's something Steve would say - he murmured, giving you a smile a little more animated- thanks, doll

-Oh, for the love of God - Sharon growled, who was standing in front of a table looking at some plans- leave it already, you disgust me - she joked, but you didn't like the joke at all-

-It's not my fault that nobody loves you - you spat- the fact that you say that comment only proves it

-We all know the reason why you're with him - she spat with disdain, holding your gaze firmly- for the same reason as all of us, it's clear - she looked you up and down - I should have imagined that you weren't going to be different

-That's enough, Sharon - he ordered Sergeant, his authoritative and hoarse voice made her shut up instantly, turning her gaze on him- you are nobody to interfere in our relationship, and although I do not approve of what y/n said - he said looking at you for a moment before looking at the blonde- Have you not considered finding yourself a boyfriend, or someone to help you release all that stress you carry inside? - he questioned- I did, and now I'm doing well

Sharon looked between the soldier and you, before pressing her lips tightly together in anger

-You know what? Go fuck yourself, Barnes - she growled, opening the door to leave the room, as if she were a child who had thrown a tantrum-

When he was gone, you looked at your boyfriend, who had an expression somewhere between serious and amused on his face.

-You didn't have to do it - you murmured - defend me I mean

-I know - he whispered pulling your hand so you sat on his lap - but I'm your boyfriend, honey - he said as if you didn't remember - I felt it was my duty

You turned your head to leave a loving kiss on his lips, which he accepted moving slightly against you before separating.

After that they had to go complete a mission, which was carried out successfully, even though Sharon kept messing with you. It seemed that nothing you did was good for her: that if when you shot you didn't reload fast enough, or when you fought with someone you should take less time to knock them out, that kind of thing.

Every time he made a comment like that, Bucky always came to your defense, making you smile.

Later, when you arrived at one of the safe houses that Zemo had in the area, Bucky gave a couple of soft knocks on the bathroom door where he knew you were.

-Come in – you said, he opened the door and closed it behind him- His gaze connected with yours for a moment, while you wiped the blood (that wasn't yours) from your face.

Your eyes connected through the mirror, and when you finished you turned to look at him.

-What's wrong?

-Nothing – he murmured – Does something have to happen?

-You have that look on your face

-What look?

-The look you have when you want to tell me something, but you don't know if it's the right time – you said making him smile, it would never stop surprising him that you knew him so well-

-I wanted to apologize for what Sharon said to you – he said surprising you – you know that all those things aren't true, right? I'm not with you for the sake of the mission, and I don't think he's treating you like you're just another girl either - he explained - I wanted to tell you not to pay attention to anything he said, because the main reason you're the one here with me and not someone else is because I love you - he said making you take a deep breath, he had never said it to you with words until that moment -

Bucky was not a person who showed his feelings lightly.

His way of expressing, in this case his love for you, was to leave you his favorite blanket when you went to sleep, or when you had breakfast he made sure the curtains weren't too high, since he knew you didn't like the sun shining in your face when you got up in the morning, that kind of thing, so the fact that he was in front of you at that moment telling you in person meant a lot, both to him and to you.

-Me too, I love you, Buck -you whispered- and of course I don't believe anything she said -you murmured, holding his face in your hands- I know what you're really like, that's why I know you wouldn't say those things

He placed a lock of your hair behind your ear, his metal fingers in contact with the skin of your lobe making you arch towards him. He left a kiss on your forehead, before sliding to your lips as he said:

-Thank you for staying by my side -he whispered, kissing the tip of your nose-

-I'm with you till the end of the line, Buck -you replied before he kissed you again-

[yatagarasuhonyaku]

The Raven of the Empty Coffin: Chapter 4 "Yukiya" Part 2 (The End)

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation japanese-english of the original novel. The events of this novel follow after what's already covered by the anime. For an easier understanding, I recommend first reading the few scenes of previous books I've already translated.

Blog version

For the Index, you can find it HERE

Previously: Yukiya (Part 1)

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

Chapter 3: Yukiya (Part 2)

Barely four and a half hours had passed since Natsuka received news of the Monkeys’ assault. At the time, he had been supervising the investigation of the wells, away from Wakamiya. When he heard the report, there was just one thought—‘the time has come’.

They had set a number of countermeasures beforehand—all accounting for a different hypothetical set of circumstances— just in case they found the Monkeys’ infiltration route. These had all been shared with the Imperial Court, so as long as they handled the crisis with a clear head, they should be able to avoid the worst.

Although Natsuka rushed to the place of the incident, by the time he got there, there were already guards posted at the entrance to the tunnel and they had established headquarters for the counter-efforts in a plaza not too far from there. It was in a tent, which had been used for a field training exercise until a few hours ago. Many officials had already gathered there after receiving the report, and were busy discussing the course of action going forward. 

Wakamiya and his group, who had arrived earlier than him, stood just beside them—and with them was Yukiya, standing right in front of his Lord. For some reason, they were glaring at each other.

“How is the situation?”

“The Imperial Court is acting according to the procedure we set in advance.” It was Akeru who answered Natsuka’s question.

Natsuka took a look at his surroundings—the court officials were all arguing with each other as they drew up their plan on how to proceed. It was their established goal to figure out the most effective way to block off the invasion route’s entrance while it was still under the watch of armed soldiers.

“However, something has happened. Something we didn't consider at all when first planning out those countermeasures……”

“What is it?”

“We found this right by the suspected access route.” Wakamiya—his eyes still stubbornly glued on Yukiya—offered something to Natsuka without even looking at him.

Natsuka couldn’t believe his eyes. “What the—!? The Monkeys left a letter?”

“That Oozaru(1) four years ago knew how to speak the Word of Within(2). There’s nothing strange about them also knowing how to write,” Wakamiya said with a sardonic smile. He then glanced at Natsuka. “It’s even politely addressed ‘to the Golden Raven’. As for the sender, it says ‘from Kozaru’.”

Natsuka opened the folded letter and checked its contents.

‘I wish for meeting with the Golden Raven.If the young Golden Raven comes, the Crow will be returned for sure.I won’t eat Crow.I won’t harm the Golden Raven.’ As hard as the letter’s penmanship was to read, the gist of the message was clear. “Unbelievable. Are they asking you to come meet them……?”

“So they kidnapped that trainee to use him as a hostage, huh? To force the Golden Raven to attend the meeting,” Rokon murmured with amusement from behind a consternated Natsuka.

“Your Highness, this is a trap. There’s no doubt about it,” Yukiya, shooting daggers with his eyes, said to his Lord. “While we don’t know what their goal is, from everything we can tell, this Monkey pulled this trick because it knows the True Golden Raven’s weaknesses. If we do as they ask, what will happen is painfully obvious.”

A True Golden Raven possessed power beyond any simple Yatagarasu, yet it came with a set of painful restrictions. Even if a Yatagarasu were to hurt him, for example, he would be unable to retaliate and take that life. That he was incapable of making any rational choices whenever hostages were involved was just the truth of the matter—and the kind of situation those serving Wakamiya feared the most. 

“Are you suggesting we abandon the same junior you treasured so much?”

“I’m not about to put you and the entirety of Yamauchi in danger for one person, even if that person is Haruma. First of all, we should prioritize sealing the passage.” Although both of them were keeping their composure on the surface, the atmosphere around them chilled one to the bone. The surrounding officials’ bustle was quaint in comparison.

“Do you even have an alternative, really? You’ll just get yourself killed if you obey their demands thoughtlessly and it turns out to be a trap,” Rokon added as if poking fun at the entire situation. “If we’re rational about it, giving up on the kidnapped trainee is the only option.”

“...... I think so too. You really shouldn’t go,” Natsuka too agreed with the others.

In answer, Wakamiya gave them a firm nod. “I see. I fully understand what you mean—but,” he said, “I’m going anyway.”

A development that surprised nobody. Wakamiya being who he was, they all knew what would be his answer.

