#or buy them the money for it if they prefer using it somewhere else they can

[yoohyeon]

It’s costing me 800$ for my glasses…mostly cause I’m blind af 😭

[tossawary]

You know, given all of the cloning and other evil experiments that Palpatine apparently had going on, it's a little remarkable in hindsight that he never targeted Shmi Skywalker personally.

Like, this woman apparently reproduced asexually and gave birth to one of the most powerful Force-sensitives of all time; I don't generally characterize Sith Lords as having great scientific curiosity or a sense of wonder for the universe (or bothering to remember "little" people exist most of the time), because their whole deal kind of precludes that, but it seems reasonable that one might conclude that there's potential power in investigating this.

If Anakin was friendly with Palpatine for the latter half of his childhood, it seems like it could have been relatively easy for Palpatine to learn things like 1) Anakin's midichlorian count (which he can use to tell Anakin that everyone else is just jealous of his power) and 2) Shmi's situation on Tatooine (which he can use to foster resentment between Anakin and the Jedi Order for not helping Shmi too). Just get Anakin a little frustrated and he'll probably start talking! Palpatine could make some concerned offer to send someone to check on Anakin's mother - it is the least that Naboo can do for the family that helped to save them, the Chancellor might say, but he would prefer that such favoritism remain a secret between them - and then Sidious would have Watto's exact address no problem.

And it's not like it would be hard to kidnap Shmi. Palpatine (as Sidious?) could pick some random bounty hunter and order them to go buy her, because this amount of money is presumably pocket change to him, and if Watto resists selling her off to a stranger, the bounty hunter can claim that they've come on behalf of her son. And if that doesn't work or if Shmi is already with the Lars family, there's always violence. Palpatine can just lie to Anakin and say that his agent discovered Shmi was targeted by enemies of the Jedi Order. Oh, what a shame they didn't protect her!

I don't know what would happen from here. Sidious could potentially contract the Kaminoans as a private, anonymous citizen to research Shmi and see if she'll be useful to him at all; the Kaminoans seem to be in the business of designer babies for specific clients (Jango + my vague memories of some "Clone Wars" comic). Which means that Shmi could be unhappily, awkwardly hanging around Kamino, probably still enslaved, when Jango Fett and the clones business is going on. For years, potentially.

Ideally for the Sith, the Kaminoans would be keeping Shmi in an entirely separate facility most of the time, away from the army intended for the Jedi and the Republic. But Jango might be sent around the planet on errands or something and the Kaminoans might need to use very specific equipment at some points, and I am a fan of grand plans being ruined by chance encounters or workplace logistics, so I think it would be fun if Shmi met Jango or Boba. Maybe Palpatine assumed that the Kaminoans had already disposed of Shmi or were keeping her on ice, due to a badly worded email or something else mundane, because the Kaminoan forgot the right Basic word (it's not their first language!!! or a translator malfunctioned or something) during their space phone call.

There's lots of Canon Divergence directions for this, like more serious angst or drama or thriller horror being imprisoned by a Sith Lord (somewhere besides Kamino) or discovering what's being done to the clones. Shmi could end up being rescued by Jedi and helping uncover Sidious. Or she could have a different tragic ending.

(This whole post regarding Shmi and cloning is partially inspired by that one post pointing out that Rey looks a lot like Shmi, and given the strange circumstances of Anakin's birth, any attempt to clone Anakin might have created a clone of Shmi instead. I still think a "Rey as Anakin's clone" is a fun sequel trilogy AU.)

I'm leaning towards fix-it and comedies of errors ideas because the prequels are tragic enough for me. Currently, I'm thinking about Shmi eventually ending up as part of young Boba Fett's gang somehow, because it's amusing to me that he was somehow a recurring antagonistic figure on that TCW show despite being a child. The other bounty hunters are like, "Kid, did you... bring your mom on this mission...?" And Boba Fett is like, "No!!! She's my ship mechanic!!! But if you touch her, just so you know, I will fucking kill you."

I think that both Anakin and Boba would fucking hate being adoptive brothers in any way, shape, or form. And the idea of Luke and Leia someday having an "Uncle Boba Fett" is also very funny to me.

(EDIT: I'm currently dubious regarding a Jango/Shmi ship because Jango does participate in the creation and enslavement of the clone army. Like, it's the Kaminoans who do it, they hold most of the blame and they would have gotten someone else if Jango hadn't done it, but Jango is very much there and at the very least complicit in a horrifying series of crimes against millions of people. Depending on how you characterize Shmi Skywalker, an enslaved woman, I don't really think she'd be cool with that. She let her child go off to become a Jedi because she thought it would be a much better life for him, while Jango sold his own "children" off into war for money. So, I'm currently thinking that Shmi might like the innocent child Boba, but she might honestly dislike Jango quite a lot.)

[rosalindwrites]

Hi! First time requesting, could you do slightly mature Kiba hcs???

MUCH LOVE ❤️❤️

OKAY so I have put a lot of thought into this, so I hope they are at least halfway decent lol. Not all are really "mature" so to speak, but I'm putting it under the cut just in case :)

Seto Kaiba x Reader Headcanons

100% definitely possessive over you, as he is a real "what's mine is mine" sorta guy

Along with that, though, I wouldn't really take him as a big PDA person. BUT he is the type of person who gets off on making others (men) jealous. So, he'll more likely than not use public displays of affection as a way to show others that you're not for the taking

He likes showing you off, and for sure takes you as his plus one to high-class events and luxurious dinner parties where you can be seen together

If anyone insults you or talks shit? He will immediately shut them down and defend you

Seto LOVES seeing you blush and get flustered, and he very much intentionally tries (and succeeds) to make it happen

I get the vibe that he would really enjoy it when you praise him? Giving his already very inflated ego a good boost lol. He already knows he's great, sure, but he likes to hear you say it

Does not want you to call him "Kaiba" like everybody else does. That's usually reserved for people he doesn't give a shit about. Prefers "Seto", or (ONLY if you are in private where absolutely no other soul could hear) maybe a cute little nickname that he will likely act like he hates, but secretly adores

Seto likes spending his money on you. Enjoys taking you shopping, seeing you try on clothes, and buying you clothes that he would NEVER be okay with you wearing in public *wink wink*

May or may not have a stash of a little more... risque pictures of you he keeps hidden somewhere only he can find. May or may not like to look at them when you've been apart too long

[edith-hyde]

Hey, I don't know if you still up for it ot whether you have some rules about requests, but I've seen your post about doing Peter Hale x reader and others. And I'd really like to see your general dating headcanons with Peter Hale or Chris Argent💛

I've got so many ideas for a Peter Hale series! I hope to start posting it eventually. I will gladly do a dating headcanons for him. And I'll throw in Chris too. Everything here will be safe for work, of course. Enjoy!

Dating Peter Hale

He was so scared to tell you the truth about what he was, but when you found out, you didn't care.

He loves showing off his money. Expect expensive gifts.

But he's not a fan of huge crowds, so no big fancy dinners. He much prefers to eat in private with just the two of you. Or maybe at some small place.

Does NOT like candle lit dinners. Nor a yule log at Christmas. Or grilling out.

You and he learn how to cook together because he's so used to just buying all his meals. There's a lot of burned chicken, but also a lot of joy and laughter and making out in the kitchen. (That's why it burned.)

He's very touch starved. When you first start dating, he flinches every time you touch him. It takes some time, but eventually he can't keep himself from reaching for your hand or laying on your shoulder. He's heavy but you're fine with it.

He wants to make all the plans so you don't have to worry about anything. Just trust him to know what's best.

If you have family, they probably aren't too fond of him. He brings expensive wine to get-togethers though, so that might put him in their good graces if they like that kind of thing. If not, he'll depend on his usual charms. It might take awhile, but they'd eventually accept that he's here to stay.

Expect calls in the middle of the night. Or he might just show up. He doesn't sleep well and he needs comfort from the nightmares. If he hasn't slept the night before, he will curl up in your lap on your sofa and sleep. Stroking his hair really helps. When he's truly comfortable with you, he's prone to just falling asleep just so long as you're somewhere nearby. He especially likes to nap while you're driving.

Loves to just walk with you in the woods.

He's surprisingly knowledgeable about furniture and helps you decorate your house or apartment.

He wants everyone to know that you belong to him. He purposefully nuzzles into your hair to leave his scent on you. He loves giving you his jacket too. All the werewolves in town know you're taken.

Despite his bravado, he's constantly worried that you're going to leave him. He needs regular assurances that you love him.

He gets jealous easily. Your guy friends might wanna watch out. And you might have to have a long talk with Peter and get it through his head that they're not a threat to your relationship. Once he's 100% sure, this calms down. But he still doesn't like men fliting with you.

You help him rebuild his relationship with Malia and he loves you even more for it. The three of you sometimes get together and do dinner. You're there to console her when she and Scott break up and you have to keep Peter from going to LA and trying to kill Scott for a third time.

He constantly brags about having you to Derek and anyone else who will listen.

He will listen to you rant about work and the people that bother you. Then he'll offer to take them out. You assume he's joking, but sometimes, if they really upset you, he totally means it.

He will show up at your work and pester you. It's distracting, but you love seeing him.

His name for you in his phone is "My Queen".

He gives great skin care advice and has a wonderful sense of fashion. Also knows all the best hair care products. He loves to take you shopping for new stuff and buys everything. He gets broody if you won't let him shower you in gifts.

Sometimes when he's emotional, his eyes will turn blue and he will turn away because he's worried about scaring you. When you kiss him despite his fangs, he knows you truly don't care. You're even kinda into it much to his amusement.

If he upsets you, expect a huge vase of flowers. If you're not a flowers person, he gets chocolates or some kind of jewelry. He knows he can't buy your affections, but that isn't going to stop him from trying. He will eventually give a proper apology, but he hates admitting that he was wrong. Consider yourself lucky if he does.

Dating Chris Argent

He's the sweetest thing on the planet. His tired blue eyes and sad smile make you melt every time.

He lights up every time he sees you.

He lets you pick where you go to dinner, though he usually surprises you with a home made meal. This man can cook and you love it.

Brings you coffee or hot chocolate almost every morning.

Mows your grass and fixes your car for you without being asked.

You like to watch him clean his guns after a mission.

Sometimes comes home with some pretty gnarly wounds. You always clean him up and make him promise it won't happen again. But it keeps happening anyways. He hates to make you worry, but he has a job to do.

Early in your relationship, he constantly tries to run. He's afraid that if you love him, you'll die like everyone else has. It takes you awhile, but you eventually manage to convince him that you're not going anywhere.

Date night is just diner and a movie on his couch. He's not a fan of hanging out in public. But he will go to the park with you on sunny days. If you have an interest in guns, he'll take you to a shooting range.

He likes to just dance with you around the kitchen when he's in a really good mood.

He takes you on trips to France after you've been together for awhile, and shows you all the best places away from the crowds.

If you have any family, they are wary of him at first, but then they love him. He's so respectful. Your mom wants you to marry him tomorrow.

He has some trouble sleeping and can often be found sitting on his back porch, having a beer at night. If you show up, he finds it easier to get some rest.

He will always do his best to keep you safe. He might even train you how to fight if you ask.

If he does train you, you like to distract him while sparring by kissing him. It works every time.

He often has Scott and his friends over for dinner. You love having so many fun people around.

In a perfect world, Isaac comes and visits often and once accidentally calls you mom. Chris thinks it's hilariously adorable.

If he upsets you, he gives a sincere apology. You can't stay mad at those sad blue eyes no matter how hard you try.

[waterfire1848]

Maybe an au where Ursa flees with Azula and Zuko?

Hello, anon!!!

The night that Ozai asks for the throne, Azulon doesn't call for Zuko's head but for Azula's. Like before, Azula is the only one there when Azulon orders Ozai to kill her. Terrified, she flees to her mother (because she literally has no where else to go) and Ursa is quickly able to see that something is really scaring Azula, this clearly isn't an act. Ursa eventually finds out what Ozai has agreed to and still provides him with a way to kill Azulon and get himself the throne. (Ozai: What do you want in return? Ursa: The children come with me. Ozai: Fine. Take the boy, but Azula remains. Ursa:...Fine. I will leave Azula here, but I'm taking Zuko. Ozai: I hope you two find a nice little peasant village to live in.) Of course Ursa is lying through her teeth because that night she takes both of her children out of the palace and runs away in the dead of night. (Ozai literally agreed to kill Azula a few hours ago. She's not just leaving her there). She gets them down to the boats and then has to deal with them screaming and demanding to know where they're going (but they're also 8 and 10 years old and very easy move) so Ursa gets them on the boat and they leave. (Yes, Azula does try to jump into the water and swim back to shore and yes, Ursa is very tired by the end of the night).

