#please help I want to draw my shadow rep

[maren-warlock]

how the fuck do you draw nocturnes

[artificialqueens]

Galactica, Chapter 71 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica

A/N: Fun fact: this rewrite is now the second-longest fic in the Drace Race RPF section of AO3. (Second only to the original story, lol.) So if you’re looking for a lot of content…we’ve got you. ;) Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). 💫

Previously: Violet revealed her estranged relationship with her family to Sutan, and Courtney struggled to live up to Miss Fame’s demands.

This Chapter: Some uncharacteristic vulnerability from Violet, Met Gala meetings and morning television.

***

“Do you want more marshmallows?”

“I always want more marshmallows.”

Katya grinned as she got up from the kitchen table, grabbing Trixie’s mug to top them both up. They were decorating gingerbread men, Katya pulling them from the oven last night. Trixie was doing clothes, drawing in the lines and putting details on them, one of his favorite jobs.

It was a tradition of theirs, spending the Sunday before Christmas in their pajamas, preparing cookies and watching Home Alone, the leftover icing always ending up in the bedroom for some sticky afternoon fun.

***

“Aaaand release...”

“Oh god,” Sutan groaned, rolling onto his back and spreading out like a starfish. “I’m dead.”

When he had jokingly asked if he could join Violet for her yoga session, he hadn’t figured she’d say yes, and he definitely hadn’t expected that it’d be this hard, those last few breaths of extended child’s pose essentially torture where he could feel his bones bend and creak.

“Stop being so dramatic,” Violet grinned, his girlfriend sitting back on her knee, the leg with her cast spread out to the side. “We only did 40 minutes.”

“You’re not even sweating.” Sutan looked at her, Violet’s hair in a high ponytail, the Sunday look of one of his shirts and a sports bra quickly becoming a fave.

“Some of us remember to do more than weights and cardio, Mr. Amrull.”

“I’m texting my trainer right now,” Sutan reached over his head, grabbing his phone that he had left on the floor next to their mats, Violet giggling as she laid down next to him, putting her head on his shoulder.

“There,” Sutan pressed send, his trainer probably falling off of his chair when he read the message, Sutan always attempting to get away with the bare minimum when it came to exercise, but he refused to be humiliated by being unable to reach his toes.

He was just about to put his phone down, when Violet reached up and tapped the screen, his front camera opening up, both of them in frame as they were lying on the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking a picture?” Violet smiled, her sarcastic tone never wavering. “To document the moment.”

Sutan looked at the screen. It was so incredibly tempting to say yes, to keep this moment in the private password protected collection that had steadily grown since Thanksgiving, Violet really and truly trying to let him take pictures, but he couldn’t say yes, not when he knew why she was so confident.

“And can I post it?”

“Post it?” Violet raised an eyebrow, sitting up on her elbows. “Why? Isn’t your hair...?”

“A mess?” Sutan didn’t want to smile, but it was impossible not to, Violet knowing him way too well if she had already figured out that he was sometimes embarrassingly vain about his hairstyle, the mess on his head looking like he had been fucking for an hour. “Yes, but I still want to post it.”

“I-” Violet had pulled away completely now, not a single trace of the sweetness left. “No.”

“Violet,” Sutan sat up as well, putting his phone down, “I know you hate social media, but you’re my girlfriend, and I don’t think what I ask for is unreasonable-”

“Sutan. Please” Violet grabbed her mat and rolled it together in an attempt to avoid him. “I said no.”

“And I’m pushing because I don’t understand.” Sutan could feel the annoyance build, the hurt and the rejection. It stung every single time Violet denied him, hurt every time she neglected what they had.

“I’m not saying we have to announce it with a workout selfie,” Sutan hated that they were fighting, but he couldn’t help himself, “but I want to tell the world that we’re together.”

“And I don’t-” Violet looked at him, her brown eyes filled with hurt. “If the world knows, they know, and I don’t want them to know where I am or what I’m doing.”

There it was. The they, the them, the family from Atlanta that was haunting his girlfriend's life like a shadow that had slowly started to creep into his too.

“Violet, I hate to be the one to tell you,” Sutan didn’t touch her, simply putting his hand down on the floor next to hers, telling her that he was there. “But the internet exists. If they have your name, they can find you, no matter what you do to hide.”

“Have you taken a moment to consider that they might not have that?”

Sutan paused, Violet’s words like a bomb.

“... What?”

Did her family not have her name? It was true that Violet Chachki barely got any hits on google, that it was Parson’s assignments and internships that popped up, the Galactica employee directory right at the top, but Sutan had never considered that possibility, had never even toyed with it.

“This wasn’t how I planned on telling you. Actually, I probably wasn’t counting on telling you at all, but I’m not…” Violet was fiddling with the tiniest hole in her yoga mat, her fingers tugging on the foam. “I wasn’t born Violet. Wasn’t even born a Chachki. Hasn’t it ever seemed weird to you that my last name literally means trinket?”

“It does?”

“Mmh,” Violet smiled, the same heavy sadness he had seen in the hospital in her eyes. “I needed to not be… Blair anymore.”

“Blair?”

“Yes,” Violet nodded. “Blair Dardo. It was my birth name. I never liked it, and I changed it the moment I turned 18, left it behind the second I could. That’s why I can’t,” Violet gestured vaguely to Sutan’s phone. “Changing it meant that they can’t, that they can’t find me, and I-”

Sutan didn’t know what to say, but it felt like he had just been given another puzzle piece in the mystery that was his girlfriend.

“I’m sorry.”

Violet’s head snapped to attention, her eyes widening in confusion. “...What?”

“I’m sorry.” Sutan said it again, making sure he put his genuine emotion behind the words. “I should have realized that you weren’t saying no to be difficult, and yet I kept pushing.”

“Sutan-” Violet still looked confused and a little suspicious, like she didn’t really understand what he was doing. “You don’t have to-”

“No but I do.” Sutan smiled. “I get it now, and I’m sorry, but next time you have a deep dark secret, maybe you could just tell me instead of this charade-”

Sutan was cut off as Violet threw herself in his arms, knocking him down on the floor and kissing him like her life depended on it, gratitude rolling off of her in waves.

***

“Raja?”

Alyssa held out the plate of croissants, Raja waving it away since she didn’t want one. The entire senior management team was gathered in the  conference room, Fame for some ungodly reason always insisting on a full breakfast spread for their Monday meetings, even though only a fraction of them ever actually ate any of it.

“So,” Fame looked around, a gold fountain pen in her hand, a black moleskin notebook open in front of her. “Any updates?”

The theme of today's meeting was the 2015 Met Gala, Raja barely hiding a groan when Courtney had sent out the meeting agenda.

It wasn’t that she disliked the Met Gala, the first Monday in May a spectacular party, but it was such a hassle getting there, the gala the fashion world's version of the Oscars.

“Yes,” Pearl smiled, turning around in her chair. She was weirdly chipper, her blonde hair collected in a clip, her signature leather jacket exchanged with a cropped black fur. “We have the final confirmation from Jessica Chastain’s team. She’s in.”

“Good,” Fame nodded, making a note in her moleskin, the fact that Fame was actually writing herself more than enough to cement the severity of the situation. Courtney was standing against the wall, Ivy sitting at the table with her computer open, typing away, but when it came to the Met, Fame left nothing up to chance.

“She’s looking forward to working with us, and she says she’s honored-”

“Yada yada yada,” Fame made a hand puppet, and Raja had to hide a smile, Pearl leaning back in her chair with a roll of her eyes, mouthing at everyone else that she’d send a follow up email.

It was Fame who had requested Jessica, in her own roundabout way, her friend casually mentioning to Raja that she had a good smile, which was more than enough for Raja to make Pearl offer her up as Galactica’s celebrity face.

It wasn’t every house who did it, but the big ones always had a celebrity at the gala, wearing their clothes and repping the brand.

“Does anyone know if they’ve moved away from the terrible theme yet?”

“It doesn’t seem like it,” Alaska offered up, the promotional material the Met had sent out at the start of the fall in the middle of the table thanks to Ivy’s forthsight. “It’s December, and since we haven’t heard anything, they’re sticking with China's influence on western fashion.”

“Good god, I was really hoping they had come to their senses.” Fame breathed out through her nose, and Raja had to agree with her. Sure, ‘China: Through the Looking Glass’ made sense as an art exhibition, but there was really no way to convert it to fashion without being culturally insensitive at best and offensively appropriative at worst.

Besides, Galactica had never been a brand that sought inspiration from the east in their designs and aesthetics, which made the entire situation quite the predicament.

“I’m sure we can work with it,” Trixie gave a small smile, the stack of papers by his elbow indicating that he had probably already put his senior designers to work coming up with concepts.

“And how,” Fame turned, looking directly at Trixie. “Are we supposed to work with it? Raja’s the only one who could possibly get away with being theme appropriate.”

Usually, Fame and Raja were the ones who walked the carpet together with their celebrity, Fame a nervous wreck for weeks before the gala because of all the strangers, while Raja enjoyed it because of her modeling days, seeing old acquaintances without the stresses of fashion week, a delightful yearly treat.

“I’m Indonesian.” Raja knew Fame didn’t mean anything by it, and she wasn’t that concerned about being politically correct herself, but everyone knew what it could mean for a fashion house to misstep, Dolce and Gabbana somehow walking directly from one scandal and into another one. “Not Chinese.”

“See?” Fame sighed, leaning back in her chair. “It’s a controversial time bomb. Either, we stay on theme, which I refuse since I look terrible in Chinese red, ”

“So we’re going off theme?” Trixie had picked up his papers, sorting through them, and Raja felt a moment of gratitude for their head of design, Trixie of course coming prepared with off-theme suggestions as well.

“Unless they get a grip and change it? Yes. Yes we are.”

*

“There!” Everyone held their breath as Maxwell pointed at Violet’s screen, an email from Ivy just ticking in, the Met Gala meeting still in full swing.

“Open it, Chachki!” Blu was practically biting her nails, hopping from one foot to the other, her red hair in a braid over her shoulder.

“Alright, alright-“ Violet clicked on the email, Bob standing right behind her, his eyes flying over the screen before he called out.

“It’s Jessica!”

A collective sigh of relief went through the floor, a loud ‘yes’ coming from Kiara who was clapping her hands together, the group breaking up, chatter filling the air.

“Thank god,” Maxwell groaned, putting a hand on Violet’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “I knew having you here would be worth it Chachki.”

“Right.” Violet raised an eyebrow, looking up at him, clearly not understanding why no one had thought to simply ask Ivy for updates before, the suggestion just casually slipping from her during morning coffee, the entire department running with it instantly. “But I still don’t-“

“Get it?” They turned to look over at Jovan who was sitting at his own desk, the man one of the few who hadn’t gathered around Violet’s computer.

“Yes.” Violet nodded. “If you needed information all this time, you could have just asked-”

“Like we could have just asked you?” Bob said, cutting her off and Violet opened her mouth, only to close it again. “Exactly.” Bob grinned. “You would have told us to fuck off.”

“I see your point.” Violet tapped her fingers on her desk, a small smile on her lips since everyone knew she would have said those exact words directly to their faces when she had been in Fame’s front office. “But, why is it such a big deal if a celeb is confirmed or not? The gala isn’t until May, that’s 4 months away and it’s three outfits. A whole collection is usually done in that time.”

“A collection doesn’t have to be approved by the celebrity,” Maxwell counted on his fingers, “the celebrity’s stylist, Vogue and Anna Wintour personally on top of Trixie, Raja and Fame. Alexis usually starts producing concepts in October.”

“As soon as they reveal the theme girl!” Alexis yelled over her shoulder, already pulling her sketches from their shelf, the confirmation meaning that she’d be in a meeting with Trixie for the rest of the day, working out the details of the first round of negotiations with the celebrity.

“Huh…” Violet looked around, the puzzled expression still on her face. “And what about-“

“Fame and Raja?”

Violet nodded.

“You’d think Fame would be the difficult one-“ Maxwell smiled.

“But make something gorgeous and custom in ivory and she’s on board,” Jovan grinned, putting the pen he was using behind his ear as he turned around in his chair. “Every year, she pretends like she’ll follow the theme, and then never does.”

“Exactly.” Maxwell nodded. “Fame is demanding, but consistent. Trixie has an entire drawer of Fame-appropriate outfits that we all contribute to whenever we have an idea.”

“That makes a disturbing amount of sense,” Violet looked mildly impressed, and if any of the rumors Maxwell had heard about how she had managed Fame’s front office, that approach wasn’t too far off from how Violet herself had attempted to tame the beast.

“Rule one of surviving at Galactica: Never disappoint Miss Fame. For once, however, Fame isn’t the problem.” Maxwell sighed, taking a seat on the edge of Violet’s desk. “Raja is.”

“Raja?” Violet looked genuinely surprised. “Really?”

“Yes really.” Maxwell crossed his arms. “Every year, she tells us that she’s chill, that she’ll wear whatever goes with the spring collection or the theme-“

“And every single year, she changes her mind at least four times.” Bob chimed in, the drama loving smirks on his lip. “More if you’re lucky.”

“Which is why,” Maxwell nudged Bob’s side with his elbow. “We’ve unanimously decided that you have the honor of dressing Raja for this year's Met Gala.”

“Me?” Violet’s eyes widened. “What? Why?” Violet looked at them, confusion painted on her face. “I’m the most junior member of staff.”

“True, but you’re also sucking her brother's dick,” Maxwell grinned, “so we figured she can’t kill you during the process, unlike the rest of us mere mortals.”

***

It should have been one of the most exciting mornings since Courtney started at Galactica--Miss Fame and Raja were being interviewed on a talk show, and so she got to go to the famous 30 Rockefeller Plaza building, and be on the set of a real television show. Unfortunately, it was such a whirlwind of activity and Miss Fame was in such a demanding mood that she didn’t have a second to enjoy it.

She felt like a chicken with its head cut off, running around in a hectic scramble to meet every request. Today was the last day before their holiday break, and even though Courtney knew that spending her break with Bianca would be incredible, she also knew that she had about a billion things to do before that could even start. Today was supposed to be a half day, but with how packed the schedule was, she’d be lucky to leave by 5.

She entered Miss Fame’s green room, silently handing her the coffee she’d asked for and then leaning on the wall to catch her breath. Miss Fame took a sip and then immediately spit the coffee back out.

“What is this?” she asked, holding the cup out like it was a bag of dog shit.

“It’s your usual-”

“This is not my usual. This is weak, and not hot enough, and-did you just roll your eyes?”

“No, Miss!” Courtney insisted, praying that she was telling the truth. She was tired, having arrived at the office at 6 am to drop off her stuff for Bianca’s, and there was a teeny tiny chance that she may have (accidentally) rolled her eyes. “Would you like a new-”

“Let me tell you something, Courtney. This may be the last day before a vacation, but I expect you to be fully present and accounted for. We have too many important things going on and I will not accept anything less than your absolute very best. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Now. Please go find me some decent coffee before I get a migraine.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“And after you come back, I need you to go to the dry cleaners. I’ve decided to wear my ivory Valentino suit to meet the investors later.”

“Yes, Miss, will do.”

“That’s all,” Miss Fame said, waving her hand, and Courtney took off back down the labyrinthine hallways of 30 Rock to hunt down a coffee that would meet her standards.

***

“Good morning! Welcome back to Coast to Coast. I’m Nina West, and today we are positively blessed to have with us the icons of fashion, Miss Fame and Raja Gemini of Galactica, here to talk to us about dressing to impress in the new year, and their exciting new business ventures. Thank you so much for being here, ladies!”

“Thank you, we’re thrilled to be here,” Fame smiled, the lie easily falling out of her red painted lips.

Raja could see the way her hands were clenched in her lap, her wedding ring turned inward and digging into her palm, and knew that she was at her tensest.

Raja had long ago gotten used to giving live interviews. She had a laid-back attitude and while she always wanted to represent the company in the most flattering light, she tended to relax and let the conversation flow naturally.

Fame, however, had never quite gotten the hang of it in the same way. She was just so brand-conscious, almost to a debilitating degree, written interviews so much more her speed.

She always looked impeccable, very much the ice goddess she was so often called, but Fame had never gotten the same confidence in her speaking skills as Raja, who had been dragged through developing them in her modeling career.

Even though Fame hated being on live TV, they occasionally got an offer they couldn’t turn down, and between the makeup line being released in January and the overhaul of their website and online store, they had a lot to plug.

The whole thing was so stressful Fame had asked Raja four times to check her pits for sweat stains, her papers with facts from the makeup department and pointers from Pearl not leaving her hand until they literally had to go on.

Raja leaned forward, giving Fame’s shoulder a reassuring pat, and added, “This is our favorite show, we never miss it!”

“Aww, thank you!” said Nina, grinning. “Now, I’ve heard through the grapevine that you have an exciting announcement.”

“Yes, and we’re so happy to be able to share the news with your viewers first-”

“An exclusive!” Nina exclaimed, eyes comically wide and mouth open as if this was news to her.

“Yes, exactly. Early this year, we released a limited makeup line, and it’s been doing just wonderfully. So in 2015, we’re going to be rolling out a full line of makeup and skincare, with special edition palettes and colors all throughout the spring.”

“All natural, vegan, cruelty free...I always want the very best for my own skin and I wouldn’t offer our customers anything less,” Fame cut in, and Raja felt a surge of pride at how natural she sounded. All their rehearsing had clearly paid off.

“If you use it, I’ll use it!” Nina said with a chuckle. “You both have the most gorgeous skin I’ve ever seen.”

“We expect the first batch to sell out quickly,” Raja said, “So go straight to our website, Galactica dot com, and sign up to be part of the mailing list to receive alerts on all new product launches and where they’ll show up in stores.”

“I’m doing that, the second we go to commercials,” Nina said. “But first, I heard that there’s more news about your spring line...”

***

Patrick reached for the remote, turning off the TV as Nina West rounded out the segment with Fame and Raja.

He was sitting in his office, wrapping up the last details before the firm could close down for the holiday break.

Fame had done a great job, the nerves he knew she had felt not showing on her beautiful face. Patrick picked up his phone, a smile on his lips as he started to type out a text.

Fame would probably not read it until she left work for the day, but he was proud of her, and he hoped that she was proud of herself too.

***

Fame collapsed onto her dressing room sofa, completely emotionally drained, the crystals she had stuffed in her bra digging against her skin.

Being on camera for live television always took up every drop of energy, and left her with nothing to spare. Unfortunately, she knew that she didn’t have much time to rest, since she was due at the Russian Tea Room to meet her potential investors in less than an hour. The makeup artist they’d hired was standing by for touch-ups, and her ivory Valentino suit hung in its dry cleaning bag on the clothing rack. But first, she knew that her blood sugar was dangerously low, so she needed…

She looked around. Where on earth was Courtney? Fame had never met someone with such a tendency to be underfoot at the worst times and completely MIA when her presence was required. She walked to the doorway, spotting Courtney having a casual chat with a girl in a headset, carefree as anything.

