#she is very unstable lol
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kbandjelly · 9 months ago
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Quick doodle of an OC of mine, Kai Tsuni. She's my main RP girlie :3
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kosmical · 11 months ago
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"togiri doesnt work without makoto ://// they need his emotional support" yeah well naegami and naegiri wouldnt work alone either but nobody wants to talk about that
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britneyshakespeare · 7 months ago
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there's this blog called sbrown82 always talking some gross sexist crap about marianne, anita and bianca as marsha hunt is superior to them or smt its giving closet fan tbh 💀
Sounded familiar so I looked it up, and yeah I have that user blocked. I followed them for a hot second because they made some really good posts about the life of Marsha Hunt, but as I saw how they started talking about other 1960s "Stones muses" (as people call them) and saying really sexist and unfair things (especially stigmatizing drug addiction in the case of Anita and Marianne) I was like... mmm ok I'm out. And I blocked just to ensure I'd never see them in the tags again, since the only tag I follow on here is Marianne.
I'm not like an insecure stan who can't bear to see my favs criticized. But when it comes to Marianne, I just see no justice or catharsis you can have by tearing her down. She's already largely forgotten and erased in favor of her ex, reduced in memory to an angel with big tits who turned junkie plaything. That's already how most Stones fans who even know her name see her. 30 years after her book, people will just bring up her name to make a disgusting Mars Bar joke (that story was made up by a cop, but it's funnier to treat it as real). Meanwhile, just about everything she has done which is worth celebrating over her long career is neglected and underrated except by the cult fans. That stands true for any other creative working woman the Stones associated with when they were young. It's extremely true for Marsha Hunt, too, who you don't see as much appreciation for on Tumblr, as relatively small as even Marianne's 'fandom' is. Ah, oh well. Someday I hope history will view these women with more dignity. Much of what they've suffered in the public eye is overlapping.
Edit: oh yeah, and fuck Mick Jagger.
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caointeag · 5 months ago
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reading the tourney in agot and its so funny seeing sansa gushing over loras and thinking about who lyarra would be eyeing and realizing it’s men like sandor and jaime like—
literally NEITHER of them have good taste nsnmsdmmx
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blujayonthewing · 5 days ago
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you would think that 'elyss being mad at belial doesn't mean that I, jay, am mad at stephen in real life' would be immediately and unavoidably obvious considering how belial was transparently my favorite character in that campaign (other than my own) even though elyss was mad at him like 60% of the time
#elyss was always pissed off at and fighting with that man (affectionate)#he has no social skills and thinks he's smarter and cleverer than anyone else#not even (...usually) in an intentionally mean or superior way just as his perception of Simply The Facts#but it also often gives him poor judgement and self-preservation and ALSO he and elyss differ on philosophies and priorities sometimes#and she ALSO has no social skills but in different ways AND a lot of Trauma™ that gives her Sore Spots he's good at unintentionally hitting#so they'd butt heads a lot#but they also have a lot in common and can connect on common ground in a lot of ways#and even when they're fighting it always feels like. discussing the actual disagreements instead of elyss getting condescended to. lol#it's complicated! they're complicated#she punched him in the face once and he deserved it. he left for awhile afterwards and she felt Weird about that for the entire time#she doesn't trust him but she also trusts him more than she trusts most people including some other party members#she's only very recently and reluctantly come around to that the PROBLEM is that she does at the end of the day really care about him#AAALL OF WHICH IS TO SAY. ALLOWING ROLEPLAY CONFLICT TO BE ROLEPLAYED WITH SINCERITY AND TRUST IS SO REWARDING!!!#I trust that we both understand that we're playing pretend! I trust that we can play in the space together and find out where it takes us!!#most of my friends are really good at roleplaying through conflict#it's crazy that the ones that AREN'T don't realize they're making things LESS safe because instead they're inconsistent and unstable#oh you being an asshole was a character choice. cool! yay! I love that! wait me being upset about it was ME being MEAN to YOU???#we're roleplaying except when we're not?? conflict counts in real life except for when it doesn't???? hey what the fuck actually!!!#about me#my OCs#elyss
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Uh, yeah....
Like, Viv...?
Babe?
My precious Baby Girl?
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I love you, and while I can look past a little bit of jokey tackiness in the announcement trailer (even though it's still a major eye roll ...🙄)
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If that little, um ...typo? Was in anyway meant to be an intentional pun, or if the entire last part of that paragraph and wording about "visuals" with *that* spelling was meant to invoke some sort of unneeded innuendo and complete tonal whiplash in the minds of your audience after just releasing such an emotional song for this kind of character with your brand new voice actor that you supposedly handpicked debuting for him, I'll be the first to admit that this wasn't it and this is not how you promote the new material, especially after Roman just proved himself more than capable of providing Angel Dust as a character with more respect, dignity, and pathos than I honestly believe Kovach had ever intended to or could. And this tweet shows a lack of respect for both Roman and Angel Dust as a character, which was already there, at in the fanon and fandom, mind you, but should've been dealt with and forgotten once... certain people involved in the original pilot moved on.
Like, everyone's talking about how Blake's voice braking immediately gave them chills and how beautifully serious he seems to be taking this character when it counts, in the way I still believe Kovach never could and wasn't prepared for. And then you go back to social media and where are we? Right back to making jokes about cum.
Which I'm certainly no prude and don't mind when the mood calls for it, but right now it very obviously didn't and I love this series but I'm sick of how it's constantly killing it's own vibe and and mood through it's own marketing by caving to it's "cringe" reputation every. single time. something actually good happens for it. 💀
I'm aware that they were never gonna hire a sensitivity consultant for writing Angel Dust specifically because it's a cartoon, but maybe the people involved could let their only Sex Working character have the same amount dignity from his shows (outside of all the cringe ass marketing) that he's allowed to have within the actual canon? For five seconds?! 💀
I don't like using the term "brainrot" at the best of times, but the leftover hunicast brainrot feels so real right now and I can't believe that little mouth covering emoji ether. Like she's aware of exactly how she's making things sound, she has to be, and in this case it's the sheer tonal dissonance of it all that's really quite tactless of her and actually unfunny. It's in poor taste, even. This shows marketing is constantly eating itself and ruined everything for everyone trying to promote this show to any actual adults outside of fandom spaces and I'm starting to agree about our little emo girlypop needing a social media manager. This is legit the most cringe, most unprofessional thing I've ever seen her do now regarding her own staff remembers outside of expecting her own fans and supporters to act as her personal therapists on her patreon and tumblr, which is something she should've especially kept nuked and never reopened, considering she (rightfully so) doesn't seem to particularly care for it, since she hasn't actually updated it, as far as aesthetically speaking, in years.
And again, if any Antis or ~"criticals"~ attempt interaction with this post, I will shoot you in the foot, just like this shows shitty marketing keeps doing to poor Angel outside of his actual canon. So no wonder why he doesn't like his feet then, l o l! 🤭
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arolesbianism · 5 months ago
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Eternal gales isat au except Bloom is the one looping and she never fucking escapes due to the curse of being 9 years old. Oh and also the middle aged woman actively sabotaging her at every step of the way ig
#rat rambles#eternal gales#for context in the main version of the au I have au aris as loop and as such in any swapped looper hypotheticals their loops would be their#au antag counterpart and just so happens bloom has by far the worst one to be stuck with#all the other au antags would play varying degrees of nice but au bloom very much Would Not.#au bloom's whole motivation in canon eg was kickstarted by their original universe being destroyed after all#and to have that happen after being stuck in timeloop hell? she would Not be ready to let the universe fuck her over without a fight#and this is only one drop in the bucket of many Many reasons that bloom would have a unquely fucked up and horrific time if she was looping#fydd wouldn't have a great time either but I do think au fydd would be nicer to him no matter how low that bar is#au fydd would be incredibly unstable and angry but he wouldn't necessarily blame fydd for that I think#seeing his literal younger self go through what had broken him as a teenager would probably get him to try to keep it together#he'd understand theyre both victims that got massively fucked over#au sier would probably get closest to loop in terms of helpfulness but probably still less helpful if that gives you any idea of how#useless these fuckers would be like even the ones who would legitimately try would just sorta suck at it I think#owl in particular would probably be Way too stuck in the playing mysterious zone to be very helpful#au fydd just wouldn't know shit nor know how to go about explaining shit#au aris would be very very distant with their advice and take a very mia appreach to things (take a clost look at your evidence esc)#au mase would be dead silent 99% of the time#and as said au bloom would be actively sabotaging everything at any chance she could get#now aris and sier are so nicies to me by having au antags that already have easy loop names#owl already altered her name in canon after all and while uni isnt here au aris can still borrow their name#thank god sier isnt the main character here if the act 6 twist was revealed with sier awf owl full name drop thatd be horrible lol#isat spoilers#justttt realized that I should add that. thats what happens when you post at 4 am ig#speaking of time to pass out
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dovedrangeas · 2 years ago
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thinking about my ocs lads
#cw for ​mentions of child abuse and neglect in the tags#i wanna revamp my ducktales/disney ducks ocs#because i miss them :(#im trying to rewrite their backstories and maybe make human versions of them? i don’t want to scrub away the ducks entirely lmao#so far ive fixed up a new story for vera 😎#she’s the illegitimate child of a professional thief who mostly steals jewelry and precious gems#and a morally kind of screwed and ruthless businessman in some kind of jewelry-related industry#who also has done some vigilante justice that lead to him meeting the thief. and then they fell in love#they’re not very good for eachother lol#and neither of them would be good parents#her mom tries to keep her away from her dad and succeeds for like 12 years by telling vera that she was. conceived without much consent#which is fucked up to say to a kid and it doesn’t get much better from there#vera’s mom is a dangerous unscrupulous person who should not have a kid#she drinks often and vera is scared of her but also very angry.#(to be fair she doesn’t really do it intentionally. vera’s mom is fairly mentally ill due to her own upbringing. it’s not really malicious)#vera feels like a burden to everyone bc of how her mom treated her :(#and her father is less unstable but he’s too emotionally distant and focused on his work that if vera was with him#she would end up being almost as neglected as with her mom#vera is very tragic and sad. she’s just a kid#im trying to rewrite what i had of her main plot where she meets her dad and extended family#it’s kinda fun to retool it into something original 😎#i wanna do the same for rosalie next because I Miss Her#cute lesbian seamstress……..#anyway this was oc time.#vera cassandra#rosalie henderson#my ocs
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thisisyouridol · 1 year ago
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aiba for my au :)
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astrow1zar6 · 1 month ago
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Astro Observations~ 43
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Taurus placements usually have a big sweet tooth. They love carbs as well I notice.
On the other hand I notice Aries placements really love spicy foods (especially Aries suns). They are the types to always get the hottest sauce they have on their food. My Aries friend told me she “enjoys the pain of spice” (very Martian lol)
Scorpio moons get mad when you ask them too many questions 😭 if they aren’t ready to tell you you won’t get nothing out of them, they will dodge your questions every chance they get.
Venus in Cancer & Libra are the most committed out of all the Venus signs I notice. Once they like you they are already planning the wedding in their heads 😂 these women were made to be wives fr!
Aquarius moons are so ethereal, they have this unique glow to them that’s super captivating (ex; Marilyn Monroe). They are all just so beautiful.
Capricorn risings are super hot! Their nonchalance makes them more attractive and magnetic. A lot of people with a Capricorn rising have a Neptune in the 1st house which adds to their appeal a lot!
Mars in the 8th house people usually have had a bad experience with sex early in life. Many could be hyper sexual because of trauma 🙁
Leo risings/ moons have the best hair out of all the Leo placements. It’s usually so thick and shiny!
