#she was like ‘omg i thought the plot was moving forward but you’re right they didn’t actually find out anything did they’

[roseworth]

my sisters been getting into dc and she read this weeks green arrow and asked what i thought and i pulled out all the panels i didn’t like and she said “so you didn’t like it because of a few character moments” and like. okay yes but you don’t understand how joshua has hurt me over the last year. you don’t get it.

[ariundercovers]

Standstill (When Paths Cross Pt. VIII, Javier Peña x Reader)

Pairing: Javier Peña x Afab!Reader (No use of y/n!)

Length: ~3.2k words

Series Summary: Chucho's been like a father figure to you since he helped you out of a sticky situation on your second day in Laredo. What happens when you finally meet his son, the former-DEA agent, who just happens to ignite you in a way that you haven't felt before?

Chapter Summary: The next week. Some shared flan, and an unexpected question.

Chapter Warnings: no porn only plot, angst, (i promise this is the last plotty angst chapter!) spanish nicknames, idiots in love, Chucho being a Dad to two idiots in love (the poor man omg).

A/N: I made a moodboard for this series! I hope it doesn't suck. I've never been great at making them. But do let me know what you think, and if you can pick up on each image! ALSO - If you're so inclined, please drop a like and a reply/reblog! I live for your feedback, and it keeps me going and keeps me writing. Did you like it? love it? hate it? I want to hear all of your thoughts! And of course, just lmk if you'd like to be added to the taglist, too!

PREVIOUS PART (VII) HERE

It takes everything in you not to start calling Javi first thing in the morning, begging him to talk to you, to have a conversation, to hear you, or something. You’re regretting the way you lost it and stormed out, too. You let your emotions cloud your judgment, acted too reactionary, in the interest of yourself and not in the interest of your relationship.

But isn’t that what Javi was doing to you, too? 

You heave out a frustrated sigh, staring into the abyss of your ceiling. At least you had work today to keep your mind busy and off of this mess of a situation. Belabored, you start to sit yourself up and dress yourself for the day. It feels mindless, going about your morning tasks like this, but you think some semblance of normalcy will actually help you get through these next ten hours. You can wait until then - reach out after you’ve let yourself fully cooled down, maybe. 

If he’ll even answer you, that is.

You sigh, exasperated, and quicken your pace, trying to get through every step of your morning routine as fast as possible, figuring that if you keep yourself busy with moving quickly, your mind won't have time to whirr to a stop in the case of Javier Peña.

It doesn’t work. 

You bemoan every action and step you took to get here, endlessly infuriated by your own inability to test out the waters before charging full steam ahead. You realize, reluctantly, that you probably should’ve eased into that conversation rather than blurt it out in the middle of the mall food court. You should’ve pressed him for more explanation, but gently, without engaging self-defense mode right away. There are a thousand things you wish you had done differently in hindsight. You can’t do anything about it now, though, so you pick yourself up, finish making coffee, and head out the door to catch the bus to the museum.

When you arrive, your co-worker, Anne, can tell right away that something’s wrong.

“Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise?” She asks you.

“Yeah. Something like that.” You sulk your way back to your office and unload your bag and the lunch you packed for yourself, tucking it away in the mini fridge on the other side of the room. Anne slides into the office, too,  and takes a seat at the chair across from your desk, looking at you with expectant eyes.

“Are you going to tell me what happened or are you going to leave me hanging? Spill.” You sigh and look at your watch - you have a few minutes before the work day actually starts, and you figure you could use some additional perspective from someone besides Chucho. So, you go ahead and rehash the situation. 

By the end of it, her eyebrows are about as high as the ceiling, and her head is propped on her hand, leaning forward on the desk as if to ask for more.

“His dad drove you home? Seriously?”

“Is that really what you latched onto after all of that, Anne?” She laughs at you and sits back in her chair, arms crossing gently over her chest.

“You know you went about that all wrong, right? Even the best-seeming guy gets spooked when you start talking about marriage and kids and stuff, you know?” You sigh in agreement, shrugging slightly.

“Yeah, I know. I know now. Things have just been going so well and I think about it all the time, I thought I could just ask, you know? We’re not kids, I figured it’d be at least something he’s thought about, even not in the context of the two of us.” You sigh, melting further into the chair as you shake your head in frustration. “What do I do?”