“Courtney!” she snapped, and Courtney looked up, surprised, even though she was literally here for the sole purpose of taking care of Fame’s needs. “Come!”

Fame turned and walked back into her dressing room, irritated, the rapid click of Courtney’s heels as she ran over grating on her nerves.

“Yes, Miss?”

“I need to eat.”

“Oh…” Courtney’s gaze shifted to the table, where a fruit basket sat amongst assorted pastries and other snack food.

“Not that sugary garbage,” Fame explained. “Violet always had- Don’t you have any protein bars?”

“Oh, of course!” Courtney exclaimed, rummaging through her purse.

Fame rolled her eyes, sighing. That girl truly was useless. What Bianca saw in her, Fame would never understand. She took one of the protein bars that Courtney had carefully lined up on the arm of the sofa beside her.

“I think you’d better head back to the office and prepare the conference room for the investor presentation.”

“Oh, but did you need anything el-”

“No, I’m much more concerned with the meeting,” Fame said. “Everything needs to be perfect. These people will be paying attention to every little detail.”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Oh, and take this back with you…” Fame handed over a large manila envelope. “It’s some sketches I’ve been working on.”

“Sure.” Courtney began to put the envelope into her bag, and Fame’s eyes widened with alarm.

“Don’t bend them! For god’s sake…”

“Sorry Miss,” Courtney said, biting her lip, holding the envelope at her side. “Is there anything else you need before I-”

“No. That’s all.”

***

Courtney sat in the back of a cab, eyes squeezed tightly shut, using the time in traffic to center herself and go over her massive to do list. She had to make sure that all the presentations for the meeting were set up, work with IT to test it, messenger out the holiday gifts that Miss Fame added at the last minute, make sure the schedule for January was in order, set up her out of office reply…

Plus, the meeting with the investors wouldn’t begin until they were back from the restaurant, so the “half day” was looking more and more like a full day. At this point, settling in at Bianca’s felt like it was a million years away--and traffic crawling at a standstill didn’t help anything.

She pulled out her phone. Maybe she could set up some of the gift deliveries now, while she was stuck in the cab.

When they were finally in sight of the Galactica building, her phone started buzzing. She looked at the screen. Miss Fame. That couldn’t be anything good.

Courtney took a deep breath and answered, stomach tightening.

“Hello?”

“Courtney!” Miss Fame’s voice was sharp, sharper than usual. “Do you ever use your head? Or do you just go through life without a shred of critical thinking?”

It was fairly obvious that it was a rhetorical question, so Courtney kept her mouth shut, wondering what had gone wrong, what mess she’d have to clean up now.

[stevenbasic]

Sitting alone in the small chair in front of her desk, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was already being submissive, that he was acting contrite, before the meeting even began. He’d been cowed by what happened last night, and could swear the girls were looking at him funny when he skulked into his office this morning. Did they all know already?? What happened with Randi? It all made him nervous, and he knew it did nothing but undermine his authority and make him look weak.

And then there were the stream of aggressively confident posts Melissa had put on Instagram last night, and those he’d woken up to. “I’m proud of being a woman”? #simpforme, #motheryourman, #getready?  “there’s gonna be a lot more of it”?? #stronger #bigger #successful. And - the baby-bird thing??? Jesus. It was like he was watching her spread her wings and he felt, this morning, like he was just cowering in her shadow. 

She’d texted him this morning, said she’d wanted to meet with him in her office at 9, and had cleared the patients from his schedule. It was 9:05, looking at his watch. Every moment that went by felt like another nail in the coffin of his control of the office. I can’t let this happen, he tried to steel himself, I have to somehow show that I’m in charge.

But then, he heard it. The unmistakable staccato of her heels approaching down the hallway - click-clack-click-clack, echoing like gunshots - was heavier than one would expect in the corridor. The sound made his heart start to race. Why am I so nervous??  The Instagram posts and the events of last night - the girls in his apartment, him stupidly letting Randi once again have her way with him - had him on edge. Plus, he slept lousy. What did Melissa want to meet about?

click-clack-click-clack. She was almost there. 

Remember, he told himself, she works for you. 

But as soon as she walked in, when she entered the room and seemed to draw all light to her, he immediately felt himself to be in the presence of a more powerful person. Reflexively, he stood, and tried to keep from gaping. Oh my god she’s huge, he balked, astounded by her height. The only reason she hadn’t had to duck to get through the doorway was because she’d had such large, eight-foot doors installed.

“Good morning,” she said, her smile ebullient, happy to find him here and deferentially waiting for her, standing at attention, “Oh, so chivalrous! I like a man with good manners.” She watched his face as he took in her outfit, her figure, how tall she was in her new shoes. Immediately she knew she’d chosen right: the aggressively low-cut pink sweater, the high-waisted, dark grey pants that helped make her look both hippy, authoritative and even leggier than usual. And then there were the shoes. 

“th-those are some heels,” he admitted, his obsequious gaze finding the safest place to linger: her feet and the black, patent leather pumps which made her...oh my god...he couldn’t bear to think how tall she’d be. 

“Yeah huh?” she smiled, appreciating the crack in his voice, the submissive body language he was already assuming, standing there for her. She moved towards her desk, making sure to step as close to him as possible. “My friend Abby dropped them off for me this morning. They’re eight inches.”

“w-wow,” was all he could manage, dwarfed as he felt as she - standing well more than a foot taller than him - passed by. He knew he’d already started acting the simp, taken off his guard by her appearance, and was too dazed to resolve himself otherwise. 

“They make me almost six-foot ten,” she stated, seeing how flabbergasted by her height he seemed. Something inside her urged her to step back closer to him, stand above him, demonstrate how big she was and make him feel small. That feeling made her tingle dangerously, rushed blood to her chest, and it was a hard instinct to fight back. But instead she knew she should proceed carefully with him, start business, and so she moved behind her desk. “You’re waiting for me to sit, aren’t you?” she asked with an approving smile, “such a gentleman.”

“Oh, haha, yeah I guess…” he said, still finding himself awkwardly standing in place, fidgeting. 

“Looks like your mother trained you right," she responded, and immediately saw the wince in his expression. “Oh, I’m sorry, sweetie,” she cooed, as he cast his eyes aside, “I forgot. Forgive me?”  She watched him nod, wanly. It was obviously, even to this day, a tender subject with him. I have to remember, she thought to herself, poor thing didn’t have a proper mommy. 

"Well, every girl likes a respectful man,” she continued, with a munificent smile. Standing behind her desk, she felt the authority the office’s place of power gave her. “Especially one who knows his place in front of the alpha female. But no...sit.”

He looked at her as if confused. She was waiting for him patiently, like she was testing his resolve. Reflexively, though, he began to sit, and felt immediately emasculated as she remained standing. 

“Good boy,” she said in approval, allowing mischief into her smile for the first time. Oooo this is funn, she caught herself musing. 

The shock of that - the infantile little praise, the talk of “alpha female” - was not one he’d expected. She’d played around like this last week, at the beach conference...but hearing it here in the office was another thing altogether. “We’re - haha - w-we’re still doing that?” he asked, looking up at her, feeling a dark shiver of self-abasement and secretly marveling at the perfect hourglass her trim but wantonly full figure cut above him, silhouetted against the white wall behind. 

“oooo remember, sweetie,” she replied, “we’re alone, it’s just you and me.” With that, on cue, she tapped a button on her desk and the door to the office closed behind him; she liked the startled look that brought to him. “We don’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks and just fall into our...natural roles,” she purred, putting her hands on the desk to lean over towards him. She smiled as his eyes predictably darted to her cleavage. “We’ll just let nature take its course,” she stated, “How does that sound, Dr. J?”

“Oh, uh…” he stammered, temporarily spellbound by the sheer volume of bosom she’d put on display. This sweater, he found himself thinking, she wore this on purpose. And just as he was almost able to tear his gaze away from her breasts, she casually squeezed them together and his eyes remained fixed, for more than a moment too long. Letting nature take its course, he thought, might end up with my face buried up to my ears. 

And so she had him speechless, already; that got her grinning. She brushed away an imaginary nothing from the swell of her right beast, keeping his gaze fixed right where she wanted it. Melissa knew what she needed to say in this meeting, the words she had prepared to get him to do what she wanted. But, gauging his reaction, she was seeing already that she wouldn’t have to work too hard. Her tits could do the heavy lifting. 

“Enjoying the view?” she asked, after finally drawing her fingers away from her chest and immediately causing him to look away. He flushed red, caught staring.  ”Omigosh you’re so cute when you’re blushing,” she giggled, only to cause a wave of jiggles to joggle through her chest, drawing his hapless gaze for another brief second. Her breasts were just so big, the huge soft swells of her cleavage the main attraction in the room and a magnet to his eyes. 

She laughed. “So, you know why I’m dressed like this, right?” she asked, a wry smile acknowledging the blatant aggression of her outfit, “the heels, the tight pants…” For a moment she looked down at her own chest, then locked eyes with him. “...the boobage?”

“Uhhhh….”

”You know what I'm going to ask for, of course?” she continued, becoming struck by how adorable he was in his tongue-tied, defenseless denseness. 

“A-a raise?” he asked, struggling with all his will to keep her gaze. 

Her laugh was deep and sultry, one of a woman pleased. “No haha but…” she said, as she then gathered her arms under her breasts, cradling them to exaggerate their size, “…could I get one if I asked really nicely?”

Oh my god, he thought, as he felt his dick start to stiffen, no. this is...too much. But he didn’t have the will to protest, scold her. “Y-you know money’s been tight…”

“Haha I’m joking, you know I’m teasing!” she laughed, enjoying the bewildered look on his face and standing up straight again, “I know your numbers are down. But that’s why we need to talk, about Abby…”

Abby, he thought, she’s the sales-rep friend...from that weird pharm company. He’d resisted meeting with her from the beginning, unwilling to waste precious time on another salesmonkey pushing snake oil. He’d been inundated with their brochures, ignored countless phone messages, avoided their research papers in his email, and still he had no idea what their product really was. It seemed like they made one thing and one thing only: some sort of supplement for women of childbearing age. His was a geriatric practice! Why would they want him to be part of some clinical trial? It really made no sense and he’s really wanted no part of it. 

But he knew Melissa felt otherwise.

Indeed, she knew getting a meeting together was important to Evolution Pharmaceuticals, really the main reason Abby had sent her the posting for this job in the first place. Abby had encouraged her to go for the position even though it was frankly above her abilities. But it was something, a challenge, a job maybe she could grow into…

...and now she fully intended to, in spades. 

Melissa leaned in further again, over the desk towards him, her suddenly soft doe-eyes seeking his out. “Remember..it’s just you and me,” she sweetly cooed, putting her full breasts once again on obvious display for him, “nobody’s going to think less of you if you agree to this…” She allowed her chest to slowly push forward, her shoulders back.  “...just let nature take its course.”

She knew he heard the encouragement in her voice. Her beauty held real power that she knew how to use, and she intended to put him at ease. In the moment, she knew he didn’t even realize that it was already working. Her eyes searched his and saw something they were looking for.  A warm smile formed on her lips and she continued to let her body do all the work. His eyes all but unabashedly on her tits again, this was already happening just the way Abby said it would. 

“So...about meeting with Abby...” she began, letting go just the faintest waft of her pheromones, to drift across the desk, just enough to-

“yes okay I’ll do it,” he answered, without even having to be asked. 

What?? Haha omigod. 

“You...will?” she beamed, her smile becoming a sudden, dazzling grin. It can’t be that easy, can it? Admittedly a bit surprised she was immediately struck by one self-aggrandizing thought: she loved being this beautiful...and this big. She loved the feeling of being stronger and more powerful than those around her. She loved how her body, her buxom sexuality, could be so simply and so extravagantly too much for people; how it reduced them to putty in her hands, paralyzing them for her with nothing more than a smile and a look. And, what’s more, she was beginning to realize what else she could accomplish, given the time. She knew, secretly, that the bigger she got, the more Melissssy there was, the easier it would all become.

So bring it on, she thought to herself, give me more.  She had to keep herself from laughing. Who needs an associate’s degree when you wear an I-cup?

“Ok I’ll call her, put it in your schedule right away,” Melissa said in victory, knowing she had to be gentle and watching as he had begun, it seemed, to sheepishly shrink into the chair below her. This was emasculating for him, she knew, capitulating like he was in his utter defenselessness. It gave her a thrill, she had to admit, flexing her authority here in the office, dwarfing him like this, dwarfing a man. She knew it was possibly unfair, that she’d had the deck stacked against him by coming at him with all this in his most fragile moments...but it needed to be done, and she would show him it was all for the best. And, she thought slyly, she would someday make it up to him, make him forget how little she’d just made him feel. Unless, of course, he likes that sort of thing... 

But in the meantime-“, she knew she had other work to do, and as the saying goes about the hot iron and the striking-

“Let’s talk about new staff,” she said innocently, “I want to hire twelve more girls.”

“T-twelve?” he blurted, shaken a bit back to himself, “Really? Didn’t we lose just, like...five?” 

“It was three, and then three part-timers,” she corrected him, “But I want to bring on twelve full-time people. A nurse practitioner, maybe a PA, a nurse Nurse Asstha...Attess…”

“Aesthetician?” he helped, even through his disarray.

“Yes, that..!” she giggled, “I’ll learn how to say that someday!” Twirling her hair girlishly in between the fingers of one hand, she stood again. “New providers, they’ll all need support staff, plus we have to replace the girls in accounting,” she listed, now starting to step away from behind her desk, “and we need a new supervisor for the front desk, unless you think Audrey is up for the job…?”

He paused, a bit confused, watching as she lazily stepped towards him. Was she actually asking for his opinion? Wait...he thought, why am I surprised by th- This was obviously getting away from him too quickly. “Uh, sure, but…” he began, “are you positive we can handle so many ne-”

“Oh, sweetie,” she cooed, now standing right next to him, above him, noticing how he’d reflexively turned his chair to face her, “we can handle it no problem. Maybe it’s just you that’s having some trouble?” She looked down at him, her employer, and mused on how anxious and small he looked. She reached down to tenderly push a wayward lock of hair behind his ear. “Besides...don’t you want to see us grow?”

What did she mean? “W-well, yes, of course,” he agreed, fighting the urge to turn his head, nuzzle his face into her soft hand as it continued to stroke his temple, above his ear, “of course I want the p-practice to do well. To, uh...grow.” His thoughts drifted to a day, maybe not far away, of an office she’d built for him, of being surrounded by more women than he could count, all young and beautiful, all doting on him...and of course, all beholden to her. 

Is that what she meant by wanting to “see us grow”?

“So, uh, sure…” he said, knowing again it was another little surrender, “hire whoever you want…” He knew this was reckless, foolish even, and could only hope beyond hope that this money from - what was it? Lean In? - would be enough. 

Melissa - thrilled again but now keeping her grin in check - saw the doubt in his face. She understood this was hard on him, watching the reins of his business being taken by another, and knew she should...reward him.

She stroked his hair - oooo he had such nice hair - and thought to herself. 

It was just like Abby said. This was a man, she considered, remembering the type of pictures he’d been hoarding on his computer, who needed a strong female figure. This was a man, remembering what he’d told her about his childhood, who craved a woman’s constant attention, unconditional affection. This was a man - it almost made her giggle - who needed a mommy. 

Just last night in DM Ms. Zazanetti - oops, I’m supposed to call her ‘Sara’! - had told it to her straight, made her understand. It's not taboo that he’d been stockpiling pictures of beautiful, ultra-bosomy, giant women on his computer, but rather the reasonable needs of manchild who never really had a childhood. He had told it to her himself, the night at that bull-riding bar: that he “never really had a mother.” And she’d heard it from Rina - who come to find out used to work here, and was one of his old flings - he’d lost her at a very young age.

Omigod the poor thing!

She knelt down in front of him, heart growing in her chest as she looked deep into his eyes. The desperation, she knew, ran deep in his mind, looking for fully blossomed women. His breast obsession was  a consequence of what he missed as a child, a toddler, an infant - being coddled, nurtured, loved. And, she reminded herself, it wasn’t just pictures of random huge, big-breasted women he’d had on his computer. There were also countless pictures of her. It was a significant moment, when she’d realized what she represented to him, what she could strive to be for him - even if his male pride keeps him from ever really expressing himself, admitting what he needs. 

#motheryourman, remember?

Still gazing at him, wondering what he was thinking, she smiled to herself. Well, he’s not “your man” but - haha - close enough, right?

“You’ve been doing such a good job, being so strong,” she said to him, tenderly, taking one of his hands into both of hers and resting it on his lap, “especially with everything going on.”

”uhhh...what do u mean?” he asked. There was - good god - so much going on. But...looking into her eyes, he suddenly knew what she meant.

“When were you going to tell me? I had to hear it from Marisela,” she said, sounding a bit sad that he would not confide in her, about his troubles at home...or, rather, what used to be his home, “I thought we were friends…”

========================================

Thanks to GTScity reader @sherlock for inspirations and ideas - they really helped the post coalesce. And to FantasticMrMoose - fans may notice that a few passages are all but stolen right from "Sexy Lexie": awesome story!

[epicspheal]

Hey! I remember a while back I read a fanfic of yours regarding twilight wings- the unofficial Raihan episode. In it their was an oc of yours, and I was wondering if you have any more? I like making oc's myself and it's fun to see other people's ideas and stories.

Hi there!  You have...opened the floodgates (in a good way). I have quite a few champion OCs. I’ll focus on the various champion OCs I have since I’ve mentioned this on my blog before the champions of Pokemon remain my favorite class of characters as they have so much potential as we’ve seen with Leon in SwSh. This is going to be a somewhat long post as I have 5 champions to talk about (plus there are pics here, most of them commissions from some very talented artists that I’ve tagged as I can’t draw)

(There’s Marsha and her starter/ace Rosemary the Audino with @hayleyb100 ‘s character Richard. Thank you HayleyB for drawing this! And if you guys haven’t please check out her amazing art and stories)

I’ll start off with the OC you mentioned in your ask...Marsha (full name Marsha Miller). She’s the Alolan champion that we see in my Conviction, the Raihan twilight wings episode (also shameless plug for my fic). Like many champions she’s a mixed type trainer, but she does have a slight preference for fairy types on her team. Unlike the SM/USUM protagonist, she actually hails from Unova but her family is military (her father used to serve under Lt. Surge before becoming a lieutenant himself) and so she’s lived in Unova, Kanto, and Alola. Before she ended up becoming Alola’s champion, she was content with being head of the cheer squad at her high school while in Kanto (before her family announced moving again and she was needless to say, quite upset at the prospect of throwing away her cheer captain title). Back when she lived in Unova, she would often stop by her grandparents herbalist shop to learn about various medicinal herbs.