Then, with a look at the letter in Natsuka's hands, Wakamiya dispassionately added, “The sender says they want to speak with me and—it bothers me how much it insists on saying they won’t harm me or eat any Yatagarasu.”

Natsuka heaved a sigh. “What are you saying!? Are you really planning to blindly trust someone who’s trying to set a trap for you?”

“Whether it’s a trap or not, we won’t know until we actually get there. More importantly, the specific phrasing in that letter doesn’t strike me as something anyone would use if they knew that taking a hostage would force my hand.” Natsuka looked at him with suspicion and, in turn, Wakamiya slightly smiled. “Don’t you see it? There’s nothing in this letter about what they’ll do if I don’t go.”

Wakamiya would have been left with no choice but to go after them—caution thrown to the wind—if they had simply written ‘Haruma is dead if you don’t come’. And yet, the writer of the letter only expressed its desire to meet the Golden Raven and wrote about how, if Wakamiya went to meet it, the ‘Crow’ would be returned to them.

What was this Monkey even thinking when writing the letter?

“They had this letter already prepared, so we can assume they came here planning to take a hostage from the start, but, although the other trainees were injured, none of them were killed. I’m not saying we should lower our guards, but…… There’s something. I feel there’s something different from the previous Oozaru.”

“—Are you suggesting it’s genuinely a completely different individual from before? We can’t have multiple Monkeys speaking the Word of Within!” Natsuka yelled in an unnaturally high pitch.

Wakamiya, however, was fully serious. “That’s how it feels to me. So I want to talk with this ‘Kozaru’ at least once and judge from there.”

And Wakamiya wouldn’t budge from that.

“I can’t accept that,” Yukiya said with a stifled voice, his head slowly shaking in denial. “This is a problem that concerns Your Highness’ life. It’s perfectly possible the Monkeys wrote it that way precisely to lure you to their den.”

“If the situation feels too off, we can always accept defeat and run away. If it’s you all, I’m sure you’ll be more than skilled enough to secure an escape route.” Wakamiya spoke in a decisive manner, as if to keep the still unconvinced Yukiya in check. “We shouldn’t be giving up from the get-go when there’s still a possibility.”

“But—!” Yukiya’s expression twisted beyond recognition for a second, yet Wakamiya paid it no mind whatsoever.

“I’m not asking for your opinion. This is an order. Stop talking and come with me on this mission. Understood?” Having said that, Wakamiya left the tent altogether. A troubled-looking Sumio followed right after.

“Hey! Wait, Nazukihiko!”

Natsuka panicked and went after him as well. There, he saw his little brother as he turned towards the tent and spoke with a hint of a wry smile on his lips.

“...... He’s truly quite the troublesome one as well.”

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

Yukiya remained in the tent. Shigemaru, who had been watching over the scene in silence until then, gently patted his shoulder. “...... Good for you, Yukiya.”

He didn’t answer.

It seemed they both had figured him out.

In the middle of his preparations to enter the cave, the memories of the earlier conversation kept playing back in his mind. He bit his lips.

Abandoning Haruma, if Yukiya was honest with himself, was the very last thing he had wanted to suggest. It was just like Wakamiya said—as long as a chance remained, he wished for nothing but to try to help the boy somehow. Yukiya had been the one desperate to plead, to insist on not forsaking Haruma. 

But such words couldn’t ever come out of his mouth.

Wakamiya had seen right through him, however. That last order was nothing but his consideration towards him made manifest. As grateful as he felt inside, it all made him acutely aware of his own responsibility for putting Wakamiya through this kind of danger.

——He was going to bring Wakamiya back to Yamauchi even if it cost him his life.

That said, now that the situation had taken on such a turn, Yukiya had to make sure to bring Haruma home as well.

“At times like this, he won't listen to me no matter what.”

Natsuka knew Wakamiya's personality very well, so once he had fully prepared himself mentally, he went on to do his best to support the upcoming expedition.

He took it upon himself to gather everything required to enter the hole and to handle all the long and painful negotiations with the Imperial Court. They could never publicly admit to the fact that Wakamiya himself was going into the cave, so the effort required to slow down the Court's hurried attempts to seal the cave down was, if Yukiya had to guess, probably quite substantial.

Besides Sumio, three others were to become Wakamiya's accompanying bodyguards—Yukiya, Chihaya, and Shigemaru.

“We must keep our numbers down, or we’ll struggle moving in such a tight space. That limits us to a select number of elite forces and, at present, you are the most skilled among the few trustworthy men we have.”

Natsuka gave them an order as well—the sort that only he could give them. “If it comes down to it, move according to your own criteria. You must protect His Highness Wakamiya at all costs, even if that means ignoring his orders. Understood?”

In no way could they object to that.

Even after Yukiya and the others’ preparations were over, they had to face a number of problems before accessing the cave. They were likely to end up crossing the Barrier surrounding Yamauchi, after all. While, in such cases, burning incense had been determined the best way to avoid getting lost, they couldn't really expect the smell to reach far in this particular occasion because of the running water.

Akeru was the one to come up with a solution. “How about we put some Yellow Twin in the torches?”

“The Western specialty perfume?”

“That one, yes. The strong smell should be able to travel even there.” Although it was hard to tell how much distance it would actually cover, it was still better than nothing.

Besides that, the running water also made the Monkeys’ infiltration route almost impossible to block off entirely. To solve that, they chose to sharpen bamboo to build an abatis-like barrier, obstructing the way until Wakamiya's return. In case of an emergency, Rokon wasn’t to separate from Natsuka’s side.

“We'll have our best troops waiting around the hole with as many arrows as they can carry. If the Monkeys appear here, we'll have to assume you won't be coming back and have no choice but to close the cave,” Rokon, who was also put in charge of commanding said forces, explained to them. 

Wakamiya nodded, no resistance offered. “That's fine with me. If the worst comes to worst, brother, I'll be leaving it all to you.”

“Don't say that! Live and come back to us,” Natsuka hissed back.

“Please, be safe.” Akeru too sent them off, his worry plain on his face.

Finally, their group managed to enter the tunnel. As part of their preparations, they had brought with them the biggest waterproof fatuous fire lamp(3) they could find. They dropped a huge candy inside and, with a light noise, the bluish-white sparkling dust inside grew into a fist-sized ball of fire.

As a test, they tried to hold it up towards the cave's depths—its light reached up to the point where the current meandered out of sight.

That done, everyone hung smaller portable fatuous fire lamps on their necks. The big lamp was left in Chihaya’s hands, who took the lead with Yukiya right behind him. Wakamiya followed them, sticking to the middle of the group. Sumio stood after him, with Shigemaru taking the rear. Being the last in line, Shigemaru was entrusted with a spool of resilient jorougumo(4) silk thread. After tying one of the ends to a rock near the entrance to not get lost, he held onto the spool itself as they advanced.

They then crossed the abatis—its bamboo sticks with tips as sharp as spears—holding onto the rock walls on both their sides so that the current didn't drag them away.

“...... Let's go,” Wakamiya ordered. With that, the group stepped into the dark water.

They proceeded to go up the underground stream. While expected, the current proved to be quite swift. The water itself was cold and, polished by its flow, the bedrock was smooth and easy to slip off of. The walls’ rocky surface had barely any bumps, possibly because it too had been underwater once, which made finding purchase difficult.

Their group advanced slowly and deliberately, careful to not slip, but Chihaya's outstanding physical capabilities still came in handy in his role as the lead. He would tumble but never fall even at particularly difficult spots, where it was either hard to walk or easy to trip. Everyone else quietly followed after him, careful to take whatever path forward Chihaya had found.

The light of the torches at the entrance vanished as they followed the winding current, but the fatuous fire lamps’ flames fortunately proved to be enough of a light source. They advanced steadily like that for a while until, just as they passed through a slightly sloped spot, the waterway changed entirely.