The three end up in the Earth Kingdom, near Omashu, and take refugee in a small village for a few days to get themselves together. Ursa's main plan is to just figure out where to go next because she has no doubts that Ozai knows that she took Azula is coming after them so she needs to get somewhere safe: Ba Sing Se. The only problem is that none of them have passports that'll get them into the city (actually they do have passports but it would look really weird if they showed up with Fire Nation passports saying they were members of the Royal Family). This means to Ursa that she has to either steal passports from another family or buy fake ones to get them all into the city. She opts for the first option as they're on a bit of a time crunch. (Ursa: I packed enough money to get us to the Huaxi Village. That'll get us half way to Full Moon Bay where we can catch a ferry and- Azula: I'm not going. I'll stay here and wait for dad. Ursa: Azula- Azula: I'm not going with you! I never wanted to come! Ursa: I wasn't going to just leave you there! Azula: I would have been fine! Ursa, who is tired: Ozai was ready to kill you, Azula!! Azula:....Ursa: Do you think he wouldn't act on it?! Because he was going to! Would you have preferred I leave you behind with a man who doesn't love you and wanted you dead just for the throne!?! Azula: *Runs off and hides in the bathroom* Ursa: Azula... Zuko:... Ursa:... Zuko:...These are good dumplings.)

The next day, Ursa takes both the kids and they start walking to Huaxi. It's a long, long walk, especially with two young kids, but they eventually make it there. Huaxi, because it's so close to Full Moon Bay, is filled with refugees, all of whom have passports. Ursa doesn't love the idea of stealing passports from another family but no one else has the Fire Lord coming right after them. She waits until Zuko and Azula are asleep then sneaks out (Yes, she has the Blue Spirit mask) and steals three passports, one for a woman and two children passports. (Zuko: Mom? Ursa: Zuko, you should be asleep. Zuko: Did you steal those? Ursa: Sweetie, we'll talk- Zuko: Did you steal those? Ursa: Yes. Zuko: I thought we weren't supposed to steal. Don't other people need those. Ursa: I don't like it anymore than you do, but if it's a choice between you and your sister and a random family, I'm going to make sure you and your sister are safe. These passports will get us to Ba Sing Se and you two will be able to live there in peace. Zuko: But- Ursa: You'll understand when you're older. Now, go to bed.) The next morning, Ursa is thankful for firebenders rising with the sun because the three of them are gone before anyone can realize their passports are missing.

They make it to Ba Sing Se and get inside the city with little issue, but are placed in the lower ring. Ursa doesn't care as much about that as her only real worry now is getting the kids inside and situated safety. Azula and Zuko, of course, do not like going from a Royal Palace to a tiny apartment that they aren't allowed to firebend in. Zuko kind of understands why his mom did what she did but he also hates the change just as much as Azula does. Ursa is too tired to deal with her kids anger so kind of ignores them which gets them, especially Azula, even more angry. One day, while Ursa is out looking for a job and a school for the kids, Azula and Zuko run away. Their plan is to go back to the Fire Nation because Ozai needs to have heirs so of course he'll take them back. Ursa arrives home that night and, when she finds, no one there, panics and starts running around the entire lower ring looking for her children. (Zuko: Azula, are you sure this is a good idea? Azula: I'm sure, dum-dum. We'll be fine. Zuko: It's just that...mom wouldn't have brought us here unless she thought- Azula: She stole us from the palace and dumped us in this chicken-pig sty! If you want to be a baby and cry about it, be my guest, but I'm going home. Zuko: I'm not a baby! I'm a prince! Azula: Then prove it and let's go home.) (Would you believe that yelling about how you belong in a palace and are royalty attracts attention?) Zuko and Azula are jumped by people who hear them yelling and the siblings are forced to firebend at them. However, these men are grown men and Zuko and Azula are children. The men are about to hand them over to the Dai Li (for a handsome reward) when Ursa jumps in (again Blue Spirit mask) and gets the kids out. Ursa and the kids have a heart to heart where she apologizes for not noticing how big a change this is for them and ignoring them. And the kids agree to give the city a shot, especially after Ursa promises that she'll make them traditional Fire Nation food and get them some red clothes.

Years go by, Ursa is working at the local library, Zuko is working at a tea shop and Azula is working at a combat studio. They've created a small life form themselves there, away from the Fire Nation, and are starting to finally break free of Ozai's abuse when they get word that the Avatar is in the upper ring. Getting curious, Azula and Zuko decide to go visit him where it's revealed that they're firebenders and the two admit to being Ozai's children. Aang, desperate for a firebending master, asks them to come along (who better to teach him how to defeat the Fire Lord then his children?). Zuko and Azula are hesitant to go, both because they don't want to return to their father and because they don't want to leave their mother, but when the issues with Long Feng start up, the three person family realize that they can't just stay hidden in the city forever and agree to help. (Yes, Ursa is coming with them because why don't these children have any kind of adult supervision?). After the fight with Long Feng and the Dai Li, Azula and Zuko start to train Aang as best they can while unaware that Long Feng spent a very interesting letter to Ozai about how two teenagers and a woman, claiming to be his wife and children, are in Ba Sing Se and helping the Avatar.

[yunarim]

╰┈➤ summary : you and your reliable partner grim are the most famous interdimensional travelers under the Official Isekai Association. you're used to traveling into psychological thrillers and horrors. however, this time something goes wrong, and you suddenly turn into the protagonist of… an otome game?!

— characters : jade leech, leona kingscholar | kalim al-asim, azul ashengrotto | lilia vanrouge, idia shroud

⌞tags⌝ : gn reader, fluff at times, occasional angst (more angst for kalim's & azul's parts actually), typical manhwas tropes, mention of a typical isekai manhwa death by truck hit... yeah, you go from the first route to the last (from jade to idia), hence the parts are connected

— w.c. : 6.4k+

⌞notes⌝ : continuing with the second part of the series ~

“Based on your expression, is the walkthrough going smoothly?” 

Grim asked, jumping on the bed you were laying at, and placed his head on your stomach, chewing something smelling like fish, and you hated the fact you were still not recovered after being pointed out what you smell like by Leona.

“I mean, I can’t see the progress, given you’re the protagonist for this genre,” Grim noticed. “How many are left tho?”

So that's how it looked from someone else’s perspective. Just routes to finish, game characters, literary images, not people who could feel, have their own personalities, and… Feel something for you. You have never thought about otome games before, they were out of your qualification, and now you were sure enough that once you escape this world, you’ll ask your boss to never transmigrate you to otome genre ever again. 

Funny enough, you’re used to dating. Sometimes counterfeiting feelings was a key to the true ending, so you just had to do that at times, but you never actually felt something yourself. And surely you didn't feel loved. 

“Four,” you answered after a short pause, closing your eyes. 

“Make sure to do your job well, henchman,” Grim yawned. “I’ll help you with my magic!”

“Yes…” You replied vaguely, appreciating that thanks to Grim you were given an opportunity to even stay here in NRC, considering you possessed no magic. “I’ll try my best…”

Even if you wanted to leave as soon as you could, having no desire to leave these people all alone after you suddenly crashed into their lives. 

You couldn’t find a proper way to name all the boys routes of whom you needed to… finish. Targets? Characters? Lovers? No, that wasn’t it.

In any case, you checked Kalim Al-Asim’s profile before heading to school. A bright, cheerful person radiating nothing but happiness and joy, a complete opposite of your gloomy and indifferent self. You presumed he would be easy to approach, given how easy-going he seemed, but his social status made you question the ease of the walkthrough. 

A son of a wealthy merchant, close to royalty again. Fine, you wondered if going through Leona’s route made you stronger and more experienced. 

After a half of the day passed you’ve realized you couldn’t find Kalim that easily as you first thought you would. Probably he was being more secure than Leona, and you tried your best investigating where he could be. Most obviously somewhere in his dormitory, Scarabia, but you preferred not to enter the dormitories itselves, ‘playing’ on neutral waters. The transmigrator currency was still the same, because you were paid only after completing the whole story, so you ran out of money to buy the info about Kalim’s location. 

After the classes you also realized you haven’t had enough sleep because of memories made with Leona haunting you at night, and you most probably needed to brew some coffee, which caused you to remember Jade and frown.

No, it’s not the right time to think about them, you thought, entering the school’s kitchen and stumbling upon someone, your forehead hitting someone else’s.

“Oh, I’m very sorry, I didn’t notice… Huh?”

You raised your head, pressing a hand to your forehead, and gasped when you realized it was none other than Kalim Al-Asim, who was mirroring your actions and massaging his head with his hand.

“Oh, isn’t it Yuu! Nice to meet you! I’m Kalim Al-Asim, but you can call me Kalim!”

You were spellbound to say something at the moment, appreciating his wonderful appearance and drowning in the melted gold of his eyes. 

“Nice to meet you too— Eh?”

Before you wanted to continue, a pink glow above his head made you jolt. 

The heart icon was already filled up to half of it. 

Your eyes widened. You’ve only met him! And you were sure that you hadn't met him earlier in previous walkthroughs, so how?..

“Oh, did I hit you too hard?! Oh no, what to do… Jamil, we should call a doctor!!”

Kalim’s face radiating genuine worry appeared too close to yours, and you realized that you fell silent extremely suddenly. You shook your head, replying with a confused smile.

“I’m alright, just lost in thoughts. How are you, though? I hit you too…”

“I’m okay!” He giggled at you, and his contagious laugh flowed to you, causing you to chuckle softly. “But still, we need to make sure you’re fine. Jamil, we should—”

“Yuu-san doesn’t seem to be in danger. Quit exaggerating.”

Ah, right. Jamil Viper, a person in Kalim’s profile mentioned as his personal ‘servant’. 

His figure appeared behind Kalim’s back and approached you. Jamil somehow reminded you of yourself with how composed and calm he looked, observing if everything was right with your forehead. You outstretched your hand to Jamil, regaining composure.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Yuu,” you said, receiving a silent nod.

“Jamil Viper,” he replied when you two shared a handshake, but a sudden Kalim’s complaint cut your strict-seeming atmosphere.

“I want to shake your hand too, Yuu!!” 

“Okay, no problem?..”

You watched through him, focusing on the heart icon filled up to the half, and deepened into your thoughts. 

Apparently the icon was filled thrice, and all three times symbolized three significant events happening throughout the routes. But given you two just met… Wasn’t the system making mistakes?

“Did you want to use the kitchen? You can join us! We’re preparing dishes for the party held in Scarabia. Right, join us at the party, too!!”

“You surely are enthusiastic, Kalim,” you smiled at him. 

“Stop inviting everyone without thinking twice,” Jamil sighed. “Not to be rude to you, Yuu-san.”

“It’s alright, I understand. Thank you for your offer, but it’s just what Viper said. I’ll make sure to join you one day, but I’ve got plans today.”

You actually hadn’t any other plans than getting Kalim to know better, and the party was an excellent opportunity, but at the same time you didn’t want to get too deep to the point you would miss him dearly after finishing his route too. It was getting hard for you to just have friendly chats with them, then growing closer to the point you couldn’t just leave them anymore. 

You wanted to play it safe with Kalim, although suspecting you would fail miserably. 

“Okay! Then come tomorrow. Or the day after, we’re going to have parties every day during this week~”

“Haha, that’s very generous of you,” you giggled. “Maybe I can help you with cooking today?”

“No need, I—” Jamil started talking, but Kalim’s bright shine overlapped Jamil’s words.

“It’s a brilliant idea, Jamil works so hard, it must be really tough! Right, I’ll help too!”

“You… you stay still,” Jamil sighed with a heaviness and annoyance, then looked at you. “Yuu-san is enough. Just watch.”

“Fi~ne!”

You asked Jamil where you could find an apron, and he suddenly appeared in front of you, pulling the piece of clothing over you and tying strings behind your back.

“Oh, thank you,” you almost whispered, not expecting Jamil to be so close to you, and glanced over to catch Kalim’s sudden gaze you couldn’t decipher, but a familiar glimpse of overjoy fled from his deep eyes for a mere second, and a bitter smile grew on his face. 

