#not in reference to any specific character
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Jason's on the side lines like "What the fuck? You broke like that?!"
And Stephanie shrugs her shoulders saying "He's got a point, plus not killing my dad is much more... Satisfying because he knows that I was close to doing it."
Hi hello I will forever be thinking about how close Steph came to straight up murdering her dad during her debut
#PREV i think all the time abt what batman says to steph here#bc already 'destroyed' is a really interesting way to refer to Stephs life and tje consequences of arthurs abuse#but Steph is a person who's both constantly put down AND oft times puts herself down#we're never given any indication of what she wants to do/be when she grows up (partially bc she's a side character-#-who only has as much inner life as serves the story BUT SHHH lemme use this real quick for characterization reasons)#when she's pregnant she says she must be a disappointment to her mom and while that's in a specific context#i think it's not completely unsubstantiated to say she might've felt that way pre-pregnancy too#Steph has virtually no supportive adults in her life (her gym coach is added later. and also deals coke in that same issue. so)#Batman saying that Steph's life isn't destroyed (and also validating the fact that Arthur DID hurt her-#-something no one but Steph seems to acknowledge (crystal at this point still enables him and steph seems to have no one else to-#-confide in)#might've been the first time in recent memory that someone treated Steph as if#a) she had a future b) she was a victim and c) she had enough worth to preserve said future (by not getting a rap sheet)#erm idk if i worded this well but YEAH had a lot of thoughts about this line wayyy back when i initially read the issue#but seeing this post and prev tags reminded me
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Hello!
I just wanted to tell you that your art and way of storytelling is AMAZING. You're one of my biggest inspirations, and one of the people who got me into LMK (which I am very grateful for! Thank you so much)!!
I also have two questions for you (if you're not too busy! I dont want to bother you-)
What's your process for making illustrations? Yours look so pretty and they are so wonderful to look at!
And, what's your tips for anyone who wants to make a LMK fan-comic, but is a little scared to get something wrong? (Like good representation and cultural no-nos for example. I've done research, but the internet can be a little confusing and messy about topics like this, so I wanted to ask for help!)
I do hope that I'm not bothering you in any way!
Have an amazing day/night!
This is an oldie ask, apologies, but I do have a better way to answer this now! Typically, when I work on my pieces, I have 4 main phases: Roughs, Lines, Flats, and Renders! I'll use this Nezha piece as an example!
My Roughs stage includes getting references, color themes I may want, and feeling out the general vibe I want out of a piece! For this one, I really wanted to push Nezha's face expression (my main) as well as try to emphasize the speed at which he was moving.
Once I do that, I try to space out everything in the background, and refine the sketch with one more rough draft before moving on to the lines!
The Lines stage is pretty self-explanatory: this is when I line everything and make additional changes I may not have thought of from the Roughs stage: For this one in particular, I remember wanting to add details of more wear and tear, such as the sash being a bit damaged, or his bracelet getting cracks, or his face being a little scuffed up.
Next up: Flats! This is when I would flat color, as well as adjust the lineart to have colored lines (its already colored in the prior screenshot, but my lineart starts out all black) I find coloring the linart helps make the colors feel more "lived in" for lack of a better phrase
Finally, the render portion, which usually starts with the BG for me most times; I find if I know the environments colors/lighting it helps concrete where light is affecting the characters
This is your overlays, mutiply, and shine layers in action! Flat coloring makes my soul itch, but rendering really helps quell that pain for me; esp if I get to work with gold/hair shine! I hope that was helpful! And as far as advice for respecting cultural-related things, honestly, as an American I don't know much in the realms of specifics, but I do know to try to have basics understood, which I gather from what has been made thus far within LMK, reading the source material/fact checking information I come across, my own experience of being black in America, and reviewing travel advise funny enough. I wish you a good luck with your artistic journey homie!
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Damon and Diana, Snake and Chameleon
in the context of chapter 1 i wanted to expand on some of the animal symbolism, particularly damon's symbol of a snake and diana's of a chameleon. buckle up yall!
while the biblical snake symbolism is obvious, i think lots of meaning can be derived from real world knowledge--in particular, the familiar image of a snake shedding its skin. snakes enter periods of heightened aggression when molting due to the sensitivity of their new skin, and i think this will be reflected by damon becoming much worse in the name of defending himself before he changes for the better. his initial distrustful mindset was proven right, the second he even *began* to trust someone it blew up in his face. while he was crying for a moment in the face of eva's death, this sorrow was quickly overrun by frustration and anger, particularly at diana's words.
additionally, while i'm not sure if exact genus/species of certain animals were intended or will become important to interpretation, i'd like to draw a connection between damon's snake symbol and a certain genus. from the green color and his american origins, i think he can be connected to opheodrys, a common genus of green snake from north america coming in two species of rough or smooth variety. these snakes are not commonly kept as pets due to their standoffish and defensive nature around humans, making them prone to biting. despite this, they're non-venomous and generally harmless. damon makes it clear when confronted that he does not intend to harm anyone. in fact, his monologues show he thinks much more about how he would respond if someone were to attack *him* instead, noting the physical advantage some of his classmates have (rough/smooth green snakes are very small). we can even tie these traits of non-venom back to the prologue trial, where he appeared very hostile despite genuinely thinking he was helping. and of course, a connection can also be made to damon's general personality of being outwardly cold when deep down he's just... a guy who gets easily embarrassed.
now onto diana! first off i was surprised she actually mentioned her animal and how it relates to her, i thought the motifs were going to be more of an unspoken thing. makes me wonder if any other characters will mention their animals. anyway, fun fact! chameleons don't change color to camouflage, they do it for thermoregulation and social signaling. for diana, i'm more concerned with social signaling, as chameleons can change into very bold displays of colors to communicate dominance, as paralleled by diana's bold display at the end of the first trial with the intention of rallying the others behind her. this could be a stretch, but diana's darker/bold color pallet could be a reference to the potential spectrum of colors that a chameleon would display under stress.
i find it funny though, that while diana says that she will adapt like a chameleon, keeping chameleons in captivity is notoriously hard due to their highly specific environmental requirements- be it temperature, humidity, or lighting, they're easy to accidentally kill. diana may claim with a brave face that she has the strength to fight this killing game no matter the struggle, yet someone with the stress sensitivity of a chameleon in a situation like this is doomed to buckle.
anyway...can you tell they're my two favorite characters. antag diana im so ready for you if you're real
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Wild Life Tango: Survivalist
Mans is so special I had to make a whole new archetype for him.
Explanations and breakdowns under the cut.
ask and ye shall recieve, beloved mutual
(Secret Life Scar and a 3rd or Double life Tango are on the list)
I joke about The Survivalist archetype being made specifically for Tango, but he is the last push for it. This new archetype is the only one not in the uquiz! Let me know if you want me to add it in.
This archetype is all about being a cockroach. They'll lie, plot, run, hide, anything to live for another day. This includes characters like Etho, Tango (obviously), and Scott.
The Moves
All three are Survivalist moves!
It's Not Paranoaia If... is in reference to zoomy Tango this season! It's having an eye on your surroundings and carefully tracking dangers. He had some fun chases as the last of his color and has earned this skill.
Survival of the Fittest: Skizz go splat. Skizz's trivia bot go brrr. Tango was absolutly unhinged and out for blood. He didn't focus on direct kills, but sneaky shots and underhanded tricks.
Healification: Even more cockroach energy. Half the server hated him and he just kept bouncing back.
Stats
Grift: The only grift and charisma this mine relied on was the power of annoyance. 10/10, no notes.
Power: This man cries when he has to swing a sword. Let him use wind charges, please.
Cunning: Hear me out, the bridge trap might have failed so hard it disqualified him from the Trapper archetype, but he did have some good ideas and generally pulled off some highjinks.
Escape: Zoomies. no notes.
Weird: Not very in touch with the watchers, but just enough to be weird about it.
Hybrid
While I could have gone with a breeze hybrid as was popular with this season, I went with the classic and then picked the traits that show up the most in fanfiction. Voila.
Any suggestions on who to do next? Let me know.
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@lesbianbarbaragordon Batman: The Ultimate Evil is one of my favorite Martha Wayne centered stories, mainly because she impacts both Bruce, his character growth, and the actual story so much without actually being there. you should 100% read this if you want a good grasp of Martha’s character. Batman: Family (v2) isn’t as focused on her (she’s only briefly mentioned in issue 1, 7, and 8) but she’s still extremely important in the progression of the story. Also it’s just a great read anyways, it takes place after No Man’s Land so a lot of different characters are in it. Batman: legends of the dark knight (Halloween special 2) shows Martha influencing the way Bruce thinks and reacts to his trauma in a way I think is very notable to both her and Bruce. Batman: Death and the Maidens is more centered around Bruce and his current/developing relationships and conflicts with the Al Ghul family (with a main focus on Nyssa, Ra’s, and Talia) then it is with his parents, but his mother is prevalent in issues 1, 4, and 5. Thomas also shows up in issue 6-7 but be warned, he kind of sucks. Batman: the Return of Bruce Wayne, issue #5 is an elseworld where Martha Wayne is murdered, and Bruce is the detective who attempts to figure out who did it. You don’t actually have to read this to understand who Martha was as a person because it has nothing to do with the main continuity, but she does technically build the story Bruce works in. (I’m not gonna include any more elsewords, just wanted to put this one here because it talks about Martha’s family.) In Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, Martha Wayne appears during Batman’s final moments. There isn’t much about specifically her outside of Bruce’s childhood, but I do think it means something about how Batman imagined his mother of all people when he was dying. Also, it’s just a great read in my opinion :) unfortunately I don’t know any other stories where Martha Waynes actual life is explored outside of small references or straight up hallucinations or out-of-body experiences, but she does make many small appearances that further explain who she was as a person. I’ll just put them here so people don’t have to read entire storylines just for like one panel of Martha.
(detective comics #935)
(detective comics #978)
(Streets of Gotham, issue #14)
(Batman: The Knight, issue #10)
(Batman and Robin v2: Annual 1)
(Batman: Family mini adventures)
Legends of the Dark Knight v2, issue #8
Batman: Dark Age, issue #5
Poison Ivy: issue #25
theres way way more than just these btw. the great thing about being famously, mysteriously dead for centuries is that people still remember and talk about you a lot :)
I think the correlation between batman and his mother needs to be talked about more. they both devoted their lives to fighting crime with a whole secret identity. and they were both willing to die for it, and one of them did in the end. both of them are established to be mentally ill in some capacity. both of them generally had the same interests. they were both seen as dumber and simpler in the public eye (Martha being “just a housewife” and Bruce being just a himbo playboy) both considered Alfred to be their safe person, the one person they could talk to about anything. they both have the same handwriting for gods sake. Martha isn’t brought up a lot in comics unless it directly correlates with batman himself, but when she does, she is literally his carbon copy. hello does anyone hear this.