Moon in Aries have a hard time controlling their emotions. I’ve heard a lot say it feels like they’re burning up inside if they repress how they feel for too long (especially in the 3rd house). If they don’t let it out they can make themselves really sick. They just need to work on their delivery cuz they can be quite intense.
Uranus in the 5th house individuals get turned on by the oddest cringiest people😭 they’re into odd balls. (7th house too but I think the 5th house finds weirder people lol).
Scorpio suns can be big buzz kills when they’re depressed. They either trauma dump for hours or become really antisocial.
Uranus in the 2nd house people really don’t give a shit about money. They aren’t as attached to it as most people are. They also can either make an extreme amount of money and then be broke the next minute. Their financial situation is very unstable.
Mercury in retrograde people are always late😂. Also people with a mercury retrograde can have an easier time during a mercury retrograde transit than others that don’t have their mercury in retrograde. I notice as well they are either extremely quiet or say too much no in between.
Your mars is way better in a fire/air sign than in a water/earth sign. Aries imo is the best sign you can have in your mars. Even though people talk about Scorpio & Capricorn being one of the “best” I have to disagree 😭 Scorpio mars have great drive but I feel like their emotions 9 times outta 10 get in the way of them accomplishing a lot, their feelings are usually super hard to control. Also Capricorn I just feels like moves way to slow for mars quick paced nature. They go through more obstacles than I feel like most to accomplish their goals even small goals are hard for these people.
Cancer risings tend to have big 🍒 while Capricorn risings tend to be pretty flat chested.
Taurus moon & mars are THICCCC
I never met a Venus in Gemini or Aquarius that was straight. They’re all mad fruity😂.
Venus in Virgo is the most boring to date. (When I say this I mean mostly the men) they’re just so bland imo.
Scorpio rising/mars ruin a lot of relationships with how intensely they express their emotions. They can be super psycho when you’ve crossed them.
Virgo suns talk a lot of shit but are rarely able to back it up when confronted.
Capricorn suns don’t mind walking on others to get to the top. They have an ability to disconnect from empathy which is why a lot of people see them as cold and only caring about money.
Gemini moons are the funnest to bring to parties they are such social butterflies and are usually super funny!
Aqua Venus’s aren’t romantic to people that are openly affectionate but they are romantic to people who are super nonchalant and barely give them attention 😭 they don’t like when people act too into them too early it scares them. If u want to hook someone with this Venus act careless they’ll go crazy for you lol.
Cancer moons are really nice but super phony.
Capricorn moons are the opposite they are usually seen as harsh and mean but very real people.
The weakest mars sign in my opinion is Pisces mars. The ones I meet have like no energy for anything & they complain about doing the bare minimum. The men with this are soooo passive they always look super scared and never make the first move. They’re super submissive usually. They also need to sleep more than most people.
Venus in the first house women are lowkey haters. They do not like when other girls get more attention than them or have anything they don’t have (especially when it comes to looks or love). But they’ll never tell you directly they’re way to passive for that but you’ll definitely catch the shade👀
Mars conjunct venus are either really charismatic and sexy or very aggressive & irritating, if badly aspected they can come off way too strong which scares people away. But if positive they can attract people like bees to honey.
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katiekatdragon27 · 2 months ago
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Guys you don't understand how much I love these two. (Oh yeah, and Finn's there too)
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Glisten: Awww~ Shrimpo, you remembered Shrimpo: B*tch I'm in LOVE with you, of course I REMEMBERED! Glisten: What!? Wait really?? This is very sudden wow! (You said you were straight?) Shrimpo: AAAAAAAAAA
Finn: (yapping) Shrimpo and Glisten: SHUT THE F*CK UP, FINN!! Shrimpo and Glisten: ... Shrimpo and Glisten: (kissing)
The first comic takes place before the two started dating. Shrimpo is really really really bad at expressing emotions other than anger and frustration, so anytime he tries to express anything, he just blurts out his feelings without thinking. Then he gets second-hand embarrassment lol. Glisten was pretty aware that Shrimpo liked him before, but he's pretending to be surprised to make Shrimpo "feel better" (also to mildly embarrass him lol).
Also, I think that Shrimpo and Glisten bonding over hating Finn is very based and true. They need that autistic man to SHUT UP/silly
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I think Shrimpo and Finn are very cousin coded. Not close enough to be siblings but definitely got some familial genes going on imo (plz don't shoot me Shrimpbowl shippers🙏🙏🙏) Doesn't stop Shrimpo from being violent towards Finn tho, and Finn does nothing to deter it lol (he finds it funny). Also, Glisten throws no punches bc he doesn't want to get his hands dirty.
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Finn: Sooooo?? How was the daaaate~ Finn: No need to be such a clam about it! Shrimpo: I'M SO KILLING YOU!
The second image takes place the day after this post lol. Shrimpo is recovering from a hangover covered in lipstick kisses and super conflicting emotions and Finn is NOT helping.
On the other end, I've been thinking about Shimmer a lot lol. So here is a doodle of her with her "sister aunt" Toodles, and Pebbles.
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They all get along super well. In this pic, Toodles is like 12ish and Shimmer is 4 (but her weird biology made her age up to like 7 here). Pebble is pebble, that's all you need to know.
Also, I was in a horror-ish mood earlier so here are some Twisteds <33 (below cut cuz kinda scary):
I love you angst comfort. My sib pointed out while playing one day that Shrimpo looked traumatized as a Twisted, which like, fair, but it make me think.
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Glisten: "They say you are not here anymore. But I think you are."
I had this silly idea that Twisted Shrimpo was infected by Dandy personally, and that whole conflict got Shrimpo's lower jaw ripped off. He is very violent and volatile, and very hard to calm down. But, when he runs into a twisting Glisten alone and scared, he comforts him (to the best of his ability).
Since Glisten is still able to be somewhat conscious, he realizes that the Twisteds are actually not completely gone like he originally thought, and it helps him keep his sanity longer, hoping for a way out for everyone.
Willpower is a crazy thing.
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On the complete opposite note, I love you horrifying freak of ichor child.
Since Shimmer was made from the ichor itself with no sort of skeleton or solid foundation, her condition is very unstable. And the problem is that her body is affected by her emotions. On a bad day, she can suffer from lots of pain and her body literally melting away. That's when she hides out and waits for her body to stabilize again.
When she completely twists, her body completely falls apart, becoming a puddle of ichor on the ground. If she was an encounterable twisted, she would work like Sprout's puddle root things, but easier to maneuver around and avoid. Also, her antenna glow.
Mini yap session aside, I think I cooked on the art lol.
Anyways, the og images lol:
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Have a good one pookies!
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aizawaondrugs · 5 months ago
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Okay, it's a really popular trope that Danny gets rid of Jason's pit madness by cleansing the nasty ecto in him BUT!
Neverborn babies are created by two ghosts mixing their ecto together. (or maybe this is just fanon? idk, it's a crossover anyway🙌)
So I raise y'all:
Jason isn't contaminated by the pits and his ecto isn't nasty because of them. He's just really fucking traumatized and the Pit Rage part of him is literally his fucked up emotional state marinating in his ecto. There's actually no Pit Rage, he's just super fucking emotional and super fucking traumatized and mentally unstable, though he's working on that.
Danny? Poor, Danny "I want to help!" Fenton? Should've taken him to Frostbite but managed to mix his ecto into Jason's to try and cleanse the "contamination" out of it instead. Like an idiot.
Jason? He's... ghost pregnant and weirdly okay with it. He likes kids, there are no actual pregnancy symptoms to fuck up his mood. He's actually much happier now that he has something to look forward to! Frostbite said that taking care of his mental and emotional health will take care of the Pit Rage so that's also covered. Danny is sleeping on his couch. He has his own place but Jason thinks he deserves to sleep on the couch and he can and will enforce it.
Danny? Total and utter panic. He's a dad! Again if Ellie counts! What the fuck he doesn't know anything about kids or normal people things! Will the kid be full ghost because he had unknowing ghost sex with the hot revenant? Or maybe a halfa because they're both at least half alive? Is there a precedent for this?! Clockwork? CLOCKWORK HELP HIM!
Jazz? Sooooooo angry at her stupid fucking little brother. Of all the irresponsible, dumb shit he could've done this wasn't something she ever imagined! He truly outdone himself. All he needed to do was take the revenant to the Far Frozen to be treated! And what did Danny do? HE KNOCKED HIM UP! For someone so smart her little brother truly is fucking stupid!
Ellie? She's very excited! Danny and her might've mutually agreed to be cousins/siblings but that didn't mean he wasn't a better father to her than Vlad. It never was a high bar to clear but still. Baby sibling!
The Fentons? Oblivious. But when they find out? Ancients help them all.
The rest of the batfam? Also oblivious but something just isn't right with Jason. They will find out what. And when they do? Complete and utter chaos. Alfred is mildly disappointed, Bruce shut down because grandbaby and the rest are menaces. Duke is offering his services as superpowered babysitter for the superpowered baby lol
Frostbite? Shaking his head. He knew the Great One was impulsive in his youth, never really having time to truly think through his actions in those early days but he thought Danny grew out of it. Apparently, he didn't. Volunteered to be Jason's primary doctor.
(Vlad? In ghost prison lol)
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clegfly · 5 months ago
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BEHJEIENSJS… yeah this is getting REALLY fucked now
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V0hBVCBIQVZFIEkgRE9ORSBXSEFUIEhBVkUgSSBET05FIFdIQVQgSEFWRSBJIERPTkUgV0hBVCBIQVZFIEkgRE9ORSBXSEFUIEhBVkUgSSBET05F
#been posting too much puter angst lately… need to make something else silly for it to balance it out#is this what she meant by ‘my father killed himself :d’ because i assumed that was about like.. sunny and real maris dad#<— IT WAS!!! I was WAITING to draw this so that that would make sense#wasn’t sure what mariware and sunny would classify their relationship as at first..#eventually decided to just keep them siblings and not over complicate it with technicalities LMAO-#not so fun fact… the last base64 puzzle was actually a portion of sunny’s suicide note </3#which no one is except mariware ever found/knew of… which is why it’s in base64#it’s her vague broken traumatised recount of it#which is why I was actually pretty stoked when it came out so broken#added SO much more impact to that idea than I had before…#OUGH… sobbing…#mariware please don’t alt f4 yourself this was not entirely your fault he had other stuff going on#<— another not so fun fact… she is convinced that it is :(((#she doesn’t know about the whole mari situation since sunny obviously doesn’t bring it up#she only knows what she can glean from obituaries on internet explorer and the like so she’s on the same page as everyone else#and… as pretty obvious from this piece and the tags sunny has a bit of a drinking problem#and mariware’s so used to at this point (and doesn’t really feel effected by alcohol because… she’s a computer lol)#she didn’t even consider it was affecting his mental health#and as you theorised before… mariware did have a bit of a major meltdown shortly before this happens#so she’s convinced it was her fault and her fault entirely#and despite being a very advanced algorithm… she’s really REALLY struggling to process these feelings#as human as she wants to be#she’s suddenly got this overwhelming rush of guilt and grief and anger that she doesn’t fully understand nor comprehend#so… that causes her to get VERY unstable over time and flourish into what we have in the present story!!!!#ough I yapped WAY too much here kdnrkrnrkek#they both deserved SO much better than what I gave them I am on the floor bawling#omori#omori au#omori mari#mariware
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osarina · 3 months ago
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ᡣ𐭩 CHIVALRY FELL ON ITS SWORD
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FEATURING: dazai osamu
SUMMARY: history always repeats itself. dazai is captured, you're facing enemies on all fronts, and it's only a matter of time before you hit your breaking point. you can't let things turn out the same way they did two years ago. you can't—you'll do whatever it takes.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: happy friday my peeps, i hope your week has been good. ive been looking forward to this chapter for sooooo long so i hope you enjoy ;) unfortunately, there will be no wykyk update this week (i mean it this time), i've fallen behind in civzai and really need to focus on it. reblogs and comments greatly appreciated as always!! ENJOY!