“Ah, I know!!” He suddenly jumped from the chair he was sitting on. “Yuu, you’re living in Ramshackle, right?!”

“Why do I feel like he’s going to suggest something crazy,” Jamil mumbled, but Kalim ignored him.

“Yes, I am,” you nodded.

“You’ll be free at 10 o’clock in the evening?”

You blinked absentmindedly. 

“I guess so. Why?”

“Then just be at home at the time! You’ll see~”

“Alright?..”

You heard Jamil sighing again and decided to let it be, grabbing vegetables you needed to chop, and continued your work, accompanied by Kalim’s soft cheerful singing.

You expected anything but a magic carpet ride at 10 o’clock in the evening. 

“Ready, Yuu?”

“No, I’m noooooot!!—”

And with that you flew straight into the night sky followed by Kalim’s happy noises. 

Actually, you thought that after dying for the very first time and then transmigrating from one world into another, make that cyclical, you would fear nothing, but suddenly soaring into the sky wasn’t included in your plans. 

But after seeing the canvas of the island and the sheet of the forest, framed by the endless sea from a bird's eye view, you were so enchanted that thoughts left your head, leaving only admiration.

“It’s beautiful, right?” Kalim said, looking at you and knowing you’re not noticing. 

“It is…” You whispered, remembering the same sky when you were enjoying fireworks with Jade, and shook your head. “Thank you for showing it to me!”

“He-he~ You couldn’t come to the party, so this is my apology for hitting you earlier.”

“As I’ve mentioned, it’s my fault too. I hit you too…”

“Aw come on Yuu, it’s okay. You even helped Jamil with food preparations.”

“Ah, yes,” you nodded. “He’s a wonderful cook, I wasn’t expecting!”

Corners of Kalim’s lips went slightly down, but he returned to his usual happy look when you turned to him.

“Right?? He’s incredible! There’s nothing he can’t do!”

“You surely like him, right?” You smiled at him cheerfully. “You seem to be very fond of him.”

“Don’t you think so too? You’ll realize how cool he is when you grow closer to him. Do you need any help? I’ve noticed your chemistry today~”

Your smile dropped, brows knitting together. Why would he say that?..

“I don’t think so?.. Is there any particular reason for me to get closer to Viper? Not to be offensive, of course.”

“Eh?” Kalim was obviously startled. “You don’t want to? But Jamil’s wonderful person and—”

“Kalim,” you stopped him. “I don’t quite get it at all and no, I have no intention of getting closer to Jamil. I mean, sure, I don’t know what can happen in the future, but as for the present, am I not being with you right now?”

Kalim gasped, gazing at you in surprise.

“I see he’s an important person to you, but we’re enjoying the evening together right now. Let’s talk about you instead, what do you think?”

“Oh,” he said. “You’re… what an interesting person you are, Yuu!”

“Y-yes? Me?..”

“Yeah! What do you want to know about me then?”

“Let’s see…” You hummed, returning your eyes to the sky. “Hm… suddenly I can’t think of anything.”

“People often ask if my family hires someone for a job, or does a certain facility belong to my family, or something like that… Would you like to ask something along those lines?”

“Kalim, wait, I think you’re misinterpreting my intentions,” you turned to him again, gently placing your hand above his. “I’m not going to be an employee under your family’s business. Why would you even think about it? I wanted to be friends in the first place.”

“Ah, friends!! Aren’t we friends already though?” He blinked at you. “Oh, wait, no, I should give you something!! Do you prefer gold or silver? Or maybe jewelry?”

“Kalim!!” You raised your voice, feeling a little overwhelmed. “I don’t need any of those. I was about to ask if you’re okay, it’s getting chilly…”

“Eh?”

“What?”

“Oh,” he laughed, his cheeks growing red out of shame. “Sorry, Yuu. It was just a precaution.”

“I don’t think I follow?”

“No, don’t worry. You’re an interesting person, indeed…”

You sighed, letting yourself lay down on the carpet and exhale the freshness of the night chilly air, and stare at the stars. 

“I don’t know you well. It’s literally the first day we know each other,” you started. “I don’t know your circumstances and what you meant by saying it was a precaution, but… it’s alright if you don’t trust me. But I can assure you that it’s okay, I don’t mind, considering I’m an alien from another dimension, it is only natural to question my intentions. And yet I want you to know that I just want to enjoy this evening to its maximum, and your company is very pleasant to me. We can even sit still and remain silent, somehow I think you’re a safe person to stay alone with. It’s cozy. Ah, sorry, I think I went overboard… Kalim?”

You shifted your gaze to him, meeting his widened eyes and parted lips, and then you blushed, realizing you really did go overboard, saying all your thoughts so easily, but you really couldn’t help yourself. 

Kalim suddenly burst into laughter, flopping down on the carpet with you and continuing giggling softly to the point that tears started accumulating in the corners of his eyes. 

“Are you alright? I said something stupid, sorry…”

“You’re not just an interesting person, Yuu,” he smiled, turning his head to you, giving you a realization he was extremely close to your face. “You’re wonderful.”

“I thought Viper was,” you chuckled, smiling at him and seeing him closing his eyes. 

“Jamil is wonderful, that’s true. And you’re also wonderful. But you’re…”

He fell silent, leaving you without an explanation.

“No, it’s nothing. You’re truly something. Thank you for saying all that to me, Yuu.”

“Remember, Kalim,” your hand acted on itself, grabbing his and interviewing fingers with his. “You’re wonderful, too. Appreciate yourself.”

And with a bright smile you showed to him, you also noticed the heart was filled to the max. You opened your eyes at once, jolting and causing Kalim to question what happened.

No… no, you couldn’t leave him just yet!! Not like that, not after you haven’t figured out an indescribable sadness in his eyes!!

“K-Kalim…” You mumbled, your fingers trembling slightly. “You’re still here…”

“Hm?” He tilted his head. “Of course I am, silly! Where else could I be?”

“You’re right…” You exhaled sharply, drawing him closer to you and enveloping in a tight hug. “Yes, you’re here. I’m glad.”

“Yuu?..”

His whole body was warm, and no bright light filled up the place, reassuring you that right at the moment everything was alright.

Two weeks passed since you two went on a magic carpet ride, and surprisingly you two really did talk, ate together during breaks, the time seemed to stop its flow. The heart icon above Kalim’s head was glowing with soft pink, filled to the top, and you couldn’t comprehend all that was happening. Your own heart and feelings resembled a ticking bomb ready to blow with all anticipation you’ve carried. 

Did he really feel something for you? But it was impossible to crush down the whole transmigrator system, you knew it was programmed just perfectly and flawlessly, never making any mistakes in its calculations. You’ve requested a percentage of Kalim’s indicators, which you never did here before since the procedure took a lot of time to analyze everything. And today it finally arrived, shocking you even more than you thought it would.

His so-called love meter was filled up to 100%, meaning he definitely fell for you, however…Why hasn’t his route finished yet?

Suddenly a familiar tall figure appeared in the entrance, and you recognized Jade glancing your way curiously.

Shit, you thought, clenching your shirt. 

“Yuu? You okay?” Kalim asked you, his head on your shoulder. 

You were sitting under the tree in the school yard, Jamil sitting at your left and doing homework. 

“Yeah, sorry I startled your sleep.”

“Nope, I wasn’t sleeping actually. Oh, isn’t it Jade over there? Hey, Jade!”

You wanted to tell Kalim not to ask Jade to come closer, but you actually had no right to do that, and nodded politely to Leech, escaping his focused look.

“Good afternoon, Kalim-san, Jamil-san. Yuu-san,” he greeted everyone, not letting his eyes shift from you. “How interesting to see you three together. I presumed Yuu-san… No, forgive me.”

“Yuu is really fun to be with, don’t you agree?” Kalim cheerfully smiled at Jade. “Right, would you love to join us? We’re having a picnic.”

“Would be wonderf—”

“Ah,” you suddenly mumbled, attracting Jade and Kalim’s attention. “Sorry, I think I should get going soon. You three may continue, though, I’m sorry…”

“Eh?” Kalim looked at you. “I thought you wanted to become friends with Jade?..”

“... Apparently Yuu-san is feeling uncomfortable in my presence,” Jade smiled slyly. “It is quite alright. I’ll get going then.”

“Ah, no, I… And he’s gone.” You whispered to yourself.

Right. It wasn’t his route. Anymore.

And before Kalim managed to ask you if you actually wanted to befriend Jade and that he could help, you all saw Leona approaching you with a strange look on his face. 

This day will be the death of you, really.

“Hello, Leona—”

“Herbivore,” Leona interrupted Kalim’s cheerful greeting. “Care to explain what the hell?”

“What do you mean, Leo… Kingscholar,” you carried a habit of calling your current ‘love interests’ by their name, and since Leona’s heart already disappeared, you shook your head. 

“You smell like me. And to remind you, we’ve interacted only once when you stepped on my tail.”

Kalim’s smile dropped, and his usually bright and warm features turned into worried and sad, which wasn’t left unnoticed by Jamil, who apparently had enough.

“I… I have no idea…”

“Senpai,” Jamil suddenly said, grabbing Leona’s hand. “Let me explain.”

“Hah?” Leona asked, annoyed. “The hell?”

“Just. Let me. Explain. Okay?”

Jamil looked at you with an expression saying ‘talk to Kalim immediately or I’ll punch you’, to which you gulped and nodded, thanking him silently.

“You’re so popular, Yuu!” Kalim said when Jamil forcefully dragged Leona out. “Everyone wants to get closer to you! Still don’t want me to help you with Jamil? His eyes were so dreamy when he looked at you just now!”

His eyes most definitely weren’t dreamy at all, though…

“Kalim,” you turned to him, taking his hands in yours and looking at him with all the seriousness you’ve got. “Stop misinterpreting my feelings. Please?”

“What do you mean?..”

“Be a little more selfish!” You pushed. “And please don’t decide for me or for Jamil or for anyone else. If I wanted to befriend Jamil, or Jade, or Leona, or—agh it doesn’t matter who exactly!—believe me, I would do that already. And yet I’m trying to spend more time with you. Did you question why?”

Because I need to finish your route and get on another one… Or so you thought, but that wasn’t the case anymore. 

You wanted to understand Kalim, to let him feel love and happiness, and as for you… It was enough if he could be happy, even if you couldn’t bring yourself to fall in love with anyone in this school. 

It was painful, but you couldn’t deny it anymore — all of them, Jade, Leona, and Kalim — they became dear and important people in your life, who changed it for the better. 

You couldn’t remember when was the last time you smiled genuinely, transmigrating into horrors and thrillers, and here you were, smiling at Kalim and embracing him with a sincerity you never thought you possessed.

“You always wish for other people’s happiness, restraining yourself and not enjoying the time you spend to its fullest. But Kalim, at least when you’re with me, don’t think about anyone. Think about yourself and… Let your own heart decide.”

“My heart…” He whispered, lowering his gaze, and you welcomed him in a soft embrace, drawing him to your chest. “Alright. Yuu!”

A familiar bright light you’ve been growing to hate each time appeared once again, and you worriedly glanced at Kalim, who was smiling. 

“I fell in love with you at first sight, Yuu. Thank you for not betraying my trust and teaching me important things. This is my gratitude.”

He pressed his lips to your forehead, and the last thing you saw was an image of his rosy cheeks and the most bright and genuine smile you’ve ever seen in your life.

“Thank you, too, Kalim.” 

And the hell to the system transporting you to your room in Ramshackle again, labeling Kalim’s route as ‘COMPLETED’.

“Y’know, sometimes it scares me when you finish another route.”

Waking up next to Grim after completing a walkthrough became a tradition you already wished to be let burn in ashes. 

“What do you mean?” You ask emotionlessly. 

Now that you think about it, you didn’t want to even find out who Azul Ashengrotto was. You possessed no desire, letting your inner child arise, and wishing for everything to begone. You were at the point of no return, and it was already driving you crazy. You certainly weren’t the type to abandon your duties and responsibilities, you've been chosen as an employee of the month more than once, your colleagues often staring at you in surprise at how you managed to save your psyche unscathed after surviving the most horrid things people could witness. 

And now you were closing your eyes, swallowing the urge to cry your eyes out and let you out of this circle of repeating routes. You didn’t want to love or be loved, you wanted to do your job. For what reason though? You never questioned, appreciating the chance to live endlessly after dying, wandering around the worlds with aeons passing through. 