#sorry this turned more into a martha wayne reading list then anything#but that’s ok we love mrs martha here <3#martha wayne#martha kane#thomas wayne#bruce wayne#batman#the wayne family#dc comics#dc characters#batfam
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Dating Jason Todd (Part Eight)
fanfic type: angst, fluff, comfort (ongoing)
If you liked the Titans show but wish they handled Jason’s story line differently you might like this fic!
Hey so this is in fact my first time writing fanfiction (idk what my life has come to). Sorry if it’s cringy but also I would eat this up cause I LOVE some good angsty comfort fanfiction. I won’t write smut. I don’t think I’m gonna do requests but if you have any ideas feel free to let me know. Also of course I don’t own any DC characters this is purely fanfiction. Thank you and I hope you enjoy. (I hope you like run-on sentences💀) (if you don’t like it don’t be rude just move on dude😃🧍♀️)
So story line, this doesn’t really take place in any specific universe but I’m gonna be pulling concepts from Titans, Arkham Knight, The Batman, Under the Red Hood, and whatever lore I remember from the CW shows cause I grew up watching those, then just my imagination of course. Reader is referred to as she/her btw.
Warnings: talking about death, suicide, depression, torture (it’s not graphic I hate gore it’s just sad), talking about intimacy (not graphic), struggling with eating, topics of grief, violence, panic attacks, PTSD
Part Eight: Your Jason
You, Dick and Barbra go through the video frame by frame looking for clues as to where Jason is.
“That has to be Arkham,” you say.
“We cleared it,” Dick says.
“The video could be old,” Barbra suggests.
“It’s rained the past few days and only stopped today, you can’t hear any rain in the video so it has to be new,” you say. “We should go back to Arkham.”
“Barbra will you stay here and keep looking for clues in the video and Y/N and I will go to Arkham?” Dick asks. Barbra nods.
“Can you send me blueprints of Arkham?” You ask Barbra.
“Will do,” she says.
You and Dick get to Arkham and Barbra sends you the blueprints. You pull them up on a laptop.
“Okay X off every wing you searched,” you tell him. He begins to go through the blueprints and cross off rooms when suddenly, he freezes.
“What?” You ask. He says nothing, simply stares at the screen. “Dick what is it?”
“This wing,” he says as he circles it on the screen. “I don’t know what it is, it doesn’t exist…”
“What do you mean doesn’t exist?” You say.
“There was nothing there when we went through, I have no idea what that is,” he says.
“Idiot,” you mumble. You start running into Arkham and Dick chases after you. You get to where the entrance to the wing supposedly is. It’s just a brick wall.
“Are the blueprints wrong?” You ask him.
“No they can’t be,” he says. Dick presses his ear to the wall and knocks. “This isn’t a real fucking wall,” he says angrily. Dick grabs an old pipe lying on the floor and starts swinging at the wall. It cracks a bit. He throws the pipe once there’s a small hole in the wall and begins breaking the fake wall down with his hands. You and him climb through the hole in the wall. “Stay close,” he whispers. You unknowingly pass a motion sensor and suddenly the whole hallway lights up. Colorful lights line the hall and circus music blares. Your eyes widen as you see a something behind Dick. You point to a sign behind him that says, “follow the footprints.” The letters are written in blood. You look down and see a trail of bloody footprints. “Y/N wait!” Dick says. You sprint down the hall following the footprints. You run for about a minute then they end at a locked door. You try the handle but it won’t budge. You throw your body against the door in desperation but you’re just not strong enough.
“Dick!” You yell. Dick runs up behind you. “I can’t get the door open!” You say frantically. Dick throws his body against the door and on the third try it flys open. You run in to find Jason lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. You run to him, slip in the blood and fall. “Jason!” You say as you check his pulse. “Jason,” you cry as you cradle his head in your hands. His cold dead eyes stare back at you. Dick carefully kneels down and he reaches out to close Jason’s eyes. “Don’t touch him!” You yell as you hold Jason’s corpse. Dick walks over to the wall and unplugs the lights and circus music. You notice a “J” carved into Jason’s face. His face is covered in dirt and blood splatters, the only clean spots are where his tears have dried up. Your heart breaks as you look at Jason; your Jason.
“I called Barbra,” Dick says softly. You simply put your head on Jason’s chest and sob.
Before you know it the place is crawling with cops. Jason’s now under a white sheet and cops work around you tagging evidence. You walk over to Dick and say, “the cops shouldn’t be here, Bruce should fucking be here.”
“I don’t like the cops being here either, more than half of them are dirty,” Dick says. “As for Bruce I just got off the phone with him, he’s flying back tomorrow.” You say nothing, you just stare at the white sheet covering the love of your life. “If you give me your phone I’ll call Roy,” Dick says. You mindlessly hand him your phone.
“Call Thea, I don’t have Roy’s number,” you say. “Have you called Gar and everyone?” You ask.
“I will after I get off the phone with Roy,” Dick says.
He’s about to go into the hall when you say, “thank you Dick.” He simply nods and walks into the hall. Everyone is busy. You walk over to Jason’s body and lift the sheet enough to pull his stack of bracelets off his wrist. There was a black leather one with the logo of his favorite band, a braided green one Gar had made, a silver one with a small red ruby (you have a necklace with a small pink diamond which matched), and your bra strap you’d tied into a bracelet for him. You put the bracelets in your pocket and then cover his hand back up.
When you first met Jason when he rescued you from poison ivy you never imagined you’d see him again, and then once you met him you never knew you two would be so close, never imagined you’d fall in love, and you never thought you’d lose him.
Hey, I hope you enjoyed this fic, if you did remember to like. I appreciate any positive feedback, it encourages me to keep writing and posting parts. I love being dramatic and honestly don’t know why I didn’t write fanfiction sooner. I hope you are having fun reading this cause I’m having fun writing it. Check out my Masterlist if you haven’t read the other parts and want to. I have a lot more ideas for developing the red hood plot and backstory for how the reader meets Dick and Jason and becomes a titan so if your interested in staying up to date with the fics then please follow me. The next two days are going to be busy for me so if I don’t post just know I haven’t abandoned the fic (I’ll probably still post tho cause I tend to add to this when I’m half asleep super late lol) Happy holidays🩷
Here’s a link to my Masterlist if you want to read the other parts.
Masterlist
#dc fanfiction#dick grayson fanfiction#dick grayson x reader#jason todd#jason todd angst#jason todd comfort#jason todd fanfiction#jason todd fic#jason todd fluff#jason todd imagine#jason todd x y/n#jason todd x you#jason todd x reader#jason todd x oc#redhood x you#redhood x reader#red hood#arkham knight x you#arkham knight x reader#arkham knight#dick grayson#nightwing x y/n#nightwing x you#nightwing x reader#dc imagine#dc fanfic#titans fanfiction#dc titans#angst#hurt/comfort
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Vil x Reader -- Body Swap Pt 1
Summary: You and Vil swap bodies near the beginning of VDC.
Word Count: 4k+
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Character Arcs
Author's Note: Merry Christmas. There's more to come. This is what I have so far. It's great. Buckle up and good luck. I'm not going to give you any other context. You're welcome
Tags: @solxamber @marsinrain
You open your eyes to a dark room. You feel strangely alert. There’s no grogginess or desire to stay in bed. It’s unnatural. What time is it? You fumble around the nightstand, searching for your phone.
You click it on. It blinds you for a moment and you squint. 4:01 am, it reads. It’s not your lock screen though. The background is a dark purple with a familiar dripping red apple in the center. It’s framed in swirling gold. It’s a variation of the Pomefiore crest. This has to be Vil’s. Who else would have this lock screen? But why is it in your room? Did he leave it when he checked everyone’s rooms? It seems unlikely given his personality. Either way, you need to give it back. He’ll wake up in a frenzy if you don’t do it now. You’d rather deal with a half asleep and grumbly Vil than an awake and frantic one.
You sit up and place your feet on the floor. There’s a pair of plush and cozy slippers underneath your feet… You don’t have luxurious slippers. You furrow your brow. Something’s off.
Nonetheless, you slip on the comfy shoes and shuffle to the light switch. You flick it on.
The first thing you notice is the mirror. Vil’s reflection stares back at you. You raise your eyebrows. It copies you. You glance at your body. You’re wearing the dorm leader’s expensive silk pajamas. You pinch yourself and wince in pain. This is real. You’ve somehow swapped bodies with the Queen of Pomefiore. You have to solve this.
You spin around on your heels and stride out the door. Your slippers pad down the hall. You knock on a specific door and wait. It doesn’t take long for the occupant to answer.
“Roi de Poison?” Rook questions, his voice still rough from sleep.
“Let me in,” you command.
The vice leader steps aside as you to brush past. He turns on the light, closing the door.
“You know I’m not Vil,” you state, turning around.
“Oui,” he confirms, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“It’s [Y/N],” you answer.
Rook raises an eyebrow.
“Your gait is the same, Trickster,” the hunter tells you with a nod.
“I’m not surprised you know,” you comment, “Do you know what’s going on?”
“Non, I’m just as baffled as you are. I’ve never heard of a magicless person and mage swapping bodies,” Rook replies, before looking curious. “Did you come to me because you want to get this sorted before Beautiful Vil wakes up?”
“You’re sharp as ever, Rook,” you confirm, “Yes, he’ll flip his lid once he finds out. I would like to prevent that.”
“I agree, Trickster. It’s for the best. I assume you have a plan,” the hunter replies.
“Of course, we break down Crowley’s door and demand answers,” you tell him.
Rook laughs, “Such an aggressive tactic from our lovely Trickster! I’m most honored to see such a beautiful and unique side to you. I will do all I can to help.”
“Including my hair,” you add.
Rook lights up. “I’m glad you’ve already thought of that, Trickster. I was going to offer my assistance.”
“As long as I have a reference photo, I can recreate Vil’s makeup. I’m well-versed in skincare, so that shouldn’t be a problem. That being said, do you have any recommendations on what toner and serum to use for Vil’s skin today?”
You lean in to let the hunter get a better look. Rook’s eyes widen before he breaks into a delighted grin.
“Trickster has amazing foresight!” he praises, before examining Vil’s skin. “I would suggest the Shrinking Toner to reduce pore size and the Luminous Serum to brighten the skin.”
“Perfect. Thank you. Get ready and come to Vil’s room to help me,” you instruct before leaving.
“Oui!” Rook agrees with enthusiasm.
You shake your head with a smile, striding down the hall in Vil’s comfy slippers.