“Woah,” even Yukiya let out an inadvertent gasp.

All of a sudden, the narrow pathway they had been walking through opened up. Its rocky surface was now speckled with giant, thick rocks that rose up from within the water. While the current at their feet went on, there were stones sprouting like bamboo shoots on top of whatever rock surface rose above the water level. Icicle-looking stones hung closely packed together from the ceiling too.

Shigemaru at the rear let out a shriek. “Yikes, we'll all be skewers if those fall on us.”

As they all took in the now illuminated space's odd appearance, Yukiya remembered something while observing those icicle-like stones. Actually, he had seen those before.

“There were rocks like these in the tunnels of the Undercity. Not nearly as many, but—”

“They’re stalactites. I heard about them in the Outside,” Wakamiya explained calmly. He was the only one among them with experience beyond Yamauchi's boundaries thanks to his time studying abroad. “The rocks’ source can be found in the water dripping from them. It takes quite a long time for any stalactites to get this big, apparently. I doubt they'll break that easily, but be careful.”

They all nodded and once again followed the flow of the water. Then, Chihaya stopped.

“...... The current has divided.”

“What!?”

Chihaya held his lamp forwards. He was right—the underground stream separated at that point into three branches. Yukiya was about to ask Wakamiya how to proceed, as they had no way to know which one was the right path to follow, when Chihaya's yelling stopped him.

“Wait a second!” Just as he said that, Chihaya jumped out of the water and ran as if bouncing over the slippery, rocky surface.

“Chihaya!? Did you find something?” Yukiya asked, following right after him in a panic. However, Chihaya didn't get to answer before Yukiya noticed the same thing.

“That's Haruma's strap!”

There was a piece of pure white fabric resting on one of those bamboo shoot rocks, and now that he paid attention to it, it stuck out, completely out of place. Upon further examination, they came to discover that it wasn’t simply wrapped around, but properly tied down. It didn't simply fall by accident—someone had left there. Intentionally.

“Do you think Haruma waited for an opening to do this?” Shigemaru pondered.

“I don't think so,” Sumio answered. “They went through the trouble to invite the Golden Raven. The Monkeys probably left it here as a waymark for us.”

Yukiya silently glared upstream.

“Let's move forward. The Monkeys and Haruma must be in this direction,” Wakamiya said. 

Everyone nodded in answer. Once again, they all started to walk in the indicated direction—progressing, however, from that point onwards proved a struggle. The water, which had been up to their knees until then, got deeper and deeper the more they advanced. To make matters even worse, the instances of the stones hanging from above and the ones growing from below connecting to form pillars became more and more frequent.

And then, there were the stones hanging so low they almost reached the water’s surface, leaving them with no choice but to dive into the water to pass through some areas.

While their bodies were chilled to the bone, they didn't hesitate in their way forwards even once. Whenever the path got particularly rough, there was always something peculiar confirming they were going in the correct direction.

The needle-sharp tips of the hanging rocks, all broken off.

“Remnants from the Monkey’s pass through here, most likely.”

“It must have hit its head, then.”

“—Or it broke them outright to make it easier to pass through.”

They moved on, waddling in the water for a while until Sumio found something on the bedrock, where clay had piled up. “Here, footprints.”

The water was quite clear, so it was easy to see the traces of the Monkey’s passing as long as they held up their fatuous fire lamps over it. Just as they observed them, Yukiya realized something disturbing—there was only one person’s worth of footprints there.

To make matters worse, the water level at that point went up to Yukiya’s chest and Haruma wasn't what one would call big. In his case, it may well have gone up to his head instead.

“...... Let's hurry,” Sumio said.

Nobody answered.

Finally, they reached a spot with terraced puddles—looking somewhat like small springs—stretching out in the distance. The sight was strikingly similar to that of the ridges on rice fields, all connected by stairs as often seen in the countryside.

They climbed their way through it, after which they once again faced a branching path. However, much like the time before, a torn white strap had been left there as a landmark. After taking the path given to them once more, they reached at last a more-or-less wide opening. Although they were inside a cave, the place felt more like the sandy bank of a river.

They held the lights up, searching for the way forwards, when they all heard Chihaya gulp and hiss. There, blended in with a strangely shaped rock, was a hunched, human-shaped figure.

“You bastard……!”

Yukiya almost threw himself at whatever that was, but Shigemaru managed to stop him in time, catching him by the arm. “Calm down, Yukiya. Leave this to His Highness Wakamiya, or did you forget why we came all the way here?”

He had lost his cool completely, Yukiya realized with a start—it was quite uncharacteristic of him. He stepped back with regained composure. Meanwhile, the human-shaped figure had hidden behind the rock out of shock at Yukiya's outburst, but, after waiting for a while, it finally took a fearful peek from its hiding spot again.

“The Crows’ chief…… Are you the Golden Raven?” it said with a low, hoarse voice.

——Those were Words of Within. No doubt about it.

“Yes, I'm the Golden Raven,” Wakamiya, warily and slowly, introduced himself. The moment he did so, it came out from behind the rock.

“Read the letter, right? I'm Kozaru. I won't harm you. I wanted to meet you, to talk with you,” the figure—a terribly tiny old man—started to passionately talk to him.

He appeared whitish under the fatuous fire lamps’ orange light. He wore a kimono resembling priestly cleansing robes(5), made of a glossy dark gray material. His white hair ran sparse and his face was entirely covered in wrinkles. Although he was in human form, even in such a shape he resembled a monkey.

“I came here just as promised. First, I'll have you return Haruma to us.”

“The boy?”

Yukiya's entire body went rigid as Wakamiya went for the subject right away. For some reason, the old man looked about to cry as he replied, “The boy is alright. Has no wounds.”

“Really?”

“Really. Will return home now. Come with me.” The old man was about to set off when he caught sight of the item in Shigemaru’s hand. He shook his head. “No good. From here, there are Monkeys who eat Crows and humans. Those who eat don't know this path. If they see that, they'll learn about it.”

The old man seemed to mean the jorougumo silk thread spool that Shigemaru had brought with him as a guide on their way back. Having more or less figured out what the man intended to say, Shigemaru held the spool up. “So, in short—there are man-eating Monkeys from here onwards, but they don't know this path exists. So you're telling me we're at risk of them discovering it if they happened to find this thread?”

“Yes! The man-eating Monkeys would.”

The way he spoke, it truly seemed to imply the old man was different. Wakamiya tilted his head. “...... You aren't one of those man-eating Monkeys, then?”

“I'm not. I won't harm you,” the old man answered in an oddly slow and measured manner. That done, he defenselessly turned his back to them, walking away full of restless energy.

Wakamiya gave Yukiya a careful signal with his eyes while avoiding the Monkey’s notice. Yukiya gave him a firm nod back. He had realized it the second he heard the old man's voice—it was just as Wakamiya had predicted. The Monkey who assaulted Yamauchi all those years ago, the one they talked with in the dried up well, and this one were different people. 

Because of that, they decided to do as instructed for the time being and, after they hid the thread spool under a rock, they followed the old man. They left the water behind, going into a dry cave without a word when the Monkey unexpectedly turned around.

“From here. Silence. Silence, got it?”

After saying that, the old man led them into a hole behind a nearby rock. It was well hidden—had they not been told about it, they wouldn't have ever found it themselves.

What awaited them at the other side wasn't a natural cave, like the one up to that point. The path had been clearly modified and remade by people's hands. It looked to be a corridor.

As Yukiya came to that conclusion, a younger man, much bulkier and better built than the Monkey accompanying them, appeared in front of them. Was that one of those man-eating Monkeys? They all took out their weapons. However, the young Monkey raised both his arms, showing his empty hands, with the deepest of scowls.

“This one is fine, so silence,” the old man said in a panic but, even with his assurance, they were incapable of relaxing. “He doesn't know the Crows’ words. He’ll keep see… look? View(6)……?”