“I don’t know. It sounds like he made his position pretty clear.” The deep, heaving breath that follows from your chest is as dramatic as it is comforting.

“I know,” you finally respond. Anne sits up and looks at you with a forceful glare. 

“So you have to decide, then. Is he worth losing those possibilities for the future? Or not?”

~~~

You take the week to regulate yourself back into your regular, daily life. You go to work, focus as hard as you can for as long as possible, then you stop at the store on your way home, cook yourself a real meal, and eat on the couch, alone, in front of whatever shitty movie you’ve picked out for yourself today. You’re bored. And lonely. And still unbearably and unbelievably heartbroken. 

On Friday, you’re partway through the shittiest of movies that you’ve managed to pick out so far this week when your phone rings. Picking it up quickly, you hear a familiar gravelly voice on the other side.

“Mija.” 

It brings a smile to your face immediately. “Hey, Chucho. What’s up?”

“I made flan. Care to stop by for some?” You chuckle lightly at his suggestion.

“Now?” You ask.

“Only if you want to,” he responds.

“Is Javi home?” He pauses, but answers nonetheless.

“He is, but he’s moping elsewhere, as is the usual these days.” Something tugs at your heartstrings when he mentions Javi’s mood, unsure whether it’s because you feel eased that Javi’s grieving the same as you, or if it’s because it confirms that Javi does, in fact, feel something for you. 

“Who would I be to say no to flan?” You can practically hear his smile through the receiver.

“Come on, then. I’ll save you some.”

You hang up the phone with a quick sign-off and get yourself dressed - at least, a little more dressed than you are now. You throw on a sweater and some jeans, a pair of shoes, and grab your keys, bounding out of the door and down the steps, toward your car parked on the street.

The busy city streets quickly shift to the winding roads you know and love so much, leading you all the way back to the Peña ranch. As you pull into the familiar property, you park in front of the house and turn off your lights before sitting back in your seat for a moment. You take a deep breath and work yourself up to getting out of the car and going inside. This was Javi’s house, afterall… you might see him. But you’re also not sure what you’ll do if he does show up.

Finally deciding that you’re prepped well enough, you open the car door and stand, stretching your arms and back for a moment before walking up to the front door of the house that still felt so much like home to you. 

The door opens before you can even reach the handle, Chucho looking down at you for the briefest of moments before he’s crushing you tightly to his chest.

“Mija. I missed you.” You laugh and wrap your arms around him - he always gave the best hugs - and sigh into the embrace. It’s much appreciated, on your part. It turns out you’ve been craving human contact. 

“It’s only been a few days, Chucho.” He finally releases you and holds you at an arm's distance away, brows scrunches behind thick glasses as he looks you up and down.

“A few days where I thought you might not ever come back. They felt like forever.”

“I told you, Chucho. Nothing’s gonna keep me away, I mean that.” You offer him the most genuine smile you can muster and he finally releases you as you walk into the house. Javi is, as you figured he would be, nowhere to be seen. There’s a flan sitting in the middle of the dining table and you eagerly take a few steps in as Chucho closes the door behind you.

“Come on. Let’s get you some flan.” Laughing lightly, you follow him into the kitchen, reaching for forks as he reaches for the plates. You meet each other at the table and he serves up two too-large slices of flan, one to each of you, before you take a seat, Chucho at the head of the table and you just next to him. “So I take it you haven’t talked to him?” he prods. 

You sigh and shrug, unsure how to answer. “I’m not sure what I’d say. I know I should try, but I can’t shake the feeling that he just doesn’t want me.” The incredulous look he gives you makes you snort slightly.

“Oh, mija, you have never been so wrong. He wants you desperately. He’s like an abandoned, grumpy puppy dog right now. He wants you, very much. Anyone can tell.” You smile nervously at him, unsure how much he knows, and how much you really want to divulge.

“Okay. Maybe that’s true. But he doesn’t want a future with me. And, to me? They might as well be the same thing.” He sighs and sets down his fork, propping his chin on his fist for a moment.

“You need to talk to him about it. I don’t think that’s true, either. I really don’t.”

“But he told me that. Not in so many words, but he said he doesn’t want a future with me. Not with me, not with anyone, Chucho. I can’t convince him of something he doesn’t even want in the first place.” He sighs and reaches across the table to take your hand, softly.