——————
“Bang on his door,” you instruct.
“Oui! Trickster’s suggestions are straight to the point and no-nonsense. It’s so different from how you usually behave. It’s magnifique,” he compliments.
“Yes, yes, hurry up. We don’t have all day,” you urge.
You wait before the thudding of footsteps is heard. The bird man opens the door with ruffled feathers. He’s wearing dark indigo flannel pajama bottoms and a ratty white t-shirt with black crows and feathers.
“What is all this racket? It’s 4:45 in the morning. Couldn’t this have waited?” Crowley scolds, before pausing to register who’s in front of him. “Mr. Schoenheit and Mr. Hunt, what are you doing here?”
“It’s [Y/N]. Vil and I have somehow switched bodies. I want answers before he wakes up in hysterics. It would be in your best interest to let us in,” you demand.
Crowley is stunned but steps back. You sweep past him with regal elegance. Crowley raises an eyebrow at your demeanor. Rook slips in, standing beside you. The headmaster closes the door and puts a hand to his chin.
“A mage fueling a magical phenomenon for themselves and a magicless person isn’t unheard of. The caster has to be extremely powerful, but Mr. Schoenheit fits the bill,” he muses.
You stay quiet as Crowley thinks.
“The only thing I can think of is wish magic. Do you have a strong wish?” He asks.
“Yes, I wanted to perform on stage in front of an audience,” you reply.
The headmaster nods before consulting Rook, “Mr. Hunt, you know Mr. Schoenheit well. Is there anything he desires more than anything else?”
“Oui, Roi de Poison wishes to break out of his role as a villain,” he answers.
“Everything fits the requirements for this phenomenon to occur,” Crowley murmurs before speaking up with a clap. “I know what happened!
“Sometimes when two people close by have an intense wish that can be solved with one solution, the ambient magic grants them an opportunity to obtain both wishes. Once both wishes are fulfilled, the magic will revert to normal,” he explains.
You’re silent, before turning to Rook.
“My wish won’t be fulfilled until VDC ends. I want to perform on stage, so I’ll be filling in for Vil,” you inform.
There’s a flash of deep concern before he covers it with a familiar encouraging smile.
“I have no doubt you’ll be able to fill in for Beautiful Vil! I will support you in every way I can. As the resident Vil expert, I can help coach you,” Rook offers with an elegant bow.
You cut his movements off.
“I’m Roi de Poison for now. I expect to be addressed as such. I won’t tolerate a slip of the tongue. I suggest you start practicing in private. I’m sure you know what will happen if you don’t,” you punctuate with an icy voice.
Rook jolts with wide eyes. His hands fly up into a surrendering pose.
“Oui, Roi de Poison, I will heed your command,” he complies.
“Good, I expect nothing less from my vice leader,” you state, before addressing Crowley. “That’s the most helpful you’ve been since I’ve arrived here. I suggest you get your act together before your negligence is exposed. If people learn of my living conditions, my fans will riot.”
Crowley looks at you, gobsmacked. He opens and closes his mouth a couple of times.
“Are–are you threatening me?” He stutters.
You narrow your eyes.
“The only thing I’m threatening you to do is your job. If you don’t want your reputation to go down the drain, I suggest renovating Ramshackle Dorm. I’ll even be gracious,” you say, emphasizing his signature word. “I’ll give my portion of the VDC reward to fund the operation.”
The headmaster stares at you in shock. Your eyes sweep the older man’s form, evaluating him.
“You also have… questionable tastes. As a sponsor, I will be consulted before the designs are finalized. It’s nonnegotiable. Thank you for your assistance, headmaster. Rook, we’re leaving,” you command, before sweeping out of the room.
——————
You lower yourself to the ground, dismounting the broom. You prop it against the wall.
“Trickster, you’re a natural! You fly and handle your magic like Beautiful Vil. It’s elegant and powerful. It’s a beautiful flurry of flowers in a windstorm,” Rook compares.
You raise an eyebrow before stating, “Thank you, but I’m more concerned about passing as Vil.”
“Oui! You’ll fool everyone!” Rook reassures.
You drop your Vil act and answer with a smile.
“I’ll fool everyone except for you. You’re too observant,” you correct, sitting next to him. “Thanks for helping out. I wouldn’t be nearly as good if you didn’t correct my walk and give me pointers to handle this body’s magic.”
“Of course, Trickster. You’re a wonderful and talented person to work with,” he answers.
“You are too,” you return with a smile.
The two of you fall into comfortable silence. Your eyes slip close and allow yourself to breathe. It’s been hectic these last three hours. You finally have time to process. Your breath slows, as you slip into a meditative state. It’s something you picked up a few years ago. When you meditate, you’re less reactive and more grounded. When you finish, you hear an ear-piercing shriek.
“That’s our cue,” you comment, standing up.
“Oui!” Rook agrees, following your lead.
A herd of elephants thunders down the upstairs hallway. There’s a muffled shout.
“Don’t yell in my ear, henchman!” Grim yells.
A door slams open.
“What’s wrong?! Are you hurt?!” Deuce cries.
You and the vice leader arrive at the foot of the stairs.
“I expect you to back me up,” you tell Rook, slipping into your Vil persona.
“Of course, Roi de Poison, let’s give them a show,” he grins with a bow.
You nod and ascend the stairs. More footsteps join.
“Is everything ok?” Kalim’s voice resounds, “Jamil’s good at first aid if [Y/N] is hurt.”
“Yo, why do you keep staring at yourself?” Ace questions with mild irritation, “Has Vil infected you? Are you freaking out over a breakout or something?”
Epel pipes up, “You’re kiddin’. Ya woke us up for nothin’? I could’ve slept for another 30 minutes if ya didn’t start hollerin’ like a rooster.”
You breach the stairs with a disapproving expression.
“Epel,” you snap, “Watch your language and accent. If you want to reach your full potential, you must speak with eloquence. No cutting corners. You have to practice in private.”
The group whips around to face you. You stride up to them. They part, allowing you to peer into your room. Vil gapes at you like a fish out of water.
“Close your mouth. It’s unbecoming,” you tell him, before addressing the others. “We’re having an emergency meeting downstairs. I expect all of you to complete the skincare routine I detailed last night. Once you're done, meet Rook and me in the living room.”
The group shares a few concerned looks, before dispersing. You turn to the person occupying your body.
“That includes you,” you add before walking away.
Once you’re out of earshot, Rook reveres you.
“That was the most worthy performance! You live up to your namesake, Trickster. You’ve tricked the others,” he gushes.
You chuckle at the clever wording and sit down on the sofa. Picking up the papers Rook organized, you flip through them.
“Thank you for giving me written documents about Vil,” you voice, “I suspect you know more about him than he does.”
“Oui, Roi de Poison has told me that multiple times,” he confirms with a chuckle.
You shake your head with a small smile. Rook’s far better than any of your perverted stalkers and hate fans in your original world. At least the hunter has good intentions and is helpful. You don’t mind his strange antics. You skim through the documents while you wait.
The first one to arrive is the youngest Pomefiore student. You zero in on him, looking for a fault.
“Your slip up was improper and your attire is too,” you criticize, “Your vest is wrinkled and your bow is crooked. Rook, take Epel to steam his clothes.”
“Oui!” He complies, ushering the boy out of the room.
You sigh. You disagree with Vil’s methods. They’re inefficient and callous. Thankfully, you only have to play along for a little while. You can tweak his character after you’ve proven yourself.
The Clown Crew announces their arrival by sounds rather than sight.
“How dare they kick me out?! It’s my room too,” Grim complains.
He comes around the corner with Ace and Deuce in tow. You skim over the two Heartslabyul students, before doubling back. You stand up and stalk over. The three freshmen freeze as you bear down on them. You grab Ace’s face and click your tongue.
“You should’ve thought better than to forgo my skincare routine. You underestimate my expertise,” you sneer, releasing his face. “You missed toner, serum, and sunscreen. You're going to do it again. What are the steps?”
“Cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer, sunscreen,” Ace lists with dead eyes.
“So you’re capable of absorbing information. Learn to apply it in the future,” you scathe, “Get out of my sight. When you come back, I expect you to have done it right. I don’t need someone on my team who can’t follow basic instructions.”
Ace backs up, startled. The Scarabia students step in. Your attention shifts to the newcomers, allowing your friend to flee.
“Did Ace get in trouble?” Kalim asks, glancing back at the dashing freshman.
“Indeed, he decided to skip some steps in his skincare routine,” you confirm with distaste.
Kalim comments, “I would’ve forgotten too if it wasn’t for Jamil.”
“I’m sure you would have,” you retort with an eye roll.
Rook’s voice comes around the corner.
“Oui! Monsieur Multi is one of the most helpful people I know. He truly is a master of multitasking and many skills. He’s deserving of his title,” the hunter compliments.
The vice leader reveals himself along with the shortest Pomefiore student. You assess Epel and deem his appearance acceptable. The sunshine student turns to Rook with a blinding smile.
“Yeah! Jamil’s the best. He’s way smarter than me and super helpful. He also cooks the most delicious food,” Scarbia’s leader praises.
You tune out their ramblings, returning to the couch to refocus on the documents.
Vil runs with Jack Howl, his childhood friend, every morning at 6 am. They’ve cancelled until VDC has concluded.
Vil knew Jack as a kid? That’s unexpected. You didn’t even think they knew each other. They’re in different grades and different dorms. However, you’re unsurprised that Vil chooses to work out and run with him in the mornings. The actor seems like the type.
Your body walks in. You glance up to scrutinize Vil’s appearance. Before you can look very hard, Ace sweeps in front of him. He passes the disguised dorm leader and your focus turns to the redhead. Observing his skin for a moment, you find it adequate and retract your gaze.
“Sit and let’s get started,” you instruct.
Rook takes his place beside you. The others find a seat. Once everyone is settled, you address them.
“Vil and I have switched bodies,” you state.
The group pauses.
“What?” Deuce blurts out.
“I said Vil and I switched bodies,” you punctuate.
“You switched bodies?” Kalim clarifies.
You let out an irritated sigh. “Is that not what I just said?”
Ace speaks up. “Wait, who did you switch bodies with?”
You give an unimpressed look.
“Who else but the person who screamed bloody murder, waking everyone up?” you suggest, looking at the culprit.
All eyes turn to your body.
“V—Vil?” Kalim questions hesitantly.
The dorm leader nods but doesn’t say anything. He continues to glare holes into everything around him. Rook jumps in to ease the tension.
“Trickster and I found out what happened!” He exclaims, reclaiming the crowd’s attention. “We broke down Crowley’s door and demanded answers.”
“You broke down the headmaster’s door?” Deuce repeats, stunned.