As much as the old man tried to explain himself, his words failed him. He had his head cocked in confusion when Yukiya inadvertently came to his aid. “Do you perhaps mean ‘watch’?”

“That is! Watch. He'll keep watch. It's fine. It's here, hurry,” the old man said as he trotted away through the corridor and the group ran after him, their hands still on their weapons as they advanced. The young man, however, stayed right there, watching them go with his hands still up.

It didn't take them long to reach their destination.

“We arrived. Here.” The old man pointed at a place covered densely in withered vines.

At first, Yukiya couldn't quite make sense of his words. What did he mean by ‘here’? However, once he gave the place a better look, he found that behind the vines hid what seemed to be a broken double door.

While the surrounding walls were built out of carved bare rock, the gate was seemingly all wood with iron rivets. It was made to last, but someone had apparently smashed it with an axe at some point. To top it all off, withered wisteria vines came out from the open spot, entwined with one another.

Yukiya imagined there was some sort of room-like space on the other side but, with the wisterias in the way, it was impossible to see anything beyond them. He couldn’t even tell how they were supposed to go inside in the first place.

The old man, however, then went down on his knees and crawled through the vines, managing to cross to the other side of the broken door that way. They had come so far. To hesitate now of all moments would be incredibly stupid. Yukiya asked Shigemaru to keep watch out there just in case and followed after the old man, somehow forcing his way through the coiled vines.

Yukiya stood up the moment he was out of their grasp. Finally on the other side of the broken gate, he held his fatuous fire lamp up to illuminate the room he found himself in—the ceiling was much higher than he had ever expected it to be. Rather than a room, it would be better to call it a hall. One carved out in the rock itself.

It was about half as wide as the Monastery's great hall. The walls and floor were all covered in wisteria vines, yet he found someone lying down languidly at the center of the room, as if buried in the plants.

“Haruma!” Yukiya felt his heart tighten at the sight of his unmoving body. He dashed as fast as he could, checking his breathing the moment he got there.

“It's fine. He's just sleeping,” the Monkey said in a quiet voice.

He wasn’t lying. Haruma breathed and his heart was beating—Yukiya let out a big sigh of relief. That over, he turned around and nodded in the direction of Wakamiya and the others, who had followed after him, prompting yet another set of relieved sighs.

Now that he had the chance to take a better look, someone had changed Haruma into a dry white kimono. There was what seemed to be a bamboo bottle filled with water right beside his head accompanied by, from the looks of it, dango.

“This food. Don't tell me—” Sumio said, his voice strained.

“No!” the old man denied immediately. “It's made of fruit. No meat.”

Everyone's eyes focused on the Monkey, who explained himself in hushed tones, “If you eat human meat, body gets bigger. But you get stupid. Everyone, everyone got stupid.”

“So, you're telling us that eating human meat makes Monkeys grow larger, but it makes them dumber in exchange?”

“Yes!”

“So that's why you won't eat human meat……?” Sumio asked.

“I won't. Makes stupid,” the old man resolutely affirmed while looking at him. After that, Kozaru hesitantly bent himself forwards and, much to everyone's surprise, deeply bowed his head right on the spot. “...... I used the boy. Poor kid. It wasn't good. It was bad of me. My most heartfelt apologies.”

That last apology alone was unlike any of the old man's broken words up to that point. He sounded shockingly fluent for a second.

“How do you know the Words of Within?” Wakamiya asked him.

In turn, the Monkey lowered his head. “I learned. A long time ago. A long, long time ago.”

“Who taught you?”

Wakamiya’s question was met with the old man’s gaze on him—Kozaru didn’t move or talk at all. The moment he noticed Wakamiya’s questioning look, however, he slumped his shoulders in dejection. He didn’t answer.

Just as it had been promised to them, Haruma was safe and, at the present moment, Kozaru had given no signs of wanting to cause any harm to them either. What was even the old man's intention in bringing them here? It made less and less sense by the moment.

“...... My apologies for the question, but why did you do something like that?”

“It was necessary,” Kozaru answered the question instantly. “Truth is I wanted to meet you for a long time. But I couldn't meet you. There was a path before, but not now.”

“Did the Monkeys and the Crows interact before?”

“Yes!” Kozaru nodded incessantly at the dumbfounded Wakamiya. “We served Lord Yamagami together, led a proud and fruitful life,” the Monkey’s words turned fluent for a moment again before he let out a sigh. “The Monkeys who eat Crows. All are Monkeys who ate humans. They got a taste for it, went crazy. Before was different.”

Kozaru started to walk the very minute he said that, pushing away the vines intercepting his path. He went towards the wall opposite to the door they had all come through. 

“This is the path,” Kozaru said as he patted something.

Examining it a bit better, it turned out to not be a wall covered in vines like they had thought, but yet another door. It was about two times larger than the broken one they had passed before. Its surface was rounded and it too was double winged, its construction reminiscent of the Imperial Court's Great Gate.

“This opens. Open it.” Kozaru requested, his earnest eyes fixed right on Wakamiya. “The Crows’ house is on the other side. Monkeys don't open it, but you open.”

——’The Monkeys can't open it, but you can. So, please, open it.’

“...... Was this your goal?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you want me to do this?”

“It's needed. Can't stay like this. Everyone will die. But we have time yet.” Wakamiya frowned at the ominous words, while Kozaru kept going impatiently, “Lord Yamagami will go bad. Crows, Monkeys, everyone will go bad. If this path opens, it'll be a bit better.”

“Wait a moment! What's the connection between this door and Lord Yamagami? Give us a better, proper explanation. I can't figure out what you're trying to tell me.”

“I too don't know much. But doing it is better than not doing it. Open it, quickly.”

“Wait, Your Highness!”

Yukiya stopped Wakamiya right as Kozaru was pressuring him to go through with it.

“What?”

Wakamiya turned around and Yukiya pointed to a certain spot close to the door they had come through. “Don't you find it familiar? The way these wisteria vines grow out.” 

Yukiya had, in fact, been miffed by it from the very moment they had set foot in this place. It was easy to tell that the vines that extended over the whole place had, if one paid attention to it, multiple points of origin. Perhaps having realized what Yukiya was trying to tell him, Wakamiya started to check their surroundings.

Sumio approached one of those spots and, after examining it, raised his voice high, “It's an arrow! It's starting to rot away, but this old arrow here is where the wisterias are coming from.”

To mend the Tears on Yamauchi's Barrier using wisteria vines was one of Wakamiya's powers as a True Golden Raven—one employed with a bow made of green wood and arrows with heads of stone.

“...... This place is under the protection of someone's barrier.”

“So it seems. Someone with powers akin to yours, whoever it was, closed this door. There has to be a meaning to that, don't you think? Is it truly a good idea to break the barrier without first learning why it's here?” Yukiya warned him. “So, Kozaru or however you're called, could you tell us about who put up this barrier and why he did it?”

The tone of Yukiya's question was harsh. Kozaru, however, chose to remain in silence, giving him no answer. As that happened, Wakamiya had started to wander around, checking the hall out, when his gaze fell upon something right beside Kozaru, below the door itself. He froze completely.

“Is something wrong?” Sumio asked Wakamiya, approaching him. He followed Wakamiya's gaze with his—and made a harsh sound with his throat. Having noticed their odd behavior, Yukiya left Haruma under Chihaya's care and ran towards them as well. As soon as he got closer, Yukiya saw something there, hidden deep under the vines.

An old, dried out corpse.

It was there, sitting, leaning against the tightly closed door. It hadn't rotten, its skin instead desiccated and parched, barely adhering to the bones underneath anymore. It was impossible to tell the color of it anymore, but it was dressed in what seemed to be the robes typical of the Imperial Court. Its hand—quite literally only skin and bones—held a bow. Its hair was long and tied up.

Yukiya turned around, confirming the direction the corpse was facing—as he had expected, it was in a direct diagonal to all the arrows that acted as the source of the barrier.