I hint to this a bit in my Convictions fic when Marsha asks Raihan a question about him becoming champion elsewhere, but Marsha has a huge bout of imposter syndrome from being the first ever champion of Alola as she doesn’t feel like she measures up to the legends like Red or Blue or known superstar champions like Leon and Cynthia. A lot of her character growth comes after she wins the title as she learns to work with Kukui to help build up the Alola League and make it famous. Luckily she happens to be a pretty friendly, if somewhat reserved character making it easy for her to befriend the likes of Leon and Raihan (and she also gets them to be a couple). Both Leon and Raihan give her tips they’ve learned from being in Galar to help boost the reputation of the Alola League. Back in Alola she is good friends with Mallow, Plumeria and Mina as they often visit Mallow’s restaurant to eat and catch up. She ends up being a big sister friend to Gladion, Lillie and Hau (being in her late teens when she first met the kids) as well as Iris when she meets her at the champion’s conference. 

(Credit to @roseltheteacup for this amazing sugimori style artpiece of Calla. Please check out rosel’s artwork as well) 

The next one is my probably my most well-developed champion OC and my version of Victor/Gloria...Calla Okoro. She’s the Sword Hero of Galar to go with Hop’s Shield Hero. Calla is a baby genius with an IQ of 162 (so she’d qualify for MENSA in the real world) and graduated college at the age of 12 with a degree in chemistry, a year before she ends up taking on the gym challenge. Her favorite type is poison and she decided that she would take on the gym challenge by using only Poison types, refusing a starter from Leon to train up her Budew and other poison types she found along the way. 

Her knowledge of poison types would become very useful towards the end of the challenge and Eternatus awakening and possessing Leon , however this girl struggled so much at the beginning as the poison types she caught don’t really get good until they evolve. It was also a testament to having book knowledge of Pokemon and type advantages doesn’t equate to automatically winning a battle. She struggled especially at Kabu’s gym, resulting in her first official loss (outside of losing her second battle to Hop at Magnolia’s house due to his Rookidee being super effective against her Budew nicknamed Sabi). Calla is persistent though and patient so she worked with her team developing a killer toxic stall strategy (that helped her be the first person to take Leon down). As champion Calla uses her position to promote science and eventually goes back to school to get PhD, becoming the first Galar champion to also be a professor. When Calla is not doing Pokemon battles or giving science demos, she tends to enjoy doing backflip competitions with Gordie or rocking out at Piers’ concerts with Marnie and Hop and Bede (Bede will deny hanging out with them) 

(thank you RPG Picrew, I have yet to get official commissioned work of him done) 

This is Jabari Revere, my Kalos champion OC and part of the Kalos 5. I’m still working on his backstory and personality as I replay Pokemon Y (I tend to replay the games for my champion OCs to build up their teams and get a sense for the personality). Jabari is a water type champion who enjoys his days swimming in the ocean and surfing on his Mantine, nicknamed Monterey. Like Serena from the anime he is a bit at odds with his mother Grace for wanting him to take up the family tradiiton of Rhyhorn racing. However unlike anipoke!Serena, he did have a goal of training water type Pokemon with the aim of becoming a water type champion just like Wallace from Hoenn. Jabari is definitely an easy going fellow, which helps him befriend Serena, Tierno, Trevor and Shauna as well as Grant and Clemont. Unlike my Galar champion Calla, he is more willing to use Pokemon other than water types, such as when he fought Korrina at the Mega Evolution tower using the Lucario who was attracted to his aura, or when he rescued Yveltal from Team flare and let it get revenge on Lysandre 

(this piece was done by @snowythesoft aka ChibiGirl! Thank you again for this and also please check out her art as well)

Yes, you’re looking at a robot. His name is Valen and is actually my first non-self insert Pokemon OC. After watching the first Pokemon movie and seeing Mewtwo be a Pokemon trainer, and also after watching the Watson computer on Jeopardy, I came up with the idea of “what if someone made a robot as a Pokemon trainer”. Hence Valen, the world champion of my version of the Pokemon World

Created by Molayne and Sophocles at the request of Red and Blue as a new fixture for the battle tree, Valen quickly began to learn from the some of the strongest trainers how to battle (with a frequent opponent being Marsha as she needed someone who could challenge her in battle). Once he figured out how to consistently beat the likes of Red, Blue and Marsha in battle...it was a wrap. Valen travelled to every known region and soon became the undisputed most powerful trainer in the world defeating every last living champion. He even took on Leon, Cynthia and Red in a triple battle and won. Despite his absolutely monstrous skill Valen is an absolute sweetheart and always compliments his opponents in battle. He also loves bowties, with his first gift being the red bowtie he sports from Sophocles do not touch or harm that bowtie if you value your life, it’s one of the few things that will actually piss off this gentle giant of a robot.

(credits to the VillainSona Picrew)

So this is my final non-self insert champion OC,  His Royal Highness Jack, Duke of Stow-On-Side. In a discord server and on some messages here on tumblr, I’ve described Jack as the unholy combination of Caillou and Jack the Ripper.  Jack hails from a disgraced family of aura guardians who learned that they could use their aura powers to create shadow Pokemon. 150 years prior to the main Sword and Shield story line his family managed to beat back the Hammerlocke Royal family (aka the great Raihan’s family) from Stow-On-Side and Ballonlea to claim the two towns for themselves. When Peony stepped down as champion Jack ended up taking the champion title. Now Jack is actually a legitimately powerful trainer without the need to shadowfy his Pokemon, but he does so anyway to ensure absolute control and to hopefully make his royal family the absolute rulers of Galar (his actions would years later inspire Sordward and Shieldbert, the Dukes of Motostoke). He even bribed gym leaders to be extra difficult on challengers he deemed to be a threat (so Leon, Raihan, Nessa and Sonia got hit hard with this).

Jack’s misdeeds are pretty vast. The reason why Sonia is so unconfident in her battling skills? Jack ambushed her in the wild area and destroyed her in a match while mocking her. Why does Leon have that perfect image as champion? He’s trying to build back the reputation the Galar league has after Jack nearly destroyed it’s rep on the world stage with his actions. Why are Leon and Sonia so insistent on you focusing on the gym challenge and leaving the problems to the adults? The adults during their gym challenge were either on Jack’s side or were actually useless against him and his shadow Pokemon. To quote my friends in an rp server I’m in “Jack is the absolute worst”  So that’s all of the champion OCs I have. As I continue to write more fanfic will definitely see all of them pop up in various stories. 

[lilacmoon83]

Dashing Rose: A Finding You Always Vignette

Also on Fanfiction.net and A03

Chapter 6: The Land of Untold Stories

Upon being unceremoniously deposited in a strange land that was not her own, a panicked Rose Red tried to find help. She was in tears, for her beloved Fandral was now cursed to be a ferocious bear that would most certainly be hunted and she was separated from him. His only hope was true love's kiss and there was no way to give that to him if she wasn't even in the same realm.

So when she came upon a marketplace, she had hope that someone would help her. It was the strangest marketplace she had ever seen though and there were many strange magics she had never seen before. But as she hurried around the marketplace, asking for assistance in finding a portal, most people immediately shied away from her. She begged and pleaded with them, but no one seemingly wanted anything to do with her or a portal. She felt hope slipping away, until she collided with someone as she rounded a corner and nearly fell.

"Dear me...let me help you," the man said, as he kept her from falling. She looked up to find a bespectacled gentleman that was not much taller than her.

"No one seems to want to help me," she said tearfully.

"I heard you asking about a portal. Not many in this land wish to leave it, for they have come here to escape their former lives," he explained.

"But I must get back to my land!" she cried.

"It's all right...I shall help you. I am a Doctor and though portals are very difficult to come by, I am always up to taking on a challenge," he said with a kind smile.

"You'll help me?" she asked and he seemed to stare deeply into her emerald eyes.

"Y..yes, but first I believe you may want to tell me the whole story," he stammered.

"My husband, Fandral and I, have been fighting with my evil Uncle for control of my Kingdom for almost a year now. He's ravaged my land, pushed my people into dire poverty and stolen my birth rite. But we were fighting back and winning," she explained.

"My Uncle has an evil dwarf in his employ or some say he's a gnome, but whatever he is, he is well versed in dark magic. He has cursed my beloved into a ferocious bear and the only way to break the curse is true love's kiss," she continued.

"So naturally this gnome has found a way to send you away to a far off land so you cannot break the curse," the doctor surmised.

"Yes...now you see why I must find a way to return. Not only must I save my beloved, but Kingdom as well. My Uncle cares only of himself and the riches he has clamored away from my people with unfair taxation. I must save them," she pleaded.

"Not to worry...it won't be easy to find a portal, but nothing is impossible. I have learned that much in my time here in the Land of Untold Stories. Come...my place of employment has extra rooms and one is yours for the duration of your stay," he said.

"You'll really help me?" she asked, as he looked at her, noticing not for the first time how incredibly beautiful she was.

"Of course...but I must warn you. At my place of employ, there is a warden and you must avoid him. He is quite dangerous...you do not want to have a run in with Mr. Hyde. I am confident that we can conceal your presence from him though," he replied.

"Oh thank you...I promise to work or assist you in any way I can to repay you for your help and kindness," she said gratefully. He smiled.

"Now I could use an assistant...especially such a lovely one," he agreed, as she smiled shyly.

"I am Rose Red," she introduced herself.

"Dr. Jekyll...Henry Jekyll," he replied, as they shook hands and he led the way back to his laboratory.

~*~

Zorro led his soldiers through the woods. Since the King's treachery, the Kingdom had erupted in war. The people were losing hope, but he remained steadfast. They just needed to give Rose Red time to find her way home. And that meant protecting their Prince, Rose Red's husband, against the King's hunters until she returned.

They heard a terrible roaring in the near distance and he signaled his men.

"Stay alert and draw them away. Keep your distance, as he will not recognize you, but allow him to escape," Zorro instructed, as they moved in and began to fight the King's army. Fandral, in his cursed form, killed any of the King's soldiers that came near him and roared angrily. Fortunately, once Zorro and his men managed to push the King's soldiers back, the bear fled.

"How long can we keep this up?" one of his men questioned, as the King's soldiers retreated.

"As long as we have to," he answered.

"Rose Red is our rightful Queen...and she will return. She will find a way back to her true love and break his curse. We just have to keep him alive for her and keep our hope alive as well," he said.

~*~

That night, after Dr. Jekyll had shown her to a small living quarters he said she could stay, Rose attempted sleep. But it would not come. Only tears came, as she missed Fandral and worried endlessly. She cried uncontrollably, wondering if he was even still alive and then chided herself for losing hope so quickly. He was alive...he had to be and she would find him. She missed his arms around her and sniffed, as she looked out into the night sky. This place had very different stars than home and no moon and she sniffed. Just one night ago, Fandral was holding her in his arms and making love to her beneath a blanket of stars in the forest. And in one moment, her evil uncle and his dwarf had changed it all.

Since she knew sleep was impossible, she got up and put her cloak on, before quietly exiting the room. She padded quietly down the hall and outside the place the doctor had called the asylum. He said that there were some very disturbed patients housed there, but that she didn't have to worry, for the warden kept them in line. He had warned her that the warden was dangerous and to hide if she ever encountered him. He would probably scold her for going outside in the middle of the night, but her restlessness could not be soothed and knew fresh air might be the only solace, if any at all.

As she stepped into the garden, she admired the variety of flora and was captivated by species of flowers she did not recognize. Immediately, Fandral came to her mind again and she could only be reminded that they had met in her garden and fallen in love there as well. She burst into tears and fell to her knees, as her grief became overwhelming. So when she heard footsteps and saw a man towering over her, she felt a stab of fear. This had to be the warden that Dr. Jekyll had warned her about.

She cried out and scrambled away from him, but he put up a hand and though his face was stern, Rose did not sense malice from him.

"You need not fear me, Rose Red," Hyde spoke in his deep voice. She sniffed.

"How do you know my name?" she questioned suspiciously. He smirked. She would not be ready to hear the truth behind his identity, so he offered a different explanation.

"I am the warden...I know about everyone within these walls," he said.

"The doctor warned me that you're dangerous...that you would hurt me," she said cautiously. He smirked.

"Yet you do not run. You know evil when you see it, Rose Red. Yet you remain kind and gracious," he said.

"How do you know anything about me?" she questioned.

"Do not fear...I was not spying. There is a man here called Aesop. He used to be an author and though his time has long passed, he still has his pen and the power to chronicle all the stories in this land," he said. That intrigued Rose greatly.

"That's amazing...he's an author?" she asked with interest, as her fear seemed to melt completely away.

"Oh yes...though this is a land where the people have come to pause their stories. He gets quite bored with so little to write, so as you can imagine, your arrival gave him much excitement," he mentioned.

"Then you know of my story?" she asked.

"Yes...you seek to be reunited with your husband, so you may give him true love's kiss and break his curse," he replied.

"Will you try to stop me?" she asked.

"Never...in fact, I vow to help you," he replied, which surprised her.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I am not the evil that Dr. Jekyll will have you believe," he explained.

"Yes…I have done questionable things. Perhaps even evil deeds, as well. But I am not evil. You will see that in time," Hyde said.

"Dr. Jekyll said he would help me too," she told him.

"He will try, but ultimately, the doctor will fail. He always does, because there is a darkness in him that eats him away," he said.

"A darkness?" she asked curiously.

"Yes...one that only surfaces when triggered. That is why he is here...to escape the trials that life brings. He is...incapable of living in a normal society without incident for long," Hyde warned, as he grimaced a bit, just as Rose was about to ask more questions.

"What happened to him?" she asked, but he quickly turned away.

"I must go…" he said in a strained voice.

"Please be careful, Rose Red. Things are not always what they seem," he warned, as he quickly disappeared into the shadows of the garden. Rose contemplated his words for a moment, becoming lost in the many questions she had and then jumped at a voice.

"Dear me...Rose, what are you doing out here so late?" Jekyll asked, as he appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Oh…I could not sleep. I miss my Fandral so much...and the garden reminds me of home," she said, as a smile came to her face. Jekyll felt a pulse of desire, as he gazed at her silhouette in the pale light of the stars.

"We met in my garden...and fell in love there too," she said, as she started to cry again. Jekyll instantly put his hand on her arm and offered her his handkerchief.

"Thank you," she sniffed.

"We shall find a way to return you to your beloved, but we cannot be too careful. You must not wander off, especially not at night," Jekyll said, as he led her back inside. His words made her think about the contrary things that Hyde had said and she decided to carefully prod him for more information.

"You mean from the warden?" she asked.

"Yes...you must avoid him," he replied.

"Is he really that evil?" she asked.

"Oh yes...if he sees you, he won't ask questions. He will attack you and I fear the horror he may inflict upon you just for being here," he said. But none of that had happened. Hyde had been nothing but a gentleman and even comforted her. Jekyll was attempting to comfort her too, but something about the way the doctor did it seemed...off.

"You must not wander. Promise me, Rose," he said. She nodded.

"I promise," she fibbed, as he saw her back to her room.

"Excellent…I will see you in the morning and we will begin our research," he said. She nodded, as she closed the door and went to the window again.

"I will return to you, my love...and break your curse," she promised to the stars, hoping his heart would somehow hear her words...

[callistro]

Hello ! This being my first post I am not actually expecting any response but for anyone who is interested, this was inspired alot by the modern typewriter.

While Young Hero is a recently promoted sidekick in their third year of college (or university as some call it) Henchman is a slum kid who has been working as a hired thug to support themselves before earning a scholarship.

The genders are up to the readers imagination. So please enjoy!

Young Hero wasn't sure exactly how they ended up in this situation. One moment they were breaking into an apartment in which a woman seemed to be screaming. The very next they were caught in Villains newest trap.

Outside the small cage they had literally stepped into, Villan started a monologue about how they had captured Hero's precious partner and something about bait. But it was the henchman besides them, probably the one they had heard screaming, who Young Hero was paying attention to , or more exactly glaring at. Half hidden by the shadows, they were actually snickering into their hand while looking at the captive!It was so embarrassing! They were a hero not a sidekick, well above being kidnapped as bait or being laughed at by a low thug! Not that they wanted Sidekick to be captured bit still. Their rep was being ruined!

"Now Henchman". Villain said, drawing Young Hero's attention. " While I plan how to lure in Hero, why don't you show Young Hero some hospitality." They said with a grin. Then turning back to exit the room they ordered "Make them scream ".

The cold words sent a shiver down Young Hero's spine as they turned to glare at Henchman again. Setting their jaw while looking at the power nullifying bars of the cage they said "I am not going to beg if that's what you're after. Nor will I be telling you anything. So do your worst". They didn't say they wouldn't scream. Experience had made it clear that it was better to scream that suffer in silence.

" Um, how bout no?" Said Henchman as they came closer to the cage, bringing into focus a young, intelligent face and a lithe but well defined body, that was clearly visible throughout their tight black clothes. But before Young Hero's mind could dive into the gutter (damn teenage hormones) they continued "See it's my last day at the job, and I really don't wanna go to jail. But if you don't scream Boss will come in to check what's up. So how about a deal? You scream like I'm ripping out your nails or something, and in half an hour I'll unlock you and later tell Boss that you somehow escaped n knocked me out. How does that sound, hmm? You don't get beaten up and I don't get into trouble. "

Tha-that was actually a really good offer. One too good to be true. With this thought in mind Young Hero asked,"And why would you want to take the easy way out when you can easily beat me up instead? And please don't say it's out of the goodness of your heart. Villain likes to hire only the 'experienced' people. " And good looking too Young Hero added discreetly checking out Henchman's muscular arms." Because" they said "Villain may get caught with this plan, and as I just mentioned, it's my last day on the job and I don't wanna get caught." And then with a roguish grin added,"Well that and because I don't wanna mess up that pretty face ".

"Pret - pretty!? My face is not- oh stop laughing! "

Xx---xX

'Yesterday was so embarrassing' though Young Hero to as they made their way to their apartment. After Henchman had helped them escape, though not without a few more flirty comments about making Young Hero scream in an ,ahem, different way, they had to explain to Hero not only why they didn't finish petrol on time but also exactly how they escaped, resulting in a long lecture that ended with them being really late for their first day of them tutoring a new kid who had been at his door for an hour before Young Hero mailed them to enter the place using the key under the door mat. And what was worse was that this student was here on a scholarship and actually interested in studies. 'Well at least things can only go up from here' Were their thoughts as they opened the door, only to see Henchman sitting on their couch.

'Shit, shit, shit, double shit' though Young Hero as Henchman turned to them with a dark look on their face. But before they could open their mouth, Young Hero already had them lying on their back, pinned between the couch and their body. "How did you find me?"they hissed in their ear expecting a cocky comeback. Instead Henchman shivered while letting out a squeaky "What?!"

And now Young Hero had an extremely shaken ex-henchman in his apartment who was busy grumbling about idiotic heroes turning out to be hot tutors and disastrous first days while Young Hero sat opposite to them on the floor wondering exactly how they ended up in this situation.