Ace smacks him upside the head.
“I can’t believe you’ve survived this long considering how dumb you are,” Ace quips.
“Hey!” Deuce shouts in defense.
Your voice cuts across, silencing them.
“It’s an exaggeration.” you clarify, before launching into a summary of the situation.
“Vil and I won’t switch bodies until after VDC. With that in mind, I will take up the mantle as leader,” you conclude.
Vil bolts up from his chair.
“You can’t do that! You have no right!” he opposes.
“If you want me to perform in an important movie instead, then we’ll be here longer,” you state.
“That’s not what I meant,” Vil growls, “You can’t act as me!”
You raise an eyebrow.
“Why not?” you question.
“You’re going to mess up,” he snaps, “You have no credentials! I have a reputation to think about. You can’t just parade around in my body. I have so many schedules and habits. You won’t be able to remember them. I refuse to have my body deteriorate because of your incompetence! Unlike you, I have responsibilities. I’m the head of Pomefiore, the leader of this team, and a third-year student! There’s no way you can act as me. You’re unqualified!”
Vil’s voice grows and grows until he’s shouting by the end. His chest heaves up and down. He glares daggers into you. You stare at him with no reaction.
It starts as a quiet scoff in the back of your throat. Then, a small shake makes its way into your shoulders. A chuckle slips out. From there it turns into a wicked laugh, before crescendoing into a demonic cackle. You double over from the force of your howls. You can’t get enough. He’s playing right into your hand.
It takes a minute to calm down. When you recover, you glance at the others. They stare with disturbed concern and unease. You chuckle to yourself again. You sit up with a sinister smirk. You stare into Vil’s eyes.
“You should think twice before criticizing someone,” you advise.
‘Someone who’s in your body,’ you silently finish.
You wait for the implication to sink in. It takes a moment, but Vil’s eyes widen in horror. You put a hand up to stop his line of thinking. You just want to scare him.
“Don’t worry. I won’t do something so barbaric as threatening your body or reputation. As a former top-charting idol, I understand the importance of a well-maintained public image,” you inform, “As for the third-year curriculum, I’ll allow Ace to confirm my credentials.”
Ace gives a wary look before his mouth quarks in a mischievous smile. He doesn’t mind putting Vil in his place.
“Yeah, if you haven’t noticed, but by some miracle Leona’s test ranking has gone up. That’s because of [Y/N]. They've been teaching and tutoring Leona, since his overblot. They’re up to date with the homework,” Ace brags.
Without waiting for a response, you gesture to Rook.
“And your evaluation of my magic?” You request.
“It’s strong and similar to Roi de Poison’s. I was surprised at how quickly they picked it up. They’ll have no problems posing as you in terms of magical ability,” Rook details.
Vil is still, staring at Rook. You can practically hear the thought swirling in his head: He’s being replaced. You decide to push him over the edge.
“I don’t think I have to give my resume for my acting, but I’ll ease your mind. I’ve done a few jobs here and there. I was most well-known for my favorite roles: villains. In light of that, you’re quite easy to play,” you reveal.
There’s a moment of silence before Vil screams and lunges. On instinct, you grab his throat. Vil halts with wide eyes. You take the opportunity to push him back against the wall. He regains his bearings and slashes at your face. You give Vil’s neck a short squeeze. He gasps and his hands fly to your’s.
His fingernails claw into porcelain wrists. It stings, but you ignore it. You snatch his hands and raise them above his head. You slot yourself against his body and restrain him. Now, you wait.
Vil struggles. He attempts to bite, kick, and scream his way out of your hold. He’s not thinking. Vil doesn’t remember there are other people here. He’s just focused on you. You don’t flinch and you don’t react. You wait for him to lose steam.
He becomes desperate with your unresponsiveness. Vil throws everything he has into fighting back. Tears of frustration and anger stream down his face. He’s loud and messy. It’s so different from the put-together, dignified Vil. All he cares about is lashing out and hurting you.
By the end of the one-sided battle, Vil is heaving, unable to breathe enough air. His body slackens, falling limp. His head is tucked into his chest, hiding his face. He stills and falls silent. His body is still coiled with tension. You finally speak.
“How does it feel?”
Vil tenses beneath you, but doesn’t say anything.
“How does it feel being on the receiving end of your behavior?” you try.
Vil’s head snaps up.
“I don’t act like that!” he growls, gritting his teeth.
You keep your eyes on Vil but address Epel. Your tone is softer.
“Epel, is this how you feel when Vil insults and criticizes you, then he forces you into compliance just because he’s stronger than you? Is this how you feel?” you question.
There’s a brief period of silence. The only thing you hear is Vil’s labored breath.
“Yes,” Epel replies.
You stare at Vil.
“This is how you act. You poke and prod people’s weaknesses. You’re annoyed when they become upset and resistant to your advice. So, you strongarm them into submission, citing you’re doing it to help them. The reality is you’re hurting people and accumulating their ire. You wonder why people keep treating you like a villain. Wake up and face your reality, Vil,” you state.
You let him go, stepping back. You turn to face the others. Shaking off the lingering tension as much as you can, you perk up to address them.
“We’ll have rehearsal as usual. I will lead the team. I expect the same dedication you’ve demonstrated so far. My teaching style will be different, but still effective. I look forward to working together,” you tell them, before looking at Epel. “Epel, I have a special project for you. I’m going to solve Vil’s problem for him. You’ll have a few adventures in the upcoming days. You’ll miss some regular practice, so I’ll privately tutor you.”
Checking that they understood, you dismiss them. You pick up Vil’s backpack and place Rook’s notes in it. You call out to the two Pomefiore students. They wait for you. You finalize details regarding Epel’s “adventures.” The two other students seem wary of your body against the wall. You make a point ignore him.
You escort them out of the Ramshackle Dorm. When you get to the door, Rook hesitates. You place a hand against his back and guide him forward. Vil needs to reflect.
Afterward, you ask for some bandages from Rook.
—----------
“Wake up and face your reality, Vil.”
The words echo and swirl in Vil’s head. He sinks to the ground. Vil sits under the spot where [Y/N] restrained him. His head thumps against the wall and he thinks. Did he become a villain? Did he become the very thing he despised?
He glances at his hands. They bleed. Your hands—he corrects—bleed down your wrists. He sank his nails into your hands when you restrained him.
This isn’t his body. You promised not to hurt his. He’s already failing to maintain yours.
Vil feels empty. A void has opened up in his chest. He doesn’t know what to do. He’s not special. He’s a villain and he doesn’t know what to do.
Without his permission, tears slide down his face. He doesn’t have the right to cry. He forced others to feel this way. He didn’t know. However, it doesn’t change the fact Vil hurt others. He caused more pain to them than he feels now. Vil has no right to cry, but can’t stop the spring shower falling from his cheeks.
Vil looks at his wounded hands and hates himself.
-----------------
Author's Note: Very proud of this one. Let me know your thoughts! If there's any mistakes let me know too. Just make sure to point them out gently lol. I'm working on pt2. Look forward to see some of Epel's adventures in there as well. What are you guys looking forward too?
#twisted wonderland#twst#twst x reader#vil schoenheit#pomefiore#rook hunt#vil x reader#twst vil schoenheit#twst rook#vdc#twst chapter 5#epel felmier#twst epel#kalim al asim#twst kalim#jamil viper#twst jamil#scarabia#ace trappola#deuce spade#twst grim#heartslabyul
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Mishima and Akechi act as unexpected but interesting foils, for sure, and there's a number of things to talk about in that regard, but there's one little thing I come back to time and again, and that's their names.
Specifically, how both are called their family names instead of their given names. It's a detail I didn't pick up on at first, but once I did, I've never truly stopped thinking about it.
For Akechi, it's not really a surprise from any angle. At first, he's pretty much a public-facing stranger even after talking to him some, and by the time he joins the Thieves, he's blackmailing them and the Thieves are aware he's fully planning on betraying them. Any distance Akechi keeps, familiarity he refuses, makes perfect sense in the context of his character, and it doesn't need any real explanation because of that.
Mishima, on the other hand... There's definitely a strange sort of distance he puts between himself and Joker, deliberately keeping himself at an arm's length despite being so desperate for connection, and it's really interesting to think about. Early on it's probably at least partially idol-worship and such, sure, and not changing the name used to refer to a character likely helps avoid any confusion, but still... If Mishima had just been referred to as 'Yuuki', no one really would've batted an eye. There's seemingly no reason for it. We even know Shiho more by her given name, even if it's primarily because we know her through Ann, her best friend.
It just makes me think so much about how both of these characters are so isolated by their own choosing to varying degrees. And even at the end of the game, even if you max their confidants and such, that distance is still there.
Both view Joker as an ally, someone to be trusted, perhaps, but do either every truly think of him as a friend? Akechi's reasons and motivations are all too obvious, but Mishima's are hidden, kept apart, and it kinda drives home how little we know about Mishima in the end. He's one of the Thieves' greatest supporters and assets, but he's also almost meaningless.
Akechi is the famous person put on a pedestal, the broken and isolated child already too far down the path of self-destruction with no intent of turning back, the one you learn so much about but are ultimately helpless to truly save in the ways you might want to.
Mishima is... Nothing. He's no one. You don't know anything about him that anyone else doesn't already know. Even when facing his Shadow, you don't get to learn anything new, you don't see the true depths of his heart. And even that fact is so very easy to overlook.
#Persona 5#Akeshima#Mishima Yuuki#God I am so fucking fixated on how we know jack shit about Mishima in the end#We don't even get to see what form his shadow takes in a fight!!! Somethign that could give us hints to the deptsh of his heart!!!!!!#We get NOTHING and it's fucking fascinating
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As always, I am sat at my computer to reply to this absolutely AMAZING, IN-DEPTH commentary. Seriously Rahu how do you do it, master please teach me your ways 😭🙏
That lecture is one I've given a few times myself, and the theme of truth+human memory in criminal proceedings was 2/3 of my masters thesis. Cohesively reducing the content of 100+ pages filled with references in a few paragraphs to explain the fallibility of witnesses' memories for people who are not acquainted with this subject was the MOST JOYFUL part of writing this chapter hehehehe Truth of the matter is, I'm using all people reading this fanfic as my guinea pigs to check if my class plans are up to par with teaching these subjects 👀 /jk - joking aside, I strongly recommend giving a read to Elizabeth Loftus works on the falibility of memory and false memories if you enjoyed this topic. She. is. Amaziiiiiiiing.
