#me after actually working hard on Twins AU: .... Wait

[rubberduckyrye]

You guys ever think about the tragedy that is Junko Enoshima? That she wasn't a sadistic girl seeking out to hurt others for sadistic glee?

Because everything Junko did was her trying to emotionally abuse herself? That she wanting to feel something so badly that she hurt the people she loved most, and even brought about ruin to the world, simply to destroy herself with it?

[cannedpickledpeaches]

Insert Your Name (9)

Mafia!Jade Leech x Mafia!Reader

Link to series masterlist!

Notes and TW: I apologize if this chapter is a bit messy, but answers are coming soon! This series will have mentions of blood, violence, crime (kidnapping, attempted assassination, extortion), and harassment, as one might expect from a mafia AU. Please enjoy!

Tags: @guava-writes @itszzmoon @twstsandturns @myteacupisempty @rou-luxe @chikitasmol @night-shadowblood-writes2 @haveneulalie

Your phone rings in your pocket. A little flustered, you pat your pockets for your phone with your free hand. Annoyance flashes in Jade’s eyes as he prepares to let go of your hand, but you curl your fingers in his grasp and hold onto him while you fish up your phone. His body stiffens.

“Oh, it’s Floyd.” The call cuts off just as you’re about to answer it. He’s so impatient. A string of texts pop up on your screen. “He needs me right now for . . . something? He’s being super vague.”

Jade doesn’t respond. You snap your fingers in front of his wide eyes.

“Jade? Hello?”

He blinks once, twice. “Oh. Yes. Floyd.”

“Yes, Floyd. He wants me to go back for something. Are you okay?”

“Yes. Yes, of course.” He intertwines his fingers with yours and holds them gently by your sides. His skin feels as soothingly cool as ever. “Shall we go?”

“Actually, Floyd wants me to go alone this time.” The texts he sent are rather adamant about it. You aren’t sure what requires this degree of secrecy. “It might be important?”

“If it’s important, I don’t see why I should be kept in the dark.” His grip tightens on your hand, just enough to be firm, not overbearing. “I’m sure he can be convinced.”

“I guess you’re right. I can’t really think of why he doesn’t want you to know.”

“Whatever it is, I know of it now, so I may as well tag along.”

He’s so stubborn. Just as you concede, you get a call from Azul. You pick up with growing curiosity. Azul right after Floyd?

“What’s the matter?”

Azul’s voice sounds strained. “Can you go back to the twins’ residence? There’s a problem.”

“What’s the problem?”

A pause. “Is Jade with you?”

Mutual understanding fills the space between you as you make eye contact with Jade.

“No, he isn’t. Why?”

“Floyd just—wait—”

The sound of shattering glass. The line goes dead.

You grip Jade’s hand. “Let’s go. Should I call a taxi?”

“No.” He presses a kiss to your fingers again. Before you can even process that, he lets go. His cool touch lingers on your skin. “The sea is faster.”

He shrugs off his blazer, then unbuttons his waistcoat. The expensive clothes drop onto the sand in his haste. His fingers make quick work of the buttons on his shirt. They open in succession in a way that mimics drawing back silk curtains on a canopy bed, revealing his collarbones, bare chest, solid abs, all awash in red and gold tones of the setting sun—

You look away. There’s no need to watch the process of his transformation into his mer-form. Of course not. Certainly not when it’s causing sweat to gather under your collar. Focus. You need to clear your mind and prepare yourself for what might have happened at the mansion. That’s right, focus—

“You may look if you’d like.” His shadow overlaps yours. Cold fingers tangle around your own, capturing you like tendrils of seaweed snagging a hapless diver. His voice coos in your ear and seeps into your mind. “I would not mind it. Merfolk are not squeamish about nudity the way land-dwellers are.”

You swallow hard, but it does nothing to help the heat starting to emanate from your cheeks. It’s strange. You’ve seen the twins shirtless before, many times. Neither of them are shy about it—in some ways, they actually prefer it. You just haven’t ever seen them in the process of taking off clothes. The way fabric slides away to reveal skin, the way his nimble fingers slip the buttons out of place . . . .

“Too bad I’m a squeamish land-dweller. Hurry up! We need to get there quickly.”

“As you wish.”

He squeezes your hand lightly. Before he can let go, however, a shriek pierces the air.

You whirl around. Standing in the middle of the deserted beach, the dying sun lighting her hair up in fiery shades, is (Y/N).

Panic is the first thing that shoots through your heart. She wasn’t supposed to see you for the duration of the story. But maybe this is just a minor scene that won’t affect the major plot? It can’t be. Her features twist into an ugly glare you have never seen on her before, a nasty expression you weren’t even aware she was capable of making. It tamps down whatever relief or hope you might’ve had from seeing her again after several weeks.

“(Y/N)?” Something ice cold grips your heart. You step towards her. Why did she scream? Is she alright? Is she hurt? Did something scare her? You scan your surroundings. The three of you are alone on the beach. No external threats. You need to make sure she’s alright. You need to find out why she’s glaring at you like she wants to rip out your heart. You need to go back to the mansion. You need to help Floyd and Azul. There are too many things pulling you in different directions. Your thoughts go haywire. Who do you go to? Who do you prioritize? What’s most important here?

Who do you care about more?

A tug on your hand snaps you back to reality.

“Go,” he says, placing himself in front of you. You stare at the hills and valleys of the muscles on his back. “Call a taxi. I’ll take care of this situation.”

You don’t even know what “this situation” is. (Y/N) is livid, and her glare is aimed at you. She points at you, storming over with a wild look in her eyes. You flinch. It is the first time you have ever seen her like this. She is sweet and mellow, kind and caring, never one to radiate hatred. This is not her nature. This is not the (Y/N) she is supposed to be—no, this is not the (Y/N) you have come to know.

“You!” Poison drips from her voice and sears your eardrums. “So you’re the one who’s been fucking everything up! It’s all ruined because of you! Everything. Everything. It’s all because of you!”

“Go,” Jade urges, releasing your hand. You stay rooted to the spot.

What is she saying? What did you ruin? Guilt tears at your chest. Why is she so angry at you? She’s your best friend. Your best friend can’t hate you.

“You’re the bitch who’s been fucking up the plot. I did so much to get here, and you’re making it all useless! Get out! Just disappear! This was supposed to be perfect. It’s supposed to be exactly as I wanted. This time, everything is supposed to go my way!”

The plot? She knows about that? But how? Does she also have a copy of the manuscript? You’ve been doing everything you can to make sure things follow the plot. Is she talking about something completely different? Things are moving too fast for you to think everything through. There’s an alien glint in her eyes. Something more than anger. Something murderous. She lunges for you, only to be stopped by Jade as he steps between you two.

“Don’t touch her.” His firm voice chills the air. She freezes on the spot, looking like she was slapped across the face.

“What? No. No, no, no. You’re supposed to be on my side. You’re supposed to say I’m right, no matter what. Why are you defending her?” She pulls at her hair and hunches over. “He was right. You aren’t following the story at all. You’re supposed to love me. You’re supposed to be madly in love with me! Why? What’s wrong with you? What’s wrong with all of you?”

You step forward, half of you wanting to do anything at all to comfort her. The other half screams at you to hurry back to the mansion. You’re still torn. The scene is a sand castle, and it’s crumbling in your hands faster than you can put it back together.

She throws her head back, staring at the sky, before pinning her gaze on you. “It’s all your fault. Who the fuck are you to come here and seduce my Jade? You’re just an extra. You don’t even have a name. You’re just Friend A! You’re a useless side character who doesn’t even matter after a couple pages. Who do you think you are?”

Jade’s fingers curl into fists. His voice thins with his patience. “That is enough. Shut your mouth before I carve it off of you.”

Tears fill her bloodshot eyes. “What are you saying? You’re in love with me. That’s no way to talk to me, and you know it. You love me. You’d do anything for me. Right? Say I’m right. Say I’m right, Jade!”

You can’t see his face. You’re honestly glad for it. (Y/N) reacts to his expression with a recoil of genuine fear.

“You must be mistaken. I don’t love you. I never have, and I never will.”

Tears stream down her face. She tries to grasp his arms, only for him to smack her hands away. She cradles her hand against her chest and bites her lip so hard it starts to bleed.

“You don’t love me? You’re lying. The story says you should love me. Why don’t you love me? You’re being cruel, Jade. You’re supposed to be sweet to me. I’m the only one you’re supposed to care about! Love me. Love me, love me, love me, love me!”

She screeches, a bone-chilling cry that slices the evening air. You step towards her, brushing past Jade’s protective arm. Her gaze focuses on you. Just as you get close enough, she lunges for your throat. Her nails touch your skin. And your surroundings burst into brilliant white light.

White.

There’s nothing here.

Just white space.

N

o

t 

h 

i 

n 

g.

And suddenly, there’s something.

You blink rapidly as you find yourself in a small, cozy room. A warm, crackling fireplace casts warm light over soft fabrics and old furniture, contrasted against silvery moonlight spilling in from a large window. Bookshelves stretch from floor to ceiling. Knit blankets drape over throw pillows and two armchairs, one of them occupied. You shift into a defensive stance and your Signature Spell envelops your body on instinct.

A middle-aged man raises his head. There’s something odd about him. His clothes are outdated, his demeanour too calm. His thin frame and mild-mannered smile makes him seem like less of a threat, but you know better than to underestimate anyone.

“Good evening,” he says, folding his hands in his lap. “I apologize for the abrupt intervention, and I hope you are not too confused from your trip here.”

“Who are you? Where am I?” It seems like he’s the one who brought you here. What was that bright light earlier? A teleportation spell? What about Jade, (Y/N), Azul, and Floyd? “Actually, don’t answer that. Send me back. Right now.”

“I understand your distress, but I think we are due for a conversation. Why don’t you join me for a cup of tea? As one close to you might note, a soothing cup of tea will help you relax.”

There’s already tea on the table. Only now do you realize it smells of lavender. Was it always there?

“I’m not drinking or eating anything you give me. Send me back.”

“Goodness, young people are so hasty. There is much to the world that you may only learn of when you slow down. I’d expect you, out of all the characters, to agree with me.”

“Characters?” Your shoulders tense. He also knows about the story. “Tell me what you know.”

He gestures to the armchair across from him. “Please take a seat. This may take quite some time, and as it is rather far outside what you may consider to be your realm of possibility, please suspend your disbelief. You may believe what you choose to. I, for one, promise to you that everything I say is the truth.”

You curl up into the armchair, eyes never leaving him. He promised you answers, and you’re willing to hear him out. No matter what manner of strange things he says, you’ll parse the truth of the matter out of it.

“Well, now, how shall I begin?” He takes a sip of tea, the scent of lavender mixing with the smoky scent of the fireplace. “Let me first explain to you the setting, as any good story may start. This world that you live in, your existence, as well as the existence of everyone else in your life—all of this is part of a story. And I am a . . . hm, how exactly shall I phrase it? I suppose to characters like you, my existence is somewhat similar to a god.”

[bluerosefox]

Twins AU BUT WITH ANGST!

So I'm writing for the Twins story rn (snails pace of small updates and working on it but it's going) and an idea struck me and I wanna share it and bring it all the DP x DC and Twins AU lovers attention cause were missing out on some PRIME ANGST. (BAD Mom Talia ahead btw, I normally like her in the grey areas but this time, bad mom) (also I LOVE some good Angst.)

So we all know that Talia had Damian cloned right? And later that clone killed Damian. What if, now hear me out, after that (when Damian is brought back to life) what if she tried to use another clone (only not aged up so they’re at Damian age) to coax Damian back into the League and that he can use the clone as a replacement for Danyal (Danny), its her ‘gift’ of trying to give him back his twin.

Can you imagine the feral outrage, insulted anger or heartbreak he'd have over that. He didn’t care much about the first clone cause it had his eyes but this one has Danyal’s blue eyes. Especially if Damian does care for Danny and doesn't want to hide that anymore now that hes not in the League and he can freely talk about his twin without being hushed up (but hasn't been able to due to his own complex emotions over missing his twin). Can you imagine the after emotions after Damian verbally tearing into his mother for such an insult against his twins memory and life and defeating the mindless doll like clone (Taila made it so it'll follow Damian's orders with no fuss should he come back, she ended its life once they left Gotham, another failure it seems) and Bruce asking 'Who is Danyal, Damian?'.

AND THEN CAN YOU IMAGINE THE NUCLEAR MELTDOWN OR RAGE HE'LL HAVE IF HE SEES DANNY. Like Danny is in Gotham for something (class trip? One of his Rouges sneaking to Gotham? A ghost fight taking him there and is sight seeing in his human form now that its over? Sam taking him as her Plus 1 for a social event (Dating? Best friends? Danny being cool with being used as an (entitled, dumb, rich, elite) heir repellent for Sam? [Side note: ALSO DP fans we need to really play with that idea more, Sam comes from money her parents would totally want her with a powerful rich heir, which she would HATE and would totally ask her friends to be her Elitist Heir Repellent] Idk any one is good. Her parents hating that cause they planned to have her 'single' for some of the elite heirs) and Danny gets his face decked hard or his head gets nearly chopped off by a katana.

And when he looks at who did it he's surprised to see someone who looks nearly like him but when green eyes being held back by a few other guys (Dick and Jason)

Does Danny have his memories? Does he remember Damian? Or has he hoped to never see his brother again after all these years? Idk it's open for anyone to pick and choose the plot, I'm just throwing the idea out into the sea and waiting to see if anyone wants to try nibbling at it.

Do they discover the actual truth? Does Damian despise Danny the entire time? Does it go away when the Bats find proof that Danny isn't a clone (online media showing pictures of him growing up in a small town called Amity Park)? Does Damian take note that despite them looking so much alike, Damian is more leaning towards Bruce's body type in the future, while Danny's is leaner/more runnerish (mainly due to their fighting styles/what they fight)? Which is a huge difference from the last clone that was merely a copy paste of Damian but with blue eyes. Idk.

[Small side note: normally in the Twins stories Talia is the one that saves Danny if he dies/sent away, if it's bad mom Talia, who saves him? Maybe have Clockwork save Danny, cause he knows Danny's future is Phantom and later King]

[scaranation]

I saw that requests were still open and I crawled back from the firey pits of hell to offer you Scaramouche brain rott along with a personal AU that hit me like a foking brick like two days ago.

So first off. Imagine if you will. That Mr. McGrump wasn't actually just one entity but actually a trio of twin brothers that wandered around Teyvat known as the "the trio of eccentrics". They despise each other (cuz of course they do) but decide to travel together cuz no matter how hard they try to NOT bump into each other, the world is just so big for a trio of dumbasses that are chaotic on their own right.

They cannot get along to save their lives. The amount of times Scaramouche and Wanderer have gotten smacked on the face with Kabukimono's smithing hammer are just too many to count. Not to mention that as feeble as he appears to be he has a scarily good aim much to his brother's previous dismay as they have been greeted with a flying hammer to the back of the head multiple times when they have run into each other "by chance" before.

People tend just get confused when one of them randomly spawns on a town and seemingly sprout two other clones like some kind of mitosis type shit until they realize it's just a trio of siblings.

I also low-key feel y/n would accidentally bump and help all of them separatedly by chance only for them to all either think of them fondly or straight up have a little crush on them. I can just see Kabuki rambling to wanderer how some sweet person saved him from a hoard of electro slimes only for him to remember how someone offered to invite him to some food in one of his travels similar to the one his brother mentioned. Only for Scara to interrupt demanding if they were talking about this one very specific person that offered him shelter that one time he was injured after some misión or something. Cue y/n casually walking by and all of them losing their collective shit cuz HOLY SHIT THAT'S THEM- WAIT WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU KNOW THEM TOO????? And thus the quest of winning over the kind stranger begins.

