#it's complete chaos here orz

[steinbit]

..... . guess who's STUCK at the holdover airport until tomorrowwwww 🚬🐀

[mintytealfox]

Goodness GRACIOUS orz

Alice's Deduction version of Alice in Wonderland, in 1949,...felt like my brain was actively melting awaaayy orz

This claymation style is anything BUT fun to look at for my eyeballs. Like even the caterpillar on the cover here fills me with an uncanny amount of dread and visceral ANGER PPFFFFF

But I watched it, and made it to the end -falls down the stairs- uhg orz

Dunno if there is a point to do a read more cause I am keeping it SHORT but just in case~

So in this version, instead of a book being read to Alice as she falls asleep, it is actually her friend who is an author that uses the alias Lewis Carroll LOL YOOOO that is telling this story he is making up for her and her sisters.

To note: Her friend says something interesting in the beginning, when referring to this place that Alice and her family live 'Oxford', saying "nothing in this place ever changes" This made me think of Orpheus and his purposeful plans to make the mansion look exactly like it did before, and the other obvious part, that he is also an author.

ANYWAYS

Alice falls asleep as he starts telling this story and we get to experience these horrible AWFUL TERRIFYING CLAYMATIONS AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH for WAY too long -WHEEZE- I don't even wanna TALK ABOUT IT

LOOK AT IT

THIS IS WHEN THEY START SPRINTING and RUSHING TOWARDS HER TO GET HER!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME WHAT IS THIS HORROR FEST

There was this part where all the animals are YELLING at ONCE about the 'FLOOD' from Alice's tears and I WAS ABOUT TO RIP MY HAIR OUT

and don't get me STARTED on that BELL RINGINNNGGGGG RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I AM GETTING OFF TOPIC LOL

ANYWAYSSSSSSSSS

The long and short of it, we all know the story, but this is definitely the right Alice movie PFF

-Its an absolute MIND MELT and is a story completely curated by her friend who is an author 👀 -She drinks every bottle of 'poison' she sees and eats every sweet she finds PFF -She is significantly curious and wonders about all the things. I particularly liked how she wondered about things and her thought process as she fell at the beginning~

Alice: "either this well is very deep or I am falling very slowly. Well, after such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of falling downstairs. How brave they will all think me at home. Why I wouldn't say anything about it even if I fell off the top of the house. I wonder how many miles I have fallen by this time. I wonder what latitude or longitude I've got to. I must be getting somewhere near the center of the earth. Curiouser and Curiouser"

-She is being chased friggin ALWAYS -And I did appreciate how she kept stopping and looking back when she heard the doorknob turning sounds when she is in the first room. ("don't look back" heh)

-This is a tripped out and confusing experience like idv Alice's life when she was being experimented on, All that chaos and memories all over the place ;; -Her wit staying intact regardless and still having a smile on her face and kept on trying. (boi she kept on keepin on with the drink me bottles and eat me snacks my gosh LOL)

This is the most off putting Alice in wonderland movie I have seen, to date, which is on brand for our IDV Alice cause it really puts to paper how chaotic, off putting, and confusing her life has been.

----

I will add this random side note, that there was a part I did appreciate, I appreciated the king character, his delivery with his lines were hysterical PFFF

like, "before we are entirely depopulated my dear, might we find out who actually did it" cause the queen was wiggin for heads to roll again PFF

Alice: "I'm not a mile high!" The King: "you are" -matter of fact dry response I CAN'T HAHHA-

and then the BEST delivery was the:

White Rabbit: "where shall I begin?" -with reading- The King: "Begin at the beginning, then go on til you are at the end, then stop"

-WHEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZEEEEEEEE- just the most DRY of deliveries got me HOLLERIN, (the court scene ended up being so funny to me PFFF) but it also could have been because I was literally LOOSING MY MIND by the time the end was rolling around AH

----

This got a checkmark from me PFF even just the way I felt after watching this dang thing was enough for me to be like "yea......" but the fact that there is more is "YUP this is our idv Alice for sure"

[squirrelboidyke]

excuse the funky phone photo instead of a proper screen grab, i had to take a break due to my back pain (i have scoliosis and my current computer chair is an ottoman so i'm resting on a heating pad rn). BUT HERE'S MORE PROGRESS!! HE'S COMING TO LIFE, IT'S THEM IT'S MY LIL GUY IN MY HEAD THAT I AM IN MY MIND!!

ok so the way i've been doing this piece is complete chaos but it's fine lol. i colored and shaded the one on the left first (all on one layer bc i like making things difficult for myself), then did the line art on top of the color on top of the sketch like an idiot bc again i am RUSTY. so the line weight isn't quite right to the point that the style is visibly different.. so i'd have to redo the line art altogether to make it match the one on the right, which i don't wanna do bc that's too much work (?? ask my autism orz). buuuut with the one on the right, i lowered the pen thickness and spent more time focusing on the line weight when lining. and i'm relatively happy with it! feels more.. me. i grew up drawing almost entirely anime so my coloring and shading is kinda unremarkable and even with little highlights it feels a bit flatter than i would like. i've always had a hard time with lighting and coloring, since i've never had any actual artistic training/teaching. i think this style is okay for now since i basically have my digital art training wheels back on again having not drawn actively in over 10 years lol. i'll venture into practicing more with color and lighting once i've gotten more comfortable. i tend to get ahead of myself and lost in the minor details to the point of derailing progress on the project, so i'm trying not to do that and just take it one step at a time.

this may be all for today, depending on how my back feels. thank you for looking!

finally after over half a year trying to figure it out, i have decided on a fursona species! i've just generally been a squirrel, not really able to choose only one species and coat design with such an amazing range of beautiful and interesting squirrels to pick from. but this baby and their pink snoot has won me over!!

it's official- i'm a grizzled giant squirrel, also known as the national animal of sri lanka 🇱🇰🐿

i'm currently working on my first sketch based off of this squirrel, i haven't drawn digitally or traditionally for almost a decade now so i'm rusty and honestly don't even have a distinctive style anymore.. but i'm still going to do my best! i have saved and studied hundreds of references to help me get started again. i started yesterday with a few hours of taking photos of squirrels (especially the faces and complicated feet/paw pads) and breaking them down into shapes over and over to help me get an idea of how expressions would work on a squirrel's face. the grizzled giant squirrel has a slimmer face, naked snout, shorter ears with fur tufts at the tips, slightly different/bigger body proportions, and a longer, thinner tail compared to the eastern grey, fox, and brown squirrels i've been referencing up until this point. but the shapes making up the face as well as the body are the same, so a few adjustments and what i learned yesterday will still be helpful knowledge with my new squirrelsona species. wish me luck, friends! as soon as i get a sketch i'm somewhat happy with i'll post the wip in the first of hopefully many art posts to come! 💞

[skxrbrand]

Yet another “quick doodle” that ended up taking forever orz, but it’s all good!

Anyway, according to WH lore, Bloodletters are fragments of Khorne’s rage. That come from him, being splinters of his being personified. However, other lore says that Bloodletters rise up from the chaos warriors of the mortal world. Instead of calling this conflicting canon, I ran with the idea. Why not both? The differences between the two are largely cosmetic, with Khorne spawned Bloodletters having much more impressive horns and teeth as well as redder bodies and a greater penchant for outright violence. I imagine Mortal spawned Bloodletters retain vestiges of their humanity and these Bloodletters tend to have a cruelty-streak as well as a murderous one. They tend to have pale horns and almost all of them have a mane of fur on the back that reflects the texture of their hair when they were a living mortal, mostly in black or red colors. Blonde bloodletters exist, but they are incredibly rare and viewed with disfavor, as blond hair is a color associated with Slaanesh and his legions. Having a crown of six horns rather than four or eight is considered bad luck as well (and guess which odd-eyed Bloodthirster had six of them before getting yeeted?)

Anyway, we also have Furnace Daemons and Orchard-Daemons, mentioned in The Book of Blood/Warhammer 3 and Tome of Corruption respectively. I’ve touched on Furnace-Daemons a bid: They forge endless blades, shields, and armor to be used by Khorne’s legions. They’re also in charge of overseeing the wizards and sorcerers the Khornate daemons capture for the purpose of enchanting their craft. Along with their cropped horns, they also keep their manes short or completely absent. Orchard-Daemons are the fieldhands of Khorne and one of the rare non-combat roles in the Bloody Legions. They do still fight, as enemy wizards often try to steal their produce; ostensibly this is why they farm at all, to lure magic-users for capture. The fruit itself also induces rage when eaten or used in drinks. Khornate spirits prime one for murder.

Ostensibly, these daemons are Bloodletters, often from those of Mortal Stock. However, they are not truly considered such any longer and their primary horns are shorn down to reflect their new station. Some Bloodletters volunteer for this role out of necessity, others demoted here as punishment for failure. Yet all can rise back into the ranks of proper Bloodletter if they prove or redeem themselves. Alternatively, they can take the path of the exile; many of the Exiles of Khorne were these “failed-daemons” looking for an alternate path to glory.

[rozengrotto]

so I was looking through all the Azul cards trying to pick a fave of mine (it’s hard orz)

some ramblings under the cut since I’m showing a few grooovy arts and it might be a spoiler for new players

Azul has too many great card arts imo (ehh, I’m totally not biased, what are you talking about? hjhfjdhfj)

but I think my ultimate fave one is his lab grooovy

ready to scam someone look at his smug faceeee! ugh, how I love him....stupid cute tako

the blue light all around makes it even better, more mysterious (kinda reminiscent of his Halloween groovy too, I like it!)

gotta hold myself back here, or else I list off ALL of Azul’s cards as my fave one LOL

I wonder if we’ll get a rare smiling Azul in his Union Birthday....how I wish

and since I’m on it- let’s move on to the tweels as well

my fave Floyd card is prolly also the lab one (what’s with Octa and having amazing lab grooovies??)

happy, smiling Floyd!! cuteness off the roof! showing off his sharp toothsies as well, an added bonus

covered in paint, complete chaos - the epitome of Floyd and therefore just perfect

next is - birthday Jade

a shocked eel? 

Jade showing us a little bit of what lies behind his ever smiling, composed face? yes, please.  I demand more shocked Jade.

although lab Jade was another biiiig contender for my most favorite Jade grooovy

get yourself a s/o who looks at you like Jade looks at his kinoko

OMAKE - Let’s find the hidden Mickey heads!

[krisdreaming]

Lost?

Pairing: Kita Shinsuke x reader

Summary: You and Kita are walking through a corn maze with the rest of the Inarizaki team. It’s going about as well as can be expected.

WC: ~900

A/N: No one asked, but here’s this anyway :’) I just... really wanted some fall Kita, so here we are. I would be happy as a clam to never do another corn maze in my life, but if I had a Kita it might not be so bad. Forever struggling with writing the Inarizaki team’s dialect orz

Suna sighs and dips his head back with a groan. “This is the third time I’ve seen this exact corn stalk, Atsumu. Admit it, yer navigational skills are shit.”

“Fine, then. If ya think ya can do any better, be my guest,” Atsumu huffs out, coming to an abrupt stop and flattening himself against the row of corn to his left so that Suna can take the lead. Suna stops, too, and crosses his arms.

“We’ve been walking in circles for hours. At this point, I’d rather just turn back and go out the entrance,” He shrugs.

“It’s been 35 minutes,” Kita corrects from beside you, “And since we already started, we might as well finish now. You’re supposed t’ follow the clues.” He gestures to a nearby signpost, the ones Atsumu had been purposefully avoiding the entire time. It ruins the fun, is what you recall him saying.

Osamu stalks over to it anyway, flipping the cover up so he can read the clue. “See, Tsumu, we are supposed ta go left up here,” He points down the path, giving his brother a pointed look.

“Well!” Atsumu sputters as Suna pushes past him down the path with a roll of his eyes. Atsumu shoots Osamu a glare and starts off after him, and the rest of the team is quick to follow. You can tell that, by this point, most of them are pretty eager just to get this whole thing over with.

Soon, you and Kita are left at the rear of the group. You feel his hand slip into yours. “So much for your team bonding experience,” You say under your breath with an amused chuckle.

He shrugs. “They’re working together, aren’t they?” He asks evenly.

“Barely,” You snort, still casting a fond glance at the boys in front of you. Whether they’ll admit it or not, they do seem to be having a good time despite everything. You suppose you couldn’t ask for more than that. 

“Are you cold?” Kita asks then, taking your hand between both of his. He’s clearly noticed your chilly fingertips. 

“Not too bad,” You assure him even as he stops to reach for your other hand, sandwiching them both between his, which are surprisingly warm despite the nip in the air. “I’m fine,” You say after a few moments with a reassuring smile and nod. You turn to find the team already disappearing from view.