“If that’s what he said to you, know that it was a terrified little boy speaking, not Javi.” You tilt your head, brows scrunching as you try to piece together what he means. Chucho continues. “I know he probably said something horrible. Probably out of fear. You don’t have to tell me what, because it’s between the two of you, not me. But I know him. And I know how he is. He’s my son.”

There’s that word again.

Fear.

If he’s not afraid of you, then what is it? The future? Commitment? Kids?

You look down at the already nearly-empty plate in front of you and swallow thickly.

“Okay, Chucho. I get it.” You sigh, feeling like you’re at a stalemate. “I just don’t know what to do. I don’t know if I’m supposed to reach out to him or if I’m supposed to wait for him to come to me or something in between? I just don’t know.” You rest your head against the back of the chair for a moment until you hear the sound of Chucho’s heaving sigh.

“You’ll figure it out, mija. I know you will.” You look up at him with a smile and force yourself back to vertical, reaching for your fork once again.

“You have too much faith in me.”

“No. I have just enough.”                                    

~ ~ ~

You sit with Chucho for a long while, talking back and forth about nothing and everything like you always used to, in the days before Javi came home. It’s easy, simple, and you appreciate the companionship greatly. He lets out a yawn, eventually, and stands up to excuse himself back to his room.

“Thank you, mija, for coming over. It was getting lonely without you around.” You stand as well and walk over to him as he wraps you up in a big hug.

“Thank you for having me, Chucho. You head off to bed - I’ll clean up. I can let myself out.” He nods back at you in response with a tip of the brim of his hat and turns, hobbling off to his room. He knows better by now than to argue with you about these kinds of things.

So, you set off to start cleaning up. You wrap the flan up in some cling wrap, and set it in the fridge before you grab your plates and move to the sink, washing each of them in turn.  You dry them each on the dish towel that hangs from the handle of the oven, before you decide to go ahead and just wash the rest of the dishes in the sink, while you’re at it. Less for Chucho to deal with in the morning. When you’re done, you make sure everything out on the countertop is set back in its rightful place and you straighten out the chairs at the table. 

You’re sliding on your shoes and reaching for your keys on the hook near the door when you hear the telltale sound of a doorknob and then a familiar set of footsteps moving down the hallway. You stop in your tracks, unsure how to proceed, until you hear the footsteps track closer to you, eventually stopping. Turning over your left shoulder, you look in the direction of the hallway, only to be confronted with the same one you had spent the entire week pining after.

“Javi,” you huff out with a breathy sigh. His lips turn up in their tell-tale smirk, a distinct 5-o’clock shadow graced across his jawline. His hair is tousled, more unkempt than he usually lets it get. And then he opens his mouth and speaks - the sound sending a shiver straight down your spine.

“Muñeca.” 

You can see something brimming in his eyes as he steps further toward you, closing the distance between you two quickly. His hands stay firmly rooted in his pockets, but he’s now in breathing distance, right in front of you. You set your keys back down and turn fully toward him, looking at him from where you stand.

“I was just, uh… getting ready to head out.” You stumble, unsure of how best to approach this conversation. Fiddling your hands together, you look away, down at your feet, as the intensity of his gaze is too much for you to bear.

“What if you stayed?” He asks. Your eyes snap back up to his, taken aback by his suggestion.

“Stayed?” You couldn’t have heard him right, right? He nods.

“Yeah. Here. With me. I know… I know we need to talk about things. I know. But… We’ll talk in the morning. I promise. I just…” One of his hands leaves his pocket and swipes across his lip, in the way it always used to - albeit much more cockily before. Hesitantly, he reaches for you, his hand cupping the side of your face. His thumb brushes across your cheekbone and you lean into the touch, closing your eyes as you take a deep breath, the contact soothing you.

You blink your eyes open at him and nod once. He waits just long enough to see that you’ve truly said ‘yes’ before he’s wrapping you up into his arms, inhaling the scent of your hair like it’s a salve. Your arms circle tightly around his torso, grappling tight to his body like if you lose your grip for even a moment you might fall away from him entirely. You can feel tears brimming at your eyelids, but you don’t let them fall. Not now. Not yet.

You can hear Javi take a few deep breaths, arms squeezing you a little more tightly with each one, until he’s reluctantly pulling away from you, hands on each of your shoulders as he looks deeply into your eyes.

“Come to bed with me?” He asks you.

You hesitate - you’re not sure what to do, exactly. Do you want to stay? More than anything, really. But should you?

