#its really not that serious but unfortunately it did effect me haha

[angelpuns]

Me patiently waiting for a way to make comics about the shitty things that happened in 2020-2023 but unsure of how to go about it in a way that will make me feel better smh

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

!!! Someone else who gets just about triggered by 'smoothsharking' of any kind.

Like im autistic and I dont get jokes like that well because im bad at 'lying as humor' and all smoothsharking sounds like to me is 'haha person who doesnt get a joke time to gaslight them instead of explaining the joke!'. It sounds like ableism dressed up pretty and fine because its a meme.

Id argue it IS gaslighting because its intentionally insisting to another person that something is what it isnt. The effect is just about the same as gaslighting, even if they dont explicitly intend to make us doubt reality.

Id see people post 'of course being mean to people who doing get jokes is wrong, always explain the joke uwu' and like 5 posts later do a smoothshark so many times its unreal.

The joke is explicitly meant to come at autistic folks ('its to make fun of joyless assholes who insist on correcting you about things, especially jokes because they arent accurate') like thats literally autistic folks... do they not realize?

The joke isnt explicitly meant to attack those who have problems staying firmly in reality (dissociative or psychotic issues and such), but it is VERY unfriendly to them.

Its just so frustrating to try to explain or ever talk about this or even talk about things in a very serious context and have 500 people come smoothshark you on purpose even though they know it upsets you.

Its vile. The joke is just ableism and im just so tired of it. I dont feel safe seeing those fucking jokes I wish it would die already.

The person who started it had good intentions probably, but what its become is just socially acceptable ableist abuse.

Hmm. I'm not sure I entirely agree? I'm pretty firmly in the camp of "don't attribute things to malice when negligence will do". I think this joke was likely *meant* to be wielded against "people who absolutely need to have the last word". That....unfortunately includes a lot of people who aren't as likely to understand they have the option to bow out of the encounter. This is not a recipe for happy times for anyone. I'm...not really interested in litigating who's experience of being collaterol damage to comedy is worse/more immediate on this one.

But yeah, I think that the total devotion to the bit created some real conflicting access needs around the bit that did not need to be there. And I definitely experienced (and saw) people using it on purpose in ways that seemed really intentionally mean spirited rather than collectively entertaining. This was a bad combination because, as always, it very easily made "why can't you take a joke" a plausibly deniable dismissal of any time the bit was taken too far or used cruelly. Good cover for those who rely on social conventions to escape consequences for doing harm.

[charlesemersonwinchesteriii]

For dating game: Donna Noble for a non Mash option from something I'm pretty sure I've seen you reblog stuff from, BJ, and Klinger

I can't believe I got 2 Donnas for this game and neither were the MASH one haha. And yes I AM a Doctor Who fan but like with Twin Peaks I'm only a shallow fake one because I only feel really passionate about RTD era :( sowwy again. I'm 0 for 2 today. But at least I didn't skip MASH s1-3 AND I didn't skip the 9th Doctor AND I read Laura's diary + Dale Cooper's tapes. So now everyone has to give me a little headpat and forgive me and say they're not mad at me thank you <3

Donna Noble

I couldn’t handle Donna QwQ I couldn’t match her energy it’s very sad :( I feel like I would do the exact opposite of what the Doctor did for her in terms of bringing out her most amazing qualities. And I do really try to highlight and praise the qualities of people in my life!! I just don’t know if I could help her reach her full potential. Which sounds like one of those weird therapy-talk approaches to relationships but unfortunately sometimes when you really admire someone you actually do start thinking about things like “am I supporting her journey effectively” and all that. But this is just a date right so it can just be a casual thing. I feel like Donna is someone with whom I could straight up be like Hey so I was never socialized properly and your last relationship ended comically terribly so do you want to like try practicing dating with each other? I think it could be fun! And then eventually she could move on to find happiness with Mr. Temple :)  

Wait actually sorry quick tangent if Donna doesn’t remember the Doctor what does she think happened to her fiance from way back when. Does she. Does she remember the giant alien spider or. Hang on--

BJ Hunnicutt

BJ Hunnicutt is the human equivalent of Disneyland. Everybody in the entire nation is absolutely obsessively feral over it it’s sooo beautiful it’s sooo fun you just HAVE to experience it it’s a quintessential expression of the American dream blah blah blah. But I will never attend this overpriced (constantly borrowing money) and overcrowded (too much competition from the rest of Mashblr) theme park. I do not care for its fastpass system (willingness to cheat on his partner) or its uninspiring coaster design (anger issues), and I am further offended to hear of the constant introduction of cost-cutting measures that harm visitor experience (growth of mustache). Not even the prospect of purchasing a fully functioning Cogsworth clock (chance to join the Punnihawk polycule) is enough to tempt me. It’s not happening. I am going to Dollywood (Maxwell Klinger).

Maxie my beautiful girl Maxie whomst is so very adored by me

My wife my kitten my sweet snuggly wuggly good time gal. My Dollywood. Know that I love and adore Maxwell for eternity <3

BUT. I must love her from afar because I couldn’t in good conscience waste her time when I figure there must be a more compatible match out there, ya know? Like, I know hardly anything about baseball and I wear the same clothes every day and I don’t eat red meat so I can’t even share those beloved hotdogs. Max deserves the Best as I’m sure we all agree, and we know he wants a serious long term partnership. I want the same thing, so I know that such a lifelong, committed relationship should be with someone who finds themself more easily compatible with Max’s tastes and interests.  

On an unrelated note, Charles sure seemed to get super into baseball in War For All Seasons, huh? :) And we know he cares a lot about his clothes, as we see him hiring a personal tailor at least once! :) And he was surprisingly eager to get to share in Max’s hotdog delivery in The Grim Reaper, too! :) So many random fun facts in this world \^w^/

[lexpressobean]

Thoughts on Kikaichu as actual Parasites.

Knowing how skin and the body generally works on a medical level, the "hive" aspect of the Aburame clan really drives me crazy. 'Cause parasites are real, obviously, but the size of Kikaichu beetles makes absolutely no sense in comparison to irl skin parasites. At least not in a bee hive sort of way lol

rambling because my mind craves logic and I'm specializing as a wound care nurse but it's literally anime so what do I expect lol

No, wounds don't freak me out, I'm more terrified of generally handling vomit and babies than I am a dehiscence of a 15cm long surgical site lol. The human body can literally take so much abuse before it really starts to give and try to alert you that you need help! And once you give it help, it really can come full circle to the wound 100% looking like it was never there. The body is an amazing thing <3

However the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word "parasite" is always going to be "tapeworm". That's not gonna change. However, kikaichu are not worms and CERTAINLY don't grow that fucking huge or live that long. (A tape worm can live long enough to graduate with a fucking PhD. Can you believe?) I haven't been exposed to any urgent situations involving parasites yet, however, the one I would compare a Kikaichu to that is (unfortunately) also common is the scabies mite.

Very briefly, scabies mites (Sarcoptes scabiei) are technically a type of arachnid that grow no bigger than a bout 0.5mm in size, but CAN be seen with the naked eye if you're looking for them. They crawl around the skin and burrow specifically in the top layer of skin, called the epidermis. The epidermis is that protective layer of skin and can be between 0.5mm to 1.5mm thick depending on which part of the body you're looking at. After the epidermis, you have the dermal layer, which is where sweat glands, nerves, and capillaries are found. Scabie mites will not burrow that deep because they only burrow to lay their eggs and such. As they do this they can cause visible tunnels and other marks that can be mistaken for acne or other skin conditions if not properly identified. You'll most likely know because the itch is VERY BAD.

They're very easily spread by close contact and a scabies infestation needs to be treated with a prescribed pharmacological means.

However, kikaichu are definitely a lot bigger than 0.5mm. In the case of size, I would compare them at minimum to fruitflies/medflies, which grow up to 3-5mm and maximum to ladybugs 4-7mm.

3-7mm > 0.5-1.5mm... obviously. And the holes which Kikaichu swarm out of that the audience has seen before are about a size comparable Shino's nostrils, IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!!

You're telling me those things were in his mouth?????????? S H I N O N O

That would mean, in realistic terms, the Kikaichu are fucking around in Shino's body to the bone and muscles and THAT'S A REALLY SCARY THOUGHT. Even just passing the epidermis to the dermis is alarming! Compared to the dry, protective epidermis that can and does take damage, the dermis can be 1-4mm thick depending on where you're looking and is where skin does it's business. All together that becomes 0.5-5.5mm of space BARELY big enough for a fruit fly do mess around in. It makes just enough sense in terms of THAT size, but last time I checked, having the skin penetrated to the dermal layer is just asking for infection to happen. You're first natural line of defense has been breeched, there's a pretty good chance you're gonna be bleeding (blood vessels) and general body fluids are going to be draining, which is bad for a multitude of reasons, and there's damage that gonna affect the nerves, and realistically this shit is going to be ABSOLUTELY painful if they're constantly manipulating those areas near nerves. These kinda of things CAN make new connections and things like that, sometimes damage is forever. (Case by case basis).

So my first thought to more or less "magically" solve the problem with anime logic, is that first of all, it's an anime and logic doesn't have to apply haha.

On a more sci-fi level, in which kikaichu are smaller than we've seen them shown, maybe they have been purposefully been allowed to burrow into the dermal layer of the skin at least because the blood vessels seem to be in direct contact with the chakra system. Kikaichu's prefered food is chakra, but they WILL mutiny and eat their respective Aburame from the inside out if they don't balance their chakra smartly. So it's safe to say Kikaichu are at least carnivorous as well, and so I only imagine these absolute nightmares would swarm their prey in the wild, and actively bite through and burrow into the body of the prey until they found the chakra system and went to town on that poor unfortunate soul. Eaten alive, how the hell did they "tame" them in the first friggin' place??

I like to think two things:

1) Kikaichu are passed down from parent to child, and the parent has control over the Kikaichu until they have been RIGOROUSLY trained for generations to comprehend that this baby/child isn't food, it's a new hive. If bees can comprehend time, Kikaichu can comprehend what an Aburame is. If they insist on trying to drain the babe or the babe just can't tolerate them, the parent takes the Kikaichu back and the babe is assigned another insect or position in general. Like hell they're gonna try to force a relationship like that.

2) As part of the successful symbiotic relationship, Kikaichu regularly debride the tunnels and borrows that they carve into their respective Aburame, and are naturally intuitive in avoiding as many nerves and blood vessels as possible. The chance of infection is never 0%, however, kikaichu are pretty good about taking care of their tunnels, and so it gives the Aburame more time to focus on their things, like increasing the amount if chakra in their system. To ensure that they stay healthy, Aburame are encouraged to eat as much protein and Vit C possible every day, whether it be meat, beans, lentils, eggs, oranges, tomatoes, or even supplements as times modernize. The dermis is living tissue and as long as debridement/tunneling is going on, it needs to be nourished as much as possible.

I don't know how the hell Aburame deal with the obvious drainage that would be coming from their bodies, assuming the dermal layer really is free game for the Kikaichu. But the magical solution is that... they don't? Because... drainage is minimal. The Kikaichu just do such a good job lol. Maybe they purposefully... carve entrances to be flappy, or they purposefully create pocket spaces underneath seemingly healed areas of skin to easily burst open when necessary. That's the biggest thing for me, leaking body fluids. There's no way around that shit besides straight up denial lol Maybe they wear a special kind of dressing underneath their clothes, or that's directly applied with their clothes. Maybe that's what that cute little backpack is filled with, who knows!!

Idk man. I'm sure the Aburame authority forces encourages many of their non-hive members to pursue medical nin training in order to give the clan more privacy in general too. All medics that claim the Aburame name are exclusively used by the Aburame Clan. A non-Aburame medic may end up healing tunnels and burrows that were meant to stay open because "oops" and now you have an X amount of insects possibly suffocating within a completely sealed pocket of the skin, and also now there's a very good chance that after those insects die, that whole area is gonna frickin' abscess and cause infection induced tunnels the longer it's left alone and GROSS THAT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! THERE IS A DELICATE, ORGANIZED, SELF-SUFFICENT PROCESS TO ALL THIS!! A PROCESS!!!

Like... the other ninja in the NartVerse can make as many jokes, jabs, and comments about the Aburame as they please (INO? BITCH??? but to be honest I still love her lol). But these MFers are constantly playing Russian Roulette with these high maintenance demon spawn from hell, and there are VERY little defences against Kikaichu, virtually none. Like the only thing I've ever seen actively thwart Kikaichu across all media is killing them with mass fire, countering them with large amounts of poison gas (both very exterminator like) or literally just feeding them chakra until they're so stupid full, they can't move, the little gluttons. As far as genjutsu, it's been stated that it's both effective and ineffective, so idk about that. But the Aburame are just SO set up to be the living breathing embodiment of Shinobi as defined by the NartVerse. They're whole clan culture relies on the threat of enemies. If they have no enemies, the whole relationship is an exhausting endeavor for literally no reason. It's not worth it if there's no one to fight or protect! But when there is a threat, you want them on YOUR side.

I suppose the best bet is to incapacitate the Aburame individual asap and the Kikaichu will tend the individual, making escape easier. But, if you DID manage to kill that Aburame right away, that particular Aburame's swarm is now suddenly without its food source and without restraint.

What do you THINK is gonna happen, bro?? The second an Aburame loses their grip on their consciousness due to external influences, the bugs go bonkers because I'm pretty sure Kikaichu are simply persuaded to be in this relationship and have NO tolerance for bullshit like alcohol and overheating temps. If their Aburame dies, they probably cause just as much chaos as they would as a wild, unattended swarm. Then YOU BETTER HAVE fire or poison gas or SOMETHING handy. The only way to calm them down is to offer them chakra and a new host with equal or even more chakra reserves. Otherwise the mutineers must be eradicated.

And for serious... Like, any deeper and the kikaichu would be in the hypodermal/subcutaneous layer of the skin and that's where a lot of connective tissue is located. Let's NOT mess with that shit, shall we? NOT a good idea. It's called connective tissue for a reason first and foremost...