You considered people here your responsibility, too. Normally you were okay with leaving the characters of the finished stories behind, justice being jubilated, and you coming back to the office and letting bosses choose another story for you to enter.

“I mean,” Grim said, crawling to your stomach. “It’s kinda terrifying to see how we remember ‘em, meet ‘em and casually chat, but they don’t even know what happened.”

“You’re right…” He really was. “Though I think they have some feelings left after I… after completing.”

“Fugnya?”

“Leona seems to have my scent lingering on him, Jade also looks like he remembers something. I think Kalim wouldn’t be too much different.”

“Isn’t it even worse than if they didn't remember you at all?”

It was worse, and Grim was right, hitting you right to the core. It was a living nightmare, knowing they possessed a feeling of you experiencing something together, and you were still here, they could ask you, see you, feel you at some point. 

But what will they do when you leave? 

“... I don’t want to get closer to Ashengrotto.”

“He’s your next target, right?” Grim asked. “But you need to.”

“I know,” you inhaled soundly with a heaviness in your chest. “So I came up with another plan.”

“What kind of? By the way, I don’t know about you, but as for me, I’d hurry up and finish ‘em all already.”

“Just to remind you, they’re not objects I could simply manipulate for my own purposes.”

“And you’re not an object yourself to excruciate yourself like that.”

You swallowed an objection, knowing Grim was surprisingly right. 

“As for the plan,” you shrugged the previous topic off. “You’ll see. I hope at least I will entertain Ashengrotto.”

You definitely had no intention of getting closer to Azul. From the very beginning after reading his profile and seeing 90% of the difficulty level to the point you weren’t sure if you’re capable enough to finish it yourself. 

You’ve created a scheme fitting Azul’s demeanor and attitude, however weren’t sure if it’s going to work, considering you actually wanted to make the system crash down and send you back to the office during the maintenance to never ever remembering everything again. 

Feelings were hard to possess. It wasn’t love, but it was you receiving it. You were sure they all loved you differently — out of interest, of accepting, of admiration. You, on the other hand, couldn’t name your feelings accurately, but you knew that emotions were scary, unknown and addictingly enchanting. 

Which is why you’ve entered Ashengrotto’s office with a feigned smile and a confidence you always seemed to demonstrate in other stories you’ve transmigrated into. Maybe a change of tactics would do?

“Ah, Yuu-san. Welcome to the Mostro Lounge.”

It, of course, was Jade who met you. You knew every corner of the Lounge after spending some time here with Leech, and now, receiving his unwaveringly polite smile, you answered with the same expression, greeting him cheerfully.

“Good afternoon, Leech.”

“How formal,” Jade noticed, but you tried to remain indifferent. “Alright, Yuu-san. How can I help you?”

“I’ve requested a meeting with Ashengrotto.”

And you had no intention of calling Azul by his name in his own route. 

It was controversial. You needed to gain his love and win his trust, but at the same time you weren’t sure for 100%, wanting to escape and let this be as it is. 

“Oh, indeed. Please follow me.”

His wide shoulders and arms that strongly held you when you almost fell off the cliff. The scent of the sea waves surrounding his figure and the way he glanced at you, thinking about something unbeknown to you. Argh, seriously, you wanted to turn back time and enjoy that night with a firework show once again.

“We’ve arrived,” he said. “Azul is informed you would come, so please come in.”

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure, Yuu-san. Be sure to come again for a cup of coffee.”

You clenched your teeth and nodded, knocking twice and entering after hearing ‘Come in’. 

“Good afternoon, Ashengrotto.”

“Welcome, Yuu-san.”

The fragrance of sea waves was even stronger than the one Jade radiated, conjoining with something salty and sweet at the same time. You made your way to the sofa and placed yourself there after Azul nodded, the sea blue of his eyes making you forget all the words you’ve prepared for a moment.

“I heard you have a request to make, am I being correct?”

“Very much so,” you grinned at him.

“Well then, you seem quite determined. I believe you are already informed that everything comes with a price.”

“Sure do,” you nodded. “My request may seem unusual, but I hope you guarantee to grant anything I desire?”

“How persistent you are, Yuu-san,” Azul chuckled. “But worry not, here in Mostro Lounge I can fulfill every wish you make. For a certain fee, of course.”

“Marvelous,” you clapped your hands and stood up, stretching out your hand for a handshake, causing Azul to look at you, questioning your actions. “Well then, hear my wish.”

“I’m listening.”

“Please fall in love with me.”

Azul’s glasses slipped off the bridge of his nose, his eyes widened in shock, and he glanced at you, feeling his cheeks growing hot.

“W-what— Excuse my sudden startle, Yuu-san. Your request is just… quite an unusual one.”

“You said you guarantee everything.”

“I’m not taking my words back, I really do guarantee you that, but… why would you do that?”

“Let’s see…” You hummed theatrically, drawing an outstretched hand to your chin and imitating a frown. “First, you’re handsome. Totally my type.”

“W-what are you saying?!”

“I solemnly swear that I’m telling the truth and truth only!”

“Y-Yuu-san, wait for a moment, would you…”

“Second, I want to experience love. And since you’re the one fulfilling the wishes here, isn’t it quite obvious I came to you?”

“Yuu-san… I believe you’re mature enough to realize that love isn’t something that can be imitated so easily, right?”

“This is why I’m asking you, Ashengrotto,” you suddenly bent over, meeting his flushed cheeks and giggling.

Ah, this is bad. He was actually cute.

“I know you won’t take it easy. Please date me with all the seriousness you’ve got and fall in love with me genuinely.”

“Yuu-san…”

A heart-shaped icon above his head filled with a small amount of a pink liquid, and you bit your lip. 

It was awful. You didn’t want him to fall in love with you, genuinely or not, you wanted to be free and him to be happy, not knowing you at all. Anything but destroying him after you leave.

“I promise to do my best too!” You smiled at him. 

But you couldn’t promise to make him happy afterwards.

“Your offer is surely an interesting one,” he averted his gaze, not being able to meet yours, eager and all bubble-like, following his, flustered. “But what can you offer for the fulfilling?”

“Ah, that.”

The system’s databases were sure something else. The information provided by them made your work easier, even if you had to spend all the currency you possessed, now having nothing. You switched roles with Grim, him being the one who became a ��family breadwinner’ for a time being. 

“I’ll tell you my biggest secret no one in this school knows. No one in the entire dimension knows.”

“Huh?” Ashengrotto said. “What a flattering offer. Why should I trust you?”

“If you will fulfill my wish, you’ll be able to manipulate me, destroy me, make the whole world desire your knowledge and power, because I myself possess the knowledge every person would love to acquire.”

“You’re saying insanely nonsensical things, Yuu-san. But alright, prove it to me.”

“Great,” you clapped your hands. “I know there’s a photo of you and your classmates in the Atlantica Memorial Museum.”

Azul jolted at your statement, staring at your stoic expression.

“How did you…”

“Also,” you continued, getting closer to him and smiling slyly. “I know about the scheme you’ve planned to appropriate Ramshackle and all the things you’ve prepared for upcoming exams.”

“Yuu-san,” he frowned at you, standing up. “You’re walking on thin ice.”

“You wanted me to prove my powers, right? I did just so and I’m guaranteeing you’ll receive all of my power once you… fall in love with me.”

You lowered your gaze, and Azul wondered why would it even change so drastically, going from cheeky and sly to filled with sadness he couldn’t describe.

“... Alright,” he sighed, closing his eyes and fixing his glasses. “Let us sign a contract.”

“Oya thank you~” You giggled, grabbing a pen on the table, ready to sign. “I know feelings are hard to acquire, but please fall in love quickly, okay?~”

“We’ll see. Don’t forget you need to tell me everything once it’s over.”

“I won’t! He-he.”

You’re the one who’s going to forget.

“Uhm, Yuu-san…”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t you find this position quite, uhm…”

“Hm?”

“No, nothing…”

You giggled with a soft exhale into the crook of Ashengrotto’s neck, thinking about how to escape the predicament you both happened to be trapped in.

You met him after his classes were over, waiting for him to come out from the auditorium, but only had he stepped out, he grabbed your hand and walked you away, accompanied by his classmates noises, hearing something among ‘Woah Azul’s dating someone???’ lines.

And then you realized he never intended to reveal your relationship status, and if the first two weeks went quite okay with you going on fake dates, no one managed to spot you. Or so Azul thought, but you knew Jade also figured out what kind of request you make, glancing over and smiling with an emotion you couldn’t understand. 

So today he accidentally led you two into an extremely small staff room of the Mostro Lounge where mops were stored, escaping other workers’ stares. And it wouldn’t be a problem if Azul didn’t hear Floyd approaching you two. 

So now you found yourself ‘trapped’ in here, your bodies being tangled, which seemed funny to you, while Azul was going crazy, his cheeks glowing crimson in a dim light radiating from one small lamp in the room.

“Ouch, Yuu-san, be careful.”

“The same goes to you!”

His hands on your back made you bite your lower lip when Azul tried fixing his position, but to no avail. You had no other choice but to be pressed to his chest, head empty of thoughts and common sense. 

“Argh, Ashengrotto, you seriously!—”

“Shh!! Floyd’s coming.”

He managed to press a finger to your lips, and you remembered why you found otome games strange in the first place. All those silly situations like this were so stupid and unrealistic when you were recovering after experiencing literal hell in thrillers, but now? Now you were melting under his careful movements and focused eyes fixated on the gap in the door, fishing out Floyd. 

You fell silent, averting your gaze, and felt Azul’s slow breath. Your legs went numb, and when you wanted to change your pose just slightly, you felt Azul’s grip on you tightening, and blushed. 

“Uhm, Ashen—”

“Yuu— Ugh, can’t you just—”

“Aha~ Did I just hear Koebi-chan?~”

You tensed, clenching Azul’s necktie and panicking just slightly when you heard Floyd’s voice.

“Where are you two?~”

“Ashengrotto, I think we should—”

“Yuu-san, just shut up already!!”

“But I might fall just—”

He turned to you with the brightest color of red on his cheeks, grabbing your chin and drawing your face to his, shutting you up with a kiss.

You could have sworn you saw Jade’s intense stare for a mere second, and then also him talking to Floyd.

“Floyd, here you are. Azul told me we’re needed in the kitchen.”

“Eh? But I don’t wanna~”

“Let’s go.”

“But Ja~ade!”

You two parted with a soft sound of Azul’s nervous breath, and he shifted his gaze immediately after you stared at him blankly. 

“A-Ashengrotto…”

“You’re hopeless, Yuu-san…”

“Sorry… O-oh…”

You noticed how pink liquid filled the heart to the half and inhaled sharply, grabbing Azul’s hand when he was going to open the door.

“W-what?”

“Uhm, nothing… sorry again.”

The kiss made you lose your mind for a moment or two. You needed Azul to fall in love with you as soon as possible before you fell for him yourself. 

“Ashengrotto.”

“Yes, Yuu-san?”

“Go take a rest. It’s painful to see you working so hard. I haven’t seen you sleeping for two days.”

Azul sighed, fixing his glasses, and continued writing something. 

“Of course, you don’t see me sleeping, because I do that in Octavinelle.” 

“I highly doubt that…”

You fell silent, sorting out the contracts he made, and stumbled upon a request similar to yours, gasping.

“What’s the matter?”

“Someone asked you to date them,” you frowned. “But you declined.”

“Of course I did.”

“But why? Didn’t you say you fulfill any wish?”

“Yuu-san.”

He stopped writing, sanding up and getting on one knee before you, causing you to blush a little.

“Because right at the moment I’m dating you… no, not just that,” he took your hand in his. “I’m falling in love with you, Yuu-san.”

You bit your lip, lowering your gaze and knitting brows together. It ached so excruciatingly right in your chest, you hated every moment of everything happening just as much you loved it. You…

“I have a question,” you said. “Have you not still fallen in love with me?”

“One more word, and I’ll start hating you instead, but…”

He placed his head on your knees, making you flustered.

“A-Ashengrotto?!”

“Yuu-san, first of all… There’s two things restraining me from loving you with all my heart.”

“Oh, I’m… All ears.”

“First,” he looked at you, pouting with a cute pinkish hue on his cheeks and ears. “Have you ever dated someone before?”

“O-oh?” You found yourself startled. “To be honest, yes, I have. Why?”

“Did you call them by their surname, too?”

“No,” you answered immediately.

“Then why do you call me by my last name?”