You blink back at him for a while, trying to figure out how you should respond. His face looks like its just as close to breaking as yours is, though, just as close to falling apart, and that realization is enough to solidify your answer.

“Okay, Javi. I’ll stay.” You nod in agreement with your words, a small smile up-ticking on his face, and he takes your hand, leading you down the hallway. When you make it to his room, he closes the door behind you and pauses, just long enough to pull you into him again so that he can press a gentle, tender kiss to your forehead. “Here, I’ll grab you a shirt-”

You watch as he fishes an old t-shirt out of his dresser for you, handing it to you before he turns back to you, seriously. “Do you want me to…” He nods toward the door, gesturing toward it with his chin. You scoff slightly and let out a small laugh, shaking your head.

“No. You’ve seen me naked plenty, Javi. I’m not shy.” He responds with a serious look and turns away from you, tugging off his own button up as he swaps it for a plain t-shirt, instead. You realize, suddenly, that he’s trying to give you some sense of privacy - a moment to change, alone, with a sense that he’s not entitled to look right now. Not just yet. 

You get to it as quickly as you can, tugging off your jeans and sweater and folding them, setting them on one side of Javi’s dresser, before tugging on his t-shirt and climbing into bed. You look up at him from your seated position, eager to get your hands on him again. You know there’s a lot the two of you need to work through here. You know there are tough conversations ahead. But you’re also damn sure that you’ll crumble if you can’t have his arms around you as quickly as possible. 

Eventually, he turns around, smiling at the sight of you in his bed. “Cariño-“ he starts, “my bed has never looked more comfortable.” You offer him a sleepy smile, reaching one hand out for him as he climbs in. He obliges, even though it makes crawling the rest of the way over to you more difficult, holding your hand in his and pressing his lips to it gently. When he makes it over to you, he lays down, pulling you into his side and against his chest. He inhales deeply, much like he did when he first wrapped you up in his arms earlier, and you ratchet yourself to his side, throwing one thigh over his hips and digging your fingertips tightly into his ribcage. There’s a possibility that this might actually be uncomfortable for him, you think, but it’s too worth it to bother adjusting. You need this right now. 

He reaches down to gather up the sheets and quilt from where they’re bunched on the side of the bed and throws them over you both, tucking you in gently as he makes sure you’re properly wrapped up. 

“This okay, mi amor?” You nod affirmatively into his chest and hum, happily, feeling an ease that had been missing over the course of the week. 

“More than okay, Javi. Thank you.”

“No. Thank you. I know we need to… talk. But this is- this is good. Just like this.” Nodding again, this time, as you settle back against him, you let the persistent beating of his heart soothe you. You have lots to think about and talk through together tomorrow - or at least you hope you do - but he’s right. This is good. Just like this. You’ll figure it out in the morning. 

~ ~ ~

A/N: I guess it's more feels than angst. But still. One of the big moments I've been working up to in this series is coming next - I can't wait to get it out for all of you tio read!

Let me know what you think! Your interactions and comments and criticisms and all of it are so so so very appreciated!

xoxoxo

Taglist: @amyispxnk @picketniffler @kirsteng42 @vee-bees-blog @samiamproductions grippysockedtoebeans

(lmk if you'd like to be added!)

Next part HERE (IX)

[blye-flower]

✨ Meme for Fic Writers: 4, 7, 15, 29, 38

Alkjsadkjs if Hershey's gonna do anything, it's make me think about my writing. I'm gonna put this under a read more and also color the questions so it's not just a huge wall of text (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

4. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?

Ohhh, there are so many that I don't even really have a solid number for them?? Like I have stuff I already talked about, like GG and O Sol, and then there are things I've only talked about in passing with friends that don't have a storyline or an actual idea name. I think the one that I wanna work on most that I haven't talked about before is another O Sol installment that kinda gives insight to apritello's relationship through the other characters POV? I'm having a lot of fun working backwards in terms of how the plot line goes before moving it forwards past,,, that lol

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

The softness that Donatello invoked from her, the way she wanted to stay by his side and wanted him to stay by hers. The need to protect him, to keep him safe and happy, and being able to cause that happiness. She felt so seen yet felt the need to hide when his eyes found hers, desired to be wanted by him and for his eyes to seek her out. 

She found her place with him, craving out a piece of herself so he fit perfectly in her. And she hoped that he did the same for her. 