GENERAL WARNINGS: fem!reader, port mafia executive!reader, civilian!dazai, dazai's struggles w suicide & sh, reader partakes in mafia business, dazai isn't dazai without a bit of obsessiveness and possessiveness (the possessiveness doesn't come til later but the obsessiveness starts from day 0).
CHAPTER SPECIFIC WARNINGS: hardly edited. depictions of psychological torture (commit by reader), both reader and dazai are wildly unstable, mori is a bit of a cunt LOL, a bit of legal proceedings in the beginning but i didn't want to deep dive into japanese court proceedings so i just based it mostly off us court proceedings, but again, not entirely accurate because i'm not in that field and didn't feel like doing intense research.
ANOTHER THING TO NOTE: our lovely reader IS A MAFIA EXECUTIVE !! as a port mafia executive, she does port mafia things, this will become very apparent in thIS chapter and the rest of the upcoming chapters. it might be a bit jarring to read but it is something to keep in mind. additionally, she is FLAWED. i wanted to add this warning just to give you all a bit of a heads up.
SEE: WASTELAND, BABY! SERIES MASTERLIST
“... Your Honor, I have to object to counsel’s petition for bail, the defendant…”
“... If I may, Your Honor, we don’t even know how this footage was obtained and the prosecution has not acknowledged any of our requests to ensure that this is reliable. For all we know, this footage is edited or illegally obtained. It would be a disgrace to our justice system if we were to keep the defendant detained with no bail…”
“... not only a flight risk, but we’re risking witness and evidence tampering. Respectfully, this isn’t an unarmed robbery the defendant is being accused of, Your Honor, this woman is a threat to public safety, she’s being charged with connection to the most dangerous criminal organization in the Eastern Hemisphere, and not just as any ordinary member, but as an executive. I have to insist-”
“Your Honor, the defendant shouldn’t have even been brought into custody considering all current evidence might not be admissible. And the prosecution cannot sit here making baseless claims of risk when the only supporting evidence is inadmissible. I don’t even understand why I have to sit here and argue this.”
“Counsel seems to think-”
“Enough. Order. I’ll sustain the ob-”
“Your Honor… I don’t mean to interrupt but you may want to see this before…”
“What is it, Hasegawa-san?”
“... I see, very well. The defense’s petition for bail is granted. Bail will be set at one hundred and fifty million yen, bond at thirty million yen. The next hearing will be set for two weeks out, I trust that gives the prosecution enough time to prove the legitimacy of the evidence…”
“Don’t look at any of the cameras.”
“No shit,” you mutter as your attorney, Tachibana, leads you from the courthouse to where a car is waiting to pick you up. 
There are so many flashing lights and microphones in your face that you can hardly see a few steps in front of you. So many people talking that each question melds into the next. You couldn’t entertain the media even if you wanted to with them all talking over each other to shout at you. Your head hurts and the bright lights aren’t helping—you grimace as you turn your head to the side but you’re only met with another face full of cameras and microphones.
“Back up,” a familiar voice booms and at once, the tension in your body dissipates as Iceman shoulders his way through the crowd toward you. The man sneers at a paparazzo who tries to cut him off and all but knocks him out of the way to reach forward and grab your wrist, yanking you toward him.
He ushers Tachibana forward and keeps you tucked under his arm as he guides the two of you to the black car. It’s only when you’re inside and the door is shut behind you, that you can finally relax, but it’s only for a split second before Albatross is bursting into laughter in the front seat before you’ve even sat down yourself.
“You look ugly as hell in a prison uniform,” he wheezes, having the audacity to point at you as he turns around to look at you. “God, I never thought this day would come. Someone take a fucking picture.”
“Fuck off,” you snap at him, which only makes him laugh harder.
“The entire world has pictures at this point,” Doc says dryly, looking over you once and frowning at the bruises on your wrists where the cuffs had been tightened too much. He clicks his tongue as he runs his finger across them as you pass by him before sighing, “They really waited as long as they legally could for your arraignment, didn’t they?” 
 Two whole days. You haven’t eaten because you had to watch the prison guard spit in your food before passing it over to you—evidently, his brother was killed by the Port Mafia and he decided to take that out on you, which was nice. So as if you weren’t dealing with enough bullshit, you haven’t properly slept or eaten in two days.
More than that, you’ve had no confirmation concerning Dazai’s status in two days. 
That alone has left you with no appetite and no desire to sleep anyway. You’ve been restless trying to figure what to do if Klaus wasn’t able to get Dazai away from the Guild. That is, restless, and increasingly more violent and angry. You’ve never been someone prone to choose violence as the answer, but you think the only thing that will satisfy you now is the entire organization eviscerated. Not only have they gotten you thrown in prison, but they have Dazai.
You finally take a seat next to Chuuya. He’s stuffed in the back corner of the limo so that no unsavory eyes could catch sight of him when Iceman ushered you and Tachibana into the car. As soon as you take a seat next to him, he wraps an arm around your shoulder and squeezes your bicep. You almost want to collapse into him—you’re so tired and hungry and just so mentally and physically drained that all you want to do is sleep, but you know you can’t, not until you have Dazai back.
Just as you’re about to look up at Klaus and ask him how things went, Piano Man speaks up, addressing Tachibana. “How are things looking?”
The man grimaces. “Not good. They could hold her liable for all of the crimes attributed to the Port Mafia if the jury finds the footage as proof of her affiliation,” Tachibana says. “The last time they had a Yakuza boss on trial, they had him sentenced to death and he was only being held vicariously liable for one murder and three assaults. They have her down for six and all of the other crimes they’ve been gathering as evidence against the Port Mafia just in case they were given an opportunity like this. If-”
“Why are we talking about a jury trial?” you ask tightly, giving Tachibana a cool look from the corner of your eye. “Get the charges dropped.”
A frustrated expression crosses Tachibana’s face. “But-”
“No buts, do your goddamn job and get this dismissed,” you tell him before turning your attention to Klaus. “What’s the situation with the journalists?” 
Klaus looks mighty proud of himself as he raises his chin. “They’re dead. Do you want to hear how I did it? It was quite ingenious if I do say so myself.”
He looks excited to tell you, eyes gleaming and smiling wide, so even though you should just drill him for information about Ui and Dazai, you decide to entertain him and nod. 
“Tell me,” you say, hoping at least hearing that those irritating pests got what they deserved is enough to ease the seemingly insatiable bloodlust the past few days has caused you before you get back to headquarters and have to deal with Ace.
Klaus is clearly trying to hold back a laugh as he prepares to tell you. From the way Atsushi looks a bit green next to him, you know whatever he’s about to tell you is going to be gross.
“They’re called the Ivory Eagle, right?” he says rhetorically, blue eyes dancing as he stares directly at you, waiting for you to nod again. When you do, he continues, “You see, when I was back in Europe with the Pale Flame, we learned a lot about ancient torture and execution methods. Nabakov had the trafficked ability users fight in rings, y’know, gladiator style—the winner of the fight would pick a method to punish the loser with in front of everyone. The vikings had a ritual execution method called the blood eagle, so I thought it would be funny ‘cause y’know, the name? Ivory Eagle, blood eagle? They can keep their theme even in death!” 
“I should not be hearing this,” Tachibana sighs, covering his ears and closing his eyes.
You snort. “May they soar to greater heights,” you mock their slogan and Klaus lets out a loud bark of laughter, bouncing in his seat in excitement.
“I knew you would get it, I’m so funny.” he laughs, nudging Atsushi hard, but the weretiger only looks like he’s about to start crying, so Klaus looks back at you, teeth glimmering as he smiles widely.
“What happened with Ui?” you ask, glancing down to see Chuuya passing you a bottle of water. You give him a grateful look before redirecting your attention back to your subordinates. “And where’s Akutagawa?” 
“That ugly journalist confirmed they worked with the Guild to get the footage from your boyfriend,” Klaus says, and even though you knew this, it still makes you feel sick. “... I went by his apartment. It was totally trashed, there was blood on the sidewalk. I’ve spent the past two days trying to hunt down the Guild but I can’t find them anywhere. I was planning on going to the Armed Detective Agency later today to get that one detective to tell me where they are. Figured they wouldn’t be opposed to helping considering they’re getting the shit end of the stick with the Guild too, I heard two of them were trapped for days in an interdimensional space before they were able to get them out.”
“Akutagawa and Kyouka-chan are out doing rounds around the city. Kyouka-chan found one of the lower-ranked Guild members wandering around the city, she’s hoping that she’ll lead her back to their base,” Atsushi adds, answering your second question.
You let out a heavy sigh, looking down at your lap. Apartment trashed. Blood. The water you had just sipped threatens to come back up, you feel Chuuya squeeze your bicep again to try to comfort you, but you don’t care for comfort, you only want Dazai. You want him back in your apartment, back in your arms, you want him safe, you want him.
You want him.
“We’ll get him,” Chuuya promises like he can hear your thoughts. You suppose it’s probably written all over your face. “I’ll do whatever it takes, okay? I won’t let the fucking Guild take him from you.”
He’s spent two days with them. God knows what they’ve done to him to try to get information about you—the thought makes your skin crawl, your chest weighs with guilt. You brought him into this life knowing this risk and you still couldn’t protect him. You need to do something, you need to-
“Chuuya,” you say quietly, “can I borrow your phone?” 
Chuuya’s brows furrow but he nods, passing his phone over to you. You ignore the way your fingers tremble as you type in a familiar number and press the phone to your ear, you wait a few anxious seconds for the person on the other line to pick up.
“Hello?”
“Leo,” you breathe out. “Are you still in New York?”
“You’re okay,” Leo Tolstoy sighs, the relief in his voice palpable. “I saw the news. I figured they wouldn’t be able to keep you locked up long. I’m still here, yeah, I have a flight to Tokyo in an hour. I just had to finish up-”
“Cancel it,” you say immediately, fingers digging into the thin pants you’re wearing. “I need to call in a favor.”
“Hit me with it,” he tells you. “You know I’d do anything for you.”
Good, you think, lips curving up as you tell Tolstoy your plan. 
There’s only one way to force Fitzgerald into giving you Dazai back, and you’re willing to go to any lengths to do it.
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“You’re awake,” an unfamiliar voice notes just as Dazai starts stirring awake. “Good.”
He’s been in and out of consciousness for two days now—awake for a few hours, asleep for double that. He almost wishes that the blow to the head had killed him, because each time he wakes up, he’s questioned sharply about you and he’s tired of it. The first two days of captivity, when Dazai was awake, he spent most of his time staring at the ceiling, your words ringing through his head and your twisted expression plain as day. He’s recounted every word of his conversation with you before he fled, he’s noted every place where he messed up and could have done something different to avoid this, he’s felt so numb that he would almost prefer pain and he’s felt so much regret that it did physically pain him.
Now, he’s just irritated. 
Irritated and tired and hungry and most of all, he misses you. Misses you so much that you’re the only thing he can think of clearly. Misses you so much that it makes him sick. Misses you so much that he’s started casting up prayers to gods he doesn’t believe him because he just wants the chance to see your face again.
Thus far, he’s been able to evade answering any questions, but he has a feeling it’s only a matter of time before they start taking more extreme measures to get the information out of him, and Dazai has never been one to deal well with pain. He doubts he’ll be able to get away with lying to throw them off trail for long.
“Nope,” he says tiredly, rolling over onto his side to turn his back on the man. “Still sleeping, unfortunately.”