[quinntessentiallyglee]

Alright, since none of you seem inclined to talk me out of it, perhaps you can help me kick my D.E.B.S. verse off on the right foot by providing a little feedback before I finally cave and make this a reality.

For anyone not familiar with D.E.B.S. (and I can not recommend the movie enough if you fall into this camp), the basic premise is that there is a secret test embedded in the SAT that determines aptitude for espionage. Women who score highly on the test are recruited into D.E.B.S. (Discipline, Energy, Beauty, Strength), a clandestine paramilitary academy.

Question the first:

Should I go all D.E.B.S. or a mix of D.E.B.S. and Villains? without spoiling too much for those of you who haven’t seen the film, half the reason I love D.E.B.S. as much as I do has to do with the Lucy Diamond character, a villain, and I think having a few OC villain’s built into the Verse from the start to go with my OC D.E.B.S. might not be the worst idea.

Question the second:

While I will almost certainly add my Glee three, and probably my OCs (I’m not sure Mal fits, so she might be left out) to the Verse, I have a very, very, long list of potential FCs, and even whittled down to the ones I think might best fit, which ones would be the best to start with? (This is by no means a complete list of FCs I would like to see in this verse, let alone of FCs I’d like to play--so if you have any you’d like to suggest, please do.)

Anna Kendrick -- Status: D.E.B.S. (Graduated) / Villain: I can sort of see her as a Villain, but only just. Primarily, I see her as a D.E.B.S. in a mentor/handler role. 

As a D.E.B.S., She’s someone who’s been out of the academy for a few years and has a bit of a rep, both at the Academy and among Villians as a no-nonsense, get-the-job-done (by-the-book or not) type, which she is, but unbeknown to most, she’s fairly laid back when not on the job.

As a Villain, She’s more of a Lena Luthor type; someone who’s inherited the family business--and drama--and is suspect more for her family name than anything she’s done... while still morally and ethically ambiguous enough that those keeping an eye on her feel justified in keeping an eye on her.

Ashley Tisdale -- Status: D.E.B.S. (Graduated) / Villain: I see her more as a Villain role, but I can also see her as a D.E.B.S. 

As a D.E.B.S., she’s been out the Academy for a while, probably the same class as Anna (and always in Anna’s shadow... not that she’s bitter about that or anything). Unlike Anna, she’s very by-the-book.

As a Villain, I see her as less of a ‘world domination’ type, and more of an ‘I just want money’ type. She tends to draw the line at any real violence and prefers to use her wiles to lure her marks into giving her whatever it is she’s after, be it cash, cars, gems, or government/business secrets she can auction off to the highest bidder. 

Brenda Song -- Status: D.E.B.S. (Graduated) / Villain: I see her more as a D.E.B., but I can see her as a Villain. 

As a D.E.B., she’s also likely from the same class as Anna and/or Ashley, but unlike them, she’s not a field agent (usually). Primarily she functions as an Analyst/Case Officer with a bit of a “Mother Hen” attitude when it comes to her agents. While not top of her field, she’s solidly in the top third.

As a Villain, I’m seeing her as a mercenary-for-hire. Not the Big bad, but works for--and has inside knowledge on--a lot of them. While competent in hand-to-hand, her primary skills lie in assassination, both subtle and direct.

Charisma Carpenter -- Status: Academy Faculty: Charisma specializes in Negotiation and Seduction. She has a storied career and is something of a legend among the D.E.B.S. (and among a few of the older Villains), some of which might have to do with rumours that she may have started for her own amusement. 

China Anne McClain -- Status: D.E.B.S. (Recent Graduate?)/ Villain: While China makes an excellent Villain, I see her primarily as a D.E.B.--if one on the border of switching sides. 

As a D.E.B.S., she’s an expert in bladed weapons, always carrying at least one on herself at all times. When she first came into the D.E.B.S. program, China had a bit of a patience/temper management issue but has improved on both over the course of her training and is now a highly valued agent... if a little direct in her solutions at times. Her class is a few years behind Brenda/Ashley/Anna’s.

As a Villian, she broke away from the D.E.B.S after a mission gone south and, like Brenda, is now a mercenary for hire. Unlike Brenda, China has aspirations to be more than just ‘a fucking minion’ and is biding her time until the opportunity presents itself to become one of the top dogs.

Demi Lovato -- Status: D.E.B.S. / Villain: I’m fifty-fifty here, I can see both fitting her equally well.

As a D.E.B.S., She’s still a year shy of graduating, and already a little disillusioned with the life of a spy. This might have something do with the fact that outside of a few special cases, she’s rarely called on to put her specialty in explosives to use in the field, leaving her feeling like a bit of a fifth wheel. Or it could be the fact that she’s never really clicked with the other D.E.B.S.

As a Villain, she’s started out as a small-time grifter before catching the eye--and wallet, of the local Crime Boss’ Consigliere. A few years later, and Demi was sitting high, heiress apparent to the whole organization. This did not sit well with some of the longer serving members, and shortly before her twenty-first birthday, several of those members decided to take her out of the running.

They failed. After that, no one questioned her claim to the throne. Especially after rumours of her ‘souvenir collection’ started to circulate.

Emily Osment -- Status: D.E.B.S.: While she could possibly work as a Villian too, I don’t see her as one.

As a D.E.B.S., She’s known best for her oddball sense of humour and ‘distractability’, often bouncing between several subjects in the span of a conversation. Some describe her as ‘an excited little puppy’, others as ‘a wash-out waiting to happen’. Either way, no one can deny her test scores which are consistently in the top fifth percentile across the board. Despite her test scores, Emily has failed to shine in any one particular specialty, proving instead to be a middle-of-the-road jack-of-all-trades.

Emma Watson -- Status: D.E.B.S. (Graduated) / Villain: Another one I’m split fifty-fifty on. 

As a D.E.B.S., She excels at languages. Much to her disappointment, this has led to her playing more of a support role--translating intel, acting as a liaison between D.E.B.S. and foreign agents/agencies, etc--with little to no Fieldwork since her graduation.

As a Villain, she comes from old money, and while the initial deposits all those years ago might not have been ill-gotten, enough of the ones since have arrived under questionable circumstances (and often in disguise). Not one to hide from--or be hidden from--the truth behind her family’s wealth, Emma has apprenticed under her parents for the last several years in those borderline illegal activities that help to keep the coffers full while dabbling in a few over-the-border ones on her own.

Hayley Atwell -- Status: D.E.B.S. Dean/Director / Villain: Another fifty-fifty. I can easily see her in both a white hat and a black one. 

As D.E.B.S. Dean/Director, She’s held the position for several years and, unlike the rest of her faculty, remains something of a mystery to the Agents and Agents-in-training serving under her--all of which she knows by name (as well as knowing them better than they suspect, or she lets on). Like Brenda, she has a bit of a ‘Mother hen’ attitude when it comes to the women under her command but where Brenda’s comes in the form of bordering-on-annoying-at-times check-ins both on and off the clock, Hayley’s is decidedly of the tough-love variety.

As a Villain, She’s one of the big ones. Years of experience have taught her all the tricks in the book on both sides of the battle between good and evil, and she’s invented a few more along the way. Her criminal syndicate is a sort of Anti-D.E.B.S., though nothing as formal. Most of her recruiting is based on gut instinct and necessity rather than tests (secret or otherwise). A careful look at the files for her recruits would turn up a common element, though: Almost all of the women in her organization were victims of one form of abuse or another before they were recruited. It might come as no surprise then to learn that Hayley’s criminal endeavours have a bit of a Robin hood flavour, tending to target the corrupt regardless of their public perception--a fact which has pissed off more than one government who had their hands caught in the cookie jar--with a fair portion rumoured to be passed along to the Poor. It should be noted that while numerous charities and foundations have received sizable donations after one of Hayley’s heists, there has been no confirmed connection between Hayley or her syndicate and any of the organizations in question.

Salli Richardson – Status: D.E.B.S. Dean/Director / Other: I'm leaning more towards "Other" but in any verse where Hayely is a Villain, I see Salli as her D.E.B.S. counterpoint.

As D.E.B.S. Dean/Director, much like Hayley, Salli has held the position for several years, and like Hayley, Salli remains something of a mystery to her students/agents. Unlike Hayley, however, the question mark hovering over her past is more the result of security clearances and protocol than a deliberate attempt to create an air of mystery around herself. Despite this, She is not a stickler for the rules and values results and competence over blindly following orders (a trait she shares with her Other self).

As Other, She fell just shy of a qualifying score for D.E.B.S. recruitment on the secret test--a fact that, should she ever learn it, would annoy her both because she came as close as she did to becoming a D.E.B.S., and because she wasn't considered good enough to become one. Either way, the same skills and inclinations that almost made her a D.E.B.S. candidate led her in to law enforcement (C.I.A. or F.B.I, I'm not sure which) where she managed to work her way up the ladder with surprising speed despite the 'Boys Club' mentality she faced, both as a woman and a POC. Not long after one of her operations crossed paths with D.E.B.S., she was officially read in on the D.E.B.S. program and named the official liaison to the D.E.B.S.. A position she resents, considering it a career dead end, and a particularly galling one given that whenever she has to deal with "that bunch of fetish costume-wearing, Jane Bond wanna be's", her official contact is someone half her age. While not a Villain, she definitely counts as an Antagonist to the D.E.B.S. as a whole.

Selena Gomez -- Status: D.E.B.S. (Graduate [?] ) / Villain: While I can see her as both, I’m leaning more towards her as a D.E.B.S.

As a D.E.B.S., she has a much more laid back attitude than most of her fellow Agents(-in-training). At least when it comes to spycraft. Get her started on anything Tech (where her own talents shine) or anything pop-culture, and she can be almost overpoweringly enthusiastic. Unlike most of her Class, Selena is hoping for a support role once she Graduates (or is very happy she got one after graduating, grumbling only when necessity forces her into the field).

As a Villain, she still has those mad Tech skills, putting them to use as the notorious hacker, Conchita, infamous for raiding servers for whatever catches her eye before leaving behind her calling card, an eight-bit, animated, laughing clam.

Tessa Thompson -- Status: D.E.B.S. (Graduated) / Villain: I see her more in the Villain role, but it’s a close contest.

As a D.E.B.S., she’s a few years ahead of Anna/Ashley/Brenda. At best, Tessa was in her final year at the Academy when they were fresh recruits, but more likely she was a year or two graduated herself by that point. Known best for her resolute calm in the face of danger, she’s a veteran of several of the more action-oriented missions of the last few years. She is rarely seen on campus and tends to spend most of her time in the field. The general consensus is that she’s being groomed for a leadership position down the line, possibly even for the Dean/Director’s chair.

As a Villain, She retains that calm-under-fire demeanour and is most likely someone’s right-hand/second in command (Hayley’s if she’s also a Villain, With Emma as second choice, likely as Bodyguard). She has no desire to take the top spot and prefers to spend her downtime alone (when she’s not in the mood to relieve a little stress with the help of a one-night stand or two, that is. She doesn’t do long term.)

Zendaya Coleman -- Status: D.E.B.S.: Again, I can see her as a Villain, but I feel she fits best as a D.E.B.S.

As a D.E.B.S., she’s something of an outcast in her class, but not because she’s not likable. On the contrary, she’s very likable. That’s part of the problem; she has a way of getting a person to drop their defenses around her. A trait that plays largely into the main reason why her fellow D.E.B.S. avoid her when they can; her PsyOps Specialty.

Question the third:

Do I add the D.E.B.S. verse to this blog, or make a new blog for it? Either way, I will likely test out one or two D.E.B.S. verse characters here to gauge interest before setting up another account, but in the course of writing this, it has occurred to me that I might be better off making the whole thing its own thing in the long run.

[niki-writes-stuff]

Liist of my wip's! (August 2019)

Hello there! I'm Nicola! I mainly write contemporary YA stuff (mostly read that, too!), that feature all of the lgbt rep I'd like to see but don't :)

The following is a list of my current wip's, along with a quick summary of what they're about! If anything here interests you please don't hesitate to ask about it! I love talking about anything from characters to plot and it helps me build ideas when I'm talking to someone else :)

The History of Great Thing That Have Happened to Great People: Taylor, convinced of his extremely bad luck, isn't expecting to catch the eye of Patrick, who's extremely out of Taylor's league in every way that counts. Taylor is convinced their whirlwind summer romance will be regulated to just that: the summer, because with their insanely different lifestyles, coupled with living on opposite ends of the country, and Patrick's slightly obsessed ex, theirs no way they could make it work long term, right? Right?

One More Minute: Kat signs up for a competition that wins her an hour long skype date with her celebrity crush, Harley. Kat can hardly believe it- clearly this is a sign they were meant to be together. Battling demons of her own while being forced to maintain her public image all at the age of 19, Harley is infatuated with Kat from the first minute they spend talking, but she's reluctant to drag the starry eyed, optimistic girl into her world.

For The Throne: The unprecedented assassination of her brother, Jude, just days before his wedding, leaves Genevieve in the position she never envied him: Atop the most powerful and coveted throne in the world. As her relationship with American journalist Eva Letman comes to light, Genevieve faces opposition from both outside and within the palace, forcing her to question her place as a Monarch and her ability to rule. Jude's widowed wife, Sarah, carrying his alleged unborn son, is the power hungry daughter of the Prime Minister, and she's determined to regain her position in the palace, whatever it takes. As the investigation into Jude's death goes underway, and England is sent into a disarray over Genevieve's reign, old and new secrets begin to reveal themselves, threatening to bring down the entire Monarcy down with them.

Title TBD: Hedley knows vampires exist: they have to. She's spent her entire life learning everything she can about them, and in the depths of her research she found solace from her life in a children's home. As she turns 18 and the system prepares to spit her out onto the streets, Hedley goes to the only place she's ever felt at peace: Hartman's Hallow, rumored to be home to the last existing vampire coven in North America.

Title TBD: Skye Nolan has a plan. He's counting down the days until he can start HRT, while trying to survive living with his father and soon to be step-mom after his mother's career takes her to New Zealand. It probably wouldn't have been so difficult, except he also has to handle having a crush on his long time friend, Caden Montgomery, who Skye isn't willing to risk losing over anything. Skye is convinced that a relationship with Caden is completely out of the question- until suddenly, it's not. Caden returns from music camp with the news that he's broken up with his boyfriend, and his sudden availability pushes him and Skye to testing the boundaries of their frriendship.

Who We Were: Noah Hapstall's plans to enjoy his freshman year of university take a sharp turn for the worst when his ex girlfriend reappears in his life after being gone for over a year. Melanie had previously been nothing more than the embodiment of everything Noah despised, the wounds she left cut deep and not even his current seemingly iddylic relationship could heal them. He swore he would never let her back in, but his parents' divorce and the increasing distance between him and his boyfriend, who's currently studying in another state, leaves him vulnerable to Melanie and her typical manipulation. As Noah unwittingly becomes more involved in her life, he is forced to remove his rose tinted glasses and examine the world as it really is, for all the lies, secrets, and pain it holds.

Who We Want To Be: Sylvie Montgomery has had enough of living in the shadow of her celebrity father, her perfect twin brother, her genius best friend and even prodigy violinist younger sister. She doesn't know who she is without the people around her always overshadowing her, and so she jumps at the opportunity to find out when she's offered an internship far away from home: in the city of love, Paris.

Where We Began: Tessa had her heart broken when her girlfriend of two years broke things off out of the blue. But now Hanna's back, begging for a second chance, and Tessa is unbelievably close to giving in. She never really got over Hanna, and maybe they can make things work again, if only they could get over all the baggage their history brings with it.

Rules of The Road: Five best friends go on a cross country road trip the summer before departing for college. They must navigate the rules of road while discovering things about themselves, and each other, that will either tear them apart for good or make them stronger than ever.

Rules of The Game: High strung student body president Sophie ends up tutoring Oren Black, the school's laid back, fun loving quarterback.

Rules of the Heart: After coming out as gay, Alexa goes to live with her father in Oregon and ends up falling for Harley, who recently got out of an abusive relationship.

Title TBD: Broadway actress Olivia (Liz) Chandler meets Tomi Reign, the socialite daughter of Liz's new director. Sparks fly immediately, and supposed-to-be straight Liz can't deny that she has feelings for Tomi. Tomi herself is intrigued by Liz, who's cheeky and flirty personality is far from Tomi's usual type. But her usual type.... usually leaves her heartbroken and alone. She's more than happy to play along and be Liz's pet project as she explores her sexuality. It's not like she has anything better to do. Except things take a turn when real feelings begin to get involved, and neither of them really knows how to react to it.

All We Have (8 part series): Follows the life of childhood best friends, Aaliyah, Nicky, and Ryan, as they navigate their tumultuous familial, platonic and romantic relationships. Spans over the course of several years, from their early teens to their late 20's.

The Other Life: Penelope Carmichael has lived in the shadow of her best friend Kris Johnson for as long as she can remember. Kris is popular, beautiful, and perfect, and while Penn tries to be happy for Kris' success', she finds it difficult to shake her jealousy. On the eve of their 17th birthday, Penn and Kris get into a car accident, and Penn wakes up several weeks later to find herself in Kris' body, and her own nowhere to be found. As months go by and Penn remains trapped, with the real Kris seemingly gone forever, she slowly allows herself to adapt the life of the girl she always envied. However, Penn quickly begins to realize that Kris' reality may have been far off from the one everyone believed her to have, and that underneath her facade of perfection lies the haunting and tragic truth of a girl Penn realizes she never really knew.

UnSavior (stand-in title): 5 years after saving her world from imminent doom at the age of 16, Lina packs up and transports herself to another dimension: Earth, with the sole purpose of having a normal life where she isn't regarded as a Hero. However, her arrival to Earth has consequences. Lina doesn't realize that her absence from Ethera sparks an uprising amongst the warring nation of Xaida, who lost the Battle 5 years ago. Furious at the way they've been treated since and determined to avenge their fallen, those left of Xaida want to secure a better future for themselves, and they see Lina's absence as their opportunity. As Lina becomes more and more infatuated with her new life on Earth, caught up in the new experiences and friends it brings, a full out war is on the brink of breaking out in Ethera, and her old mentor Azi attempts to seek her out to draw her home to stop it before it has a chance to begin. But Lina has other plans; she still hasn't fully recovered from the scars the Battle left her with, and she doesn't want to leave Earth and the sanctuary she found there. As a revolution stirs up in Ethera, Lina must question everything: her identity, her loyalty to her nation, and the very people who made her who she is.

Title TBD: 4 college students recieve a series of mysterious emails from an anonymous sender, instructing them to commit several atrocious acts over the course of one night (12 hours) or risk having their secrets, each more damning than the last, revealed to the world.