[tamaharu]

thank you @eurydicees for tagging me (〃´▽` ) i love talking about myself. a list of my five favorite fics ive written (and thoughts!) oldest to newest

1. don't knock it till you've tried it

the magnus archives + 5.6k. this is, i wanna say, my most popular fic? and im glad for it! its one thing for your most popular content to be something you hate, but i think this still holds up really well. theres a lot i like about it, such as the pronoun/titles between povs, georgies whole pov, the ending line. high five past me. and OH MAN is it crazy that this has 700 kudos. its a very nice feeling to know that that many people liked something you wrote... even if what you wrote is about a guy murdering his past self haha.

2. i'm not wearing my usual lipstick, i thought maybe we would kiss tonight

ohshc + 16.4k. my ouran magnum opus! i still care so deeply for this hc, and i have gotten so many sweet comments on this, im very glad it resonated with a lot of people. 3k hits!!! i think thats really really good for an ouran fic posted in 2020. if i have time there are a few things id like to go back and change about this - unnecessary prose or some of the ending - but frankly, the emotional heart of this is something im very proud of. every person who reads this and either gets their gender reflected to them OR at least is indoctrinated into trans!tamaki is another point towards me making it to heaven. if i was going through this list by favorites, this definitely holds the number one spot.

3. blunt not the heart

the magnus archives + 11.3k. OH MY GOD. this is my UNDERRATED GEM. my white fucking whale. i am SO MAD that this has received DUST considering my another tma fic has 700~ kudos. SO MAD. i really really like melanie king as a character. outside of the feminism of it all, its really fucking hard to write an effective character study. getting into a characters head is difficult. you know what would make it easier? NOT WRITING IT IN SCRIPT FORMAT LOL. but heres the thing: i made it fucking work. the fact that tma is an audio drama/script format already definitely lends itself easier to translation, but it was an interesting exercise to try and get into melanies head while still maintaining the format. and tying it into macbeth? inspired choice, past me! while its not more popular unfortunately, im still insanely proud of it, and the attention it did get is personally satisfying. please read it!

4. Feel Your Way Home

artemis fowl + 12.6k. ah.. my artemis fowl magnum opus.. i still care for that silly little guy a whole lot, but at this point i will say that my artemis fowl obsession was bright, but fleeting. im really really glad i managed to write this before i fell out of it, and even more so I GOT IT PUBLISHED ON THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY!! thats something i am weirdly very proud of. i worked really hard on this for several long months, and i think it turned out very very well. this is one where i really dont care how much attention its gotten for not, as it was very much written for myself. and im pleased with it.

5. name your courage now

ace attorney + 11.8k. my newest one! probably still have a serious case of rose-tinted glasses on, but idc. i love maya and her relationships to her siblings a whole lot. i found her dialouge during her testimony just so insanely ripe for potential, i was shocked nobody else had ever seemed to talk about it. i have so many feelings about bridge to the turnabout! frankly, the entire time i knew what i wanted to do with this story, and i feel as if i pulled it off really effectivly. keeping it emotional while also utilizing aspects of mayas brash, funny voice for the narration was a challenge i enjoyed. that, and trying to use the canon dialouge for the most part, while also attempting to speed it up/make it sound less like it came out of a video game. again, im proud of it, and heres to hoping that it'll get more attention.

thats it! im not big on tagging ppl but if you wanna do this by all means, please tag me so i can read your stuff °˖✧◝(￣▽￣)◜✧˖°

[twisted-imagines]

Hi ! Hope you're well ! Can I have a one shot with a F reader x Floyd. It's the beginning of the school year and Floyd is in a bad mood because the transformation in his Human form make him suffer. The reader notice it and try to help him with a massage to make the pain disappear. Thank you !

Ah, just like me, to struggle with writer's block for a week and then finish it in one evening, haha. I'm truly sorry though, my fishies😔 I hope, some time in the future I'll figure out how to write faster, but not today apparently😀

Please enjoy, since I don't know when the next update will come uwu❤

Giving Floyd Leech a massage🦈

The bells rang marking the start of just another year at Night Raven College. You arrived not long ago, a day before, and were unable to contain your giddiness. Not only you would be able to experience college life again, with all its ups and downs, but also meet your dearest merman, whom you spent most of your summer break with. A week away from him felt like a month, your step sped up more and more as you were already running to the Octavinelle dorm. It was quite a surprise to not have seen him already, Floyd somehow always managed to find his way to you, either to just greet or crush you in a hug, though to him it meant the same.

When the gateway mirror brought you to the dorm, you could see how alive it was. Students from various dorms gathered at Monstro Lounge, running to and fro, some working, while others celebrating before the working days started. You deduced, it would be natural for your boyfriend to help Azul in such a busy day, there was nothing to worry about. But leaving without at least a greeting seemed rude, those months you spent underwater really deepened your bonds with Octavinelle trio, especially with Floyd. One small kiss to his cheek would harm nobody, right? Not like you feared one particular dorm leader's wrath for distracting his employee anyway.

But even if you had eagle-like eyesight you probably still wouldn't spot any familiar face in there, everyone was in such high spirits, they didn't even mind other's rather robust cheers or loud shouts. Perhaps, it was the only day in a whole year that Azul would tolerate such "atrocities" going on in his lounge. How grateful would you be if you met at least one of your friends right now.

In such a turmoil you didn't notice when a tall figure appeared before you, an impact from collision knocked the air out of your lungs. It seemed, whatever god heard your wish, they granted it, since the one who you all of sudden crushed into was none other than Jade Leech.

"Oh, I beg your pardon... Wait, [Name]? Ah, I hoped you would come."

It seemed your luck didn't leave you today, which you were thankful for, but upon observing twin's face closer, you couldn't help but frown. At first glance, nothing seemed out of place, Jade was polite and composed like always, but his expression was gloom, lips were straining in a forced smile and the prominent eye bags he sported made it apparent how distraught he really was. You had a feeling you wouldn't like the reason for that.

"Jade, what's about it? Is something up? And where's Floyd? I didn't see him anywhere. Not like it would be an easy task with all those students, heh."

"Yes, everybody is happy to see each other after a long time, but it's very hard to manage Monstro Lounge at times like that, especially since we're currently experiencing a lack of manpower..."

His glowed hand gently took your own, before he tugged you into a direction unknown to you, not sparing another word until you stopped in front of a door. You could recognize the place he led you to as Octavinelle students' rooms, the one you two were standing before was actually Floyd's.

"You see, [Name], after you had left we too started to prepare to go to college, and it included getting potions for transformation, of course. Both mine and Azul's were normal, but Floyd's... Perhaps the wrong ingredients were mixed in. Being in human form causes him pain and he can't revert back to his merman form too."

Jade's composure was slipping, he could no longer hide how worried he was for his brother. He shook his head distressed.

"I did everything I could, but he lashes out even on me now. Maybe being with you will elevate his struggle just a bit. So, stay with him, please? He needs you right now."

"O-of course, I'll do my best, don't worry Jade!"

"Thank you, now if you'll excuse me, there's a lot of work."

Showing you the last pitiful smile, Jade headed back to Monstro Lounge leaving you alone before Floyd's room. Your longing gaze turned to the door. It wasn't how you imagined meeting him. A few deep breaths. You had to stay strong, even if it pained you to know that your loved one was going through such hardships. Rubbing your eyes hard enough to not let the tears form, you braced yourself, before knocking gently on the door and allowing yourself in.

"Damn, Jade, is that you again? I told you, everything is fine so leave me alone!"

Floyd barked those words out not even turning to the door. It would have been exciting to hear his voice after a long while, but you would prefer the setting to be much different than that. He was laying on his stomach, head pressed into the pillow. From time to time a growl or whine would escape him when he tried to shift. Your heart clenched at the sight, less than anything in the world you wanted to see Floyd in pain.

"Floyd, I’m not Jade."

The man reacted instantly, turning his head to you, gaping at you, bloodshot eyes wide open. He stared, unmoving, before he visibly relaxed and a toothy, albeit tired smile showed on his face. You were ready to bet, that you saw his eyes glistening.

"Koebi-chan? Ahaha, my dear koebi-chan came to visit me. Come here, closer. I can't really move right now."

You didn't need much prompting to run to his side and embrace him as gently as you could. With your help, he was able to turn on his back, something so simple causing him to curse and growl in pain. Happiness from finally meeting him and the unfortunate circumstances of your reunion didn't help much with holding back your tears. You let out a small sob, the warmth from his hands on your back was seeping right through your clothes to your heart.

"Eh? Koebi-chan, why are you crying? Don't cry."

"But I missed you. Also, Jade told me what happened to you. Does it hurt much?"

Floyd was stunned, it was too cute for him, who lost all resistance to your charm after a bit of separation. The whole week he spent on the land writhing in pain, he could only think about how much he wanted to see your face once again, to hold your soft, warm body in his hands. A red blush left his cheeks as fast as it came, and soon it was your turn to be surprised by how fast your boyfriend's whole demeanor changed.

"Yes, it hurts like a bitch. Especially where my tail should be. It hurts so much, koebi-chan~ Ugh, I feel nauseous. That's it, I feel like I'm dying, but maybe if [Y/n] kissed it better it would pass? "

Floyd's childish whining elicited a small chuckle out of you. Some things never changed.

"But it must be very serious, will it really help? I don't think so..."

"No no, koebi-chan, it will help. C'mon, here, a kiss~"

Floyd was eagerly pointing to his knee, fully expecting you to comply. And how could you not, you gave a word to take care of your moody boyfriend, didn't you? Chortling, you descended down to lightly peck his right knee earnings a joyous giggle in return. For someone who was bedridden, he was very lively. Another peck and another giggle. You knew how sensitive the merman's legs were, and couldn't help but caress them, especially when it was receiving such a positive reaction. When you ended your treatment you returned to Floyd's eye level only to be met with a lovely sight of your boyfriend blushing and smiling cutely at you.

"So did it help? Were special kisses from Dr.[Y/n] effective?"

"Definitely! But maybe you could do...that thing again? Like pressing on my legs?"

"That thing? You meant massage? Okay, that I can do. Anything for my favorite patient!"

A swift hand intercepted yours before you could move away. There was a dangerous edge to Floyd's words.

"The only one. Koebi-chan, I'm your only one."

That possessive persona didn't go anywhere no matter what, did it? But really, it was Floyd's charm point, and you would lie if you told you didn't learn to love it and to deal with it efficiently.

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

You leaned in to kiss his lips, before focusing on the task at the hand. Starting out slowly, you held one of his feet with your hands and kneeded the sole firmly. Your repeated motions were reflecting on Floyd's changing expressions, an especially painful grimace didn't miss your eye. The smile you adored so much wasn't there anymore, in its stead was a deep frown and sharp teeth piercing delicate skin of his lips. You had half the mind to stop, but when you halted and tried to take your hands away, the man complained and urged you to continue. When Floyd didn’t show much resistance you moved on to his calf, undoing knots or going just a bit harder at places where the muscels felt too tights, while minding that your were applying enough pressure for him to feel it, but without causing any more pain and alternating between harder and lighter strokes.  

It seemed though, that your rather amateur movements proved to be very helpful, much to your delight since less and less you heard displeased grunts and more content whines and sighs.

"You're really good at this, koebi-chan~ You keep squeezing it, but it actually feels less painful, how?"

"It's all the power of love."

Loud laughter resonated through the room, genuine and unbridled like it used to be. Not haunted by pain anymore, Floyd's mind was slowly slipping into unconsciousness, something he couldn't achieve for days on end since he drank that damned potion, his eyes gradually closing and breathing slowing down. He looked peaceful and relaxed and you couldn't be happier observing him. Tugged out of your thoughts, literally, you found yourself in the eel's arm, his limbs wrapping around your form just like he always did when it was time to rest.

"[Y/n] really does love me...I love [Y/n] very much."

Floyd slurred the last confession before he let himself depart to dreamland with you, his savior snuggled right into his side.

"Yes, I do. I love you too Floyd, so please rest and feel better."

Sweet words ensured that he wouldn't miss that smile even in his sleep.

[redtail-hero]

Tags: @meganshinsou-tm @bakugoukatsukiswife @simplybakugou   @gr0vndz3ro @bakugousbrat @gallickingun @brebaguette

Rating: MATURE. 18+

Pairing: Bakugou x Reader x Kirishima

I tried really hard to make the reader gender neutral, so anyone can insert themselves in the story. Ultimately this is my time trying to do this. In my head the reader is female and I might switch over by accident. I apologize in advance if I do that.

This chapter has a little Bakugou X Kirishima in it. Just forewarning of a little boy love. It's toward the end if the chapter so it's easy to skip if you want.

Pt. 6 Tag Team

"You both have to face it. You've both practically jumped down the rabbit hole willingly but refuse to admit it." Sero chuckled. 

"Still don't know what you're even talking about." Bakugou replied grumpily as he watched for the signal that it was time to 'rescue' victims of the 'natural disaster'. 

"What rabbit hole?" Kirishima asked, looking over at his friend. 

"Oh, you're in denial too Kiri! It's so obvious. I've seen they way you both look at Y/N - like they're the only damn person in the room." Denki stated. "They're extremely comfortable with each of you, which is surprising since Bakugou usually acts like there is a stick up his ass."

"Watch it Sparky." Bakugou growled. 

"He's not wrong. Y/N's always joking with you and teases you guys." Sero agreed. 

'Oh they tease me alright.' Kirishima thought to himself. 

"Alright, I'm used to Sparky frying his brains daily but apparently this heat is getting to you both and you're beyond delirious."

"Deny it all you want, we know what we see." Sero stated. "There's the signal, wonder which of you will find them first." He chuckled and used his tape to shoot himself off to find someone to rescue. 

Kirishima and Bakugou stared at each other for a moment, neither moving to do their task yet. 

"Just think about it. Y/N definitely feels something for both of you. When it's their night to cook dinner they always switch between your favorite meals to make. They baked cookies for you guys 'just because they could'. During your work studies Y/N prepared both of your lunches every day." Denki stated, shaking his head at the two of them. 

"That's just how Y/N is. They'd do the same for everyone else." Kirishima scratched the back of his neck trying to ignore the face his face was heating up. 

"See that's where you're wrong. Y/N doesn't do that for anyone else… Are you blushing?" Denki laughed. "About time you guys notice what they do for you." With that he took his leave. 

"Tsk." Bakugou looked down at his shoes. "They're not wrong are they?" 

"No, I guess they're not." Kirishima sighed. 

Bakugou didn't stay any longer, using his quirk he blasted up off the building. 