There was a reasoning behind that, but you couldn't even clearly judge yourself for your stupid decisions, so you remained silent, receiving his sigh as an answer.

“Fine. The second question possesses more importance anyway. Why don’t you allow yourself to love and be loved?”

You jolted, escaping his serious look, and not daring to give him an answer. You begged for the heart to fill up this instant, but Azul’s stoic gaze remained strict. 

“The answer is related to the secret I’m going to reveal when you finally fall in love.”

“And what if I tell you I already did?”

You smiled bitterly at him, interweaving your fingers with his. 

“You didn’t,” you laughed. “I know you didn’t. And you know it too.”

“Is it related to that knowledge of yours?”

“Correct,” you nodded. “I know how you feel.”

“It might be funny hearing from me, but Yuu-san. You can never know what one feels, even if in reality you had the magic helping you reveal people’s feelings all this time, or anything else — you can’t. Otherwise you wouldn’t say I don’t love you yet.”

You fell silent again. But the system couldn’t lie, the liquid of the heart was still on its half, so was he lying to you at this point? He wasn’t. You knew that too.

Will you believe the system or him, Azul Ashengrotto, his cold hands holding yours, cold too? 

It was insane. It was an absolutely absurd, stupid mess you hated with all your heart. The support and consideration of your own feelings Azul demonstrated to you made you go crazy with a warmth blossoming in your chest.  

“Azul…”

“Huh.”

He raised his head, meeting your surprised expression, being quite astonished himself, and smiled at you, clenching a piece of shirt in his fist.

“You really… What a controversial figure you are, Yuu.”

“Hey, I… Wait. No, no, Azul, wait!!”

“What’s with you?”

Bright light flowing around you made you burst into tears at once, throwing yourself into his embrace and crying hopelessly, him not realizing what was happening. 

“I,” you sucked in the air, cupping his cheeks and smiling at him. “I came from another dimension and I’ve got two more people’s stories to finish. Y-you, you were my fourth story in this mess, and… Argh, no, please, give me one more minute, I’m begging!!”

“Yuu?!”

You felt how the light was tying up your limbs, and despite your miserable attempts at escaping, it ached. It was not your body aching, but your very heart.

“Please forget about me. Don’t carry my secret, the next time we meet pretend you never felt anything for me. Forget me and.. Thank you, Azul.”

“Yuu!” He cried out, grabbing your hand for a brief moment before you almost dissolved in the air. “Thank you. Thank you for showing me love and letting me fall for you…”

Opening your eyes in the room in Ramshackle you shared with Grim, you’ve decided that you would rather suffer yourself than letting others experience that pain with you. 

Lilia Vanrouge and Idia Shroud are going to be different, you thought, seeing 100% difficulty level under Lilia’s icon in the system, trying to ignore the ‘COMPLETED’ line under Azul’s image, but sweet and salty scent of sea waves made you chuckle nervously and swallow your despair all at once. 

— tag-list : @coffee-or-hot-cocoa @red-viewe @68thsposts

© yunarim 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝. 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲, 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧.

[beneathsilverstars]

@horatiocomehome replied

ooo how about jewelry taste. dangly earrings vs studs, do they wear bracelets, rings, flashy vs elegant, etc

mirabelle has so many cute trinkets! we know she loves accessories that go ding ding, and she'll layer a ton of necklaces so they knock against each other. sometimes they all match nicely, sometimes it's eclectic chic! she adores metal charms and carved beads, especially charmingly unusual shapes like an itty bitty fork, ducky, book, etc. as well as classics like lockets and bells! she tends to fidget with rings and lose track of them, so she avoids those. post-canon she decides to stop wearing earrings, so she turns her novelty earrings into bracelet/necklace charms! and gives her more basic studs to isabeau so he'll actually own some basics.

isabeau is all about shapes and contrast, so he likes chunky beads in materials like turquoise or jasper that have different shades marbled together, metal geometric shapes, wire-wrapped stone, and unique arrangements of elements. he likes funny noises too, but will go for one complicated necklace instead of multiple single strands. he definitely tends towards statement necklaces and earrings — he used to run into trouble because he only had statement pieces, so they would clash terribly, but then he started buying more matching sets. he loves bonding earrings as a romantic, but is a little torn because there's no way any two earrings could match all of his fits...

odile is the kind of person to pick a nice look and stick to it, so there's not much variety in her accessories. she has her glasses gems, a pair of pearl studs, a pair of silver studs, and a couple sentimental rings that she keeps somewhere safe instead of wearing. we know bonding earrings are popular in ka bue but not as universal as in vaugarde; i think it would be cute if ka bue had a whole language of earrings and rings, with different gem types/cuts/colors denoting different sorts of relationships and emotions. so she's got, like, a [daughter, you are the most important thing in my life] ring from her dad, and a [lover, we change each other] ring from an ex.

siffrin is all about sentimental pieces!! it doesn't really occur to him to buy himself jewelry, but isa or mira will see him looking at something in the market and buy it for him and suddenly the aesthetic appeal that sif had mildly enjoyed doesn't matter at all compared to They Gave This To Me. siffrin tends to be drawn towards solid shades or starry dots, and smooth, swirling shapes. isa also gets them stimmy pieces like a bumpy bangle or spinny ring, and mira gets them cute things that remind her of them like star pins or kitty charms. he's just so fun to give trinkets to, even bonnie and odile have gotten him some, so he's working up quite a collection! he carefully rotates through everything, and keeps some pieces in his pockets when he can't fit everything he wants onto his body or doesn't want to wear any jewelry that day.

bonnie's bracelet is smooth wood, and they're going to be very upset the day it no longer fits over their hand. they prefer non-rock materials like wood, shells, bones, and sea glass, because that's just way more fun! they made shell necklaces with nille all the time, so many that it doesn't matter how often they lose them.

loop goes full magpie! since they don't have to buy necessities like food, they're less careful about spending money than siffrin, plus they're more desperate to capture any scrap of joy. they also have a bit of "everyone else is an npc" brain and "i am both above and beneath normal rules", so they're more comfortable with stealing than siffrin is. they like drapey chains, black and white beads, and unusual pieces. they like the pressure stim of very heavy necklaces and the clack of many bracelets. once when one of their favorites broke they procured the tools to fix it, and started modifying the stuff they own and stringing trinkets onto chains!

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

Hello! :)

How would your main 10 skeletons react if their child was chosen for a main role in a play/dance and have been practicing for over a year for the role only to be replaced and not have a role at all?

This actually happened to me when I was taking dance :(

Hope you have a nice day/night!

Undertale Sans - He's sad for his kid, but that happens. It's alright though. If Sans has one weakness, it's clearly not bear to see his family sad. Not only he's going to find you another role, but it will be ten times better than the one you had. He didn't hesitate one second to use Mettaton to have access to some cool opportunities.

Undertale Papyrus - He's so mad they ditched you like this. It's maybe touching him a little more than it should be as well as he used to get ditched from everything as a kid. He still assures you it has nothing to do with your skills and that he's sure you'll find another opportunity soon. Not two days later, he convinces Mettaton to hire you. Being an international star is way better than some role in your school.

Underswap Sans - That's life, kiddo. It's unfair, but it happens often. Blue tries to comfort them the best he can, but he can tell you're disappointed. It's ok though, you can still use what you learn to try somewhere else. He believes in you, he's sure you can find a better opportunity!

Underswap Papyrus - He's so mad at your teacher for just ditching you for no reason. It's unfair, and you clearly wanted to participate a lot. After trying to beg your cause at the school, he's involving some local journalists to make everyone realize how stupid they are to not accept their daughter! He wins in the end and you get your role back.

Underfell Sans - He tells his kid that they didn't deserve them anyway because they're too good for their shitty show. Red is so gonna hack the show to put videos of you training in the middle of the dance performance so everyone sees what they lost. He doesn't care if he gets into trouble. Not his fault you're all jealous.

Underfell Papyrus - He goes full Karen mode and he's storming the dance class to say what he thinks of that bullshit decision. He pays for lessons for his child all year, he even buys them private sessions. Either you pay him back or he's suing you, and oh boy, you don't want him to sue you when he's the best lawyer in the city. Either you give back their child's role or you're going in prison for stealing his money.

Horrortale Sans - He feels guilty. He can tell that's because the kids are scared of him when he's coming to take you home at the end of your classes. You tell him it's not his fault they're racist bitches and that you prefer to leave than support their anti-monster bullshit anyway. He's so proud of you. He's going to help you find another role though. He wants to help.

Horrortale Papyrus - He can tell immediately it's because he's scary and the other parents complained. But that's not going to happen. There's no way you're dropping your dream role for some racist idiots. He's going to tell them what he thinks of this, and of how ashame they should be for showing such an example for the young generation. He casually threatens to sue them for discriminating his child as well because it's what it is: discrimination for being a monster. He's not going to tolerate this. That's ten years since the monsters are out of the Underground, get over it already!

Swapfell Sans - That's fine, he simply pays the class director and tells them nicely that if they keep causing trouble for his child, he's closing their business definitely. The director screams at him for trying to buy privileges. The next day, the building mysteriously explodes during the night. How could that happen? O:

Swapfell Papyrus - That's fine. When you're down, nothing is better than a little revenge. You spend the night throwing dog poop and eggs at every window of the building lol. Rus switches on every faucet of the building too and let them run the entire weekend. Someone is going to have a surprise on Monday. And a water tax so high they're going to faint. That's for the money he lost in their stupid school. He's going to find another role for his kid after that.

Fellswap Gold Sans - Oh, it's fine. He simply goes to see your teacher and gives them the scare of their life by threatening them with his bones and blasters. Either you give their role to their kid or... Well, you don't really want to know what can happen, right? :)

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He's disgusted your school would do something so lame after such a long time training. He assures you you're a good dancer though and that they're losing more than you, because you're clearly going to find something better and make them all jealous. When you find a new role, he's sticking posters of your show everywhere on and inside your old school so they all see what they missed.

[misaldragon]

The mercs (and others) red flags.

Saw someone else do a post like this, hated it, decided to give it a try at it. Please keep in mind this is my personal list so if you don’t agree with something that’s a-okay. I welcome constructive criticism and questions.

Scout: Talks to people who aren’t there (See the comic where Zhanna tried to bed scout), major ego (to be fair he is god's favorite but still), will pick a fight with someone for you (If you have social anxiety like i do you’ll want to shrivel up and disappear), kills people (this is just going to be a given with all the mercs), and dates might be cheap due to him spending all his money on Tom Jones merch (Scout may set aside money for dates with you if you say you want to go somewhere else though but man cannot buy a house for the two of you).

Soldier: Man is as dumb as a bag of rocks (he drank led water cut him some slack… Also dumb enough to fall for just about any scam), like scout he will also fight someone for you but be much louder and bombastic about it (please i just was to not exist, no, don’t fight the dad in front of his kids), VERY proud american (as an american, this country sucks), and will yell at you, other people, anyone, that baby in the stroller? Getting yelled at! (Generally very loud person and doesn’t care who you are… Also kills people).

Pyro: Do you collect bones? You do now (Due to Pyro vision bones are probably candy or flowers or something to Pyro… They have good intentions but my god is it scary/creepy if you don’t know about Pyro vision), bones might be animal or human bones and also general body parts (Pyro vision again), will not shower around you.. Do they shower (they don’t want to be seen without their suit on but will let you clean the suit with them in it), and will probably steal your lighters (this is going off a hunch but also stealing is not something i like… Also kills people).

Heavy: Works very closely to Medic a lot of the time (and Medic is… A lot), VERY happy to do his job (and since his job is killing people this can be concerning), maybe a bit too attentive to his guns (can certainly be off putting to see a minigun in a small bed next to a larger one), and he was out of touch with his family (as shown in the comics when he's worried about his family only to find out they have been defending themselves just fine).

Engineer: Probably a workaholic so he may forget dates (note, he’ll also do his best to make it up to you if he does and start setting up reminders for himself he’s just not used to being in a relationship because of his job), makes southern sweet tea (as someone who lives in the south i know how sweet our tea is, if you don’t want cavities from looking at a drink don’t let him make sweet tea for you), probably shot at you before (mans paranoid because of spies, don’t sneak up on him), and would pressure you to ride a bull (mechanical or not but he’d prefer it to be mechanical and one he made to make sure it’s not to much, still won't take no for an answer when it comes to this only… Also kills people).