[kog0ruhn]

Lair Review (Moons, #108830)

Beginning notes? Your lair was so hard to narrow down to six that I like. There is just a wonderful aesthetic all throughout, and I won’t lie and say that (being a bit of a TES nerd myself) I didn’t nearly pick some dragons based off of name alone. I love your use of Ayleidoon. And I just want to give a shout-out to essentially every one of your Imperials because you’re a boss at dressing what I believe is the most difficult breed to dress.

Now to the six I picked:

Konahrik was an easy selection, though I won’t lie and say it’s not because of a personal bias. Guardian dragons are the best dragon, and males typically don’t get a lot of love seeing as a lot of folks aren’t fond of their pose or find them hard to dress. And heck, they are hard to dress, which is why I’m impressed with this absolutely handsome Fire rep. Everything is just coordinated together wonderfully, from the skin you’re using to the apparel you chose for him. I’m usually not keen on using straight sets of apparel on a dragon, but the Brutal outfit looks like a whole new beast with the touches of festival apparel given to him to bring out his inherent fiery nature.

Also, while probably not intentional, I like how the skin he is wearing has areas of glow that seem to correspond with his halo and embers. It gives him a dynamic appearance that I don’t see in a lot of dragons, and was initially what made him catch my eye in your lair.

Duneripper is magical. Most of the desert-themed dragons I see on site have more of a survivalist adventurer look to them, but I don’t see a lot of survivalist nobility. His accent matches his colors and genes perfectly to a point that I almost couldn’t tell where he ended and the accent began, and I love the clever use of the seraph jewellery and light halo to enhance what his genes and accent bring to the table instead of covering it up. I honestly thought the jewellery was part of his accent at first, they match up so well. That’s to say nothing about how clever it is to “complete” the halo added by the accent, which is a really lovely touch.

Also, the shadow tertiary and secondary? What perfect choices! They complement the gold on him very well, and make him match his familiar oh-so well. And, well, can I just say I am getting some kick-ass post-apocalyptic vibes from this dude? If Xerxes and Max ever had a kid, and that kid was a dragon, it’d look exactly like Duneripper.

I already said I wasn’t a fan of straight sets of apparel, but Karan is just… wow. Despite being a XXX dragon, there’s enough variation in his genes to make him visually appealing and the color itself, umber, is one of the most underrated colors to date. It’s just so smooth and dark and velvety to look at, and with the autumny oranges added by his butterfly do well to add a lovely pop of color to him. It also goes well with the greens and grays of his apparel, since everything is otherwise so muted. Warrior he may be, he’s absolutely gorgeous and calming to look at.

Also, the headdress. The headdress looks like it’s a part of him instead of a lion skin, like he’s the big scary cat in question himself. The lighter beiges almost match the sparkles of his glimmer, and the darker bits match the fade of his wings. Everything just flows so well, making him one of the most appealing dragons in your lair.

Alasilnen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more fitting Water dragon in my life, despite being a Lightning dragon (we’ll just ignore that). Everything about her is just so free-flowing and ethereal, from the kelpie mane to the sage attire, all of which gives her one hell of a personality just from a glance. I didn’t even have to read her bio to know she was very obviously an oracle, as everything from her apparel to her regal stance to her apparent Water affiliation screams “mystic.” It’s so hard to put into words just how pleased I am to see somebody put into pixels the aesthetic I’ve had in my head for Water dragons since the get-go, let alone using the “right” breed.

I love the “extra fins” she has in the Sylvan apparel. I love her colors and her beautiful, beautiful accent that draws the eye and helps her wisps fit in with the rest of her outfit. I love how well her kelpie mane matches her safe apparel, right down to the kelp itself matching the edges of her shawl and sash. She’s beautiful, she’s wonderful, and she’s a dragon you should be very proud of.

Satakal. Just… Satakal. There’s not much written about him aside from the fact he’s a gem trader, but I can definitely see it just by looking at him. Like Duneripper, he has a very distinct desert-dweller feel, though his choice of apparel conveys his profession perfectly. A mantle and goggles to help him brave sandstorms, or perhaps the goggles are magnifiers that allow him to inspect the integrity of his stock. The Gem Thief apparel for him to carry his wares as he travels from one prospective trade area to the next. The adorable little cornsnake travel buddy sticking out of his scarf, which is both precious and practical. Pets are good for stress, and a merchant’s life is stressful.

That’s not even getting into what an absolutely beautiful dragon he is beneath all of that. I never would have imagined that algae opal, of all colors, would look so fitting for a desert-dweller theme, and the contrast of his obsidian is to die for. Then, there’s the accent, which practically glows against that sleek backdrop of black before fading into the larger patches of opal on his wings. Just, everything about him is so perfect!

I picked her because of her name. As previously mentioned, I’m a bit of a TES geek myself. But, the more I looked at her, the more it became apparent that this is undoubtedly one of the prettiest dragons you have in your lair. She has a dark elegance and refinement about her that I’ve not seen in other dragons in a very long while and is extremely hard to place. It’s haunting and beautiful, kind of like flowers growing out of a bleached ribcage. That sounds angsty as all hell, sure, but it’s the same kind of aesthetic she gives off with her golds, her violets, her roses, and her dark past.

I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but considering the Argonian-related name she has, I’m assuming her past as an assassin is a nod to the concept of Shadowscale assassins. In which case, I 100% approve and also like the way you made her actually have shadow scales, seeing as her skin almost matches the color. And if that’s not intentional, you’re more than happy to claim it is now, haha.

[razzleryan]

Top 10 Most Wanted Newcomers and Echo Fighters

NiI’d like to start this post by saying this is all my own personal opinion. I respect all feedback, be it positive or negative, so feel free to message me anytime! Fair warning, there’s a lot of characters I’m not familiar with, so please go easy on me!  I’ll present my #10 echo fighter and then my #10 newcomer until we reach number one, each with a paragraph describing why I want them. Let’s start with...

ECHO #10 - KEN (Street Fighter) (Echo of RYU)

I haven’t played a lot of Street Fighter, but I do know that Ken is a fan favorite of the series. I can’t see any third party characters getting a unique rep (RIP Chun-Li) so the best thing would be a Ryu echo fighter. The only person who I feel deserves that role is Ken. As stated before, I’m a novice to Street Fighter so I can’t name any differences between the two, but Smash Bros. would be a fantastic way for me to see these differences.

NEWCOMER #10 - RAYMAN (Rayman)

Remember when Artsy Omni made that fake leak of Rayman in SM4SH? I was one of the many people who thought it looked too real to be fake. Nearly everything about the leak looked real, and the fact that there was a Rayman trophy in the game only lead me to believe it further. With his detached limbs, I could see Rayman having one of the longer grabs in the game, with his hands and legs flying far from his body to deal some damage. 

ECHO #9 - FUNKY KONG (Donkey Kong Country) (Echo of DONKEY KONG)

I’ve been playing a lot of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and with the Switch port adding a fifth playable character in the form of Funky Kong (only in Funky Mode), he’s gaining a new following that he hasn’t had before. Rather than rolling in his dash attack like Donkey Kong, Funky could ride his Surfboard. If not a dash attack, it could work similar to Wario’s bike where it will disappear for a bit if it’s destroyed. His recovery could involve him surfing upwards, too!

NEWCOMER #9 - REX AND PYRA (Xenoblade Chronicles)

I haven’t gotten around to beating Xenoblade Chronciles 2 yet, but I really like the dynamic between these two. I don’t have much to say about them, they’d probably function semi-similar to Shulk but not close enough to be an echo fighter. Rather than giving Rex alternate costumes, each costume could be a different sword rather than Pyra.

ECHO #8 - IMPA (The Legend of Zelda) (Echo of SHEIK)

Using her Hyrule Warriors appearance, obviously. She’d play as a fast moving just low damaging attacker like Sheik, but I could see her dash attack and other moves using her sword like she does in Hyrule Warriors. 

NEWCOMER #8 - SPRINGMAN (ARMS)

So I’ve heard that Sakurai is primarily drawing from the Smash Ballot back in SM4SH, which means we may not being seeing any ARMS characters in the base roster. The game may have been underwhelming, but Nintendo rarely releases new major IPs, so bringing in a character from ARMS may help with sales. As Springman is the primary posterboy, he would fit best into the roster. Similar to Rayman, he’d have long range due to his spring-like arms.

ECHO #7 - NINTEN (Earthbound) (Echo of NESS)

I know absolutely nothing about this character because the only Earthbound/Mother game I’ve played was Mother 3, but I’d love to see another representative of the series. Seeing as Ness and Lucas were the protagonists of Earthbound 2 and Mother 3, I see no reason to not include the protagonist of the first game in the series.

NEWCOMER #7 - DECIDUEYE (Pokémon)

I’m going to be quaint. I don’t want Incineroar to be our Gen. 7 rep. It may be easier to implement than an owl with a bow and arrow, but we already have Greninja to represent a water starter and we have/had Charizard to represent a fire starter, so I would much rather have our first grass starter in the form of the unique Decidueye. He’d have a fantastic recovery due to his being an owl, but his kit would be primarily ranged based. You could take a lot of his movement from his Pokkén Tournament incarnation.

ECHO #6 - ISABELLE (Animal Crossing) (Echo of VILLAGER)

Isabelle’s assist trophy has not (at the time of making this) been reconfirmed, so I believe there’s a strong possibility that she’ll make it as our second Animal Crossing representative. She’s quickly become one of the most popular characters of the series and with her very expressive faces, I’m sure Sakurai can make her into one of the cutest characters we have.

NEWCOMER #6 - FAWFUL (Super Mario)

Nintendo seems to have forgotten about the Mario & Luigi franchise, which saddens me because they were my favorite games. Fawful is an important character in Superstar Saga, Partners in Time, and Bowser’s Inside Story, even being the main antagonist in the third. He could be a very unique fighter, using his head-jetpack-thing for his recovery and his final smash could be the Dark Star Core.

ECHO #5 - VIRIDI or MEDUSA (Kid Icarus) (Echo of PALUTENA)

Viridi is a fan favorite who could echo Palutena, but rather than using general light magic, Viridi could focus on more nature-based magic. Another echo of Palutena could be Medusa. I’m not quite sure what a moveset for her would be like, but more villains is a must.

NEWCOMER #5 - SKULL KID (The Legend of Zelda)

Apparently there’s a lot of people who believe Skull Kid is confirmed already? I don’t know if I’d go that far, though I admit the proof is very believable. I don’t know what a potential moveset for Skull Kid could be, and his final smash probably wouldn’t be the Moon, as it’s an assist trophy now. But who knows, maybe it’s possible?

ECHO #4 - SHADOW (Sonic the Hedgehog) (Echo of SONIC)

Shadow just makes sense to me. We know third party characters are open to echo fighters, and Chrom showed us that “echo” doesn’t mean “exact copy”. Shadow could echo Sonic but keep his unique dark and edgy attitude. He could be a stronger but slower Sonic who skates on his shoes and uses the power of the Chaos Emeralds for his attacks, with Chaos Control and other emerald-based powers. No guns though.

NEWCOMER #4 - PAPER MARIO (Super Mario)

With five games to take from, the Paper Mario RPG series is a classic and loveable series to Nintendo fans. While the recent games have failed to live up to what The Thousand-Year Door built, the series still has a strong following. He could use jump based moves and his hammer would be an integral part of his moveset. Various partners from the series, like Goombella, could also be part of his moveset.

ECHO #3 - OCTOLING (Splatoon) (Echo of INKLING)

Now that we know that not all Octoling are evil, this may be their chance to make it into the lime light as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. The major problem I see with the Octoling is how to differentiate between their ink and the Inkling’s ink. Plus I just really want an Octoling amiibo.

NEWCOMER #3 - MONSTER HUNTER (Monster Hunter)

I have never played any Monster Hunter games and to be honest they just aren’t my cup of tea, but since Rathalos is in the game as both a boss and an assist trophy, I’d be kind of upset if we didn’t get a hunter as a character.

ECHO #2 - DIXIE KONG (Donkey Kong Country) (Echo of DIDDY KONG)

Another fan favorite character that I’m honestly surprised hasn’t made it yet. Her hair could whip forward like Shantae’s does in the Shantae games, and it could also be used as her recovery, working the same as Donkey Kong’s, low height but long distance. 

NEWCOMER #2 - GENO (Super Mario)

I haven’t played Super Mario RPG personally, but I’ve seen my friend play a bit of it and I know how popular Geno is. With his appearance as a Mii Costume in SM4SH, I don’t think it’s unreasonable that Sakurai put him in. It seems like all those who got Mii Costumes have made it in as playable characters (except Ashley, RIP).

HONORABLE MENTIONS  Amaterasu, Banjo-Kazooie, Chibi-Robo, Chorus Kids, Dillon, Elma, Isaac, Leon Kennedy, Lloyd Irving, Marx, Quote, Tetra, and Wonder-Red

ECHO #1 - DARK BOWSER or MIDBUS (Super Mario) (Echo of BOWSER)

Psst, hey. Fun fact. This is actually my most wanted character in the entire list. Even more than my #1 Newcomer. Dark Bowser is the final boss of Bowser’s storyline in Bowser’s Inside Story, happening the same time as the Mario Bros. fight the Dark Star Core. He’s bigger than Bowser and a lot tougher. He breaths blue/purple fire among other powers, and I plan on making a whole separate post dedicated to why I want this character in Smash Bros. For now, I’ll just leave you all with Dark Bowser’s battle music.

NEWCOMER #1 - BANDANA DEE (Kirby)

Bandana (Waddle) Dee has become a stable character of the Kirby franchise, usually being a boss character or a playable character, his popularity rivals that of King Dedede and Meta Knight. He could throw his spear as a neutral attack, and spin it around for his recovery like he does in Star Allies. If you want to see what this looks like in action, I suggest checking out some gameplay of him in Super Smash Flash 2 (Please ignore Goku, he’s never getting in).

[stevenbasic]

She came through the gate, returning from her bull ride pointing at me, laughing. She had beaten me, and it delighted her to no end. In our little game, our bet on who could draw the biggest crowd, she had won hands down.

”You. Couch. Now.” She laughed.

whu..? Couch? She knew she had won, and she looked like she meant to reap her spoils, but...

“Haha what do y-”

Abruptly, she shoved on my chest, pushing me backwards. My eyes goggled, taken aback. I laughed - she must be playing around - but I saw a funny, wild look in her eye. She had victory in her blood, like she was drunk on her little triumph. Stepping towards me, I stepped back. She stepped towards me some more, I continued to backpedal. Immediately I was beginning to get nervous.

“Hey uh Melissa what are y-“

“You shush,” she commanded. Melissa was quickly directing me back towards the dark outer edges of the bar. This was her moment, and the beery din had faded around her.

“Did you see that??” she asked, with something more than just humor in her voice, “Did you see how many people I got?? I crushed you!”

“Haha I, uh…”

Now I was definitely nervous, off-guard, still being pushed backwards. It was as if success had brought something new out of Melissa, something I hadn’t seen. Like it had woke something dormant, something...aggressive.

She talked right over me.

“I got everyone to watch me, everyone,” she continued, “god, that was amazing…so fun..!”

Was this Melissa? The woman pushing me, herding me backwards, was absolutely commanding. Like a tall, strong, warrior princess back from war, coming to claim her prize in battle...me. Still laughing, still talking, still with that gleam in her eye.

“I totally beat you, Dr. J..!” she crowed, giggling, “I totally won..!”

And still bearing down on me. Her physicality, her athleticism was suddenly palpable, obvious, made plain...and plainly superior to my own. Though I laughed along, trying to sound calm, my heart had begun to race. She seemed taller than ever. She probably outweighed me, I realized, and I could feel it pound-for-pound as she backed me into the bar’s dark corner.

What had come over her?? She was on an unnatural high, a rush from success, pumped up, even from something as silly as a barroom bet with her boss. Little did I know at the time, but I see now that this was all her unique physiology expressing itself. Perhaps she was even changing, in little bits, right in front of me. But I digress…

Before I knew it, I had been backed up against some weird fur-and-cowhide couch/bench thing, and Randi had appeared at her side.

“What’s happening guys?” she asked, fresh drinks from the bar for Melissa and me, “Aw, Dr. J! What’s wrong? You look so nervous, like a little baby about to cry..!”

“A baby that saw that... ” Melissa answered for me, pointing to herself and laughing, ”...I won!!” 

“H-haha,” I laughed through the emasculation, “sh-she sure d-“

Ignoring me, both girls suddenly had hands on my chest, and pushed.

I sat down, hard. On the edge of the deep, firm bench.

In a flash Randi was sitting alongside me, crossing her shapely, spray-tanned legs for display. She leaned in to my right ear as we both looked up at a looming Melissa. “Missy is fun like this, you should watch out,” she whispered, taking the time to breathe languidly, making my breath catch. Oh god, I thought, oh no. Was it Randi’s voice in my ear? Or was it Melissa, her aggressive turn? Either way, I’d just realized I’d become hard. Randi continued, still whispering breathily. “When she wins, when she gets something she wants...she just wants more.”

I looked up at Melissa, peering down at me over her big bosom, and was now aware of my cock straining awkwardly against my pants. The adrenaline was still in her from her ride, and it filled the air between us. Even from down here I could smell it, a powerful perfume which was only heightening my arousal. And...her smile had changed.

“Wh-what?” I asked, finally, from down on the couch, “What is it?” I noticed Randi had taken my right hand, held it in her bare lap.

“Our bet, of course,” said Melissa calmly, dominantly, down at me.

“Oh yeah, that,” I sheepishly replied, casting my gaze down, down her Amazonian legs.

Eyes flashing, Melissa sat on my other side, to my left, on the furred bench. Turned towards me, her shoulders were confidently set, presenting her formidable torso. Her strong perfume suddenly blanketed me, saturating our air.

”Okay, say it,”  she commanded, eyes daring mine not to glance down. Her smile was at once both playful and victorious. She was at the same time thrilled to be teasing me and ready to gather the spoils of war.

I knew exactly what I needed to do, I’d been beaten. The victor faced me. Randi still sat to my right, holding my right hand, her left one on my shoulder. Her mouth still close to my ear. ”Girls are better than boys,” I said, half-heartedly, surprising myself with the both the weakness in my voice and the dark thrill the words brought me.

”No no no!” Melissa scolded, with a giggle, “like you mean it!”

“Yes like you mean it,” Randi whispered into my ear.

I couldn’t help myself, my gaze betrayed me: in an act of submission, my eyes fell to Melissa’s chest. ”Girls are better than boys,” I repeated, more emphatically. God, she’s huge. And she smells so good.

“Again! Again!” Melissa laughed, sending jiggles through her cleavage,

“Again…” Randi whispered, sending shivers down my spine.

“Girls are better than boys,” I said again, now outright staring. I’m gonna blame the beer...I hope she does, too.

”Good boy, that's right, girls are better than boys,” Melissa confirmed, “Just like my mother taught me.” Aware of my leering and perfectly pleased with herself, she fidgeted with the neckline of her top, tugging it up, allowing her bosom to drop back down. Drawing in a deep breath of her, I had to struggle to look away. “Randi, did your mother teach you that?”