"Uh, good talk…" Kirishima talked to himself. He walked all over the disaster area, looking for anyone he could pull out from the rubble. 

It wasn't too long, maybe a rough 15 minutes later he found you sitting in a pile of rubble, whining at him to help you out. He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. You just being there made him feel happy. 

Excited that he was the one to find you he hurried down and started removing debris off of your legs, tossing it behind him in every which way. 

There was a shift behind him, a light rumble noise sounded before you yelled out his name. He reacted before he could even think. His body hardened as he covered your body with his, pulling you close to protect you. 

The heavy impact never came, instead a loud blast was heard and pebbles of debris rained down over the two of you. He knew it was Bakugou and was thankful for the assistance. 

Mina was with Bakugou, not that Kirishima paid any attention to the girl. Red eyes glared down at him. 

"Tch. Idiot, watch where you're throwing that shit around. You would have been buried if I wasn't around. 

Eijiro frowned. The blond wasn't wrong. You both could have been injured and then he wouldn't have been any help to you at all. He couldn't focus on anything except his small fuck up. 

"Hey Kiri, " His eyes snapped to yours. "are you okay?" 

"Of course. Are you okay?" 

"Yes, now… want to get off of me?" 

He was suddenly very aware of your limbs being tangled together and your skin against his. No, he didn't want to get off of you. You were very comfortable to him. He couldn't just stay that way though. "Oh, Haha, sorry about that." He resisted the urge to roll his hips against yours and pushed himself up immediately missing your skin against his. He brushed himself off and offered you his hand. 

You had come up with a brilliant idea to get him to carry you out of the debris but forcing his hand, laying on the defenseless citizen-act real thick.  The look of embarrassment fell upon your features as he scooped you up in his arms bridal style. A small string of protest came from your lips. 

He noted that you felt right in his arms as you rest your head against his chest. Breathing in deeply he could smell your natural scent he couldn't help but grin. He could get used to this. 

It unfortunately didn't take him long to get to the rest area. There was a table with red solo cups of water lined up. Other classmates were already refreshing themselves with the cool drinks. His eyes caught Katsuki's, the blonde glared at him. Kirishima couldn't help but chuckle at the jealousy rolling off him, not that the boy would ever admit it. 

Kirishima announced your arrival to the rest area. You scrambled out of his arms so quickly that it surprised him. He watched you grab a cup and down the water in seconds. 

Small talk fell upon the small group while waiting for other classmates. Mr. Aizawa gave some instructions for the following day. 

Thirsty, Kirishima walked up and kept a respectful distance between you. Asking for a drink, you politely help him out grabbing him a cup. A small collision of hands caused a spill of the water on your arms. 

"Hey, you got me wet!" The glare you gave was playful but the words were so suggestive. The words shouldn't have had any effect on him, but they did. 'Play it cool.' He couldn't help himself. "That's nothing." He pretended like he was going to splash you and you backed away. 

It ended up turning into a huge water fight among the class. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. Everyone was game now, he splashed Mina and then Sero. Before long the ground was soaked. 

Bakugou was chasing you around the table and Kirishima hit Denki on the shoulder, motioning toward the 5 gallon bucket of water. The two of them lifted it together and waited for the perfect moment. Sero stepped in to help by cutting you off. You halted to a stop and Bakugou grabbed you around the waist. 

Kirishima and Denki lifted the cooler and poured it over the two of you, a loud squeal of surprise could be heard. Everyone roared with laughter at the "drowned rat" looks the two of you now sported. 

“Kirishima! I’m soaked!” The words barley left your lips as he watched the water droplets dance down your skin. His mind went right to the gutters, he felt a small twitch in his pants. 

You looked up at Bakugou who could only nod as he stared at you. He swallowed deep and you were confused. “You okay?”

“Y-yeah… Just fine.” He swallowed as he looked you up and down. 

Kirishima also noticed what Bakugou did. It was hard not to stare and it was entirely his fault. His eyes caught a droplet of water and followed it down your skin to under your shirt. 

You covered your body, hiding the details of your body.  “I- I have to go! You guys clean up!” With a wave you rushed out of the building. 

The two of them were disappointed to see you leave so quickly. A hand slapped on both of their shoulders. "Oh boy, you guys have it baaaaad." Sero let out a hoot of a laugh.

"Yeah, he's not wrong. You guys were acting like little kids trying not to flirt with their crush, but failing miserably." Denki added with a laugh of his own. 

"Both of you shut it. I'm fucking out. Damn extras." Bakugou stormed off. 

"I'm just gonna check on him." Kirishima excused himself. 

"HEY! WHAT ABOUT CLEAN UP?" Denki yelled to them but neither boy turned around. 

Bakugou stormed into the dorms, he made a beeline to his room - thankful that your room wasn't anywhere near his. He stripped of his hero gear and fell back on his bed. He glared hard at the wall as a knock came on his door. "Go away Shitty Hair."

Kirishima opened the door anyway and entered. He locked the door behind him as they needed to have a serious talk and didn't need anyone else walking in. 

"Are you deaf? I said go away."

Ignoring him, the redhead sat at the end of the bed. "What are we going to do man?" 

"What are you talking about?" 

"Don't try to pretend. You can't tell me that when you're going to bed at night that your mind doesn't bring you back to that damn lollipop."

Kiri flopped back on the bed, closing his eyes tight. "Y/N's lips wrapped around that lollipop. They sucked it so good. Licking the stickiness off their lips. Fuck, I wanted a taste. No, I wanted to be that lollipop. I imagine Y/N taking me so well." He absent-mindedly palmed his crotch, hips lifting slightly. 

The mental image alone made the blonde groan in frustration. "It doesn't even need to be bed time." He admitted. "I just hear it. I hear the moans and groans of when I gave them that massage." As if on cue he could wear he heard you moan out loud. "And then I can't just ignore it, it doesn't go away on its own. I need the release." He motioned to his tented pants. 

"I get it man. It's to the point where my own hand just doesn't cut it anymore. I want the real deal." Kiri's cheeks were shaded scarlet. "We need to figure this out man. I don't want bad blood between us. You're too important to lose over this."

"You're not gonna lose me Shitty Hair." Bakugou sat up. "So, we like the same person. We don't even know if they feel anything for either one of us."

"I just don't want something to happen between one of us and them and the other one be angry." 

"So, we don't let that happen." 

Eijiro sat up and turned to face his friend. "And how exactly do you stop something like that? It's not like we can tag-team and take turns fucking Y/N. " He sat on his knees and looked down at his friend. "Are you trying to tell me that if Y/N walked in here one night and did this," he touched Bakugou's hard on once, before giving a gentle squeeze. "that you would just tell them no?" 

Bakugou hissed at the contact, hips snapped up into his friend's hand. "No," Bakugou licked his lip. "But I don't see that happening." His eyes closed as the motions on his lower half didn't stop. "Kiri…" He hissed out a warning to the redhead. 

"Did you see this happening?" Kiri asked as he pulled his friend's pants down, releasing his hard cock. 

Bakugou's eyes snapped open as he was about to tell his friend off. The words died in his throat as Kirishima's hand wrapped around his cock and moved up and down. A slight twist here and small tug there had the blonde gripping the sheets. 

"You want release. You stated that yourself. I'm just sexually frustrated and I can't handle it anymore. What if Y/N was doing this to you? Would you really stop them?" He pulled his shirt off before leaning over Bakugou's cock. "Let's see you not let this happen." 

Bakugou groaned, his hips snapped up as Eijiro engulfed his cock into his warm mouth. "Fuck…" He didn't know how he was feeling right now. He never pictured his best friend on his cock but here they were. He was blaming you. This was entirely your fault. If you weren't so damn attractive then this never had been an issue. Fuck, they had it bad for you. 

It didn't take long for him to spill into his friends mouth. He felt relief like he hadn't in a while. 

"Now, let's take care of my problem." Kirishima licked his lips and pulled his pants down. 

 Thoughts? 

[vivilove-jonsa]

Halloween prompt 😁: "we have to run, now!".

Hello, my dear!  Thank you for the prompt.  This turned out different than my original thoughts on this one but have a little Halloween Haunted Corn Maze Fluff.

(and just fyi for others, I afraid I won’t be able to do any more prompts for a bit after this one)

**

Halloween night.  What on earth had made her agree to this?

Pride.  

Oh yeah.

Look, it’s not like she doesn’t love her siblings.  She does.

But sometimes, they have a knack for making Sansa feel like an outsider in her own family.  It’s not intentional but a lot of the stuff she likes just doesn’t appeal to the others and vice versa.  

And one thing they all seem to love which Sansa does not is scary stuff.  Horror movies, haunted houses, Halloween stuff.  

Even Jon, who isn’t technically a sibling but gets treated like one by everyone else, has more in common with them than Sansa does, it seems.  

So, when she’d asked Arya what she was doing this Saturday night, not remembering that it was October 31st and therefore Halloween, she’d been told she was going to the corn maze.

“A corn maze?  Who’s going?”

“Me and Gendry are going to meet Robb and Jon who are taking Bran, Rickon and some friends there.”

“The boys are going too?”

Their little brothers are still underage so it wasn’t the usual Saturday night pub crawl that Sansa has occasionally joined the others in.  (Which she’s joined them for more frequently since breaking up with her boyfriend three months ago.)  

“Yeah.”

“Well, it sounds fun…”  

She’d let that linger, waiting to see if her sister would extend an invitation.  Her stomach had knotted up at the thoughts that the offer might not come but Arya hadn’t let her down, not exactly.

“Right.  Well, you’re welcome to come.  There’s a pumpkin patch or hayride if you want to wait for us there.”

“Why would I want to go on a hayride alone?  And who’s picking pumpkins on Halloween night?  Won’t all the pumpkins be picked?”  (Honestly, she’d be very sad if there were any pumpkins left behind and would want to take them with her.)

“But…Sans, it’s a haunted corn maze.  I don’t think it’ll be your thing.”  

Thus, Pride had had its say and insisted that of course she would enjoy going to a haunted corn maze on Halloween and how dare anyone suggest otherwise.

Alright, she’d looked wistfully at the little shed where they were selling popcorn, caramel apples and hot apple ciders upon their arrival.  She might have even sighed seeing the young couples wearing gloves with rosy cheeks climbing onto the haybales for their hayride.  But she’d marched determinedly up to the booth ahead of everyone else to buy her ticket first because Sansa Stark is not a fraidy cat.

Which has led to her current predicament.

“We have to run, now!” Rickon shouts as the chainsaw-wielding murderer gets closer.

Yes, part of her agrees. Her fight or flight instincts are kicking in with flight winning.  Every hair on her head is standing on end.  Why does a power tool get to have that level of impact on my psyche when I’ve never even seen that movie?!

But running doesn’t seem like the answer to her logical mind.  They’re all together, a pack.  That’s how they’d got past the zombies after their first wrong turn.  They’d been hemmed in until Jon had spied the exit path. They’d shuffled along as one with Sansa and Rickon’s friend Shireen doing their best to be as much in the middle of their group as possible.  (Clearly, the girl was scared and wanted to hold Sansa’s hand, okay?)  Anyway, they’d out-shuffled those zombies and been in the clear for five whole minutes before this Leatherface guy showed up.  

So, that is obviously the solution here.  They should stick together, not take off in the middle of a huge ass corn maze in the dark in three different directions.

Unfortunately, that’s precisely what Rickon and his friends do.  

“No, we don’t need to run! Kids, we’re…ugh!”

Robb shouts after them as well to no avail.  “Rickon Stark, if you don’t get your ass back here this second I am never taking you and your friends anywhere ever a-…shit.”  They now have three 12-years-olds to hunt down in the middle of a corn maze.  “Okay, Arya and Gendry take this path.  Bran, you come with me down that one.  Jon, you and Sansa look for them that way.”

Sansa tries not to grimace.  It’s not a grimace of distaste.  It’s a grimace of something else.  Based on the way Jon scowls, she knows she didn’t succeed in not grimacing.  Well, he was already scowling.  Scowling is kind of a go-to look for him in social settings.  (Don’t tell but it’s a surprisingly good look on him.)

“Fine.  Come on,” he mutters, leading the way with one of the three flashlights they’d brought between them.

It’s not that she dislikes Jon.  She hopes he doesn’t dislike her though they’ve never been as close as he is with the others. She’d like to be closer maybe.  In fact, she’s teetering pretty firmly in the opposite direction of dislike, has been for the past month or so since she’d got over her break up (nothing that serious anyway) and started spending more time with him and the others on Saturday nights.  

Yeah, Robb sniggers when she orders her daquiris instead of the ales they all drink but Jon doesn’t. He’s really pretty sweet about fetching drinks and often offers to give her a lift home.  He’s actually kind of funny when he loosens up a bit, too.  

But he’s Jon.  He’s known her since she was three.  Those little flutters she’s starting to notice around him are obviously the effect of the alcohol, right?

Except you’ve not had anything to drink tonight.  

So, why the grimace? Well, because she likes Jon and she’s already a little afraid of embarrassing herself out here which means it’s bound to happen.

Maybe I should’ve just rode the hayride alone.  I could’ve saved all the unloved pumpkins and stuffed them in the back of Robb’s SUV, too.    

They set off down one of the paths, the mowed down corn stalks and mud squishing beneath their boots while they’re surrounded on all sides.  She’s glad they’ve got a full moon.  It’s a blue moon.  They’re already rare but on Halloween?  That seems pretty special.  It’d feel romantic in other circumstances.

Like side by side on a hayride.  He might offer me his jacket and…

Ugh, would you stop? You’re not on a date with Jon.  

“Ow!  Will you watch it?!”

She’d been staring up at the moon and hadn’t realized Jon had come to a halt.  She’s run right into his back, her boots catching his own boot-covered ankles.  He’s more solid than you’d think just looking at him.  He also smells good…and she’s a clumsy dork.  

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”  He’s looking around, listening.

“What is…”  

She doesn’t get the rest of her sentence out because someone has grasped her arm.

Someone who isn’t Jon.

She’s screaming bloody murder and there’s maniacal laughter coming from the close-packed stalks that surround them.  Yes, they’d been told they might be lightly touched by performers during their ‘experience.’ They’d had to sign waivers that they agreed to that and that they wouldn’t physically retaliate.  Sansa is not remotely a violent person but, right now, she’s ready to knock the living daylights out of whoever grabbed her arm.