Idk if this was even mildly entertaining but this idea has been eating my brain for days and needed to spew it somewhere. Love your work! ✨✨✨

OMLL HOWW YOUR BRAINROTS ARE SO GOOD I CANT 😭😭 this took me a while to write but i had to get everything out to even do this idea some justice it’s got me giggling fr

༊*·˚ 𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐄

ft. Scaramouche, Kabukimono, Wanderer

Content: fluff, crack (but treated seriously)

a/n - innocent Kabukimono just lives rent free in my heart omlll like just imagine a less traumatised Scara <33

The trio of short haired, violet-eyed wanderers (also known as “the trio of eccentrics” by the local children) were a common sight in Teyvat. Prior to the revelation that they were, in fact, siblings, people had believed that they were either a teleporting ghost or some human aphid with miraculous cloning abilities. That was until someone saw two of the them in the same room, and connected the dots.

Scaramouche, the Wanderer, and Kabukimono were inseparable - not of their own will, of course. On their erratic, impulsive routes across Sumeru, they’d somehow cross paths more often than they wanted. In fact, they’d made an effort to avoid each other. The Wanderer had retreated all the way to the Hypostyle Desert, cackling at his own genius. Unfortunately, he also found Scaramouche and Kabukimono at the desert too - both dumbfounded at the ridiculous situation. Somehow, all three of them had simultaneously decided that hiding in the desert to not see each other was a great idea.

“What are you doing here?” the Wanderer had blurted.

“No, what are you doing here? I had this idea yesterday!” Kabukimono cried.

“Both of you, get out of my sight. I hatched this plan two weeks ago.” Scaramouche grumbled.

“Oh, how diabolical and calculating you are,” the Wanderer rolled his eyes, as though he wasn’t just praising himself for what he thought was the most intelligent idea to ever exist.

“Fine, I’ll leave first.” Kabukimono sighed. Perhaps it was because he was the youngest, but he was always ended up giving in to his brothers.

“Pushover,” the Wanderer smirked.

“Says the unemployed one,” Scaramouche scoffed.

“At least I have a vision.”

“Shut up.”

The many other times the trio convened by accident, two of them weren’t even conscious to fully process their irritation. The moment Kabukimono spotted Scaramouche or the Wanderer at his favourite resting place, he’d let loose his hammer - striking them on the back of the head with scary aim. He’d congratulate himself if he managed to score a concussion, too. It wasn’t as though the others didn’t defend themselves equally vigorously. If they couldn’t settle things with words, the brothers would just break out into fighting.

Things were especially bad when the Wanderer got ahold of Kabukimono’s hammer. Upon wrestling it out of the blacksmith’s grip, the Wanderer would flit into the air, gleefully holding the hammer out of reach until Scaramouche had enough and struck him down with a bolt of lightning.

“You look like a fly when you do that, you know?”

“You’re just jealous.”

Somehow, you were always at the centre of the trio’s unpredictable paths of destruction across Teyvat. You never really guessed at the connection between them, only dismissing it as a mere coincidence that you’d developed a fondness for three purple haired, short-tempered travellers.

As an adventurer, you’d first met Kabukimono on one of your errands.

“Stay away!”

You heard the clanging of something heavy on your inspection in Guyun, turning around to locate the source of the voice.

You followed the commotion around past the domain you’d just exited from, finding a crevice tucked away into a small beach-like area. Clumps of electro crystals clung to the stone walls of the cove, the lapping of the waves only perpetuating the intense elemental reactions. At the centre of it all was a strangely dressed man, being attacked by a hoard of electro slimes. He flailed around with a blacksmith’s hammer, presumably caught in his own attempt to mine valuable ores for a project.

His clothes looked to be of Inazuman attire, too - what was an Inazuman doing, looking for electro crystals all the way out in Liyue?

“Do you need help?” You crouched down, a little hesitant over whether or not it was obligatory for you to jump into the electro-charged mess.

“It… certainly looks like it, doesn’t it?” The man flashed you a defeated smile. Luckily, as a pyro vision holder, it wasn’t too difficult for you to deal with the slimes. With a brief flash of your vision, you also mined the ores for the stranger as well.

“Ah! So they require elemental triggers to be mined. No wonder it was taking me so long. Thank you, by the way - I’m Kabukimono.” The stranger extended a hand. You took it, but he didn’t shake it. The two of you stood there awkwardly for a moment, before he released your hand.

“Ah, sorry… That’s what I see people at the workshop do when they meet someone new. Is it strange?”

“No, of course not! You usually shake the hand after holding it, though.” You quipped helpfully.

“Oh.” A flush spread across his cheeks. He thanked you vehemently once again, insisting on offering you some spare iron in exchange for your help.

“Travel safe!” You called after Kabukimono, as he hurried off. He was a little strange, but his awkwardness was rather endearing. You smiled and shook your head, before resuming work and thinking nothing more of the entire ordeal.

Unlike Kabukimono, the second of the trio you met was a lot more irritable. You met the Wanderer at some food stalls in Sumeru city, almost mistaking him for the acquaintance you’d met in Guyun - only to be quickly corrected by his vastly different attitude.

“Watch it.” The stranger that looked suspiciously like Kabukimono (but with a remarkably more hostile, pointed gaze) shoved past you.

“These lavender melons. How much do they cost?” Not-Kabukimono asked the vendor, tapping his foot impatiently.

“Uh, 200 mora-”

“What? Who sells trash like this so expensively? Forget it, I didn’t want them anyway.” The Wanderer scoffed, turning to leave before you quickly grabbed him.

“If you’re hungry, you can eat at my place. I have some leftovers,” you offered. He narrowed his eyes at you suspiciously.

“Why are you helping me? Is this a poisoning attempt?”

“No… You just remind me of an acquaintance of mine, so I thought I’d look out for you.”

“Pfft, I don’t need your baseless concern.”

At that moment, the man’s stomach grumbled. The two of you made eye contact, before reaching a silent agreement.

“My house is that way,” you pointed, as the stranger begrudgingly followed you.

Even if he didn’t say so, the stranger most definitely enjoyed your cooking. After introducing himself as the Wanderer, he was quick to open up - always stopping by to visit (claiming that you were a convenient dining place for his travels).

Whenever he stopped by, you’d laugh and cook him a warm meal - it almost felt like home to him, or at least what he thought a home was. He never really had one, nor did he care for the notion, but this arrangement was quite pleasant for him. If the Wanderer was in a good mood, he’d even share some of his travelling stories with you. He’d boast about the enemies he defeated in the wilderness, complain about the stupidity of mortals, before giving you the rare piece of acknowledgement (“you know, your cooking is edible,” or “it’s definitely not poisoned,” etc.).

You quickly grew to anticipate his sporadic visits, getting an understanding of what kind of food he preferred. You weren’t sad when he didn’t arrive, and the two of you thrived off a mutual relationship. The Wanderer was surely different from your other companion, but that didn’t make him any less welcome.

Lastly, you’d met Scaramouche on an ominous rainy day. Or, rather, he’d been deposited on your doorstep.

“I don’t remember ordering a parcel…” You peered out into your doorway, squinting through the lashing rain - before realising that this ‘parcel’ was very much human-shaped.

With a surprised gasp, you dragged the figure inside as carefully as you could, wincing at the blood mixed with rainwater that swirled across his smooth skin. Peeling back the heavy layers of his outer coat, you took off the man’s hat to gape again in shock.

“Kabukimono?” You spluttered.

“Who are you calling Kabukimono?” The stranger snapped, sitting up slowly.

“Wanderer?” You tried again, guessing based on the man’s furious expression.

“Hah, you dare to…”

Before the stranger (that was neither Kabukimono nor the Wanderer) could finish his sentence, he passed out again in a haze of dizzying unconsciousness.

The man’s deep indigo eyes fluttered open a while later to the sight of you tending his wounds. He immediately flinched away, looking at you incredulously.

“Who are you? Why am I here?”

“You quite literally passed out on my porch, then again in my house. Don’t you remember?” You quirked an eyebrow.

“You dare gaslight a Fatui Harbinger? Try as hard as you want, but I won’t be giving you financial compensation for this.”

“You’re… a Harbinger…?” You frowned. He sure acted and looked a lot like the Wanderer - perhaps he’d hit his head a little too hard.

“Yes, Scaramouche. I’m better known as the Balladeer, of course.”

“I’ve never heard of you.”

“Well, then that just means we’re doing a great job of maintaining confidentiality.” Scaramouche huffed, allowing you to continue wrapping bandages around the deep gashes on his body. You chuckled at his demeanour.

“I’m not expecting anything in return for this.” You offered, leaning back to scrutinise your medical work. Years of adventuring had given you experience in this sort of thing, but your expertise was still lacking.

“Then why? Don’t tell me, you believe in kindness?”

“Anyone would do this if they found a stranger half-dead at their door in the pouring rain.” You rolled your eyes.

“I was not half-dead, and I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Scaramouche huffed, and you almost gawked at how similar he was to the Wanderer.

“Um, do you happen to know anyone named… Uh…” You hesitated under your new acquaintance’s fierce gaze.

“Named what? Do I look like an Akasha terminal to you?”

“Never mind.” You quickly shut your mouth. Perhaps it was just a coincidence.

It took a few months before the trio finally figured out they had a mutual connection. They’d all visited you countless times, and yet were lucky enough not to encounter each other - that was, until they finally began talking about their latest travel experiences upon having a chance meeting in Sumeru.

“Hm, perhaps this is what mortals call… comradeship…” Kabukimono mused to his brothers one day.

“Feeling a little amicable, Kabukimono?” Scaramouche sneered. He eyed the glimmering purple blade Kabukimono flipped over in his hands.

“There was this adventurer who saved me from some electro slimes once. It was because of them that I could fashion this dagger… Humans really are compassionate.” Kabukimono mused. He happily smiled to himself at the reminder of you.

“You’re so naive, brother. After all, mortals are only driven by fair exchange. Nobody would help without expecting it return - ah, there is one exception. There was this person I met who offered me food. I’ve been having free meals with them for months, and they don’t even know how I’m taking advantage of them! How immature they are, selflessly acting like that. It almost makes me concerned for their well-being,” the Wanderer chuckled.

“I don’t think you’re taking advantage of them if you’re… just accepting the free meals they give you. It almost seems they have you wrapped around their finger.” Scaramouche snickered.

“You wouldn’t understand the idea of a mutually beneficial relationship. In fact, have you even talked to a living being other than your colleagues in the last week?”

“Yes, you, and a certain traveller who took me in after I was injured in a mission-”

“You got injured? How pathetic.”

“It was a calculated risk. Anyway, they gave me shelter and treated all my wounds without asking for mora once. And they even let me stay over long after I’d healed, too. Mortals are so foolish, to be blindly trusting. I could’ve snapped their throat in a second.”

The three brothers agreed on the extremely rare and (questionably naive) selflessness of humans.

Then, a beat of silence passed before a revelation dawned on them.

“Isn’t it weird that we’ve all met a strange, helpful adventurer?” Kabukimono murmured.

“Exactly what I was thinking. Surely not all humans are like this.” Scaramouche nodded.

“Maybe foolishness is more common than we thought…?” The Wanderer suggested, but an uneasy feeling was dawning on him as he began to connect the dots.

“Say, does the traveller you two met live near the Grand Bazaar?” Scaramouche prodded.

“Yes.” Kabukimono and the Wanderer responded simultaneously.

“And they have an adventurer’s bandana? With a Mondstadtian clock in the front room of their house?”

“Yes- YOU TWO KNOW THEM AS WELL?” Kabukimono spluttered.

The Wanderer only heaved a large sigh. He was so close to showing off that he had a new friend, only to realise that the new friend was also acquainted with both his brothers.

“How bothersome, it seems you’re already close with them.” Scaramouche raised an eyebrow.

“Of course I am! I met them first, after all.” Kabukimono insisted.

“Both of you, be quiet. I’m going to their place now.” The Wanderer pushed back his chair.

“Hey! I was planning to visit them too!”

The scraping of chairs resounded as the remaining two brothers hurriedly rushed to get to your house.

Any other person would probably pass out from fear at seeing all three of the notorious trio appear at their door. You, however, only shot them a bemused look and ushered them in.

Once the three realised they had competition, Scaramouche, the Wanderer, and Kabukimono would be unrelenting in competing for your attention.

It was quite comical at times - you’d barely have to say anything and one of them would appear, diligently doing tasks for you and looking back at you eagerly for praise. It seemed almost strange to consider that these three had been marvelling at your profound naiveness only a few days ago, and were now basically at your beck and call.

Scaramouche would definitely be the most demanding. Whether it was a hand on your elbow or a risky grip on your wrist, he made sure you were close to him and sought your undivided attention. He’d recklessly snap out searing insults at anyone else, before getting ahold of himself and stating that he was merely defending a poor, foolish soul from being taken advantage of by some calculating purple-haired villain. Not him though, he’d never do anything like that.

The Wanderer (like his name) was more relaxed - he could go without your eyes on him at all times, and he’d drift in and out as he pleased. However, he did see himself as being entitled to your energy whenever he did happen to stop by. Occasionally, he’d even offer to take you on a scenic flight across Teyvat. After you’d tried it once, you were quick to refuse his latter offers - zooming across rooftops at breakneck speed was not your forte. The Wanderer huffed at your reluctance and accused you of denying his altruistic favour, but made an effort to do things you liked regardless.

Kabukimono was fiercely shy. He’d always bring you trinkets - small mechanisms or self-defends tools he’d fashioned from spare parts during his work as a blacksmith. He’d press them into your hands self-consciously, unable to bite back a smile when you praised his handiwork. He wouldn’t hesitate to stand up against his much fiercer brothers if it was for you, holding you in a tight embrace whenever you’d let him.

And so, as it happened, it seemed as though “the eccentric trio” simply couldn’t escape each other. As if by some ill-humoured joke, they all ended up liking the same person. The only issue was, being that person, you now had to deal with all three of them at once.

As if one wasn’t enough, you now had triple the trouble.

༊*·˚

[sugoi-and-spice]

Like my work? Please consider commissioning me or contributing to my Ko-Fi!

Chapter Twenty-Four - At Last

Summary: Tomura Shigaraki was her dad’s boss’s son. He was the creep that stole girls’ underwear and tried to grope her in his room. But it’s not like he could get her Dad fired just because she wouldn’t sleep with him, right? …right?

CW: Quirkless!AU, Explicit Smut, Dub-Con, Coercion, Blackmail, Cheating, Sexual Guilt, Humiliation, Unhealthy Relationships, Virginity Kink, Groping, Power Play, Hate to Love, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Animal Death, Slow Burn, Misogyny

Notes: Ho(s) Ho(s) Ho(s)! Happy Holidays my lovelies. Here is an early Christmas present (or late Hanukkah present) to get you through the holidays. Thank you all for always having so much patience for my slow updates and I look forward to finishing this fic with you all in the New Year!

Read Full Chapter on AO3

[excerpt]

Door-slamming was not particularly common in the Shigaraki household. It was a fact that would be surprising to many, considering how much anger and resentment was harbored just under the surface of this “perfect” luxury, penthouse apartment. Nonetheless, it was a rarity. Perhaps due to the very fact that they were under this roof, that any weakness that led to such an outburst was kept so under wraps. The head of the household was too poised and the young successor too self-destructive to ever show the hand of their emotions like that.

So, it went without saying that when Kurogiri heard the front door slam open, hours after Tomura Shigaraki was due home, it gave him enough concern to pause his dish washing.

“Tomura Shigaraki?” he called out to the entrance.

A thunk responded. And then a twin thunk soon after. They were his shoes, hitting whatever wall or plank of floor was unlucky enough to be in Shigaraki’s way, Kurogiri realized as he left the kitchen and saw the young ward storming through the living room in bare feet.

“Is everything alright?”

He didn’t respond. Just continued to storm straight for the staircase.

Ignoring Kurogiri when he was pissed off was practically the norm for Shigaraki. That wasn’t enough to worry his ever-attentive and unphased carer. It was the dazed sway and stumble in his step. The way that he walked straight into the decorative end table, clearly hitting his foot hard enough to hurt, but not slowing down. Only throwing the offending furniture aside hard enough to splinter. Violently, but wordlessly.

Now, that behavior worried Kurogiri.

“Tomura Shigaraki, what’s wrong?”