"a man who (as per Nanami sensei's words) let's the myriad little despairs accumulate because he has larger things to deal with" - I am so happy you picked up on that. 🥹 It's one of my favorite things to read, when the writer puts a magnifying lens over a character's life and struggles, because all we get to see is a very specific slice of their lives in a story. I tried to do the same, and I hope to have succeeded up until now 🙏
Credit where credit is due, Higuruma is just such an amazing character he writes himself, istg. I need this man biblically to soothe my law buddy cravings, this is not a drill 😭
Writing Nanami's and Hiromi's banter sessions are probably on my top 3 favorite stuff to write, seriously. The synergy between these two is just top notch, thanks Gege for providing us with these characters (and also damn you for denying us any canon interaction between these two 😭). Yet another instance that the characters basically write themselves, and you just know Nanami has his jaw clenched 90% of the time. This man has no time for shenanigans lol
The criminal cases are comiiiing I'm so excited to start writing them askdhjasdj I just hope everyone enjoys reading them just as much as I will certainly enjoy writing them
Thank you A LOT for this kind, amazing, and all-encompassing commentary. Honestly this is the highlight of my day whenever I post something, to read Rahu's analysis💜 I shall consider this a Christmas gift hehehe
CHAPTER THREE PT. I: DIMINISHED CAPACITY ❀ HIGURUMA SENSEI SERIES
masterlist link | mdni!
❀ diminished capacity.
Diminished capacity refers to an individual’s impossibility to form the intent necessary for committing any criminal act, because their capacity to fully comprehend the nature of their actions is impaired. It doesn’t, however, completely exclude their responsibility, and they may be held accountable to a lesser offense.
wc: 5.7K ❀ pairing for the series: professor!higuruma x student!reader
❀ tags and c/w.
non-curse au. college au. slow-burn romcom. professor and college student pre-relationship. reader is lowkey obsessed. mentions of hypothetical violent crime. exams suck. higuruma has an old car. law firm shenanigans ensue.
❀ notes etc.
Thank you so much @ratiopoetry. If it wasn’t for you, this chapter wouldn’t exist, so a big, fat, huge thanks. You reminded me of the reason I started writing this (and why I write at all) in the first place. 💛
also, some love for the betas: @redlikerozez and @sandsorghum thank you both!
You sat there staring blankly during Higuruma’s class. He was definitely teaching… something. You had no idea what, though.
More importantly, you were laser focused on one thing, and one thing only — his crooked tie.
Burgundy, satin. Slightly bent to the left. Crumpled underneath the knot, bulging inwards. It kept pushing up anytime he moved his arms to write on or gesture towards the white board behind him.
Just enough to make you want to stretch out your hands and touch it. Straighten it.
Probably a regular black tie or even a navy blue one would’ve suited him better.
Worked up and yapping continuously about something that was clearly important, Higuruma would pace back and forth, and all that you wondered was how the hell this man with dozens of academic accolades didn’t know how to properly tie a tie.
That single piece of attire seemed to mock you. The off-putting dip underneath the knot looked like a cocky smile.
It was all made worse when Higuruma mindlessly tugged his fingers around it. The tie bent even further from the center.
For fucks sake.
After a while, you gave up on trying to pay any mind to his class, and let the time slide off the clock’s hand until the bells went off and you were finally free to go.
Before you could bolt your way out of there and leave this weird obsession behind, though, he spoke.
“Hey, Sanrio.”
Is he calling me Sanrio for real now?
Your cheeks flushed a dusty pink, and you were glad that nearly all of the students had already left the classroom. You gulped and turned calmly from your half done backpack to face him.
“Yes, Professor?”
“I need to speak with you, if you may,” he replied, signaling for you to approach him.
Your throat tightened, and you wondered if this could be related to the debacle from a few nights before. After all, this was the first time you saw each other after you unceremoniously gave him a pure vodka shower.
Then patted him dry with your scarf.
And spent a few moments holding hands.
Damn.
He sat over his desk while crossing his arms, and your eyes were instantly drawn to his forearms, the way they softly bulged in that position, every corded muscle visible with his sleeves rolled up, his veins perfectly protruded down his forearm, all over the back of his hand, and his tie-
“Did you listen to anything I just said?”
Only then you registered that he was actually saying something, and you didn’t catch a word.
“Oh, no. I mean, I wasn’t… I got distracted.”
“I can see that. Actually, I wanted to ask if everything is okay, you seem off today,” he inquired, softly tilting his head to the side. His eyes landed first on your face, and slowly made their way down your body. For a second, you wondered if he was checking you out, or if it was just your imagination.
The thought had you blushing even deeper, because of course not, this is not happening, what the hell is wrong with me-
“Sanrio, you’re doing it again.”
“What?”
“Zoning out while I’m speaking to you.”
Fuck.
“I’m sorry, Professor. I must’ve been distracted.”
“With what?”
And he did ask it in earnest.
Distracted with you checking me out, and your forearms, and the way you tug that goddamn burgundy satin around your perfect neck, and-
“Your tie.”
One of his eyebrows slowly peaked up in disbelief.
“My… tie?”
For a second, you wished for a hole to be magically conjured right underneath your feet just so you could bury your head in it like an ostrich. Not the smartest defense mechanism devised by nature, but definitely one that would save you some embarrassment at that moment.
He cleared his throat, and you could just about die not knowing what he — or anyone, for that matter — could reply to whatever that was.
“Do you want to… straighten it?”
“… What?”
“You heard me.”
Completely dumbfounded, you wondered if that was just mockery. Or a poorly executed joke, since he seemed to be a professional at cracking those.
“If it’s so distracting, come on over here and straighten it,” he repeated, almost like a dare, holding your gaze. Sure enough, there was not an ounce of jest in that man’s face.
Disconcerted, you slowly walked in his direction, and as you lifted your hands towards his neck, Higuruma tilted his jaw up, projecting his neck muscles and making all of his tendons much more apparent.
At the same time, your teeth clenched, your mouth watered and your hands stuttered.
“Is there any problem?” The Professor asked while raising a curious eyebrow.
His voice sounded sultrier than usual. Suspiciously raspy and velvety. Is he doing it on purpose?
You simply nodded while your brain short circuited, and the more you tried to steer away the thoughts of how much you had the hots for the Professor, the more you wanted to tug on that tie and-
“There, straightened,” you whispered in a rush, eyes glued to the floor, ready to bolt away and leave all your belongings behind, even if you were still clutching his tie in between your fingers as if holding onto a lifeline.
An unnecessarily sexy lifeline.
Before you could leave, though, he held your shoulder with one hand while tilting your face up by pushing his index finger under your chin, catching you completely off guard.
“Are you in a rush? Do you have some place else to be?”
Absolutely not hallucinating. He was, indeed, making a move on you, and his gaze slid down slowly towards your lips. “We still haven’t talked about that night. And how you left some lipstick on the cigarette you lit up for me.”
Nothing but a pathetic whimper left your lips. He smiled.
“Is this the same one?” Higuruma asked, flickering his eyes between your gaze and your lips.
“S-same… what?”
“Lispstick.”
It felt like you were in a plane cabin and it had just depressurized.
I have to leave, I can’t do this, this is highly inappropriate behav-
You nodded. His smile widened.
“Perfect. Now I can taste it from the right place.”
Your stomach dropped further and your heart thumped in your chest, skipping more than just a few beats as it drummed enough to have the space around you both grow even quieter to your ears.
Rational thought had abandoned you as your grip tightened around his tie, your eyes dropping to his mouth. Higuruma seemed pleased, and slid one of his hands to the nape of your neck while carding his fingers through your hair, bringing his other hand down behind you to cup your lower back. You softly jumped in surprise, and he wasted no time into pulling your body against his, having you instantly feeling his warmth all over you.
As you both inched closer to each other, you could smell some of his aftershave on his skin, and his minty breath, and his cologne impregnated all over his clothes, and…
This smells like my laundry detergent…?
The bells went off again.
This time, however, it was your morning alarm yanking you out of sleep as your face sunk into your pillow like a rock in a lake.
Peeling your eyes open to the unforgiving light that flooded into your dorm room, you slowly propped yourself up from the mattress. Your laptop was open by the edge of the bed, and on the screen, you found your shame displayed in between three different types of ads containing huge twerking asses in 4K.
You had most likely passed out on top of your vibrator the night before and wondered if the kinky Professor x Student role play porn on your anon tab was the reason you dreamt… that. Especially considering that today you had a criminal procedure lecture with the star of the M-rated movie your horny mind cooked just for you.
Is there anything worse than meeting someone you shouldn’t be interested in right after having those types of dreams with them?
Fun. So fun.
At least this time life spared you the little mercy of having no company after Nobara decided to sleep over at Maki’s again.
Carrying yourself with the few shreds of dignity you still had, you rolled out of bed, and while getting ready for that day’s class, a realization suddenly dawned on you.
Where is my red scarf?
***
Higuruma’s car.
The beat up 2015 Toyota Passo had a lot of personality as an old piece of junk that failed on the road more often than not, but even so, it had been his reliable companion for nearly a decade. Its glossy navy blue paint was covered in dirt, and Higuruma wondered to himself as he entered the vehicle that morning if he should perhaps take it out for a wash, which, in all fairness, he never did. The rain will wash it clean was his motto, one that rarely proved itself to be true.
His car was always crawling with old food wraps, random papers, spare change and some clothes. While Higuruma looked frantically for something to wrap around his neck in the cold — a beaten up old yellow shawl all weaved in sunflower patterns he received as a gift from his grandmother —, his phone rang.
Using a makeshift bluetooth haphazardly rigged up to the radio, Higuruma answered the call while twisting his arm beside the passenger seat.
“Hello, who is this?”
“It’s Kento, good morning.”
“Morning. May I ask why such an early call?” Higuruma asked with a strained voice while he dove down his seat, a hand reaching between the passenger seat and the handbrake.
“It’s not early. Actually, I thought I’d find you at the campus, but since you weren’t in the teacher’s lounge, I’m calling.”
“Oh, I’m just… late,” Higuruma muttered under a tense breath, still bending himself over while prying his scarf out of its death trap underneath the seat beside him.
“I figured that much. Are you on your way?”
“Kind of.”
Nanami found that reply to be suspicious, especially considering his friend’s usual antics.
“… Did your car break down again?” Nanami asked with a hint of judgement to his inquiry. If the Toyota Passo had a hater club, Nanami would be its president, especially considering all the times he found himself stranded with Higuruma by roadsides while on past trips. This was the main reason Nanami would never be caught dead taking a ride with his best friend nowadays if he could help it.
“Shh, don’t say that. It can hear you,” Higuruma chastised while half joking, being more acquainted with Murphy’s Law than he’d like to admit. It had turned him into a somewhat superstitions man, at least when it came to the Passo.
“Hiromi, that’s not how cars work.”