She’s pulled herself into the middle of the path, not that it’s that wide, and is hugging herself and shaking once the hand lets go of her.  

“Hey, it’s okay.  Let’s move this way,” Jon says, pulling her down the path away from whoever that was hiding back in the corn.  

He thinks he has to protect her, like she’s some little girl who can’t handle a scare.

She mutters she’s fine.  She is fine but also embarrassed.  And yeah, there’s the chainsaw in the distance again and this whole experience is making her jumpy.  It may be a bit obvious.  

“Why’d you come tonight?”

“Huh?”  She’d been walking along, lost in her thoughts.  She glances over at Jon and it clicks what he asked.  “I don’t know.  I like hanging out with everyone.”

“We like you hanging out with us but I didn’t think a haunted corn maze would be your thing.”

“It’s not.  I just thought…”  She sighs.  “I just didn’t want to be left behind.”

He nods thoughtfully. “It’s okay if you don’t enjoy stuff like this.”

“But everyone else does.”

“You don’t have to be everyone, Sansa.  You’re perfect the way you are.”

She raises her eyebrows, grinning at him.  “I’m perfect?”

“Don’t let that go to your head.” He starts grinning back.  His grins are even hotter than his scowls.  

“Thanks, Jon.”

“And I wouldn’t have left you behind.  I mean if…” He scrubs at his beard, looking a little embarrassed himself.  “I would’ve stuck with you outside the maze while everyone did this.”

“You would?!”  He would?!  

“Yeah.”

“I wouldn’t want to hold you back from having a good time with everyone else.”

“I’ve done corn mazes before.  You wouldn’t be holding me back from having a good time.  Not that I’m much company or…”

“GARRRRR!!!  MU-WAH-HAHA!!!”

A horrific looking clown comes out of the corn right behind them…carrying a huge freaking axe?!  

And we’re screaming again, she notes internally as she grasps Jon’s arm.

The thing is, he’s shouting, too.  “We need to run, now!”  

He half drags her along but she’s not complaining.  She’s too busy trying not to hyperventilate.  

They run until they run out of path.  They run until they’re both laughing at themselves and each other for running.  They run until they realize they’re surrounded by the warmth of glowing lights and cute carved pumpkins instead of corn with the smell of apple cider and popcorn in the air.  They’ve escaped the maze.

Rickon and his friends are all sitting together at one of the nearby tables, eating caramel apples and popcorn in huge bites.  Her little brother laughs when she attempts to scold him for running off, saying he figured everyone else could find their own way out.  “I mean, we found our way and we’re just kids.”  

“Should we go back in and look for the others?” Jon asks her.

“No, they can find their way out, can’t they?”

Surely, they can.  Besides, she’s got a few unloved pumpkins to save. Jon doesn’t say a peep.  Just helps her load them into the back of Robb’s SUV.

“I love toasted pumpkin seeds.”

“Me, too.”

And when her and Jon decide to go on the hayride after sharing some apple cider a short time later, Sansa decides she hopes it takes them a little longer to find their way out of the maze.  Especially when Jon drapes his jacket over her shoulders as they hold hands under the full blue moon.  

[shhhlikeme]

Hi, can i please have a fluffy Daichi, where reader is extremely shy and she keeps making him lunch/pastries but keeps being too shy to give it to him or if she does she will kind of just run away before he can respond haha (this was basically me in high school 🤦🏻‍♀️). Thank you!!

THIS REQ IS SO CUTE! WELCOME BACK TO FLUFFVILLE BABIES! And awwww MAKE THOSE PASTRIES CUTIE THATS ADORABLE 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖 It gives me Michimiya vibes but like....homegirl was kind of annoying Daichi was never feeling her so this is Y/N’s time to shine!!!!

————————————-

Some Daichi Sawamura x Reader Winter Time Romance 🧣❄️☃️ (Fluffville!)

———————————

Daichi was no stranger to being gifted food and pastries

It was true that he was no Oikawa by fan girl status but I’d be lying if I said the boy didn’t have 70% of the female population of Karasuno High crushing on him

He was so professional, handsome and respectful to everyone ... it was hard to not want to do his bidding

Girls in all 3 years would bring him and Suga sweets fairly often (like once a week) and he would smile at them widely and thank them sincerely

One day Michimiya gave him a box of rice snacks with a note attached to it finally confessing to him her feelings

Daichi the sweetheart found her later that day and asked if she had time to talk after school

At which point he let her down so kindly and easily that she didn’t even cry until she got home

Hearing this one day in the halls made you promise yourself never to let him find out that you were totally into him

You hearing what happened to such a pretty, smart, and nice girl like Michimiya, you settled for strategically placing your sweet bakes for daichi in places that he will be next so that you will never have to face him

Like you’d put it on his seat in the class he will be going to next or by the gym doors because, as captain, he had the keys to open it up first

(It always had his name on it though so if second keyholder Tanaka got to it first he’d hand it over to him jealously)

You were incredibly shy and the idea of Daichi knowing how hard you worked on this food for him (since you decorated his treats with gum drop details and stuff) was borderline mortifying

You didn’t want him to ‘let you down easy’ like he did Michimiya, you just wanted him to enjoy your food because you knew it made him happy

You decided you’d never confess and you made your peace with it

You just wanted him to be energized and full on his game days so you would always make him extra when the team was scheduled to play

Simply seeing him around the school enjoying your food and not letting Suga or Asahi taste it like he would with the rest of the gifted pastries he got was enough for you to be happy doing it and never being caught

That is....until the day you were caught :/

Yesterday you had made Daichi Bocchan Dango because you knew it was his favourite and it was his first day of Nationals so it had to be special!

You usually were at school early because of your own club meetings so you walked by the gym extra early to place his food on the window of the boys volleyball gym where he’d usually find it.

You stood on your toes to place it there and then turned to walk away in the dark foggy morning when you saw a single stature bundled up in the trendy black jacket you could recognize anywhere....standing there.....

Waiting for you.

...And he was holding something.

“Please don’t run.” Dadchi pleaded politely, seeing on your face that you were going to do just that. The only reason why you didn’t was because his voice kind of emitted obedience. His sense of authority was clearly naturalized.

Daichi wiggled the tupperware container he held in one hand so he could draw your attention to it. “Uh, I don’t know if I’m anywhere near as good a cook or baker as you, but I promise I really tried.” Rendered Daichi with the smallest of blushes under his eyes. A cold breeze hit the two of you and you kind of squealed out of nervousness and the cold combined. He walked toward you slowly in the chilly winter morning and you stepped back instinctively. He stopped when you stepped away.

“Are you more nervous than I am?” He asked endearingly, letting out a soft chuckle. You were able to look at the snow on your boots and nod as your blush deepened.

You couldn’t believe you’d been caught. You never meant to get caught—and you didn’t know what to do.

“If you look up sometime Y/N, I’d like to show you that I also made you hot chocolate. It always calms my nerves, I had one...or four.... before I left the house this morning. Do you like hot coco?”

Hearing Daichi say those words you lifted your head to look up at the volleyball captain and you could see that he had a container in his hand wrapped up in a little red bow and a fancied hot chocolate in his other hand. They looked homemade: you loved anything homemade.

When you looked up for the first time Daichi couldn’t help but smile widely and you immediately turned away out of timidity. He stepped toward you again and this time you didn’t step back. He extended his bearings to you and you took them, muttering a shy, “Thank you, Daichi-sama.” You noticed that the little tags on the treats were addressed to you in Daichi’s handwriting with a smiley face.

Daichi moved away from you so he could grab the food you’d left for him by the gym doors. He returned to stand right in front of you so that you two were almost toe-to-toe.

“No, thank you, Y/N. I really appreciate all the food you always leave me. They’re my favourite—even a bit more than my moms—and they’re delicious. I’m honoured.”

You felt like you could die right there. “Y-you don’t have to th-thank me, Daichi.”

“No, I do have to. Because you honestly made what I planned to do a lot easier for me,”

You peaked up at him, momentarily curious. He was staring down at you with serious eyes and you didn’t understand. “W-what do you mean?” You inquired.

“Uh—you heard that I had to reject Michimiya a few weeks ago, right? It was going around the school not too long ago, unfortunately.” He awkwardly played with his mittens.

You nodded. “Yes.”

“Did you hear, uh—why?”

You shook your head. “N-no.”

“I-uh......” Taking a deep breath and getting his act together, Daichi couldn’t help but put a hand under your chin so you’d quit looking anywhere else but at him. “Y/N, I rejected Michimiya because I told her that I.....liked someone else.”

Your heart sank because this is exactly what you wanted to avoid: Daichi letting you down easy. But boy was he good at it because you could stare into his lush chestnut brown orbs forever without feeling the need to cry. Is this how he did it to Michimiya?

“I-I’m sorry Daichi-san. I didn’t m-mean to—“

“I told Michimiya that I liked you. I actually thought she was the one who left me the secret treats that’s why I told her, but either way, I admitted that I was trying to find a way to tell you how I felt.”

Another cold morning breeze attacked the two of you and you gasped by its force. “W-What??” You asked, you must be delirious from staring into his beautiful eyes for too long. You couldn’t have heard what you thought you just heard.

“I had no idea that you were the girl that always left me these treats until Suga caught you fleeing the gym yesterday, but Koshi was more than happy to jump on me and yell that the girl I’ve been crushing on for the past year might actually like me back. So I, uh, assumed your pattern. I stayed up all night with my mom baking these for you from scratch and trying to meet you in the act. I...thought it was too good to be true and that I’d look like a total loser standing here with these alone until I saw you leave it on the windowsill a second ago.”

“Oh my goodness,” you whispered as you shook your head at his confession. Your heart was bursting with love and disbelief. “I-I can’t believe it....Daichi....”

Lovely Daichi removed his scarf and put it over your scarf-less neck sweetly, effectively warming you up.

“I really like you, Y/N. Can our first date be you coming over so I can make you some more innovative bakes, for once? My mom will be there and she’ll chaperone me so that I don’t poison you, but, I just want to repay you for cheering me up all the time anonymously with your pastries.”

Feeling your heart sing, you nodded as you leaned your cheek on his warm and soft green scarf that smelled like sugar and spice and everything Daichi. 😌💞

“I-I’d really like that.” You answered, grinning and taking a sip of the delicious and warm hot chocolate in your hands...

....the hot chocolate that was made by the man of your dreams.

[signetxego]

The twst dorm leaders playing gbf, purely for meme purposes, something i spent too much time on. below the cut for long post.

Riddle

⁃ Rank 101

⁃ Plays casually but consistently, riddle is a perfectionist and wants to make his teams good, but he’s also realistic and pragmatic. He knows he’s a busy guy, and can’t join trains all day to bust up all his grids at once

⁃ The type to focus on one team at a time based on a predetermined order. Probably not in a crew (if he is, it’s just him, Cater and some of Cater’s friends) so he doesn’t worry about guild wars and building his teams based on that.

⁃ f2p, he’s responsible with his money. probably mains light since he likes the comfort of a high hp pool + stamina, and the typical light play style is reliable and safe.

⁃ Has only recruited one eternal—funf. Her voice probably drives him up the wall, but he likes the security of her heals to his light team. Is planning on 5*ing her!

⁃ favourite class is doctor. Practical, and he won’t admit it but sexy as fuck

⁃ He plays for the gameplay rather than the story/characters, the one exception is sandalphon, who he is incredibly fond of!!! he reads stories if the plot interests him, however, and if he’s got some spare time.

Leona

⁃ Rank 1

⁃ Leona doesn’t play he’s in it like a collecting game and so ruggie can use his randomly lucksacked mlb shiva as a support summon

⁃ like vil, plays on roulette season

⁃ reads some stories, but on ruggies account bc he cba to unlock them himself

⁃ ruggie made a joke about leona being percival ‘if he lost his sense of honour’ which made leona go and read the dragon knights stories

⁃ bruh he fucking stans percy so hard after reading between frost and flame but he won’t admit it

⁃ frequently throws money at the game just because he feels like pulling in gacha. ruggie is crying. leona don’t buy the scam star draw set you don’t even play the game please

⁃ is always really lucky in gacha

Azul

⁃ Rank 200

⁃ Only started playing recently, but was determined to catch up to Idia and become the best player so he got the twins and some poor unfortunate souls to help him grind and pay his way to instant victory

⁃ Doesn’t care for the plot, is purely driven by competition and wanting to have the best grids at any given time. Mains water for the Octavinelle Aesthetic and bitches about having to play the summer cagliostro crit setup to compete with other elements.

⁃ Likes quatre because they are both driven purely by spite and revenge, and is desperate for him to get a rebalance so he can run him w/ a clear conscience

⁃ Also likes Six, probably cried like a bitchboy during seeds of redemption which is to this date the only story he has read but you didn’t hear it from me

⁃ In a crew with idia and is waiting to overthrow him as captain

⁃ Has a weird spreadsheet showing exactly when to cast a status effect for it to land with the highest success that’s virtually unreadable to anyone aside from him

⁃ Plays chaos ruler as default bc he thinks it looks cool

⁃ sparks for the weapon rather than the character

⁃ hates farming for mats and gets the twins/his slaves to do his dailies when he’s busy a lot of the time god i wish i had slaves to farm ubaha host mats for me rn

Kalim

⁃ Rank 50 but his grids are the best of anyone in the game bc haha money go brrrr

⁃ He is cursed with bad gacha luck, and managed to deck himself out with the sexiest primal grid possible (puts idia’s to shame) thanks to jamils help, and a lot of money spent on trying to get Vikala’s ssr (before realising the spark function existed...)

⁃ He doesn’t favour any element, because he likes all the characters! He has a soft spot for Anila and Vikala though, since they’re so adorable and fun!

⁃ Doesn’t play seriously and mostly just reads the stories, idia wants to cry when he sees his fire grid with four flb ixabas going to waste

⁃ He likes Sarasa, and thinks she’s really funny, so when he does play it’s mostly grinding to recruit her!

⁃ Actually likes Vyrn and doesn’t find him annoying! has actually read the main story.