Pulling a few inches away from my ear away to answer her friend, Randi purred ”Oh yes, girls are much, much better than boys.” She squeezed my hand to her soft thighs.

“MmmHmm,” Melissa replied, reaching out her right hand to stroke my left arm, ”And, Dr. J, did your mother teach you that?”

“my m-...?” I stammered, “No, I, uh- didn’t really know my m-”

Randi’s breath was back in my ear. ”awwwwww…tsk tsk tsk…so sad...”

“Well I'm glad we're here to teach you, then!” Melissa giggled, coquettishly drawing my eyes back to her with a toss of her thick, dark hair. I glanced at her, eyes darting again down to her cleavage, and then glanced away. She giggled again at my discomfit.

Her hand reached up to take my chin, redirect my attention to her: ”And..,” she began, eyes sparkling with mischief, “what else did we learn today..?”

”Uh…?” I managed, bedazzled and obviously confused. Jeez how much had I drank? Or was this her perfume doing this to me? It was so, unusually strong. “Wh-whu-what else?”

Coming to my aid, Randi whispered in my ear: “sssstronger.”

Jesus. ”Girls are...s-stronger than boys?” I stammered meekly. This was maybe a joke, a joke to these two girls, but there was a streak in me, a hidden shadow, that was quivering in shameful bliss.

Giggling both now, the girls moved in closer, as if smelling submissive blood, an easy kill. “Good…” Melissa purred. Randi’s left hand reached further around me, and Melissa leaned in, burgeoning her big breasts between her arms. ”And..?” she asked, drawing in a deep breath to swell herself even larger. My chin was still in her hand.

Randi’s whisper again, right in my ear:  “smarterrrrr….”

”Girls are smarter than boys…” I spoke, drawing another deep breath, moist air thick as if direct from Melissa’s dark, beckoning cleavage.

“I think he’s catching on…” Randi quipped dryly, as I felt her open her smooth, bare thighs, slide my right hand between them.

Melissa giggled. ”Very good, Dr. J. Girls are smarter, girls are stronger and…?”

I didn’t need a whispered hint for this one.

”Girls will always win,” I admitted, with a shudder.

”Good boy!” Melissa cooed, beaming a megawatt smile which swelled into another victory.

My head was spinning. What had just happened to me? I felt drunk, delirious, and so, so, so turned on. And yet these two...these two just went on giggling between themselves, nonchalantly sitting themselves back up, getting us our drinks. Was this the way they normally spent their Wednesday nights?!?

I was quiet, obviously bashful and beaten and let the girls tend to me, feeding me my beer and sitting me back on the deep bench, propped up with some cushions.

“Aww, that was hard, hm?” Randi cooed as - my drink in hand, she sat up next to me, nearly in my lap.

“H-hey..uh..”  I began, voicing my surprise. She was getting really close, and it was really dark back here.

On my other side, Melissa started moving in.

“Ooo look at you!” she praised, scooting closer, “With a girl on each side of you? Aren't you a lucky boy, Dr. J...”  Melissa started moving closer still, to perch on my lap on my left but then-

“ooo haha!” she exclaimed, suddenly putting a hand to and then reaching a hand into her cleavage.”I have this on vibrate and…” She pulled her phone out; her face brightened as she looked at the screen. “Oh goodie it’s Abby!” she exclaimed, “She’s on her way!”

“Abby..?” I asked. Abby was another of Melissa’s friends, the sales rep from that company selling snake oil. Randi’s hand was behind my head, running fingers through my hair..

“Yes! So excited!” Melissa sang, typing out a text, “Abby has biiii expense account, wants to use it on you tonight!”

Oh my god...wh-what? A sales rep? Here? I was confused, from women and drink and this damn...incredible...suffocating...scent. I mean...I know Abby and these two are friends but...was this a setup? For me to meet her? I got more confused, more anxious as a vision materialized, suddenly. A vision of being smothered by not just these two but three girls, one armed with a company card. The evening was already out of hand, and with these women so aggressive I could see it getting drastically much worse.

I was suddenly struck with bolt of sobriety. “I should...probably go…” I managed, mustering all my strength to start sitting up from my cushions, “I have early patients tomorrow...”

“Nooooo...stayyyyyy!” Randi immediately countered, pushing back on my chest with surprising strength. Melissa looked on, still holding her phone, smiling thinly. Had she just taken a picture?

“No I really, uh...I really should go…” I persisted, though hearing the hesitation in his my own voice.

Melissa typed out another text with a knowing smile, and for herself had no argument.

”Awww okayyyy,” Randi whined, as I attempted again to start to sit myself up, “but I don’t wanna stay if you’re leaving.” With that, she pulled me back in, hugging my head to her chest. Immediately I flushed as I felt the soft, bare skin of her own full cleavage against my cheek. “And I drank to much to drive.”

Urk. My mind was gone, my face against tits.

“Well, I can’t get you home, not right now,” Melissa explained to her friend, over the top of my head, “I have to wait for Abby. We can call you a Lyft?”

“No I want Dr. J to drive meeeee...” she mewled, squeezing my head to her tighter before releasing me just enough so she could peer down at me, smiling, brows raised expectantly.

“uh...okay...” I agreed. Was I alright to drive? And...oh my jesus christ…

“See Dr. J?” Randi chirped, gazing down at me, caressing my face with tender fingers as Melissa set into another text, “Pretty girls get what they want.”

<tbc>

[nickyvmlp]

My Top 10 Characters I Want in Smash Ultimate

I got a couple of requests for this in my last Smash reaction video, and I didn’t want to make it a full video, so it’ll go here, HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOOO.  (Also, none of my top 10 need to be echo fighters, but I’ll throw in a few echos near the end.)

10) Alex Roivas from Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

This will not happen, especially with Simon and Richter filling the horror game niche, but I can dream, darnit.  For the unaware, Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem was a 2002 GameCube exclusive psychological horror game; it’s basically Resident Evil meets Call of Cthulhu, and it’s my favorite horror game of all time. In the game, you play as Alex Roivas, a few of her ancestors, and few other schmucks across history unfortunate enough to stumble across an ancient book called the Tome of Eternal Darkness, which drags them into a conflict that could destroy the world.  Alex ends up using the knowledge she’s learned from the Tome to stop the rise of three ancient deities, each bent on world domination.  So in Smash, she could have the Tome at her disposal and could even carry it into battle like Robin does.  Her standard attacks can involve normal weaponry she uses like guns and knives and stuff, while her special attacks can all involve using the Tome to summon something.  For her Final Smash, she can hit everyone in a set radius around her with a huge sanity effect that adds 100% damage and breaks the shield of anyone caught in it, leaving them wide open for a heavy attack and a KO.  Plus, more strong female Smash characters, never a bad thing.

9) Decidueye from Pokemon

Every Smash game has a new Pokemon rep, and there’s quite for few on the rumor mill.  Gardevoir and Gothitelle get brought up a lot, but they’d draw a lot of comparisons to (and may end up being an EF to) Mewtwo, especially in Gardevoir’s case.  They could also throw in a currently unannounced Pokemon from Gen 8 with that being right around the corner.  But, Decidueye makes the most sense to me.  It’s got a cool design and there aren’t many characters that uses arrows in their arsenal, basically just the Links and Pit.  Plus, his Flying type would give him really strong recovery, most comparable to Charizard’s.  For his Final Smash, give him Zelda’s FS from Brawl, a giant arrow that KO’s everyone in a straight line.

8) The Eeveelutions from Pokemon

If you like Pokemon, odds are good that you like at least one of the Eeveelutions.  Espeon’s my favorite Pokemon ever, and Jolteon, Umbreon, and Sylveon are up there too.  And there’s eight Eeveelutions at the moment (not counting Eevee) and eight alternate costume spots for each character, so here’s what I’m thinking.  You reveal the Eeveelutions in the next Direct, and put up a poll on the Smash website: Who is your favorite Eeveelution?  The winner of the poll is the default character, while everyone else are the alt costumes.  This does mean that the Eeveelutions will have to be virtually identical, but that shouldn’t be too hard, a Flamethrower can look like a Hydro Pump, a Thunderbolt, a Psyshock, etc. with some small cosmetic changes.  And their Final Smash could either be similar to Mega Man’s where everyone joins in for a giant combined attack, or if you wanna get cartoony, have them get into a big dust cloud fight with other Eeveelutions joining in before the victim gets launched offscreen by it.  Plus with Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee coming soon, it’s a great time to give Eevee’s family some love

7) Black Shadow from F-Zero

You know me, I love F-Zero GX more than I love three square meals a day, and at the moment, there’s barely any Smash representation for the GREATEST RACING GAME OF ALL TIME, so let’s change that.  Samurai Goroh is already an Assist Trophy, so how about Falcon’s other main rival, Black Shadow?  Taking a quick look at him, he’s obviously a big, strong character which makes him well-equipped to be in a fighting game.  But taking a second look at him will make you chuckle, because he’s kinda goofy looking.  He’s wearing a full-body black spandex suit, with bull horns, cloven feet, and a cape.  Yea, he’s a sadistic monster in the games and the anime, but still he’s a little hard to take seriously.  And that can work in his advantage.  In Nintendo Directs, they like to use villains that you can kinda take the piss out of in certain places, like Dedede, Wario, and surely in the future, K. Rool.  Black Shadow can exist in a similar role, and maybe the four can form some evil alliance if they decide to make Subspace Emissary 2.  (Please make Subspace Emissary 2.)  His Final Smash can be identical to Falcon’s, hit your opponent with the Black Bull, works just fine.  Plus, maybe a new F-Zero character could build hype for a new game in the series?  Please?

6) Paper Mario

I’m not sure why some people want Paper Mario to be Mario’s EF?  Wasn’t the point of Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam to show how different those two are?  Anyway, Paper Mario has a bevy of ways to attack that would help him stand apart from his 3-dimensional counterpart.  His standard attack can involve his hammer (which Mario doesn’t have), with the directional standards involving various badges like the Hammer Throw and the Ice Smash.  His special attacks can use his various buddies.  Parakarry can be his recovery, Vivian can be a Down-B defense tool, you could even use Thoreau as his throwing mechanic.  And the final Smash could involve one of the realistic items from the new games, like the electric fan blowing all the opponents offscreen.  I don’t know much about the newer games, they didn’t look as good.

5) Shadow the Hedgehog

This is another one that COULD be an Echo Fighter, but Shadow plays pretty differently to Sonic in their games.  He skates instead of runs, he uses weapons whereas Sonic just uses his speed, Shadow has a FUCKING GUN, there’s plenty that you can do with Shadow to separate him from Sonic.  Particularly involving his Final Smash, Chaos Control.  When it’s used, everyone on screen freezes for ten seconds.  In that time, Shadow can use one heavy attack after another after another, and when the time runs out, all the damage and force from those attacks hit at once, and that character will go flying.  It’d be kinda like Link’s Stasis from Breath of the Wild (which should be Link’s FS, but oh well)

4) Spring Man from Arms

So, Arms wasn’t as big of a hit as people were hoping.  That’s a bummer, it looks like a fun game.  How about we give it one last shot in the arm (teehee) to try to boost its exposure?  Put Spring Man in the game, and have him focus on long-range attacks and throws.  His recovery can be a long whip that grabs ledges like Olimar’s.  And for his Final Smash, give him a big winding tornado throw that KOs whoever he grabs and damages anyone who gets hit by the swinging arms in the process.  Show what he can do in Smash, and maybe it’ll entice people to see what he can do in Arms.  I just want that game to be successful.

3) Rayman

I was shocked that Rayman didn’t get into Smash WiiU, since it seems like Nintendo and Ubisoft have been on great terms for a long time, like how Rayman Origins and Legends ended up on Nintendo consoles when it had almost no third-party support.  Rayman even had a trophy in WiiU, so it was really surprising to me that he wasn’t one of the DLC characters.  Let’s fix that.  His unattached limbs would give him some good range, he’d have some magic that he could use at his disposal for special attacks.  And for his Final Smash, how about summoning a swarm of mosquitoes to fly across the screen, doing massive damage with each hit, like a super-powered version of the Beedrills from Smash 64?

2) Geno from Super Mario RPG

I’m not a huge Final Fantasy guy, but I’m so glad Cloud got into Smash WiiU/3DS, because it throws the door wide open for other Square characters.  A lot of people think this will lead to Sora from Kingdom Hearts getting in (doubtful), but I want Geno to finally get in.  He did get an outfit for the Mii Gunner in the last game, but seeing him actually in Smash, not just as a Mii, would be so great.  Mario RPG is criminally underrated, and it laid the groundwork for the Paper Mario and the Mario & Luigi games.  He’d, of course, be a long range fighter, using his finger cannons as his main attacks, and for his Final Smash:  the Geno Flash, which would be like a combination of Pit’s and Jigglypuff’s FS.  You’d go offscreen and aim a point on the map.  From that epicenter, a giant blast grows, trapping and damaging anyone who gets in the blast radius, before launching those victims off the stage.

Honorable Mentions (Echo Fighters)

Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat brought Funky Kong back into the fold, and he’s got a very similar body type to Donkey Kong, so that makes perfect sense to me.

Hyrule Warriors could use a representative, and since Midna’s already an Assist Trophy, how about Impa?  She’s got a great look and could borrow Sheik’s moveset quite well.

I never bought Wart as an Echo Fighter, since the characters he was usually attached to (Bowser or Dedede) didn’t feel similar enough.  But K. Rool, on the other hand, fits just right.  K. Rool looks like a caricature of Wart.

People seem to like Xenoblade Chronicles 2, so let’s add to the Xenoblade cast in Smash.  I don’t know a lot about Rex, besides his goofy pants, but I’m sure he’d be a great fit.

This might seem odd, but how about Andy from Advance Wars as an Echo to Bowser Jr.?  Andy could ride in a tank and shoot projectiles while using the turret as a short-range melee attack?  Could work.

1) Sans and Papyrus from Undertale

No, but could you imagine?

1) Crash and Coco Bandicoot

This would be the kind of Internet breaking character that you put as the last character added to give one final hype boost to the already unstoppable Smash hype train.  The N. Sane Trilogy is already out on Switch, so the publishers already have their foot in the door, so let’s just go for it.  And as an added bonus, you could announce Coco Bandicoot at the same time (like Simon and Richter) for added excitement.  (I would absolutely main as Coco.)  Their standard attacks could revolve around their spin attacks, while their specials would involve using their various powerups like the fruit bazooka and the belly flop.  And the Final Smash would involve using Aku Aku to turn invincible for a brief time.  Yes, they’re kinda doing away with that kind of FS, maybe they could make a cutscene out of it and cause an instant KO or something.  I don’t know, just gimme Crash in Smash, please. 

[heroineimages]

Inquisitor and Hunter vs Havoc Squad

So I actually wrote this Star Wars: the Old Republic fan fic several months ago, with the intent of it being an opening salvo to a series of stories about a Sith Inquisitor and Republic Trooper constantly mucking up each other’s plans, with occasional cameos from various other character classes. The intent was to have their rivalry culminate in the Shadow of Revan prelude with Lana and Theron each bringing the Dark Council member and Havoc Squad to investigate the Revanites on Manaan. I just haven’t had time or motivation to get back at it, I’m afraid. Regardless, I still kind of like this opener and thought I’d share it here on Tumblr. (Also, M1-4X’s dialogue is so much fun to write!)

“Looks like the Jedi and their astromech went into Czerka’s base, but those commandos and their battle droid are still outside, securing the entrance,” Mako reported, watching through her macros. Her hood might keep Tatooine’s suns from cooking her brains out, but the heat in her face and sand in her undergarments were getting way uncomfortable.

“Good, that means they’ve split up. Thank you, Mako dear,” the Sith Lord acknowledged, frowning as she lifted her own binoculars. “Andronikus, any reports on the Republic’s frequencies? Any sign that they’re sending in reinforcements?”

“Nothing, so far it looks like Havoc Squad and the Jedi are investigating the ruins on their own,” Andronikus confirmed, listening on his headset. “It’s just our shitty luck that the Reps happened to stumble across this whole mess at the same time we did.”

“Luck or the Force,” the Sith mused quietly.

Mako admitted to herself that the Sith terrified her. Though the enormous Chiss woman was incredibly polite and urbane—and had even flirted with Mako—she was… menacing. Tall with those glowing red eyes and black Sith robes and that saberstaff, the woman exuded an aura of death and power. The Sith traveled with a notorious pirate captain and some kind of ancient dark horror, and yet was somehow the most terrifying member of their little cohort.

Figure that one out, Mako grumped to herself.

“Time to move out?” her boss, Volo, asked, standing and stretching.

“Soon,” the Sith assured him, still watching the entrance. “I want to let those Jedi get a little deeper into the compound before we cut off their escape route. Once we’re done here, we’ll see to your Devaronian problem.”

Mako continued to frown as she watched the Republic soldiers go about their work. Between the battle droid and commandos, they hadn’t really needed help from the Jedi and his Padawan in clearing up the Czerka-zombies, or whatever they were. The three soldiers wore desert-patterned armor with Republic insignias on the shoulders. Their battle droid was also all kinds of high-tech impressive, and Mako dreaded the thought of fighting it.

But her boss was confident in their success, and their Sith ally was supposed to be crazy-powerful as well. Plus they had a slight numbers advantage now that the Jedi had split from the troopers. So hopefully this would be just another fight.

She glanced back at her boss as he slipped his helmet on and ran a quick last-minute diagnostic of his weapons and battle-armor. A skilled Zabrak hunter, Volo was the only one Mako had left after Braden and Jory were murdered. In truth, Mako was frequently uncomfortable with Volo’s ruthlessness, with his willingness to fight dirty, backstab, and even execute unarmed prisoners. But at the same time, he was kind toward her and treated her as an equal in their ventures as part of the Great Hunt.

That had to count for something, right?

Mako frowned and went back to watching the Republic soldiers. They’d set up defensive barricades above the entryway to the Czerka compound—giving them cover and high ground in any attempted assault on the bunker. It looked like their lieutenant and medic had decided to cover the north side of the entry, while the sniper and battle droid covered the south side.

“Khem, Andronikus, keep the battle droid and Cathar busy while I aid our mercenary friends in dealing with the lieutenant and medic,” the Sith ordered, pointing to each side of the entryway in turn. “Mako, Volo, distract the lieutenant while I slip in from behind and eliminate the medic.”

“Time for some stellar heroics!” Volo laughed as he mounted their swoop. Mako put her macros away and turned to join him.

“And, Mako?” the Sith murmured, suddenly right behind her and leaning next to her ear.

“Yes?” Mako gasped, startled as she turned to face the towering Sith. Mako stared, entranced by those glowing red eyes and the blaster-scar across the Sith’s aristocratic cheek and nose. She found herself eerily drawn to the enormous woman’s powerful aura and surprisingly affectionate expression. Mako bit her lower lip nervously as the Sith placed a gentle hand on her cheek.