The clear, unsettling mix of numbness and pain practically frothing at the surface, just waiting to bubble over and tear him apart.

“ Tenko .”

A forbidden word in this house, but one that was serious enough to finally stop Shigaraki in his tracks. But not for long. He tried to climb up the stairs just a second later, but it gave Kurogiri enough time to actually catch him by the shoulders and turn him around to look at him.

His expression was ragged, broken. Not unlike the way he looked when he first came into the Boss’s care. But there was a burning hatred in his eyes as well, one much more raging and self-loathing than Kurogiri had ever seen. And that was saying something.

There were no polite words Kurogiri could use to describe this expression. Frankly, it worried the shit out of him.

“Tomura, son,” Kurogiri breathed, letting himself show a sentimentality and worry that his boss would certainly fire him for if he knew of it, “What’s happened?”

Everything about him — his body movement, tense posture, the fresh blood on his neck — it all conveyed a furiousness that Kurogiri was quite used to, a tantrum-like anger that was no cause for concern. But his face read something different. A blankness, a sickness, an exhaustion.

Devastation.

Tomura Shigaraki was breaking before his very eyes.

“Nothing,” he lied through grit teeth.

Kurogiri reached into his vest pocket, pulling out a spare handkerchief he kept exactly for these purposes. He reached it forward, padding Shigaraki’s neck gently, “ This is not nothing, Tomura.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” he spat, looking away and tilting his head back so that Kurogiri could get a better angle at his neck.

Now that had to be the greatest lie he’d ever heard the boy spout.

Realizing that this current path was getting him no closer to a clear answer, Kurogiri decided to try a different approach. To dig a little deeper.

“You went to see your friend today, didn’t you?” he asked, “How did that go—”

Shigaraki snapped to him, furious and frantic. He smacked Kurogiri’s hand away from him, might’ve even hit the family caretaker if he hadn’t had the quick instinct to step away.

“Don’t mention her! Don’t you ever mention that stupid bitch to me again!” 

Ah, so that was it.

“It’s alright, Tomura Shigaraki. You can tell me what happened,” Kurogiri assured gently, trying to figure out the best way to get close to him now that he’d started tearing into his neck again. He was like a cornered animal right now, a captive wolf trying to chew its own leg off and ready to bite and kill anything that got near him, “Just calm down—”

“Calm down— I don’t need to fucking calm down!” he practically screamed, “You think I give a shit what she does with her life? What she does with him ?! It doesn’t mean anything! She’s worthless! Just another whore Sensei bought me to keep me from getting bored! I hope she fucking die—!”

Shigaraki froze suddenly, unable to get that last word out of his mouth. Because it wasn’t true. 

None of it was true of course, but that especially — the idea of not only him never seeing her again, but her not existing at all? He couldn’t even pretend to think that. Just the idea of it made him sick.

 He slapped a hand over his mouth suddenly, a distress that Kurogiri knew all too well filling the young boy’s bloodshot eyes.

No more words or time was needed. Kurogiri grabbed Shigaraki by the shoulders and rushed him to the bathroom where he promptly and violently emptied the contents of his stomach.

Continue on AO3

[hiemaldesirae]

Swap AU:

Vox's Goetia (we need a name for him...umm because he's where Vox gets the extras for the fight against Heaven; got any ideas?) looks like a Griffin. He's got a Lion lower half and eagle upper half but his colors are shades of blue. (You see why Vox proposed that deal.)

The crew work on defense for days. Vox goes to Lucifer to ask about Angel weaknesses and informs him about Adam's threats against Charlie and the Hotel, and that's how the hotel crew gets informed of angel weaknesses. Lucifer tells, after all why should he keep Heaven's weakness a secret when they're coming for his daughter?

Vox then puts a big order of Angelic steel in for Carmine, paying extra to have it arrive early, which it does so he and Pentious can build turrets and drones to shoot down the exterminators. They have a blast.

Also: fun facts:

Vox's sensors and subconscious relax and recognize Alastor's scent as safe, even though Vox himself cannot smell anything. The sensor's database has recognized certain scents as family (Husk's, Vel's, Val's) lover's/husband's (Alastor's) little sister (Charlie's) my duck loving liege lord who might be my friend too? (Lucifer) the crazy exorcist chick whose now treating me with kid gloves--IT WAS ONE PANIC ATTACK! (Vaggie) Val's weird Spider who keeps taking photos and I know is stealing my shit (Angel Dust) The Best Little Engineer That Could (Sir Pentious) The Engineer's less then steller sidekicks 1-8 (Eggbois) the chick that keeps blowing up the wall (Cherri Bomb)

Angel Dust does do more then steal. He brings in Alastor's cooking to the Hotel, and Vox who does miss homemade jambalaya jumps at the chance to eat it. Vox just devours it. (Of course Angel lied and told him it was set aside for Niffty and Velvette for working so hard. He wasn't going to tell him Alastor had been waiting at the door of V-tower with the large Tupperware bowl with strict instructions that only Vox got what was inside.)

Vox actually turns in early--he'd been stressing out with Adam's threat laying over him and the thought of a true death coming for him hasn't sat well, but the warmth of good food made him sleepy and he goes to bed. He's barely asleep when Alastor joins him, gently petting his rabbit ears and murmuring his undying devotion to sleeping Vox's ears.

uhhh. drawing from the demons of the ars goetia grimoire, seir could work as a name? according to his description, seir can go to any place on earth in a matter of seconds to accomplish the will of the conjurer (possibly explaining how vox can use him for errands and such), and hes not a particularly evil demon. he's also a prince of hell, so that makes his and stolas' relation even closer since there seems to be only 7 of them in the ars goetia grimore

HAHAHA awww bonding time with pentious and vox!!! i still stand by the fact that i think vox should get to say kys to at least ONE other person in the swap au. i simply believe my wife should be allowed to cyberbully whoever he wants <3 also i imagine lucifer would show up to help with fortifications too, no? i just cant see him leaving his daughter and friend alone to deal with the fallout while not leaving the palace... though admittedly, i am a bit biased from what electric mentioned.

me after i die. HE STILL RECOGNIZES AL AS HIS LOVER...... auwgudawgh...... imgonna be SICK. what the HELL did they even fight about because clearly it wasnt enough to keep both of them from pining for each other... AUAUWGAHAH every time you come in my inbox its like another plane (angst( striking the twin towers (my heart)

and i am SUCH a fucking sucker for radiostatics love language being food. the idea that al nabs / has angel nab voxs stuff so that he can stake his claim but he also makes him food.... just stop being cryptic and TELL HIM YOUR SHIT !!! god i hate them. dysfunctional ass toxic couple theyre the WORST. and al. please for the love of god just be a Normal Person and STOP BREAKING INTO VOXS BED AT NIGHt ?!!?!?? just one normal thing from you. god damn its like if he doesnt act like a freak he loses 20 years off his lifespan or something

[clowningaroundmars]

damnit i thought about Separated At Birth morales twins too hard and now i went and wrote this whole thing about it 😔

pls forgive me.

but also. uh. enjoy lol

- normie au (no powers)

- milo is aaron's adopted child, and he lives with aaron and his gf in their apartment. aaron didn't adopt milo with her tho, milo's actual adopted mom died when he was young unfortunately

- miles is still rio and jeff's son and neither boys know their bio parents. jeff and rio know a bit tho (they still have the adoption agency papers but havent looked thru them in a while). aaron lost the papers and info in a house fire

- jeff and aaron are not brothers in this au. i... havent decided whose last name is whose but yeah

- aaron does sketchy stuff to provide for milo, he does. milo doesn't get involved whatsoever tho, aaron's p overprotective in like a chill way and would never endanger his kid like that. milo doesn't even really know the details. he just knows his dad stays out late working often, and then when he comes home he brings enough moolah back to buy his son an expensive silver wristwatch :)

- the twins do not know that the other exists. like at all. they've always felt like there was smthn missing in their lives tho... like an incomplete puzzle waiting to be finished

- the parents... know? that their kid has a sibling somewhere out there? but the details were left vague when they finally picked up their child and they all kinda assumed the other was just like lost to the World Out There. aaron most def did not concern himself with trying to look for the other child, one was plenty enough for him lol

- the twins discover each other when miles wins the lottery to study at visions and milo is just enrolled str8 up (thank you aaron's money!) but they dont even find each other for the first time at their school. they actually see each other in the windows of passing trains that they're taking in nyc one random day. its a weird dream-like moment for both of them

- milo, once he gets home: hey aaron do i uh have a secret twin somewhere out there or what (half-joking) (but not really) (ahaha) (👁)

- THEN they find out they're both enrolled in visions academy. milo was already p well adjusted by the end of the 1st day but became curious abt this weird nerdy kid everyone seemed to avoid anyhow. when he found out it was the kid with his face at the train station, they both flip out in the hallways!

- (insert spiderman x2 pointing at each other meme here)

they circle each other a couple of times like dogs meeting in a park, sizing each other up with squinted eyes and knitted brows. miles' mouth was hanging open.

after a bit, they stopped and met eyes, green against brown.

"you... you have got to be kiddin' me," miles breathed. "you look exactly like me!"

milo's eyes are still roaming, pupils bouncing around and scrutinizing his mirror-self standing right in front of him.

after a beat, he spoke slowly, sounding like he was trying to choose his words carefully. "... yeah. yeah, that is weird. you're like me, huh."

miles sucked in a breath. "i-i mean yeah? i guess?"

the bell rang suddenly, cutting the hazy dream-like atmosphere in half like a knife. the boys startled.

"gimme your number," milo demanded quickly, stepping to prop himself up against a wall and move out of the way of the incoming crowd.

miles swallowed and dug around into his pocket hastily, fumbling his phone a bit as he pulled it out.

milo laughed, and it was-- so weird!-- to hear miles' own laugh coming out of another boy that sounded quite a bit like him to begin with. is this what the uncanny valley felt like?

"what?" miles balked self-consciously, swiping over to his contact info.

"you don't already have your own number memorized, dawg?" milo says this with all the confidence in the world, a simple crooked grin and tilt of his head just overflowing with self-assuredness. as if his own self worth really came from within.

miles bit the inside of his cheek and swallowed down the feeling of envy bubbling up into his lungs. "uhhh, no? i literally just got a phone plan like, yesterday." it was hard to keep the judgemental tone out of his voice when he already felt like he had to be on the defensive.

milo's eyebrows shot up into his hairline.

"oh," was all he said.

"oh?"

"lemme just give you mine," milo steps closer, eyes constantly roaming and watching the students currently walking around them, like river water being parted by a big stone in the middle of roaring rapids.

he shot off a series of numbers and miles dutifully plugged it into his contacts list. the second that miles tried to save it was when he realized: shit, he did not know this mystery boy's name!

"oh, h-hey, i didn't get your n--" but once he looked up, the kid had already disappeared into a passing wave of students rushing to get to their next classes before the bell rang again.

miles blinked, looking back down at his screen. the phone number that was punched in was the only solid proof that this mysterious interaction even happened at all.

my god. this wasn't a dream...

miles hastily tapped in "twin???" for the contact name and hit "save".

- ganke is the first to hear abt miles having a long-lost sibling, and he gets his ear talked off abt the possibility of that sibling being an identical TWIN!!!!

- milo does not dorm up at visions. miles suggests they move in together the next year but milo's slightly spoiled ass is not very excited abt sleeping in a room the size of his closet. plus, he hates bunk beds

- aaron's kinda loaded so milo's always got the hookup. he always has the flyest fits, latest shoes and coolest equipment. miles is highkey p jealous when he finds out. milo is... actually not very spoiled despite all of this tho! probs bc he's always training in mma, and aaron drills the importance of self-reliance into him often

- aaron and jeff do not like each other At All. for the kids' sakes, jeff doesnt mention that he's actually slapped cuffs on aaron for a small offense before, but yeah. they have beef. aaron is already anti-cop anyways-- probs sitting at a 9 out of 10 on the hater meter-- but after meeting jeff, he's bumped that up to a cool 15

- the twins meeting: YOU!! ���😳🤯😄

the Dads meeting: YOU. 😠😠😠

- kid swaps are always just the twins going: YEAAAH!! SLEEPOVER!!! :D

meanwhile

jeff: aaron.

aaron: officer davis.

*forced smiles and tense eye contact as they visibly seethe while the twins chatter happily in the bg*

- milo and miles live almost opposite lives, and they're very different. but where they truly connect is with COMICS!! and other assorted nerdy stuff. they watch anime together and swap comics n manga regularly. eventually, miles gets invited along to go to comic con with milo and aaron

- milo usually keeps a cool and collected front around ppl (just like his dad!) but he is most def himself with miles. he devolves into goofy silly shenanigans when they link up

- miles meeting aaron: 🤩 wow milo your dad is so COOOOL!

milo meeting jeff: wow miles. 😬 your dad is a cop. hm.

- jeff and milo eventually learn to get along but milo feels weird abt jeff being not only a cop but also making captain soon since he's been raised on lupe fiasco, NWA and KRS one songs since infancy. milo's household is #ACAB or bust lol

- they both bring up random injuries they had in their lives and try testing the "twin connection" theory. milo randomly hurts himself to see if miles will bring it up (like purposefully giving himself a papercut or smthn). they both p much develop a spider-sense for when their twin gets in trouble too

milo suddenly perks up at the dinner table, homework sheets spread out before him in every direction. he's trying to solve a problem using an equation of motion when he gasps and sits straight up, nearly dropping his pencil.

aaron is still prepping dinner at the counter not 5 feet away. he glances at his son curiously.

"dad," milo says with all the seriousness of a supreme court judge, "miles might be in trouble."

"... huh?" aaron's brow is raised.

not a second later, aaron's cell phone is buzzing where it's propped up on the microwave, pausing the music that was playing on a nearby bluetooth speaker.

MILES flashed across the screen.

aaron wiped his hands on a kitchen rag, gave his son another sidelong glance, and hit "answer".

"u-ugh. aaron?"

this was strange. miles never called him, they usually just exchange quick and courteous texts whenever it was necessary, but never more than that. aaron joked it was a "youngblood" thing, kids these days could never just make a quick and easy phone call.

so he knew it had to be serious if miles was even bothering to not only put in a call, but put in a call to him.

"miles? wassup?" aaron replied, grimacing at the strained tone and small gasps coming in on the other end.

"u-uhm..." miles stalled.

"kid," aaron started, as serious as a heart attack, "is something wrong? you sound like you're hurt."

behind him, milo stands up quickly, homework completely forgotten about.

"... y-you have to promise not to tell my parents first, heh. they'd probably-- ngh-- a ha! they'd probably kill us both if you did."

geez. even when he sounds like he's hurt, miles still manages to get a quip out as casually as he can manage.

aaron is moving towards the coat rack now, and milo's already went ahead to his room to put his shoes on without another word.

aaron's answer is careful. "... we'll talk about that when we get to you. where ya at?"

miles sucks in a breath that hisses through his teeth and from the background aaron thinks he can hear dogs barking in the distance.

"okay, so don't freak out but i might be like... near an abandoned building. i-i think they used to be apartments..."

aaron mentally projects a map of the brooklyn-manhattan area that he knows in his head as he switches to speakerphone. but nothing really comes to mind as he racks his brain for any abandoned apartments that he knew of.

"just send me your location, kid. we'll be there in no time."

miles chuckles gratefully. "th-thanks, aaron..."