Demoman: Substance abuse (alcohol, congrats to the original you got one right), probably mommy/daddy issues (his mom seems to be an angry elderly woman, dad is dead so it seems there's something there but that could just be me), believes in monsters/ghosts (i don’t but given how the world of TF2 works this is more a IRL issue), has probably blown himself up at least once (possible that he might blow you up if he's REALLY drunk… Also kills people).

Medic: This man is a walking red flag, made a deal with the devil more than once, stole his pet doves, stole a wedding van, puts animal organs in people, manipulative (mostly seen with the tfc team when he had to manipulate them to put animal organs in them), stole a man's skeleton, medical malpractice, probably not mentally well, will take your organs, and kills people… Probably not all of it either.

Sniper: Can skin any animal or even person flawlessly and tell you how too (creepy, and i don’t want to know), very good stalker and hunter (he does this with you because he wants to surprise you with something you like but conversation is his weak point so this is the next best thing in his mind), Pyro isn’t the only one that’ll bring you animal bones (at least he’s a bit more tactful about it, making it into actual stuff like alligator teeth necklaces, deer antler coat hanger, and snake bone coasters for a few examples), probably doesn’t shower as much as he needs to (at least he brushes his teeth… Also kills people)

Spy: Will eventually leave you like he did all his other partners (which we can see with Scout's mother since he didn’t help raise Scout), is french (must i explain?), secret past (will keep as much of his past a secret as he can but also find out everything about you he can), and he never fully trusts you (he’s a spy, it’s understandable but sad.. Also kills people).

Miss pauling: Does not have time for you (unless you join her on missions but that is a large order), doesn’t fully trust you (this is from vibes), cannot fully devote herself to you or the relationship (her loyalty is to the administrator), can kill you without anyone noticing (its just scary to think about).

Saxton hale!: Can and will fight people for you even if the person just looked at you funny ( the police have been called several times), will fight a hippy just because they are a hippy (He really likes fighting), willingly and knowingly sells weapons to mercs (man can kill and condones it), will jump out of a plane with you… you have no choice.

[laurelnose]

i saw an essay when Book of Hours came out that said the Librarian was different from the Cultist because the Cultist has no friends and is just holed up somewhere pursuing higher mysteries while using people as ritual parts, while the Librarian is a member of the community at Brancrug. (It was hilarious how fast BoH swung the fandom consensus on the Cultist from “they’re pretty competent” to “oh the Cultist is a fucking idiot,” lmfao.) anyways uhh they’re right but since House of Light came out I have realized that I like playing BoH exactly the same way I play CS, which is to say I hole up in my big weird house for days on end shuffling my card decks and forgetting other people exist, only to be unpleasantly surprised when the season changes and someone shows up at my door. community what community. The Deep Mysteries need to be shelved.

[very mild, largely mechanical House of Light spoilers to follow]

salons are pretty fun once you’ve got enough resources to not feel squeezed about them though. They take a lot of prep and you have to time your invitations correctly so that your visitors arrive while you’re still flush with soul, but I do enjoy the conversation with the guests. and it does feel nice to be able to write to visitors, even if I’m not doing it very often. like the Librarian really is connected to the outside world and not just hopelessly unmoored from other people at Hush House, at the mercy of whoever randomly bothers to make the trek out to Brancrug. I’m still spending most of my money on Unusual Help and haven’t been able to budget much for dishes but I’m almost done unlocking the House and will soon be able to buy much more food. I like that lessons are now functionally infinite and I don’t have to worry about trying to get the timing right for Numa lessons anymore. I’ve not done a lot of incident follow-up (Spencer is coming next Numa and he will be my first) but I think I shall have to prioritize doing more of them. And I shall have to find out if my Numa incident can be followed up on too, once it concludes.

[“how have you been playing for a week and still haven’t concluded any incidents” I am BEING ANTISOCIAL, as previously established.]

i am so sad that Numa visitors don’t leave calling cards. I understand why but the only thing I really wanted from the visitors update was the ability to make Julian Coseley show up whenever I want. 😭 Can you host a salon during Numa if you are careful with your invitation timing?? I will have to check if the Numa guests have food preference aspects.

two final things. 1) please let me buy eggs oh my god. eggs require three soul cards (collect vegetable sack. feed chicken. collect egg from chicken) which considering that the going rate for a soul card at the Sweet Bones is 12p and that you can’t multitask with beasts e.g. feeding Tuppence while collecting from Terrence, makes eggs one of THEE most complicated and expensive ingredients to obtain. It’s more straightforward to collect from the gulls but considering the pull rate is 33% eggs, that’s still basically three soul cards per egg, this time with aspect constraints! I will pay fucking spintriae for eggs, just let me use currencyyyyy. 2) the fucking shelving system is still giving me fits, I think it’s been improved somewhat for the books (I didn’t play the Daymare update so IDK if it was that or HoL) but where the hell am I supposed to put ANYTHING else. When I order all the ingredients I need for cooking, where do they go, the fucking bridge? Gross! Immersion-breaking! I need more pantry space.

(I unfortunately have limited patience for the shelf thing. The most concrete manifestation of my COVID trauma is I can’t STAND irregularly shaped shelves anymore. Circulation dropped by >70% during lockdown and took years to recover. Public library collections are sized with the expectation that a certain percentage of the collection will live with patrons; we were not and still aren’t equipped to house our entire collection in-house. I spent a year of my life jury-rigging shelves to get things to fit. The bane of my existence became shelves so specifically designed for a certain type of media that they couldn’t be extended or repurposed for other things. Having to constantly shuffle books around between ~aesthetic~ little nooks isn’t cute or cozy, it’s just bad fucking library design. When the shelving mechanic on BoH works it’s a thing of beauty but there are simply NOT ENOUGH SHELVES. I just want to fit my reasonably-sized collection on one screen. Also the scrolls should stack on top of each other. Catch my Librarian spending their stipend on ripping out the entire Westcott Room and redoing it for space efficiency)

[petitelepus]

A Loner's Unexpected Journey, Part 2

Kimetsu Academy!Genya Shinazugawa X Fem!Reader

Summary: You're once again alone and heading to eat your lunch the way you liked it, alone, when you run into a familiar face.

Warnings: None

A/N: Modern!AU, Kimetsu Academy, Female Reader, Genya Shinazugawa

PART 1 II PART 2 II PART 3 II PART 4 II PART 5 II PART 6 II PART 7 II PART 8 II PART 9 II PART 10 II PART 11 II PART 12 II PART 13 II PART 14 II PART 15 II PART 16 II PART 17 II PART 18

You could truly tell how the whole classroom was divided into groups during lunchtime when the members of the said groups would flock together.

Popular guys would talk about sports they had, girls or such, nerds would talk about anime and games and those happy popular girls were sitting by the window again, chatting happily about how they wanted to go to karaoke as they enjoyed their lunches.

You? You were alone at your seat at the entrance like a loner you were. It might have looked brutal, but you were happy as you were, so why did people have to try and include you? You had heard it all before, those pitiful stares and whispers.

"She is eating by herself?"

"Again?"

"Doesn't she, like, have even one friend to eat with?"

"So sad."

They had once tried to ask you to join them in what they must have thought was out of pity, but you could tell they were only taunting you.

You had looked at the poor girl they had sent to ask you and said, "No thank you. I'm fine here." before completely ignoring her. However, once she returned to her friends, they were all giggling like crazy, at you no doubt.

If you had to choose, you would probably have most common with Otakus, those nerds and gamers, but you weren't really a team player. You preferred going solo.

So once lunchtime rolled around, you grumbled by yourself as you grabbed your shoulder bag and made your way out of the classroom before the groups could form.

Many people brought lunch from home and some used their pocket money to buy something from the canteen. You had your own lunch packed in your shoulder bag so you didn't need to buy anything, but what you sought wasn't food but a place to eat in peace.

Normally you would eat outside, but since it was Fall already, it could get pretty chilly outside. So you ventured to this old abandoned classroom that was mainly used to store furniture and such. You liked eating there, you had a place to sit, it was quiet and the best part was that there was no one else there ever.

Or so you thought. You opened to door and stepped inside, but before you could close the door you heard someone say your name. You flinched, slightly startled, and whipped around to see the young man with wild hair and a huge scar on his face, Genya Shinazugawa.

"Oh. Genya." You looked around, trying to see if there was anyone else with him, but he appeared to be alone. You weren't sure if you wanted to disturb him so you turned around, ready to leave, willing to leave your normal place to eat for the sake of being alone again, "I'm sorry, I'll go somewhere else-!"

"W- wait!" Genya called after you and you stopped in your tracks and turned to look at him, "What is it?"

"Would you, uh… Would you like to eat with me…?" He asked carefully, his face flushed red as he averted his gaze. You were starting to see a pattern here when he would blush and look away.

You weren't really sure if you wanted to stay, but you kind of liked Genya and you actually didn't really mind his company. At least that's what you thought, based on his visit to your place last week.

After a small moment of silence, you turned to look at him properly, "Are you sure?"

He nodded quickly and you huffed as you walked up to him and sat by the desk next to his. You dug out your convenience store-bought lunch box from your shoulder bag and you and Genya both noticed that you had the exact same boxes. Same meat on rice and light salad on the side.

"Ah-!" You both opened your mouths to speak, only to speak over one another. This made you both blush and avert your gazes from each other.

"You, uh…" You started awkwardly, "You have a good taste…"

"Thanks…" Genya nodded, "You too…"

Oh God, how could the two of you be so awkward? The two of you got your disposable utensils that came with the lunch boxes and started to eat in silence. The rich meat was well-balanced with pretty bland rice and the side salad was both fresh and refreshing. You were almost done with your lunch when your curiosity got the best of you.

"So, uh…" You frowned as you tried to figure out what to say, "What brings you here?"

"I was just…" Genya looked aside, "I was searching for a remote place to eat in peace."

"Ah…" You nodded, "I'm sorry, I barged in here."

"I- it's okay!" The young man blushed, "If it's you then I don't mind company…"

You blinked as you felt your cheeks tingle as blush rose to your cheeks. You averted your gaze and asked, "Don't you have anyone to eat with?"

"I'm… Not exactly popular or anything…" Genya admitted quietly, "People are kind of afraid of me and I admit, I can be scary and temperamental…"

Ah, you were both kind of similar, or at least in the same boat… But he couldn't help it if he was scary looking, you could at least try to be nicer, but you didn't trust anyone enough to actually open up a little.

"I know how you feel. I'm not exactly very friendly so I don't have any friends." You said as you looked at him, "I admit that I am also a pretty cynical person."

You were a little ashamed of admitting it, but Genya seemed to understand.

"You seem nice enough for me?" He thought out loud, much to your surprise.

"Well…" You frowned as you felt your cheeks tingle more, "Unlike most of the guys and girls in this school, you seem like an alright guy. Genuine and honestly nice."

"I… T- thank you?" Genya blushed as he averted his gaze and you felt a little silly, talking like that to a guy you barely knew… But somehow you had this feeling that you could trust him and that he wasn't like other people.

"How is Lady?" He suddenly asked.

"Hm?" You looked at him in confusion and he cleared his throat, "The kitten."

"Oh!" You felt stupid, not immediately realizing that he was talking about the kitten you had adopted from the streets a little over a week ago.

"She is doing well. Hungry, the little one eats like a damn horse but that's apparently expected from young and growing kittens like her."

Genya smiled at the choice of your words and you felt your chest tighten a little at the sight of his smile. You dug out your phone and saw that the lunch break was almost over. You both would have to rush to your own classrooms if you didn't want to be late for the class.

"I gotta go, the class is starting soon." You said and you felt honestly bad for leaving because some part of you wanted to keep on talking with this young man. The two of you seemed to have pretty much in common so you kind of wanted to get to know him a little better, even if only a little.

"Ah, I understand…" Genya nodded and the two of you put your empty lunch boxes away but before either one of you left, you collected your courage and looked at him. "Um… Genya?"

"Yes?"

"Would you, uh…" You blushed a little, "Would you like to exchange phone numbers? Like, if you would like to eat together or such?"

Hearing you ask for his number made the rough-looking young man blush furiously. He was shaking as he nodded pulled out his own smartphone from his jacket's pocket and handed it to you so you could input your phone number in it and you copied him, handing him your phone.

Once you had both put your numbers in each other's phones, you handed them back and you smiled a little, "Thank you. See you tomorrow at the same time?"

"Y- yes!" Genya nodded and you both left and went your own ways so you wouldn't be late for your classes.