“Oops, we’re falling behind,” You giggle, giving his hand a tug as you try to catch up even as they turn a corner ahead of you. Aran’s good-natured chuckle is the last thing you hear before all signs of them are gone completely.

The path you’re on eventually ends in a T, and you look both ways, but the rest of the team is nowhere to be seen. You turn to Kita, who’s still looking remarkably unfazed. “Which way do you think they went?”

“Maybe this way,” He suggests, tugging on your hand and pulling you to the right. You walk along for a few moments, alone and silent save for the whispering of the corn stalks brushing together in the slight breeze.

“It’s a beautiful day,” Kita finally comments, his hand slipping out of yours to rest at the small of your back as he tilts his chin up to survey the clear blue sky. 

“Perfect,” You agree in a murmur, looking curiously at your boyfriend, who doesn’t seem all too concerned with finding the rest of your friends. “Did you... lose them on purpose?” You finally ask in disbelief.

When he turns to you, you’re surprised to see the ghost of a smile on his lips. “Maybe I wanted to be alone with you for a little while,” His gaze on you remains steady. You huff out a slight chuckle.

“Wow, Shin,” You shake your head. “Aren’t you concerned that they’ll kill each other?” You’ve stopped walking now, and he turns you ever so slightly until you’re facing him. His hands come to rest on your hips.

“Aran’s with them,” He reminds you, and you hum in agreement. His face is closer to yours now, cheeks tinged slightly pink from the cold and lips curling into a smile. Your feet are starting to feel the chill now, too, just slightly tingly in your sneakers, but there’s a curling warmth in your middle pushing your cold toes out of your mind completely.

“Y/N,” Kita breathes out, his fingers skimming your cheek before sliding to the back of your neck, tilting your head so that your lips slot perfectly together when he leans in. 

“Gross!” You pull apart immediately at the sound of Atsumu’s voice from the other end of the row, “Yer the last ones I’d expect ta sneak off just so ya can make out!” He shouts, hands on his hips. You can feel heat flush your cheeks instantly, but Kita just gives your hand a squeeze. Before the two of you make your way back to the group, he flashes you a small, secret smile. You tilt your chin in a silent invitation, and he presses his lips to yours once more.

“Back to the chaos?” You ask when he pulls away, a smile playing on your lips. He nods, grip on your hand tightening as he pulls you just a little closer to his side.

[nemuitoka]

What are your favorte jshk fanfics? also where do you like reading them the most?

Hi Anon!!! today is the day I can finally answer this question😈 ahaha you know how much I enjoy making fic recs so 👀 Let’s go!!!

To answer your second question first, I like reading them on AO3 the most! Mostly because I get almost unlimited number of characters to rant in the comment section........... 😆but also the tagging system is very helpful.

Okay, now to the fun part of this ask😏

You said JSHK, but I mostly read Hananene ones so all of my favs include that pairing... as  I already did a fic rec here of my favs, this list will continue that one, so please check that one first hehe ((I apologize in advance..., I would love for people to recommend me some mitsukou ones tbh... I’m really lost when it comes to other pairings orz)) 

If I’m completely honest with you anon-san, my favorite JSHK fic right now is the one Roxanne ( @istoleyourboat )  wrote based of my art and her snippet:

Star-Crossed and Falling- Where Stars Go to Die by lilaflo

Hanako is Princess Nene’s personal knight 👀. A tale of forbidden love. They slowly fall in love as they exchange a series of gifts, one that includes a pair of matching earrings that remind them of their love when they’re apart. Also, jelly Hanako of Nene’s suitors😏... Oh, but nothing lasts forever and those sweet moments will come to an end when they have to face their cruel reality, in this world, they don’t get to choose neither their battles or the ones they love.

Now more of Roxanne, because I seriously enjoy her work so much (I’m sure everyone knows by now lmao sdkj) 

Night of the Phantom King by lilaflo 

This one is a spooky one. Nene’s regret for never realizing who she truly loves takes her to mourn her deceased friend Amane and cry on his grave in a Halloween night, then suddenly the Phantom King comes to take her away👀 & he looks suspiciously familiar... Beautiful world building btw, also the ending is just, excellent. 

12 Year Romance by lilaflo

Amane meets Nene at the Tanabata festival, she’s older than him, but he falls for her instantly, fast forward, Amane is now in middle school, he’s a troublemaker, & gets constantly into fights, but he swears the new school nurse looks familiar... he then realizes it’s her and thinks it must be fate!!!... This one hits close to home bc I’ve been in this situation irl, so I can confirm all of Nene’s struggles are real (and ofc how a love with an age gap should be handled the correct way, this fic really teaches you many life lessons hahaha) 

took a sip then another sip, then you turned and said to me by chivalrousamour 

This autor has a bunch of good JSHK fics!! I recommend you check their AO3 out, bec you may find something you like for sure! But, this is my absolute fav from them. Nene is a mangaka, celebrating the finishing of her long serialized manga, while Amane is a delivery boy who happens to find her in a very questionable state in her house👀 (it’s all family friendly ofc, anon, I’m not a slimy pervert like some ghost boy)

Maid for Each Other by corologs ( @corologs )

Courtney has this amazing College AU collection series that I encourage you to check out!!! But Maid for each other is my fav!!! So it’s the Yugi twins birthday, and it’s Tsukasa’s turn to choose where they go to celebrate it... you can already tell where this is going... (let the chaos begin) & as the title said, it involves maids!!! (it has Kaicho wa maid sama vibes if you liked that anime~~)

If I Could Tell Her by corologs

What if the picture perfect arc plan was successful??? Well, this fic explores this idea, and it’s very interesting to read. I like how Amane and Hanako are two separate people here.

the horizon tries but it’s just not as kind on the eyes by sincerelyand ( @sunlightinourheadlights ) 

(Oh my sweet Karen, she writes such good fics, so go check her AO3 out as well!!) Amane and Yashiro are friends that share an apartment (& they were roommates-- OMG they were roommates), even if Amane has its complains, because Nene can be a handful sometimes (and in denial of her true feelings as always, are we even surprised at this point?) he loves her dearly anyways😭.

for real, this time by sourlemoncandy  ( @sour-lemon-candy )

Did somebody say fake dating AU?????? Because hell yeah I did asajj I loved reading this so much!! Nene and Amane are childhood friends, and Nene overhears some girls talking about Amane and how one of them plans to ask him out... but she senses these girls are up to no good so she... well, you gotta read it to find out more~~ it’s no fun If I tell ya everything hehe... so go go go!!

lemon cream by sourlemoncandy

Amane and Nene, just two good friends having a road trip and sharing donuts... what could go wrong??  😏 seriously, I loved this fic so much!! Instant fav! Also makes me wanna try some good sweet donuts...

Trip Down Memory Lane by insipidenvy ( @insipidenvy )

This fic is so sweet. I have such a huge attachment to it, because I read it when I really needed some fluff in my life hahaha. It’s sort of a collection of memories between Amane and Yashiro’s relationship over the years. So heartwarming... if you need the fluffs you’ll enjoy this very much!!

The Radish Princess and the Toilet Prince by insipidenvy

This is my favorite fic from insipidenvy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You know how I am a slut for Royalty AUs so that’s why!!!!! Also Toilet Prince!! hahahaha such a good nickname lmao. I love how they bond over their insecurities, it’s very relatable tbh. 

Between Wind and Water by WingSongHalo  ( @wingsonghalo )

My beautiful Wing always delivering the good Hananene content, as she should!! This fic is so fun to read!! I laughed so hard at Nene and Hanako being awkward with each other!!! So you know how Hanako is super clingy with Nene, he’s always touching & hugging her, but this time something weird happens and he’s so distant~~ Nene doesn’t want to admit it at first, but she misses his clingy ghost boy~~ you’ll have a good time reading this for sure!  

The Monster's Bride by Hammsters ( @uglierdaikon )

Have you heard about the myth of Cupid and Psyche? Well this fic rewrites it in a very Hananene way <3 hehe I loved it so much (as I’m a huge fan of mythology~) To sum it up, Nene is fated to marry a monster that lives in the mountains so she’s devastated... to her surprise, her husband is far from what she expected... she only had one rule to obey and well... we all know how reckless Nene is so... you go find out what happens next now!! hehehe

Morning Reflections by FalalalaLa  ( @miss-sternennacht )

So you’ve heard of Hanako watching Nene sleep, but what about Nene watching Amane sleep???!! this fic offers you this and so much more fluff <3 Also Nene remembering how they met and how their relationship evolved during the years, aww <3 

Cursed Coin by DaikonSenpai  ( @daikonsenpai )

There’s a school dance, Yashiro’s supposed to be dancing with Kou (since she can’t go with Hanako, which causes him to be jelly~~ and bitter), but she loses a coin Aoi gave her for good luck so she goes out and searches for it on the last place she saw it, the school fountain. Suddenly Hanako spots her, what’s she doing outside??? is she drunk or something?? what happens next you may find out when you read it~~~

Between Love and Hope by Baronesscmd (SweeterThanYourDarkestSin) ( @baronesscmd )

Oh to be Nene and get to sleep between the Yugi twins... God really has favorites uh... ISTG, this collection of fics is so cute. I love how Nene loves the twins so much in this AU, they have their little cute family. She ofc is in love with Amane, but their relationship with Tsukasa is so tender... it’s mostly this trio having fluffy moments together to heal your soul... if you need some, you’ll get it here for sure hahaha. 

Ghost of You (And All the Futures We've Forgotten) by Indigo_Floof  milkteamoon  ( @indigosienna , @spades-queen )

So anon you may have been wondering, well this bitch likes fluff only???? how about some angst for a change, uh? DAMN, OKAY THEN, here you have some angst to rip your soul out and wish you never sent me this ask in the 1st place, bec of the emotional damage this fic will leave you sdajjsa, also if you liked “Erased”, you’ll love this fic too! 

Hanako of the Opera by zxrstan

Finally, but not less important, me being annoying about Hanako of the Opera & POTO AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!! This fic is based of the AU Aidairo created mostly, it’s really fun to read if you didn’t get much of what was happening during the Hanako of the Opera event, it has a nice ending also! very satisfying I must say. 

AAAAND THIS IS THE END OF MY ALL TIME FAV LIST OMG;;;; Kudos for me for searching through all my damn AO3 and Google Chrome history (from both my PC and phone, since I am a FOOL and forgot my AO3 password so I read a lot of these in the past as a guest before recovering my password LMAO, please be patient with me omg, and also if you see me bookmarking them now, you know why 😭) 

Kudos to all of my writer homies as well, I love and appreciate all of you so much!! you have no idea! 💖

I hope you find this list useful, anon!! Thank you for sending me this ask and have a wonderful day! 

Ps. Please everyone feel free to add more fics to this list if you want! this is all my personal picks, but I’m aware there are a lot more fics that I haven’t read and deserve as much recognition as the ones I listed!

[omniswords]

Chronicles of a Parisian Dumbass 9

pictured: me crawling out of the rubble after yet another set of wisdom tooth extractions

STILL ALIVE, SOMEHOW

anyway, enjoy this update! things have been a bit slow going between this and another project that i haven't started posting yet (along with a brainworm for a different fandom entirely orz), but i'm committed to seeing these stories to the end, don't worry 💙🎶💖

she’s… gone? CBG is gone?

wait hold up, we’re going on a pre-other-job adventure. if you could even call it an adventure.

No, it’s no mistake. Marinette’s not the one standing at the counter this morning. In fact—judging from how much he can see from peering through the window in a totally-not-creepy way—she’s nowhere to be found. Mr. Dupain is there, as faithful to the shop as his apron and his hands are covered in flour. But this time it’s Mrs. Cheng at the register, kissing the top of her husband’s head when he bends it to her and inviting Luka in with a single gesture when she meets his eyes.

Well, now he has to go in.

He tries with every fiber in him to mask his disappointment while he locks up his bike and slips into the bakery-patisserie, and he hangs by the door until she’s finished with a customer and beckons him closer. “Good morning, Luka!” she chirps, and it’s in that moment that he sees all the traces of her daughter in her. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Can I get you the usual?”

Luka gives her a mute smile and a nod, and he awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah, I guess it has.” Three weeks? Has it really been three weeks? “I heard you went out of the country? How was it?”

“It was nice,” Mrs. Cheng says with her usual warm smile. She’s already busy with a small pastry box and a pair of metal tongs. “Just what I needed for a while, but only for a while. You always have to come back home, after all.”

He nods, despite the fact that his home could be… literally anywhere. Could go literally anywhere. Maybe it’s for that reason alone that he’s had the distinct feeling that home is made up of people and not places.