- milo and miles are actually p jealous of each other, even tho they'd never admit it out loud (altho miles is awful at hiding his envy lol)

milo is jealous of miles' parents, and how involved and loving they are. not that aaron isn't involved in milo's life, but it's just that his work often gets in the way of actually spending quality time with his son as often, so milo is left alone a lot. they also moved around a lot as well, so he didn't get the chance to become as popular and well-loved on his block like miles did. he doesn't have very many friends.

miles is jealous of milo's freedom and independence, and his seemingly dazzling life. he gets that milo can be p lonely and introverted at times, but he'd kill just to spend a day in his twin's expensive shoes! if only his well-meaning but annoying parents would just hop off his ass about things, maybe then he'd be able to just... spread his wings and fly

- rio and jeff suggest a DNA test to see if milo and miles really are brothers. they scoff at the idea at first ("i mean c'mon, we literally have the same face," milo points out.) but aaron agrees. better to be safe and 100% sure than to have even a hint of a doubt, plus it would be great to have physical proof that they were indeed twins after all.

so they took the test and waited nervously for the results. miles lamented the possibility of them not really actually being the long-lost-sibling they both had. milo would try to reassure him anyways; even if they weren't biologically related, they could just lie and say they were since they looked so similar anyways.

but they got their results in the mail and it was confirmed: they were 100% related!! miles cried. milo cheered with joy and they immediately facetimed each other.

when miles accepted milo's facetime call, his entire screen was suddenly taken up by milo's grinning face unnervingly close to the camera.

laughing and wiping his tears, miles propped his phone up on his desk. "man, you're being weird. back up!"

"oh, am i? am i being weird, bro? brother of mine? brother dearest? broski? boy who is genetically related to me?"

"ahaha! man, quit it. anyways, yeah i got my results too obviously. milo, when i tell you i ran so damn fast after going to the store-- i never ran back home that fast in my life."

"'cause i texted you, right?! your welcoooome!" milo practically hollered right into the phone.

"chill, chill, chill." miles rolled his eyes, still sniffling a bit but grinning just as wide.

sounds of items being pushed off of milo's own drafting table filled the background, and all miles could see for a second was the logo on his brother's hoodie before the camera was finally positioned correctly.

"... okay. okay, hopefully it doesn't fall. okay, cool. so!"

milo then bounces up from his chair and shoots off to go somewhere off-camera. miles can hear papers rummaging for a second before his excitable brother comes and throws himself back on his chair again.

"so, let's read this damn thing together 'cause this is just-- hold up." milo pauses, putting the letter down and squinting at his screen. "are you... were you crying?"

miles sits straight up, hastily swiping at his face. "uh! maybe? so what about it?"

milo laughs, throwing his head back. "aaron!!" he yells, at the top of his lungs.

miles cringes. "bro! what the hell!!" he shouts back.

"miles cried!! he's cryin' just like i said he would! you owe me 30 bucks!" then, milo turns back to his phone, smirking. "anyways!"

miles is shaking his head. "y'all are placing bets on me now? that is foul."

"ahhh well. y'know! nothing against you or anything, nothing personal!" milo has a cheesy, apologetic grin plastered on his face, and then he suddenly gets serious.

"but anyways, miles. c'mon, we gotta read it together, it makes it more real."

"what is this, a whole ritual you had planned or somethin'?"

"dude, humor me. this is a big deal!"

miles bobs his head and laughs. "yes. okay! fine, you start. you can read one paragraph and then i'll do the next,"

and together, they read off the results again, placing emphasis on the final result: a 99.995% likelihood of a full sibling relationship!

"99.995% yooooo!!" milo crowed, pumping a fist in the air.

"so yeah, that's all she wrote," miles sighed contentedly, folding up his piece of paper. "mamí already said she's buying a frame for this so i'm putting this somewhere safe."

then, they sat there together and smiled at each other.

"you know what this means, right?" milo asked suddenly.

"... no. what?"

"we always talked about, like..." milo sighed and leaned back in his chair, screwing his face up in thought. "like. that feeling? y'know, like something or someone was missing in our lives, right?"

miles chuckled. "uhyup, like that one time when i was on a field trip years ago and i randomly reached to hold someone's hand but he wasn't there? before we got all partnered up, obviously."

"and that other time when aaron recorded me when i was like a damn toddler talkin' about 'i need another toy for my friend' at the store once. he insisted it was an imaginary friend that i made up just to get more stuff. but looking back now, i didn't have no imaginary friend... no, i was looking out for you back when i didn't know you even existed..."

"yeah. that's... that is pretty weird."

"well yeah, but now it's not. 'cause we were right. turns out we were right the whole time! and we got scientific proof to prove it!" milo jumped up and ran a quick victory lap around his room, throwing punches into the air as if he were taunting his opponent in the ring.

"ooh, now i see what you mean. these results mean the two pieces are finally put back together, like officially. no more weird empty feelings anymore..."

miles leans back in his own chair, fingers clasped together on his stomach as he thought back to all those times where that strange, tugging feeling kept cropping up in small moments of his life. on field trips, on the playground, at school, on daytime trips with his parents.

and then he thought back to how that aching feeling just vanished after meeting milo. in all of the excitement of meeting a long-lost twin, he didn't even really notice how that longing simply just... went away. he couldn't even remember the last time he felt that specific feeling now.

"exactly, exactly!" milo whooped, before crashing back down into his chair again and jostling his drafting table. his phone fell in the process and he cursed loudly when it clattered onto the floor.

"milo, cool it!" miles cackles, but he feels the same swooping triumphant joy filling his chest nonetheless.

[queen-ofsunflowers]

Have you been to Natlan yet? How do you feel about the characters so far?

I have! I actually cleared the first two acts of the Archon Quest the day it came out. Took all day, but I did it.

As for the characters... It's hard to say about some of them because I have yet to spend enough time around them and getting to know them with what's been released so far (currently working on the tribal chronicles, not finished those yet.) BUT. I'll do my best to give my thoughts on a few without getting into any spoilers.

Kachina is babygirl and I nearly lost my mind over what happened to her in Act II. She's a sweetie and I'm already planning to incorporate her into one of my Genshin AU fics.

Mualani is a sweetheart, though I still think that her design would look better without those twin-tail braids under her ponytail. Other than that, she could be in Traveler-bestie territory.

Kinich is... Kinich, we didn't get much of him in the Archon Quests and I still need to do the Scions' chornicles. His dynamic with Ajaw is amusing to me, though. I'm looking forward to seeing more from him.

Not a lot about Iansan yet, so my opinion of her is still up in the air. I did get excited when I eventually recognized her as the one who appeared in the storyline preview for Natlan.

I need to know more about Chasca. She is so groeous and reminds me of a an elf ranger/rogue in a D&D game. I have an theory about her and abyssal corruption that I think the game has implied so much to be true that it is. All that's left if for them to say it.

AND MAUVIKA!!! I love her!! She gives me such Big Sis vibes and her fight with Captiano? Had me on the edge of my seat. I'm excited to see more and learn more about her. ...and maybe give her a bit of a hug. After the end of Act II, I kind of want to give her one. ...and I can't wait to get the Pyro Resonence from her.

Look, I know WHY they haven't given it to the Traveler yet. Natlan's got some issues with its elemental energy and a lot of other stuff going on, but I am a Lumine main. I have my team ready for her to set things on fire. HoYo is just keeping that from me. I don't know how long they'll be doing that, but until then I'm going through Natlan with a random element and my Pyro team.

[thesharkspajamas]

Jealous James

Requested by @im-kikimon - hope this is kind of what you were looking for :)

If anyone has requests or wants more of this AU please lmk I'm begging for feedback

Harriet - James' Pallas cat daemon

Gunnar - Ruby's badger daemon

Setting: the Beaufort twins are staying with the Bells after the mansion drama at the end of season one. (No real spoilers tho dw)

James listened to Kieran Rutherford’s pitch for an Ascot-themed Easter garden party. As outfitters to the King, the Beaufort family attended Ascot every year, and his mother always made every best dressed list.

“And what? We usher in Lexington in a carriage? So many people at Maxton attend Ascot that people would see it for the rip-off it is. You want to ask actual nobility to picnic like the Queen Anne enclosure?” James scoffed.

Rutherford flushed and his shoulders crept up to his ears. “Do… Do you have a better idea?”

The whole room turned to James, who did not, in fact, have a better idea. “I’m saying we can’t imitate something like that. We could keep the dress code and do a standard party - maybe themed with a flower type, hyacinths or something seasonal.” He shrugged, spinning the words out as they came to him.

Silence fell and the tension was thick as James had crushed Rutherford’s hard work a second time. Lin nudged Ruby until she stood up, “Um…” She hugged her notebook to her chest, and suddenly James felt embarrassed; she was clearly uncomfortable because he’d put her in an awkward position, again, without meaning to. He’d just tried to be helpful. “I think you’ve both got good points,” she nodded to herself as an idea formed, “maybe you could work together on this and come back next week with some solid ideas?”

Both boys scowled at her, but she thought it would be good for them to sort out their issues. She smiled and nodded as if they’d just agreed, “Great. Lexington said he’s trying to arrange the keynote speaker so we don’t have the final schedule yet, but they shouldn’t be more than an hour, and if the lunch starts at twelve then we should expect to serve food around one’oh’five.,” she started writing a vague outline on the paper pad, “canapes around six, as it’s a low alcohol event, carriages at nine, latest.”

…

James emailed Rutherford in the car after lacrosse practice:

Hi,

If you send me what you’ve got for the garden party I’ll read it through and email you back with some notes.

James Beaufort

Sent from my iPhone

That should do it. He didn’t particularly want to meet in person.

…

Rutherford sent a link to a Pinterest board later that evening. No message, only the link. James opened it and he realised he hadn’t just been an asshole to Ruby but to Rutherford as well. He could see the guy had put some serious effort into this, and that the Ascot theme was only a template rather than a theme.

He opened his email and started typing out an apology - cc’ing Ruby.

“Coward,” Harriet accused him.

James remembered how Ruby had apologised to him on the lacrosse pitch and deleted the draft.

...

"Hey,” he walked up to Rutherford, “can we talk about the garden party?”

Rutherford looked at the ground, “Yeah.”

‘Go on’ Harriet urged James with a glare.

“I apologise for being rude to you at the meeting. You clearly put a lot of work into the project and it was wrong of me to stomp on it like that.”

“Yannow, it always annoys me in those stories when the nice girl picks the hot guy who treats her like shit over the boring guy who really likes her.”

‘Yikes,’ James thought. He hadn’t been expecting that. “You think I treat her like shit?”

“You have.”

James exhaled, ‘yep, deserved that one. Wait, what does he know?’

“But…” Rutherford spoke up again, “I admit I’m blindsided by your apology. I think we can at least try to work together.” He pushed his glasses further up his nose.

James was stunned. He nodded, “Library? Breaktime?” 

“Yeah, I prefer the desk third from the door by the east window. There’s a squirrel drey in the tree right next to it.”

“Third desk from the door by the east window. Got it.”

James glanced at the empty desks near the windows; Rutherford wasn’t here yet. He pulled out his phone and checked the compass app before walking to the eastern side. He sat down at the third from the door and opened up his tablet. He’d made a folder in his sketchbook app last night of different things to go with the theme; invitations, drinks stands, signage, all sorts.

“Did you see the squirrel? It’s a Eurasian red squirrel, pretty rare for around here.”

James looked up as Rutherford sat down and hoped that his disinterest in all things squirrel wasn’t all over his face. “Couldn’t spot it.”

“That branch fork right there,” Rutherford leaned over the table and pointed to a nondescript cluster of twigs.

James nodded, “ahh” and angled his tablet so Rutherford could see it. “I liked the muted colours idea. That was clever. Lydia told me lupins are in season and they come in all sorts of colours, so I thought we could use those as a theme. I sketched an invitation.” He flicked through the app to his ‘sketch’ which had actually taken him ages.

Rutherford took it all in, “That looks really good. Can you mass-produce the invitation?”

“Not by hand, but we could have them printed or send it as an e-invite.”

Rutherford scrunched his nose and shook his head as if James was an amateur, “Paper. Always paper. We send an email to remind them to RSVP anyway, no use clogging their inbox.”

“If you’re okay with it I’ll send a photo to Ruby for her approval?”

“Uh, better on the group chat, the food people might want to put extra details on there and I was thinking about asking Lexington if we could use the conservatory in case it rains. That way we can have a garden or indoor party easily.”

“Good idea.” James added a new plain slide titled, ‘conservatory party rain’.

“And I wondered about an easter egg hunt. If you find an egg, you put your name on it and then you enter it into a raffle. Winner wins champagne or something.”

“Yeah. I can see that working. Where would we get the prize?”

“If you could design a fancy label, maybe we could re-label some champagne or something. Make it one of a kind.”

James nodded. He’d been forced to endure many events with some of these parents; they love the challenge of something they can’t buy. Rumour had it one of them bought a jar of honey for fifteen thousand pounds at a Tory charity gala. “That’ll do it. I’ll get on that. We have some easter eggs at my house from past Easter parties. I’ll ask the housekeeper if we can borrow those.”

Rutherford glanced at his watch, “I’ve gotta go, but it was good chatting with you, Beaufort.”

James stuck out his hand, “James. Thank you for being so decent about all this...” He made a vague gesture with his other hand.

Rutherford shook his hand, “Kieran.”

A few days later:

(Callum is an OC, and Percy (and an SUV) are assigned to chauffeur the Bells and Beauforts around while the twins stay with them. Mortimer sees it as a way of keeping them supervised, but not underfoot.)

James bit back a cringe as he watched Kieran present his and James’ party ideas to Ruby, (the whole committee was present, but he talked to Ruby as if they weren’t) desperate for a ‘good boy’ and a pat on the head or something. Pathetic.

When Ruby stood up, she thanked him ’so much’ for working with James on this, and how wonderful it was to have such ‘a cohesive committee working forward’ - or something like that. James was focussed on the way Rutherford was looking at her, like she was the only thing that mattered in the whole world.

James knew on some level that Kieran Rutherford was somewhat of a decent bloke. Just one with an insane crush on his girlfriend. And it was starting to irritate him.

He felt Harriet pawing at his ankle, “she verbally eviscerated you at Oxford,” she hissed, “keep it to yourself.”

‘Amazing how much you sound like him, like your father’, James realised Ruby was right; that was probably how his father would have dealt with it.

…

When Percy dropped Ruby and the twins back at the Bells, James got out of the back seat and slid into the front passenger seat. Percy regarded him calmly; he always spoke second.

“Percy. Could you give me some advice?”

Percy undid his seatbelt and shifted to fully face James, “Certainly, Sir.”

”There’s a boy on the events committee who clearly fancies Ruby. And, I’m… struggling to watch them interact.”

“You feel jealous when he talks to Ruby?” Percy clarified.

Jealousy sounded childish to James. Straight out of one of those awful romance books Lydia used to read. But, he realised that was exactly it. Jealousy. He nodded.

“What do you need my advice on?” Percy wasn’t sure if James needed any more advice;  sometimes as a kid he just needed help identifying what he was feeling and then he’d work it out himself.

“Last time, with someone else, I lashed out, and…” He didn’t want to admit it, but if he could admit it to anyone, it was Percy, “Ruby said I sounded like dad.” He looked at the textured dials as he held his head in shame.

“Communication is the foundation of any relationship. You each need to communicate your feelings and be vulnerable with each-other. Tell her how you’re feeling, but be mindful that the committee is an obligation to her, and he might be too.”

James reflected on the interactions he’d seen between Ruby and Rutherford. “I’ve never seen her reciprocate. She’s pretty closed off around him.” The more James thought, he realised Percy was probably right. The logical conclusion was that James didn’t have anything to be jealous about, but… ugh, it’s still there. Just a bit.

“Sir, have you officially asked her to be your girlfriend yet?”

James frowned and looked at Percy as if it was a forgone conclusion that she was.

Percy smiled softly. “Ask her.”

James nodded to himself. He could do that. He’d get her flowers too; he’d seen how happy that one rose made her. Angus had too. “Should I ask her father before?”

“Before you marry her, Sir.” Percy was really doing his best not to laugh, but the way James flushed really tested him.

…

James bought some flowers on his way back from his next run with Callum. Angus gave him a knowing look as he crept into the kitchen with the bouquet. 

“These are for Ruby. Where can I hide them while I shower?”

“There’s a vase in that cabinet,” Angus pointed to a cabinet. When James put it down on the counter Angus had a pair of scissors. “Giving a woman flowers like this,” he tugged at the wrapping paper, “is giving her a task. Giving them flowers in a vase means she just has to enjoy them.”