Dazai doesn’t know who this one is. 
He’s gotten used to the other two over the past forty-eight hours—the redhead is called Mark Twain, a high-ranking member of the Guild whose preferred form of torture is casual conversation. It’s predictable and Dazai, naturally, doesn’t fall for it, but it doesn’t stop him from trying. He comes into the cell with food and water that Dazai refuses to touch and talks to Dazai from the moment he wakes up to the moment he passes back out. He asks about you and the Port Mafia without actually asking about you and the Port Mafia, talks about his own woman back home and bitches about his work with the Guild, seeing if Dazai will chime in with his own commentary and grievances.
Dazai doesn’t, of course—there’s not much he can say about the Port Mafia anyway, the things you’d talked about with him are irrelevant at this point, and Dazai certainly is not going to tell Twain anything about you. He knows that the Guild must be looking for information on your ability and Dazai will be damned if he lets anything about it slip. The most he’ll make is snide comments, hoping to piss Twain off enough to leave, but then he has to deal with the other man, James, who is far less pleasant to deal with. Dazai can hardly stand the sight of him and he isn’t sure if it’s because 1) he’s just unappealing to look at, 2) his head injury, or 3) he still has a grudge over the head injury. 
He thinks maybe it might be all of the above. 
Regardless, the voice of the new arrival is neither Twain’s nor James’s, which means he has a new yet equally undesired visitor. Dazai, naturally, is wary of the unknown. He’d overheard Twain and James talking about Francis getting involved and he remembers that you mentioned the leader of the Guild’s name is Francis Fitzgerald. He has a distinct suspicion that this must be him and Dazai’s only thought is that this definitely doesn’t bode well for him.
“Mister Dazai, please, you need not make this difficult on yourself,” Fitzgerald sighs. “We already have all of the information we need anyway. We want to help you.”
What.
Dazai’s cautious now as he sits up to face Fitzgerald, mind racing as he tries to figure out what exactly he means by ‘we have all of the information we need.’ Dazai has been so careful not to let anything slip—even when he was half delirious from his head wound, he bit his tongue. He didn’t utter a single thing until he was certain that his brain was functioning well enough for him to carefully choose each word he spoke. 
There’s no way that they managed to get anything from what he’d said.
The blonde man sitting on the opposite side of the room is dressed in a fancy suit and wears a watch that probably costs more than anything Dazai has ever owned in his life. He looks unusually earnest as he leans forward, elbows on his knees as observes Dazai. Dazai thinks that he’s decently good at reading people, and he can’t find a hint of deception in Fitzgerald’s face, which leaves Dazai feeling distinctly unnerved, unable to predict what’s about to happen to him.
“I find that hard to believe when your subordinate bashed my head in two days ago,” Dazai replies, keeping his voice light but watching Fitzgerald carefully. 
“My friend, Henry, is quite excitable,” Fitzgerald sighs, faux-remorse dripping from his tone. “I apologize for him, I was very clear that you weren’t to be injured.”
That doesn’t really help Dazai at all. He needs to figure out how exactly he’s going to press Fitzgerald and figure out what he learned from Dazai. Luckily, he doesn’t have to say much at all because Fitzgerald takes it upon himself to continue talking.
“There were some pieces of information I kept to myself during our endeavor here in Yokohama,” Fitzgerald says. “There are too many… rats scuttering around the sewers. It’s hard to tell who’s listening at any given time. Everyone has their own agendas, and there’s just some information that’s too valuable to risk falling into anyone’s hands but your own. Even supposed allies’.”
Rats. Allies. Agendas. Dazai’s mind races as he notes it all down to tell you as soon as you get him out of here. He doesn’t respond to Fitzgerald’s words, waiting for him to make the mistake of continuing his little monologue so he can have more information to report back to you. From what he’s able to piece together, there’s more than just Fitzgerald and the Guild at work here, but you haven’t mentioned any other organizations besides them, which makes him antsy because if you don’t know that this is multiple organizations working together against the Port Mafia… 
You could be in danger.
“I was already made aware of her ability,” Fitzgerald says, watching Dazai for a reaction. He’s careful not to give one, but his words make Dazai’s skin crawl. You’d said that your ability was the most well-guarded secret in the Port Mafia. That only the upper echelon was aware of it. 
So how?
The traitor.
Dazai’s throat swells and it’s much harder to keep his distressed emotions off of his face when he remembers the tip-off that Professor Ui had received about a situation happening at the ports on Shinko, remembers that he alluded to someone within the Port Mafia’s inner circle being the informant, remembers that in his meltdown, he never even told you.
Shit.
“Henry, he is also an ability user,” Fitzgerald continues. Dazai is grateful that he seemingly doesn’t notice his increasing panic. “What Maisie Knew, an ability that notifies him when somebody around him is lying. My intention in bringing you here was not to interrogate you, but to find out if you knew the extent of the manipulation happening around you.”
Dazai blinks slowly, letting the words process through his head. An ability that notifies him when somebody around him is lying… but would that even work on Dazai? You tried to use your ability on him with and without touch and it didn’t affect him, so this one shouldn’t either. And if he wasn’t notifying him when Dazai was lying about knowing nothing about your ability… 
“Henry told me that you were telling the truth when they asked you about your knowledge of her ability,” Fitzgerald says, and Dazai almost hates the pity thinly veiled behind the man’s eyes. He doesn’t like anyone thinking that he doesn’t know something about you, but he lets this slide because it might just work in his favor. “Her ability is a form of mental manipulation. She influences the emotions of people around her to trust and adore her. What you felt for that girl was nothing more than what she wanted you to feel—she’s spent months shaping your mind to make you believe you care for her so that in a situation like this, you would choose to protect her even at the cost of your own life.”
The surprise that shifts across Dazai’s face is genuine—not because of the revelation of your ability like Fitzgerald believes—but because Fitzgerald does know your ability, and he knows it in an alarming amount of detail. He wishes he had some way of contacting you now, but he needs to focus now on figuring out how he’s going to play this.
They didn’t kidnap him to interrogate him. They kidnapped him to try to make him willingly turn against you by revealing all of your ‘manipulations’ in an effort to rattle you into making a mistake. A decent plan, honestly, and if Dazai were anyone but Dazai, it might’ve worked… but Dazai is Dazai—he’s never been affected by your ability, or Fitzgerald’s subordinate’s, or any ability for that matter, and he would rather die than turn against you.
But… would it be better to make Fitzgerald think that he has turned against you? It would be safer for him, surely. If the man thought Dazai was swayed to his side, he might even have a chance to escape… but it could also throw you off if Fitzgerald tells you, and Dazai isn’t sure if he wants to risk that considering there’s apparently other allies of the Guild that you don’t know about. You would see through it eventually, but in those few moments that you didn’t…
Any mistake now could be fatal. 
“She’s in federal custody right now,” Fitzgerald says. 
Dazai almost feels dizzy, hands falling from his lap to the bed to dig his nails into the sheets to steady himself. He knew this—he knew it in his heart when Twain mentioned the flash drive and pointed out the sirens but Dazai had still had hope that you managed to evade arrest, that you wouldn’t have been dragged down by his mistakes.
Fitzgerald is still talking and Dazai knows that he should be listening, but instead his mind racing, thoughts so quick and jumbled that he can hardly get them straight. If you’re in federal custody right now, the last thing you needed was to get out and hear news of Dazai turning against you. You’d be worn thin, stressed, alone. You don’t think clearly when you’re under a ton of stress, especially when people you love are at risk. You try to, but when it gets too much, you shut down like you did at the beach house and you can’t shut down with the Guild at your door and god knows what other enemies lurking in the shadow, preparing to strike.
If you’re in federal custody, then the chances that you’ll see through this is even lower because you’ll already not be thinking clearly. There’s a much higher chance that you don’t see through it, that you think the Guild tortured him until his mind broke and he turned against you. And considering your past with Nakahara Chuuya and his lover, it might be the only logical conclusion your brain comes to.
He can’t risk it. It’ll put you in danger—he’s done enough of that lately, but this time, your life really would be on the line.
Instead, he’ll put his on it. 
“No,” Dazai says suddenly, cutting Fitzgerald off mid sentence. The blonde looks at him curiously waiting for him to continue. “No. I don’t believe you—about her, about using her ability on me. I don’t believe any of it. Get out.”
Dazai doesn’t know how long he’ll be able to pretend to be blind with love—maybe he can convince Fitzgerald that he’s still under the effects of your ability, that might buy him a few days, but it won’t last forever. He doubts that the Guild will kill him if they want him to turn against you to batter you down, and they want him to do it willingly, so they’ll probably spend a few more days trying to convince him before they resort to making him turn on you through force. 
You just need to get to him before that happens.
Fitzgerald doesn’t look surprised by Dazai’s words, but he does look disappointed. He braces himself for the man to press the issue, but to Dazai’s relief, Fitzgerald stands to leave. Dazai needs time to think, time to formulate how exactly is the best way to go about this to buy as much time as possible.
“I figured that would be the case, months under an ability like that takes more than a few days of separation to be free of,” Fitzgerald tells him before he leaves. “Think on it, you could be very useful to our cause… and we could be useful to you too. I’ll be back for an answer.”
“Don’t come back anytime soon,” Dazai replies snidely as the door closes, pulling the blanket tighter around him and resting his head against the wall.
As soon as the door is closed, a heavy feeling settles over his chest and Dazai feels so alone that it makes him sick. He’s become so used to your presence in his life that every moment without you feels like his chest is being hollowed out. The room he’s in is cold and uncomfortable compared to the warmth of your apartment. He wants to be curled up in your bed, surrounded by your scent, wants to be watching some lame movie or forcing you to watch him play an even lamer video game. 
He misses you desperately, and his nails bite into the fabric of the blankets as he tries to ground himself, losing himself in the thoughts of you, praying that you come for him soon.
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“Ah! Our resident convict has finally decided to grace us with her presence.”
“Oh, Ace, it’s impressive, truly, how everyday you manage to become more stupid than the last. You must not have any brain cells left in that empty skull of yours… You’re not much unlike a protozoa honestly, ” Piano Man sighs whimsically. When Ace’s face twists in confusion, Piano Man gives him a sweet smile. “That’s a single-celled organism. Basic biology, I fear, thank you for proving my point so quickly.”
“She hasn’t been convicted, you dumb fuck,” Chuuya snaps. “And you sound way too pleased over the matter, should probably choose your tone more carefully considering it was you and your subordinate who got her arrested. Sounds a bit like, I don’t know, treason. Did you betray the Port Mafia, Ace?” 
Wow, you think, they came in hotter than you expected.
You don’t even bother to address Ace as you make your way to your place at Mori’s right side, taking a seat in the chair left empty for you. You don’t look at him until you’ve taken your seat, but even then he gives you no cues, violet eyes watching you listlessly as he waits for you to say something.
Once the circular table is fully seated, your gaze finally flits to Ace.
“Go on,” you say. “Answer Chuuya’s question.”
Ace’s face twists at your words. “That’s a ridiculous accusation,” he says, raising his chin. “That-”
“Is it?” you interrupt coolly. “You pride yourself on the use of your collars and their ability to control your subordinates. Either your collars are not quite as effective as you’ve so ardently claimed them to be or you’ve betrayed the Port Mafia. Which is it, Ace? Both will have consequences, naturally, one will just be more… final than the other.”
Unless there’s some otherworldly interference, Ace is going to die today.
He’s the reason you were arrested. His subordinates are notoriously fearful of him and his ability to kill them with just a passing thought once he has the collar around their necks. The chance of one of them acting on their own to try to kill you is slim to none. And you know that he knows you know he did it just from the amusement thinly veiled behind the outraged expression on his face.
He’s too smug.