Mrs. Cheng slides the box toward him, trades it for his card, but she doesn’t let him go just yet. She disappears into the back, and returns with a thick paper cup cradled in both hands, its contents so piping hot that there’s steam rising from the little hole in the lid. “You look like you could use a good cup of tea,” she says, kind as ever—and then, as he takes out his card once more, “It’s on the house, chou. Your constant patronage is payment enough.”

“Wow, that’s…” Luka’s speechless for a moment. “That’s really kind of you. Thank you.”

She smiles at him, and he didn’t really realize how much he’s missed seeing it until now. Maybe it’s not so bad that she came back. (Of course it’s not so bad; what is he thinking?) “The leaves are fresh,” is all she says. Probably because she doesn’t think it’s something she needs to be thanked for. “Think of it as a souvenir.”

Before Luka lets himself out, he stops by the door and tosses a glance back. “Hey, Mrs. Cheng?”

“What is it, Luka?” She had to pause humming as she wiped down the counter and the tongs, but she doesn’t seem disturbed by it. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen her disturbed by… anything, really.

His hands are too full to do anything fidgety with them, so he has to settle for scuffing the floor with his heel. “They took real good care of the shop while you were gone. Don’t have to worry about a thing.”

Mrs. Cheng’s expression goes soft. “That’s good,” is all she says, and it’s like she knows what he’s really trying to say—and honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised if she did. She’s a mother. She’s Marinette’s mother. Surely there have been plenty of boys, maybe even girls, who’ve spent their fair share of time here, fawning and pining. He wouldn’t be offended if he were just a drop in the bucket.

He doesn’t know why he hasn’t considered, until now as he’s hip-checking the door, the fact that Marinette Dupain-Cheng, with the ocean name and the ocean eyes, might already be taken.

Yeah, he has to tie down the pastry box to the back of his bike, and yeah, he has to walk his bike part of the way to the Champ de Mars and ignore the buzz of every notification in his back pocket. But it’s worth taking the extra time to enjoy the tea; he doesn’t know much about all the intricacies of the stuff the way Mrs. Cheng probably does, but it’s fruity and it smells kind of like flowers and it warms his insides, the way he thinks most tea is supposed to. And it perks him right up. He knows he’s going to need that today.

Not to mention there is, admittedly, a part of him that keeps looking around the city as he walks, and then bikes. A part of him that keeps wondering if he might catch Marinette lingering around the city. Living in it the way he does—forgetting, perhaps for a while, that other people exist. It’s the sort of thing that seeps in at the edges of his mind instead of plaguing his every waking moment. It comes to him the same way he might look at some old sheet music and remember his sister, or the way he might find an unattended mess and think, ah, that’s Ma.

At least that makes him feel… a little less like a creep.

When he gets to the park, he has to pick his spot strategically. Getting time off deliveries hardly ever means it’s time to rest; it’s either time to practice, or compose, or—his favorite—busk in parks, or metro stations, or the Trocadero plaza if he’s feeling particularly fancy. It’s not so lucrative that he can quit his other job and focus just on music, even if that would be the ultimate dream. But it gets some extra cash in his pocket, and he’d be either deaf or stupid if he ever tried to claim that his ma never taught him the value of a euro.

He decides on a bench nearby, where there are plenty of people scattered across the grass, picnicking and laughing and reading under the early summer sun. Sometimes he wonders what it might be like to belong to one of those groups, instead of half-being part of them online, but all it takes is the pop of his case and his fingers on the strings and knobs to remind him that everything he has is right here.

Still, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t take a moment or two after he’s eaten, with his permit clipped to the belt loop of his pants and his guitar in his lap, to fish his phone out of his pocket and scroll through his notifications one last time. It’s funny; when he started up this account, it was mostly to have a corner of the internet to himself, where he could share a few unbridled thoughts and a few more composed ones, maybe throw in a Kitty Section promotion or a clip of his latest project. Now, with a handful of new followers and likes and reposts in the double digits, he kind of has to wonder if this is his brand. Awkward musician mini-posts about a girl he’s not so scared to talk to but can’t get up the nerve to Talk To, just because it’s “wholesome.” Complete with that emoji that looks kind of like the pair of puppy dog eyes Juleka gives him when she tries to paint his nails a color that isn’t black.

And then he has to wonder, yet again, why so many people would be so invested in something like that. Why they’re so bent on following a saga about his…

Well, it’s not really a crush…

Is it a crush?

Oh, Jesus, no. Of course not. It’s not as though he spends every waking hour what it might be like to hold her hand, touch it beyond the occasional brush when they exchange boxes and cards. What it might be like not to have to apologize for bumping into her, or holding her attention for too long. It’s not as though he’s constantly imagined an evening moment that belongs to just the two of them, his guitar soothing her away from the pendulum swing of utter chaos and mind-numbing boredom that lives behind the register. And it’s not as though he’s felt the phantom bumps of her knees against his, or the quiet but intentional stroke of her fingers over his knuckles, or the solid feeling of their heads pressed together just before she tilts her own.

…Well. Not all the time.

Luka stuffs his phone in his pocket before he can think any more about what this is and what this isn’t and what he feels and what he doesn’t. He plucks out a few scales and takes a deep breath or two—sometimes he needs to do that to remind himself that he’s a performer, a musician, he’s doing his job and he can claim this space as much as he likes. And then he starts to play.

That’s all it takes. A few bars is all it ever takes for anyone to get as closee as they can to knowing him.

Within seconds, his fingers are dancing along the fretboard of his guitar, playing fanned-out tunes, drippy arpeggios pinpricks that demand to be heard among the background echo of notes gone by. Every chord with its own texture. Every song with its own color, following the ebb and flow of choked strings. He barely realizes he’s swaying and tapping his heel to his own craft, mouthing the lyrics to songs everyone here must know, until the first person approaches and drops a bill in his case. The patrons trickle in after that: some pass by and pause to spare him the courtesy of a removed earbud; some look up from their books and start to dig around in their pockets or their bags. One girl even kicks off her shoes and pulls her boyfriend up to dance with her, and maybe that doesn’t put food in his belly, but it’s something he can carry with him like the blessed photo of his sister that he kept in his worn-out wallet.

He doesn’t look up or open his eyes often—only to nod in thanks to those who are kind enough to pay him. The one time he looks up of his own volition, he lands on a boy and two girls, seated on a pink plaid picnic blanket and chatting excitedly. One of the girls, who has dark hair in a braid and her back turned to him, suddenly swells and sits up on her knees, all animated gestures as she gets to her feet and rounds her friends, evidently to demonstrate something.

His body remembers to keep playing, but the rest of him stops.

Marinette.

The other girl clicks for him then—the reddish hair and the glasses from his delivery to the bakery—just in time for her to make eye contact with him and for a sly smile to spread across her face. She looks up toward Marinette, says something he’s grateful he can’t make out, and when Marinette looks his way with a dove’s eyes and a deer’s stance, he only winks at her and goes back to his playing and swaying.

GOD, he screams to himself. WHY DID HE DO THAT?

He doesn’t dare look up again at least until the end of the song, and it’s a miracle that he plays even better than before he noticed her. When he does, Marinette is still watching him—has she been the whole time? Eventually, and out of the corner of her eye she kneels to gather up her friends’ trash, and she tosses them into the bin nearby. Very, very nearby. And then she kneels down again—very, very down— and drops a couple of bills into his case. It takes the rest of his bravery to lift his gaze toward her.

“First you ‘tip’ me,” he says, one hand on the guitar and the other making air quotes. “Now this?”

“Oh, come on,” she shoots back, smoothing out her skirt as she sits beside him, in spite of how her friend ribs the boy and nods their way. “This doesn’t even come close to how you’ve basically helped keep my parents’ business in the black. Besides…” She nods toward his case. “Now you can’t say you didn’t work for it.”

“Trust me.” Luka pats the body of his guitar, biting back a told you so and the urge to wonder why he feels so sure of himself. What witchcraft the guitar is working to make him feel this way, or if it’s the guitar at all, or whether all it does is make him look like a total douchebag. “I’ve been working.”

“So you can play.” Marinette crosses her legs and her arms, which accentuates the new jade pendant resting in the hollow of her throat. Probably a souvenir from Mrs. Cheng, or a gift from family she’s never met. “That’s not the same as being in a band.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that I’m still in one. I’ll prove it to you, if you want me to so badly.”

She grins, and it makes every hair stand on end under the heat of the sun. “Oh, yeah? And how are you gonna do that?”

“Come on—a musician never reveals his secrets.”

“That’s a magician, Luka.”

This time it’s his turn to smile, just as he fights back the flare of adrenaline. “Who says I don’t make magic?”

Yeah. It’s definitely the guitar.

“So,” Marinette says. She gives a passerby an admiring look when they stop to drop a few coins in his case, and Luka can’t tell if she’s doing it to thank his patrons or lure them in. “Do you take requests?”

“What’s the matter?” Luka strums a chord, wiggles the fingers that aren’t pinching his pick. “Don’t like my take on popular songs?”

“It’s not that.” She sits back on the bench like she really intends to stay awhile. Like she doesn’t have two friends who are staring at her so intently, either because they’re waiting for her to come back or because all they’re missing is a bucket of popcorn to split. “I guess you just always gave off the vibe that you had some kind of… angle, you know? Like, you’re the type of guy who hears colors, so people can give you a color and…” She shrugs. “You could play it.”

Luka tilts his head. “I can hear colors.” And moods. And hearts. And I’ve been stuck on yours, exactly how you think I mean it, for days. “I just never thought of it as an angle. Just an inspiration.”

Marinette blinks a couple of times in surprise, the sort that only says she wasn’t expecting his answer and thankfully not the sort that might imply that she knows what he’s thinking. “Oh. Well. Um. Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“You have something in mind?” He nods toward his case; might as well spare her the awkwardness he knows too well. “You know. So I can work for it.”

She takes a moment to think, seemingly grateful to be relieved of an apology, and she sits up straight only when she meets eyes with her best friend. “Something blue,” she murmurs after a while. “I wouldn’t mind hearing that.”

She says it, and Luka thinks of her without having to look at her. He smiles to himself, adjusting his guitar in his lap and pressing his fingers to the fretboard in the almost-right way. “There’s a saying about that, where my family’s from,” he replies, just loud enough for her to hear, and he begins to play as close to her eyes as he can manage. Pulls her into his world, this place between thoughts where he can get most things just right without having to say anything, where he’s the only person that anything makes sense to—him, and anyone willing to listen.

It feels like Marinette’s willing to listen.

The notes trail off once he reaches the part he hasn’t quite figured out, the sparkle in her eyes he hasn’t , and he’s felt her gaze on him long before he cuts the music and looks her way. “Something like that?” he says. It’s only then that he notices the extra money in his case, and judging from the look on Marinette’s face, she wasn’t the one who put it all there.

But she smiles at him all the same, gets to her feet and dusts off her skirt. “Something like that,” she replies. And then, before she returns to her friends. “I guess this is where I can find you now, huh?”

Like that’s supposed to mean something.

Is it supposed to mean something?

“I mean,” he says. “You could order something again.”

“I mean,” Marinette says back, “I could pick up a couple more shifts at the bakery.”

Luka doesn’t bother with his phone, or any technology, until he gets home—long after he’s settled below deck. It’s only then—because of course it’s right then—that inspiration sparks like a match. Only then that he scrambles for cables and plugs and the laptop he and Juleka used to share until they gifted her a new one for university.

song update. better quality than my phone, even. hit that play button, pals. and thanks for the likes.

[zerotosiki]

Bonus Stories of a Little Too Much Part 2

[MAIN] || [BONUS 1] || [BONUS 2] You’re here

Description: A lot of drama involving Lila and Marinette being lovey-dovey with Damian, as usual. The class wants a redemption but Marinette still feeling salty with them. Marinette finally can tease her boyfriend back. Lila still hoping for Hawkmoth, while the said person is stuck at the party.

Word Count: Roughly around 5290 words? Wow.

AN: It’s been a long time since I posted the bonus part one, right? Ehe, I’m just happy I can finish this even when I still drowned in my college assignments orz. Anyway, I’ve prepared a lot of salt and sugar in one packed for this one! Isn’t that great?

Maribat inspired by @ozmav​ and the songfic “A Little Too Much” inspired by @officiallyathiana​.

Bonus Story 4. “Lila! What’s the meaning of this?!”

“Hey! Don’t ignore us!” Alya shout, breaking the lovey-dovey scene and upsetting Damian’s mood, again.

Marinette just sighing and release the hug, much to Damian’s disappointment, “What again, Alya? Isn’t this enough for you? I already answer all of your questions.”

“But… You never told me that you already have a boyfriend!” Alya exclaimed, pointing accusingly at Marinette.