He proceeded to teach James how to cut and arrange flowers in a vase, making sure to add the plant food sachet to the water. “As for hiding them, you can put them in our bedroom for a while with the door closed.”

“Thank you.” He hadn’t even thought about the ‘giving her a task’ bit. Now he knew Ruby would ‘only have to enjoy them’ he was looking forward to asking her even more.

He ran upstairs and placed the vase just inside the doorframe of Helen and Angus’ bedroom before heading to the bathroom.

…

“Ruby”

Ruby and Gunnar both looked up from her manga to see James in her bedroom doorway, hiding something behind his back, it was cute.

All the practice James had definitely not done in the shower left him. He came to stand right next to the bed, stalling for time.

“I haven’t done this before, so I wanted to make sure we’re on the same page.” He saw Ruby’s brows furrow and quickly held the flowers out for her before she got the wrong idea, “Will you be my girlfriend?”

Ruby’s face was frozen in a delightfully surprised, open-mouthed smile, “Yes!” She set the flowers on the bedside table and hugged him tightly. James hooked his chin over her head and breathed in deeply, glad it had gone well. Would have been a bit awkward if it hadn’t. He saw Harriet and Gunnar curling up together on the bed and sighed as the extra feeling of intimacy washed over him.

…

“Ruby, can I ask you something?”

She gave him a look which screamed ‘you just did.’

“Is there, or has there ever been anything between you and Kieran? I’ve seen the way he talks to you, and while I’ve never seen you reciprocate… I just wondered…”

Ruby shook her head easily, “No. Nothing between us, I know he’s got a crush on me but hasn’t made any moves and I’m not interested in him. He’ll get the message, especially with you around.”

James was surprised that that was good enough for him. ‘Guess Percy was spot on on both accounts.’ He thought to himself. Harriet only moved her head in a way that said ‘told you so’.

[smallraindrops-blog]

Meet Me in The Sunflower fields

(Day 4 to 6)

(A sleep family series)

Summary: out of order snapshots of the hazy days of summer with cherry popsicles and the distant, happy laughter of family. Modern!au

Word count: 2k

warnings: no beta, hinted at family trauma, cursing, cheating ( not between Hypnos&Y/N) Alcohol, NSFWISH, Bad decisions.

Notes: omg i’m sorry y'all. Work has lost its fucking tits but i am here! I will return to fix any mistakes but i hope yall enjoy this enjoy this.

Please mind the warnings~~~~<3<3<3<3<3<3

Love yall! mawh. Xoxoxo

~

Vacation

The whole world felt like it was made of brilliant crystals. The shining waves of the ocean, the gleaming white sand were so beautiful that it was nearly blinding. 

The smell of coconuts and sunscreen was in the air as well as the sounds of laughter, noisy seagulls and the nearby town. 

It was paradise. 

Morpheus would rather be anywhere else. Actually, no. He would rather be back home, working with his theater group on the newest play. 

With a sour expression, Morpheus looked up his spot under the large umbrella, his play script in his hands. 

Phobetor was covered from head to toe in sand, with a determined gleam in his freaky yellow eyes as he added more sand to whatever it was building. He sat back, scanned his creations and dumped even more sand on top.

Morpheus’ scowl deepened, and he looked past his baby brother to the twins. 

The twins were playing in the waves, Icelos’ white curls frizzing up in the everblue waters, and was screaming as Phan tossed a bucket of seaweed at her. She immediately tackled him, using her height to shove him under the waves. 

They were all acting like little babies. 

With a deep sigh, Morpheus returned to his script, or tried to anyway. He knew he wasn’t being fair to his siblings but that only seemed to make his bad mood worse. 

It didn’t help that his parents were also acting like teenagers, only worse. They were acting like lovesick ones. 

Morpheus knew if he turned around to look behind him, he would probably see some disgusting sight like Papa whispering in Dad’s ear while Dad giggled like some dumb girl or them cuddled up or gods- kissing for far too long. 

Again.

His parents had seemed to have forgotten they were adults with children and they were being gross right now. 

Sighing, he made himself look back at the page he was trying to read. The words weren’t sticking no matter how many times he read it.

“Lunch time!” Dad singed as he appeared by Morpheus’ side. “Come on all of you, I am not chasing after you!”

“I'm good.” Morpheus grumbled, hunching his shoulders as he tried to keep his eyes on the paper. 

“Are you still studying, baby?” Dad looked over his shoulder as he looked at the script, the wind picking up his long curls.  

“Not a baby.” Morpheus shot back, narrowing his eyes at the page like it would help. “I need to learn this stuff.”

“You need a break.” Dad returned Morpheus’ tone with a sigh. Hypnos sat down next to Morpheus and Hypnos rested his head on his own knee as he got comfortable. 

Giving up, Morpheus copied his dad, not quite realizing he was doing so. The pages fluttered in the wind, the waves so loud it seemed to drown out the gulls along with the twins’ laughter. 

For a long moment, they sat side by side in silence. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Dad eyed him, digging his toes into the sand. Morpheus huffed, slapping a hand on the paper, annoyed at the noise. At himself.

“Is there anything to talk about?”  Morpheus looked at the sea. “I know I’m being moody.”

”You’re twelve.” Dad smiled like that alone was enough of a reason. Morpheus shook his head, his curls flopping everywhere. 

“It just… I worked really hard. I even made Phobetor sit for hours to watch me practice.”

“And you still haven’t paid me!” Phobetor yelled, arms deep in his creation. Morpheus was starting to get worried that his baby brother might become one with the sand at this point. 

“I told you that you have to wait until I get my first movie deal!” 

Morpheus ignored his dad’s laughing and Phobetor’s booing as he flopped down onto his back. He stared up at the striped umbrella.

“Dad, sorry for…” Morpheus gestured vaguely, unable to come up with the right words. 

Dad grabbed his hand, locking their fingers together and gave a squeeze. Morpheus wanted to say he was too old to hold his Dad’s hand but it felt nice. The sounds of the waves were no longer grating and Morpheus let himself breath.

He was on vacation and he just need-

Dad immediately jerked at Morpheus’ hand, “No- don’t you dare!” 

Morpheus frowned, lifting his head up in confusion only to scream when he saw the twins looming above with two large buckets overflowing with water and seaweed. Dad pulled Morpheus into his arms but it was too late.

Both of them immediately got soaked and covered in disgusting weed. There was a moment of panicked silence as the twins realized they also got their dad. 

Hypnos had gotten the worst of it, seaweed covering his face with his clothes soaked. He looked like a drowned creature. Dad slowly peeled away the plant from his face, a  dark scowl growing as he did so. 

Morpheus made a sound of disgust at the wet sound. 

“Oops.” Phan whispered. 

“Dad, we meant to get Morpheus!” Icelos said, unsuccessfully fighting back her laughter. “We’re sorry.”

Dad gave them an ice cold smile, pressing his finger together in a snapping position. “Oh, you will be.” 

The twins frowned in confusion then Hypnos snapped his fingers. Appearing out of nowhere, Papa wrapped his arms around the twins and lifted them both up easily. 

Their panicking screams made Morpheus laugh and he waved them goodbye as they were carried off to the ocean.

Dad chased after them, still removing seaweeds from his body. “I want them to sleep with the fishes!”

”No! No!” But their screams had turned to delight. Phobtor wrestled himself from the sand, falling down on his face once before rushing back up as he tried following them. “Wait, I wanna go too!” 

Morpheus knew he was grinning like an utter loon as he watched but couldn’t seem to stop it. When he saw the papers were ruined, he didn’t exactly feel that bad about it.

~~

Camera 

Achilles scowled, his fingers fumbling around the lens. “Damn bloody-“

“Do you need help?” Patroclus sounded far too amused, tossing more diving rings for the grandkids to hunt for. Achilles looked up and narrowed his eyes. 

Patroclus was lounging on his inflatable chair, sunglasses on and a beer by his elbow as he tossed out another one to the deep end of the pool. He flashed Achilles a roguish grin, far too handsome for his - or Achilles’- own good. He looked like a king with his little subjects bobbing around him, diving for their the goods their king tossed their way.

“No. I’m perfectly fine. Just trying to get the happiest moments of our lives immortalized. That’s all.” Achilles gestured with the camera.

Patroclus peered over his sunglasses at Achilles, his dark eyes gleaming with amusement and waved to the kids. “Hey, one of you push me closer to your ridiculous grandad.” 

Phan came over first, looking adorable in a pair froggy goggles and tried to push. His little arms moving as hard as he could. “You’re too heavy!” 

Achilles laughed at the false outrage on Patroclus’ expression. He watched for a moment longer as the other kids came along to help then he went back to the camera. 

He stopped listening to the back and forward between Patroclus and their little grandbabies.

He had turned it on, the little light blinking at him mockingly, he knew it was taking photos by the clicking sounds…

Achilles peered through the camera and he reailzed that he was an idoit. Rolling his eyes at himself, he took off the led cover. He grinned when he saw the scene before him in crisp detail. 

Then with lighting quick taps on the button, got the exact moment a surprised Patroclus was tipped over, holding his beer high up to save it as his sunglasses went flying as water went up around them

Their grandchildren’s expressions of mischief and horror just made Achilles grin even more. 

Many more wonderful photos were taken that summer day but Achilles made sure to get that one framed.

~~

Message in a bottle

(Pre-relationship/It’s complicated, early twenties)

When it happened, you weren’t exactly surprised nor was anyone else who wasn’t living under a rock.

It was painfully oblivious that the way Endymion stared at Selene and the way she looked back that something was going on. You had tried to mention it to Hypnos, who merely ignored you.

Not that it hurt your feelings or anything. Just because you and him made out a few times during high school didn’t mean you and him were friends. 

Or anything like that. Ever.

The Endymion and Hypnos’ breakup had been a long time coming. 

Only you didn’t expect Endymion to publicly break up with Hypnos. On his birthday. For fucks sake, he could had done it literally anywhere else or any other day. You tried not to think about how you remembered when it was Hypnos’ birthday.

As Dolly Parton began pleading to Jolene to not steal her man, her drawl lingering in your ears, you took another glance as you ran the towel down the bar counter. 

Hypnos was sitting alone, an empty cocktail glass in front of him and a few shot glasses. He had stumbled in with a damp tank top and dipping swim shorts and began ordering drinks like the world was ending.

He looked ready to cry. Again.

With an annoyed sigh at yourself, you went to him.

You didn’t utter a word as you began making him another drink, one with considerably less alcohol in it. Hypnos only blinked when you placed it in front of him.

”On the house.” You told him, tossing the rag onto your shoulder, scanning the area. The bar was mostly empty, most people had left, a few lingering over the last call drinks. 

Hypnos let out a rueful chuckle, curling his long, elegant fingers around the glass. He said nothing for a long moment, sipping on the sugary drink. 

You didn’t mind. It allowed you a moment to study him. Hypnos had grown up while you were gone. He had gone from an awkward looking - but adorable- teen to something lovely, otherworldly. Heavy lidded golden eyes and elegant, slender limbs with flowing curls and a gorgeous, killer smile.

Although he hadn’t directed that smile at you for a long time. Endymion was a goddamn idiot far as you were concerned.

“I should have believed you.” Hypnos whispered, stirring the straw around the glass, the ice clinking together. 

“Hypnos-“

“I don’t know if it makes you feel better but I didn’t believe my brothers. Or my sisters. Or Meg. Or Dusa. Zagreus. Hell, now that I am thinking about it I am pretty sure even my mother tried to say something. So many people tried to warn me and it took me finding them in our bed before I acknowledged it. During the fucking pool party. They were fucking during my birthday get-together.” 

You nodded, not saying anything, recognizing that he just needed to speak. 

“Did you know I pleaded for him to just be honest with me? Even all that-'' Hypnos' voice cracked and he took another deep sip, almost to the bottom of the glass.

“I can help burn the mattress.” You offered. 

Hypnos didn’t laugh like you thought he would. He did meet your eyes and you were surprised that he didn’t look as drunk as you thought he would be. 

“Endymion hated you.” Hypnos told you, watching your expression. You lift an eyebrow but you weren’t that surprised. You had caught him glaring at you more than once. 

“Ever since I told him we hooked up in high school.” Hypnos added, licking his lips nervously. Your eyes followed the flash of pink flesh. 

At least you know why now. You resisted the urge to smirk at new knowledge. 

You remembered how soft Hypnos’ mouth felt under yours, the hungry way he kissed back, the soft whimpers he made when you kissed his neck, shivering under you. You wondered if he still responded so sweetly, so earnestly or if experience had trained him out of it. 

Fuck. 

This was a bad idea. For so many reasons. 

You swallowed. You were an adult, not some dumb kid who had a hardon for a guy who hated your guts ever since that damn lemonade stand rivalry. Hypnos shifted, tucking a curl behind his ear, his eyes darting away. 

He looked beautiful. Lonely.

“I get off in twenty minutes.” You told him. 

[yarrayora]

Fic author interview!

tagged by @carriagelamp and immediately interested in doing it after seeing the questions

tagging people who will be mentioned at question 12 alongside @mickeymagpie @unexbellexreverie and @booksandberries

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

112 surprisingly!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

235,399 words which is actually lower than i expected it kinda annoys me

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

if i didn't delete my rise of the brave tangled dragons and my voltron fics it would be them but i did. i deleted them. now my top 5 are all bsd fics

A Good Enough Reason to Keep Meeting Up (1,055 kudos) is part of Stray Gods series where the supernaturals are all real and Abilities came from them. This specific fic is about Chuuya and Atsushi's budding relationship. Or rather Chuuya's budding crush on Atsushi with malnourishment and chronic pain as the vessel to get there.

Money Makes the World Go Round (939 kudos) BSDxOuran crossover that is part of a collection of crossover fics about Atsushi attending high schools from different fandoms in order to attain the qualifications to enjoy the employment benefits his workplace has to offer. You can tell I'm old when that's my worldbuilding for writing high school AU

Moral Compass (923 kudos) the first installment of the Stray Gods series set post Dead Apple where unlocking his repressed memories about Shibusawa let the actual god Byakko to finally communicate with his Champion.

Delicate Job (791 kudos) A case fic written to explore Atsushi's role as a detective and how he would handle a case while prioritizing the victim's feelings unlike popular depictions of detectives where they use facts and logic to trample over people because the authors think that's what makes intelligent people cool

The God of Destruction Wished For Naught (752 kudos) the third installment of Stray Gods and a continuation of A Good Reason to Keep Meeting Up where Chuuya's body is falling apart, which could lead to Yokohama's destruction via blackhole, forcing Atsushi to make connections with the Port Mafia

I was a bit disappointed at first that my most kudos'd fic hasn't broken 2k kudos yet but seeing how my top 5 fics don't have a huge disparity between the amount of kudos makes me happy

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

yes! i don't always know how to reply but i especially makes the effort for people who leaves paragraphs on my fic. sometimes if i know the commenter i just reply on their discord lmao

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

oh that's hard. i have a lot of oneshots that are basically "and so, the cycle of suffering repeats yet again" and you'd think it would be the servampxbnha crossover where despite mahiru's best attempt to help deku get into UA even without a quirk so he will let go of his self-hatred for being born quirkless, in the end he receives One For All from All Might, undoing all the works mahiru-sensei has done to help deku but NO it's a bsd fic again that embodies this concept in the worst way possible as it's revealed that the event that happened in canon timeline was kickstarted by post-beast!atsushi who copes for his feelings for beast!dazai (both affection and hatred) by writing numerous worlds into existence to prove that dazai is a good man all along

wait. no. actually. the persona 5 fic where the phantom thieves deal with goro's sacrifice might be angstier considering this line

Akechi Goro was the only murder they ever committed, and in the years that follow never once would his name ever passed their lips. But he would always be at the edge of their vision, a ghost that they could never speak to.

or the birthday fic i wrote for the hunt twins where oz killed ewan who crawled back out of the cauldron to re-sacrifice himself so patchman won't survive???

or the big hero 6 fic where people are holding a funeral for personal health companion robots who carried a bunch of people out of a burning building??? repeating the word "Tadashi is Here" to people who never knew the man to comfort the terrified humans?

or the ben 10 fic where ben accidentally used too much force in his alien form resulting in his first murder and then repressing the memory??

it's impossible to make me choose

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

d-do i have a happy ending posted

actually im choosing the dragon age fic where cole accidentally made him saving the inquisitor from the envy demon sounds sexual which leads to hilarious results

7. Do you write crossovers?

yes and my non-crossover fics are actually stealth crossovers

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

i dont remember ever getting one

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

this is the question that actually made me want to do this interview. SO. be kiddie yarra during ff.net era. i was writing persona 4 fic where naoto says goodbye to souji. it was romantic. someone left a comment on my fic saying my writing got stolen and linked me to a naruto fic which made me go??? huh??? and turns out it was Word By Word the same fic but with souji being replaced as naruto, naoto as hinata, and the train station into konoha gate. it was insane.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

not on AO3 i think?? someone DID contact me to ask for my permission to translate my fic to russian but i don't remember the details

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

stray gods is written alongside @faerynova while @katzkinder helped with children's war. oh and also the Not Posted smtiva series written with @gothamcityneedsme

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

impossible to choose but i can tell you the very specific criterias that attract me to my ships if you want

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

usually when i abandon a fic i lose interest in it altogether

15. What are your writing strengths?

my bsd x ouran fic has been complimented as staying true to the characters even though im throwing ouran into a serious series like bsd and vice versa so i like to think it's my ability to keep the core of the characters true even when putting them in a different AU unrelated to canon. also writing convoluted political struggles that makes sense.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

grammar. but apparetly im also somehow better than a lot of native english speakers???