-I Put a Spell on You (Accidentally But If Anyone Asks it Was On Purpose)

I'm just, it's hard to talk about why I'm so proud of this one cause I feel like the reason is kinda unnecessarily sappy ajshjf. But the way that I think about love really drives how I write about characters falling in love or experiencing that love. For me, love (whether platonic or romantic) is about creating a safe place for someone, not only about wanting to be with them, but also in the sense that when you think about somewhere you belong, the other person is not too far from the thought, you know? So, by being able to write about a character experiencing the "mainstream" romantic expressions of love (ie. feeling shy around them, wanting to be near them, feeling protective of them, etc.), I was also able to add that little bit of characters creating places for each other. In that last line, I essentially wrote April not only admitting that she loves Donnie, but also hoping that Donnie loves her back without having to say that.

15. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

Ohhh, if I could guarantee that the CGI was clean and the studio makes the color scheme pop like I'd want it, it'd be I Put a Spell on You (Accidentally But If Anyone Asks it Was On Purpose). There's a couple of scenes in it that I think would be really interesting with a visual!

29. If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

Omg, look at me mentally blank on every fanfic I've ever read aljdsalkdj. Tbh, if it's anyone, I think it would either be a sequel to your The Missing Element fic, ooorr a prequel to Sheep's The One Where The Orange One Knows.

38. Talk about a review that made your day.

Hmm, all of the reviews I get make my day lol, but I still remember this comment I got on a fic I've since deleted, from my KH days. It was only one chapter posted, but it ended up being 10-13k, and the comment basically said it was literally the easiest read they'd had in a while. They complimented my dialogue, my characterization, how I wrote the characters interacting, and just my prose all together.

There are also one or two comments someone is recently leaving on SnoCon that's honestly bringing a smile to my face lol.

(Honestly, any comment that compliments my characterization or prose is immediately gonna make my day for YEARS.)

[tarysande]

Writing Tips from an Editor (Who Also Writes)

People throw around the phrase “Show, don’t tell” all the time. But what does it mean? Really?

When I’m editing a client’s work, I always explain what I mean when I say “Show, don’t tell,” so I know we’re on the same page (pun intended). 

FYI: This advice is really 2nd or 3rd draft advice. Don’t tie yourself in knots trying to get this perfect on the first go. First drafts are for telling yourself the story. Revisions are for craft. 

Ruthlessly hunt down filter words (saw, heard, wondered, felt, seemed, etc.). Most filter words push the reader out of narrative immersion, especially if you’re writing in 1st person or a close 3rd person. “She [or I] heard the wind in the trees” is less compelling than “The wind rustled through the trees” or “The wind set the bare branches to clacking.” Obviously, the point of view character is the one doing the hearing; telling the reader who’s doing the hearing is redundant and creates an unnecessary distance between the character’s experience and the reader’s experience of that experience. Was/were is another thing to watch out for; sometimes, nothing but was will do, but in many instances—“There was a wind in the trees” “There were dogs barking”—“was” tells, whereas other phrasing might evoke—“The wind whispered/howled/screamed through the trees” “Dogs snarled/yipped/barked in the courtyard/outside my door/at my heels.” 

Assume your readers are smart. What does this mean? Don’t tell the reader what your characters are thinking or feeling: “Bob was sad.” How do we know? What does Bob’s sadness look like, sound like? What actions, expressions, words indicate Bob’s sadness? Does Bob’s sadness look different than Jane’s would?

It also means that you need not repeat information unless you have something new to add to it—even if it’s been several chapters since you first mentioned it. I think a lot of readers fall into this trap because writing often takes a long time. But what takes a writer days or weeks or months to write might take a reader fifteen minutes to read. So, if the writer keeps telling the reader about so-and-so’s flaming red hair or such-and-such’s distrust or Bob’s blue eyes or Jane’s job as a neurosurgeon, the reader gets annoyed. 

The last thing you want is your reader rolling their eyes and muttering, “OMG, I KNOW” at the story you’ve worked so hard to write. It certainly means you don’t need to have characters tell each other (and through them, the reader) what the story is about or what a plot point means.