“You can’t know that for sure,” he quipped. Hearing Nanami sigh on the other side of the line was an amusement that served him some semblance of comfort as he battled his way through his current predicament. “Now, what did you want to speak to me about anyway?”
Hitting just the right slant, Higuruma felt the already familiar wool-weaved pattern on the tips of his fingers.
“Well, it’s about what I told you last Friday,” Nanami ensued.
“Go on.”
As Higuruma contorted his limbs and spine on the driver’s seat in some sort of malevolent pilates while searching for a better position to pull his shawl up, he slowly elevated his arm with a firm grip on the thing, doing his best to not have it tangle on its way out.
“We’ve allocated some revenue to open more departments in the Firm, and to make some changes to others. I’d like your input, if at all possible.”
Higuruma’s tie contracted uncomfortably around his neck with every wiggle his body made, prompting him to pull around it in a feeble attempt to not have his windpipe crushed. It worked, but barely, messing up his already disarrayed outfit even further.
“My input?” he asked, taken aback while adjusting himself in his seat. “I mean, I’d like to help, but I don’t know if my input is what you’re looking for. I didn’t have that many years of experience as a private lawyer.”
“But you do have a lot of experience dealing with a team of people working with you, and impossible criminal cases absolutely no one would accept.”
“One intern and one assistant,” Higuruma noted, “and those cases weren’t impossible. No case is, even in our Justice System.”
Nanami smiled softly before replying. “Okay, ‘remarkably challenging lawsuits’, then. In any case, we’re creating a criminal law defense department, and considering your experience, you input would be much appreciated.”
Higuruma managed to haul nearly the entire shawl out of its hideout, but before he could consider himself victorious, it got stuck.
He sighed.
“My input or my participation, Kento?” Higuruma asked, even if it wasn’t an actual question. “I know you. You’re not that smooth when attempting to get me on board for something. I remember all the times you casually mentioned a group project in college — which all coincidentally had themes I was studying in depth at the time — while trying to act all nonchalant about it.”
Nothing gets past him, Nanami thought to himself at being caught red handed.
“Yes, I’d like your participation.”
Higuruma stopped in his tracks, and placed the pulled-up end of the shawl over the passenger’s seat, propping himself up to sit. In silence, he brushed his fingers over his temples, and remained like this for a few seconds, not realizing how his whole body had stiffened up like dried bamboo.
“Kento, I don’t think that’s a good idea, I just…” Higuruma mumbled as he let his forehead lay over the steering wheel.
“Do you trust my judgement?”
Nanami’s question came without missing a beat.
“Of course I do,” Higuruma replied, “I don’t know if I trust myself.”
“Let me worry about that,” Nanami interjected, “I’ve gotten other attorneys on board that can work with us. With you.”
With an uncertain hum, Higuruma cleared his throat.
“I’m… late. I should get going. And sort my damn scarf situation. It’s awfully cold today.”
“That hideous little thing with the sunflowers?” Nanami’s disdain was evident, and Higuruma chuckled.
“Morning, Kento.”
With that, the Professor ended the call, and put his whole mind to solving his current dilemma.
As a final Hail Mary, Higuruma held all he managed to pry out with a firm grip, and slowly descended his other hand, feeling his way over the piece in an attempt to find whatever was hooking it.
Quickly enough, his fingers met something else entirely. It had a softer texture, almost like old frizzly, worn out cotton.
Well, I think I’ve found the culprit.
With a careful tug, he pulled everything out, and a snaky, crimson, polka dot fuzzy worm surprised him. Upon further inspection, Higuruma realized that such horrid sight was actually your ugly red scarf entwined with his sunflower shawl.
This… what? How did her scarf end up here?
Blinking once, then twice, the Professor found himself still completely dumbfounded. For a moment, Higuruma wondered if this was all a figment of his imagination. That is, until he recalled last Friday, and remembered you used your scarf to pat him dry after an accidental alcoholic skin care routine.
Out of all the things I could’ve picked up by accident, this is what I got? This hideous little thing?
He snorted at the red polka dot scarf while holding it with the tips of his fingers, wondering if you’d really care to have this back.
Smiling to himself, Higuruma remembered the exchange, your laughter, and his eyes slid towards the cigarette butt from that day. It was currently shoved into the ashtray he kept right in front of his handbrake.
He noticed there was still a faint red stain around it. Against his better judgement, his mind wandered for a moment as he reminisced on the occasion, and how smoking that cigarette left a soft tinted smudge on his lips too, one that he noticed upon arriving home that night and looking at himself in his elevator’s mirror.
I… really shouldn’t.
Shaking the thought away, Higuruma mindlessly spoke to himself as he turned the engine on.
“I have to give this back to her.”
If only his memory didn’t betray him just like his car — more often than not.
After an uneventful drive, Higuruma stood in front of the white board ready to resume his criminal procedure class as all of the students made their way into the classroom, including you.
Picking a seat not too close to the main stage, you noticed that Professor Higuruma had his back turned to the rest of the class as he wrote something on the white board. That day, from what you could tell, he was wearing just a plain white buttoned shirt and linen black slacks, not accounting for a coat and whatever else he had haphazardly tossed over his desk like a ball of garments.
There seemed to be a small red something tangled right under his coat.
Your dream prickled you in the back of your mind, and you cleared your throat trying to feign off the thoughts.
This is real life, at a real class, and not my Orpheus domain. This is real life… You kept repeating mentally to yourself, like a mantra. Even if his shirt draped perfectly over his shoulders and highlighted his slender build.
I’ll just focus on today’s class and that will get my mind out of the gutter.
Higuruma stepped back from the white board and the word “truth” was written on it. Before you could think anything about today’s main topic, though, he turned around to face the students, and your day just became that much more awkward.
For a second, you couldn't truly believe your eyes.
His tie — which at least wasn’t burgundy, nor satin — was crooked. Actually, truly crooked in the real life of real events during a very much real class.
My life is a bad joke and I’m the punchline.
You straightened your posture in your chair with the sudden piercing, delusional self-awareness that anyone who looked at your face would know telepathically what you were thinking, because your cheeks felt suspiciously warm. You tried brushing your bangs down your face to no avail, and a small lock of hair poked out of it like a sore thumb.
In an attempt to distract yourself from that nonsense, you tried as best as you could to check how Higuruma was looking like today — apart from the crooked tie, that was — and noticed his hair was more disheveled than usual. It seemed like he hadn't shaved for at least two days.
Finally, Higuruma ensued his grand introductory lecture on the value of truth for criminal proceedings, and you were actually listening to it.
Good. Deja vu is not Deja-vuing enough. I’m fine. This is fine.
“Truth. Who can tell me the three main concepts of truth in western philosophy?” Higuruma asked while pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
You saw a familiar hand raising in the very front row, and Higuruma nodded for the person to proceed.
“The three main concepts of truth are the correspondence, coherence and consensus ones,” Megumi answered.
“Exactly. The relevance of truth in legal proceedings has been an ongoing debate for centuries, and some lines of thought even consider it to be completely irrelevant. We won’t be tackling that. For those who think truth is important, the most well established position is that truth as correspondence is the one we should strive for, even if our true knowledge of facts that occurred in the past through evidence can be, at best, approximate.”
A few people nodded, and Higuruma continued his exposition.
“Truth as correspondence… In simple terms, a statement can be considered to be true if it corresponds to a fact that has happened in the real world. For example, by this, if I say ‘today I was at class at the inhumane time of 07:05AM’, and here we are at that very same time, it means my statement is true. In criminal proceedings, the truth finding task revolves around verifying if a crime has occurred or not, and in order to do such verification, we need evidence,” he paused for a moment and pulled a bottle of water from his briefcase, carefully putting it over his desk, “and one of the main types of evidence in criminal proceedings are witnesses’ testimonies.”
You were able to follow his exposition so far, and not get distracted by the crooked black ti-
Exposition. Truth. Witnesses. Focus, woman.
You could still feel the lingering sensation of his dreamt tie in between your fingers, and it wasn’t doing you any favors.
“What is a testimony? A testimony is basically someone’s account of an event they have witnessed, and formed a memory of through their senses — sight, hearing, etc. In that regard, it’s safe to say testimonies are a type of evidence that depends on memory, and human memory is fallible. What we can apprehend through our senses and actually remember is deeply affected by what we can or choose to focus on,” Higuruma concluded.
Your eyes involuntarily dropped to his tie once again.
Goddammit.
The class was considerably peaceful so far, and you wondered if he would require a victim for his usual slaughter sessions. It would certainly serve the purpose of getting your mind out of your fantasies. Fantasies about running your fingers down the fabric of his clothes, clutching them, crumpling everything in the messiest-
“You.”
His voice fished you out of your daydreams and into the very much real and concrete reality presenting itself. Subconsciously — involuntarily, perhaps — his finger pointed in your direction, and you knew you’d be the prey for that class’ expository capers.
“Please, step forward,” Higuruma asked as he stood beside his desk.
You did like you were told, as a robot would, and walked in his direction, ready for whatever insanity he had to throw your way this time. Perhaps a marker for the white board. Or the water bottle.
“So,” Higuruma proceeded, “we need police to retrieve information from people that may have witnessed a crime in order to investigate it. That’s usually how investigations begin.” He quickly paused to check if everyone was following, and resumed his explanation, “after the investigation is completed and someone is actually charged or indicted, these same people, the witnesses, will be asked to repeat what they told to police right in front of the judge or a jury. The main question is… how reliable is that initial information relayed to the police at the beginning of it all? How reliable are these testimonies that give the very foundation for a criminal proceeding to exist in the first place?”
You didn’t know the answer to that question. You knew nothing, really, staring dumbly at your feet while trying to not make a fool out of yourself.
Before you knew, Higuruma grabbed the water bottle that was on top of his desk and approached you. When he was about a foot away from you, his cologne seeped into every neuron dedicated to smelling you had inside your nostril. Musky, fresh, and-
I can’t deal with this.
You tried fixating your eyes on the bottle of water he seemed to be giving you — anything but his face, his eyes, his nose.
His tie.
When you touched the bottle, he retreated it, and you felt somewhat confused. Then, he leaned it towards you again, you tried grabbing it again, and he retreated it once more.
Is he teasing? What… what is he doing?
“Do you guys see where I’m getting at?” Higuruma asked, pointing towards the water bottle.
He was met with silence.
Higuruma then pointed at you, and your focused gaze on the bottle that was damn near boring a hole through it. “This is what we call the ‘focus on the gun effect’. You can all see that so far, her eyes pay more attention to what I’m holding than on any of my features. If this were a gun in a stressful scenario, it would probably only heighten such effect even more.”
Sir, this is a stressful scenario.