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

im writing in english, arent i? (lol)

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

persona 4. it was an talkshow styled interview fic

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

don't have one as far as i can think of. i guess i want to write more of "how to make my notp make sense" and "characterxreader fic that doesn't sacrifice canon characterization" as a challenge for myself

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

the hope chapter of Despair (and Hope) because i had fun writing mahiru fixing mikuni through a persona 5 palace-like challenges except with zero fighting and more puzzle-solving

[sin-cognito]

fics rec

As the year is coming to an end, I thought it could be nice to make a rec post about fics I enjoyed during the Sansgust event! I enjoyed reading all of the fics of course, but these ones really spoke to me personally, so I really wanted to make a little rec post! Thank you to everyone who participated in the event, it was fun as fuck and I hope that we can do that again next year! ♥

The first rec has to be the 'Love... Doesn't Bite, Actually' series by @starsgivemehp​ . It's the perfect balance between fun and hot, yet sweet too somehow? Maybe I'm not supposed to have a favorite because I was a mod for the event, but fuck it, this series was my favorite, it's just so good!!! Vampire!Sans/Red/eventually Dust too, 18 038 words, NSFW Task Failed Successfully Perfect Thrall 101 Pros and Cons of Not Thinking But if YOU'RE Dumb, and I'M Dumb, then WHO'S FLYING THE PLANE?!?

Prompt: Nightmare Sans/Nightmare, 4065 words, NSFW, by Reiko This one's got a very interesting rarepair, and I love the combo between the prompt and the character!

(Orally) Fixated on You Blue/Horror!Sans, 1677 words, NSFW, by VisualStain Okay, not gonna lie, this one I enjoyed mainly because it's great smut! What can I say, I'm a coogie of simple needs!

Fish out of Water Sans&Swapfell!Sans, 1365 words, SFW, by @thelibrarbian Even though it's not finished and there's only 1 chapter out so far, I really wanted to rec this one because I'm extremely curious about it and I wanna read more! So please show this fic more love, in hopes to motivate the writer to continue it!!!

Ribcage Full of Blossoms Red/OC, 5158 words, SFW, by @popatochisssp Come on, Popato's writing is amazing and this fic is a perfect example of that!! The hanahaki trope is a hit or miss for me, and let me tell you it's 100% a hit with this fic!!!

Red District Royalty Dream/Reader, Nightmare/Reader, 2769 words, NSFW, by VisualStain I wanted to rec this one because it's not everyday we get to read some Dream and Nightmare fics with a Reader! The smut is also very good, I really liked how different the twins are in bed!

Proof of Adulthood Cherryberry, 2534 words, NSFW, dub/non-con, by Diyami This one is very dark so proceed with caution, but if that's your jam, by all means please read it because it's extremely interesting to read what's happening in Blue's mind as he finds himself in a situation he's really not mentally ready for...

:::ErrorInk::: Spontaneity into Silence -- Prompt: Makeout (Smut) Errink, 1053 words, NSFW, by Gleae It's short but it's cute!

Prompt: Flower shop Blue/Wine, 1550 words, SFW by Reiko I don't wanna spoil anything so I won't say much about this one, but just. Read it. If you like Blue and if you like Wine, read it!

Death Waited for Everyone, After all Error/Reaper, 2803 words, SFW, by @yastaghr This one is very sad! Not what I usually read, but I just got hooked with how beautifully sad it is, and I highly recommend it if you like sad stories!

One Day at a Time Rottencrops, 4897 words, NSFW, by @starsgivemehp Milking kink, it's hot, it's good smut, that's all I have to say! XD

The Saga of Games4Red's Weekly Streams Big Sans poly so I won't list them all XD, 6923 words, SFW, by @starsgivemehp It's exactly how things would go if Red and his gang was a twitch streamer. I think it's hard to pull off the streamer trope but it's done brilliantly here!!

Prompt: Victorian AU Error/Red, 2503 words, SFW, by Reiko It's got pretty Victorian era dresses that I will draw at some point for sure JUST YOU WAIT!!

[vore] Soulmates kustard, 2327 words, SFW, by @nom-the-skel I really liked the plot twist of this fic, and it works well with the vore trope! Which isn't something I ever thought I'd say one day but here I am! XD

A Day Without Rain Sans centric, SFW (for now?), 2618 words, by Angelattes Once again there's only 1 chapter so far for this fic but I'm very curious about it and I hope it gets continued! Not that I wanna see Sans suffer but I might want to see him suffer so he can be happy in the end! XD

When the Strings Get Attached Rottenjoke, 4601 words, NSFW, by @starsgivemehp Oooh, my second favorite from the event, it was simply too great for me not to admit it! XDD It's just perfect, the smut is great and the characterisations work so well!!! Chef's kiss!! A+++!!!

Chapter 2: Six Times A Lover Farm!Sans/Reader, I don't remember the exact wordcount specifically for this chapter but it's like 10K+ so it's a loooooong chapter! XD, NSFW, by @themsource I didn't think I'd enjoy such premises but wow this fic was AMAZING!!! Much great plot and wonderful smut as a bonus!

I’d hate to see that burger go up in smoke unless I can torch it myself Kustard, 567 words, NSFW, by @yastaghr It's so dumb but I was wheezing the whole time!! XDDD

Chapter 3: Epistomania Sans/???, don't know the exact wordcount but definitely shorter than the previous chapter XD, by @themsource The pen pals trope is such a weakness of mine, and this fic really didn't disappoint!!! It's cute and fun and I had a great time reading it!!

Prompt: Holiday Lust/Reaper, 1261 words, NSFW, by Reiko It's such an original combination for a ship and Reiko managed to make it work and wrap it in a neat little plot, I cannot recommend it enough!!!

Prompt: Blind date Dustard, 2521 words, SFW, by Reiko One more great fic by Reiko, I really like the angle she chose for that prompt!! It could've been just fluff but she made it have a deeper meaning!

Chapter 4: Left To Dust Red&Dust&Reader, you know the drill, no exact wordcount, SFW, by @themsource Wonderfully written and deliciously sad, I highly recommend this one to people who like having their hearts broken! :3

All or Nothing Red/OC, 6402 wordcount, SFW, by @popatochisssp This fic was so sweet and soft and it's a great insight on how accepting a partner's sexuality can go. I think many ace beans might relate to this one, so please do read it!!

Mouthful of Powder Dust/Reader, 2155 words, SFW but heavy topics get brought up so mind the tags! By Hawkhorn I was originally curious about the ship here, but the more I read the more I felt drawn to the plot itself. Another one of those heartbreaking fics that are so well written that I can't even be mad that it doesn't got a happy ending! (but I'm mad anyway, JUST MAKE THEM HAPPYYYY AAAAHH XDDD)

[mallorykeen]

OKAY WELL

shel to me is black from her dad's side and native american from her mom's

shel has long hair she keeps natural most of the time (but also wears in protective hairstyles especially during the summer) and freckles and dark eyes. her teeth are crooked. she's wearing large glasses with a green skeleton. her style can be mostly described as punk/grunge. she loves sweaters.

she lives with her mom and twin brother. her parents have split and her dad has moved to another state. he tries to stay in touch with his kids but isn't really good at that :/

they're not really well-off, so shel works at the local supermarket part-time. that's how she and her brother bought their shared car. piper started working with her too after a while, as she wants to help tristan.

she first met piper at school when she helped her deal with a panic attack (piper spotted a monster and didn't want to fight it) (she was late to lunch shel had invited her to because she did actually fight it after all)

piper first thought shel was a demigod of a secondary god, because her dad was a goner and she could see some stuff through the mist and she was also neurodivergent. nope, she was just a mortal, but her sight through the mist got better and better the longer she hung out with piper.

the kiss on the roof in toa was their first. shel liked piper a lot since the beginning but didn't want to push her, as she knew she was going through a hard time. piper initiated the kiss, and not much changed about their dynamic after, except now they kissed too.

shel didn't really have any romantic encounters before piper.

they didn't make anything official in many months, because piper was feeling guilty and was still figuring out her identity.

annabeth visited piper in Oklahoma at some point and met shel. she was quite wary or her. they got along ultimately. they have similar sense of humour.

shel records and posts songs, both original and covers. (in a certain AU of mine she plays bass in a band with a cousin of Piper's and two of their friends, and that's how they meet.) her voice is not sweet - it's melodic and sort of rusty. it sounds a bit like lorde's. she has quite a following - about one and a half thousand monthly listeners on spotify so far. she lends piper her equipment to record songs of her own.

piper loves most of all how she's always trying, she's hard-working and optimistic.

she wants to have a reptile as a pet.

shel suspects there's something off about piper, but waits for her to tell her at her own pace. sometimes piper slips and mentions something about godly parents or fighting monsters or saving the world or his best friend dating a 6,000 year old nymph, and shel plays it dumb. one day curiosity will get the best of her and she'll ask, and piper will be hesitant but will tell her the basics. slowly shel will learn the whole story.

oh also she's not cis but is busy rn so she doesn't really care about that.

anyway she's one of my favourite characters mostly because i can project onto her anything i want. sometimes i think about her more than i do about completely fleshed out characters.

oh my god i love these

[crystalninjaphoenix]

Friction Friendship

Paranormal Preteens AU: Episode Fourteen

A JSE Fanfic

As promised, here’s the second fic part for the week. Don’t expect this to happen a lot XD But be prepared to see these two AUs a lot this week as I inevitably reblog them both. Anyway. Onto the summary. The boys (and Stacy) don’t know how to deal with the planetarium situation, but they discuss it anyway. Without any real solutions, the next few days pass as Chase deals with personal drama and the twins ask the others to a birthday party. And then guess which shadowy entity shows up? :)c It’s not a lot of action this chapter but a lot of character building! Hope you enjoy that XD

++++++++++++++++++++

It was October, and that meant two things: a lot of school, and more importantly, Halloween. Chase had always loved the holiday. Not as much as Christmas, of course, but it was his second favorite. He remembered being really disappointed when his family first moved here and he found out that they didn’t trick-or-treat here like back in America. But he was a bit too old for that now. At least Mom still put up decorations and went costume shopping with him.

This year was going to be a bit different. For a couple different reasons. One was Schneep. Apparently he’d never celebrated Halloween before. “What?!” Chase had gasped when Schneep told him that. “They don’t have it in Germany?!”

“I think they do?” Schneep said, confused. “But it is not a big celebration that is all over.”

“Do you at least wear costumes?”

“I never have.”

“I can’t believe this.” Chase shook his head. “Don’t worry, Schneep, we’re gonna have the best Halloween ever this year.”

Another reason was the twins. Their birthday was actually on October 31st: the spooky day itself. That was probably why the two of them were already super excited. They were basically wearing orange and black all the time. Marvin could be seen wearing a black witch’s hat at school (which he had to take off during class) and JJ was frequently doodling little pumpkins in the corners of his notebook.

On Monday, Chase’s mom had a meeting after work, and couldn’t pick him and Schneep up from school. She called Jackie and asked if he could get them after classes were out, and maybe do some babysitting for a couple hours. Jackie’s own classes ended earlier than theirs, so he agreed. Chase decided that meant today was a good day for a meeting. He texted Marvin and JJ to ask if they could come over after school. They could. And... for the first time, Chase asked someone else.

“You want me to go over to your house after school?” Stacy repeated what he’d said, surprised.

“Yeah, I mean... you’re kinda in this,” Chase said. “We sometimes all meet up and talk about the, uh, you-know-what stuff. So I thought... yeah.”

Stacy frowned. She glanced around their classroom. Mr. Bartley had stepped out for a moment so everyone was taking the moment to talk to their friends while he wasn’t there to quiet them down. Half the students were out of their desks, including Chase, who’d walked over to talk to her. No one was paying attention. “I can’t tell my parents I’m going to a boy’s house!” she whisper-shouted.

“Well don’t tell them, then,” Chase said. “Right, Schneep?”

Schneep’s desk was still right next to Stacy’s, so he could hear everything. “Yes,” he agreed. “It may be hard, but it is better than missing out on things.”

“Yeah. They won’t even have to pick you up, Jackie can drive everyone.” It would be a bit crowded in the car with Stacy there, but probably fine.

“I... guess I could tell them I was going to hang out with Heather and Kat,” Stacy said slowly. “But no one else can know I went over to your house, okay?! I don’t want anyone to think I like like you.”

“Got it!” Chase gave her a thumbs up and quickly hurried back to his desk. He could see Bartley moving around through the bubbled glass window in the door. No doubt about to walk back in. He’d have to wait until after class to text JJ and Marvin.

The twins could come over, too, no problem. So after class let out, the kids all met at the school’s front doors, where Jackie was going to pick them up. They all piled into Jackie’s car and drove all the way to Chase’s house.

“Why is your house so big?!” Stacy said the moment she walked inside. “There’s only three of you!”

“I dunno, I guess we got lucky?” Chase shrugged.

Stacy glanced back and forth between him and Schneep. “Do you two have to share a room?”

“No,” Schneep said.

“Luckyyyyy. I have to share with Roxy, and she goes to bed super early so I can’t hang out in there before I go to sleep.”

“Nice decorations, Chase,” Jackie said, tapping a paper bat taped to the wall. “Did you make them?”

“Yep!” Chase grinned. “Mom and I showed Schneep how to do it! Look at that spider he made, it’s so cool! And he made that bat, too, to look like that stuffed animal he has.”

The twins were also examining the Halloween decorations. They were currently picking up the fake jack o’lanterns on the staircase to see how they worked. Marvin found the switch for one, and amused himself by turning the light on and off. Chase, are you going to carve pumpkins? JJ asked excitedly.

“Oh yeah! Definitely! We just need to find them. Mom says there aren’t any pumpkin patches anywhere nearby so we need to get them from the grocery store.”

Marvin and I never get to carve pumpkins, JJ complained. We ask every year and Dad always says it’s a waste because we’re going to throw them away right after Halloween.

“Well, maybe if we did it earlier, then we would have them out for longer,” Marvin muttered. “But no, he and Mam always ‘forget’ until a couple days before.”

And then they say that same thing about getting the pumpkins from the shop, JJ added. And that they’ll all be bought by then.

Stacy watched the sign language with a slight frown, trying to figure out what JJ was saying. Chase had seen her carrying around a book on BSL recently. It looked like it came from the library. Maybe that was why she hadn’t brought it today; she might have had to return it. “Uh... so are we gonna talk about this greenlight stuff and the planetarium and everything?” she asked hesitantly.