The rest of the day, you were actually in a kind of good mood. You still got annoyed by your foolish classmates, but it bothered you a little less when you thought about your new friend.

[sunsetplums]

In The Belly of a Whale

When she asks him how many times he's been in love, Sebastian lies. None, he says. Love isn't real. Just a word to cover up how empty life feels. A word for nothing at all.

When Ominis used to ask, he would say, As many times as it took to reach you.

They sit across from each other, the table between them like a chasm. She talks, and he nods, but her words are noise. She laughs too loud, fills the silence too much. He thinks, Ominis wouldn’t do that. Ominis knew how to sit in the quiet, how to laugh in a way that made the world laugh with him.

She reaches for his hand, her touch too light, too soft. It annoys him. Ominis was firm, certain. She picks at her food, fidgeting, restless. He thinks, Ominis never fidgeted. Ominis was steady rivers, calm waters.

She asks if he’s having fun, her eyes wide with hope. He forces a smile, says yes, but he’s lying again. He’s somewhere else, with someone else, in a place she’ll never reach.

He wears the bracelet every day, the Braille pressed into metal, a secret that only his skin knows. She notices it, asks what it says, her fingers brushing over it. He doesn’t answer. Just changes the subject, talks about the food, the weather, anything but that.

Later, he tells her he has money, more than he needs. Says he’ll buy her anything, everything. He says it like it matters, but it doesn’t. Nothing does. She smiles, eyes bright, unaware that he doesn’t care. She likes the idea of it, the promise of more. Sebastian can give her more, can give her everything. Just name it, he says. Money is just paper, just numbers.

He feels nothing, not even when she leans in, whispering that she’s ready, telling him get the tab, get the car, let’s go. She’s too pushy, her words grating, and all Sebastian wants is for her to shut up. So he does what she says, just to quiet the noise.

It doesn’t matter. Nothing does.

They end up tangled in the back of his car, clothes discarded, her breath quick and all dirty martini against his skin as they fuck. He goes through the motions, feels her moving beneath him, but it’s like he’s watching from a distance. Detached. Hollow. She clings to him, desperate, searching for something in him that’s already gone.

They do it again in the room, the night swallowing them whole. It’s just a distraction, a way to pass the time. He’s numb to it, numb to her. He fucks her hard, just like she wants. She asks why the lights are off. To set the mood, he says, but that’s a lie. The real reason has nothing to do with her pleasure.

Sebastian prefers the dark. He doesn’t want to see. He’s ashamed, embarrassed, of what he’s become, of how far he’s fallen. The darkness hides everything, even from himself.

Morning comes, the sun cutting across his face, but the emptiness clings to him like a shadow. She’s beside him, still asleep, her breathing soft, one breast slipping out from under the sheets. He stares at the ceiling, at the yellowed crack from water damage he’s been meaning to fix. He has more than enough money to repair it, to replace the entire damn ceiling, to buy a new house that isn’t crumbling, but what’s the point? It all feels meaningless. Just an illusion, a flimsy curtain hiding the emptiness underneath.

Good morning, she says later, the sun now softened, no longer screaming over the bed. Her arms are cold, too cold to hold him. He grumbles, heads to the shower. The water is colder, biting at his skin. He shivers but doesn’t turn it warmer.

In the kitchen, he makes coffee. Pops acetaminophen and Xanax like candy. Lights a cigarette at the breakfast table. The floor creaks behind him. Arms wrap around him, and he knows the texture, the weight. The jumper clings to him, too tight, too wrong.

He freezes. Take it off, he says. Why, she asks, you’re not wearing it. It’s mine now. Her voice is small, teasing.

I’m not joking, he says. Take it off, now. She hesitates, her smile fading. What’s wrong with you?

He doesn’t answer. He just pulls it off her, rough, quick, desperate. She shrieks like she’s been burned, like he’s burned her.

He hugs the jumper to his chest, holds it tight. It still smells like him. Like Ominis. But it’s fading, just like everything else, a ghost of something he’ll never have again.

She gathers her things, crying softly, figuring it all out.

It doesn't matter. Nothing does.

Sometimes, it’s easier to believe that. His therapist says it’s not a healthy way to cope, but Sebastian doesn’t care. He tells her she doesn’t understand, that her concern irritates him. So he walks out and never goes back.

Sometimes, he digs through drawers, through boxes shoved in the back of closets, pulls out everything that belonged to Ominis. A half-empty bottle of cologne, a worn leather bookmark, a pair of mismatched socks, a cracked teacup with a chipped handle. A tangle of braille-embossed paper, small notes Ominis used to write, little reminders for himself. A keychain shaped like a dog, the one Ominis kept because it made him laugh. A music box that no longer plays, a scarf that still holds the smell of winter, a wristwatch that never kept time.

He gathers them, lays them out on the bed, stares at them like they might speak to him.

He needs to get them out of the house. They’re too much, too heavy, but he doesn’t. He can’t. Instead, he puts them all back, carefully, exactly where Ominis had kept them, their places etched into his memory. He knows their spots by heart. This isn’t the first time he’s done this.

Sometimes, he writes letters to Ominis, late at night when the world is quiet and the emptiness is too loud. He writes because it's the only way he can still talk to him. But the words are sharp, jagged. They cut into the paper, into him.

How dare you, he writes, hands shaking. How dare you leave me behind.

He’s furious, the anger like fire in his chest. You told me to find happiness, he writes. Told me to find love again. How dare you. How dare you say that and then leave.

He writes until the page is filled, until his hands ache and the ink smudges under the weight of his grip. He writes until there’s nothing left to say, but the anger still burns, still eats at him. He crumples the letter, throws it away, but the words are still there, echoing in the silence.

He writes another letter the next day. And the day after that. The anger never fades. Neither does the grief.

At the supermarket, the fluorescent lights blur, harsh and unfocused. It happens fast. A fight he doesn’t start, but he doesn’t walk away either. Words exchange too quickly, anger sparking where there should be silence. A stranger’s fist connects with his face, a sharp crack that splits his lip. Blood drips down his chin, warm and metallic, staining his shirt. He doesn’t fight back. He barely flinches. Pain is just another thing he collects, another thing he can feel when everything else feels numb.

Later, on the tram, he sits in a corner, the blood dried and crusted on his mouth. He stares at his reflection in the window, at the dark eyes that don’t seem to belong to him anymore. A girl sits down across from him. She’s young, too young to be alone this late, but she’s there, headphones in, eyes flicking nervously to the window, then back to her phone. She glances at him, her gaze lingering too long on his busted lip, the dried blood that he hasn’t bothered to wipe away, the emptiness in his stare.

She shifts in her seat, uncomfortable, her fingers tightening around her bag. He watches her, not really meaning to, but he can’t help it. There’s something fragile about her, something that reminds him of all the things he’s lost. He tries to smile, but it comes out wrong, more like a grimace. She looks away, pretends to be absorbed in something on her screen, but her fingers tremble.

The tram is nearly empty. The silence between stops stretches too long. She stands up suddenly, moving to the other end of the carriage, putting as much distance between them as she can.

He doesn’t follow her with his eyes, just stares at the empty seat she left behind. The tram rumbles on, the world outside a blur of lights and darkness. He touches his lip, feels the rough edges of the wound, and thinks about how the blood tasted. It’s just another reminder that he’s still here, still alive, even though he doesn’t want to be. The girl’s fear lingers in the air, a ghost he can’t shake off.

He doesn’t blame her. He knows what he looks like—like something broken, something that doesn’t fit. He closes his eyes, wishes for the numbness to return, but all he feels is the ache in his jaw and the empty seat Ominis left behind.

He doesn’t know why he ends up at the tarot card reader’s door. The sign outside is faded, the letters peeling, but it catches his eye as he wanders the streets. He steps inside, the air thick with incense, a cloying scent that makes his head swim.

The room is dim, cluttered with old books, crystals, candles burned down to their stubs. The woman behind the table looks up, her eyes dark, unreadable. She doesn’t flinch at the sight of him, doesn’t ask about the bruises or the blood. She just gestures for him to sit.

He sinks into the chair, the wood creaking under his weight. The table between them is covered in a worn velvet cloth, the edges frayed. She shuffles the deck, cards whispering against each other like secrets.

Ask your question, she says, her voice low, almost a murmur.

He doesn’t have a question. Doesn’t know what to ask. So he just sits there, silent, his mind blank. She waits a moment, then lays the cards out, one by one.

The first card: The Tower. A spire struck by lightning, crumbling, people falling. Destruction, chaos, everything coming undone.

The second card: The Hanged Man. A figure suspended upside down, trapped, yet oddly serene. Sacrifice, surrender, seeing the world from a different angle.

The third card: Death. A skeletal figure on horseback, the end of something, the beginning of something else. Transformation, but it doesn’t feel like a new beginning. Just an ending.

She looks at the cards, then at him. There’s a pity in her eyes that he can’t stand, a softness that makes him want to leave, but he stays. She doesn’t say much, just tells him what the cards mean, their symbols, their stories. But he isn’t really listening. The words wash over him, meaningless, like everything else.

He leaves the shop with the images of the cards burned into his mind, but they don’t tell him anything he didn’t already know. His life is falling apart. He’s trapped in it. And something inside him is already dead.

Sometimes, he wears Ominis’s jumper. It’s too tight, stretched over his frame. He curls up in the bathtub, knees to his chest, the cold porcelain pressing against his skin. He texts Ominis, again and again, messages that go unanswered. He calls out his name, voice cracking, tears slipping down his face. The walls echo his cries, but there’s no reply, just silence that feels like it’s swallowing him whole.

He screams until his throat is raw, until the sound is ripped from him, leaving him hollow. The neighbours hear, of course they do. They always hear. They call the police, just like last time.

When the police arrive, they bang on the door, loud and insistent. They find him in the tub, clutching the jumper like a lifeline. They question him, their voices hard, treating him like he’s done something wrong. They threaten to take him away, to a hospital where they say he can get help.

But he knows they don’t understand. They don’t see that he’s already lost everything. That it’s useless, getting help. They think they’re saving him, but there’s nothing left to save.

Sometimes, Ominis’ voice echoes in these walls, soft like a memory, sharp like a knife. It’s one of the reasons why he can’t move, why he stays in this crumbling place. This isn’t his home. It never was. This is Ominis’s house. Sebastian is just a guest here, an intruder in the life they used to share.

He can’t leave, not when Ominis’s ghost still lingers in the corners, in the shadows. The sound of his laughter in the next room, the way he’d hum quietly to himself when he thought no one was listening.

Sebastian stays because leaving would mean letting go. And he can’t. He won’t. This house, this ghost—it’s all he has left.

He meets a girl in the supermarket line. She says she likes his jeans, ripped and faded, like a nightmare trying too hard to be forgotten. Sebastian doesn’t like that, the way she makes it sound like poetry, like she’s trying to make something ugly sound beautiful. He glances at her basket—tampons, hair dye, eggs, bread, strawberries. In his, there’s cheap instant coffee, acetaminophen, nasal spray, two bottles of wine, pre-made spaghetti. He feels pathetic, thinking he can have a decent night, sitting on his balcony, staring at the stars, drinking wine, eating that sad excuse for a meal. It’s pathetic, really.

The girl smiles, hopeful. He doesn’t smile back. He doesn’t have to charm her. He can see it all already: she’ll be at his place on Saturday, three martinis deep. He’ll lie to her so many times his tongue will bleed. He’ll tell her one truth: that he has enough money for everything she’s ever wanted. And then they’ll fuck in his bed, in the dark, and Sebastian will eat her pussy like it’s the last thing keeping him tethered to this world. And morning will come, the sun splitting his face in half, and he’ll empty his ashtray as the coffee drips. And the girl will wrap her arms around him, and he’ll pretend the jumper swallowing her body is the ocean, pulling him under, into the belly of a whale, and he’ll scream, and the girl will run away.

And nothing will matter. Nothing ever will.

Later, when the blood in his mouth tastes like saltwater, he’ll think of the fortune teller who promised good news, and the police who laughed like he’d just told the best joke of his life. He’ll sit at his desk, hands trembling, and scrawl a furious fuck you across the page. The words jagged, raw, slashing through the paper like they can cut through the pain. How dare you. He’ll press the pen so hard it nearly tears through the paper. How dare you leave me behind.