Something’s not right.
“Unfortunately, it seems as if my efforts to deter disobedience have gone ineffective concerning one of my subordinates.” Ace waves his hand, lavender eyes meeting yours pointedly as he speaks his next words: “No need to fret, I’ve dealt with him accordingly.”
That… was not anticipated. You’re careful not to react to his words, gauging the reactions of the others in the room trying to figure out if this was something they all talked about while you were being held by the government, but Piano Man and Chuuya look just as appalled, even Kouyou hides her pursed lips behind her fan as she gives Mori a careful look.
Mori does not look surprised as the rest of his executives.
What did you do?
Chuuya is the first to speak, voice low, “You’ve what?”
“A betrayal of this magnitude is not something for an executive to handle alone,” Piano Man says, the airy tone of his long gone as he stares at Ace. “Especially the executive in charge of said traitor. You acted out of line—this should’ve been brought in front of us all before any action was taken.”
“Out of line?” Ace’s voice becomes more mocking now, clearly enjoying knowing something that Piano Man doesn’t after the snide comment. “Not at all, I acted on orders of the Boss.”
At once, the conference room goes quiet. You see Chuuya and Piano Man turn to look at Mori for the corner of your eye, but you keep your gaze trained on Ace instead and he keeps his on yours. He looks entirely too pleased with himself, eyes cool and taunting, the corner of his lips turned up just enough to be noticeable.
“It’s true.”
Mori offers no explanation—he doesn’t need to, he’s the Boss, but you know there’s something else going on here. He never liked Ace, spoke poorly of the man’s easily bought loyalties and undue arrogance. Only gave him the executive position for financial purposes after the Dragon’s Head Conflict left Yokohama in shambles. Let him stay because his arrogance makes him easily manipulated but always keeps him at arm’s length, ready to cut off at the first whiff of betrayal.
And now he’s what? Scheming with the man he’s despised for years against you? Is it punishment for everything that has happened with the two Yakuza syndicates and the Guild? Punishment for Dazai? 
You can’t understand it, you can’t.
You look at Mori from the corner of your eye, blood running hot and only barely able to keep the fury off of your face.
What are you planning?
Mori’s lips curve up as if he can hear your thoughts, eyes flickering with amusement as he looks at you.
You’ll find out, little hime.
“What is Tachibana-kun’s opinion on the indictment?” Mori asks instead, leaning back in his seat and folding his hands over the table as he looks at you.
“He’s going to get the charges dropped,” you reply flatly, nails biting into the slacks you’d changed into before coming to the meeting, suddenly feeling far too cornered as you realize you have enemies around every corner—even within your own home. “This will be over within two weeks.”
“Hm.” Mori sounds more entertained than anything as he tilts his head to the side and studies you. “And the Guild? How do you plan to handle them, little hime? More importantly, that boy you’d been silly enough to allow the information that led to your imprisonment… I trust he’ll be properly handled?”
Putting you on blast in front of all of the executives… Kouyou is watching you carefully, Chuuya is stiff, Piano Man tense, and Ace, of course, is mildly amused. You feel like a circus monkey performing for the lot of them and you know it’s exactly what Mori wanted.
You’re sure not to let your irritation slip onto your face as you smile thinly and reply with: “The Guild will be taken care of by the end of the week. I fear that the boy is not the issue in this situation, Ace would be more suited to answer any questions regarding my imprisonment. Isn’t that right?” 
Ace’s smile tightens. “Not at all,” he says coldly. “What are you implying?”
“That it was your subordinate that had dealings with the Guild, of course,” you say with a sweet smile. “What else would I be implying?” 
“Right.”
“I mean, I do trust that you managed to get information out of him before killing him, right? We’ve all been trained to do that,” you add, raising your eyebrows and tilting your head to the side. “You did get the information, didn’t you?”
“I would like to know how you plan to handle the Guild considering you’ve failed spectacularly up to this point,” Mori intervenes, preventing you from questioning Ace about the ‘subordinate’ that ‘betrayed the Port Mafia’. 
You give him a heavy side-eye, wondering what game he’s playing and why he’s protecting Ace of all people—he must have some plan in the works that involves the man, but what? What could he possibly be using Ace for that’s so important that it makes the cost of keeping a rat in his inner circle trivial? You’ve always struggled to understand the way Mori’s mind works, but never more than now.
You decide to be plain with your accusations now. You’re tired of playing coy; although you’re stuck in limbo now as you wait for Tolstoy to come through with the favor you’ve asked of him, you still feel like you could be doing more productive things to try to figure out how you’ll actually approach Fitzgerald to get Dazai back. 
“I don’t feel comfortable divulging that information in this setting,” you say simply, watching as Kouyou’s eyes widen just a bit, Chuuya and Piano Man share a look, and Ace stiffens as he prepares for a scathing comment, but a motion from Mori has them settling down. “Regardless, I think there are more important issues to discuss. Namely, the setbacks we now have to deal with on the political front because of my indictment. I can reach out to the politicians that I’m close enough with that the accusations won’t sway them, but I worry that we might’ve lost a lot of key swing votes in the upcoming bill going through the Diet.”
“We can’t let that bill pass,” Chuuya says tightly. 
Kouyou sighs airly as she fans her face. “I can reach out to my connections,” she offers. “I assume Lippmann will have significant influence as well. Between the two of us, we can hopefully compensate for the losses. Do you think the indictment will prevent you from ever returning to handle political affairs?”
You purse your lips. “I doubt I’ll be back at any government events anytime soon, but I’ll be able to get work done from behind the scenes. It’ll be harder, but not impossible.”
Kouyou hums as she nods, glancing back at Mori. “If this is all, I had a prior commitment with our friends in Tokyo… It would be best for me to not miss it considering the circumstances.”
“I also have business to handle,” you say, gaze cutting back to Mori. “If necessary, I can meet with you later to tell you about how I plan to handle the Guild.”
“It’s not necessary,” Mori says lightly. “You’re dismissed, I promised Elise-chan tea time anyway. I expect results this time, little hime… Successful ones.”
Your lips tighten. “Of course,” you reply tensely. “I hope by the time of our next meeting, the rat infestation will be handled. I’ve seen a few too many since I’ve been back at headquarters today, it’s unsightly.”
Ace bristles and looks to Mori like a child seeking their parents’ support. How ironic, you think bitterly, but you don’t give anyone time to respond to your words as you rise to your feet and leave the room, intent on getting back to your apartment as quickly as possible. You don’t even wait for Chuuya or Piano Man as you get into the elevator and press the button to close the doors as quickly as possible.
Your gaze is pinned on the cityscape as the elevator begins to go down to the first floor. The sun has crossed its point in the peak of the sky—it’s still midday, it’s been sixty-six hours since you were taken into custody, likely just as long as Dazai’s been captured by the Guild
Sixty-six hours.
The Guild is not an organization that usually stoops to torture. Of all of the organizations in the world’s shadows, the Guild is probably the one closest to the light—they take advantage of it by forcing its members into the public spotlight. It’s why they’ve done so well in Yokohama so far; they’ve used their political presence to force countries into giving them diplomatic immunity, essentially making them untouchable. 
You’re sure they have some degree of blood on their hands, everyone in this world does, but torturing a civilian of a foreign country would be a bold move—if it got out, and you would make sure it did, it would ruin their station… But then again, would they even care?
Fitzgerald was so desperate to get his hands on Atsushi for whatever reason—the bounty and now this… There might not be any length he wouldn’t be willing to go to in order to get his hands on the boy. And Dazai… he wouldn’t give up the information, you know it in your heart. You wish that he would if only so he could protect himself, you’d be able to pivot and readjust your plans, but he won’t, especially not after his spiels about being a burden and wanting to help.
What an idiot, you think desperately, ignoring the way your eyes suddenly sting as you make your way out of the main headquarters to head over to your own building. You’re not even fully processing everything that’s happening around you—you ignore the subordinates that greet you, don’t even hear Albatross calling your name, and when you get to your building, you don’t even notice the doorman sitting at the desk in your building. 
It’s not until you get back up to your apartment that you’re finally able to break down.
Physically and mentally drained from two days in custody and now Mori’s schemes, it only takes the sight of Dazai’s sweater tossed on the back of your couch and his backpack lying haphazardly on the ground next to it for you to crumble. You don’t even make it to the couch—your knees give in as soon as your fingers brush the soft material of his sweater. You hit the ground hard, back pressed to the back of the couch as you pull the sweater down to your knees and you cry.
It still smells like him—well, a mixture of you and him since he’s started using your bath soaps—and you miss him so bad that it makes your chest cave in. You muffle the ragged gasp you take in with the sweater and curl in on yourself; you miss him, you miss him so bad that it’s painful, so bad that regret weighs on you like the burden of the sky, so bad that you think you might die. You’ve felt pain like this before when Itou died, but Itou’s death had not been entirely in your control, not like how this was. 
You let this happen. The moment you let him into your life, you damned him.
You’ve been teetering on the edge of collapse for days, only sheer willpower and the thin shred of pride you had left prevented you from falling apart during your time in prison, but now there’s nothing left to keep you together. Any remaining willpower was obliterated the moment you walked into your apartment and saw his sweater and backpack exactly where he left them before fleeing because of your words; any remaining pride was destroyed by Mori and his schemes refusing you at least some semblance of justice for your own imprisonment. 
Now alone, faced with only the consequences of your own decisions as company, you’re forced to acknowledge the bitter truth: you may never see Dazai again.
You may have gotten him killed.
He may already be dead—spent his last moments alone and in pain, wondering if you were ever going to show up.
You try to convince yourself that Fitzgerald won’t kill him before trying to use him as a bargaining chip over you, but the thoughts are only shallow consolations because you can’t push away the image that’s been haunting you since the day you met him. His body cold and rotting after having been abandoned in one of the dumping grounds the underworld uses as a mass grave, forgotten and nameless, left for the rate to devour. You knew this would happen from the beginning, but you still allowed it.
You’ve never prayed before. 
You’ve long believed that if there was a god out there, it was a cruel one who took delight in suffering because what other god would allow people to suffer the way you have? 
What god would allow an eight year old girl to sit amongst corpses for hours only to be saved by a man who would drag her down a path so dark that her blood would rot black and her soul would be so far beyond salvation before she was even old enough to attend secondary school? 
What god would show someone love only to rip it away before his very eyes in the most brutal way possible? 
What god would dangle the ‘what ifs’ right in front of your face just to taunt you knowing that the moment you let yourself indulge them, you would be reminded exactly why they should’ve remained ‘what ifs’?
You’ve never prayed before, but now, you find yourself crying to any that might listen to you because you don’t know what else to do. There’s no guarantee that your plan will work and you can’t give Fitzgerald what he wants, you can’t. So instead, you cry, you beg, you plead, you bargain. You don’t know what divine being might be out there, but for the first time in your life, you hope that there is one, because you’ve never saved a single person in your life. You got Itou killed, you got Chuuya’s lover killed, countless men on the warfront who were banking on your ability fix their minds, at this point, you’re sure that even the loss of your family and village was somehow blood on your hands—everywhere you’ve been, ruin and death have followed you, and this will be no different.
You won’t be able to save him, just like you’ve never been able to save anyone else before. Your only hope lies in the hands of the very beings that have designed this moment and every other misfortune of yours before this. It’s a sick joke, you think, but still, you pray. You cry, and beg, and plead, and bargain. You ask them to bring him back to you, you tell them that he’s good and that he never belonged in this life; you promise that if they bring him back to you, you’ll do what you should’ve done from the very beginning. 
You swear it.