“It seems that this person put up the barrier, huh? And then, right after doing so, he perished……” Now done with examining the dried out corpse, Yukiya turned around. The moment he did so, he was left speechless—there was clearly something wrong with Wakamiya. “Your Highness?”

A tottering Wakamiya approached the corpse, extending his hand to touch its face. “It's me.”

“Huh?”

“This corpse is me.”

Yukiya felt a chill down his back—it was all just as he had suspected. “... So this corpse is the previous True Golden Raven?”

“Are your memories back then!?” Sumio asked with astonishment.

Wakamiya didn't answer, his gaze instead hurriedly drifting through their surroundings. “No…… Well, yes. I died here. I had to protect my children, the Yatagarasu and—I was so desperate, so lost on it,” he murmured during the last part.

Wakamiya then opened his eyes wide. “This is bad.”

“What?”

“We must not be here. We must not open this door. Hurry, let's go back!”

“No! You must not run away!” Suddenly, Kozaru raised his voice in anger. Sumio quickly stepped in to keep the distance between him and Wakamiya, ensuring Kozaru couldn’t harm the latter in any form. Seeing that, Kozaru's face twisted in despair. “This is probably last. This is bad, no other chances. You ran away. Because of that, it all went bad. Are you running away again!?”

Although Kozaru had been the one to insist on being quiet when they first met, he was almost screaming at the end. Then, the sound of people running and Shigemaru's own yelling came from the other side of the vines. “That young Monkey from before has brought a lot of other Monkeys with him. They’re approaching as we speak!”

“Really!?”

“They are still far away, but we don't have much time.”

“Shit, so it was a trap after all!” Sumio clicked his tongue.

Yukiya, on the other hand, spoke in a calm manner, “Let's not panic. We still have the advantage as long as we manage to get to the point where we left the thread spool.”

Wakamiya glanced at him. “Will we be able to hold on until we get there?”

“It's not that far. With our current party, we can perfectly manage even with a frontal breakthrough.”

“But that means—” ‘You're leaving the unconscious Haruma out of your calculations, aren't you?’ Wakamiya was about to say the words, but he seemed to choose against it at the last moment. Still, they had always known this could turn out to be the case.

“Our duty is to bring Your Highness back to Yamauchi safe and sound. Leave Haruma's wellbeing to me.” Wakamiya looked back at him wordlessly. Yukiya nodded quietly. “I know the risks.”

“Your Highness. A decision, please,” Sumio rushed him.

However, before Wakamiya had a chance to utter a single word, Kozaru muttered, “The Monkeys coming here are many. Dumb Monkeys, strong Monkeys. Someone could die. But there's a way,” the old man proclaimed in a somewhat somber manner. “...... Open the gate. Run away through it.”

“Did you plan to have us assaulted by the other Monkeys from the start?” Wakamiya asked him in a low voice.

Kozaru gave them what looked like a wry smile. “I said it. I won't harm you. I don't want to harm you. You will return home. Everyone will be fine. So open the door.”

“There's no need to do that.” As he said that, Yukiya grabbed Kozaru by the arms and twisted them, pinning him to the ground. “Everything I said before was in the hypothetical case of combat, but we have you here with us. You can just be our hostage.”

That had always been the reason why Yukiya had followed the man so nonchalantly to such a place. He had seen the other man—the younger Monkey—salute Kozaru with his eyes when they crossed paths, while he was holding his arms up. They both had probably intended it to go unnoticed, but Yukiya clearly caught Kozaru giving the Monkey a magnanimous nod back.

Add to that the clothes the old man was wearing, and Yukiya was certain his position within his community was relatively high. It should make him more than valuable enough to act as a hostage. They may have succeeded in luring the Golden Raven to them, yes, but they had proven to still be quite stupid to Yukiya's eyes.

Within the vines his face was buried in, Kozaru let out a terribly dry laugh. “That won't do. Probably the Monkeys coming will kill me.”

“What—?”

“Monkeys who eat humans and Monkeys who don't. Different. I wanted to meet you, the Monkeys' chief didn’t want to meet. I—” Kozaru followed, his voice tinged with loneliness. “I betrayed our chief. He won't forgive me.”

——Was that a bluff?

Unable to determine it by himself, Yukiya turned his face towards his Lord. Wakamiya had his head tilted as he watched Kozaru's face intently.

“...... Yukiya, let him go.” Yukiya instantly released his grip on the Monkey, obeying orders. Kozaru sluggishly sat up but didn't stand, choosing instead to remain on the ground. “Listen. Have we ever met before?”

“You remember me?” Kozaru asked, raising his head in surprise.

Wakamiya, meanwhile, held his hand to his forehead as if in pain. “...... I don't know. I’m only sure that I once experienced something horrifying here and then I died—and yet, I wonder why. I can’t shake off the feeling that I knew you before.”

The moment he said that, understanding seemed to spark in Kozaru's dull eyes. “Trust me. I, you—no, Your Highness, I don't pretend to harm. I humbly plead with you. Please, return to this place!”

“They'll be here soon! And they even brought bows with them!” Shigemaru yelled to them as, his impatience winning over, he crossed over to their side of the vines as well.

“Everyone, get in position,” Sumio commanded. Instantly, Chihaya and Shigemaru both placed themselves in between Wakamiya and the entrance, their swords out.

The sound of the Monkeys’ shrill voices and their impressive footsteps reached them now. There was no time for hesitation. Faced with bows, they would be easy prey just standing around here. Whether they chose to open the door or to attempt a frontal breakthrough, they had to do so fast.

And yet, Yukiya couldn't tell which was the right option.

“Your Highness, the True Golden Raven,” Yukiya gathered his resolve and called out to his Lord. “This situation has now long surpassed what can be judged by logic alone. We'll follow whatever choice Your Highness makes. No matter how this ends, we won't resent you. Either way, be it all according to your wishes.”

The tension in the room was palpable. In the midst of it, Wakamiya looked at everyone one by one. Yukiya, the Monkey, his bodyguards standing around him and the unconscious Haruma.

Quietly, he made his choice.

“Let's open the door.”

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

The second his hand rested on the door, pain struck Wakamiya. It felt as if there was something there, something spreading like cobwebs all over his hand, getting absorbed within it. It was the late Golden Raven's strong will—his determination to not let the door ever open again.

What few memories Wakamiya had recovered were all warped. What had he feared so much? Why did he have to close this gate no matter what? He didn't get any of it. In such a state, the reason he chose to ‘open the door’—an idea that his late self had so loathed—was actually quite simple: in his current ignorance, only one thing was certain to him. Kozaru wasn’t trying to harm them.

——’How did I even dare to call myself a True Golden Raven when I'm like this’.

As he inwardly mocked himself over his own feelings on the matter, the kind he couldn't let anyone else know, Wakamiya clenched his fists. In so doing, he felt something invisible warp and twist. He held onto that with his hands and pulled with all his strength and, just like that, he could feel the imperceptible mesh on the door tearing off.

A moment later, the vines covering the door that he had been touching started to sprout new leaves. They had all been withered and dead, yet, all of a sudden, the bursting spirit of spring took over them, the breath of life moving from one to the next.

New vines started to spread over the room at an impressive speed. Young green leaves were born and from there spilled flower clusters, filled to the brim with purple buds.

“Open!” 

The second Wakamiya commanded it so, the buds bloomed instantly and the sweet aroma of nectar filled the entire place. The green leaves rustled for a short moment and the revived vines glided, spontaneously moving away from the door—as if every single one of them was a living creature capable of understanding Wakamiya's commands.

The Monkeys, who had apparently just arrived in front of the broken door, let out gasps of surprise at the sight. Wakamiya turned around. Life had apparently returned to all the vines in the room and, perhaps having taken on Wakamiya’s will, the wisterias closer to the entrance had grown far thicker and more numerous, blocking off the Monkeys’ way.