Although Marinette isn’t impressed with her response, at all. She just crossing her hands while questioning a simple question, “And why would I?”.

“What?..” Alya is flabbergasted with Marinette’s question, she faltered for a second, “Because we…”

“Yeah?”

“…Aren’t we friends..?” finally, she asked this, although Marinette can see Alya is very hesitant when she questions this.

Oh well, She doesn’t care anymore.

“Yeah, I thought about that too. But after you guys started bullying me, I throw that title away, far from my mind.”

Alya looks stunned before her face turns rage like she’s been ridiculed by Marinette’s words, “Bullying you..? We never do that! The one who’s bully here is you, Marinette!” pointing at Marinette, “You always bully Lila when we clearly told you that Lila is just trying to befriend you! And guess what you did after that?” she throws her hand up in the air, feeling frustrated, “You just throw away her kindness and start bullying her, just because you’re jealous of seeing Lila get close with your crush!”

Oh kwami, Did Marinette seriously heard that? She knows her classmates have been blinded by Lila’s lies, but she didn’t really think that their blind will turn them into this stupid brainless person! She sneers at Alya, “…Her kindness? Which part do you think Lila is being kind to me?! How can you never saw her looks sends to me?! Oh I know, it’s probably because–” her voice becomes louder and louder until Damian holds her hand to remind her.

“Habibti..” comes his soothing voice which makes Marinette relax while she stared at his deep concern eyes, she then sighs, releasing all of the tenses muscle that she even doesn’t realize.

“Dami… Right… I’m… sorry, I lost myself for a second there…”

Damian pulls her in and gently rubbing both her hands in circle, “No, don’t be. You have every second’s right to be mad at them. Hell, I’ve been trying to hold back my anger and if your so-called-friend says for one more time, I’m afraid…”, and then he smirks, the same smirk she loved, “we have to bury another one, Habibti.”

Marinette just slaps his arm and murmured, “Oh shuush, we don’t kill, Dami!”. She tried to be serious but her smile and her mischievous eyes said the otherwise.

“But we can dream, Habibti,” he purred into her ears, and satisfied to see Marinette yelped so cutely, he even forgets that they still have audiences in front of them! He wanted to tease her more, not before his brothers cut him rudely, though.

“AHEM!” Dick firstly said out loud,

“..As much as we love to see you guys being lovey-dovey…” Tim continued,

“..Don’t do this in front of us. That’s disgusting and you’re corrupting our eyes, goddamnit!” Jason finished with his usual foul language.

Apparently, there’s someone who agreed with Jason “He’s right! And don’t ignore us again, dammit! We’re still talking!”

Damian scowl, he’s not happy his brothers interrupt him although they’re right (Damian won’t ever say that out loud though), he needs to focus on this bigger problem before he can tease Marinette again. Damian then stood protectively in front of Marinette while he glowers at the class, “…I highly suggest you back off and leave this place immediately, if you guys care for your lives”.

The class visibly flinched at Damian’s harsh glare and scared with his cold voice but sadly there’s one person who stubbornly stands in front of him, “Wha—? Who are you to order us like that? You’re just her boyfriend! And why would you want to be with her anyway? She is just—-”

“Finish those words and I will finish your life, Césaire,” he hissed and… Can you see the glint in his eyes?

Alya gulps but she won’t give up, okay?! Not to a stranger like him! Nino, her boyfriend has been tried to pull her in, but she won’t let it! If all her friends already scared of his empty threat, then it’s probably just her alone against them, “..I-I’d like to see you try, Marinette’s boyfriend!” She mocks him.

He twitched, seriously this girl is either really brave or really stupid, probably the latter. He looks down on Alya and mocks her back, “Oh? Is that a challenge I heard? Okay then—”

“Dami..” Marinette tried to warn him but Damian just put his hand over hers and smiling gently at her worried face.

“Don’t worry, Habibti. Trust me, I got this.”

Nino, who stands behind Alya all this time, cowering in fear, deciding that this is the best time to defend his girlfriend, he pulls Alya and stands in front of her, completely shielding her from Damian, “W-what? You’re going to hit a girl? That’s not a cool move, dude.”

Damian just rolled his eyes, stating the obvious, “No way I would waste my punch on her.” He’s not declining his question, though. He indeed will not afraid to hit a girl if she really deserved it, except his habibti, he doesn’t know if he has a will to do that, even if he really did that, it’s probably just for practice but if for the other reasons? he knows he won’t forgive himself for the rest of his life.

Damian takes out his phone, not breaking his stare at the class and signaled with a simple word, “..Do it.”

Suddenly there’s loud alarm sound comes from all over the place which makes all people except Damian (He already prepared for this) flinch.

“W-what is this?!”

And somehow the loud alarm sound changes into broken sound (you know like bsst, bsst sound?) then finally there’s a feminine voice comes out, the very familiar voice. Lila tensed when she heard this voice, how come she’s not? When she recognized that voice is her own voice.

“I only tell people what they want to hear,”

“There’s nothing you can do about it anyway,”

“People can’t resist when they hear what they like to hear,”

“If you don’t want to be my friend then fine,”

“But soon you won’t have any friends left at all and trust me I’ll make sure you never get close to Adrien in class or anywhere,”

“So I’ll give you one last chance,”

“You’re either with me or against me.”

And then silence. A disturbance silence for Lila. She is very nervous, she afraid that her kingdom will fall because of this fake recording.

Lila clearly remembered at that time, when she threatens Marinette in the bathroom, there’s just her and Marinette! There’s no one else besides them… So there’s no way there’s someone who records their conversation and by the look of surprise on Marinette’s face, Lila knows that Marinette doesn’t have any clue about this too.

Alix, the one who quick realizing on what was really happening, spins around to glare at Lila, “Lila! What’s the meaning of this?!”.

Followed by the sweet little Rose, “Are you really lying to us all this time, Lila..?” her voice trembled, her eyes are teary, and her friend, Juleka was beside her, holding her close and glaring at Lila too.

Max was staring at his phone, terror overtook his face, he gulps and told them, “…It seems after I searching on the internet, I found something that contradiction with what Lila’ve been saying to us…”

Then his robot, Markov, explained further, “Lila has said that she saved Jagged Stone’s kitten but Jagged Stone never has a pet cat. In fact, he was allergic to fur. That’s the reason he has a pet reptile, which he named Fang.”

After that, the chaos happens, her class is shouting at Lila while Lila paled, she stammered, “Please! This is a misunderstanding! I would never lie to you guys! You’re my friends after all!”.

“Then explain this all!”

“Can you show us the song that Jagged Stone wrote about you?”

“Did you really close with Prince Ali? When I am with him, he never mentions about you at all.”

Overwhelmed by all of the questions, Lila turns frantically to the person who she sure will defend her until the last minute, “Alya! Please, you don’t believe this, are you?”

Alya looks conflicted with what was happening, she is thinking something before she shakes her head and snapped at Damian, “You have gone too far! Are you saying that Lila has been lying to us by showing this voice recording? Which I don’t believe it at all! Not only that, but you could also have faked it!”.

Marinette just stare at her past-best friends, she really disappoints with her, she shakes her head and remarked, “Oh Alya, I thought you want to be a Journalist… But it seems you lack something that journalists should have.”

Damian grunted, he agreed with Marinette, “That’s not fake. If you still don’t believe it. Well then…” he then grins sadistically, “You should mentally prepare yourself because this is just the beginning.”

Before Alya can ask further, there are alert sounds coming from various phones, including her own phone. She checks it and there’s one new message and it contains just a… video? She hesitated to open it but after hearing the gasp from her friends and the horror looks on their faces, her curiosity is winning over. So she clicked on it.

Lila, the only one who isn’t receiving the message, clearly confused with what is happening. The horror looks on her classmate is worrying her. She demands an answer to Marinette’s group, “What are you doing?!”. But no one replies because they were busy with themselves.

Marinette is watching the video with big surprised eyes before she stares at her boyfriend, sending a confused look. Damian just watching the whole video through her phone with a satisfying smile.

The Wayne Brothers are watching the video with different reactions, Jason occasionally commented, “Oh wow, she really falls that hard, huh..?”. Dick is watching the whole video with concern looks, he scrunched up his face. While Tim just watching with unreadable expressions. Although their eyes are gleaming because of something. And Lila didn’t like it. At all.

Alix is clearly furious after she watches the video, “You really have been lying to us!! You even threaten an innocent girl!”. Seeing the confused look from Lila, Alix rudely shoves her phone at Lila’s face, “Unless you can explain about this too!!”.

Lila scowled at Alix’s rude behavior before takes her phone. She plays the video, and the second the video played, the color instantly drained out of her face. This is when she threatens Kamelia at alley back then!

“You…! I don’t care who you are but now then you have already upset me, you will face the consequences too.”

“What? Just like you did to Marinette?”

“Not really, but maybe I will. I will find your friends, your family and then turn them against you, just like what I did to Marinette.”

“Aah! So my hunch was true. You’re the real bully here, Lila. Not Marinette.”

“Whatever you say, no one will believe you anyway. Because I already turn them all against Marinette. Although I don’t feel satisfied because Marinette still looks brave even if she was being bullied by her own friends”

“You should remember this, Kamelia. You better not crossing your line or I will make sure, that threats will come true. And maybe I will get to turns your lovely boyfriend against you too.”

This video is clearly showing her face. Her rage face. But how? She doesn’t remember that Kamelia bringing any cameras, she even hasn’t taken out her phones! So how..? Unless.. her glasses are actually—. Recognition dawned on her face.

But, it’s already too late. Now no one will believe her lies. Not even Alya, the girl just blankly staring at the video, playing it over and over again, desperately trying to find the odd things to prove that the video is just a scam. While her boyfriend, Nino, just stood beside her, held her hand gently, trying to comfort her and himself too.

Lila finally frustrated with what is happening, she then glared at Damian. It’s because of him! This chaos is happening because of him! Her lies have been exposed because of him! She takes a step forward and snarled, “Who are you really? You can’t do this!”

Hearing her silly question makes Damian rolling his eyes in annoyance, he decided to drop a final bomb, “Who am I? I am a f*cking Wayne, of course, I can do this.”

Once again, the class turns into chaos.

“You are The Damian Wayne?!”

“But you’re Lila’s Damibear!! She said you’re her boyfriend! ….Is that a LIE too?!”

“Damiboo?! How could you do this to me? You’re ganging up against me with Marinette!” Lila is really desperate for fixing this chaos, although she knows her chance was slim but at least she won’t know the real result if she just gives up now, right?

Of course, her final attempt is nothing to Damian, he just scoffs at Lila, “Now you told me this? We’ve been talking and you just realized I’m your supposed boyfriend, which is untrue. If you really dating me, which is delusive, you won’t treat me like a stranger,” his glare then turn to the rest of the class, “And if you guys decided to use your little brain and searching through the internet instead of believing blindly in what this Liela said…” he hissed in his coldest voice, “Maybe I won’t do this to you all and maybe you won’t find the truth this way.”

Unfortunately, the tense atmosphere didn’t last long, because his brothers decide to break it, by laughing, at him!

“…Damiboo? Damibear? Did I just heard right?”

“Oh my bats, that’s so funny! I can’t ever get tired hearing those nicknames.”

“It seems your nicknames now isn’t just Demon-spawn, brat.”

A vein popped out in his neck, Damian glared, hard, at his brothers, finally losing his temper, he went to punch at his brothers, clearly want to give them a lesson, “Will you guys be serious for a goddamn second!”

But Marinette sadly decided to stop him, now, by gripping tight his arm, “No, Dami! Don’t kill your brothers, please!”.

While his brothers just cheeky replied, completely ignoring the murderous glares from Damian, “We’re always serious… But there’s always time for teasing you, Baby Bat.”

Bonus Story 5. “We want to apologize!”

Watching her boyfriend tried to control his temper, Marinette decides that this is time for them to leave this chaos. She’s satisfied to know that her classmates finally learn the truth but just watching Lila constantly making excuses to pull her classmates back into her kingdom is really tiresome. Right now she is really tired, dammit! A nice bath and cozy bed are apparently the best ideas at the moment.

“Dami, we should go now. I am sure you and your brothers are tired from the long trip.”

He blinked, breaking his glare, and turn his gaze to Marinette’s smiley face, “Yeah sure, let’s do that. But I need to do a quick call before that” and he just smiles at her confused stare that silently sending a message, “What are you hiding?”.

Luckily he doesn’t need to make a call because he got a call from someone right after he said that. And apparently, it was the same person he planned to call.

“Hello, this is Damian…”

“…”

“…It seems you got the evidence too, right?”

“…”

“*chuckle* I already told you I’m not just any normal rich kids.”

“Now that I already did my part, you should keep your promise. After all, you already lost the bet.”