“Do try to come back in one piece, dear,” the Sith requested, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Mako nodded, unable to reply as the Sith took her hand away. Confused by the touch, Mako stumbled backward a pace or two before turning to mount the swoop behind Volo. Adjusting her goggles, she turned back to watch the Sith woman leave. Though powerful and intimidating, there was something enticing about this Sith. There was something about the way she moved and talked and fought that made Mako long to go to bed with her, to please her and make her happy. She didn’t even know this woman’s name, but suddenly desired to make love to her.

Figure that one out.

Mako shook her head to clear it as Volo started the swoop’s engine. When she looked back, the Sith had vanished, fading into the desert without leaving so much as a footprint.

Lieutenant Zara continued to scan the surrounding dunes with her macros as she and Sergeant Dorne crouched behind their makeshift barricades. Sergeant Jorgan and M1-4X had set up their own positions to cover the far side of the entryway from any attacks. They’d completed their business here on Tatooine, apprehending the traitor Fuse and confiscating his bombs from the Imperials. The Lieutenant was ready to be away from this damned dust ball and had a desperate need to scrub three-days’ worth of sand from her ass crack. But duty to the Republic called.

Master Toorni, a Mirilan Jedi Knight, had requested Havoc Squad’s aid in dealing with some kind of ancient weapon or device that Czerka Corporation had unearthed in the desert. The Jedi and his Padawan, Kira, had tracked down some forgotten lab deep in the Dune Sea, and apparently some maniac from Czerka was looking to recover it as well. Plus they’d gotten an inkling that the Imperials might also be looking for this place. Calling in a favor, Master Toorni had asked Zara and her squad to secure the entrance while the Jedi and their astromech investigated the site.

“Jorgan, we’ve got movement,” Zara barked into her helmet com, leaning forward with her binocs. She zoomed in on a plume of dust visible between two dunes. “East by northeast, looks like a swoop,” she added as the silhouette approached.

“I see it,” Jorgan’s voice confirmed over the com.

“Sir! If I may report, it appears Sergeant Jorgan and I have incoming of our own!” came M1-4X’s alert.

“He’s right,” Jorgan agreed. Zara spared a quick glance in their direction. A second swoop veered around a dune vectoring toward Jorgan’s position. “Shall we arrange the usual reception?” Jorgan asked.

“Since when do we do anything the ‘usual’ way, Sergeant?” Elara asked in that crisp Dromund Kaas accent that Zara never tired of listening to.

“Just do what we do best,” Zara ordered as the swoops neared.

“The hell is that?” Jorgan asked.

Zara frowned and spared another glance at the far swoop. Though the pilot looked to be another armored mercenary, the swoop’s passenger was a towering, muscle-bound grey giant with a massive vibro-sword.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Zara scowled through her binocs.

“I’m double-checking my records, but I believe the creature is called a ‘Dashade,’” 4X put in. “According to reports, a Chiss Sith Apprentice to one Darth Zash was recently seen on Nar Shaddaa with a ‘large, grey-skinned creature,’ tentatively identified as an ancient Dashade.”

“So where’s our Chiss Apprentice?” Zara scowled deeper, zooming in on the closer swoop. Though one rider was helmed and the other hooded, neither looked particularly Sith.

Jorgan got the first shot in with his sniper-rifle, striking the swoop’s pilot in the chest, but not piercing his battle armor. The pilot skidded the swoop to a halt, turning it sideways as the Dashade or whatever it was leapt from the back and charged Jorgan and 4X’s position. The pilot crouched behind the swoop, providing the beast with cover-fire.

Zara and Elara opened up on their attackers once in range, several bolts striking the front of the swoop or the pilot’s armor. The swoop-jockey skidded his swoop to a halt as well, then fired up his jetpack to close the distance while his passenger used the swoop as cover.

Instead of firing at her opponent, Zara met him with the butt of her rifle as he landed in front of her. The blow caught the mercenary in the chin, stumbling him back and throwing off his assault. Zara vaulted the barricade to engage the merc hand-to-hand. She slashed her gauntlet-blade at his throat, drawing blood as he dodged back.

The mercenary was good, Zara acknowledged as they scuffled. His tactic of closing the distance and getting in his opponent’s face likely would have worked perfectly against the average Republic rifleman who was only moderately skilled in close-quarters combat.

But you’re in my domain now, merc.

While Elara exchanged fire with the merc taking cover behind the swoop, Zara pressed her assault against the off-balance attacker. Her blade gouged the mercenary’s armor as he charged in again, attempting to bring his flame-thrower to bear. She deflected the weapon up and away with her rifle, then slashed at him again, this time drawing blood and taking a chunk from his armor. The fire blast dissipated into the air, harmlessly away from her or Elara.

The merc attacked with his own vibro-blade, managing to gouge Zara’s shoulder armor as she dodged back. Stepping in for another strike, she could tell the merc was desperate. His usual MO of rocketing in with blaster and flamethrower blazing wasn’t working on her, and he didn’t know how to adjust. She grabbed his gun-arm with her left hand, then twisted sharply to break his arm.

Screaming and off-balance, the mercenary attempted to wrench his arm from her grip, only to injure it further. Zara released his arm, then gut-checked him with her rifle. As the merc doubled over, she slashed her glove-blade across his throat, dropping him to the duracrete.

“No!” came the second merc’s pained scream as she began to rise from cover. Two quick shots from Elara’s pistol clipped the girl’s right side and shoulder, spinning her to the sand.

“Oh-ho! Take that, foul Imperial beast!” came M1-4X’s boast over the helmet-com. “You weren’t expecting to face the galaxy’s most highly advanced war-droid, were you?” Zara spared a glance as a rocket volley blasted the Deshade creature off of the bunker’s entryway.

“Secure the prisoner, Elara,” Zara ordered, turning to the sergeant. “I’ll help the rest of the squad with—down!” she barked as a looming shape materialized behind Elara.

A fraction of a second into her dive, Elara’s training and reflexes were all that saved her life as the shape’s lightsaber ignited and slashed her across the back. Elara cried out as her armor’s cortosis weave only barely deflected the blow.

Firing two quick shots, Zara charged the Sith, leaping over the barricade. The Sith deflected both bolts with her saber-staff, then dodged back as Zara’s blade slashed through the air where her head had been.

The Sith was definitely Chiss, judging from the glowing eyes behind the hood. Her robes were the traditional Sith-black, though greyed considerably from Tatooine’s sand and dust. The Sith was massive and imposing, an aura of dark power permeating her very core.

I can’t beat this woman, the thought entered Zara’s mind as she dodged an attack from the Sith’s saber. Sparks scattered as the tip gouged a mark in her helmet. Zara banished the thought from her head as she stepped in again, trying to keep inside the saber’s effective range. Whether it was her own tactical assessment or some Force-thing the Sith was doing, those kinds of defeatist thoughts weren’t going to help any.

The Sith evaded a grapple attempt as Zara tried to grip her saber-arm. Zara found herself thrown backward as some wave of energy or Force-attack engulfed her momentarily. She landed on her back, rolling to her feet by sheer reflex. Not letting up, the Sith closed the distance again, saber in motion. Zara barely escaped once again, the saber-staff gouging her chest plate this time. Switching directions, the Sith spun again, slicing the barrel off the lieutenant’s rifle.

Another Force-shove slammed Zara backward into a duracrete wall, knocking the wind out of her. She felt her breath stolen again as the Sith grabbed her throat in a force-grip and lifted her from the ground. Zara struggled as an invisible vice clamped around her windpipe, slowly crushing the life from her.

“Such a pity,” the Sith commented with surprising sincerity. “You know, I find that I rather like you, Lieutenant. I genuinely wish I didn’t have to kill you now. Though, I’ll understand if you don’t exactly accept my apology.”

“More incoming!” Jorgan hollered over Zara’s helmet com.

A volley of heavy-blaster fire and a series of explosions cut off the Sith’s next comments. Still keeping Zara aloft, the Chiss turned toward the new threat. Vision blurring, Zara tried to focus as four open-air skiffs roared down the face of a nearby dune to the north. Heavy blasters blazing, a half-dozen Czerka mercenaries in each skiff fired on the Sith and Havocs alike.

Looking annoyed, the Sith woman dropped Zara to the duracrete. Barely able to rise, Zara watched as the Sith made an impossible jump from the bunker to one of the passing skiffs. In a single spin she decapitated all six of the Czerka thugs as she landed. Running the length of the skiff, she leapt to the next skiff, deflecting a few hastily aimed bolts in midair.

Coughing and rising to her knees, Zara ripped a fragmentary grenade from her belt and lobbed it into the passing skiff a second after the Sith landed. The grenade exploded another second later, throwing the Sith into the nearby dune. The skiff itself crashed headlong into the sand, tossing debris and the bodies of the Czerka guards in all directions. Drawing her pistol, Zara dropped to her chest and opened fire on the remaining skiffs. She saw Elara do the same from her barricade.

Grimacing as he watched the explosion throw his boss from the skiff, Andronikus ducked back behind his swoop, expecting another volley from that damned sniper. The volley never came, as the sniper opened up on the incoming skiffs.

So this isn’t reinforcements from the Republic, he realized. Looking again, he saw the distinctive Czerka uniforms on the skiffs’ occupants.

Another series of explosions hit close by. Andronikus lifted his head in time to see Khem Val’s unconscious form land a dozen feet away—victim of another rocket volley from that damned battle-droid.

Bugger this, he decided. Leaping from cover, Andronikus rushed to the Dashade’s body and hoisted its arm over his shoulder. Half-carrying, half-dragging, he hauled the unconscious beast back to his swoop. Draping Khem over the back of the seat, he leapt aboard and fired up the engine. Too busy with the incoming Czerka, the Reps didn’t fire a single shot at him as Andronikus sped toward the Sith’s unconscious black form. Leaning way over and steering with one hand, he slowed down and stretched an arm out to grip his boss by the waist. Draping her over the front of his seat, he accelerated to as fast as the overladen swoop could handle and rocketed over the dunes.

Zara managed to plug two Czerka thugs from one of the remaining skiffs when one of 4X’s rocket barrages blasted the vehicle straight to hell. Its burning remains tumbled across the dunes, throwing fiery debris in all directions before exploding.

The pilot of the final skiff apparently declared bugger-all on the whole fighting thing, turning sharply and motoring straight for the entrance. Jorgan managed to snipe one off the back before it vanished into the dark confines of the facility.

“Master Toorni, you’ve got incoming,” Zara reported over her com as she rose. “A band of Imperials and a taskforce of Czerka attacked at almost the same time. We drove off the Imperials, but one of the Czerka skiffs made it inside. Expect maybe a half-dozen well-armed thugs.”

“Thank you for the warning, Lieutenant,” Master Toorni assured her. “We’ll be ready.”

“Jorgan, are you in any shape to pursue?” Zara asked next. “They’ll eventually have to ditch the skiff and continue on foot.”

“Yes, sir,” Jorgan confirmed.

“Don’t engage directly, but harry their rearguard if you get a chance and keep Master Toorni apprised of their progress,” she ordered, stepping over to help Elara to her feet.

“Yes, sir,” Jorgan said again, dropping from his perch and jogging into the Czerka base.

“You alright, Elara?” Zara asked her sergeant.

“Yes, sir,” she confirmed, still leaning against her. “A bit of a burn across my back and my armor is damaged, but it’s nothing we can’t repair.”

“Good, let’s see to our prisoner,” Zara nodded, releasing her. “4X, keep an eye out for any new trouble.”

“Affirmative, Lieutenant!” 4X declared. “I shall keep all of my ocular, audial, olfactory, and other scanning apparatuses at full alert!”

“I… should apologize, sir,” Elara confessed as they made their way to the wounded mercenary. “I was not that grievously wounded by the Sith’s initial assault, and yet I couldn’t bring myself to fire upon her. I cowered like a child instead of coming to your aid. And for that I am sorry, sir.”

“Don’t be,” Zara shook her head, reaching over to pat Elara’s shoulder. “One of the first things we learned about fighting Sith is that they have the ability to use the Force to get into your head and mess with your thoughts. Artificial fear is one of their favorite tactics.”

“That’s kind of you to say, sir, but regardless I promise to do better in the future.”

“And I’d expect nothing less,” Zara assured her.

The mercenary girl was attempting to pull herself upright against her swoop with her uninjured arm when she saw the troopers approach. Panicking, the merc scrambled for her fallen blaster but found herself looking into Zara and Elara’s pistols before she could even raise her gun. Dropping the weapon, the girl lowered her forehead to the swoop’s seat and started sobbing.

“Just relax, kid,” Zara assured her, holstering her blaster and doffing her helmet. “You’re gonna be fine so long as you don’t do anything stupid or suicidal. Pointing a gun at two elite Republic commandos qualifies as both of those things. Do you mind if the sergeant sees to your injuries?”

“I–I don’t care anymore,” the merc sobbed, not looking up at them as Zara crouched in front of her and Elara crouched next to her injured arm.

“Don’t care if we see to your injuries or don’t care if we shoot you?” Zara asked.

“Any of it! Anything!” the girl glared, coughing and weeping. “I don’t care about any of this awful war business anymore! Baden, Jory, Anuli, and now Volo: every single friend I’ve ever had is dead, and–and I just d–don’t care anymore!”

“This is kind of a dangerous business you’ve gotten yourself into, kid,” Zara said as Elara scanned the girl’s injuries. “What’s your name?” she added, recognizing that some stocky Republic soldier with a blaster scar across her face and a cybernetic eyepatch likely wasn’t the easiest person to open up to. “I’m Lieutenant Zara, this is Sergeant Dorne.”

“Charmed,” Elara said, doffing her helmet and digging through her medical pouch.

“I… um, I’m Mako,” the merc hesitated, surprised.

“You’re a mercenary?” Zara asked next.

“Bounty hunter,” Mako shook her head, grimacing when Elara started to apply a kolto patch to her wounded shoulder. “We just do… did mercenary work for the Empire while on jobs.”

Zara nodded, not surprised. Frowning, she let her ocular implant run a brief scan of Mako’s own cybernetics. “You’re a slicer?” she hazarded.

“I… yeah, I am. I also have experience as a medic.”

“And you know your way around a pistol,” Zara admitted. The comment seemed to help Mako relax. “Got any formal military training, Mako?”

“No, why are you offering me a job or something?” Mako asked, her suspicion returning.

“I was thinking about it, but without actual soldierly training that’s probably not a good idea,” Zara told her. “On the other hand, Jonas Balkar with the SIS owes me a couple favors. If you want, I can talk to him about offering you a job with the spooks. I’d bet they could use someone of your talents. Interested?”

“I… am, kind of,” Mako frowned, considering. She was silent a moment as Elara continued to patch up her shoulder. “I learned that my sister Coral might be somehow connected to the SIS. I–I tell you what, if your Jonas Balkar guy can help me find her, I’ll take your offer.”

“That’ll be between you and Jonas, but I can arrange the meeting,” Zara assured her. “I’ll make you a deal, Mako; if you cooperate and answer any questions we’ve got, I’ll contact Jonas.”

Mako seemed to focus on something in the distance for a long moment. “Yeah, okay. You’ve got a deal,” she decided at last.

“I take it the remainder of the battle didn’t go well,” the Sith’s voice came as Andronikus dug through their medical supplies. He looked over as she sat up against their swoop in the evening light. Her hood tossed back and black hair unkempt, the huge Sith looked no less intimidating.

“You could say that,” he agreed, motioning to the Dashade’s battered, unconscious form.

“I see you didn’t retrieve Mako,” the Sith commented. “A pity, that.”

“I didn’t exactly have time to—” he started to grouse.

“Oh, no, I’m certain you did the best you could. The fact that you got Khem and I both out alive is a testament to your prowess,” she said, reaching over to pull a canteen and take a long drink before continuing. “I simply rather liked Mako and had hoped to bring her to our cause. Why else do you think I let her leader get himself killed before I struck?”

“Wait, you got Volo killed on purpose? Why?” Andronikus blinked, taken aback.

“The Zabrak was skilled, there’s no taking that from him,” the Sith acknowledged. “But the thought of him lasting toe-to-toe against the commander of one of the Republic’s most elite commando units is almost laughable.” She shook her head. “No, Volo was useful as little more than a distraction. I merely let him live up to that potential.

“Mako, on the other hand,” she continued after taking another drink, “Mako is extremely useful. Though merely competent with a blaster, she’s the most brilliant slicer I’ve ever encountered, and a better-than-competent medic—neither of which we have on our crew. How better to woo her aboard our ship than to offer her a home after she’s lost hers? Was she alive after the battle?”

“Probably,” Andronikus shrugged, partly to ignore the sour taste in his mouth at his boss’s idea of coercion. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to go back for her?”

“Of course not,” the Sith shook her head. “Khem needs healing and I need healing and we’ve still a few loose ends to deal with.”

“Like the Czerka facility?”

She shook her head again. “No, the Jedi will most likely have destroyed whatever they found down there by now. I might have someone investigate as a matter of personal curiosity, but there’s not much to be gained by finding out what it could have been. We’ve frankly more pressing matters.”

“Y’know, you’re not like other Sith I’ve met,” Andronikus admitted to her and to himself.

“I would hope not,” was all she said.

[aokayinspace]

More thoughts on Newsies Zimbits AU

Okay so fleshing this out…

So the Zimmermanns are the Pulitzers, the big newspaper moguls in town.  Bad Bob basically runs the Manhattan newspaper world.  (Also it works still lyrically “Zimmermann and Hearst they think they got us.  Do they got us? NO!”)

That makes Catherine, Jack, the young reporter determined to distance himself from his family/family name and make it on his own.  Tired of living in his father’s shadow, he sets out under a penname (Jack Zimboni?) to start his career as a writer.

Jack Kelly would be Bitty because if this is a Zimbits AU that’s the main romantic subplot, even if I think Bitty would be a better Crutchie, and Shitty a better Jack, but then you’d have to change too much of the original story.  Instead of baking, Bitty has a passion for art.  He is also the leader of the rag-tag group of Newsies who all look up to him as a leader of sorts.  He runs into Jack while out selling papes who he thinks hates him and thinks he’s better than Bitty, a lowly newsboy.  They meet again when, Shitty (Medda Larkin) pushes them together in his cabaret, where Jack takes interest in Bitty after he draws Jack’s protrait on a newspaper and leaves it for him.  Jack then seeks out Bitty after the strike begins and offers to write their story to give them a platform.  They fall in love, everything really happens close to the actual plot of the show.

I’m torn on the other characters, because some of them are a stretch from their original CP characterization, but hey that’s why this is AU.  So I’m gonna go with Lardo as Crutchie, Bitty’s bff and forever optimist.  She’s got snark like you wouldn’t believe, and despite her disability keeps up just as well with all of the boys.  She is not someone to underestimate.