“Yeah, we haven’t really talked about the photos I took,” Jackie added. “They’re, uh... strange.”

“Alright, we can go sit down or something,” Chase said. “Uhhh let’s go.”

They all ended up in the living room, with Chase, Schneep, and Stacy on the sofa. Stacy was on the end next to Chase, sitting straight up and shifting awkwardly. The twins sat on the floor, leaning up against the TV stand, while Jackie took the armchair. His digital camera was in his hands, along with printed copies of the photos. He’d been prepared for this.

“So... Jameson and I still have not seen the planetarium basement,” Schneep said. “Was that crack there when you guys were?”

“Yeah! I got my foot stuck in it!” Stacy said.

“Oh shi—oh really?” Jackie asked. “Must not have been roped off at the time. Maybe that’s why they set up those barriers.” He looked down at the strangest photograph: the one that had been tinted green. “Did... while you guys were down there, did you feel like you were being watched?”

“I didn’t,” Chase said, and Stacy shook her head. “Uh... Marvin?”

Marvin was messing with the back of Chase’s TV remote. He looked up. “Huh? Oh, uh, no. Not until we heard those guys in the stairwell.”

We still don’t know anything about this mystery group, JJ mused. It’s been over two weeks. Nobody’s found anything out?

“If we did find something out, we would’ve talked together a lot sooner,” Chase said.

“We have been busy with homework and everything,” Schneep agreed. “But even if we were not, how? How are we supposed to learn anything about this group? We cannot spy on everyone in town, and we cannot go to the planetarium all the time. The group would notice us.”

“Y’know, I kept asking Mincy stuff about the planetarium staff,” Jackie said. “She says that all the senior employees are acting really weird. They’re being really hard on the other employees. A lot of people have quit because of that. She says she might soon, too. Maybe that’s what they want. They want everyone who doesn’t know about the basement to quit so they’re in total control.”

Are we going to DO anything about the basement, by the way? JJ asked.

“I mean... what?” Chase asked. “It’s not something we can fight. It’s a room. How do you defeat a room?”

“Take out the support pillars?” Marvin suggested.

“What?! Then the whole building might collapse!” Stacy gasped.

“Perhaps that crack in the floor has something to do with it,” Schneep said. “Jackie, can you show everyone the pictures?”

“Yeah, sure.” Jackie handed them to him, and Schneep began passing them out.

“We all notice the weird stripes in the carpet, yes?” Schneep asked, pointing them out on his own photo. “They all go to the crack in the floor eventually. Maybe if we seal up the crack then all the weird things will stop.”

“Okay, but how?” Marvin asked.

Cement? JJ suggested.

“How the fuck are we gonna get cement, JJ?”

JJ shrugged.

Marvin sighed. He looked down at the picture in his hands. “...wait a minute.” He stared at it. Schneep had handed him one of the crack in the ground. “I think... I’ve seen this before.”

“Yeah, when we were down there and I got my foot stuck,” Stacy said.

“No, before that. Jackie, can I see the weird green picture?”

“Uh... yeah.” Jackie handed it to him. “What’re you thinking, dude?”

Marvin brought the photo real close to his face. Then he held it out at arm’s length. He squinted, narrowing his eyes until his vision went a little blurry. “This was under the pool!” he gasped.

“Was?!” Schneep cried.

“Wait, really?!” Chase shouted.

“Yeah, I saw it when Jackie and I went down to fight the water monster. Its weird-ass body was sitting on top of a crack in the bottom of the pool, so I only saw it when the monster moved. But it was all black inside like this!”

“Whoa whoa whoa, wait.” Jackie’s eyes widened. “The pool—the water monster, it—did it cause the crack?”

Maybe! JJ said. Did anyone notice weird cracks anywhere else?

Everyone else shook their heads and muttered “no”s. “There has to be a connection,” Schneep said quietly. “Maybe, if we saw something else with this greenlight stuff... Has anyone heard of anything weird?”

“Ohhh there are weird things everywhere,” Marvin muttered. JJ looked at him, confused and concerned.

“A few months agoI you guys mentioned hearing stuff about the hospital and the secondary school,” Jackie recalled. “Maybe we should focus on those places. It shouldn’t be hard to poke around the school, since we’re there all the time.”

“Hey, are you guys coming to our birthday?” Marvin suddenly asked.

“Uh...” Chase blinked. “I don’t think you’ve mentioned it before. Are you guys having a party?”

“We’re having cake and presents on Halloween,” Marvin said. “But Mam always wants us to have a big party with lots of people. But we don’t really know anyone we’d want to invite before this, so we’ve never done it before, it’s always been our parents and our grandma. It’d be fine if you guys are busy or something, cause it’s Halloween, but I think you should come over to our house.” JJ stared at Marvin, even more speechless than usual, still with that expression of confused concern.

“Uhhh I don’t think we were gonna do much,” Chase said slowly. “I mean, I promised Schneep we’d have the best Halloween ever, cause he’d never celebrated it before. But a party sounds like it’s part of the best Halloween. So sure.”

Schneep nodded eagerly. “Yes! I have never been to someone else’s house before! Well, we went to Jackie’s for his birthday, and I have been to many relatives’ houses, but I mean for other children. Other kids. I want to see!”

“If you guys are including me in that, I’d love to go,” Jackie said. “My friends and I were planning on doing Halloween and Fawkes stuff on the first, anyway.”

Stacy looked nervous, chewing on her lip. “A boys’ party? What do boys do at parties?”

“I dunno,” Marvin said. “When we had Schneep’s party we just opened presents and had cake and did video games.”

“Well... sure. I-I’ll see if I can go,” Stacy said slowly. “But my parents might not let me. They might want to do family stuff together.”

“That’s fine,” Marvin said. “You’re fine.”

Silence fell. It lasted for a few seconds, but it felt much longer. “Well, uh, glad we’re doing that!” Chase said quickly. “Mom’s not gonna be home for a while! So, uh, what now?”

Jackie sighed. He put his camera in his hoodie pocket. “I don’t think we’ll get very far with the planetarium or mystery group stuff. Unless someone can figure out how to fight a basement or seal up a weird crack in the floor. But I don’t think we have any ideas.”

But speaking of birthdays, JJ said. Something happened Friday night. Hang on, this will be too much sign language for Stacy to understand. He pulled his notebook out of his shoulder bag and quickly wrote down what happened, explaining the brief encounter he and Marvin had with Anti. Then he handed the notebook to Stacy, who read it and then passed it around.

“I don’t like that,” Jackie muttered as he read what JJ wrote. 

“Why would this Anti... person... wanna do that?” Stacy asked. “Is that something he normally does?”

“No, we don’t really see him that much,” Chase said. “I dunno why he’d show up to you guys if he wanted a happy birthday. Which is... weird. Cause like... does he have a birthday?”

“Everything has a birthday, because everything is created one day,” Schneep figured.

“Well... yeah, but... it’s still weird.” Chase shook his head. “I dunno. What are we supposed to do about this?”

“It’s hard to know what to do about Anti,” Jackie agreed. “He doesn’t show up that much. I’ve never even seen him. Can you, like, punch him or something?”

“Ha!” Marvin grinned. “I don’t think we’ve tried, but next time I see him, I’ll fucking deck him.”

Everyone smiled. “Anyway, uh... I think that’s everything we wanted to talk about,” Chase said. “D’you guys want to play something?”

“That’s not fair, I’ve never played a video game before!” Stacy protested. “Why do you guys get to do something but I can’t?”

“Wait... never?” Chase asked. Stacy shook her head. “Well we have to play something now so you can try. I mean, you don’t have to, cause Schneep never plays, but at least watch. What’s something easy?”

The next couple hours passed with Chase and the other guys showing Stacy some of their favorite games. She wasn’t all that good, but she was clearly enjoying herself. Chase’s mom arrived home soon, causing the hangout to break up as Stacy, Jackie, and the twins headed out, leaving Jack and Schneep alone to do their homework.

But Chase couldn’t concentrate. He couldn’t stop thinking about everything they had brought up. Anti, the mystery group, the planetarium, the cracks in the ground, the greenlight... What did it all mean?

++++++++++++++++++++

Chase was still distracted in school the next day. He didn’t pay attention at all during the first class. In fact, when the bell rang he couldn’t remember a single thing that just happened.

“Chase?” Schneep poked his shoulder. “Is everything alright?”

“Huh?” Chase shook his head. “Yeah, I was just... thinking about stuff.”

“What stuff?” Stacy asked, standing behind Schneep. “Like... the secret stuff?” she whispered.

He was, but he didn’t want to talk about that right now. “No, I was thinking about—about Chad,” Chase said. “Uh, he’s my friend.”

“That tall kid with curly brown hair?” Stacy asked. “You were hanging out with him a lot last year. But I haven’t seen him around you this year. Is that what you’re thinking about? What happened?”

“Uh... I don’t know,” Chase said honestly. “He just... hasn’t talked to me. At all. This year.”

Schneep’s brows furrowed. “That is rude.”

“I guess, but like, maybe he’s busy,” Chase defended. “I mean, it is bothering me. I want to know what happened or if I did something wrong or something.”

“Can’t you ask him about that?” Stacy asked.

Chase blinked. “What d’you mean?”

Stacy rolled her eyes. “Just ask him why he’s not talking to you.”

“But... he won’t talk to me in the first place,” Chase explained. He glanced at Schneep to see if he was seeing the obvious problem. But Schneep looked thoughtful. “Right? I can’t ask him if he won’t listen.”

“Well, then, Schneep and I will go with you,” Stacy said. “He can’t ignore you if there are people watching.”

“Ah! Yes, that is a great idea.” Schneep nodded eagerly. “We all have a lunch period together, so you can talk to Chad then.”

“But—but he won’t talk to me!” Chase repeated. Why didn’t either of them get it?

“But it’s better to try than not, right?” Stacy said.

“Yes, talking has always helped,” Schneep agreed.

Chase looked back and forth between the two of them. Then he sighed. They clearly weren’t going to leave this alone. “Alright. Fine. If we can find Chad at lunch we can talk to him.”

“You can talk to him,” Stacy repeated. “We’ll be there for support and nothing more.”

“Fine. Whatever.”

And so, that day in the cafeteria, Schneep dragged Chase over to the corner table where Stacy said she would meet them. She was already there, clutching a pink lunch box and waiting for them to approach. “Ready?”

“Yeah, sure,” Chase mumbled. He idly scanned the cafeteria. Every available spot was packed with round tables, and every available table was already packed with kids. “Uhhhh I don’t see Chad anywhere.”

“He usually sits near the middle, ja?” Schneep prompted.

He did, and Chase knew that, but he was trying to find an excuse to avoid this. Sure, he wanted to know why Chad hadn’t talked to him once in months, but he didn’t want to actually ask him about that. What if he didn’t like the reason? What if Chad didn’t want to be friends anymore? As long as Chase didn’t bring it up, he could pretend that nothing had changed and Chad was just being weird about it. But the moment he found out...

Stacy climbed onto the bench attached to the table, using it as a stool to see over the heads of the other students. “I see him,” she announced, and climbed back down. “C’mon.” She started weaving in between the tables. Chase hesitated. Then Schneep nudged him, and he had no choice but to follow Stacy.

Chad was sitting at a table with a bunch of other guys. Keith, Terry, Alex, Miguel—Chase recognized them all. They’d already gotten their lunches and were all laughing at something. Chase stopped walking. “Chase, for the sake of god,” Schneep muttered, just barely loud enough to be heard through cafeteria chatter.

“I can’t do this in front of a whole group of guys, Schneep,” Chase muttered back at the same volume.

“Well it looks like Stacy will not let you do it some other way,” Schneep pointed out. Stacy had noticed that Chase stopped and was now staring at him as she stood right next to Chad’s table. All the guys had noticed her and stopped laughing. They looked like they weren’t sure what to do about it.

Chase sighed. “God... dang it,” he whispered. He adjusted his blazer, took a deep breath, and kept walking. As he got close, he put a grin on his face and tried to relax. “Hey, Stacy,” he said as he got closer to her, as if he’d just met her randomly.

“Hi, Chase,” Stacy said, not smiling. Her eyes darted back to the group of guys.

“Oh hey, Chad,” Chase said. He managed to keep a casual tone despite the way his heart was pounding with nerves. Schneep walked up next to him, staying slightly behind.

“Hey, Chase!” Chad gasped. “Bro! I haven’t seen you since I got back from camp! I don’t think we have any classes together, that’s crazy. How’ve you been?”

Chase laughed. “Uh, yeah, I’ve been good, bro. I’ve, uh, been wanting to talk to you for a while.” He noticed the way Stacy stepped back but didn’t actually leave. Her eyes drilled holes into the side of his head.

“Oh shoot really?” Chad looked over at the rest of the guys. The four of them had started eating lunch, but they were paying attention. Chase knew because they were quiet. They would have started talking about something else if they really didn’t care. “About what?”

“I mean, uh...” Chase swallowed a lump in his throat. How was he supposed to phrase this? “I’ve, uh, seen you a couple of times in the hallway and stuff, and here at lunch, and you like... haven’t said anything. And I have your phone number, I called you a couple times. So I was just wondering... is there, like, something going on, or...?”

“Oh. Uh...” Chad stopped smiling. He leaned back, but didn’t stand up. “I mean... I dunno.”

“Right.” Chase nodded. “I mean... I just want to know. Cause like... if I did something wrong, I want to know... so I can stop doing the thing.”

“Yeah, uh... that makes sense.” Chad stopped talking. The silence stretched between them, somehow louder than the surrounding chatter. “I, uh, I’d love to hang out sometime,” Chad finally said. “If you’re, like... not busy.”

“I’m not that busy,” Chase said. True, he and the others had stuff to deal with. Like Anti and the planetarium and the mystery group. And school. But he’d drop all that if Chad wanted to do something. “I dunno if you thought I was, but I’m not busy.”

“No, I didn’t think that. I just wasn’t sure if...” Chad hesitated. “If you were gonna keep being all...”

“All... what?” Chase prompted.

“You know, like... being a bummer and stuff.” Chad looked embarrassed. It wasn’t clear if that was because he didn’t want to say it to Chase, or because he didn’t want to say it in front of other people.

Chase blinked. “What? What’re you talking about?”

“You know, like, all last term,” Chad continued. “You never wanted to do anything or talk about anything. And when we did stuff you just kinda... sat there. We went to the park to skate once and you just stayed on the bench the whole time. And if we got snacks you never ate what you got. Like, why’d you get it in the first place? It just... wasn’t all that fun.”

Chase could only stare at him. “My dad left.” His voice was completely flat.

“You talk to him on the phone and stuff, right?” Chad said. “And you still get presents for your birthday. It’s kinda like you get two parties, hah. And he can come back whenever he wants. It’s not like he’s gone forever.”

The silence continued to stretch. Chase continued to stare. This... couldn’t be real, could it? It had to be some sort of dream. It was too unbelievable. This wasn’t a real conversation. This wasn’t really Chad. It couldn’t be.

Someone coughed behind him. “Chase, we still need to get lunch,” Schneep said, grabbing Chase’s hand. “We should go right now.”

“Oh hey, you’re the new kid!” Chad said, eagerly changing the subject. “What’s your name again?”

“Henrik. I am Chase’s cousin.” Schneep’s voice was cold. Businesslike.

“Oh cool! I don’t think he’s ever mentioned you. But I’ve seen you around. You guys hang out with the Jacksons together, right?”

“Yes.” Schneep took a step back, pulling Chase’s arm. “Come on, Chase.”

“Yeah, we have stuff to do after you get your lunches,” Stacy jumped in. “C’mon.”

“...yeah.” Chase nodded. He took a step back. “Bye, Chad.”

“Uh... bye.” Chad looked a bit confused. But as Chase, Schneep, and Stacy walked away, he turned back to the other guys at the table and started talking again, the confusion instantly vanishing.