“…”

While Damian is calling, Marinette turns to Tim, who stood closest to her, “Do you guys already know about this before?” referring to the chaos and Damian’s mysterious call.

Shaking his head, Tim turns to his brothers, silently asking the same question. Jason just shrugs while Dick is shaking his head too. Out of these three siblings, Dick is the most surprised about this situation. While he knows that Marinette’s classmates are bad but he didn’t think that it was this bad, like really really bad. And he was flabbergasted to see his youngest brother were planning all of this behind their back. A lot of questions struck him, “Since when he plans this?”, “How come him and the others aren’t noticing this?”, “Is this the reason why Damian can’t play guitar well because he is focusing on the other matter whenever he practices?”.

“Well, at least now we know how much he is serious about you, Mari,” Dick said out loud while messing with Marinette’s hair, earning a cute pout from her.

Marinette was about to protest when she was cut off suddenly by Damian who pulled her away from his brothers. Although they just silently staring with an amusing glint, “Chill out Damian. We won’t steal her from you. Although being possessive is not good, baby bat. One day Marinette will be tired with your possessive side and decide to—”

“Uh, Since you guys already met Marinette and I’m sure you are tired, so you guys should go back to the hotel, right now.” Damian hurriedly pushing his brothers out of the way, and not a minute later, he comes back alone. His brothers might have returned to the hotel.

“I’m done. We can leave right now”

Marinette just raising her eyebrow at Damian’s behavior, “Are you really sure that I don’t have to worry about whatever you’re planning right now, Dami?”

“Of course, Habibti.”

“…If you say so…"  Marinette then turns around to search her best friend, Adrien.

All this time, Adrien has been silently watching the event. He, himself, was glad too that Lila’s problem finally has been exposed. Although he felt a bit jealous of Damian’s abilities. Compared to him, who couldn’t do anything, he really felt so useless.

"Adrien!” Marinette shouts, breaking off his thought.

He looks up to see Marinette waving at him with her usual kind and concern eyes. She mouthed a goodbye which he responded with a wave and smile. Maybe now Adrien can relax for a little bit. He checks his phone and then decides to visit his girlfriend. He really needs a hug right now. After all, watching Marinette being lovey-dovey with her boyfriend makes him miss a certain Japanese-sword-woman.

When the class notices Marinette is about to leave, they run to Marinette’s group with Alix being the lead, “Wait, Marinette!”. Damian, being the overprotective boyfriend, immediately stood in front of Marinette, blocking the path of the class. Obviously, the class stopped when they see the cold gaze from Damian but they wouldn’t run away, even if their legs trembled in fear, their eyes sparkled with determination.

Marinette just quietly staring at the class, debating to answer them or not but when she notices their determination’s looks, her kindness side can’t bear to ignore their plea. “…What do you guys want?”

“We want to apologize!” Alix said firstly, followed by the class bowing at her, “We are very sorry, Marinette!!”

Of course, they will apologize right after they know the truth. But does they really mean it? Marinette couldn’t help feeling a little skeptical, especially with them. Trust is an easy thing to give but they also easy to be broken and once they broke, they are harder to fix it in any way.

Marinette sigh, mentally, she is so tired, she didn’t even notice that her grip on Damian’s arm tightened, “Raise your head guys. No need to bow…”

The class slowly raised their heads, they were still doubtful because that was not the answer they wanted to hear. They think Marinette will immediately accept their apologies because Marinette is a kind person after all and not only that, they’re friends, right…? But hearing the hesitant in her voice made them think otherwise. “But Marinette–”

“I know you guys are apologizing right now… But frankly, let’s be real, did you really think I will accept it right now? Just because you guys knew the truth?”

Seeing the anxious faces from her classmates, Marinette just continues, “You guys have been hurting me physically and mentally for a long time. I don’t want to hate someone but I’m afraid I can’t accept your apologies right now…”

Hearing her broken tone made the class feels very guilty. They only realize the reality now. They’ve broken their friend, their everyday ladybug, their class president. The same kind girl who always beaming with smiles, now just a girl with a broken heart who smiling bitterly at them.

Alya trying to hold back her tears, right now she was disgusted with herself, how can she call herself Marinette’s best friend when, she, herself choose to believe Lila over her best friend? The whole class also feels the same way. They feel betrayed, sad, angry and more.

Truth to be told, they are so lost now. What must they do to gain Marinette’s trust again? No, more precisely, can they get it? Or do they have to live with guilt haunting them for the rest of their lives? Is—

Their train of thoughts was broken with someone’s laughter, “This is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” lord and behold, the blonde sass-queen is here.

“CHLOE?!”

“What? Why do you guys look so surprised?”

“But why were you here…? I thought you’re a busy person?”

“Of course I am. But after I notice the commotion, I decide to stay a little bit. Just for a precaution. Maybe someone will need Queen Bee’s help. Not only that, I get to watch an interesting event so that’s a win-win for me.”

“Wha-? You think this matter is funny?!”

“Oops no, I don’t mean the one you guys knowing the truth. Frankly, I don’t care about you guys. What I mean is I get to watch that liar being arrested.”

“WHAT?! You mean Lila?”

“Duh of course. Who is the Liar in here if not Lila?”

“Wait, speaking of Lila, where’s is she?”

“Now you guys just realize that?”

“Ugh…”

Chloe rolled her eyes and spoke in a sarcastic tone, “While you guys were being a pathetic chicken who lost their parent and didn’t know their way home, Lila was arrested by one of the officers. That girl was really something. Until the last minute, she still didn’t admit her crimes.”

Leave it to Chloe for insulting someone right after she comes. Although thanks to her, the class right now seemed to forget their sadness. Marinette silently thanking Chloe for that. But how come she doesn’t notice Lila being arrested?

“Did you already know about this too?” she asked her boyfriend, the master behind all these plans.

“What do you mean?”

“Pretend to be innocent is a futile move, you know. Let me just change the question, is the person you are calling related to Lila arrested?”

“ah… Maybe?”

“Dami…”

“It’s true Habibti. I don’t know for sure because I didn’t realize it either. Besides, I’ve been captivated by your beauty.”

“Damian!”

The said person just laughed even when she hit his arm. Ugh! How embarrassing. How come she always being teased?! For once, she wanted to be the one who teases him!

Now her classmates are unsure of what to do, although some of them were smiling amusingly, probably because they see how she and Damian’s act at each other. While Chloe openly smirks at them, clearly amused by how flustered Marinette was.

Marinette cleared her throat loudly, she really wanted to leave asap, so she left her last message, “At least if you really want redemption from me. The least you guys can do is by helping our superhero, Ladybug, defend this city from Hawkmoth. You must release any negative emotions you felt immediately because of this event. That way, Hawkmoth won’t have the chance to destroy our city. And maybe, helping her discovering Hawkmoth’s identity is also a good idea.”

Then she left with Damian, she hoping her classmates really took her advice seriously.

Bonus Story 6. “What are you doing, Habibti?”

That night, Marinette visited the hotel where Wayne Brothers were staying with a box of macaroons on her hand. Of course, the older brothers (Dick, Jason, and Tim) were happy because they miss Dupain-Cheng’s food. They immediately launch themselves at the box macaroons while Marinette just sweatdrops at their silly behavior.

She turns around searching for her boyfriend but when she didn’t find him, she asked them, “Where is Damian…?”

“Oh, Damian? He is taking a shower.”

“Oh right! Marinette! We have an interesting video for you.” Jason suddenly spoke, he is grinning like he is going to prank someone.

“Huh? What kind of video…?”

Now it’s Dick’s turn to grin, “You know Damian was practiced singing and playing guitar for a month..? Well, although on the outside, his perform looked so perfect. But actually, he was really struggling in the beginning.”

Jason nodded, “Yup, he always chanted the same word over and over again to boost his confidence. And let just say, it’s was interesting to watch the perfect cocky Demon-spawn turns into that state.”

Tim spoke, reaching into his pocket, “Wait, let me just show her the video…” but he suddenly halted and looked at Marinette, “…That is, if you’re interested too, Marinette.”

A video showing Damian’s weakness..? This is a good chance for her! Now with that video, she can tease back him~

Marinette nodded excitedly, “Of course!”.

“Okay let me just send it to your phone, okay? I know you want to tease him with that.” Tim then grins at her.

After Tim sent the video, Marinette sat on the couch and started watching the video while waiting for Damian.

5 Minutes Later, Damian comes out only to see Marinette sitting on the couch although he can’t see what she is doing because her back is facing him. He looks around but he couldn’t find his brothers anywhere, Where are they? He shakes his head, thinking it was not worth worrying about his brothers, they are probably gone doing their usual business.

Damian approached Marinette and curiously asked, “What are you doing, Habibti?”.

“GyAhh!!??” Marinette shrieks, almost dropped her phone in the process. She turns around to see her boyfriend with a towel on his shoulder, his hair is also not gelled as usual and they looked damp.

“Da-Dami?”

Her boyfriend just looks at her while raising his eyebrow, “Yep. Now, what are you doing? You looked so focused there.”

“I-it’s just a random video I got from your brothers.”

When Marinette mentioned his brothers, he can’t help feeling suspicious. Because his brothers are always up to no good. Especially Jason, he likes to prank him, while Tim always teases him and Dick just doing the pacify between them, “Them..? Can I watch it too?”

Although Marinette’s response get him felt more suspicious, “N-no!”

“…Why?”

“Be-because it’s just a random video. You don’t need to watch it!” Marinette tried to hide her phone but when she hid it, she accidentally touched her screen phone which made the video she was watching play.

“I am Damian Wayne, a son of batman, an ex-assassin, a grandson of Ra-ul, and not only that I am a genius person who can do anything. Of course, I can do this! This is just a simple task! Yeah, a simple task!”

Damian frowned upon hearing his voice while Marinette grimaced at her own carelessness. Since the cat is already out of the bag, she reluctantly handed him her phone.

“This is what you called a random video?”

Marinette scratching her head while sheepishly laugh at his question, although that just annoyed him more. Suddenly he got an idea. He threw carelessly her phone, which gains a surprised gasp from her,

“Wait my phone–!”

Damian stated the obvious, “You don’t need that anymore.”

“But—”

He did not stop there. He pulled Marinette’s outstretched hand until their faces were very close, “Why would you watch it if you already have the real one here?”

“!!!” Marinette’s face instantly flushed, she can smell his scent, his mint shampoo, and not only that, his forest green eyes are watching her like watching his prey, it’s already made her felt all-jelly.

“It seems I need to teach you again. I don’t like sharing.”

“But it’s just a video! And it’s about you too!”

“The fact that the ‘me’ in the video get more of your attention than her real boyfriend who’ve volunteered to go all the way here is upsetting him.”

She turned her head, avoiding his attractive eyes, “You’re so silly, Dami.”

Of course Damian is not really upset with her, he just wants to tease her, like usual. The way her face flushed and how hard she tried to avoid his eyes are really amusing for him to see. He really felt lucky to have this cute, smart and brave girlfriend. She is really perfect in any way. He embraces her gently, loving how exactly it feels when hugging her. He can smell her scent, blueberry and vanilla flavors. He then spoke softly, “…I miss you.”

“But we just met this afternoon..?” she teased him which earned a grunt from him. Marinette happy because she finally can tease him back!

She giggled then return his hug, “Okay okay, I miss you too, silly.”

After that, she released the hug, much to his disappointment. She stares at Damian determinedly, “Now, take back my phone and start telling me how you can get those shreds of evidence!”

Mini Bonus.

When Lila was in a police car that would take her out of Paris to be returned to her home country, she still hoped for her final reinforcements. She hissed, “Hawkmoth! Where were you??! I need your help, dammit!”

But sadly, or not, her last reinforcements never comes.

-While in Gotham-

Gabriel have to attend a partner business in Gotham, which made him reluctantly left Paris for a while. Although he doesn’t know if he can sense the negative emotions when he was far from Paris. Well, it’s time to try it.

This partner business is very important to him. Because somehow the richest person in the Gotham, Bruce Wayne, CEO of WE too, interested in his proposal and wanted to discuss it more directly. Of course, he is delighted with this news. If he succeeds in partnering with WE, he can get more investors! But since Bruce is a busy person, he sadly can’t leave Gotham. Which leave him no choice to left Paris and go to Gotham instead.

When he arrived at the party hosted by Bruce, he immediately searched Bruce in the crowd. But sadly he couldn’t find him yet. Instead, he met with other business people and was invited to talk.