You don’t know how long you stay on your floor with his sweater pressed to your chest—could have been minutes or hours, you don’t even hear the elevator arriving at your floor, don’t notice someone is in the room with you until you feel fingers brush your shoulder. You stiffen and futilely try to dry your eyes, lifting your gaze to figure out who had entered your apartment without calling up first. There’s only a handful of people it might be and-
And for just a split second, you think that it might be Dazai.
It’s not, of course, your eyes meet the familiar ones of Klaus’s, the expression he wears is full of guilt, regretful, and just as your lips part to ask him what he wants, he whispers: “I’m sorry I couldn’t find him. I really did try.”
You’ve only seen Klaus cry twice before. Once, two weeks after you took him in when he realized he was finally free of the fighting rings he’d been forced to compete in since his ability manifested. And a second time after he failed his first mission, tossed back into a memory that had him curling on the ground begging you not to send him back. Now, he doesn’t cry, but his throat spasms and his eyes shine with unshed tears. 
“I know you did, Klaus,” you say, voice too raspy for your liking
“... I left him alive,” Klaus tells you after a few moments. Before you can ask what he’s talking about, he continues, “Ui. I thought you might want to be the one to deal with him.”
At once, any exhaustion that might’ve been plaguing you disappears, the ice that spreads through your veins promises only one thing.
“Bring me to him.”
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“It has been two days since little miss princess was released from prison, how’s that make you feel?” 
Dazai stares blankly at Twain, who looks far too pleased as he tilts his chair back and watches him for a reaction. Dazai wishes that he was closer so that he could kick the chair back and watch him go sprawling, but even if he was closer, his body feels rooted to the bed he’s sitting on. Dazai has alway had a quick brain, but now it’s slow as Twain’s words echo through his head on repeat and he starts to understand the implications of them, unable to accept them as truth.
“Guess she doesn’t care about you as much as ya thought she did.” Twain shrugs like it's all some big joke, grin crooked. “Hasn’t even bothered to reach out to ask us about you. Port Mafia’s been active too, guess she just has more important things to deal with than some kid she played around with for a few months. Francis seems more bothered by it than I thought he would. I think he really thought she’d really fight for you—for your sake.”
Dazai doesn’t respond, gaze sliding from Twain to stare at the wall in front of him. It’s been a long four days in Guild custody. He’s hardly had a moment to himself, and he’s been careful to keep up the act of the lovesick fool who refuses to see things as they ‘are,’ but he’s tired and lonely and he misses you. It’s all wearing him out. 
He can keep up the act—if it means protecting you, he could do this forever—he’s put on masks and fronts for people his whole life, this is nothing compared to all of that… it’s just that it’s harder when he’s had a taste of life with someone who he doesn’t need to put up masks for. It’s harder when he wants nothing more than to just be back in your apartment, basking in your presence. It makes him dizzy with longing and it makes him careless. 
And… he thinks Twain’s words are hitting him a lot harder than they should be. 
“I’m not all too surprised though,” Twain continues absently, waving his hands around. “You’re not anything special, and I heard her boy Tolstoy’s back in town. She doesn’t need you to entertain her anymore now that he’s around.”
For a second, Dazai can see the dams cracking. All of the pent up emotions that have been building the past few days batter the splintering walls holding them back, and Dazai can only barely bring himself to try to reinforce them because now’s not the time for this. But every time he manages to fortify one section of the crumbling dam, another starts to collapse. 
It can’t be true. It can’t be—Dazai knows this, in his heart, he knows it—what you had with him… it was special. It was. (Wasn’t it?) The way you looked at him, no one could look at someone that way and not mean it. No one could speak the words you did and not mean them. There must be something else going on, you must be planning something—you’re not going to rush headfirst into a trap, not when it could end with Dazai’s life in danger and especially not with your past with the Serpent’s Tongue, but…
… but Twain’s mention of Tolstoy rattles Dazai badly. You’ve talked about Tolstoy before to him, and it was always with a certain fondness that made Dazai uneasy, and for a second, Dazai thinks it might be possible that you could just be cutting your losses with him and moving on. Because Twain is right, Dazai is nothing special, and it’s not like the two of you ended off on a good note before his capture—you were mad at him, he was cruel to you, he blamed you for all of this even though he forced it onto you. 
Dazai wouldn’t even really be able to blame you for not coming for him after that; for months, he’s been forcing your hand but when he felt backed into a corner, he threw it all in your face. 
Not even to mention that it might not even be as simple as you coming to save Dazai—there were other factors at play too, the Port Mafia being the biggest. You’re an executive, you can’t just throw everything away to come rescue him when he got himself into this situation after you explicitly warned him that this would happen. 
If you had to choose between him and the Mafia… could he really be certain that you would choose him in that scenario? He wants to say yes, he does, but the word feels weighted and bitter on his tongue, like he knows it’s not quite so cut and dry.
Realistically, you might not come for him. Even if Twain is wrong and it’s not a matter of whether you care about him enough to come for him, there are too many variables that could prevent you from coming for him… but Twain might not be wrong. 
“Mark,” Fitzgerald’s familiar voice chides as the man steps into the room Dazai is staying in. He doesn’t even hear the sigh and comment that Twain lets out before leaving because he’s too lost in his own thoughts.
Dazai has never felt so entirely out of control of a situation like this before—he’s always been so careful and meticulous in his interactions with people and his surroundings because he likes being able to predict how people will act around him, it makes it easier for him to figure out how he should act. He’s even had a good hold on himself, learned how to school his emotions and convert ones he doesn’t like into ones that are easier for him to manage. But everything about this has just been so impossible for him to get a handle on, he’s tried in every way that he could, but the realization of the fact that you might not be coming for him is sending him over the edge 
“I wanted to break the news to you myself,” Fitzgerald says and Dazai feels bitter and angry about the sympathy in his voice, wants to spit at him. He doesn’t need anyone’s pity, much less his, but he only finds himself staring listlessly at the man instead. “I waited a few days to see if she would reach out, but she never did… I’m afraid I can’t keep waiting anymore, I need to move on with the next stage of my plan.”
This is it, Dazai thinks distantly—now is when they’ll finally switch from persuasion to force. He thought he would have a bit longer to figure out how he would proceed and now he can’t even get himself thinking straight to try to figure out how to evade this. His thoughts are scattered and distant and so many different and unfamiliar emotions are battering him from every angle; he can hardly pay attention as the man across from him speaks. 
“I want you to cooperate willingly,” the Guild leader continues, but his words are going in one ear out the other. “... don’t have to worry about them targeting you for betrayal. We have enough resources to shield you from the Port Mafia. Additionally-”
“No,” Dazai says quietly—the refusal slips out before he can even process it.
Fitzgerald pauses. “No?” 
“No,” he reiterates, voice more strained, the words tumbling from his lips. “No, I don’t need your protection. I’m not going to cooperate. I won’t betray her—not for anyone, but especially not you. She’ll come. I know it.”
Something changes in Fitzgerald’s expression at Dazai’s words; it becomes twisted for just a second, but then it softens, his lips curl up into a faint smile. One that’s almost fond, but Dazai can’t understand why for the life of him. 
“I see, so even knowing all of this and realizing that she might not be coming for you, you still choose to stand at her side,” he murmurs. He doesn’t try to persuade Dazai like he thought he would. “There are not many who are able to see the worst of someone and still make that choice… I’ve only met one other… You remind me much of her.”
“She chooses me too,” Dazai says. He thinks, for a second, that he’s only saying it to scare Fitzgerald into realizing that you’ll come for him, but as soon as the words leave his lips, he knows that it’s true. That he believes it. He believes you’ll choose him, he believes you’ll come for him no matter what the cost might be. Even after everything that happened the other day, even knowing that you’ve been free for days and haven’t made any moves to rescue him yet, his faith in you hasn’t wavered. “She’ll come for me, and you’ll regret this.”
Fitzgerald exhales as he rises to his feet, gaze lingering on Dazai for just a moment before he tells him, “For your sake, I hope your faith is not misplaced.”
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“The human psyche is unbearably fragile. It’s one of the first conclusions I came to during my studies,” you say absently, sitting back in your chair. “I don’t have a combative ability. I can’t control any elemental force and I don’t have a superhuman body. I can’t summon entities to fight on my behalf and I certainly can’t shapeshift. Chuuya spent a lot of time studying physics to fine tune his power, my path laid in psychology. You see, my ability isn’t flashy or showy like many others, but it is an ability nonetheless, and even the weakest abilities can become dangerous in the right hands.”
Ui Koutarou stares up at you from the corner that he’s curled up in, his pupils are blown wide and his skin is pale and sweaty. You don’t know if he’s looking through you or at you, but you suppose it doesn’t matter.
“Usually, conditioning a human mind to have automatic responses to particular stimuli can take months, but I’ve learned to utilize my ability in a way that can speed up that process from months to days,” you explain, watching carefully as you flick the lighter in your hands. “You’ve realized that, of course, I’ve spent the past two days here rewiring your brain to react to things the way I want it to. You can’t control the way your heart starts racing when you see this flame, right? I can see the way your breath is short, your pupils dilated. You don’t have any reason to be scared of it, it’s harmless, but you’re still terrified. Why?” 
He doesn’t answer, of course, you didn’t say the word, but when you rise to your feet and take a step forward, he scrambles back impossibly further, shrinking into the corner. Your lips curve up as you flick the lighter off and take a seat, watching the way he immediately begins to relax again. 
“My ability isn’t mind control, I fear if it was, my life would be much more simple,” you sigh, looking up at the ceiling momentarily before lowering your gaze back down to him. “I can induce emotions and states in the human brain—the weak-minded naturally are much easier than the strong-willed, but I can make both bend to my will, it’s just a matter of how much effort I’m willing to put into it.”
You tilt your head to the side as you observe him and then pull a pen from your pocket, tossing it in his general direction. You can see the way his chest visibly stutters at the sight of it, breath ceasing, and then he darts to the opposite side of the room. In his desperate flee, his foot brushes the pen and you smile lightly as you activate your ability, watching the way he immediately hits the ground, screaming his throat raw as he curls into a ball. After deactivating your ability, you wait a few seconds for him to calm down before continuing. 
“The human psyche is fragile, but the brain is very malleable. As soon as it recognizes that a certain action will always bear a negative consequence, it will adapt and do everything it can to prevent you from taking that action to avoid the negative consequences.” You lean forward, looking down at him. “It’s recognized now to associate fear with a flame and a pen. You can’t control the way that the sight of either of these two objects make you react—it’s reflexive because your brain has already taken the necessary steps to ensure that you don’t get close enough to either to trigger the consequence that comes along with touching it.”
The flame is a necessary step. It’s easier to force the brain to associate fear with something that is inherently dangerous, and you needed to see how long it might take for you to move on to something that’s not inherently dangerous. It took three hours of conditioning to make his brain adapt enough to have reflexive responses to the sight of fire.
Then you moved onto a pen, because you thought it was ironic for a journalist to fear the same thing he uses to complete his job. That took six hours. 
“When you stayed away from the two objects, I rewarded you,” you explain with a thin smile. “It must’ve been so relieving… all of the pleasant emotions you felt after nearly five days of being locked up here. Happiness, hope, gratitude. I’m sure it was confusing too, because you didn’t know why you felt that way but you were so quick to bask in them that it didn’t matter.”
Ui continues to watch you, so you continue speaking. You think you’re talking more to yourself than to him, you don’t even know if he’s capable of processing your words at this point, but you need to keep yourself busy while you wait.
“When you touched the objects, I punished you,” you continue. “Guilt, sadness, but my favorite is fear. It’s the easiest emotion to induce in someone, it’s not one that I have to actively keep applied because the human mind spirals once it has a taste of it. They call it the mind killer.”
The last sentence tastes bitter on your tongue. It reminds you of Dazai.