Along these same lines, let the reader use their imagination. “Bob stood, turned around, walked across the room, reached up, and took the book from the shelf.” Holy stage directions, Batman! A far less wordy “Bob fetched the book from the shelf” implies all those irrelevant other details. However, if Bob has, say, been bedbound for ten years but stands up, turns around, and walks across the room to fetch the book, that’s a big deal. Those details are suddenly really important.

Write the action. Write the scene with the important information in it. Let the reader be present for the excitement, the drama, the passion, the grief. If you’re finding yourself writing a lot of after-the-fact recap or “he thought about the time he had seen Z” or “and then they had done X and so-and-so had said Y,” you’re not in the action. You’re not in the importance. Exceptions abound, of course; that’s true of all writing advice. But overuse of recapping is dull. Instead of the reader being present and experiencing the story, it’s like they’re stuck listening to someone’s imperfect retelling. Imagine getting only “Last week on...” and “Next week on...” but never getting to watch an episode. I’m editing a book right now with some egregious use of this. The author has a bad habit of setting up a scene in the narrative present—“The queen met the warrior in the garden.”—but then backtracking into a kind of flashback almost immediately. “Last night, when her lady-in-waiting had first suggested meeting the warrior, she had said, ‘Blah blah blah.’ The queen hadn’t considered meeting the warrior before, but as she dressed for bed, she decided they would meet in the garden the next day. Now, standing in the garden, she couldn’t remember why it had seemed like a good idea.”

That’s a really simplified and exaggerated example, but do you see what I’m getting at? If the queen’s conversation with the lady-in-waiting and the resulting indecision are important enough to be in the narrative, if they influence the narrative, let the reader be present for them instead of breaking the forward momentum of the story to “tell” what happened when the reader wasn’t there. Unless it’s narratively important for something to happen off-page (usually because of an unreliable narrator or to build suspense or to avoid giving away a mystery), show your readers the action. Let them experience it along with the characters. Invite them into the story instead of keeping them at a distance.

Finally, please, please don’t rely on suddenly or and then to do the heavy lifting of surprise or moving the story forward; English has so many excellent verbs. Generally speaking, writers could stand to use a larger variety of them. 

(But said is not dead, okay? SAID IS VERY, VERY ALIVE.)

[angelguk]

so much happens in this it’s such a huge mess omg. the return of the angst plot line of jock!jk (aka pretty boy universe please check ml for the other parts). this time featuring: Angst (with a capital A), miscommunication that makes you want to scream, chayoung’s true nature, namjoon catching stray bullets (figuratively), and lucas being a gem. also jungkook is somewhat semi-violent in this one (in terms of thoughts and some actions but no one gets hurt) so please don’t read this if that makes you uncomfortable. in general just an angry heartbroken boy. also oc is finally doing something good. listen to mess it up by gracie abrams + if we were made of water by banks + i will by mitksi + save room for us by tinashe. roughly 4.2k

titled — old friends, new foes

The spring scavenger hunt is an enormous success, all thanks to your careful planning and Bina’s much needed support. While you excelled at organising, you heavily lacked in the social aspect, something Bina fulfilled with smart marketing and a bright personality that drew in a larger crowd than you thought would appear. It's partially expected–she was head of the Events Committee for a reason–but it felt a little strange to lean onto her instead of Jeongguk. He was the one who usually spearheaded that side of your event plans, more than anyone else, and while planning this one you felt his absence tenfold. Like a gigantic gaping hole excavating through your chest and leaving behind a lonely hollow.

That hollowness surges when you spot him meandering towards the third location at the university courtyard, his fingers tangled with Hyeri’s. You slowly turn away from them, heart aching with each thud against your ribs, hoping they haven’t seen you. Maybe Bina sees the fall on your features because she’s gently tapping your arm, leaning in with a graceful brush of her amber locks over her shoulder.  

“Are you okay?” Her voice is soft, feathering through the late afternoon breeze to reach your ear. 

You’re about to say it, the pained ‘I’m fine' that had become a part of your routine. But then you hear him, loud effervescent laugh hitting the air, the sound striking your false demeanour down. Your vision blurs before you could choke the word out and suddenly Bina’s arm is firmly around you, guiding your heavy feet far away from the presence evoking your pain. 

“I’m fine,” you finally manage to choke up, folding into yourself in the middle of a bench. She stares at you for a moment, before taking a deep breath and sharply clicking her tongue.