At first, he doesn’t notice the buzz feeling until that buzzing feeling succeeds to take his attention. This feeling! It’s negative emotions! And it’s a big one too! He felt giddy and ready to leave asap to change into Hawkmoth. He intended to say goodbye to his crowd but stopped because he was called by someone, it’s the Bruce himself. Talk about bad timing, he grimaced at himself. He reluctantly greets Bruce while Bruce is smiling and thanking him for coming all the way here. Bruce keeps talking to him, clearly unaware at Gabriel’s dismay.

[MAIN] || [BONUS 1] || [BONUS 2] You’re here

And that’s the final part of A Little Too Much! :) And yep, Bruce can’t come along to Paris because of his partner business with Gabriel while Gabriel can’t change into Hawkmoth because of Bruce, lol. Is that a mere coincidence or…?

Taglist:

@persephonebutkore @bungou-stray-alies-tales-of-aly (I’m sorry I can’t tag you for some reason?) @northernbluetongue @bluerosette23 @schrodingers25 @kris-pines04 @clumsy-owl-4178

I think that’s all? I’m sorry if I miss someone but please tell me if I really miss someone who wants to be tagged!

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 164: Life or Death Battle

Previously on BnHA: The internship kids returned to the dorms and were greeted by their worried pals. Iida hemmed and hawed. Momo made some tea. Satou shoved an entire cake into Deku’s mouth. Ochako realized she wanted to save people in addition to earning money to ease her parents’ poverty. Sero and Kirishima showered Kirishima with affectionate concern. Bakugou quietly chilled on the couch pretending not to be worried. Kaminari slid over and called him “Kacchan” like the homeboy he is. It was all amazing. The next morning, Bakugou and Todoroki headed off to their provisional license course. All Might and Present Mic showed up to chaperone them, and we learned from All Might that Kurogiri was indeed captured by Gran Torino and Naomasa, but Giganto escaped after dealing some heavy damage. The group arrived at the training course location, and everyone’s windy fave Yoarashi greeted them along with Camie (the real one!) and fucking Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (Seiji). Also Endeavor was there to watch. And he’s going to have a private chat with All Might. Should be lots of fun, this.

Today on BnHA: Our best boys Bakugou, Shouto and Inasa (and Camie) begin the day’s training course. Endeavor cheers Shouto on from the stands and everyone is like “...” but then they notice All Might sitting next to him and they’re like “OH FUCK YEAH, ALL MIGHT.” Gang Orca walks out onto the floor, compares all of the kids to fish feces, and fucking yeets my three faves across the room. He then informs them that they lack heart, and thus he is assigning them a special trial. Enter a group of about 25 screaming elementary schoolers, plus their harried teacher who is constantly on the verge of tears. Baku, Shouto, Camie and Inasa are told that they’ll be in charge of them, and that to pass this test they’ll need to cooperate and move the children’s hearts. This is, of course, a recipe for perfect chaos, and to make things even more entertaining, Mic decides to do play-by-play commentary. Meanwhile, a surprisingly subdued Endeavor asks All Might exactly what it means to be “the Symbol of Peace.”

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 187 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.) 

looks like the kids have changed into their hero costumes and are trudging towards wherever the course will be taking place

aww Inasa is aggressively trying to be friends

LIGHTEN UP GRUMPY GRUMP

also I’m kind of with Inasa on this one. sorry Shouto. I’ve only had cold soba noodles like once but I wasn’t that big a fan. but udon is the shit though

Shouto apparently feels very strongly about this

I honestly can’t tell if he’s just really particular about his food, or if he feels like Inasa is trying to sneak up a metaphor on him and he’s like NOPE, NOT HAPPENING. THIS ZARU SOBA IS NOT GIVING UDON THE TIME OF DAY

oh my god Inasa is literally saying “WE’RE GONNA BECOME BEST BUDS WHETHER YOU LIKE OR NOT”

did you hear that Shouto. WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT

that means it’s happening. because like. look at him. this big fluffy airbending teddy bear is not going to not let it happen

meanwhile Bakugou is watching and being creeped out. by their attempts at friendship? or something else?

MERAAAAAAAA

I’ve been having a bit of an insomniac phase myself. so I feel ya bro

also they’re in this gym that, surprisingly, actually looks like a normal gym?? although there’s a bunch of playground equipment in one corner which is odd

Mera says that so far they’ve been doing the training course with the ten of them, but today there will be an eleventh person joining them

so is that Camie then?

meanwhile All Might and Mic are entering the spectator area and looking for someplace to sit

Mic wants to sit near the front to see better, but All Might doesn’t want to stand out

well he is pretty famous. and not to mention that Endeavor’s still right there as well and I don’t know if they’ve had their chat yet orz

oh jesus

yep. wouldn’t want to distract anyone. definitely not looking to do that, nope

starting to see why Shouto was angsting so much over that text

so Endeavor is actually screaming encouragement at him, but in his obnoxious Endeavor way

I feel like. he’s actually trying. oddly enough. but he’s just. so terrible. in so many ways

oh snap I forgot all about this

yep. the guy that wouldn’t autograph your book and subsequently changed the course of your life by causing you to withdraw your application from U.A.

oh shit now All Might’s getting recognized too

I hope they cheer the fuck out of All Might and it’s like, who even fucking cares about Endeavor

:D

hee

that’s Bakugou’s dad, you know. ever since chapter 120. and Deku’s dad too, obviously. Shouto he can be your dad too if you want. plenty of All Might to go around, and it’s not like your old man is doing such a bang up job

Shouto is literally saying “hmph” and even Bakugou is staring at him like “what’s this guy’s problem”

Mera’s telling everyone to calm down and pay attention to him again lol

and now real!Camie is properly introducing herself

ahhhh

so that’s the cover story Shiketsu came up with? or is that a story they’re telling the other kids? or does Camie herself genuinely believe this and no one actually knows she was briefly abducted and replaced by Toga?

and um. just to make sure. this is the real Camie though... right?

she’s acting differently enough that I think it is

Seiji is sitting with a Shiketsu teacher in the stands and they’re discussing it!

he says she’s “a complete and utter fool” and the teacher is gently correcting him and saying she’s “just bubbly”

so they did figure it out!

Seiji seems to actually be beating himself up for not realizing that she’d been replaced

(ETA: yeah, so rereading this, I’m getting some definite shipping pings from them now. Seiji’s clearly guilt-stricken about what happened to her, and clearly worried about her still. he didn’t attend any of the previous training sessions, based on Bakugou’s reaction, but he came along to this one now solely because Camie was going. he’s not going to let anything happen to her again. Seiji is, in fact, just a big ol’ softie you guys.)

the teacher is saying they need to make up for the absence of the Symbol of Peace immediately

I guess with this being the first time Shiketsu has been targeted, they’re finally realizing how serious this is too. U.A.’s been mixed up in this for a while, so they already know

heyyyyyy!

LOOK WHO’S BACK

he’s talking some shit about them, oooh

I assume he’s purposely trying to rile them up for whatever reason. probably because at least several of them are only here in the first place because of their poor anger management

everyone is instantly sobering up

lol Seiji

lmao

wow Gang is really laying it into them

ben·thos /’benTHäs/ (noun): the flora and fauna found on the bottom, or in the bottom sediments, of a sea, lake, or other body of water

did you just call my son a sea sponge. did you just compare them to fish poop

...

his feet

he just. flung him

is it weird that I really want to make this into an icon

...

is the whole rest of the chapter going to be like this

THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER HUH

this is now my favorite chapter in the history of time. also this is one instance where I’m already sure it’s impossible for the manga to be outdone by the anime. because how could it be. visually this is flawless

oh wait? is that it? just those three? no one else needs extra guidance?

so they’ve already singled out these three in particular as being the ones with the most potential, huh. sorry, Rest of the Kids

he’s chewing out Bakugou for his behavior toward the rescuees, and the other two for their whole starting-a-ridiculous-fight-in-the-middle-of-a-disaster-rescue-scenario

he says the thing they lack most is “heart”, and that they can’t expect to be heroes without it

“do you think that everyone will willingly grasp your hand when you offer it to them?!” oooh I like that. basically these idiots need to learn to be more approachable

“survive this life or death battle” lol oh shit

based on the tone of this chapter so far, I can’t help but wonder if this is going to end up being something comedically tame after all of this dramatic buildup

oh my god. suddenly I’m thinking back to that playground equipment. don’t tell me...

OH MY GOD

TODDLERS

holy shit. I count at least 24 of these tykes. and it looks like at least some of them have already manifested their quirks too oh shit

oh my god

Katsuki please don’t murder the small muppet child. I believe in you. babysit the shit out of these brats. you can do it

why do I suddenly have the feeling that maybe the elementary school just needed a substitute really last-minute and so this somehow ended up happening

now the big bird kid who called the grenades lame is running away crying

Bakugou is being chewed out by the other children and desperately trying to do some crisis management that consists of yelling at the kid to “STOP CRYING DAMMIT”

who the fuck is this

does Monoma have a younger brother we don’t know about

meanwhile three other children have cornered Shouto and are grabbing something on his utility belt and shouting “IT’S A PEEPEE” repeatedly

on the plus side, I can already sense Endeavor’s fight or flight instincts kicking in, and with any luck he’ll be out of there before we even get started

Shouto is patiently explaining that the thing on his belt is not, in fact, a peepee

this approach is not really working out for him

meanwhile still more children have surrounded Inasa and are just. punching him. for absolutely no reason

but Inasa is just taking it, and looking up at Endeavor and thinking “I won’t become like him.” awww

and yet this is not really working out either

you know, I wouldn’t have expected this to be the case, but so far Bakugou is actually managing the best here

Camie’s there too, and she’s asking if she’s supposed to be part of this training as well and what’s up with that

Gang says she’s a special case since she didn’t participate in the real test

she’s exasperated, but says that she likes kids anyway so whatever

and there’s a panel that we’re just going to skip riiiiight on past, thank you very much

suffice to say, the female kindergartners are now ganging up on Camie out of jealousy that their popular male classmate appears to like her

also, forget what I said before about Bakugou faring the best so far

little Billy, that is not a toy. please put down the grenade

these kids make flashback!baby!Kacchan look like a perfect little angel. at least he was cute

Gang somehow has faith in them though

you guys. if Kacchan somehow manages to bond with a bunch of snot-nosed little brats and become their mama I will lose my shit. please please please

(ETA: arguably this is exactly what happened. what a fine arc)

the rest of the class is meanwhile being shuttled along to have some boring lecture

lol Bakugou is despairing loudly

THIS IS THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT YOU NEED, BUSTER. YOU SIT THERE AND YOU TAKE IT

and seriously though, wasn’t he always the leader of his little pack of brats even as a child? can’t he just somehow tap into that little brat energy and take command of this group of kids as well? he does have a weird sort of charisma, and always has. and he’s shown patience and leadership in the past at unexpected times. I really think he can do this if he just puts his mind to it

All Might, Mic, and Endeav are sitting in the spectator section in silence

Endeav and Mic are dotting up a storm lmao

oh my

ARE YOU GOING TO PROVIDE COMMENTARY

-- HE IS OMG

he says an event without commentary has no soul

brother I’m right there with ya. why do you think I even do this. we should go get kicked out of a movie theater together

All Might’s asking if they really need “soul”, and FUCKING DUH THEY DO, ALL MIGHT

oh shit he’s commandeered Mera’s microphone

I can’t believe this man is the fucking U.A. traitor. maybe. admittedly seeming less likely by the minute

anyways, now that Mic is gone, All Might is figuring he might as well get this awkward conversation over with

he says that he doesn’t really know what to say to Endeavor in his current state

Endeav is asking if All Might’s aware that over the past month the crime rate has risen by three percent

hmm. someone sucks at his current job of being number one, huh

oh no

is Endeavor

having character development

...

motherfuc...

shit

okay look. one, dude is basically a rapist, albeit in a manner that’s just barely society-approved. two, he beat his wife and child. and three, he then had his wife committed when she had a breakdown and never bothered to do anything to try to help her (and also, you know, he’s the one who caused said breakdown in the first place)

so just a reminder. that Endeavor. not a nice guy

...but. it’s a story. and if a character actually shows a desire and willingness to try and change... well. I’m not necessarily just going to dismiss it out of hand

but this motherfucker needs to show some remorse, though. otherwise, fuck that

so whatever, Endeavor. let’s see. I have a feeling this is going to be a long, arduous process, and it might not even pan out. but it’s interesting, at the very least. and so in that sense, I’m here for it. hell, I welcome it. after all, we sure as hell didn’t get too much complex character development in the previous arc, Nighteye aside. so this... this is good

BONUS:

lmaoooooo @ “likes beer” oh god. no salary in the world would ever be enough to compensate teachers for everything that they do and all the shit they have to put up with

the fact that she’s a newbie is apparent just at a glance. give her a year or two under her belt and I bet you anything her personality completely changes. teaching is basically baptism by fire. but she will eventually learn to improvise, adapt, and overcome. and she’ll probably be a lot more drunk too lmao

[yume-x-hanabi]

Yeah, I pretty much marathoned the rest of the game, except Elympios.