And then, and then, Sebastian will catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror. But it’s not him—it’s Ominis staring back, his expression soft, asking that same question he used to ask. How many times have you been in love? And Sebastian will answer, his voice cracking with the weight of it, As many times as it took to reach you.

Ao3

[mr-aizuwu]

dabi headcanon of the week: he is a very picky eater and always has been.

:read more:

(please keep in mind im american without much access to non standard usa foods so i can't really comment on more popular foods and ingredients in japan)

after leaving his old home and becoming dabi, he hasnt been able to really be choosy with what he eats since his next meal isn't promised but when/if he has somewhere to fall back on and always has food available, he will be picky with what he eats.

theres also two ways i wanna go with this part as well lol first one is he has very little feeling in his mouth so he is the king of eating spicy and sour things even if he didnt like the taste/feeling of them before

i also hc he doesnt like anything sour, bitter, spicey nor most veggies lmao he isnt a fan of mushrooms or peas because of the texture and will refuse to eat them and pick them out. he also doesn't like bananas for that very reason too.

alt hc if you like some angst like me, his teeth and gums probs arent the best anymore from years on the streets and constant damage to his body so soft foods like peas and bananas are some of the only things he can eat without pain.

putting aside the fact he has very little feeling in the rest of his body theres also the hc of while dabi is constantly putting himself through unimaginable pain and destroying his body, I like the idea that he has a sensitive mouth that doesnt allow him to eat or drink harsh things so if he is able to he will avoid them at all costs. for example he also can't do carbonated things without pain and discomfort. pineapple is one of his his worst enemies.

as a kid he would always want to whine if meals were things he didnt like, that being said he didn't like to disappoint his father and would try to choke it down anyways.

i like the hc that end*avor had planned meals for his kids, they always had to be healthy and balanced and they had to finish it all. if touyas meals werent always planned and scheduled tho than he would try to get his mom to not add or make things he didnt like.

dabi x reader section: he will always make you buy things he likes to have on hand even if hes not always around. if you don't have a lot of money and don't mind him stealing, then dont be supprised when he comes home with lots of his fave snacks and things to make foods he prefers.

dabi would always be hesitant or straight up unwilling to try anything that he doesn't find visually appealing or really many new things in general. if you like experimenting and trying new foods make sure theres always something he likes around or else he just,,,, won't eat. not in a throw a little kid tantrum way but a he just says he doesn't feel hungry at the moment or straight up says the food doesnt look good

if you make something specially for him but add something he doesn't like or is iffy on without knowing, he will still at least try it, using the excuse he isnt very hungry right now or is busy and will eat it later if he really doesn't like it.

i like the hc he has a sweet tooth so he will be more likely to try new things with sugar or sweet foods like fruits and pastries. he hates dark chocolate tho and no amount of coaxing will talk him into eating it.

don't try to lie about or trick him into eating things either, for one that's mean and you shouldnt do that with anyone, and for two he is amazing at telling when someone is lying and he WILL find out and get pissed off at you, not so much about the food but the fact you lied to or tried to trick him when he explicitly set a boundary.

he will be more lenient in trying new things if you eat them with him or its your first time having it too. if you offer him a bite of something like you are just casually eating it and are seeing if he wants some too he will be more likely to try it.

'want some?'

'nah im good'

'you sure?'

'mh, fine, if it gets you to stop pestering me'

since he is a known criminal and can't blend in as easy because of his scars, going to restaurants aren't really options for you guys anyways, so he doesnt have to worry about getting there and finding something on the menue he likes, if you order in he will be more inclined to ask if you want something else for dinner if that place doesnt have anything he likes.

i dont think he would know how to cook very well seeing as he didn't really have many ingredients nor anything to cook with before he pretty much moved in with you. so he will always stand in the kitchen and pester you when youre cooking, especially if its something he doesnt like.

'you shouldnt add that'

'why?'

'because'

'???'

if you tell him to make his own damn food he will get all huffy lmao

if you try teaching him to cook or you arent very good at it either, than he will def always only make things you both like unless its a special occasion for you, like your birthday or youre celebrating something. if its something he doesnt like but you want it, he will make a little something on the side for himself if yours didnt take too long to make, or he just eats leftovers/snack foods instead

things like ramen, cereal and other quick prep foods are always good to have around with him.

its not uncommon to see him picking out parts of or eating around places its touched others he doesn't like, for example; if you have a fruit platter, he will only eat pieces that didnt touch ones he doesnt like.

hes the picks off and gives you the pickles lmao

[morggo]

Hello! So I’m going to buy the download for the dragon tomorrow (it’s very late rn and my info is somewhere else). This means I can use it as the background on my iPad right? Not on social media, just like a lock screen, I assume yes but just wanted to make sure, thanks in advance!

do whatever you want with it. the only restrictions i have for the pride drawing and any pride drawing i make is, 1) don't make a profit on it. or 2) if you want to sell them i'd prefer the money go to a local queer support organization.

[theharrowing]

Headcannon idea: porn preferences? 🤔🤔🤔

Only if you feel so inclined!💛💛

greetings, anon! 💛

i certainly do feel so inclined. let's dive in!

putting this one under a cut because it is nsfw. descriptions are not too explicit, but there is mention of jerking off.

what type of porn do the members watch?

Namjoon: our leader loves an armature video shot in high enough quality that it seems like they definitely spent a little money on nice gear, but not so high of quality that it appears studio produced and scripted. he loves watching overstimulation, and when the participants use toys, he takes notes, making sure he can look them up later, to add to his stash, especially if it is something that can pleasure himself and someone else at the same time.

Seokjin: our Seokjin likes the hardest, dirtiest, most degrading shit, but he does not watch it to get off...he just likes to stare at it in wonderment, taking in the scene, observing the various mechanisms, toys, and gadgets. and then he turns it off to jerk off in silence. or he watches hentai.

Yoongi: our Yoongi enjoys a little of everything, but nothing too wild. not that he isn't into the fetish stuff, but he is more into watching everyone enjoy themselves, sometimes preferring the slower-paced, vanilla videos that capture every tremble and faint movement the person(s) makes. he also has all his favorite actors' names memorized, and supports them on their various platforms when possible, rather than seeking out videos on free sites.

Hoseok: porn is often too embarrassing for Hoseok to watch; even when there is no possible chance for someone to be in ear shot, he only watches with the volume off or with earbuds on, or he scrolls through photo galleries, instead. when he does indulge, he likes something with a nice, believable storyline, or with an interview before or after so that he can see different sides of the person(s) performing in the video.

Jimin: rather than seek out porn, Jimin likes to jerk off to the photos and videos that his partner(s) send, or he watches their homemade videos. nothing gets him off faster than someone he is into. when he does watch someone else's videos, though, he loves armature pov porn, especially when it takes place somewhere public or semi-public.

Taehyung: who needs porn when Taehyung has a stack of vintage magazines? sure, he could get anything he wants in video form, but there is something so enticing about the set design, costumes, and lighting that comes with magazines. the freeze-frame of someone in absolute bliss is unmatched -- even if it is staged for the shot.

Jungkook: our Jungkook is absolutely fascinated by "real hentai" videos, and loves to reenact them, buying only the best tentacle-shaped toys. he also loves the high production studio shit that is well lit and shot in nice mansions. bonus points if the sexy clothing the actors wear stays on.

find more headcanons in my master list!

[snowywolf1005]

TRIGUN STAMPEDE

VASH X PLANT READER

EPISODE TWO: THE RUNNING MAN

Vash and y/n at the dinner table with merly and Roberto.

"So let me make sure, I'm followed, This Bad man running around, stealing plant, is not you? And this guy who looks like you, but he's your twin brother." Vash nodded, Roberto smoking, y/n cough, "there's no proof, though, " said merly.

Vash was doing fake cry.

"Crying won't help your case," said merly, Vash put his head down. Y/n put him on his back.

"That guy knives, stealing plant. What did he want from it?" Said Roberto, "The money? Or is it about honor? " said Merly.

Then a little boy come up to them, bringing some bugs in a cage.

"Hey there, kiddos," said Robert, "or those guys for us" y/n question. "Thanks you Tonies, I keep your budding safe," said vash, patting in the head.

"What a heartwarming scene. Hehe, are the bug gone?" Said merly, "almost. ".

"Okay, quite that. Tonies, how many times I told you? Don't bring your worms here! Mama loves you, baby! Now shoo!" Rosa yelled.

"Sorry, vash and y/n," she said, pulling her gun at them. Everyone else pulled out their guns, too. "It the cash, not you two," said Rosa.

TIMESKIP

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!" vash scream, "Y/N!!! HELP ME!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!" vash screams top of his lungs.

"Don't let them get away!!" Rosa yelled, vash running for life, while y/n swinging around with her blade like spider-man.

And she is looking for vash as well. Y/n dough all the bullet.

(She spider-girl, spider girl), and she finally found vash.

He was surrounded by six people. "VASH!" y/n yelled, grabbed vash.

"Vash! Y/N! Over here!" Merly called out. Y/n landed safely, "Y/N! THANKS YOU! THANKS YOU!" said vash, hugged y/n.

Later.

Vash and y/n looked at the photos of themselves. Vash made a frown face, "Why do they use this photo?" Y/n asked, "that you're issues," said Roberto.

"So this journey, folks are part of this gang?" The man asks, vash and y/n, and other steps away back.

"Who cares? I can't wait to meet them anyway," said the other man.

After moving somewhere.

"This is why's we don't save lost puppies," said Roberto, "Sorry," said merly, while their walking. "Hey puppy, it would be easier if you pick up a fight," said Roberto.

"Huh!? Are you really in the mood for a shoot-out? Y/n is a good fighter, and she even has her blade, " said vash.

"What you deal!? oh wait, let's me guess, you forgot ammo," said merly, "no, I got extra, I prefer not to use it, bullet are too pricey, " said vash

"YEAH! Even pain our pill!" Said merly, "I can buy one bullet or two thousand doughnuts," said vash.

"Oh my God, vash, but I do have a plan, though," said y/n. They look at y/n, "OK, what your plan?" Said Roberto

The man sees a red coat. "This way!" He said running, "someone saw him!" Said the other.

"There!" He yelled, "That a dead end!" The other guys yelled, but they were shocked to see.

"Damn, they got us," he said. It was a blue bird. Y/n looked around, "Cost is clear come on," she wisperd, they walked. "You're plan works!" Said merly.

When they about leave. Rosa and two other women come out pulled out their guns. Y/n and other stop, "vash, y/n, don't make harder for me," said Rosa.

They dropped on their knees and put their hands behind their back. "With the plant(something, something), the money is our only hope," said Rosa.

"How could you! They scrafic their life, they save you twice," said merly,".

Rosa said (something, something, something, something, something, something, something, something,".

Then a big car coming towards to tonsi. "Tonsi!" Rosa yelled, y/n stood up and pulled out her blade, grabbed Toni's.

"VASH THE STAMPEDE AND Y/N THE STAMPEDE!! YOUR COMING WITH US!" An old man yelled.

Vash and y/n hopped on blue bird. Y/n is riding it, "money! Come back!" He yelled, merely and Roberto followed them, "what your plan now y/n?" Said vash.

She looked around and saw some rocks. A hand almost hit y/n and vash. The car is slowly down, and they stop, "they stopped," said merly.

Then, a hand came out and grabbed sleeping bags cause the birds get scared. They went off again. "Come on, fight me! You are a gunman, "an old man yelled.

"Nope," said y/n, vash laughs. Then the bag came off, the old man and his son fell.

After Merry takes vash, he has to fight back and can't run away. Leaving y/n to help him while she was injured.

"Help! We need backup! Bac- augh!"

"Coming," said y/n, they look at y/n. "Coming with wha?" Said Roberto, "the plant," she said. They were shocked, vash get on the blue birds, and took off.

Later (Sorry)

The old man fired a bomb at y/n, but she missed it. "Vash!" Merly scream. "That was a close one," said vash. Old man jaw dropped.

"Y/n, let's me protect you. You have enough to protect me," said vash. After some fight and talk. The bridge is falling apart, y/n used her blade to pull up the bridge so the old man came back, but her hands started Bruning.

Later again

They have drink. Y/n and vash packed their things and about to leave, but they were stopped by Roberto. "You shouldn't say goodbye, the people miss you, what are you running away from? Oh, right, he told me morning million knives, " he said

Then, a loud scream comes from the dinner. "What going on!?" Said vash. A spider creature crawling around on gofes. The spider trun red

He ran outside, and then he exploded.