⁃ solos as soon as he has 300 crystals, he literally can’t save, i hate it here

⁃ his favourite class is lumberjack, but he hasn’t unlocked it yet ;-; ccws are hard to forge for rank 100 and below ;-;

Vil

⁃ Rank 25

⁃ seasonal player, shows up for roulette season and then leaves

⁃ downloaded the game because of the pretty art and the cute character designs, but can’t be bothered to learn how to play—he’s a busy man!

⁃ Europa was his first SSR and is still one of his favourite characters, she’s so pretty! He also loves michael and gabriel, and would start playing properly if they became playable mark my words

⁃ won’t admit it but probably wants belial to smear his makeup a little

⁃ kinda a basic bitch, has only read the wmtsb series cried at the ‘i’ll be waiting’ scene

⁃ criticises the fashion choices of every character he pulls, summons included. Won’t go into raids if the boss is ugly.

⁃ Does his makeup with zero playing in the bg and once parades lust...

Idia

⁃ Rank 275

⁃ that insane player who has soloed faasan hl in every element, has all the eternals 5*ed + the sexy blue skin, and all the evokers

⁃ a legendary figure in the community

⁃ plays as tormentor in every team bc he’s that bitch and also has a damascus knife mh for every element even if he doesn’t always use it

⁃ is both serious abt gameplay and the characters, watches all the gbf channel episodes and keeps up with news

⁃ was probably in a gbfvs tournament

⁃ his favourite character is caim, who reminds him of ortho with his childish innocence! Second is Nio, who is quiet and cute! He’s fond of a lot of characters though, like esser, funf, ferry and narmaya.

⁃ Strictly plays with his faves, but his grids are so good that he manages to make any setup meta.

⁃ Has siero scratcher ptsd bc it didn’t give him his third flb blue sphere but got tempted with it so. many. times.

⁃ Is in a guild w/ azul and ortho + some internet friends and if anyone doesn’t meet the gw quota in a day he screams at them w his hair all red and angry

⁃ owns the gisla body pillow.

⁃ He mains all elements. He has a primal whale grid for every element. His favourite to play with is probably wind, because he thinks it has the most flexibility in its play style. Hes a little mad that winds evoker is not as good as most of the others...

⁃ Idia: “i play for strategy” also idia: ‘gets fraux before alanaan bc the waifu is too strong’

Malleus

⁃ Rank 200

⁃ he can’t play, he’s just been farming tiamat omega raids daily since the games launch

⁃ he downloaded it to get closer to lilia, who is really *really* trying to teach him how to play with... little success

⁃ Still, he doesn’t give up!

⁃ Used his free gold bar uncapping a celeste horn

⁃ forgot to collect his free eternal

⁃ used parazonium as skill fodder (dw malmal i did the same and i live with the guilt)

⁃ uses auto select for his grids

⁃ lilia is crying in the background and often steps in to make the grids himself, but malleus always accidentally deletes them...

⁃ his favourite character is vania, she reminds him of lilia! and also, himself, in a strange way...

⁃ he also likes song, and has worked very hard to recruit her! he almost cried reading about how she was ostracised in her village for her talent at archery, and how lonely she feels, even in the eternals.

⁃ whenever the characters give him a seasonal message, he cries

⁃ gives valentines/white day/christmas gifts to every single character he has

[fasterthanmydemons]

Dahlia - How does your muse handle themselves at formal events?

Delphinium - What are your muse’s go-to activities in their downtime?

Edelweiss - Is there anything that your muse will refuse to give up on virtually no matter what?

Forget-me-not - Who is someone in your muse’s life that they will never forget and why?

Geranium - How would your muse fare in upper class or “proper” society?

Gorse - How does your muse feel about each season?

Hollyhock - What are your muse’s limits, if any, when it comes to chasing after their ambitions?

Honeysuckle - What does your muse think about marriage?

Hyacinth - What would a symbolic rebirth look like for your muse?

Ivy - Does your muse find themselves overly dependent on something, regardless of whether they actually are or not?

Dahlia - How does your muse handle themselves at formal events?

Oh dear... Pietro... feels an unfortunate need to push against authority, whether good or bad. It could be abusive authority like Hydra or well-meaning authority like Steve’s, he’s still gonna push against it. So... at a formal event, he’d feel the need to... hmm, how to put this... see how informal he can get before someone says something to him? XD He’ll tell jokes, get loud, try to stir things up... all because formal events are supposed to be elegant and sophisticated and proper and Pietro can’t stand it. He’s gotta break out of the mold, heh. Even with what he wears... You’re never getting him to wear a tie and good luck even getting him in a suit at all. Maybe if you make a deal with him and offer him something he wants in return, he might do it. XD

Delphinium - What are your muse’s go-to activities in their downtime?

Listening to music, drumming, running for fun, hiking, weight-training (he actually finds this fun, so it isn’t work to him), and of course spending time with his beloved sister. Or his significant other in verses where he has one. And eating, haha, but he has to eat a lot to maintain his powerhouse body’s needs, so maybe that’s not downtime. I would say he likes games too. You could easily get him to play board games or even rpg-style card games if you can get him to pay attention long enough to learn the rules.

Edelweiss - Is there anything that your muse will refuse to give up on virtually no matter what?

Protecting Wanda and anyone else he loves. He won’t ever give up, no matter how dire the situation is, even if all hope is lost, until his dying breath, he’ll keep trying. That and standing up for the “little guy,” the poor, the less fortunate, the sick, and the elderly.

Forget-me-not - Who is someone in your muse’s life that they will never forget and why?

His paternal grandfather (or at least the man he thought was his paternal grandfather... he was Django’s father, but Django isn’t Pietro’s biological father... but oops he never knew, so... yeah XD). He was a Holocaust survivor, a very wise man, and a very kind man. Despite all that he’d been through and all that he’d seen, he managed to keep his humanity and his empathy. He spent a lot of time with Pietro until he passed away of old age when the twins were four. Even though he was very little, Pietro remembers the stories he’d tell about the types of men who perpetrated the Holocaust, and then the good men who fought against it and to end it. The twins were never kept from such truths, even despite their graphic nature, because it was an important part of their heritage. Pietro really absorbed a lot of what his grandfather told him, and modeled the man he wanted to be when he grew up on those “good men” his grandfather spoke about.

Geranium - How would your muse fare in upper class or “proper” society?

See above, the “formal events” question, heh. Pretty much all of that but then you include stuffy, rich, entitled people? Oh boy. Pietro doesn’t have a very positive view of the rich for a number of reasons, so not only would he feel a need to kindof... jar their comfort world with his boisterous and often uncouth self, but he would also want to make very clear that he was not intimidated by them, nor did he think they were better than him. He’d want to disabuse them of the notion that he’s some vagabond that doesn’t matter. Fitting in would not be a goal of his. XD

Gorse - How does your muse feel about each season?

Pietro likes warmth, so Spring and Summer are great, Fall and Winter suck. Spring and Summer are great because everything is green and pleasant and warm and it’s great weather to go out running in. In Fall, the falling leaves are problematic. If it rains and they stick to the ground, he can’t stop on them. He skids right off the street, haha. Winter is even worse. The cold causes him to need even more food to keep up with the calories it takes for his body to properly keep its muscles warm. And ice is the bane of his existence. He’s skidded on his ass more times than he can count. XD

Hollyhock - What are your muse’s limits, if any, when it comes to chasing after their ambitions?

He won’t step on other people to get there. He won’t hurt others, either physically or just morally speaking. And I would say he also wouldn’t take things or accept offers that are tainted. He wouldn’t accept ill-gotten money, a shady job, or anything that seems to come for free... because nothing is free. That’s part of why he finds it so hard to fit in with the Avengers at first, because he’s just handed this nice job, all expenses paid, access to great medical care (even if he’s scared of it, heh), and food anytime he wants it, and he just wonder what the catch is. So he’s very conscious of what he’s being given or what he’s earning, who’s offering it, and where it’s coming from as far as sources and people. He prefers to get things on his own merits or through his own actions, and he doesn’t want to beholden to anyone who might cause him or Wanda harm. And really, as long as he and Wanda are taken care of, that’s all he wants. “Climbing the ladder” isn’t really what he’s after, just providing for himself and those he cares about.

Honeysuckle - What does your muse think about marriage?

Marriage is a serious deal for Pietro, but it’s kindof the ultimate goal for a serious, long-term relationship for him. He hopes to marry someday, and would prefer to marry before having kids if possible, more because he wants to make sure that there is enough in place legally and monetarily between him and the mother to properly provide for children. Pietro grew up super poor, and he saw how it affected everyone. From his and Wanda’s point of view, it was scary sometimes going without food or not knowing when the next meal would come. But then he also saw his parents stressing out over being able to provide for them. So he came out of that not wanting to jump into having kids without preparing properly beforehand. Marriage is one of the steps involved with that preparation in his mind.

Hyacinth - What would a symbolic rebirth look like for your muse?

I mean... to me, Pietro becoming an Avenger is a kindof symbolic rebirth for him. It’s him moving away from the grudges and false information he’d held onto from childhood and accepting that he might have been wrong, or that things weren’t as black and white as he thought. It’s also a move from being at the bottom with regard to the poor and oppressed of society, to suddenly being privileged and using that privilege to help people like how he used to be. And since my Pietro turn 18 two weeks after Ultron, it’s also a move from childhood to adulthood. So on many levels, becoming an Avenger is a new start and a type of rebirth for him.

Ivy - Does your muse find themselves overly dependent on something, regardless of whether they actually are or not?

I answered this already and said Wanda, or Wanda’s reassurance/approval/etc. So I’ll pick something else he’s dependent on for this one. Being dependent on Wanda is something that is mostly in his head. It’s partly a choice and partly born of trauma. But Pietro is also dependent on food, and that dependence is very real. He really can’t go very long without food before experiencing adverse physical and mental side effects. It scares him a little bit when those side effects start to kick in, and so he’s somewhat always obsessed with eating. Always needing food, being raised poor when food wasn’t always available, and being experimented on when food was used as a weapon for behavior modification is a frightening combination for him. It makes him scared to not have food, and when it isn’t there, he’s afraid it’ll be too long before he can get it again. This results in some amount of overeating on his part, but his metabolism generally takes care of it pretty well.

[mortaljin]

Out of the Sky

Word Count: 2.1k Warnings: Profanity Genre: Fluff, light angst (we’ll see) | Guardian Angel!Namjoon

Summary: How your adorable, clumsy guardian angel still manages to save your life is beyond you.

A/N: This was originally supposed to be a oneshot, but I hate going so long without giving you guys something. So, it will be a mini series. Tbh, I’ll likely change the name of this once its finished.

Masterlist

There was a lipstick smudge on your chin that you just couldn’t seem to correct in the amount of time you did not have to do so; the bright pink smudge was the aftermath of that sandwich you didn’t think to eat before doing your makeup. Your friends would be here any moment and you were in desperate need of just starting over.

You felt a little stressed, if not downright defeated, at the failure of your looks tonight. The outfit you picked out last night—which was SO cute—no longer looked flattering anymore. But now, as you stared at your reflection, your usually cute fashion sense seemed to be as bland as ever.

Sighing, you leaned into the mirror a little closer and took the pad of your finger to smudge off the pink blotch. The lipstick was removed alright, along with the rest of the makeup in that area. There was, unfortunately, no time to completely fix your chin area. So, you blended in some foundation and called it good.

At least your hair looked nice.

Right?

The beginning of doubt creeping into your head was shaken by the alert of your phone, which you presumed signaled the arrival of your friends. Instead of fussing, you straightened yourself out and decided that it would be okay to not be perfectly primped tonight.

You would not be the center of attention tonight, anyway.

With the ping of your phone echoing in your head, you left your bathroom and scurried down the hall. Yuki wanted to go out on the town tonight, so your best bet was anything other than heels. She could run a marathon in them, but not you.

Your purse’s contents were laying haphazardly on the entryway table with your keys in one bowl, wallet in another, and other things in the drawers. And, of course, your purse had fallen and had been kicked under the table. It was a wonder how you ever managed to find anything.

I’ll clean this in the morning, you thought as you rushed out the door.

The sandals you decided to wear slapped across the hard floor as you powerwalked towards the elevators. Your apartment itself was small and a sight for sore eyes, but the complex itself? Every time you left and came home you were reminded why it was literally the cheapest place in the city.

The entrance of the building swung open and you were met with a much warmer night than you were expecting. It was early fall, but it felt like a midsummer evening instead. The weather, although odd, helped to lift your spirits ever so slightly.

All day you had been tripping up. As if life itself was nipping at your heels everywhere you went. It was the can of soup you dropped at the store this evening, or the pen that you just bought yesterday running out of ink this morning.

Even when you accidentally knocked over the trash in your kitchen it felt worse than it actually was. The mundane things of life just felt like they had a twist today.

Your phone had not dinged in the last few moments while you were leaving your home, so, you thought it best to actually check your texts.

The space between your brows creased as you furrowed them at the message on your screen:

Yuki 5 minutes ago: Were runming a lol late, sryy Y/N!

You huffed in annoyance at her lack of time management. Turning off the phone screen, you sat on the concrete steps. It was better to sit out here, you decided briefly, than to anxiously wait around in your apartment where you would surely continue nitpicking your looks for the evening.

The sun was almost done setting; the last sliver of the peachy glow barely reached the sides of the surrounding buildings. The warmth no longer stretched across the city but, instead, the cool, collected solace of the night was beginning to take place.

You sighed dreamily. Nighttime was always the hour in which you felt most comfortable, almost as if all your insecurities were masked in the darkness. The night was mysterious, enchanting, even sublime—

The screeching of tires could be heard in the distance, and you lazily looked up to see a car coming. It was still a couple miles back on the flat stretch of road, but no one would be driving at this hour except idiots and… your friends.

Adjusting your purse strap against your shoulder, you stood from the steps and began making your way down the sidewalk towards the edge of the road. The wind had been still when you first walked outside, but now it was picking up around you.

It was heavy enough to the point it made your hair whip around; your lipstick likely hadn’t fully dried and you couldn’t see through your own hair. So now you were standing there like a blind idiot with, again, sloppy lipstick.

In the midst of your delirium, you managed to notice the ground below you was rumbling ever so slightly. The uncanny situation made panic crawl up your spine and you took a couple steps back as you finished fighting with your hair.

As you looked up, the sight, and crack, of the nearby tree barreling straight towards you forced your feet to haul yourself backwards. You hit the edge of the sidewalk and tumbled ass first into the grass.