The party met with the king of Auj Oule, who then promptly started arguing with Milla because of course those two would butt heads. I'm not going to go into detail about that meeting here because I already talked about it in the past. Love Rowen and Elise's little strategy, though I feel sorry for the poor guard who so earnestly vowed to take care of Teepo during the audience. He didn't deserve getting punched :( Oh and also Alvin is a traitor and Jude is maaaaaad about it. Defining Leia moment while they try to flee, where she doubts herself (Elise's words really hurt her, huh). I love how Milla just plainly states she's not useless. I live for Milla plainly stating positive things. They fight Wingul and Presa on the way, where Wingul acts like a disenchanted Rowen fanboy (aaand the booster Long Dau stuff too I guess). No but seriously he spent the fight targeting Rowen, it was hilarious (not for me though cuz I needed the geezer alive to help me cast spells). Back in Xian Du, Alvin strolls in like nothing happened (but Jude is maaaaad and Elise starts sassing him it's the best thing ever) and Yurgen proves to be the most sensible man in the world when he decides he doesn't need to know what happened. Good guy. A pretty animated cutscene later we crash in Kalakh Shal and Driselle is the most precious NPC in the world. I love how she gets the vet to treat the wyverns by telling him they're basically like horses XD Well at least he managed to treat them, so... There's a few Milla Side-exclusive conversations with the party - I especially liked Rowen's and Leia's. Wish Elise's had a bit more consistence though. Then she talks with Jude, who says he wants to protect spirits too, which makes her really happy. She's spent all this time trying to protect both spirits and humans, so it must feel great to have a human want to reciprocate. Those two are really a good pair. I also love how they basically promise to stay together at the end (though we all know how that turns out ;_; ) The time for the confrontation with Nachtigal comes near, but first there's some shenanigans with the Lance of Kresnik and Agria. I'm not too sure whether she actually tried to destroy it (on orders from Gaius?) or just made stuff explode for fun. She's kind of hard to read sometimes. Well, she's completely crazy tbh. It's really sad to see her in that murderous state. I wish she'd been given a chance to heal from her trauma and regain some stability. She's better when she's just with the Chimeriad (and hilariously proper when talking to Gaius), but we barely see any of that in game. What a shame. Talking to Nachtigal goes as well as one would expect, and we beat his ass. Rowen seems to talk some sense into him at the end, but it's far too late, and anyway some mysterious ice attack does him in. Bye Nachty, you were kind of forgettable, wish you'd had a bigger role. But no time to rest, because Gaius is invading from where no one expected him (and this is where my inner Gunshi Kanbee fangirl takes over and gushes about Wingul's clever strategies). But Gilland has a plan and it involves the Lance of Kresnik, which is bad news. To war we go! I spent the whole battlefield map sequence reading the Rieze Maxian writings on the map and laughing my ass off (no but seriously, it contains little gems like "we can fish fish here" and I need to find a video somewhere to take screenshots and translate them all, this needs to be shared). Alvin's acting suspicious again, and again the party just lets him be lol. Anyway, after a very long fight against both Auj Oule and Rashugal forces, we meet three of the Chimeriad blasting off enemies like badasses before deciding to fight us. Honestly I think their deaths were foreshadowed here, with this bit of dialog: Rowen: But it is an unnecessary step, one that could cost your lives. Who would be left to support the king? Presa: His Highness can look after himself. YES HE CAN BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN HE SHOULD YOU DUMBASSES *ahem* Anyway we win, Wingul faints like a Pokémon after revealing his booster is in his brain, Jiao doesn't answer Elise's questions and Jude convinces Alvin to not off Presa (yes Alvin, don't do that, it's rude). So who's left to face now? Why, King Badass of course. He and Milla resume their debate (may I note how much I love how they're actually listening to each other? At first glance it appears they're just butting heads stubbornly, but every time they meet they show they've given some thought to what the other said before, even if they still disagree. Great dynamics. Also the contrast with Nachtigal is interesting. The pre-battle talk was more about how Nachty was not worthy to be king and how they were going to stop him, while with Gaius Milla actually asks him to let her do her thing. She recognizes he's not a bad guy and tries to leave the door open for a conflict-free resolution. He'll do the same later, too. Aah I love them so much). iirc you don't have to win this fight, but I managed to do it (took me 16 minutes and I ran out of Life Bottles orz). The fight gets interrupted by Ivar, who stupidly activates the Lance (Milla's facepalm lmao). Aaaand that's when everything goes downhill. Elympios invades, it's chaos everywhere, Gaius and the Chimeriad are the most badass characters ever, and then Jiao sacrifices himself and I cry. No srsly whyyyyyy T_T let me just pretend he managed to escape somehow and is just taking time off to recover Milla has a weird dream and wakes up all confused and makes a bunch of mistakes, which is really unlike her. She's noticed the contradiction between her mission and her actions and she's really anxious about it. Still, it doesn't prevent her from reassuring Leia when she's the one sharing her own self-doubts. I love their relationship. When they meet up with the rest of the party, there's a new addition: Milla's "sister" Musee. I think it's good she appeared on Jude Side - it leaves the player completely confused about her on Milla Side, which is basically how Milla is feeling about this whole thing hahaha. After listening to Gilland's announcement that he's taken control of KB (and spouting a bunch of bullshit about it too), Wingul invites us in, and Milla then reveals the truth about the world, and Alvin adds some more information and speculation. Of course Gaius is displeased about a lot of things (I would be too if I just learned I was gonna be used for fuel), so while he's no longer antagonistic, he's not being very cooperative lol. Such a shame. With him and the Chimeriad, the party would have been unstoppable. Well, at any rate, we're fighting on the same side now, even if separately. The retaking of the capital shows once again how badass the king and his aides are (they keep stealing the show lately), and we take the castle back and steal an airship rather easily (no thanks to Ivar lol). While resting, Milla witnesses Agria bullying Leia about Jude (and gets the dokidoki when Agria says Jude has the hots for her), and then Alvin trying to hit on Presa (stomp on him Presa). Wish there'd been a scene with Wingul (AND JIAO), but oh well. Anyway, she's starting to realize why she's so anxious and the reason for the contradiction. That's something I totally missed on first playthrough, I thought it was all about her developing feelings for Jude (due to the Agria and Presa scenes), but it's actually about her identity as Maxwell. Though I guess you can't really know that on first playthrough, since the truth only comes up later. But it's interesting to see Milla knew then, way before it's laid out clearly for the players. Also Musee's creepy. Nothing new here. Oh, but I forgot to mention, Alvin's stopped being shady (or has he?). His momma's dead and he hates Gilland, so he's now 100% on our side. Gaius and the party depart for the Zirnitra, where Gilland and the Lance is. On the way, everyone's mana gets sucked up and sent to Elympios, showing Alvin was right about the fuel thing, and Milla almost confesses to Jude, but they get interrupted by Agria. On the Zirnitra, Ivar decides to join the Chimeriad (the actual Chimeriad's glare when he says that is wonderful), and we go our own way. Alvin explains a bit more about Elympios and how Elympions don't have a mana lobe so that's why they need spyrixes. When we confront Gilland he explains about Celsius and spyrites - spyrixes that don't kill spirits. But to them they're just tools (you're the tool Gilland!) and he's an jerk anyway so we kick his ass. He then dies because of the spyrite. Serves you right. Gaius and the others arrive then and this time they're letting Milla destroy the Lance. Hah, looks like we're cooperating more and more... except we get interrupted by Musee's Gravity spell and Milla gets the grand idea to sacrifice herself to save everyone. Milla bby don't do that :'( But the (now freed) Four interfere and save her soul from cleansing, attempting to revive her as herself. Which doesn't really work at first as she's lost her memories (she progressively gets some of them back though). I gotta say I absolutely love the spirit world part. It seems bland if you just go straight for the story part, but it's actually a lot of fun to explore, talk to NPC, listen to the Four's comments, do the little sidequests... I do wish there'd been more to it, especially when you consider how much stuff happened on Jude Side during that time, but what we do have is really fascinating. Also, Spirits interactions. Good good. Even without her memories, Milla is still Milla and doesn't want the Four to die, and they decide to stick with her, even if it angers Musee and the actual Maxwell. I had to change the difficulty back to normal for the Musee fight because I suck at 1-on-1 battles (esp without healer). After that Milla gets her memory data from Maxwell's replica and goes up the Hallowmont while Musee gets mad about Maxwell's lack of answer and flies to the human world to do who knows what. At the summit, the Four get summoned by Maxwell, and Milla follows them. There, she sees Jude and the others fighting against Maxwell, and she finally remembers who she is, making her come back in style. We absolutely destroy Maxwell's ass (yay Gravity Well spam), and then convince him to stop being a grumpy old man and believe in humanity for once. He agrees, but then enter Gaius, who looks pissed for some reason (it's funny to play this from Milla's Side, because last time we saw him he was almost becoming friendly). He then starts spouting nonsense about becoming Maxwell himself since the old one is useless, traps him with the Lance of Kresnik (he got it in the end...), and then there's that gross scene where he pulls a sword out of Musee I'd rather forget. Srsly developers, couldn't you find another way >_> He tries to send the party back to Rieze Maxia (instead of killing them, he's still nice even when he's mad), but Maxwell sends us to Elympios instead, where we conveniently end in the care of Emperor Peony Alvin's cousin Balan. to be continued...

[someobscurereference]

Hello! I hope your move went smoothly and that you're transitioning well. I know that was a quite a while ago but;;;; I wanted to get my well wishes out, especially cause a different country is a Huge change. Which!!!! Brings me to the other reason I'm here (lol) The posts about the retainers and the blood made me immediately think about the possibility of it being something other than symbolic (pt. 1)

(pt. 2) especially cause on the wikia, if anyone marries one of the retainer trio, it’s said that the spouse did their work but then disappeared (I can’t remember if it says into obscurity or not lol) or at least, there’s no more mention of them anywhere after that point. And I!!!!!! Really love how much there is to play with with the blood lol Leo could use it as a way to find Odin if he disappears, maybe sense emotions, or, better yet, tie the three of them together in a way magic would

(pt. 3) recognize. Imagine what it would be like for the retainer trio to be suddenly transported back home. But when they arrive, their lieges are there too (and the other retainers if you really wanna have fun lol!) The first step to fixing the situation is that they are, in fact, who they say the foreign nobility bound to be wary of everything lol!

(pt. 4) oh but the marrying trio thing, I mentioned cause I like to hc that either 1. The retainers trio waited to leave until their spouse/they themselves were okay with leaving or 2. They gave up their only chance to leave but finally came clean and thier friends in Nohr helped them find a way back in such a way that their significant other could go too.

(pt… 5? I lost count qwq sorry) on a completely unrelated note, the audio translation had such great energy lol I love that Leo is just, immediately, “You said i couldn’t do it cause I’m not capable, now I will do it just to prove you wrong. Fuck you.” Lol! I also pretty much immediately thought of how Niles (and later Odin) would be able to take advantage of that, whether to tease or get Leo to do something he hates, even tho he knows that’s what’s happening, he still falls for it lol!(last part) I rambled again, a lot =’) sorry ui any of this seems ooc. I still haven’t finished FF: Fates. I am just So Bad at video games lol! Thank you for reading this orz

I’ve been in Japan for nearing 2 weeks now, and it was definitely a big adjustment and a little overwhelming at first! But I’m a lot more used to it and sure of myself than I was on day one, and while I’m still figuring a lot of things out, I’m doing alright! I’m all moved it and settled now. Thanks so much! :D

And yeah! If the Trio marries anybody in Fates (with a few exceptions), the Trio and their spouse generally disappear back to (implied) Ylisse after the war is over! Probably their spouse gets told the truth and decides on their own to leave with whichever part of the Trio they married, but Nohr helping them to find a way to Ylisse also makes sense too.

I’ve definitely thought of the possibility of the Trio being checked up on via magic before too, especially if the Trio don���t say goodbye before they disappear back to Ylisse (though they probably would to give the royals a heads up first. But if they didn’t!) Whether you consider the thought of Modern Trio being checked up on and all the “???” that would appear over the Nohrian’s heads when they see Modern Trio using an electric stove or wearing jeans or riding on a bus (or whatever you imagine) OR regular FE13 Trio straight up in Ylisse looking different and being called another name and the “????” that would appear over the Nohrian’s heads for that, I love the idea of the Trio being checked up on and getting caught being obviously from a strange new place, lol. The lieges and other retainers showing up in Ylisse and having to find a way home is something I’ve seen on a smaller scale before (like a lone Xander appearing in Ylisse or Leo+Niles) but I’d love to think about the whole squad showing up too. THat’s asking for chaos. I love it.