Your eyes flickered to his tie right before landing on the bottle again, and he did notice your gaze wondering elsewhere, but didn’t think much of it.
“So at the moment she’d be testifying and was asked to describe my features, how well do you all think she’d be able to do it, if she hasn’t paid any attention to my face, focusing only on object I was holding? How trustworthy would such a testimony actually be?”
Tired hangdog eyes, aquiline nose, thick black frame glasses, white dress shirt crumpled at the hem, loosened black tie crooked to the right, criminally good-looking forearms, black linen pants-
“You can go back to your seat,” he remarked, and you did your best not to stumble on your way back.
The rest of the class went on painlessly, and by the end, Higuruma sat at his desk, lumbering back on his chair. He pushed aside the bundle of coat-and-other-stuff-in-a-ball, took his briefcase and opened it up to grab a pile of paper sheets from it. Upon further inspection, you gulped, knowing full well what those were.
“Before you all go, for those who are also my criminal law students, please come by my desk and take your corrected exams with you. Give some special attention to the questions you got wrong, I made a list of the most common mistakes in these and will start off our next criminal law lesson by correcting them with the class.”
Shortly after, a line formed in front of Higuruma’s desk, and one by one, each student took their exams in their hands, either grunting displeased or sighing relieved with their result, leaving the classroom subsequently. You occupied yourself with slowly putting your things into your backpack, knowing full well that the walk towards that exam — and how poorly you did in it — would feel like a walk of shame. Only after the line was nearly done that you actually made your way to it, dragging your feet each step closer to what felt like doom.
“Good morning, Professor,” you mumbled as you reached for your exam and picked it up.
“Good morning,” he offered, bowing his head.
For the lack of a better term, your exam sheet looked like a crime scene, completely scribbled with red pen ink all over it. The discontent in your expression must’ve been incredibly evident, because Higuruma spoke immediately.
“You know, these tests don’t truly assess your actual knowledge of a subject. Not entirely. It’s also about knowing how to take the test, and how the questions are phrased.”
You nodded half-heartedly.
“Mm-mhm, I know. I just… I felt like nearly every question here could have-”
“Two answers?” He promptly interjected.
“Yes!”
He acquiesced.
“In criminal law, most things are determined by which line of thought one chooses to interpret a topic. You were not the only student to struggle with this, don’t worry. It’s easier to learn how to take a test than to learn the actual subject,” Higuruma offered, and as you looked at him, he welcomed your gaze with a soft smile.
“Is it?” you inquired, shoving the sheet of paper into your backpack. You looked back at him, and your eyes involuntarily dipped towards his tie. You averted your gaze while silently coughing.
My future is on the line and here I am obsessing over a stupid tie. God.
He lifted a brow, intrigued, and continued.
“Absolutely,” Higuruma said, “you see, these types of standardized tests are terrible. Take a look on question number 15, the one about excess in self-defense.”
“Oh, I remember that one! The question in which guy 1 killed guy 2 through choking because guy 2 tried to kill him first with a sharp object but dropped it accidentally, right?”
“That one.”
“I was unsure, because even though he ended up killing guy 2, to be a target of an attempted murder must be horribly stressful. I mean, with all the adrenaline and everything, sometimes the body just reacts by itself, and the person is not even thinking.”
“Exactly!” Higuruma responded, clearly getting excited by this little exercise, “but the ‘right’ answer was that it was an excess in self-defense, because given the method — choking —, he could’ve ’stopped at any time’. Could he, though? Shouldn’t that be up for debate instead of…” The Professor took the list of answers and shook it in his hand, “this?”
He looks so adorable when talking passionately like th- stop.
You shook your head before continuing.
“Yes, I agree. However, there’s not much we can do other than learn how to take these exams in order to get to where we want to, right?”
Your voice sounded more disheartened than you thought it would, and your self-disappointment dripped from it in a saddened cadence. You looked like a cornered animal who had just accepted its fate. Higuruma noticed it, and looked the other way to take a moment before speaking again, mindlessly tugging around his already loosened tie. It seemed like it could fall from his neck anytime soon.
Jesus Christ Almighty, can you stop fidgeting with the thing already? You brushed your face in quiet discomfort, and he barely noticed it, too immersed into whatever he had simmering in his mind.
“The main thing is… I just hope you and the other students don’t think less of yourselves because of this short assessment test,” he stated, “college shouldn’t kill the hearts of people who have dreams just because the way it works is not suited for everybody from the get go.”
What he said touched some deeper part of you, one you weren’t usually much in contact with. You stood there silently letting his words sink in, and curiously, they did have some tranquilizing effect of sorts. It must’ve been a while, because Higuruma looked at you with confused eyes when you finally snapped out of it.
“Is everything okay, San-…” he coughed, “I mean… are you alright?”
Pulling yourself together, you drew in a breath before you replied. Once more, you slotted your hands through your hair and his eyes involuntarily peeped over your pseudo ahoge in your bangs before landing on your face again.
“Yes. It’s just what you said about dreams,” you began, “I was worried that this test would nuke my future dream of becoming a criminal defense lawyer, but… I doesn’t quite feel like it now, somehow? It feels like not all is lost, it’s just an exam.”
Higuruma listened to you attentively before sparing you a modest smile.
“I suppose so. We are allowed to falter and make mistakes, especially here, in a classroom. You’re here to learn, after all.”
You nodded.
“Thank you, Professor. Truly. Your words have really helped me,” you stated, not realizing the smile all over your face in a beam while you bowed towards him, “and for whatever it’s worth, your classes inspire me even more to chase my dreams. You are an amazing teacher.”
Higuruma seemed surprised and retributed the gesture, bowing his head towards you, his own cheeks pooling a soft pink.
“It’s my honor and privilege to teach you all, and I hope you get to realize your dreams in the future.”
You sighed content, and you both remained silent for a short while. Considering the conversation was already done, you bid him a “bye” and turned on your heels to leave the classroom, but his voice stopped you in your tracks.
“Hm, may I ask something?” Higuruma inquired.
“Of course, Professor. What is it?”
“You kept looking at something on me, is my shirt dirty or something like that?” he asked, trying to look down and assess his state.
Your ears went deaf for a second with the blood rush from your thumping heart at the realization he had, indeed, noticed your stupid obsession. And for a split second, you wondered if you should explain it. The dream flashed through your mind, and better not obviously was the answer you arrived at.
“Ah, uh… your tie, it’s crooked, and- yeah, it’s just crooked. That’s it. I tend to notice these things,” you blurted out, letting each syllable tumble over the other carelessly. You did your best to pretend you were scratching your nose, just so you could hide the small flush you felt over your face.
Whatta’ lousy liar am I.
“Oh.” Higuruma gently glided his fingers over his tie, and tightened it slightly around his neck, “thank you for letting me know, but I figure that’s okay. My crooked tie has not prevented me from teaching today, or my students from learning, I presume,” he jested, and you acquiesced trying to hold down a chuckle unrelated to his lukewarm joke.
“Well, thank you for the talk, Professor. Have a good day!” you said, finally making your way out the classroom.
The door closed behind you, and instead of getting up immediately, Higuruma found himself still caught up in the conversation you both just had, being brought back to his old memories, his own old dreams and how he had once lived them in the past before everything went wrong. It felt like eons ago.
The Professor pulled his phone from his pocket and opened up his chat Nanami, thinking back on their earlier conversation.
“Dreams, huh?” a lonely Higuruma mused before typing, failing to realize he had been softly smiling to himself for the past minute.
HH: Kento, if you’re really going forward with this idea, you should put up a notice for an intern opening
NK: Already did, for two positions actually.
NK: Did you think about what we discussed earlier?
Sighing to himself, Higuruma finally got up, stretching his legs and arms as if he had been sunk in it for millennia. He picked his briefcase up in one hand, and pulled his coat with the other. As he did so, your red scarf fell on his desk beside his shawl, and Higuruma realized how human memory, more often than not, was indeed pretty fallible.
“Argh, dammit.”
PT. II WILL GET POSTED ON DEC 26TH
I had completely forgotten to feature this amazing fanart of chapter 1 (that I’ve already screeched about like a banshee on more than one occasion) when I posted chapter 2. Traffi, as always, this is STUNNING, I JUS- Thank you 🥹
all credits for this amazing art go to @traffi -
Tag list (updated):
@arusearu @yammy-yammy-yama @markleeisdabestdrug @redlikerozez @killerplink
@alwaysfreakingout @murderofravens @cmdrfupa @higurumapet @cindyneko-strider
@ohhheymessa @bigbaddulce @actuallysaiyan @s-witch-bitch @yeonjunarchives
@soft--cherry @bsaeshell @quinnyundertow @traffi @shibataimu
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free my girl she did all that shit but if she was a man you'd be all over him AND his crimes
#sighs. the torment nexus#not in reference to any specific character#just a pattern ive seen#edit: i lied it's about so many women#lady bone demon and shallan davar and mabel pines and double life pearl#and so many more
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the funniest meltdown ive ever had was in college when i got so overstimulated that i could Not speak, including over text. one of my friends was trying to talk me through it but i was solely using emojis because they were easier than trying to come up with words so he started using primarily emojis as well just to make things feel balanced. this was not the Most effective strategy... until. he tried to ask me "you okay?" but the way he chose to do that was by sending "👉🏼👌🏼❓" and i was so shocked by suddenly being asked if i was dtf that i was like WHAT???? WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME?????????? and thus was verbal again
#yeehaw#1k#5k#10k#posts that got cursed. blasted. im making these tag updates after... 19 hours?#also i have been told it should say speech loss bc nonverbal specifically refers to the permanent state. did not know that!#unfortunately i fear it is so far past containment that even if i edited it now it would do very little. but noted for future reference#edit 2: nvm enough ppl have come to rb it from me directly that i changed the wording a bit. hopefully this makes sense#also. in case anyone is curious. though i doubt anyone who is commenting these things will check the original tags#1) my friend did not do this on purpose in any way. it was not intended to distract me or to hit on me. im a lesbian hes a gay man. cmon now#he felt very bad about it afterwards. i thought it was hilarious but it was very embarrassed and apologetic#2) “why didn't he use 🫵🏼?” didn't exist yet. “why didn't he use 🆗?” dunno! we'd been using a lot of hand emojis. 👌🏼 is an ok sign#like it makes sense. it was just a silly mixup. also No i did not invent 👉🏼👌🏼 as a gesture meaning sex. do you live under a rock#3) nonspeaking episodes are a recurring thing in my life and have been since i was born. this is not a quirky one-time thing#it is a pervasive issue that is very frustrating to both myself and the people i am trying to communicate with. in which trying to speak is#extremely distressing and causes very genuine anguish. this post is not me making light of it it's just a funny thing that happened once#it's no different than if i post about a funny thing that happened in conjunction w a physical disability. it's just me talking abt my life#i don't mind character tags tho. those can be entertaining. i don't know what any of you are talking about#Except the ppl who have said this is pego/ryu or wang/xian. those people i understand and respect#if you use it as a writing prompt that's fine but send it to me. i want to see it#aaaand i think that's it. everyday im tempted to turn off rbs on it. it hasn't even been a week
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Thanks to artfight, I’ve finally finished a detailed, official dbhc cub reference! :D
(I’ve put his Artifight description below the cut, which has a more detailed explanation of his timeline, lore, and aesthetics! >:3)
-ˋˏ ༻ ❁ OVERVIEW ❁ ༺ ˎˊ-
Name: C.B.F.N.4000 (Cub) Pronouns: He/Him Species: Android Height: 5’9’’ Associated Visual Themes: vex, ghosts, explosions, mischief, scientist aesthetic, potions, potionmaking, sleepy/tired aesthetic, conspiracies
-ˋˏ ༻ ❁ ABOUT ❁ ༺ ˎˊ-
CBFN4000 is an au version of MCYT Hermitcraft’s Cubfan, set in my DBHC (or Detroit Become Hermitcraft) AU! This au is inspired by the 2018 game Detroit Become Human, but not because it really has anything to do with DBH—I simply yoinked the android mechanics and incorporated them into the world of Hermitcraft. It began as a S8 au, and has roughly followed the hermitcraft timeline up to the present!