The crash of the tree was deafening as it knocked out a couple mailboxes and disturbed trashcans set out for pick up.

Your knees threatened to buckle underneath you as you stood up, heart pounding and confused. A faint shimmer could be seen in the foliage of the fallen tree, and your hand flew to your head to confirm you had hit your head.

Standing in horror as you watched the rustling of the tree, you prayed for your friends to arrive already so that they could get you admitted.

The light you think you’re seeing is only a side effect of disorientation and streetlights. Only, you heard the sound of a man groaning at a distance. This caused you to brace yourself at the arrival of another person.

But the person that you saw wasn’t who you were expecting.

It wasn’t a neighbor in the complex, nor some random person strolling the streets at night that you heard. No, out of the shimmering foliage rose a man so beautiful you thought you were seeing God.

He looked hurt, you assumed, from the way he was hunching over with his head down. Coughing, he stood up. You stood mesmerized as he shook out his shoulders, trails of golden dust falling from them as he did so. He rolled his head around, stretching out his neck until he noticed you were standing there. Staring.

Once he had caught sight of you, he turned fully towards you and smiled brightly. It was a terrifying sight, almost, to see a man so beautiful looking at you the way he was.

The fear was different than you had ever known, not fear for your safety. No, you weren’t afraid that you would be harmed. Instead you feared what you did not know.

Oh, but how you wanted to know.

“Are you Y/N?”

He was calm, professional, as if you were talking to a businessman. Not an angel.

Your mouth was left agape as you stood there in the night air with him. Surely you looked like a suffocating goldfish as it opened and closed without words, but still. You were in awe.

He apparently took that as a yes because he stepped forward through the foliage, hand outstretched.

“My name is Namjoon, your guardian angel.”

“What?” You lifted a trembling hand to your forehead, checking for any sign of a fever. “Ha… haha…” Maniacal laughs stumbled from your lips as you shook your head in disbelief. “I’ve finally lost my fucking mind.”

The man, “Namjoon,” stood there and watched your insanity with curiosity.

“Holy shit,” you wiped wetness from your eyes, “that’s rich, mister “guardian angel,” You added air quotes for mocking affect. “You did some shit guarding, then. I almost fucking died!”

Your mocking turned into screeching once you realized this psychopath was being as serious as could be. Surprisingly, no one from your apartments had come out to investigate the loud crash. Instead, the ruined tree laid silent in front of you.

He simply shrugged. “I’ll admit I cut it a little too close just now but…”

“But what?” You cute him off, “I’m supposed to be going out tonight and your psycho ass nearly killed me. Look, my friends are here now.”

Either your friends were driving really slow, or the incident with the “guardian angel” took much less time than you thought it would. Ignoring burning annoyance in your chest, you took off once again down the sidewalk leading from your apartment’s entryway.

You heard a tsking noise behind you.

“What do you want?” You gritted.

“Three more steps and that car is gonna get you.”

You rolled your eyes and began to turn as you heard the sound of the approaching vehicle. Desperation bubbled inside of you with the chance to get away from whatever it is that is going on here.

But before you could inch any further up the sidewalk, bright lights blinded you. The headlights came from your right with only enough time to throw your hand in front of your face before you were promptly getting pulled back.

The headlights belonged to a car that was certainly not being driven by your friends. This was obvious not only in the car itself, but also in the way that it jumped the curb and took out a couple of the trashcans.

Garbage laid splattered right in front of you; the knowledge that it very well could be you spilled out right there was enough to have your dinner threatening to leave your stomach.

“Oh, please don’t puke on me,” Namjoon whined.

It was only then that you registered that his hand was still firmly wrapped around your wrist; he had not let go since jerking you back from the sidewalk. The adrenaline was crawling up your throat and the events that just occurred only helped to confirm what the crazy man had been telling you earlier.

Your free hand flew to your mouth as your racing heart caused your emotions to rush out. “Oh, my g-g-god!”

Tears clouded your vision as your words got caught in your throat.

“H-how did you k-know th-that that was going to h-happen?”

He chuckled, but it didn’t seem as though he was laughing at you.

Honestly, you were still so scared right at that moment. It was two near death experiences back to back in the presence of some otherworldy man and it was almost too much to bear.

When you blinked away the tears that had no doubt ruined your makeup, you realized his eyes were so… sad?

Namjoon was no longer shining so brightly, instead it was a warm, soft glow radiating around him. It was only now that you realized his large, feathery wings were drooping.

He let go of your wrist and backed away.

“Y/N, please don’t be scared of me. You’re not scared of me, right?” His voice was low, yet brimming with panic.

You weren’t sure how to answer. One part of your mind was screaming to get away from the unknown entity. The other was nudging you to be curious, to find out more.

Luckily, the sound of your phone dinging distracted you from giving him an immediate reply. You were still trembling slightly, as was made obvious by your lit up phone screen shaking in the dark.

Yuki: this is Anna, we’re gonna have to cancel plans Yuki pre-gamed too hard. Shes sick, next Friday sound good?

A bitter sneer came from your mouth and it didn’t take long before you were shoving your phone in your pocket and looking up towards Namjoon again. Yuki’s lack of proper spelling made sense now.

“You’re not real,” you decided on. “I can’t be afraid of what’s not real. Goodnight.”

You muttered the farewell to yourself and ignored the exasperated sigh coming from the not-actually-real being behind you.

[rpgmgames]

September’s Featured Game: Ghost Hospital

DEVELOPER(S): Lev, Kip, Rose, Tredlocity, C, Bittersweet ENGINE: RPGMaker MV GENRE: Adventure, RPG WARNINGS: Anxiety, Body horror, Implied child harm SUMMARY: Ghost Hospital is a game about anxiety, depression, despair, mental rock bottoms, and, of course, ghosts. You play as Robin, a twelve-year-old girl who has an anxiety disorder and is very much alive in this hospital meant for beings that are not alive. Frankly, her anxiety was already bad enough before she landed in a hospital full of dead people, the still-shambling shells of ancient ghosts who try to take her down for a sweet taste of life, and the hospital directors hellbent on keeping her contained, and more importantly, away from the reason she's REALLY there. Thankfully, you have your new friends Jay and Sarcastic Ghost- Jay is a ghost about your age, and still a very new arrival to the hospital, and Sarcastic Ghost…well, he's an amorphous blob of a ghost, who talks a lot despite not having a mouth.

Download the demo here!

Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! Lev: Hey, my name is Lev! I'm an artist and storyteller, and though I've wanted to make games for a long time, this is my first serious attempt! Most of my work is about my experiences in mental illness. Kip: I'm a freelance artist being allowed to write cheap jokes in ghost form. Rose: I'm a freelance writer and editor for the game! I also work on dialogue and story drafting. Tredlocity: My name is Tredlocity! I do some character designs and writing in the game! C: c / ghoul is a character designer, comic artist and Halloween enthusiast. They're currently apart of several indie game teams and are writing the webcomic, This Dark Forest of Ours. Bittersweet: I'm Kendall (AKA Bittersweet), and I'm the resident music person (one of two, technically, but the other left the project unfortunately.) This is my first (and thus far only) major soundtrack composition project, but thus far, it's been a satisfying one!

What is your project about? What inspired you to create your game initially? *Lev: Ghost Hospital is a game about anxiety, and the game was born out of an idea to put someone in the shoes of someone with clinical anxiety and depression without going for the prototypical 'horror game' or 'walking simulator', giving more game-friendly, practical narrative and gameplay examples of how it effects people.

How long have you been working on your project? *Lev: The game started development in late 2016 as a thesis project for college. At its inital completion, it was more of a beta or proof of concept than a demo- in its current state, it's far closer to what we have envisioned for the final project.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *Lev: Absolutely! The biggest influences are OFF, Yume Nikki, and Sweet Home, and a lot of Gameboy Color graphics and aesthetics- namely, Pokemon GSC and the GBC Zelda Games.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them? *Lev: RPG Maker is a versatile engine, but still fairly restrictive, so getting all the effects I wanted to work was challenging. Mental illness and real life have been taking a toll on development time, too. Getting things to work took teaching myself some javascript, and after being in serious development for this long, I've found ways to motivate myself to keep working. Having other people checking in on you helps, too.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *Lev: In its very first inital pitch, it was much closer to Yume Nikki, being more atmospheric and serious. At some point in character and world development, though, I couldn't bear to make it a stoic adventure, and with most of the stuff I already take inspiration from, it's hard for me to not put jokes into the media I make, anyway.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *Lev: At the beginning, it was just me working on everything. The first people I brought on board were my concept artist, Kip, my writer, Rose, and my musician, Bittersweet. I can't do music on my own, and I knew from word go that I wanted this to be the kind of game with a strong story and a lot of unique NPCs.

What is the best part of developing the game? *Lev: Call me biased, but the most fun part is making the art for it. It's hard for me to motivate myself to keep working if I'm just using default placeholder sprites, I have to make new NPCs to keep myself interested. It's not the most convenient, but it's fun to do, and it actually really does help with my workflow.

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *Lev: Oh, absolutely. RPG Maker games have a bad reputation for being very cut-and-paste, and there's a lot of those out there. But it just takes a bit of effort to make yourself and your game stand out, and it can be done absolutely beautifully! The latest one I've played was Hylics, completely surreal and wonderful.

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Lev: Robin is a sort of proxy character for myself, so...I'm a bit biased on her. I love Jay a lot, too, he's kinda the friend I wish I had in elementary school when all this first showed up, haha. *Tredlocity: As someone who faces anxiety on a daily basis, I relate to Robin a lot. Though I would say my favorite character is Jay, since he can shoot plasma and has blue hair. *C: I'm partial to Coop [upcoming character], not just bc I designed them but bc I love big sister types. *Rose: I also relate to robin and jay! i try to control my anxiety while remaining positive and hopeful about situations. *Bittersweet: As an anxiety-riddled person, I relate immensely to Robin. However, my favorite character by far has to be Carna. (There's another character I'm particularly looking forward to when the full version of the game is released, though~)

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *Lev: Honestly, there's a few things I wanted the game to be able to do at the start that I wasn't able to make happen. I spent a LOT of time trying to get it to work without having to go in and code it myself, and I wish I'd been able to take a step back, remind myself that this is my first serious project, and just stop worrying so much about what, in the end, would've been a minor detail, anyway.

Once you finish your project, do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *Lev: Chances are I'm gonna leave it alone, but if I go back, I HAVE had a bit of a 'Ghost College' AU where they're exploring a haunted old library on their college campus instead of being trapped in a ghost hospital. It'd probably be cool as a point-and-click adventure, but it wouldn't exactly be a canon exploration of the postgame.

What do you look most forward to upon/after release? *Lev: I'm actually working on a few other projects, so being able to work on those more freely would be great, especially considering I'm really bad at keeping my own limits in mind, haha.

Is there something you’re afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *Lev: Mostly, I'm afraid that making a game about a subject like this, as a minority and with other people in my team that would be considered minorities, that releasing this game to the mainstream public would get me a lot of negative attention from people who think that people like us don't belong in the gaming sphere. It's pretty nerve-wracking, but after the positive reception of games like Undertale and SLARPG, it's getting easier to convince myself that I should be more afraid of people just generally not liking the game, haha.

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *Lev: Have someone to work with! DEFINITELY have someone to work with. Even if it's just a friend to bounce ideas off of or someone to ask if you've been working on the game, having someone else involved helps a lot. And specifically for RPG Maker- if you can, replace your default font with a different one. It's a minor detail, but it goes a long way towards making your game feel more original. *C: Always have a backlog of different projects. I have about four or five ideas constantly on rotation so I don't burn myself out on just one. *Tredlocity: My advice for any creatives is to start small, and just get it out. Feedback is a great motivator, and the only way to get better at something is to keep doing it! *Rose: I think some good advice is to write a few drafts of whatever it is you're working on in order to see which version you'd like to continue! let your work have different scenarios and situations based on various elements you insert or take out of a story, game, or other piece. *Bittersweet: Don't pressure yourself to a dead-set deadline. I know, you want to get this project out eventually, and if you're on a roll with development then all the power to you, but if you're struggling, don't let it burn you out. That's just unhealthy.

Question from last month's featured dev @toxicshroomswamp: How do you feel about your main character(s)? What piece of life advice would you give them? *Lev: I love my main characters, I love them like my own children. I would probably tell Robin that she'll learn to handle everything, it won't be so scary forever. I'd tell Jay that stopping for a minute and thinking is way more important than it seems. I'd tell Sarcastic ghost to shut up.

We mods would like to thank Lev, Kip, Rose, Tredlocity, C, and Bittersweet for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out Ghost Hospital if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

[maiji]

“If you could pick 5 members to be on your team in the dark tournament, who would it be?”

So while I was going back through my archives trying to see if I had any incorrectly flagged content (I scrolled all the way to 2015, found three, and gave up/went to bed lol), I kept getting distracted and rereading old posts out of amusement. One of them was this 21 Questions Yu Yu Hakusho meme - and one question in particular made the gears of my brain clank so I thought hey, why not? Let’s answer it.

I'm going to tackle this question from two angles.

A) If I could pick ANY characters in Yu Yu Hakusho to form a team.

B) If I could only pick characters who appear during the actual Dark Tournament.

As soon as you see my first list, you'll understand why I was like, “oh.” and opted to do it again from B lmao.

(Oh yeah my tags spoil everything but oh well. Hope the rationale makes up for it hahaha)

VERSION A: Fun times

Raizen.

I'm sorry, the tournament is over now, thank you for coming. Seriously though, he's Yusuke with a million times more firepower and brains/experience. Also, one of the appeals of Yusuke is that he makes fighting fun, which is why everyone wants to go up against him. Raizen's friends express the exact same sentiment repeatedly. Raizen in his prime in battle would be a sight to see. He'd be all DID SOMEBODY SAY FIGHTING?? YEAH I'LL FIGHT ALL THE FIGHTS WAHOO and nobody would be able to get him off the arena platform. If there is an arena platform left. Or an arena. Or anything.

Enki.

Jolly uncle/all-round good dude, I love him. He also loves fighting, so he is also lots of fun. He seems much more cool-headed and practical than Raizen, and definitely takes the lead in coordinating the rest of Raizen's pals. Thus, he's a great wingman for Raizen. If you somehow actually manage to defeat Raizen- haha, what am I talking about? OK, if Raizen slept in or something, then you can fight Enki. And in that case the tournament is still over.