“Impressive work.” Shigemaru and Chihaya, who hadn't seen the True Golden Raven's powers at work before, were left in shock, but Yukiya modestly praised him. Yet Wakamiya, who felt no pride for the job, turned once again towards Kozaru. He stood petrified among the purple flowers.

“If we return now, you said you'll be killed, right?” Kozaru looked at Wakamiya in a daze. “Come with us.”

Upon hearing that, Kozaru's eyes went so wide they looked about to fall off. “Come…?”

“There’s too much we don’t understand. What happened in the past. What took place here. Please, share everything you know with us.”

Kozaru’s lips trembled. He looked about to cry. He stood up with a stagger and then, the moment he tried to answer—someone tore the wisterias covering the broken door off with sheer strength. It opened a small gap and, from it, a flash of reflected light appeared.

“Your Highness!” Sumio and Yukiya both jumped forwards straight away, but the released arrow wasn't aiming at Wakamiya. It went directly towards Kozaru, piercing his back.

Confused, Kozaru’s gaze drifted towards both the arrow sticking out of his chest and Wakamiya. Then, he chuckled. “Farewell.”

——They couldn’t hold on any longer.

The Monkeys’ angry yells resounded through the entire room, the green vines blocking the entrance falling to the ground one after the other. The people armed with bows were now visible at the other side, aiming at them through the hole. The next moment, a rain of arrows fell on them. The Yatagarasu were left with no alternative but retreat.

Wakamiya touched the door. It had no doorknob, and yet it opened as soon as he did so.　They all slid to the other side, dragging with them the corpse of the past True Golden Raven, which had collapsed backwards the moment the wood’s support vanished. 

Yukiya too sprinted there with Haruma on his back. Once they confirmed everyone had gone through the door, Shigemaru and Chihaya closed each one of the doors. That over, Wakamiya locked the gate—the sound of the commotion on its other side died off completely when he did so.

——For a while, the only noise around was their desperate gasps for air. Nobody there could bring himself to talk.

“...... Are we back in Yamauchi?” Shigemaru finally asked hesitantly.

Sumio answered as he wiped off his sweat, “Yes… so it seems…”

A round hall and stone coffins. Water which poured from the latter. From afar, they heard the stunned shouts of the group of priests who had found them there. Sumio put on a mirthless attempt at a grin as he informed the rest about the place they found themselves in.

“We’re in the Forbidden Gate.”

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

“How rare. A small Monkey(7). Did you just arrive here?” the man asked, his voice tinged with cheerful mirth. “I guess you don’t know our words yet. Do you want a snack? We’ve got sweets.”

He probably offered it simply out of a whim, but that didn’t change the fact that the man had been kind to him. It made him realize they weren’t all bad people like the others in his community said.

He was so pretty and nice—ah, he didn’t want to hate this man.

——That’s why he had wanted to do whatever was within his power.

Then, something cut off that nostalgic dream.

As Kozaru came back to himself, the aroma of wisteria flowers and his own blood overtook his nose. He didn’t feel any pain, but a hopeless cold overtaking him instead. Someone was peering right at him. It was the man he had ended up betraying in the end, despite how much it had crushed his heart to do so—his precious chief.

“You truly went and acted all on your own, huh? It’s a tad too early for that, you know.” The world got darker by the moment, yet the man’s voice reached Kozaru clearly. “But, well. With this, now we won’t have to break the door open by brute force. Let me say my thanks for that. It may be nice to have the Gate open properly when the time comes.”

Kozaru squeezed some words out of his throat. The sound of blood spurting out of his mouth accompanied his attempt to speak. “I plead with you, stop. Our kin have all lost their minds to stupidity because of all the human eating. At this rate, it won’t only be the Yatagarasu but us too who will—”

“And? What’s the problem? We’re doing it fully aware of the consequences, remember?”

“Please, reconsider. By all means, I earnestly plead with you—”

Kozaru wasn’t sure how many of his words actually managed to come out of his mouth. Regardless, at least from the sound of it, it wasn’t like his adored chief had the intention to pay his words any mind whatsoever.

“Ah, I’m so looking forward to it. Raven of Gold, just wait a little more. Just a little more, and I’ll go to welcome you back myself.” Kozaru heard the chief talk to himself with great anticipation, farther and farther away.

“I earnestly plead—”

He was so, so cold.

His consciousness gave out, once and for all.

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

The Imperial Court fell into chaos the moment they learned that the Monkeys were hiding—out of all places—in the depths within the Central Mountain, on the other side of the Forbidden Gate. It was locked off, but there was no guarantee that such a thing could entirely block any attempts at invasion. From there on, Guards were posted there around the clock just in case the Monkeys came, the security around it greatly tightened with the new addition of a number of soldiers.

There was no way the government could stay in a Court that the Monkeys could attack at any given moment, so its functions were hence determined to be moved away from the Central Mountain. Those affluent enough fought each other to run away ahead of everyone else, requesting new abodes in the countryside.

In the middle of such mayhem, a ceremony took place at the Forbidden Gate.

A white, impressive courtly robe embroidered in gold. A crown made of gold and jewels. The dried up corpse wearing them was in such a poor state that the luxurious outfit made it all look almost comical instead of tragic.

Alas, nobody was there to see it.

Such a burial would have been originally held for the entire country, yet the only noblemen in attendance were Wakamiya and Natsuka. Not even the Acting Golden Raven, the Empress or the Four Houses’ Heads were present—the Forbidden Gate’s surroundings were oddly quiet.

As the priests solemnly prayed(8) to Yamagami, they placed the corpse in the place it belonged with their own hands—the empty coffin finally welcoming its owner.

——Just like that, Naritsuhiko, the previous True Golden Raven, returned to Yamauchi after a long hundred years. The very instant his coffin was raised beside the Forbidden Gate, water started to pour from within it.

As soon as Yukiya had confirmed that this burial ceremony one hundred years in the making had finished, he took a glance at his Lord’s face—his sullen look remained unchanged. From the way Wakamiya wordlessly shook his head, Yukiya could tell the state of his memories remained more or less unchanged.

“Naritsuhiko tried to let Land Sovereign Eiju—Kageki(9) escape.” Wakamiya muttered to Yukiya. With the ceremony over, they had headed back to Sunrise Palace. “He knew that simply locking the Gate wouldn’t be enough. He didn’t believe himself capable of protecting the Yatagarasu from some sort of menace out there, so he opened a way for Kageki alone to go back and stayed there in order to seal the Forbidden Gate…… But,” Wakamiya’s eyes wandered with uncertainty, “I still can’t remember the most critical part—why things first got like that.”

After saying that, Wakamiya covered his face with his hands. For him, having recovered just a tiny amount of his memories of the past seemed to be a much more tormenting experience than remembering nothing at all.

It frustrated Yukiya to be unable to help him with it, but he wasn’t the only powerless one. In fact, nobody was capable of aiding Wakamiya in this. “I wonder if the danger across the Forbidden Gate was the Monkeys, by any chance?”

“...... I don’t know.”

For the late Golden Raven to be so afraid—what could he have been running from?

⊛　　　　　⊛　　　　　 ⊛

A tepid breeze carried the petals of the nearby peach trees, making them dance in the grey sky. Among the dark clouds, bluish white light appeared from time to time, followed by the falling of a thunderous roar powerful enough to make the earth tremble. Spring thunders.

There was no rain, but the weather was so bad it was even laughable. Yukiya remembered how clear the day he first arrived at the Monastery had been as he intently watched the sky through the lattice window.

The Unbending Reed Monastery’s Graduation Ceremony took place right after the burial ceremony for the previous True Golden Raven did—albeit it turned out to be a much smaller deal than originally planned.

The event was in the Monastery’s great hall.