“I did the same thing with your ability to speak… Speaking is a voluntary action, it’s a bit different than conditioning reflexive responses, but it still worked. Now, you can’t speak until I say the word, right?”
He doesn’t respond. You didn’t say the word.
“Speak.”
“Yes,” he rasps, voice wet and shaky. “You’re right.”
“I even made sure that no one else could trigger it. I brought Klaus in here and had him order you to speak. Every time you listened to his order, I punished you. Every time you listened to mine, I rewarded you. Do you remember that?”
He doesn’t respond. You didn’t say the word.
“Speak.”
“I remember,” he replies. “I remember.”
“Dazai Osamu was captured by the Guild because you worked alongside them to have me arrested. Isn’t that right?”
He doesn’t respond. You didn’t say the word.
Your voice is colder this time as you say: “Speak.”
“I didn’t mean for him to get kidnapped.” He has the nerve to sound like he’s about to cry. “None of my students, I didn’t mean for it-”
“That’s not what I asked. Speak.”
“Yes,” he chokes out. “Yes, he got kidnapped because of me.”
“That’s right,” you agree, “and he might die because of you too. Was it worth it?”
He doesn’t respond. You didn’t say the word.
“Speak.”
“No,” he whispers. “No, it wasn’t worth it.”
“I know,” you say, more to yourself than him. “But I suppose we’ve all done things that had consequences that weren’t worth it.”
You sigh, glancing to the side to see a figure waiting outside the cell. Chuuya’s face is twisted in displeasure, an unreadable look in his eyes as he stares at you.
“If it were up to me, I would let you live,” you admit. “A journalist too scared to ever pick up the pen again… the man trying to bring down the Port Mafia little more than a puppet for one of its executives… an ironic fate, possibly one worse than death.” 
You rise to your feet and walk to the door of the cell, leaving the room. Before you leave, you look over your shoulder and say:
“Luckily, your fate is not up to me.”
You leave the cell and close the door behind you, looking up to meet Chuuya’s familiar eyes, cool and disapproving.
“Don’t you think you might be going too far?” he asks quietly.
“Says the man who leveled an entire ward,” you reply coldly and he winces at the reminder. “I don’t want to hear anything from you about ‘too far’. If anything, I haven’t gone far enough.”
Chuuya sighs, but he doesn’t press the matter. 
“You should get some rest,” he finally says. “You’ve pretty much been up for two days straight, and I know you didn’t sleep while locked up.”
You click your tongue and look away. “I slept yesterday.”
“For an hour and a half,” Chuuya replies dryly. “Torturing the fuckin’ journalist isn’t going to bring Dazai back-”
“No, but it makes me feel better,” you interrupt, gaze sharpening. 
“Does it?”
“It does, in fact,” you say, giving him a thin smile, “more than you could ever believe.”
Chuuya lets out another sigh, this one heavier than the last. “I’m worried about you,” he says, voice tight. “I-”
“I don’t care, Chuuya,” you say, watching as Chuuya’s face twists in frustration. “I don’t need your concern. I need Osamu back and until he is-”
“This isn’t going to bring him back, you-”
“I don’t care!” You don’t even realize you’ve raised your voice, don’t even register your own movements as your hands dart out to shove Chuuya back hard. He only stumbles a few steps, but he gives you a pointed look. Suddenly, you want to cry again and your voice wobbles as you repeat, “I don’t care.”
He’s right. You know he’s right. Torturing Ui Koutarou isn’t going to do anything to help Dazai. The man is useless, gave information to the Guild that he shouldn’t have, but has no idea their whereabouts or even who he spoke to. And it’s not making you feel better like you claim it is, the sick bit of glee you may feel watching the journalist-turned-husk dissipates quickly whenever the thought of Dazai crosses your mind.
The Guild hasn’t even reached out to you.
You don’t know if it’s a good sign or a bad sign—probably a bad one. If they were trying to use him as leverage over you and the Port Mafia, then they would’ve done that by now. They could be waiting for you to reach out, it would give them the advantage in negotiations, but you can’t reach out before you have something to negotiate with. 
But the longer you wait… they’ll use it against Dazai. They’ll tell him you don’t care to come after him. They’ll tell him you’ve been out of prison for two days, yet you haven’t bothered to reach out to the Guild to get him back. They’ll make him feel worthless and Dazai already has such a poor perception of himself that you fear he’ll believe it, but you can’t do anything yet.
Not yet, but soon. 
Soon.
“The Diet postponed the military bill,” Chuuya says, changing the subject. Your gaze snaps back over to him. “Ane-san just got word from one of her friends in the House of Councillors. They pushed it two weeks out.”
You grimace instantly, shaking your head. “They want to see what happens with the indictment. If it gets dropped or goes to trial. If it goes to trial, we’ll lose more swing votes.”
“I asked Piano Man if he could talk to Tachibana, see what’s going on with getting the charges dropped, I know you have a lot on you right now, but I figured you’d want to know this,” Chuuya murmurs apologetically, squeezing your wrist.
Dazai is gone. The Guild is at your doorstep. There are countless indictments that you’re not sure are going to get dropped. The military bill is still looming over you. God, it’s never ending. You’re so tired.
“I’m glad you told me,” you finally tell him, but your voice is strained. “I’ll figure something out about the bill if the worst case scenario happens.”
Chuuya’s lips part like he’s about to speak, but he pauses suddenly, eyes flickering behind you. A dreadful feeling suddenly hangs over you as you turn around to face none other than Mori—the man never comes to the torture rooms himself so you know he must be looking for someone and that someone is very likely you.
Chuuya takes off his hat and lowers his head. You usually would follow suit but you don’t this time, keeping your chin high as you stare at Mori. His lips only curve up in response to your lack of respect, much to your displeasure.
“Chuuya-kun, may I?” Mori hums, doesn’t have to specify what he wants because Chuuya knows, nodding and excusing himself so Mori can speak to you alone.
His eyes slide away from you to the cell that holds Ui Koutarou. You watch as he looks between the pen on the ground and the way the man is as far away from it as possible. He tilts his head to the side in amusement, lifting his fingers to the chest pocket of his lab coat, pulling out the pen he always has stashed in there before tossing it at him. Ui is unable to dodge it fast enough, doesn’t realize what’s happening until too late.
The moment the pen touches his body, you activate your ability, watching him let out another blood curdling scream before focusing your attention back on Mori, who looks oddly pleased by what he’s found.
“Two days of work?” he questions.
“A little over.”
“How impressive,” he murmurs—for the first time, he says it without the mocking lilt that usually accompanies it and your throat swells, eyes flickering away from him to the wall. 
You know that he’s probably only saying it to try to ease your anger at him, but you can’t help the way it makes you feel after years of trying to get him to say those very words to you and mean them.
“Did you know?” you finally ask him, voice too hoarse for your liking.
“Did I know what?” Mori asks, raising his eyebrows to look down at you with sharp eyes that tell you he knows exactly what you’re asking but isn’t going to make this easy for you.
“Did you know that Ace was setting me up? Was it punishment?” Your nails dig deep into your palms as you wait for a response, so much so that you can feel the blood trickling between your fingers. “Did you?” 
“Of course not, I would never risk our political position so recklessly. Especially with the military bill in the Diet,” Mori scoffs, looking away for a moment before glancing back down at you. “Nor would I risk you so recklessly. You should know that by now, little hime.”
You avert your gaze, shaking your head. He’s only saying this to appease you, you know it, you don’t know why you’re still falling for it. 
“I don’t know anything that goes on in your mind,” you bite back, grateful that your voice is steadier than how you feel. “Why isn’t he being punished then? He betrayed the Port Mafia.”
“I still have something I need him to do,” Mori replies easily, lips curving up into a smile that unsettles you. “... Don’t fret, my dear, when the time comes, you can be the one to handle his execution.”
You click your tongue sharply. “It better be soon.”
You can only define the smile on his face as sinister, and you almost regret your words when he replies, “It will be,” because you don’t know what exactly he has planned for him to be smiling like that.
Before you can interrogate him on what the hell he’s even talking about, Klaus comes stumbling down the steps with wide eyes and an excited expression on his face. He pauses when he sees Mori, gaze darting between the two of you.
“I’ll speak to you later, little hime,” Mori says dismissively—you wonder what he came down here for, he wouldn’t have come to speak to you without some sort of agenda and you don’t know what he would have achieved from this conversation beyond unnerving you. “... Keep up the good work.”
Your throat tightens as he turns to leave, gliding past Klaus who awkwardly lowers his head in respect as he walks by. As soon as he’s out of sight, Klaus turns to you, lips spreading in a toothy smile. 
“Tolstoy is here.”
Your eyes widen instantly. “Take me to him.”
You thought he would be a bit longer. Your chest is tight with anticipation as you follow Klaus to another level in the main headquarters. You were expecting to have to wait at least another day or two for him to complete the favor you asked for him and another thirteen hours for him to fly from New York City to Yokohama. You suppose you shouldn’t be surprised, Tolstoy has always exceeded your expectations, but still… you hadn’t dared hope.
The man is leaning outside the door Klaus leads you to, lips curved up in a familiar smile, blue eyes glittering playfully as soon as he catches sight of you.  
“Princess,” he greets, holding his hand out for you to place yours in. You roll your eyes fondly as the blonde lifts your hand to his lips to ghost a kiss against your knuckles. He winks at you. “She’s all yours.”
You thank him quietly before pushing open the door to enter the conference room in front of you. The woman waiting inside is prim and elegant, wearing a long dress with jewels decorating her neck and wrists. Her expression is cool and closed off at first glance, but you can see the glassiness of her eyes and the way her thin fingers tremble in her lap.
You give the woman a soft smile as you approach, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in yours. You make sure your expression is gentle and genuine as you look up at her, watching as your ability instantly goes to work when her fingers stop trembling and her own expression softens as she looks down at you.
“Hi, Zelda,” you greet, voice sweet and honeyed. “You don’t need to be scared. I’m a friend.”
When Zelda Fitzgerald lets out a soft breath of relief, the tenseness in her shoulders easing, you know that she’s made the fatal mistake of believing you and your smile becomes a bit more authentic. 
Finally, you can make your move. 
“Come, let’s go somewhere more comfortable. We have a lot to talk about.”
401 notes · View notes
kalpeavaris · 3 months ago
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I see you've got a bunch of fankids, do you have any Jessa fankids?
Oh anon, indeed I have! Well, not kids, but one kid!
May I present you - Jecka! Whoever guesses where that name comes from, I'll love you.
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Jecka's appearance is more humanoid than most Workers or Disassembly Drones which comes from Tessa's biodata instilled in her code. She's extremely experimental, coming from a Solver User and a former human.
More below the cut!
In my headcanon/Synemy universe, Tessa - despite her Dronebody - still has biological code and DNA inscribed in her own OS, which got inevitable transferred to their child when the uploading process took place.
It took 5 tries to actually get this to work as Tessa's code just was hardly compatible with J's, which strained her alot - even her physical body and being was acting like it rejected the Disassembly Drone. But in the end, the final attempt was actually successful!
Although this experimental hybrid of J & Tessa didn't come with downsides. Jecka's code is very unstable, often resulting in her shutting down involuntarily and having to be rebooted by Uzi to keep her running.
Jecka's daredevil personality appears very brutish on the surface, but similar to Becky (who appears shallow and gossip-y) there's more to her if you know her. She's gotten alot of empathic and extroverted traits from Tessa, is easily exciteable and loves to be around people.
She cares alot for people's well-being, but will put herself first if she needs to. A friend you can rely on and a foe you need to watch out for. Jecka gets along with Becky fairly well but Angel and her sometimes do butt heads. Especially since Angel isn't really fond of Jecka's ability to magnetically draw in conflicts with people she doesn't really like. And Jecka can hold grudges until the end of time, lol. That she got from J.