Davey is Chowder.  New to this world of selling papes, and a little shy at first.  Just wants to do his job to help his family and keep out of trouble, but eventually gets pulled into the activism and becomes a leader of sorts because he can’t stand to see the little guy get hurt.

The rest of SMH are the other Newsies.  I can’t decide who Les should be because no one else really makes sense as Chowder’s little brother, except for maybe Tango or some other tadpole.

Shitty, as mentioned before, is Medda Larkin.  It feels wrong to pull him out of the SMH Newsies, but I think this is the best fit for him that isn’t making him Jack Kelly.  So Shitty runs the cabaret and helps out Bitty and the Newsies giving them a place of refuge when needed.  

Kent Parson is Spot Conlon.  This is the headcanon that started this AU in my head.  Think about it.  Spot Conlon in the head of the Brooklyn Newsies who pretty much everyone is afraid of because of his rep, but when you meet him he is this smaller guy who shouldn’t be intimidating, but is.  That’s Kent to a T!  Don’t mess with Parse!  Or the Brooklyn Crew!

Ransom and Holster could be Harlem and Queens leaders, but that also gives them tiny roles so maybe they should just stick with being in the Newsies ensemble.  They could do the whole”the world is your erster” “my what?” “erster” exchange.  

The Delaney brothers and Weisel are LAX bros

I wanna make George Roosevelt cos she should be president!

Um yeah so someone please write this!

[denu-rising]

1!! 2, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16, 20, 22, 30, 31, 36, 39, 41, 42, 43, 47, 49 (im so sorry whenever i send these i always send a billion numbers)

Oh my gosh,so many questions! Don’t apologise, this is awesome! Thank you so much!! =D

1:Who is your clan leader(s)? What are they like?

Myclan leader is Nana. ^^ She’s an absolute sweetheart, soft spoken andshy, who just wants to see the whole world smile. She doesn’t run theClan by herself, but with her trusted council and closest friends,Hobo and Cookie. Hobo’s more of an honorary clan leader, sincepersonality and behaviour-wise he very much resembles an excitedpupper. He has a pure heart and would follow Nana through anything.Cookie’s a lot more help thanks to her empathic ability, which allowsher to pick up on any troubles that may arise in the Clan.

2:Who’s in charge of food? Do you have dragons in charge of thedifferent factions (hunting/fishing/insect catching/harvesting)?

Idefinitely plan to have dragons assigned to these roles, yes! So far,Scarlet is the only one who does any of these, and she always comeshome with her bags full of food and her clothes full of mud (much tothe annoyance of her stylist boyfriend). Guava and Lychee sometimesbring back food from their many adventures. Sunflower is my gardener,and the main dragon in charge of the gardens and crops. She’sassisted by her husband, Watermelon, who functions as a walkingencyclopedia for all things Plant, as well as a pack mule. =P

8:Does your clan have any occultists?

Wehave magic users galore, but when it comes to finding new forms andmethods of magic, right now there’s only Fantasia (plus whoever endsup being her permamate). She’s my dream sorceress, practicing the‘dream magic’ that she discovered and continues to experiment with.You can read a bit about it in her bio, but I should really write somemore about it! To put it vaguely, dream magic is about bringing outsubconscious or hidden knowledge and making it visible.

9:Storytellers or librarians?

Doscribes counts? Because I do have those! Planned, at least. At themoment, Galaxia is my only scribe. She records Dom efforts andcollects badges. I haven’t really kept this up to date, though, andhave been considering dropping this, but she’ll still be a badgecollector with awesome stories to tell about her badges. Just not allbadges. The two other scribes I want will record (previous) clanmembers and notable events that happened, like clan renovations orMarva visiting each year.  And I need a fiction writer too. Thescribes also function as librarians and storytellers. ^^

13:What about musicians?

Alsoonly one so far! I have this nameless lady who’s quite the excellenttrumpet player. Can’t believe I forgot to add musicians to my list ofneeded clan roles, so thank you for the reminder, hehe. =P

14:Dragons involved in other arts? (Theatre, fine art, ect.)

Fiesta!This bright baby is my dancer. He looooves dancing! He teaches aweekly dance class at the familiar spa, and loves performing for themany celebrations my clan throws. When there’s no party planned ordance routine to learn, Fiesta’s often out visiting other Clans tomeet other dancers and dance with them. And Cassius will get upset ifI don’t mention him here, but he’s my pretty stylist and he’s supervain.

16:Who’s in charge of maintaining law and order? Any dragons that takeup the mantle of policing?

Toa degree, everyone is. If they witness something illegal or immoral,they’ll be sure to inform Nana, Hobo and Cookie. Any actual issuesare handled by those three, though they’ll call a clan meeting if thesituation calls for it. Overall, though, this Utopian little bunchdoesn’t have much need for actual police dragons. (They do have asort of prison hidden away in the garden, just in case, though.)There are at all times a couple dragons ‘policing’ the borders of thefloating islands, but that’s just to make sure no one and nothingfalls off and visitors are properly welcomed.

20:Which dragon has the oddest job in your lair?

Ina sense, I’d say Hobo, but that’s because he’s such an oddballhimself that being on the council is a very odd position for him. Imean, he very rarely speaks in full (short) sentences, struggles toget out words at all, and the others can have a hard timeunderstanding him. Fantasia has the oddest job in the sense that herdream magic involves a lot of tinctures and potions made from specialmushrooms and hallucinations. She’s high as a kite most of the time,because that’s her job. She loves her job.

22:Who, in your lore, is the oldest dragon in your lair? What about theyoungest?

It’sa toss-up between Cookie and Luna. Cookie is the actual oldestdragon, both date-of-birth and lore-wise. I tend to mostly followactual dragon birthdays to determine who’s oldest. Luna, however, isa ghost, and who knows how long she’s been dead before Fantasia foundher. She might be older than Cookie, she might even be ancient. Lunadied at a young age, though, so I don’t know. Is she old? Is sheyoung? Youngest would have to be the last hatchie to pop out of anegg, but since I don’t keep those, I suppose this lady’s the youngestaddition to the Clan right now, and I still have no clue as to whather personality or clan role will be. ^^;

30:Do you have siblings that live together in your lair?

YES!I love siblings so much. I had more at one point, but right now, Istill have Guava and Lychee (the first sibling pair I got). They doEVERYTHING together. They even share their boyfriends, taking turnsnesting with them. It’s a bit weird, but whatever floats their boat.^^ Then there’s Skittle and Jellybean. I don’t have any lore for themyet, but I love them. Lamia and her unnamed brother. Might actuallynot keep the brother, but Lamia’s my Shadow ambassador. Sprinkle andSmiley, from my very first dream dragon breeding project. (I got twogirls, because more genes came out and now I’m stuck deciding, so whynot both? Still waiting for the second male, who’ll be the brother ofthe first, to complete the two pairs.)

31:Any physically disabled or mentally ill dragons?

… Doesbeing dead count? 'Cause Luna’s dead, and it’s definitely a physicalstruggle when you can only materialise with a special, hard to makeelixer from Fantasia. But then, there’s also plenty of advantages tobeing dead, like never stubbing your toe or having to sleep, so Iguess it evens out. Guava and Lychee most definitely have ADHD, andwho even knows what the heck is wrong with Hobo… Overall, mentalillness, if present, isn’t something that’ll be clearly stated, like'this dragon has autism’. I struggle enough with my own mentalillnesses that I don’t want to explicitly mention it, though I candraw characteristics and personality traits from them. Also, I’d beway too anxious about accidentally upsetting or offending people. ^^;I have no objections to people giving any labels to my dragons,though! =P

36:Flight reps?

Yes,please! I have Lamia, my Shadow ambassador, and Spring is my Windpriest. I have Rose put down as a potential Ice ambassador andSunflare for Earth, but that’s it, really. I want Flight reps foreach Flight, but it’s super hard to think of what they should looklike if they have to match my lair theme. What would a Flightrepresentative look like if they needed to be XYZ with all colours in adifferent range?

39:Do you still have the first dragon you’ve ever bought?

Idon’t have the first dragon I ever bought anymore, but I do stillhave the first dragon I ever got. I got Cookie as a gift from mybrother. The week leading up to the reg window, he’d been showing meall sorts of dragons and I really loved Cookie, so I got her as agift. In a way, I’ve had her longer than my progens, even. =P

41:Who has the most tragic backstory?

Luna!I mean, she literally died and spent who knows how long all alonewandering Sornieth, unable to find any sort of peace or happiness.That said, backstories are the only real place I can add tragedy, sothere might be more tragic backstories popping up in the future. Likethe story of how Hobo became Hobo, which I’m still eternally mullingover.

42:Who is your edgiest dragon?

Idon’t have one, I think, but I want one! It’ll either be Lamia or myfuture Plague ambassador, because enforcing stereotypes, yeah! =P Ilove Shadow and Plague, but I don’t have much room in my lore foractual Shadow/Plague themes, so whatever edgy little runt thoseFlights can produce, they can just punt on over this way. That’llprobably be the backstory, anyway. =P

43:Do you have any dragons that broke the clan’s rules? What was thepunishment for that?

Well,hatchies can be quite a handful and they don’t always listen yet,but… No, not really, nothing major. Well, Cassius, greedy and vainas he can be, will sometimes steal pretty fabrics or shiny jewels,but that’s just because he’s too impatient to wait to sign anythingfor taking them. He’s had a slap on the wrist a couple times, but nowthey just let him, because he needs that stuff anyway for hisoutfits. Cassius gets a visit once a week to take stock of the stuffhe’s taken.

47:Professor/teacher dragons?

Alsostill unassigned. Yeah, I know, I need to work on my lore more. =PFiesta teaches a weekly dance class, and anyone can learn from anyoneduring the many arts-and-crafts sessions. I still need an officialhatchling caretaker/teacher. Bunnyfly supervises hatchling trips tothe familiar spa and teaches the young ones about familiars and howto maintain positive relations with familiars and beastclans.

49:Orphan dragons?

Nana,my progen. She just sort of came into being, no family or anything.Also my precious little Bunnyfly. He was found as an egg and taken inby a clan of buttersnakes, before his buttersnake mentor/fatherfigure/best friend decided to take him to Denutena’s Candyclan,because the other buttersnakes were getting increasingly anxiousabout living with a dragon, even one that looks like a bigger versionof them, and the buttersnake (he still needs a name) thought it wouldbe better for Bunnyfly to be around his own kind. They now run thefamiliar spa together. ^^

[goodlucktai]

Personal Concerns (2/3)

back at it again with the always self-indulgent full circle au ٩( ᐛ )و

previous 

x 

Satoru wears a hoodie under his uniform jacket. The weather's cold enough lately that it won't seem weird. The sleeves fall farther than his jacket sleeves do, covering his wrists neatly and with inches to spare.

Kiyoshi gives him an odd look as Satoru leaves in the morning, but it's not really so different, is it?

“A hoodie?” Kitamoto says the second he sees him. “Are you getting sick or something?”

“I'm allowed to get cold,” Satoru replies defensively. “The leaves are so cold they're dying. You want me to die, Acchan?”

The childhood nickname garners a few giggles from a few girls passing them by. Kitamoto's face gets a little pink and he scowls, grabbing for him. Satoru ducks his reach nimbly and rushes up the last few steps, waving a cheerful goodbye at the spot in the hall where they part every morning to go to their respective classes.

He makes it about four more steps before he runs straight into Tanuma. Runs straight into him, and staggers back like he just tried his luck bouncing off a brick wall.

“Jeez, what do you eat?” Satoru mutters, rubbing his face.

“Why are you wearing a hoodie?” Tanuma returns. At the look on Satoru's face—and he probably looks as gobsmacked as he feels—Tanuma adds, “You've complained about being hot in your uniform every day this week, multiple times. Did something happen?”

“No,” Satoru says quickly, wondering what the heck he did to get saddled with the most perceptive friends in the world. “I'm just cold today. Ask Acchan.”

After a moment, Tanuma's hard expression cracks and reluctant amusement shines through. “'Acchan'?”

“Please call him that when you ask, and please tell me what he looked like the second you did.”

Tanuma chuckles as Satoru steps around him, with barely two minutes to get to class on time at this point. He actually literally looks over his shoulder a few times, feeling somewhat hunted, and he's relieved when Taki doesn't pop up from around a corner somewhere and he makes it safely into his classroom.

“Good morning,” Natsume greets him, with that crooked smile that only a handful of people ever get to see, that Satoru earned fair and square. A second later, those soft amber eyes sharpen. “Why are you wearing a hoodie?”

“Oh, come on.”

But after that, it's okay. They stop bugging him. He even gets out of gym by volunteering to be Tsuji's lackey when a harried teacher pulls the class rep out for some errands. And when he and his group head to the roof to eat, a cool wind greets them, and Tanuma says, “Wow, alright. Maybe I should have worn a hoodie.”

“Hah!” Satoru whirls around to jab a finger at Kitamoto. “Hah!”

His friends roll their eyes at him, long-suffering and amused despite themselves, and Satoru waits until they're all occupied with their own lunches to try opening his melon bread with one hand.

It's no big deal, totally not worth worrying about—but his wrist kind of still really hurts.

“So are the two of you free on Sunday?” Taki asks brightly when they’re finished eating, lingering behind with Satoru and Tanuma as Kitamoto and Natsume head downstairs. “To come over and look at grandpa's library with me?”

“Sunday's good for me,” Tanuma replies easily, and Satoru flashes a left-handed thumb's up.

“See you then,” he says cheerfully.

Something outside the window catches his eye as he steps down onto the second floor landing. He's gotten better about not jumping at shadows in the past handful of weeks wearing the circle, so Satoru darts a quick sidelong glance down at the school yard.

And promptly forgets how breathing works, because the yokai from before is standing at the gate.

Okay, Satoru thinks, a little numb with terror, this isn't good.

“—shimura. Nishimura!”

Gravity goes a little bonkers at the same time fire shoots up his right arm, and Satoru only very barely manages not to cry out. And then he looks down and realizes he almost walked straight off the landing and fell down about twenty stairs, safely suspended by Natsume's hand wrapped around his bruised wrist and little else.

“Oh,” he manages. “Oops.”

“What's gotten into you?” Kitamoto is grinning, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. “You're been zoning out a lot lately.”

Satoru is blinking wetly through the harsh sting as he disentangles himself from Natsume's grip, and prays it isn't entirely obvious that he's wincing as he slides his hand safely back into its pocket.

Preoccupied, he forgets to answer his best friend. He's rescued by Taki, who says, “We're gonna be late for class if we keep dawdling! Let's move it, boys!”

Satoru is stopped by a yank on the back of his jacket. Tanuma and Taki are frowning at him, and Tanuma says, “Meet us after school.”

“And we know where you live,” Taki adds, mostly teasing, partly serious, “so you better show.”

Satoru has visions of the two of them showing up unannounced at his house and unintentionally interrupting Kiyoshi's studying, and his mother's subsequent wrath. Since his friends aren't cowed by monsters or mortal danger, they certainly wouldn't be deterred by Satoru's mom. They would be politely unapologetic the entire time, too, and Satoru's mom would die before she'd give anyone reason to call her a poor host so she'd probably end up inviting them in, and the whole thing would be painfully awkward and awful and Satoru thinks he'd rather deal with the creepy yokai than that whole mess.

“Nooo, guys, come on.” Satoru doesn't bother trying to keep the whine out of his voice. “I don't know what you're thinking, but stop thinking it. I just—wasn't paying attention. We've all almost fallen down some stairs before, it's nothing to call the school paper about.”

“You forget that we deal with Natsume's deflections on a daily basis,” Taki says. “And he's had a lot more practice at keeping his friends in the dark than you have.”

There's no argument to make there. Satoru decides retreat is the better part of valor, and scoots a careful step back.

Tanuma sweeps a step closer to match it and all but looms over him. He can't help it usually, he's just that tall—but when he remembers to use that height in an argument, it's pretty convincing. Satoru tries very hard not to think of the last thing that loomed over him and meets Tanuma's eyes as steadily as he can.

“It's that yokai, isn't it? The one from yesterday. You followed it.”

“I thought it needed help,” Satoru says stupidly.

“What happened?” Taki's eyes are bright, like she's about to cry, and Satoru automatically feels terrible for that.

“Nothing! I mean, honestly, nothing. I walked with it to the woods, and it—it touched my hand, and then I left.”

Tanuma's dark eyes are heated. “Nishimura, I swear, if that thing did something to you—”

“Hey,” Satoru says, waving his hand frantically, “can we keep this conversation audience-friendly for the hallway please? It didn't do anything to me, it's fine.”

“Prove it,” Tanuma says, and holds out his hand. Taki moves to stand next to him, and they aren't budging.

Satoru curls his bad hand in against his center, feeling hunted again. The stinging hasn't let up since Natsume unwittingly grabbed him. He doesn't want anyone else to touch it.

Whatever he looks like is doing something to his friends' expressions in turn. Their stubborn care and almost-anger is fading into worry, and Taki says, “Nishimura?” very carefully, like she's trying not to spook a scared animal.

A hand lands on his shoulder and Satoru jumps, whirling around. Kitamoto is staring at him like he's never seen him before, and his gaze moves from Satoru to the two behind him.

“What's going on?” he asks slowly. “Nishimura, you okay?”

“I'm good,” Satoru replies, too fast. “I also really don't want a detention. So let's all go to class now.”

Kitamoto's eyes drop down to the hand Satoru is holding carefully against his chest, and his mouth twists.

But he lets go and steps away. “If you say so. I'll see you after school.”

“Um,” Satoru sounds weak to his own ears, “I gotta meet up with these two after school. To do a thing. I'll see you later, though!”

Kitamoto hesitates for a moment, eyes moving between his three friends like he's trying to find an answer in the spaces in between them, before he finally musters a smile.

“Yeah, alright.”

He looks tired. Satoru is rooted to the spot as his best friend walks away.

“This doesn't feel good,” Satoru says, to no one in particular.

The circle on his shoulder feels like it weighs a hundred pounds. There's a yokai following him, its mark burning and heavy where it sits on his skin. He's lying to pretty much everybody around him, about everything. He just lied to Kitamoto, of all people, and he knows Kitamoto didn't buy it because Kitamoto never does, but he lied anyway.

He wanted to understand Natsume better, to be there for him, but all he's really doing is drawing a circle around himself and keeping everyone out.

With a sense of looming dread, Satoru wonders if maybe that's a good thing. The things he can see are more and more dangerous the closer they get—he doesn't want them taking a step too far in either direction and snatching up one of these people he loves so much.

He wonders if this is how Natsume feels. If it is, he thinks he understands the other boy a lot better now, after all.

He thinks he can feel those sightless eyes staring at him from the window. There's nothing there when he looks, but he knows better than to trust only what he can see.

Satoru's wrist burns. His heart is heavy.

He's late going back to class. If Tanuma and Taki say goodbye, he doesn't hear them.