Kokou.

LOVES FIGHTING AND WILL KICK YOUR ASS. Even Enki was relieved he didn't have to face her. I firmly believe after Raizen she's the strongest - or at least one of the strongest - out of all of Raizen's already insanely powerful friends. Honestly, between Raizen and Kokou they'd probably just take everybody down, including each other, and have a blast. 

My perfect noodle husband Hokushin.

Obviously no one is surprised at this pick on my blog. Also loves fighting, plus super duper reliable, he's perfect support for anything. Along with Enki, he'd help temper Raizen and Kokou's wild party. And somebody needs to clean up after all the mess and make sure everybody gets first aid and whatever. Well, first aid for the other team they just massacred, I guess.

One more Raizen friend: Natsume.

We could put another one of Raizen's friends here, but I pick Natsume because we know a lot more about her and she's so badass and we should have more women. Also, because she's very clearly another great mashup of LOVES FIGHTING and NOT STUPID, as a fifth member, she can easily step in to fill any of the others' shoes, whether it's happily beat the crap out of everything in sight or be calm and strategize. If anybody ever actually needed to be filled in for some reason.

I call this amazingness Team Old People. IMO this team is flawless because they would just be so damn entertaining on so many levels. You have five extremely powerful and smart warriors with centuries of experience who have nothing to prove aside from sheer enjoyment of battle. Every one of them has expressed a passion for fighting because it's simply a joy for them, which means they wouldn't be playing it safe/boring. Seeing a master in action at practically anything is awesome, and not only that but they’d be willing to experiment and take risks and do things that are out there. A tournament is also a form of entertainment for the audience (both the real life audience and the one in the show), and that combined with their expert level combat skills means that I think they'd be so fantastic to watch. And all of them have distinct personalities that balance "I am an ancient demon with wisdom and stuff" VS "I love punching people (or getting punched) in the face!!" in different enough ways that they still offer really interesting character dynamics and interaction opportunities. And they would also be incredibly supportive of each other while still allowing for plenty of snark.

That said, FUN FUN FUN aside, the very obvious problem with this team is that they seriously break the question. And everything else. Even if they don’t intend to flat out obliterate everything, that’s what would probably happen, and that unfortunately can easily head towards its own kind of boring. Everyone would be like "why are we having a tournament, we're going home". So, we must leave Team Old People behind and move on to version B.

VERSION B: Serious business

Dark Tournament characters only. I will exclude members of the Toguro Team from my selection for obvious reasons. NO MORE FUN TIME. This is me pretending that I'm some rich underworld dude or whatever putting together a team I'm betting on to get through the tournament. You're going to see a clear pattern emerging from my picks.

Genkai.

The veteran. Intelligent, experienced, very powerful and pragmatic. I'd shell out big bucks to get her to come back to be my team's captain. No question for me, she's a must, even if all she does is sit on the sidelines and coach the rest of the team. With a group of serious, motivated and talented fighters, she'd be the best mentor and my team would be well-positioned to MAKE ME LOTS OF MONEY SO IN YOUR SMOKY SCARRED FACE SAKYO

Hiei.

Those who know me may find it shocking that I'm including Hiei but not Yusuke, Kuwabara, or Kurama. Hiei doesn't appear on my tumblr very often, and of the four main characters he's probably the one I'm least emotionally invested in. But if you're assembling a team for the Dark Tournament, you're IN IT TO WIN IT!! And Hiei is the best bet. I shall explain.

Hiei is efficient and effective, and his success ratio is the highest out of all Urameshi Team members - the most number of individual fights without a single loss or draw. Granted, he sits out for a chunk of the tournament, but he rarely appears worn out at the end of a fight. The only time he overexerts himself is against Zeru; after his recovery, he never seems to break a sweat. Even against Bui, he had no real issues. From a betting perspective, his odds are very, very good. Kuwabara and Kurama both experience multiple losses - Kuwabara often because he's young and overconfident or becomes so personally involved that he cares more for a positive outcome for other people than for winning; Kurama often because (as Hiei notes) he tends to overcalculate the situation and draw things out so long figuring everything out that it turns into a disadvantage. Yusuke's very strong and has huge potential, but he's also focused far too much on the experience. This makes his battles fun to watch but would give a strategist heart attacks. Many of his fights involve near-misses or less-than-ideal situations stemming from amateur errors. And finally, he gets dinged with a draw in his match with Jin, in part because his dawdling on the field made the deception feasible. Yusuke's great for drama and storytelling, not great for the comfort of my pocketbook. Having him on a team is risky when I know the other underworld bosses I'm competing against are not above using underhanded tactics.

As a result, based on a purely practical evaluation, Hiei is the most reliable choice. He's very focused on, and very good at, the one thing I want - DEFEAT THE OPPONENT UNEQUIVOCALLY. He comes in and tears people apart and there's no chance of an ambiguous referee call. He just needs his team members to be people he can respect to keep him in line. With Genkai as captain, that shouldn't be an issue. Nor with the rest of my picks.

Ryo (Kai in the anime) / M-3.

This is the Dr. Ichigaki member with the invisible claw powers. After their fight, he offers to be a replacement for the seriously injured Kuwabara (Yusuke appreciates it but has to turn him down because it's against the rules unless Kuwabara actually dies). He seems to be the strongest of the three students who were brainwashed by Ichigaki, and without Genkai's intervention and his own struggling against Ichigaki's mechanism, he would very likely have wiped out Kuwabara and Yusuke. He's extremely serious and dedicated, and with someone like Genkai steering the helm I think he'd go far. I'd be comfortable putting money on him. I also like him a lot and wish he had more involvement in the story - I've always felt that if Togashi didn’t need to get Koenma in for story purposes Yusuke hadn't been so freaked out and completely lost mentally when Genkai died, he probably would've asked Ryo to be the replacement fifth member. SOMEONE WRITE THIS

Touya.

Stronger than Gama, less arrogant than Risho, more reliable than Jin (who has many of the same problems as Yusuke), and Bakken sucks and will never be considered by anybody. Touya's powers are also very flexible. Somebody just needs to tell him to NOT TALK TO HIS OPPONENT. Don't talk to them, don't listen to them, don't let them distract you, don't let them get into your head, JUST GET IN THERE AND EYE ON THE PRIZE AND BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF THEM OKAY lol. I also think when Genkai was training everyone for Kurama, Touya was probably the one who gave her the least hard time. I mean, out of Touya, Jin, Chuu, Rinku, Suzuki and Shishiwakamaru who do YOU think would bellyache the least? I thought so.

The fifth member is actually a backup/alternate who doesn't necessarily see action (if you recall, this is why Chuu was mad). For my final pick, I took a while to decide, so I'll tell you about both of the last two people I was considering since I enjoy any excuse to talk about characters I don’t usually see mentioned.

5a is Zeru. 

OK, partly I considered him because nobody remembers him lmao - he was Hiei's first victory, obliterated into a shadow by Hiei's training-wheels Kokuryuuha. But if you look at my other picks, I think you'll appreciate why he's on my radar - he fits the profile of what I'm looking for very nicely. I want someone in control of themselves; who is a reliable, consistent, focused fighter unlikely to get distracted by other things; who clearly demonstrates power and is committed and has potential to grow really fast with the right direction/team captain. The only thing is that with Hiei already on the team, this may be duplicating the skillset and the mental profile a bit too much. And I think it's clear Hiei already has the upperhand in baseline power. So,

5b is Suzuki. 

His strength isn't fighting. It's his ingenuity in adapting, augmenting, and outfitting his team members with really good, really creative tools. He's honestly more a tinkerer and an inventor, imaginatively tweaking things to be even more useful, and whenever he realizes and accepts this about himself instead of trying to be just another fighter in the limelight, he'll be rich lmao. Anyways, this skill makes him a hugely valuable asset. I don't need him to be in the ring, I'm fine having him support with cool gadgets to amplify the rest of the team.

I HOPE YOU LIKED MY PICKS lol

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

ch 18 replies

@runningwolf62​

KAY.

Kay please I beg you, act like a normal human being for three- I can’t finish this I love her so much.

Kay: “He’s super cute” Klavier: “When did you see him?” Kay: “I stalk him with my Murder.” Sebastian: “Can you stop calling it that?” Kay: “My council.” Klavier: “Can you stop stalking him?” Kay: “No.”

Kay: “My homebirds”

Sebastian: “I am begging you to stop.”

Dammit now I want to write the inevitable conversation between Kay and Klavier about her doing this. Poor Klavier. Poor Apollo. 

It’s a bleak thought, that Phoenix might be expecting otherwise.

Gee, not to name names EDGEWORTH but I wonder why Phoenix is so worried.

Phoenix: -desperately tries not to get attached to people because he has a valid fear of losing them given all of the fae shit that surrounds him-

also Phoenix: -gesturing at Vera and Klavier- “I guess I’m their dad now I have no choice in this matter I have to do this”

Him?

HIM! I love that you have Larry greet Mia- oh my god I just had a thought about Larry and Mia, after she defends him Larry gives her that statue/clock and like holy shit that’s a lot of work and look just saying, to a Fae the statue probably has more value than money.

For Nick DAMN IT Phoenix who likes to eat, he’d prefer money.

Mia’s like “This debt is repaid in full” and Phoenix is like “WHAT no it’s not? I need money for rent?? Chief are you serious--” 

“Yeah,” Apollo says, “that’s kinda how I greet my best friend, so.”

Hey Roddy I’m going cry now.

I’m crying inside every damn time too, like I know I made a lot of jokes about Clay dying especially with the Bullshit Defense AU but I am. genuinely. fucked up about it in this one.

I’m so proud of him. Also super pleased we pulled him out of the dumpster and turned him into someone worth throwing in AUs.

WE CAN REBUILD HIM. And we have. I loved your idea about him getting to mentor Vera, and then it fit just as perfectly in this AU what with the angle of Misty also having been fae, so it’s just.....our boy is here! And we’re proud of him!

“Are you the friend whose mentor was one of the fae?” Apollo asks at the closest thing to a lull in the conversation; Trucy is laughing while Phoenix and Larry glare at each other in mock anger about a joke Apollo didn’t catch, off a discussion about shapeshifters.

APOLLO YOU CAN’T JUST ASK THAT. Also :3c

Look I’ll tell you right now, it was another furry joke. It’s always furry jokes.

Anyway Apollo might have been scared a bit by Iris, but so far his “asking people things straight-out” hasn’t gone wrong. Like he knows Larry is human, what’s the worst that’ll happen? Blackquill will probably put the fear of god into him except as I write that, no, he won’t, because Apollo will just not ask him and instead go straight to Klavier to ask “hey what the fuck is up with this prosecutor” and while Klavier does try and stick to a stance of “not airing out people’s shit unless it’s super important”....it’s Apollo. He broke that rule of his for Apollo first thing by talking to him about Phoenix. Apollo is never going to learn his goddamn lesson about asking this sort of question. Phoenix and Klavier are both going to advise Apollo to make a deal with someone for the Sight because they figure that course of action is less risky than Apollo continuing to do as he does. Apollo’s gonna ask Ga’ran flat-out. Apollo doesn’t given a shit.

“That’s me,” Larry says. “Unless you’ve made other unfortunate artist friends while I’m not looking, and that’s unlikely, since the only friend you’ve made in the last seven years was a mortal enemy.”

“Look at you,” Phoenix says dryly. “You’ve learned how to use logic, even though I have made friends, thanks.”

sdkjfdklsfk ROAST HIM LARRY.

Phoenix is like “Excuse me, I’ve befriended Athena” “She’s your daughter’s age” and honestly he’s thinking about Lamiroir too, although she still is an “unfortunate artist friend” actually, just not the same type of artist.

AW YEAH EMBARRASSING STORY HOUR!

I’m never getting over the concept of “Larry accidentally became a witch and never realized it”. like I’m just. That one is gonna be the funniest part of this entire damn AU isn’t it. Everything I write for it going forward, and I used the best joke in the trilogy material that’s just tangential to this story.

Larry is meeting with his agent – apparently he hasn’t been home in a while, has a lot to catch up on,

:3c been touring in Europe or something Larry?

:3c you know where he’s been.

You know having Mia call Apollo puts the fear of God into me. Didn’t help my cheerful music I was listening to ended right before this scene so uh yeah.

Mia manipulated your music to get the proper dramatic effect.

Trucy’s expression tells him that she has definitely had Eldoon’s this early in the morning at least once before.

PHOENIX WRIGHT FEED YOUR DAUGHTER ACTUAL BREAKFAST.

You think he or anyone can stop Trucy?

“Like most magic, it depends.” Klavier’s eyes have a vacant, absent look, one that glamour can’t hide. “The scar on Kris’ hand, though – that was iron. I don’t suppose he ever forgave me for it.”

EXCUSE ME WHAT.

Klavier accidentally whacked his brother with iron and left a scar and honestly? That’s probably not the wildest shit that happened in the Gavin household, especially that first year after Klavier arrived back. Like. Listen. There’s Kristoph, who’s just had a world-shaking revelation about himself, and he’s also going “shit, can I use magic now? Can I learn magic?” and probably attempts some stupid shit that goes terribly, also let’s be real he probably put Klavier up to it with the iron thing, like Kristoph touches some himself and he’s like “okay, that just makes me feel sick, okay” and then a different time it leaves a little burn that fades in a day and then Klavier just whacks him and that’s how they both learn that none of this is fixed effects. Also while Kristoph is having his crisis, Klavier is like a goddamn....feral child, like not really but he’s still emotionally maladjusted and has no understanding of human social mores or human technology, plus his glamours, means that like, shit, the coffee maker made an unexpected noise and now we can’t find Klavier, because he probably ghosts away from anything that frightens him and it’s like when your hamster escapes its cage because you can’t find the damn thing except instead of a hamster it’s a 10-year-old child who’s still practically invisible and it’s like. it’s like trying to coax the hamster back out. Kristoph just. sets out a box of poptarts. ducks behind the couch. waits. It’s fucking remarkable that neither of them accidentally died in the fucking free-for-all of the adjustment period. 