Wakamiya, Natsuka and the Director stood at the front with Rokon, Sumio and Akeru right behind them. The Instructors in charge of the graduates, like Seiken and Kashin, were in line with all the others. The trainees too were in formation—their numbers slightly smaller than they had been just a little while earlier.

After the Monkey incident, a high number of trainees from noble origins had abandoned the Monastery. They were the kind likely to disappear from its halls one way or the other, but to see them all leave in one go like that still gave Yukiya something to think about.

First in line among the Seeds was a recovered Haruma, his back fully straightened as he waited. He had woken up, safe and sound, just a while after their group had returned to Yamauchi—that said, at the time, Haruma had a hard time believing everything that had happened while he was soundly asleep.

“I mean, all I know is what happened up until that first encounter with that Monkey. I turned my back to it as I tried to run away and then I remember feeling something hit my head, but aside from that……” Being soaked aside, they ultimately didn’t find any wounds on Haruma besides a bump on the head.

Knowing now that Haruma had remained unconscious the entire time, Yukiya could guess that the Monkey had carried him all the way to that hall. It at least explained the lack of footsteps on the bottom of the water. He had come to suspect that the kidnapper had actually been that younger Monkey on watch duty.

However young and strong the man had been, to carry someone without accidentally inflicting any injury on him whatsoever, all by himself, through a path so difficult that walking alone was a struggle, with all those stalactites hanging from the ceiling—Yukiya could only imagine how much care that had required of him.

But it wasn’t only that. Yukiya recalled they had changed the sleeping Haruma’s clothes and prepared him food. What had been the plan of the Monkeys who had sought to contact them? It made less and less sense the more he thought about it.

The ceremony proceeded in silence, irrespective of Yukiya’s inner turmoil. Out of the twenty four trainees who took part in the entrance ceremony the year Yukiya joined, in the end, barely eight had managed to make it safely to graduation.

One by one, the graduating trainees returned their ornamented blades to the Director. Wakamiya then exchanged places with him and granted an actual tachi to each of them. Their names were called from the worst score to the best.

“Third place. Shigemaru of Shimaki.” Upon hearing that, Shigemaru stepped forwards in a dignified manner to receive his tachi from Wakamiya. “I’ve heard you possess both skill with a sword and a virtuous character. It’s my wish to protect all Yatagarasu with you, who prides himself on protecting what’s important with no conceit about power. Shall I count on you?”

“Gladly so.”

“Then, from this moment onwards, you are part of the Yamauchi Guard. I entrust to you the protection of Sunrise Palace. Salute!”

“As you wish!” Graciously accepting the tachi, Shigemaru returned as the next person was called forwards—Chihaya.

“Second place, Chihaya of Hae.” Chihaya approached Wakamiya quietly, slightly bowing at him. “I’ve heard you excel in all manners of combat and your skill has no equal. It’s my wish to protect all Yatagarasu with you, who possesses a heart that won’t yield to tyranny and cares about the weak. Shall I count on you?”

“Gladly so.”

“Then, from this moment onwards, you are part of the Yamauchi Guard. I entrust to you my own protection. Salute!”

“As you wish!” Chihaya took the tachi, his expression unflinching, and returned to the line. It was finally time for the last man to be called forwards.

“First place, Yukiya of Taruhi.”

The second Yukiya’s name was called, Haruma took a big audible breath. Yukiya glanced at his junior—obviously much more moved by his graduation than Yukiya himself—as he walked to stand in front of the man he had chosen(10) as his Lord a long, long time ago.

“I’ve heard your martial arts are beyond reproach and your skills in archery too are of particular note. More important, however, is your unparalleled talent as a tactician, the kind our country hasn’t ever seen before—I see no bigger fortune than to have you with us in this era. It’s my wish for you to aid all Yataragasu in any ways I cannot. Shall I count on you?”

“Gladly so.”

“Then, from this moment onwards, you are part of the Yamauchi Guard. I entrust to you my own protection—and the role of Tactical Counselor for the Guard.” Yukiya bowed his head in answer to Wakamiya’s dispassionate words. “Salute!”

Yukiya took the tachi obediently—used as he was to the ornamented blade, it felt profoundly heavier.

A roll of thunder, like the skies’ roars, resounded as Wakamiya stood at the great hall’s seat of honor.

“A storm is coming.” Wakamiya declared quietly as he looked at the line of newly appointed members of the Yamauchi Guard. “The day we trade blows with the Monkeys will come soon. The Imperial Court won’t be able to remain as it is now, and change unavoidably awaits all of Yamauchi. But,” Wakamiya lifted his voice, clear and high. Not even an inkling of his own private agonies leaking through. “I swear to protect all Yatagarasu in Yamauchi, including you all, for as long as I’m the Golden Raven. We’ll withstand whatever storm comes our way. That’s why, gentlemen, I ask you to allow me to dedicate my life to this duty.”

All the eyes in the hall were focused on him. Wakamiya subconsciously smiled. “I trust all of you. I’ll be in your hands.”

There was a new gentleness to Wakamiya’s voice—unlike anything before—as he said those words.

Then, with a motion they had repeated more than they could ever remember during the last three years, the new Yamauchi Guards saluted, offering their Third Leg to their Lord.

Year Twelve of the Gentle Raven, the Third Month of the Lunar Calendar.

The year after the Yatagarasu suffered the second Monkey invasion, all of the Imperial Court’s operations were fully moved to a detached palace, the Above Clouds Palace. Although much chaos ensued during the early periods of the move, it was believed to have taken a reasonable time for the Imperial Court to resume functions.

However, using this opportunity, the Crown Prince Nazukihiko performed large-scale reforms at the Court. The heart of the operations was a group of young geniuses hailing from the Unbending Reed Monastery—a collective that included esteemed sons of the Western and Northern Houses. As a result, the Crown Prince gained the support of two of the Four Houses and succeeded in establishing a government with him at the center.

Right after the new government started operating, however, an unprecedented great earthquake would come to shake all of Yamauchi.

The Raven of the Empty Coffin: The End

Next: On Never Bending

—---—---—---—---—---—---—---—---—---—---

1: Oozaru (大猿) is what they called the Monkey at the dried-up well during Golden Raven. It simply means “big monkey”. It will remain untranslated as it’s used in practice as a name.

2: As alluded to here, the language spoken in Yamauchi is referred to as 御内詞 (Miuchikotoba) by the Yatagarasu. The “Mi” is essentially a prefix showing respect to the “uchi” which is the uchi from Yamauchi and means “inside”, and finally the “kotoba” isn’t using the usual kanji (言葉) but 詞, which also means words but it’s used more in the context of poetry or music lyrics. Words of Within is my take on the idea, as it mostly respects the spirit of the original while being understandable.

3: Fatuous Fire Lamps refer to the type of lamp Yukiya uses when going into the cave during Golden Raven. In short, they use 鬼火 (Fatuous Fire), which within the story’s lore consume sugar to light up instead and don’t risk burning your house if left unchecked or broken. This makes lamps using Fatuous Fires desirable and expensive—they’re a common sight in nobles’ houses and in places where the risk of a fire would be too great like libraries and archives.

4: Jorougumo (女郎蜘蛛) refers to both a type of youkai and a spider species. The youkai is known for appearing near to sources of water, where she ties the legs of her victims with her silk and drags them down to drown them. The Jorougumo takes the appearance of a beautiful woman during the day, but returns to her giant spider form during the night. Within Yamauchi, Jorougumo silk is treated as a luxury item for its high resilience with a lot of clothes for nobles being partly made of it—including the outfit Masuho no Susuki lends to Yukiya when he goes to the Undercity and ends up going into the cave.

5: It refers to a Joue (浄衣), an outfit employed during religious ceremonies, particularly those requiring a purification. They’re mostly white and with no pattern whatsoever.

6: In Japanese, “to keep watch” is said 見張る (Miharu), or 見張り (Mihari) when used as a noun. Here, Kozaru is trying a variety of verbs starting with 見 (Mi-): Mitoru (見取る), Mikiru (見切る) because he can’t remember the correct term. 見 as a kanji means “to see”.