@ drama CD part: “You said i couldn’t do it cause I’m not capable, now I will do it just to prove you wrong. Fuck you.“ Lol! And the thing about it is, Xander was right! Further on in the audio drama, it’s said that Leo does still have a few things to work on. But so did Xander! And it’s a lesson learned and just all around cool to learn. I love Leo’s tendency to go, “Hm. You said I couldn’t do it, so now I’m gonna lie and do it behind your back anyway.” It’s good shit! I don’t know how effectively Odin and Niles could turn the tables on him, but that’d be really interesting to see!

Don’t worry about the length! Even though you haven’t finished, this all reads pretty legit! And it’s fun to think about, so even out of character moments are okay (though I don’t really think there were any here.) Thanks so much for sending these!

[prismatic-cannon]

Hey! How are you doing today? What have you been up to? Do you have any random headcanons for any ship/series that you want to talk about? I love your art! ♡

Aaaah sorry for the late reply and thanks for the ask!! I’ve been doing ok working through commissions and stuff \o/ but I recently found out that my art wasn’t showing up in tags ‘cause I had some privacy option enabled /grumble (that was probably my fault though — I think I turned it on when this wasn’t an art blog yet orz) And yessss I have so many headcanons for huntershipping and some sf dog au stuff, though those are limited to selene and helios since they’re my ultimate spacefaring faves :D

SF Dog AU

- I think I mentioned this before but just in case anyone doesn’t know — Helios used to belong to Selene’s relatives until they had to move back to India. They didn’t want to put him in a pound so they left him with (a very reluctant) Selene. The first few days are pretty much utter chaos. Helios’ breed has a lot of energy that needs loads of exercise so staying locked up in the apartment all day sends him in a cabin fever frenzy ;o; Selene’s job demands that he works long hours so when he returns home his entire flat is pretty much shredded to bits, pillows strewn across the floor, doors scratched, piss everywhere ;_; At first Selene would lock Helios in a room as punishment but obviously it exacerbates the situation till Selene finds Keeler to learn how to care for Helios and train him. Now they’re a lot better with dealing separation, though Helios still scratches the doorframe now and again. Selene has to wake up super early to tire him out by jogging/cycling before heading off to work and walk Helios whenever he returns home (RIP selene’s beauty sleep lol) They have some toys that Helios can play with by himself (like the iFetch, thankfully Helios learns how to use it pretty fast) and go to the dog park/long hikes during the weekends.

- Helios’ left ear flops downwards, which Selene finds super strange ‘cause according to his age it should have grown out of it by now. He plays with it now and then anyway lol (He likes how it smells but won’t admit it doing so ‘cause who smells their dog’s ears?? lmao)

- Selene doesn’t like Abel very much — mostly because the way Abel greets Helios gets him overly excited and slobbery and it’s hard to calm him down afterwards, but partially because he doesn’t like how Helios is more hyped to see Abel than Selene sometimes lol. He thinks Cain’s a bad influence on Helios too — he once caught Helios humping a toy and thinks he picked it up from Cain (Helios is neutered btw)

- Helios fetches Selene his slippers when he returns from work! I’s the first thing Selene sees when he gets home haha. He also still has a jumping problem but they’re working on it.

- Helios is (fortunately!) not afraid of the vacuum. He does follow Selene around when he uses it though, because he likes having his belly vacuumed lmao. Selene has to vacuum super frequently now because oh god, the amount of fur Helios sheds is ridiculous — there is fur in my shoes, my socks, my hair —

- Whenever they visit the pet store Selene lets Helios pick whatever he wants, but after a few trips he realises Helios just picks the first thing he finds near the entrance, so he makes sure to walk a few rounds before letting Helios choose lol. They have sooooo many rope toys now ‘cause of this. (Luckily money isn’t really an issue for Selene)

Pokemon:

- After Gold and Silver exchange numbers they text a little at first, mostly because Silver just types back one-worded replies or just ignores him completely. Silv begrudgingly accepts Gold’s challenges to battle when he calls and always leaves immediately when they’re done, but eventually Gold convinces him to hang out and they get to know each other better \o/ They prefer calling each other ‘cause they get to hear each other’s voices aww

- Gold doesn’t really like Mount Silver ‘cause his meganium hates the cold, plus his team always gets super antsy whenever they explore the area. It’s only until Gold meets Red up there that he realises why. Speaking of Red, the first time Gold sees him he just nopes out of there thinking he saw an actual ghost lmao

- Gold’s a huge fanboy for Green and Red, but he makes a horrible second impression on Green lmao. He ends up puking from all the terrible vertigo Viridian Gym’s spinning tiles cause him lol (It doesn’t help that Gold’s super shit at puzzles lol)

- Gold loves to snuggle up to his starter when he sleeps ;w; I’ve been meaning to draw him sleeping with all the chikorita evolution lines cuddled up around him but there’s like ten million other things I wanna draw too lol. Usually his meganium curls around Gold protectively and he sleeps on its body like a pillow.

- I also mentioned this in a previous post but adult Gold and Silver run a berry farm back in New Bark Town! They have berry picking events every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The trainer who picks the most berries gets to keep what they collected, and you can catch wild pokemon lurking between the bushes as long as it’s not part of the chikorita horde. Gold also runs a small event every Sunday where you get to challenge him — if you beat him and his meganium you get free shit like TMs and stuff (he literally fights you with one pokemon but of course it’s level 100) This is meant to read like in-game NPC events like in HGSS \o/ Silver also does pokemon physiotherapy on the farm, which is a huge plus ‘cause chikorita leaves emit a naturally calming scent.

- Every chikorita is named after the berry patch they tend to, e.g. Oran, Sitrus, Payapa etc. (Usually the berry flavour corresponds to their nature as well)

- Every time they have to mow the grass the chikoritas have to be locked in a room lol — the scent of freshly cut grass makes them go fucking crazy (fun fact: the smell of cut grass is actually a distress signal) They’re kept indoors for a few hours at least.

- Silver actually has a favourite chikorita! It’s a timid but adorable bean named Pecha that gets cold easily so it always wears a wooly sweater come fall. More often than not it wobbles happily to Silv for one-sided cuddles but every now and then he’ll sneakily scoop it up in his arms for hugs aww (don’t tell Gold)

- Not so much of a headcanon, but I still find this pretty funny lol (/fingerguns @violetnyte)

Aaaah I should have more but nothing comes to mind (and it’s super late orz) Here’s a small pic I did of Gold — I tried imitating one of those Gold/Silver pixiv artist’s style because the way they draw Gold is soooo adorable ;w; (Unfortunately they deleted their pixiv but smol gold lives in everyone’s hearts)

[suspiciouswarriorhonmayan]

I've spent far too long looking at this list because literally all of these could be turned into angst so i'm just gonna put whatever ones that catch my attention lol So how about yukogeki with G, J, O, or U???

Sorry this took so long, friend. I ended up rewriting it twice and I’m still not satisfied how it turned out lol. I apologize if this isn’t what you pictured orz. (Though it isn’t angsty or at least I didn’t intentionally try to make it as such)

Still, I’m always grateful for you sending in requests, so thank you!

I will post on AO3 later.

YukoGeki G: A Fistfight

Gekikara’s whole body pulsed with energy. All their senses were awake. They were aware of Yuko’s presence pressed against their back. Yabakune students swarmed around them like annoying flies.

Gekikara and Yuko had been making their way to school. They had cut through a field and had been laughing and goofing around, when they were suddenly ambushed by a bunch of pissed off and vengeful Yabakune weaklings.

Twenty against two.

A fight was the best way to start the morning.

Yuko bounced on her toes. Her excitement was evident, as it was contagious. “These are our kind of odds, don't you think Geki?”

Gekikara’s dark chuckle brought visible shivers to those around them. They cracked their knuckles in anticipation. “Yes, Yuko-san. It's going to be so much fun breaking them.”

Not liking that they were being underestimated, the Yabakune students charged forward. Yuko reacted with inhuman speed. She ricocheted from one person to the next. Her short form blasted through waves of enemies like nothing.

She was an unstoppable storm bearing down on anyone who stood in her way.

Several people tried to swing at Yuko’s head with bats or metal poles. With lightning reflexes, Yuko grabbed onto one girl's pole with her bare hands and forced it to snap it up out of the girl's grasp.

There was a slight pause in which the girl had a look of our astonishment until Yuko delivered a backhanded swing on her. The crack of bones breaking resounded across the battlefield as Yuko sent the unlucky girl careening into other students.

Several students who witnessed this gave Yuko a wide berth. Yuko, on her part, could smell the fear in them.

With a broad grin, she swung away.

The Yabakune yankii’s never knew what hit them.

Gekikara slammed relentless punches into any that dared cross their path. Their bloody fists enjoyed the loud crunch of bones underneath every forceful hit.

One girl with brass knuckles managed to get a hit in on Gekikara’s face. Her smug grin was immediately wiped as Gekikara only laughed at the pain. They licked their bleeding lips and returned the punch twofold, breaking the girl's nose and sending her down in one foul swoop.

They spun around to deliver a roundhouse kick right into an unsuspecting girl’s groin. It was an immediate K.O her. Gekikara grabbed the girl’s collapsing body and chucked it into one of the clusters groups of girls that tried to overwhelm Yuko. They tumbled like dominoes. All of them  crumbled under the weight of each other.

A bigger girl grappled Gekikara from behind. Gekikara thrashed wildly. They slammed the back of their head into the girl’s face and elbowed her right in the boob.

The bigger girl cursed. “You fucker-”

Gekikara dropped kicked her right in the stomach. Gekikara rolled right back onto their feet and delivered a swift kick to her head. The bigger girl didn't get up after that.

Laughter echoed from both Yuko and Gekikara as they lay waste to everyone around them.

The scene before them was complete chaos. Students laid in a torrent mess, bleeding and hurt. Despite the numbers difference, it was a one sided fight on their end.

But for Gekikara and Yuko, it had been nothing short of euphoric.

One student, who had somehow managed to survive their curb stomping tried to crawl away, only for Gekikara to step hard onto their back.

The helpless student squirmed underneath Gekikara’s foot. They stomped harder on the student, eliciting a small, pathetic squeak from the terrified girl.

Gekikara stood over her triumphant, with a savage gleam in their eyes. “Hey, are you mad?”

The girl sputtered nonsense words before passing  out in fear.

Gekikara smirked at the laughable sight that was Yabakune yankiis whimpering in agony.

Yuko threw the pole behind her. It landed with a hard thunk on someone's unlucky head.

“Thanks for having my back, Geki.” Her bright smile directed at them made Gekikara's heart beat faster than it already was.

“Of course, Yuko-san.” Gekikara gave Yuko a genuine smile. They would always have her back, no matter what.

Gekikara attempted to wipe the blood of their face, but only succeeded in smearing it. The blood was going to be a pain to wash of later, but the early morning brawl had been fun. Gekikara would do it all over again, even if it did ruin their uniform.

“Ah here, let me clean your face.” Yuko took out her small handkerchief. She had to get on her tippy toes to reach Gekikara’s face. It was pretty adorable watching Rappapa’s fearless leader attempt to do so.

Yuko did gentle wipes across Gekikara’s face. Very few people had ever been so gentle with them. The soft moment was such a giant contrast to the carnage that both members of Rappapa had created mere moments ago.

“You did really good in this fight,” said Yuko. When she had finished cleaning their face, she presssed a quick kiss to Gekikara’s cheek.

Gekikara’s eyes lit up. Today was shaping up to be a great day.

There was a slight tinge of pink on Gekikara’s face. Their smile was practically beaming. “Thank you, Yuko-san.”

Yuko gave her thumbs up. “It's no problem.”

They basked in the afterglow of the fight. Each enjoying the small moment together and taking a small reprieve from the rush of adrenaline. Gekikara leaned on Yuko and proped their head on Yuko’s. Normally, Yuko wouldn’t like being used as a head rest, since it always reminded her of her small stature, but if it was Gekikara, she didn’t mind so much.

The moment was interrupted by Yuko’s phone pinging. She flipped it open to read the text message she received. “Oh, it’s Sado.”

She made a similar face of agony that was currently present on the beaten Yabakune students had. “Crap, we’re so late for early morning practice. Sado’s going to kick our asses.”

Gekikara rubbed the back of their neck nervously. They were certainly going to get more than an earful from Rappapa’s sadistic Vice President.

“Race you there!” Yuko didn't even give Gekikara time to process what she said before she took off running in the direction of the school.

Gekikara shook their head in amusement before running in after her.

Both leaving the bloody aftermath behind them.