The three of them didn’t go to the line to get lunch. Instead, Schneep pulled Chase around the tables, out of the cafeteria, and a little way down the hall. It was empty out here. Most students were inside the cafeteria, and the ones skipping lunch were gone by now. The three of them were completely alone. “Is everything okay, Chase?” Schneep asked gently.

“I-I don’t know.” Chase’s voice was quiet. He couldn’t make himself talk louder.

“What a jerk!” Stacy put her hands on her hips.

“He’s not a jerk, he just doesn’t get it.” Chase stared absentmindedly at the lockers across the hall, not really seeing them.

“Well, he should want to get it, and he didn’t!” Stacy huffed. “I know you don’t like Heather, but at least she would try to understand! I mean, I don’t think she’d really... do anything about it...” She trailed off for a moment. Then shook her head and returned to righteous anger. “But this isn’t about Heather! It’s about that guy, and that guy’s a jerk!”

“Who would—who would say that to—to someone who looked—” Schneep struggled with the words. He suddenly cried out and shouted something in very angry German. Then kicked the base of a nearby locker.

That got a smile out of Chase. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so mad.”

“You deserve to be mad over!” Schneep shouted. “I should be mad when the bad things happen to you! And you should be mad, too!”

“It’s fine.” Chase let out a breath and leaned his head back against the wall. It hit a locker with a gentle thunk. “At least I know what it was all about now.”

“Yeah.” Stacy nodded sharply. “Now you can forget about him and move on.”

“Sure.” Chase didn’t think he would forget. But maybe he could move on. “I can’t believe the Jackson twins were better at... what they said when I told them about Dad...” he mumbled.

“Why wouldn’t they be?” Stacy narrowed her eyes.

“I dunno. I just...”

“Is it because they’re magic weirdos?” Stacy asked in a weirdly demanding tone.

“Bro, don’t call them that,” Chase said defensively.

“Omg, you called them that first!” Stacy gasped.

“I what? When?”

“When we were walking up that staircase from the weird basement beneath the planetarium! You said you hung out with magic weirdos!”

“Oh!” Chase suddenly remembered. “No, I didn’t mean it like that, I meant it like that’s what other people would say.”

“Yeah, and you said you didn’t want other people to say that about you! That you didn’t want to be called a weirdo, too!”

“Well I don’t.”

“Chase!” Schneep gaped at him.

“That came out mean, I didn’t mean that,” Chase said, turning to him. “Look, no one wants to be called names or insulted or anything.”

“You’re right, no one does!” Schneep agreed. “I don’t want to be! And yet, I have heard what other kids have said. You know, Chase, I am also a weirdo to them, because I am short, or I talk different, or I am too smart. Anyone will be a weirdo! It means nothing! I do not care what other kids say. You should not care either! Especially when you know that someone is not weird!”

“I... the twins are weird, though,” Chase whispered.

“And so?” Schneep challenged. “Have you not fought monsters with them? Are they not your friends?”

“N-no, of course they are, I just...” Chase trailed off. Shame heated his face. He looked away from Schneep and Stacy. “I know I shouldn’t care,” he muttered. “But I do, and I don’t know how to not care about it the way Marvin and JJ do.”

“Are you sure they don’t care about people calling them weird?” Stacy prompted.

“I... I was sure, up until you said that.” Weird people didn’t care that others thought they were strange. If they did, they would have stopped being weird a long time ago. Right? That’s how Chase would have reacted. Was he doing it wrong?

“O... m... g.” Stacy stared at him. “Of course they care! Didn’t you notice how Marvin reacted when you called him a magic weirdo?!”

“...No?” Chase squirmed. “Am... am I a bad friend?”

Stacy sighed. “No. You’re not. That Chad guy is a bad friend. You’re just dumb. Just say you’re sorry the next time you see them.”

Schneep nodded. “These sort of, ah... mistakes seem to be common with you. I think Marvin will understand.”

“Right.” Chase nodded.

“Great.” Stacy grinned. “Now we have to eat before lunch period is over. You guys should go get your lunches.”

“Uh...” Chase glanced back towards the open cafeteria doors. “I kinda don’t want to go back in there...”

“Is fine, Chase,” Schneep assured him. “Stacy and I can get food and take it out here for you. That is allowed, ja?”

“I think so.”

“I have to go through the lunch line? Ugh.” Stacy shook her head. “I hate that. It’s crowded.”

“Is that why you always bring your own lunch?” Schneep asked, pointing at her lunch bag.

Stacy shrugged. “My parents don’t like the school food. But anyway, I gotta get your lunch before they stop serving food. C’mon, Schneep.” And she headed back inside.

Schneep patted Chase on the arm. “We will be right back,” he said quietly. “You... be... take, ah, care of yourself.” And with that awkward but heartfelt wish, Schneep followed Stacy inside.

Chase would later learn that students were not, in fact, allowed to take food out of the cafeteria. But for this lunch, the three of them sat on the floor of the hallway together, silently eating. And even though it was a bit uncomfortable, Chase was much happier sitting here than he would have been sitting with Chad.

++++++++++++++++++++

“Chase, do you still have homework?” Mom asked in the car after school.

“Uh... yeeahh,” Chase admitted, squirming in his seat.

Mom sighed. “You have to keep on top of it this year, you know,” she said gently.

“I know, I know.” Chase nodded. “Why don’t you ever ask Henrik if he has homework?”

“I do not have homework,” Schneep offered from the back seat. “If you need help, Chase, I can help.”

Mom chuckled. “I don’t ask Henrik because he always tells me. Which I really appreciate, Henrik, but you don’t have to worry about it so much. Chase, however, might have to worry about his grades.”

“I’ll do it right when we get home, I promise,” Chase said.

And indeed, the moment he got home he took his backpack right up to his bedroom, Schneep following him up the stairs. “I did mean it when I said I can help,” he said. “I do not mind.”

“Nah, bro, you don’t have to. Go have fun reading or whatever.” Chase reached his bedroom and pulled open the door. “I can handle some—”

There was a person in his room.

Chase stared. Schneep gasped. Anti, sitting on Chase’s bed, smiled and waved. “Hi,” he said quietly.

“Wh...” Chase glanced over his shoulder. Mom was still downstairs, but if he shouted, she would definitely hear it. Should he? He looked at Schneep, who was pale; he reached out and gripped Chase’s arm tightly, but didn’t run from Anti. Chase took a deep breath and turned back. “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing? What are you doing?” Anti asked.

“Uh... h-homework?”

Anti stood up. His shadowy body was a bit less translucent than Chase remembered. “Why?”

“Because... it’s... important?” Chase said, confused.

“You have more important things to do,” Anti insisted. “The planetarium. Do you remember the planetarium? Did you forget?”

“Um, no, but... but what do you mean?” Chase asked. He noticed Schneep moving slightly in the corner of his vision, but didn’t dare look away from Anti.

“You haven’t done anything about the greenlight in the planetarium,” Anti said in a low voice. “Why? You’ve done something about all the other greenlight things you’ve found. Take care of this one!”

Chase took a step backwards. “Do something? Like what?”

“I don’t care. Just something.” Anti tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “Like you’re supposed to. You’re ruining everything by just waiting.”

“W-well, we...” Chase’s eyes flicked to the side. Schneep had entirely disappeared from his field of vision, and was now crouching down close to the ground. “We don’t know what to do yet. It’s a big empty room, not a monster.”

“You’re all smart, aren’t you?” Anti took a step forward. “You should have a plan by now.”

“Maybe we just haven’t had enough time!” Chase protested. “I mean—i-it took us all summer to catch that monster dog, right? And we didn’t have school and homework and stuff taking up all day.”

Anti seemed to consider that. His posture relaxed slightly. “School, hmm? Making you busy?” He giggled. “That’s funny. What’s the word? It’s ironed.”

“...Ironic?” Chase asked hesitantly.

“Ironic. It’s ironic that the school is keeping you from the greenlight.” Anti grinned. “Maybe it’s not as far away as you thi—”

Suddenly, Schneep stood up straight and moved his arm. He threw something! Chase’s baseball had been lying by the bedroom door. He’d grabbed it and thrown it right at Anti. But the ball went right through Anti’s shadowy chest and bounced against the glass of the window behind him.

Anti’s smile vanished. “I was talk͠ing̢,” he growled. His voice sounded strange. Crackly, like an untuned car radio.

Schneep stiffened, white as a ghost. “Es tut mir Leid,” he whispered.

Chase stepped in front of him. He could feel Schneep trembling slightly, his grip on his arm squeezing tighter. “Our mom is right downstairs,” he announced. “If we scream she’s gonna hear it and come running.”

Anti’s green eyes stared into his. The lightbulb in the overhead light flickered on, then off. “That’s nice,” he said in a flat voice. And then without another word, he disappeared.

The two boys waited for a few seconds to see if he would reappear. When he didn’t, Chase immediately whirled around to look at Schneep. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Ja—yes.” Schneep nodded. He’d stopped shaking and was regaining some color. “I thought—I-I wanted to see if he could be touched—and then I—I did not like... the way he said that.”

“Yeah,” Chase said. “But you’re okay. He left.”

“He did.” Schneep nodded again. “Ah... thank you. That was very brave, stepping in front.”

“Well what’s he gonna do? He’s like a ghost. You just proved he can’t touch anything.” Chase looked at the spot where Anti had been and stuck out his tongue. “He’s just a jerk.”

Schneep laughed. “H-he is.” A moment passed. “You... said ‘our’ mom.”

“I did?” Chase blinked. “I didn’t even realize. But, uh, are you okay with that?”

“I... do not know,” Schneep said slowly. “I like ‘our.’ But... things are complicated.”

“Alright. I’ll try not to do it again, then.” Chase paused. “Y’know, actually, can you help me with homework? I’m having trouble with some chemistry equations.”

Schneep nodded. “Yes! Of course! I have those in my memory.”

“Already?” Chase laughed. “Okay. In that case, you can sit in my beanbag and quiz me.”

As the two of them settled in, neither of them noticed the strange shadow outside the open window. Neither of them realized it watched them for a couple minutes before finally leaving.

++++++++++++++++++++

“Hey Jackie, did you hear?”

Jackie jumped slightly. He’d been staring absentmindedly into his locker, still thinking about the meeting he’d had with the kids at Chase’s house the day before yesterday. Anti appearing in JJ and Marvin’s room had really worried him. So had everything about the mystery group. But he put that out of his mind for now. “Hey, Syl,” he said, turning to look at Sylvester, who’d walked up next to him. “Hear about what?”

“The planetarium collapsed last night!” Sylvester said.

“What?!”

“Yeah, crazy, right?! Mincy told me everything in Math this morning.”

“That’s—what?” Jackie repeated. “How?”

Sylvester shrugged. “No one knows. Maybe it was built on a sinkhole or something. Or maybe something happened with the structure, like it was weak or something.”

A sinkhole wasn’t very likely, but... there was a big, wide-open space below the planetarium. That strange basement. If something happened down there, could the whole building have collapsed into it? “Was anyone inside?”

“Uh, some of the senior staff members were, so that sucks.”

“...yeah.” Jackie nodded. He turned back to his locker and grabbed the textbook he was looking for. “Yeah, that... really sucks.”

As he closed the locker, he could have sworn it was darker inside than normal. As if there was an extra shadow there.

He left too quickly to notice the faint laughter.

[aur0raaura]

Art and Life update...I guess??

Thought I'd do something like this to keep people in the loop- Don't worry, it's nothing bad, just wish for people to know I'm still around and doing stuff! xD

SO yes, I'm still hard at work with art- though the huuuuuuge comic I've been making relating to the Twin Princes AU has been put in a pause for now. I'm actually making an art piece for the PokeMas 3.5 anniversary contest! I can't wait to show you guys the artwork, but...oh man :'D it's gonna be a bit until i'm able to. Once that's done, I can continue with the page making. It was a bit of a struggle for me actually...to keep myself motivated. So much life bumps have hindered my speed, to a point i was rather out of it. I didn't want to suddenly lose interest all together, especially when I wanna show you guys the cool stuff myself and my friend have come up with and all the positive support! Now that I'm doing better, I feel I'm considering posting these pages into two parts- it is a 20 page comic after all-! I'm still in the beginning stages of linearting and such, but because it's technically a "doodle comic"...it shouldn't take long,,,?? I think I may have put a bit too much effort into something that wasn't supposed to be heavily detailed SOB,,, Either way, thank you all for your continued support, patience and understanding! ;w; Once these comics are released however- I may think of other ways to carry out this narrative... probably in an interactive way! Please stay tuned.

For now, wish me luck- this art piece for the contest is pretty big x'D

[eorzeashan]

An Echani Among the Chiss

Raina: Sir, I've received an update from Aristocra Saganu.

Don't they look like twins here?

I apologize for plowing through the entire intro of the Traitor Arc just to get to Copero, but we'll get back to that later-- plus I discovered to my ultimate delight that Eight could wear Raina's clothes, so now he has a new outfit.

It's really fitting he gets to wear this given that he's also an adoptive/loyal to House Miurani even before the canonical events of the Agent story, so I like to think he finally caves into working for the Ascendancy at some point now that he's free of Alliance obligations.

Also, the minute he stepped into Chiss space would have the Aristocra (and Nosta whether she's his wife or ex-wife in this timeline or not) going GET HIM and forcibly dragging him into abandoning service to other powers to be with them, lol. ('Work for the Ascendancy. Your abilities are wasted on an uncaring empire and a republic that will not forgive you.' "I thought the Chiss cared little for outsiders.' "Our House more than considers you the exception for all that you've done. Now come; afternoon tea is waiting." '*Long sigh*')

House Miurani does not forget its debts. I think Eight would actually have a healthy time under their wing; the Chiss are like a second home to him given his upbringing with Nosta, now a Lady of their house and he'd find quick work in training their officers in Echani combat.

Though I'd imagine he'd just trash entire groups of them to relish in them getting slowly more and more angry that an outsider could beat them so easily. ('Weak! Next!' *yet another Chiss officer getting thrown out the ring on their ass* "Ugh....he's just like Lady Nosta when she first got here....ruthless..")

Raina: The Ascendancy has announced they are mourning Syndic Zenta's untimely death. Officially, they condemn the Alliance for her assassination. But Saganu is grateful for how you handled the matter. Should you need it, the EDF stands ready to aid you-- privately.

Eight: Saganu had to save face somehow. As long as I have their support, let them say what they want.

Raina: The Aristocra appreciates your understanding.

He's always like this: resigned to taking the most blame and responsibility after a dirty kill, which is commonfare for assassinations all the while doing so for the sake of someone else. It's also incredibly ironic he's doing this for the Miurani again-- that always seems to be his role.

Reminds me of the alternate dialogue where you originally refuse the Aristocra's offer by saying "I won't be your personal assassin", yet that's exactly what he is here especially for these Chiss.

It is rather sad that Eight currently goes from one master to another doing the same exact things, but he does have family in the Chiss who know and want to treat him right after everything he's done for them, so I imagine they'd avoid using him so callously.

There was something incredibly cheeky about Saganu sending Raina out like "look, it's your and our outsider sister. now you won't be alone and you can see that we can take you in, too."

Unfortuately, it's a very good argument considering they're thick as thieves with both their similar backgrounds.

Still chuffed at their twinning here.

Lana: I assure you, Commander, no one sleeps until we discover where the traitor is headed.

Eight: I want to catch Theron as much as you, but you're working everyone too hard-- including yourself.

I haven't ironed out the specifics yet of the AU I have planned for the Traitor Arc, but Lana's vengeful anger towards it while Eight is like "man, who cares" is one of the reasons I don't headcanon him as chasing after Theron during it.

I'm toying with the idea that Theron takes him with and they both get up to dual-traitor shenanigans, but then comes the problem of House Miurani's hand in all of it and it might be more feasible to say Theron helped him ditch the Alliance in return for not stopping him while he sought sanctuary with the Chiss.

Anyways, final bonus images:

His Chiss service officer fit is supposed to come with headgear, but the cutscenes like taking it off. Also, I got the entire Ascendancy Soldier outfit, which is really nice! Will probably take screens for it in Nathema next time.

Saganu squeezed him into formal wear for once.