7: Kozaru (小猿) means “small/little monkey”. It may have seemed quite the odd name/pseudonym for an old man, but there’s a reason for it.

8: These are specifically Shinto prayers, but Yamauchi has no understanding of ‘Shinto’ as a concept due to its isolation from wider Japan so it was impossible to include it here in an organic manner.

9: The late Land Sovereign’s name is 景樹, which can be read both as Eiju and Kageki. It’s implied here that he decided to change the reading to Eiju when he became Land Sovereign, but his name was originally Kageki—which is hence the name Naritsuhiko was familiar with and the name our Nazukihiko now remembers him by in consequence. The kanji for his name mean Scenery and Trees/To Establish respectively.

10: The verb used here is quite interesting. Yukiya’s narration uses 定める, which effectively means what I translated: To choose, to decide, to ordain. What’s notable to me (because Abe Chisato doesn’t use this verb often) is the word hidden within 定める—Sadame (定め). One of Sadame’s meanings is that of predestination or fate, albeit it often has a connotation of tragedy.

[iamespecter]

I love this au with my heart and soul, and I'd like you to know that. As soon as I saw those designs, I was in love. It's all so freaking cool, man!

... I-I can explain

[essektheylyss]

literally laughed out loud at Matt's face when he admitted that Lester was trying to hide something, truly the scrungliest detective in Newfaire

[the-whispers-of-death]

i need to interview actor!stone and have massive amounts of sexual tension

Mm, imagine that you're the only interviewer Actor!Stone does an interview with alone. Everyone else has to deal with other co-stars of Actor!Stone with him, but you get him all to yourself. (Just pretend the cameras aren't there.)

Stone loves how comfortable you make him, how at ease he is when he's with you, sitting in a chair directly across from you. It's like he can forget about the cameras, that you're just two normal people having a normal conversation.

And the sexual tension is off the charts, even if it seems like he's his regular cold and stoic self.

His eyes keep dropping down to your lips. He swears he tries to get himself to stop looking there, but every time he hears your soothing voice, that's where his eyes go looking. He has to stop himself from licking his own lips at the sight of yours.

He's so talkative with you, sounding almost eager (a first for you and the fans) as he talks about his upcoming movie which he's doing press for. He gives a small huff of amusement when you playfully ask for a minor spoiler and then he boldly makes a gentle tease back about how you're trying to get him, the golden boy, in trouble.

And the fans go wild, because this is the first time he's ever given himself the title of golden boy. Everyone knows he's the media's golden boy, but he's always been humble about it.

But here, now in this interview, it seems like he's preening at your attention and trying to subtly impress you!

And after the interview airs, everyone's gossiping about how relaxed Stone was with you and how much of a great interviewers you are.

The producers and Stone's agent definitely want to keep getting interviews with you doing the interview because your two's chemistry is unmatched.

[beryllineart]

i want to touch susie's spiked bracelets

I mean, I would have asked to see her cool magic axe, but her bracelets are cool too.

[ruelpsen]

Hii, I was wondering if you have any favourite scenarios/prompts involving stuffing/burping? I've been looking for some inspiration but nothing's quite caught my eye so far

-writing anon

Sorry to keep this one waiting for so long! Here's a few ideas I've got, hopefully few to none will be repeats from past posts...

Getting ridiculously stuffed and belchy in inappropriate contexts is always a winner imo. Something about being in a place- especially one where good manners are expected- while being unable to hide how full you are, much less how much you need to belch, is so gd hot.

High stuffing sessions. Speaking from experience, it is incredibly fun to feel your sense of fullness slip away as you start to feel ravenously hungry. Put enough food and drink in front of someone who's high and you're bound to end up with a bloated, belchy, shameless mess.

Speaking of being shameless, I love situations where someone is shamelessly belching... but has no idea that they're not as alone as they think. It's especially good when the person listening is really into it!

Someone, for whatever reason, really paying attention to their burps during a stuffing session. This kind of scenario is particularly helpful from a writing perspective for thinking about how aspects of a burp, such as pitch, length, volume, throatiness, etc. change as someone gets fuller and fuller.

Getting so full that any movement leads to burping. Being that fucking stuffed and so uncontrollably belchy is so hot!

Related: scenarios where someone is able to loosen/remove clothing as it gets tight while they get stuffed, only for them to have to put it back on when they're done. Tight clothes can do wonders for getting stuffed burps unstuck!

More of a fantasy-type idea, but burps getting unrealistically loud and/or long the fuller someone gets. Sometimes a bit of imaginative thinking goes a long way...

Dom/sub stuffing dynamics. (With consent established beforehand ofc) forcing someone to eat, keeping them from being able to rub their painfully stuffed gut, being punished for burping before they were allowed to... stuff in that vein drives me wild!

Belching + orgasming during an especially sexy stuffing session. Need I say more?

Hopefully at least one of these will help inspire you!

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

"Fun uncle at gatherings" you get it

YEAHHH Kashi's vibes are immaculate. he'd probably be the best dancer at a desi wedding <3

[softpine]

This might be juvenile, but do you have any tips on not comparing yourself to others? (Especially when it comes to note count or popularity.) I’ve been posting a story for over a year and it hardly gets any traction. It’s tough for me to see new creators post and get hundreds or even thousands of notes. I hate that I’m doing this but don’t know how to quit it!

this is not juvenile!! i struggle with this myself, especially knowing that i hit my peak years ago and i've been on the decline ever since – but only by numbers alone! i'm more proud of my story than i've ever been, i'm more attached to my characters, i'm putting more love and thought into everything, but i had to be realistic with myself and understand that i'll never pull even half the notes i did in 2020. gone are the days when i would wake up to 3 new anons about my story and dms from people every day (i can't believe i used to get overwhelmed by it...) and i would be lying if i said it didn't make me sad sometimes, because we're humans and our brains are practically wired to crave the hit of happy chemicals you get from seeing the stupid number go up 😭 it does feel demotivating. it makes me feel less urgency to post quicker if i convince myself that no one is waiting for me anyway, which means i post less, which means even less people stick around, which makes me post less, and on and on. it's a tough thing for me to come to terms with in all honesty.

but it helps to remember that i would be writing even if no one is reading. and i know that, because i have! i've written entire novel-length fics that i've never published, i've written countless short stories in the frozen pines universe that i'll never post, i've created alternate universes that will never be shown, etc. i do it because the idea is in my head and it needs to Get Out and i'm kinda just a conduit for that. that might not apply to you, and that's okay! everyone is different. the important thing is to really sit down and think about WHY you write and what you get out of it. which part of the process makes you happiest? what makes you feel a sense of fulfillment / satisfaction? play to your strengths. try not to spend your time doing things you think other people will enjoy and instead, spend more time on the things that make you happy. for me, i haaaaate editing and i always have, so lately i've been trying to speed through it a little bit quicker even if it means the final product won't be as appealing to others. (this is still a work in progress for me...) i have more fun when i experiment with different writing styles, which might not appeal to others because it takes longer and i don't really have a recognizable style, but i don't care anymore because i'm having fun! ask yourself what YOU want from your story, and then write for yourself and only yourself.

essentially what i'm saying is: there will ALWAYS be people more popular than you, and there's no guarantee that when you find the popularity you seek, you'll be able to keep it. so you need to find some sort of intrinsic motivation to continue or you'll just keep comparing yourself to others forever and you'll deny yourself the joy of creation! "comparison is the thief of joy" could not be more true!!

[ascendedofthesea]

Kou

......

A long drawn out sigh.

...sure, I guess I could try that. That's what the problem is. Maybe I should line all the signs with the heads of Pokemon and humans who refused to heed them. Stain the wood with their blood, while I'm at it.

[......you can't tell if he's kidding or not...]