Like Tessa she has Solver symbols on her body, although more focused on her legs and back (not pictured here). Jecka doesn't mind them and finds them somewhat cool. I mean, it does look cool. BD Can't blame her.
She cannot use the Solver like for example Uzi and Tessa can, but she has the passive abilities of the Disassembly Drones (regeneration, not being affected by the Solver's telepathy etc.)
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mooonjin · 11 days ago
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Can I request a scenario after the event of the 2nd season of the arcana, a relationship between the reader, Viktor and Jayce, perhaps a statement after everything that happened… the reader discovers that she has magic and with that, she manages to save in the last moments Viktor and Jayce. Now Viktor has his emotions, but remains with his body as a herald of magic? of the machine? (honestly, I was a little confused about how Viktor ended up if he became the Herald of Machines or Herald of Magic) and Jayce was a little wild, unstable and very protective… What will happen next? And with the idea of ​​alternative universes What if the other Viktors and Jayces want the reader, since the reader would be the only variation that didn't die… If possible, there could be yanderes… If you want, remove someone, feel free or add, sorry for the inconvenience.
Mine
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Notes: lol jayvik obsessor combo!!!!!!!! thx for this request anon, sorry it took so long and zzzzooont say sorry!! :3
Pairing: Jayce and Viktor x f!reader
Summary: Saved from the astral plane, both Jayce and Viktor had developed their own way of... thanking you.
Warnings/Tags: tin/machine/purple viktor, obsession, kissing, a bit of arguing, brief stalk-like behaviour, possesiveness, magic mentions — tell me if I've missed anything!
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The rescue was violent and imperfect. Golden tendrils of the astral plane clung to Viktor and Jayce as you wrenched them free, and in their escape, fragments of the hive mind tethered to all three of you. The fallout was instantaneous.
Viktor collapsed to his knees on the beige brick pavements in front of the science towers, his augmented body glowing faintly with runes that pulsed in time with his ragged breaths. His golden eyes met yours, wide with something like awe. "You...?" he murmured, his voice a broken whisper.
Jayce, on the other hand, was not so composed. His hands trembled as he gripped his hammer, his eyes darting between you and the swirling remnants of the astral plane fading behind you. "What did you do?" he demanded, his voice edged with fear and something darker. "What are you?"
In the days that followed, your life became a whirlwind of confusion. Magic spilled from your hands in spontaneous bursts and machines hummed to life in your presence, drawn to the strange energy that radiated from you. Viktor was first intrigued by this, having dealt with magic a few years back.
You pulled Viktor from the astral plane, his body more machine than ever. He studied your magic with fascination, his hands trembling as he sketched diagrams and theories late into the night.
Jayce was different. He hovered around you like a shadow, his gaze always on you, his words too fervent. Something burned within him, a passion and a sense of thankfulness after the incident.
His eyes, though—those betrayed him the most. They were the colour of burnt brown sugar, rich and intense, with a faint gleam when the light caught them just right. But behind the warmth was something undeniably restless.
"I owe you everything," he said one day, his hands gripping yours tightly, almost too tightly. "I won't let anything happen to you."
And he stood by that.
The days in the shared lab became a blur of concentrated effort and experimentation. You, Jayce, and Viktor worked tirelessly to unravel the mysteries of your powers. The sterile scent of chemicals and the faint hum of machinery became your constant companions.
If anything, he thrived in it. He worked tirelessly in his lab, refining his mechanical enhancements along with assisting in stabilising your powers. You caught him watching you more often than not, his gaze clouded with admiration.
He never said it aloud, but you could feel the unspoken possessiveness radiating from him.
"I could build something for you," he offered one night, the faintest trace of a smile tugging at his lips. "A device to regulate your magic. To protect you."
"We can build it together," You mumbled softly, not wanting to put unnecessary pressure on his shoulders, "I'm capable of controlling myself as of now."
"Still, you must be careful. there are many who would seek to exploit what you are. But with me..." He paused, his voice softening with a silent obsession, "With me, you would never have to worry."
Jayce, on the other hand, isolated himself sometimes during his break, going off to work on a project of his own that he never spoke of—despite being so open about his ideas. He snagged one of the stable hexcore gemstones and surprisingly, nobody had noticed.
"You could give her a bit of breathing room," Viktor would mutter under his breath, something tense lingering. Jayce never wavered.
Unlike Viktor, he didn't try to hide his feelings. His presence was an open wound, raw and visible in every glance, every word, every touch that lingered too long. He rarely left your side, always finding an excuse to stay near you. A habit Viktor seemed to catch onto.
It started off subtle, escorting you through Piltover's bustling streets, insisting on standing guard while you worked. But as the days went on, his behavior grew more... obsessive.
You tried to reassure him, to convince him that you didn't need constant protection, but your words only seemed to heighten his senses. He grew more erratic, more desperate.
It wasn't until he managed to sneak his hidden project—which was a round, blue tracking device using Hextech—into your small carrier bag, that you finally confirmed his obsession.
Initially, you didn't recognise it for what it was. It was sleek and compact, its edges glowing faintly with the soft, blue light of Hextech energy. But when you turned it over in your hands and felt the subtle pulse of power within it, the truth and the tech energy hit you like a wave.
This didn't seem like protectiveness. Between the two of them, you felt as though you were being pulled in opposite directions.
The breaking point came late one evening in Viktor's lab.
You had been working with Viktor, helping him calibrate a device designed to measure the flow of your magic. His hands were gentle, precise, as he adjusted the straps around your wrist.
"Tell me if it's too tight," he murmured, his voice low you could say it was intimate.
Before you could respond, the door slammed open and Jayce stormed in.
"What the hell is this?" he demanded, his voice thunderous as he took in the scene. His eyes zeroed in on Viktor's hand resting lightly on yours, an action he didn't take lightly, "What are you doing to her?"
"It's a simple calibration," Viktor replied evenly, though his grip on your wrist tightened ever so slightly, "Perhaps if you calmed yourself, you would see that."
"Calm myself?" Jayce laughed, but there was no humour in it, "You think I'm going to stand here and watch you use her as one of your experiments?"
You tried to intervene, to defuse the situation, but neither man seemed to hear you, "It's my choice, there's no h—"
"You don't have to choose him," Jayce said as he basically pleads, "You don't have to choose anyone. Just... stay with me. Let me protect you."
"And be trapped?" Viktor interjected, his eyes on yours despite arguing with Jayce.
Your chest rose and fell heavily, magic pulsing faintly through your fingertips as you struggled to steady your mind. These two are... fighting? No, right?
Viktor was the first to break the silence, his tone soft. He stepped toward you carefully, as though approaching a frightened animal. His hand reached out, brushing just beneath your wrist where the faint glow of your magic still lingered.
"You've already endured too much. I only want to help you control this power."
Jayce moved closer as well, his broad frame casting a shadow over both of you. His hand clasped yours, firmer than Viktor's, but with an undeniable warmth.
"You don't need to change who you are or what you are for anyone." His gaze flickered toward Viktor, laced with venom, before softening as he turned back to you, "I just need you safe. That's all I care about. Can't you see that?"
You were caught between them, their touches burning in different ways.
"Stop," you said, barely above a whisper. You tried to pull your hands free, but neither man relented, "This isn't about what either of you want."
Viktor's eyes narrowed slightly, his grip shifting so that his palm cradled your wrist, "This is not about want. Without guidance, your powers will destroy you or worse, they will be taken from you by those who don't care for your well-being."
His thumb brushed the inside of your wrist, lingering over the pulse point and feeling the skin he cherishes.
"They're not another one of your machines to perfect." Jayce let out a sharp, bitter laugh, his fingers tightening around yours.
You took a hesitant step back, your pulse quickening as their hungry gazes bore into you. Viktor reached out, his metal hand brushing against your cheek. Despite its cold surface, the touch was gentle.
"Your powers are so foreign... not even you know how much control you have over me."
His words made your breath hitch and you couldn't deny the way your body betrayed you, leaning ever so slightly into his touch.
Viktor's lips curled into a faint smile. For a moment, you thought he might lean closer, might say something more.
But then Jayce's hand shot out, his grip firm on your arm as he pulled you back toward him. His body was warm, solid against yours. Less... metallic.
"You think you can just talk your way into her head? Into her heart? You don't even know what she needs." The way he towered over you felt less protective and more possessive.
"So you believe you do?" Viktor countered with a confident hum.
You opened your mouth to speak, to try break up this cat fight, but Jayce leaned in, his breath warm against your ear.
"Tell me," he whispered softly, now teasing, "Do you really think Viktor could make you feel the way I do?" His lips brushed against the edge of your ear.
Clearly Jayce was trying to assert dominance. However, Viktor didn't step back and didn't see Jayce as a threat. Instead, he cupped your face, his metallic fingers rough but achingly familiar against your skin.
"Tell me you want me." Viktor's eyes locked onto yours.
"You don't understand how much I need you," Jayce's thumb brushed your cheek, tilting your head so you faced him instead of Viktor.
And without waiting for a response, he dipped his head, capturing your lips in a kiss that was as desperate as it was possessive.
The kiss was hot and insistent against yours mouth. His hands slipped to the back of your neck, tilting your head completely away from Viktor's to deepen the connection.
Jayce kissed you like he was eating you. The kiss wouldn't have lasted more than four seconds before Viktor had yanked you off Jayce.
"You're smothering her," Viktor hissed, his golden eyes sharp with irritation, "Do you think that was a kiss? To be devoured by your desperation?"
"Don't act like you're any different, Viktor. You'd kiss her if you had the chance." Jayce grit his teeth, furious his sensual kiss got interrupted.
Viktor ignored him, his attention turning to you. His expression softened, "You deserve better than this... better than him," he said hypnotically.
This time, it was Viktor's turn to tilt your head away from Jayce's and towards his own. He stepped closer, his metal fingers brushing against your wrist while his other hand cupped your jaw gently. His touch was noticeably colder.
Viktor leaned in, his lips hovering just above yours, "You are everything I've ever dreamed of," he whispered, his breath ghosting over your skin, "...I would give you the world if you'd let me."
Before you could even register the closeness, his lips met yours. His kiss was slow, deliberate, and sensual. He kissed you like he was savouring every second unlike Jayce, whose kiss was hungry.
Your mind spun, caught between the two of them, their touches and kisses blurring together. Jayce's warmth lingered on your lips even as Viktor's coolness claimed them as you pondered.
Jayce couldn't watch any longer. He stepped forward, his strong arms circling your waist and pulling you against his chest to disconnect your lips from Viktor's.
A light string of saliva connecting your lips with his before it broke.
He whispered harshly, "I'm not letting him take you from me. Not now, not ever."
Jayce's hands roamed your back, possessive and firm, while Viktor's fingers remained on your jaw, despite the little distance. The difference was dizzying. You were pressed up against Jayce's warm chest and if Viktor took a step forward, you would be sandwiched between the two.
"You don't have to choose," Viktor said softly, taking the remaining step forward as his hand moved to your waist, resting just above Jayce's, "Let us prove that you are everything."
Jayce growled low in his throat, but he didn't pull away. Instead, he tightened his grip on you, "Fine," he said through gritted teeth, his voice laced with both anger and longing.
The tension between the three of you shifted, becoming something darker, more intimate. You felt their hands, their lips, their breaths, all consuming you in a way that made your knees weak.
Their obsession was dangerous, but it was also intoxicating. In that moment, you were theirs and they were yours.
"Kiss me." Was the last thing you heard before someone's warm lips claimed your own.
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Post Notes: theres something about obesssive and possesive and fighting jayvik over reader... hehehehe...
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