Honestly now I’m realizing I need to include a scene where Klavier recounts some absolutely batshit childhood anecdote and he’s like “haha you know how it is growing up” and Apollo who’s remembering like 87 near-death experiences with Nahyuta is like “yep” and Phoenix is like “No?? No??? Are you two okay???”

It took me a minute to figure out that was Athena he’s on the line with.

I figure I should start including her a little bit before she actually arrives. Poor girl wants advice for taking the Bar and Phoenix is like “Yeah, I don’t know what to tell you, it was literally just luck that I passed I’m almost positive”

Oooh love how you describe his not quite invisibility.

A great chapter, good luck with your school work!

Thanks!

God your “murder” joke is so good I’m still just. Kay. Kay. I love Kay. I figured out how to get her into one of the next two chapters -- not sure how the three big events I have planned will fall in the next two chapters -- because I love her. Apollo is still not gonna learn she’s a shapeshifter from that, though, because that’s hilarious.

[50funny]

Mage- Chapter 4: Battle At The Ball

Written by 50funny:

Part 1- The Gate Crashers

Alex stood in the empty kitchen, furiously scrubbing dishes sending water and foam flying across the bench.

“Stupid Liz, making me scrub up dishes. What did I ever do to her? All I wanted was to come to this dumb party,” Alex ranted under his breath.

“Alex, please just let me out! It stinks in here,” Bip begged trying to get Alex’s attention.

“Huh what? Oh yeah right,” Alex said realizing Bip was still stuck in his cloths.

Alex grabbed his shirt and untucked it from his trousers. He held the base of his shirt open allowing Bip to fall out onto the bench top below. Bip took in a series of sharp deep breaths and scratched at his tongue trying to get rid of the taste.

“Yuk, it smelt disgusting in there. I’m never gonna forgive you for that,” Bip spat.

“Yeah sorry, guess I forgot you were in there,” Alex said unapologetically.

“You jerk,” hissed Bip.

Bip looked around the abandoned kitchen.

“Uhhh Alex, where is everybody?” Bip asked.

Alex looked around the kitchen surprised, having not noticed how empty the room had become.

“Huh? Oh yeah, where did everyone go?” Alex said.

“Were you really so worked up about Liz that you didn’t notice an entire room full of people leaving?” Bip questioned.

“Hey, don’t blame me, she was a real jerk. We’re supposed to be friends!” yelled Alex.

“You can’t be serious,” Bip sighed. “Get your head in the game Alex; have you forgotten why we came here?”

As Bip’s words echoed through Alex’s head his mood shifted becoming much more serious.

“Yeah, you're right. Sorry, come on let’s get going,” Alex said.

Alex began walking towards the door followed shortly behind by Bip. He swung open the kitchen doors and walked into the main ball room. What had previously been the scene of a loud and busy party had now been completely deserted save for a lone old man sweeping in the middle of the room. Alex and Bip looked around the hall confused as to what had happened. The old man sweeping noticed the pair out of the corner of his eye and looked over to them.

“What are you two doing here?” asked the man.

“What are we doing here? Where’s everybody else gone?” Bip retorted.

“Didn’t you two hear? The party was called off early and all the staff sent home. Well all the staff except for old sweepy,” the janitor complained.

“Called off? Why would it have been called off?” Alex asked as he and Bip approached the man.

“Well from what I heard Mr. Lance was feeling a bit under the weather. But if you ask me I think he just wanted some quiet time with that nice looking gal I saw him with, haha” said the man letting out a cheeky laugh as he returned to his chores.

Alex and Bip looked at each other.

“So, what’s the plan now then?” asked Bip.

“Well we should probably start by finding Liz,” stated Alex.

Alex took in a swift gasp as he had a moment of shocked realization. He ran over to the janitor and forcefully grabbed him by the collar.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?” the man gurgled.

“The girl you saw Lance with, where were they and what were they doing,” Alex demanded.

“I don’t know, they were just walking and talking, they went into the main study down that hall, the tenth door on your left you can’t miss it,” said the man pointing his hand out towards the nearby hallway.

Alex dropped the man to the ground before running off down the hall followed shortly behind by Bip.

“Crap, we should have never left her alone” Alex said, coming to a stop as he reached his destination.

From behind the large wooden door the pair could hear Liz and Lance’s mumbled conversation. Alex walked up to the door placing his eye to the key hole.  His eyes darted around the study before finally landing on the two. Liz laid on the floor limply as Lance knelt above her, his hand around her head, emanating a red glow.

“Damn it, looks like she’s in trouble, stand back I’m gonna break the door down,” Alex stated.

“Damn it, she’s in trouble! Stand back” Alex stated pulling back his fist.

“Wait hold on a second, think this through first,” Bip pleaded to no avail.

Alex launched his fist  full force at the door sending it violently swinging open with a loud thud catching Lance off guard as he looked over to face the door.  Alex stood in the doorway staring at Lance with an icy glare.

“My oh my that was quite the entrance. You’re the boy from this morning aren’t you,” asked lance.

Alex remained stone faced as he slowly walked into the room.

“I take it you’re here to try and help your friend, would that be correct?” Lance continued grinning menacingly at Alex.

“Spose, something like that,” replied Alex taking up a fighting stance.

“How noble of you, but foolish all the same” Lance said standing. “But I don’t recall inviting you to this event, so I suppose I am obliged to remove you from the premises,” he continued taking up a similar fighting stance.

Part 2- Battle At The Ball

Alex and Lance began slowly circling each other waiting for an opening to strike the other.

“You can’t really expect to beat me can you?” Lance taunted confidently. “Come on then let’s make this fair. I’ll let you throw the first blow”

Lance put his arms out and gestured for Alex to attack him.  In an instant Alex sprung forward at an incredible speed, seeming to almost teleport in front of Lance. He pulled his fist back and prepared to launch it at Lance. Time seemed to slow down for Lance as he tried to comprehend what had happened. He began to pull back away from Alex’s fist causing it to fall short of its target by mere millimeters. Alex made a quick U-turn returning to his original position in an instant. Liz looked on from the ground shocked by Alex’s feat of athleticism.

“What the?” Liz exclaimed.

“Liz over here,” came Bip’s voice.

Liz looked over towards the door to see Bip flying swiftly over to her.

“Liz get up we need to get out of here! Now!,” Bip said urgently.

“I would if I could, Lance put some sort of poison in my drink, I can’t move at all,” Liz said looking over to her broken glass on the floor.

Bip flew over to the glass, knelt over and began to smell the remains of Liz’s drink.

“Red fang,” Bip stated.

“Red fang? What’s that?” asked Liz.

“It’s a an extremely potent paralyzing poison, it also goes by the name mage killer,” said Bip.

“Mage killer! Holy crap am I gonna die?” Liz panicked.

“No don’t worry; it just immobilizes the victim making it impossible for them to use magic” Bip said calming Liz as he flew back over to her. “The effects only last max 10 minutes, hopefully this we’ll keep us safe for that long.”

Bip landed in front of Liz and clapped his hands firmly together and began to tense every muscle in his body. Suddenly a shimmering translucent blue sphere started emerging from the ground, encapsulating the pair with in it. Bip continued to focus all his effort into maintain the field as he started to sweat.

“Let’s hope this holds,” Bip said.

Lance looked at Alex still surprised by his lightning fast attack.

“My my, you’re a speedy one aren’t you. Maybe I underestimated your ability’s somewhat… or maybe you just got lucky, either way I assure you that won’t work a second time,” said Lance.

As quickly as the first time, Alex launched himself towards Lance pulling his fist back preparing to strike him.  As Alex grew closer Lance prepared himself, learning from Alex’s previous attack. Lance sent his own fist flying toward Alex at full speed landing in the centre of his stomach just before Alex’s own blow landed.  Alex was sent flying across the room landing with loud crash, throwing a plume of dust bellowing into the air.

“Alex!!” Liz and Bip yelled in unison.

Lance turned around and began slowly walking towards the pair.

“Ha, well that was easy, now just to deal with the pair of you,” Lance said menacingly.

Lance’s attention was suddenly drawn back to the dust cloud. As the cloud settled Alex appeared standing completely unaffected by Lance’s attack.  Alex dusted himself off nonchalantly.

“Well, this is a surprise, that blow should have killed you, or at least put you in the hospital for a long while,” Lanced said. “There’s only one explanation for it… you used magic to protect yourself.”

“What, that’s not possible” Liz said in shock as she listened on.

“You… are a magic user,” Lance said as he raised his finger accusatory towards Alex. “But why didn’t I detect it sooner, I’m usually pretty on the ball when it comes to that,” Lance continued as he began to stroke his chin in thought.

“Maybe you’re just not as good as you think you are” Alex taunted as he returned to a fighting stance.

“Well maybe, or maybe you’re just such a weak magic user that I didn’t even sense it. Yes that must be it,” said Lance.

“Wanna try that theory out,” Alex retorted.

“Haha, I like your spirit! But unfortunately for you now I know you can use magic, I don’t have to go easy on you anymore,” Lance said. An evil smile formed on his face as he held his fingers out towards Alex in a gun shape. “Finger guns activate!”

Suddenly a loud bang filled the air as a small silver orb shot out from Lances fingertip at the speed of a bullet, sending his hand flicking back from the recoil. The bullet went flying inches away from Alex’s head and landed in the bookshelf behind him. They exploded on impact leaving a large hole wall. He turned to run away from the crater but was stopped quickly by a second bullet passing close by his face. Alex turned around to face Lance as another shot came speeding straight towards his head. He flicked his hand out in front of him causing a blue barrier to form in the air. The bullet hit the barrier causing it to shattering it like glass.

“Crap, that’s not good,” Liz panicked.

“Don’t worry Liz,” Bip said confidently. “Alex knows what he’s doing.”

Lance laughed maniacally as he continued fire his barrage at Alex who narrowly dogged in-between each speeding bullet by mere inches.

“Haha, you can’t keep this up forever, sooner or later you’ll slip up,” taunted Lance as drop of sweat fell from his brow. “You’ll tire yourself out at this rate.”

Alex jumped up high off the ground passing between two bullets. He grabbed onto the top of the bookshelf and with a strong kick launched himself off towards Lance causing the shelf to fall down shaking the room as it hit the floor. Alex passed narrowly by Lance landing kneeling down on the other side of the room.

“Damn it, missed,” Alex said nonchalantly as he stood back up.

Lance turned around to face Alex shocked and horrified as he noticed the short silver dagger he now held. Alex shook the blade off, sending a splatter of blood to the floor as a small cut opened up under Lance’s eye.

“What the hell was that? how did he see through my attacks, that shouldn’t have even been possible? And where did that blade come from, was he hiding it somewhere?” Lance panicked as he tried to wrap his mind around what had happened. “No I can sense it, that blade is of magical origin. But for a novice to conjure something of that strength?”

Lance raised his finger to point at Alex.

“Ju… just who the hell are you?” Lance yelled his voice quivering with fear.

Alex slowly walked towards Lance.

“What am I gonna do, I still can’t sense any magic coming from him. I have no clue how powerful he really is. Whatever the case, I can’t let him get close to me. One good strike from that blade and I’m done for. I just have to keep him far away until I figure out what to do” Lance thought, panicked as he raised his hand up pointing his finger guns once again.

“Machine gun modes activate!” Lance yelled.

Lance’s finger guns began to fire again much faster than before. Alex began dodging between the shots once again. moving so fast that he became a blur.

“Haha, you can’t keep that pace up forever. you’ll tire yourself out soon enough haha, then I’ll make you into Swiss cheese,” Lance yelled.

The wall behind Alex began to fall apart as it became more hole than wall, sending dust and debris flying into the air. Lance began to sweat profusely as he continued his barrage.

“Just give it up all ready, you can’t possibly defeat me” Lance panted in exhaustion.

The pace of Lances shots began to slow down as he became more and more exhausted giving Alex plenty of opportunity to counter attack. Alex once again launched himself forward pointing the butt of his dagger out. The dagger made contact with Lance’s knee sending a loud crack echoing through the air. Lance let out an ear piercing scream as his knees buckled beneath him dropping him face first onto the ground. He rolled himself onto his back to face Alex.

“You bastard!” Lance yelled pointing his fingers out once more.

Another small bullet went flying towards Alex, harmlessly bouncing off his shoulder blade and onto the floor.

“What the hell, that was a direct hit, why aren’t you dead?” Lance said in frustration.

“I’m surprised you don’t know, you’re a pro mage after all,” Alex sighed sarcastically as he turned to face Lance. “In its most basic form magic is just energy, an energy produced by all living things. Normal people use that energy up every day and replenish it at night by sleeping.” Alex began to explain “For magic users though, we harness that energy to preform our craft, that’s why we need to know how to conserve it, in case we run out and collapse from sheer exhaustion,”

Alex began walking over to Lance until he stood looming above him as he pointed his hand towards the destroyed wall.

“See, those little bullets you were using where strong… too strong. You poured way too much magic into each one than you realistically needed to in order to kill me. It was only a matter of time till you ran out of magic completely and passed out. All I needed was for you to drain yourself enough to start slipping up, and with how much magic you were wasting with that machine gun mode, your fate was sealed,” Alex said “You should really work on conserving your magic more. Take that as advice from a real pro.”

Lance listened on. Shocked by how knowledgeable Alex was.

“This boy is insane. To be able to come up with a plan like that, in the middle of a battle, takes years of training. But how? I still sense no magical presence about him, and yet he’s clearly a pro. How?” Lance thought as his eyes focused on Alex’s blade. “Wait, that dagger, I’ve seen it before.”

Lance’s eyes widened as he began to realize Alex’s true identity.

“You’re…” Lance yelled before being cut off as Alex stomped on his face.

“Shut your filthy mouth,” Alex said as a dark aura began filling the air.

Bip looked over to his friend knowing what was about to happen.

“Oh crap, Liz can you move, we’ve gotta get out of here right now” Bip panicked as he dropped the barrier around the two.

“I.. I think I can,” Liz said as she struggled to stand up.

“Here, I’ll help” said Bip, placing himself under Liz’s arm to support her weight as she began to shuffle towards the door.

The pair walked out into the hallway as Bip closed the door behind them with his tail, leaving Lance to an unknown fate at Alex’s hands.

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To Be Continued

Thank you for reading chapter 4 of mage. if you like what you’ve seen please consider following my tumblr for a new chapter every Friday. Until next week, have a good day.