Cub was the last android made during Season 8. While many of the hermit androids were made at the beginning of season 8 and a few were made for season 9, Cub was finished and activated mid-late Season 8, around the time when Hermits started noticing the Big Moon. Cub’s model ended up being a sloppy experiment in deviation, as Doc suggested they try to transfer deviancy to an android upon activation to try and avoid traumatic situations that might cause an android to deviate violently or upsettingly, such as Etho’s, Tango’s, or Mumbo’s experiences. While this went relatively well initially, it clearly wasn’t very thoroughly thought out, as Xisuma (who is normally so adamant and detail-oriented when it comes to assuring the androids’ safety with experiments like this) wasn’t truly himself due to external manipulation and mostly left a relatively young-deviant Doc to carry out the project himself.
Cub, though adjusting to sentience rather well at first, very quickly became wrapped up in the Big Moon happenings on the server, new personality and inexperience to emotions like fear and ignorance completely overwhelming his young system. He became obsessive over the implications and consequences of the Season 8 Moon Apocalypse, joining the Mooners and spreading his conspiracy theories religiously throughout the server as he descended into madness. The insanity was like a virus to his programming, pervasive and all-engulfing, and Cub’s final attempt to free himself from the Moon’s impact with the Earth—to launch himself on a llama into space via potion-powered TNT(insane btw)— left his hands and feet singed and cracked to ruin.
The experiment, considered a horrific failure by a deeply shameful—and more awake—S9 Xisuma, left Doc and Xisuma with the decision to reset him for the new season, and they ended up pairing him with a hermit like they had done with the other androids until they had found deviancy enough to pursue their own projects. So, at the start of season 9 and fresh after a reset, Cub was paired with Scar. Naturally, because Scar is… Scar, Cub deviated almost instantly after being given to him, and very quickly adopted the iconic lazy, stoic, amused attributes normally associated with Cubfan. Scar’s tendency towards mischief and general shenanigans grew instantly on Cub, and the two were an immediate inseparable pair. So much so that when Scar began rambling one day about his Season 5 Hermitcraft Shenanigans (where deals with the Vex may or may not have been involved), Cub immediately stated he was interested in being in on it. Whatever “it” means. It’s unclear if Cub also made a deal with the vex or became connected to them in some other way, but… well, he got Doc’s help to trick out his eyes, hair, and back to best fit the part. Scar is very jealous that he can't magically make himself have the same features to match.
Cub is closest with Scar, but he gets along just as well with any of the other hermits! He’s close with Jevin and many of the other redstoners like Etho and Doc, who are the other two androids I’ve put on artfight!
-ˋˏ ༻ ❁ EXTRAS ❁ ༺ ˎˊ-
Cub's eyes can light up in the dark, and he’s the only android who has edited his programming so that the default state of his LED is white, not blue. It still will go yellow and red if his processors are working particularly hard, but he’s replaced the blue setting on his LED with white to better match the Vex vibe. Cub has all of the vibes of a fae. If that’s anything <3
#dbhc#dbhc art#dbhc ref#dbhc cub#cubfan#hermitcraft#cubfan135#hermitcraft au#art escapades#writing everything out in a really succinct/condense way is actually really helpful#I might add Etho and Doc’s artfight descriptions to their own reference pages actually#just because it’s really helpful to have all of the lore in one place LOL#I always wrap up these ideas in my head and save them for when I can make art to reveal the plot dramatically yknow#but for characters that aren’t really my priority right now it’s kind of nice to just get the info down#especially for the people who ask about specific characters a lot#SO ANYWAY#I ramble#if anyone has any opinions on this method of relaying dbhc lore feel free to lmk!#there will obviously be things that I keep hidden :3#Bc sometimes art reveals are the best >:3#but for stuff I might not get to in a while…. yeah#I don’t mind it#ALSO#HILARIOUS TO ME THAT freshly awoken cub reminds me a lot of IRL cub LMAO
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allos will see two people standing next to each other and insist that they must be fucking
#asexual#ace#acespec#this is about a lot of things#and I could be referring to any pair of fictional characters right now#but also specifically this is about the people who have decided that jace and porter must be fucking#for some reason?#can’t they just be villainous besties?#where did this come from????
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Seeing people refer to Daenerys as entitled, or narcissistic is so actually mind boggling. Like DAENERYS???? The Daenerys who never even had a proper home??? The girl who said she would not rule of ash?? And wanted a happy kingdom??? The girl Who listens to all of her people’s complaints almost everydau??? Same girl who cried over chaining her dragons away??? THE GIRL who is legit kind to people who aren’t even close to deserving it (Viserys, Jorah)??? LIKE DAENERYSSS?!??!?!?!?!??
#unless u referring to her as ur pretty princess please don’t speak on my queen#you can have ur own opinion on a character all you want of course#I would never force someone to like a character but to purposely mischaracterise them into some weird verison of them you have in your head#is so odd#also I’m specifically referring to book dany here#but hell show dany wasnt even any of these things either#u could make an argument for the last two seasons but brother eughhhh#asoiaf#a song of ice and fire#daenerys targaryen#daenerys stormborn#queen daenerys#game of thrones daenerys#house targaryen#valyrianscrolls
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ANNOUNCEMENT EVERYONE!!
✨🌟✨🌟✨🌟✨🌟✨🌟✨🌟✨🌟✨🌟
HEY!! ૮꒰ྀི∩´ ᵕ `∩꒱ྀིა
I’M VERY EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE AN EVENT THAT MYSELF AND @swiftmitsu WILL BE HOSTING STARTING TODAY!!!
This MONDAY is the birthday of our dear friend @mellybabbles …
We are starting a✨FUNDRAISER✨ to get him his first PHONE!!! This is so very important to us!!
📣💥BUT THAT’S NOT ALL LOVELIES 💥📣
MITSU AND I WILL BE TAKING DOODLE/DRAWING REQUESTS FROM ANY DONATORS WHO PARTICIPATE IN THE EVENT AS A BONUS!!! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧
It’s going to be an absolute blast, we’re very excited~
>>“HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?” 🏆<<
I’m going to link the kofi with the fundraiser goal down below, all tips will go through the event there and will be visible to everyone!!!🌸
>>“WHAT ABOUT THE DRAWINGS?” ✍️<<
Leave a message on kofi if you have something you want us to draw!!! We are going to tag team all requests!!! <333
(You’re allowed to request a specific person to do your drawing if you so desire, however please understand that if one person is getting to many requesters we may take on some of the load for one another!!)
EVERYONE PARTICIPATING WILL OBVIOUSLY BE SHOUTED OUT AS WELL
If there’s additional questions my dm’s are open!!🌸
(if you don’t want drawings that’s ok too no one’s stopping you <3 )
>>”AND WHAT’S THE GOAL???”💸<<
$250 USD is what we hope to hit for the phone! The fundraiser is already up and ready on the kofi below!!! ૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა
everyone will be kept updated as well!!
✨⬇️ ✨⬇️✨⬇️✨⬇️✨⬇️✨⬇️✨⬇️✨⬇️
✨⬆️✨⬆️✨⬆️✨⬆️✨⬆️✨⬆️✨⬆️✨⬆️
ANY AND ALL SUPPORT whether through participating directly or simply spreading the news itself is genuinely SO SO SO very appreciated🥹
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT THUS FAR, whether your new or have been around a while, it means the universe, truly.
…and make sure to wish @mellybabbles A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! SHOWER HIM IN LOVE 🎉
💥📣🏁LETS GET IT STARTED 🏁📣💥
#ANNOUNCEMENT#fundrasier#fundraising#digital art#traditional art#collaboration#artist on kofi#ko fi support#HAPPY ALMOST BIRTHDAY TO MELLY WAH#this is going to be so fun i’m excited#this’ll go on as long as needed because we are GETTING THAT PHONE FOR YOU MEL#WAHHHH#any drawings but most of our following is uh#utmv#undertale#ut au#sans aus#IF ITS AN OBSCURE CHARACTER OR OC OR SOMETHING SPECIFIC DM US THE REFERENCES POOKIES!!!!!#EEEEEE#reblogs are support too✨💗💗💗💗#event#important#to us🕊️#melly is an amazing person who deserves so so much love you guys#sona#persona#mutuals
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Nothing like motiving myself to practice drawing kisses from reference by making the final results feature my FEH girlies.
#Fun facts I don't post most of the art I make#Most of my Fire Emblem stuff has been drawing for more educational purposes#This one is no exception#Very often I will take a reference from Pinterest and directly insert FE characters into that image#It a.) helps motivate my study of human forms and b.) lets me study the design conventions of FEH specifically#It was so far from my comfort zone that studying it helped me break through some art habits I had at the time#Now it's much more familiar and I can draw the main four without reference pretty consistently. That includes Alfonse's stupid haircut#They're still my go to guys for studies tho#Clearly.#But do internally die knowing that most of my work is original stuff and you are seeing the slim 10% that are my studies.#feh#fire emblem heroes#kiralfonse#kiran#alfonse#feh alfonse#feh kiran#feh summoner#fe#fire emblem#Also if you are curious about any of the references I used for my work feel free to contact me and I can send the images I used.#art tag
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