“You’re not.” Her eyes are gentle despite the harshness of her words. “I know this isn’t my place, but I do know why you stopped coming to committee meetings.” 

The scoff you let out is instinctive. The jarring sound is a stark contrast to the action of your hand hurriedly wiping away the stray tears staining your cheeks. Of course, you’d avoided committee meetings – why the hell would you go when the president was your ex?

“And,” Bina continues, pointedly ignoring your reaction. Her hand reaches out moving to intertwine your fingers. You focus on the image of her sharp stiletto shaped nails that glitter under the glow of the sun settling on your lap instead of the thumping of your heart as she speaks. “Judging from what I’ve seen, it hasn’t been easy for him either. I know you’re probably thinking that you were the only one who cared about him–about your relationship, but I’m pretty sure he did too. So it’s perfectly okay for you to feel like this, no matter how long it’s been.”

Two months and three weeks, you mentally add. A lifetime and a single blink simultaneously. 

“I didn’t need to know that,” you say, hoping to kill the hope fluttering in your heart. Bina squeezes your hand instead and gives it wings.

“You did. Also, Jeongguk’s kind of an asshole. Sorry if it’s too soon.”

It’s not, and you can’t help the tiny laugh that escapes from your throat. You glance up at her then, suddenly glad for the dazzling glossed coated smile that greets you.

“But,” she continues. “You’re doing the wrong thing too. I know you’re dating Lucas and it’s not fair to him when you’re still hung up on Jeongguk.”

“I know,” you admit. “And I’m going to fix that.”

She beams. “I hope you do. Don’t let him make you pick the wrong choices. You deserve better than that.”

Perhaps it was her words of reassurance that aided in getting you out of the house tonight. (Or it was Bina gingerly whacking your arm and insisting you needed to reward yourself for working hard). But a minuscule part of you is glad you heeded her advice. The music is louder than the words bouncing around your head, sound shoving your sorrow down as Chayoung hands you another drink. Everything is fast, bodies shifting wildly around you and the faint sound of a beer pong game capturing everyone’s attention. For a moment, you begin to forget. But then Lucas’s looming head materializes before you and guilt swarms your heart.

“Hey,” he offers, deep timbre sinking into your bones. You might just throw up.

You haven’t told him about Namjoon. You can’t bear to. But there’s something else more urgent that you need to say to him first.

Chayoung watches through narrow eyes when he leans forward to brush a light kiss on your cheek. He’s so sweet it makes your mouth turn sour. 

“Haven’t seen you around,” Lucas continues, slipping beside you. A steady hand settles at the base of your back. You almost jolt away. 

Chayoung’s face is hard, expression carved out of marble as she stares you down. You know she’s mad at you, rightfully so. Even Sieun hadn’t said anything for a few days after you’d told them about Namjoon. You were mad at yourself too. For what you did–for what you need to do to fix it.

“Been busy. Planning the scavenger hunt and all,” you say, gaze glued to a random lamp at the opposite side of the room. It’s easier than staring at Lucas, who’s still so warm and bright. Practically glowing like he’s got the Sun living in his chest. 

You hope you don’t leave him cloudy.

He weaves his hand into yours, a pleasant noise escaping past his lips. “I know. Great job, by the way. You should be proud.”

Chayoung slinks away at that, the glower on her features burning your blood. You haven’t told anybody yet because you don’t want their advice on this. But you do need to end things with Lucas. It wasn’t fair to him. Yet, it feels nearly impossible when you tear your eyes off the fading figure of your friend and glance up to find him staring at you with the softest smile.

All you do is hurt good people. 

It’s a terrible realisation but it forces you to croak out the words, a rip forming inside of you when that soft smile slips off his face at the sound of them.

“We need to talk.”

But the second they are out you feel something in the world click into place like you’re finally making the right steps toward the correct path even though you need to step on the hearts of others to get there. 

Lucas lets you lead him in silence, the weight of it sinking onto your shoulders when he closes the door behind him, the music giving way to the noise in your head. When he turns to face you, watching apprehensively as you perch yourself at the edge of the bed in the room, it all begins to feel like deja vu. Except you’re on the other side.

“So,” you start, eyes on the wall. The feeling of the mattress dipping as Lucas descends beside you pulls your gaze back to him, heartstrings thrumming when the moonlight leaking through the opened curtains pools into his eyes.

How could Jeongguk have done this?

“We need to end this,” you say, realising as the air leaves your lungs that he did it like this. Like he needed to breath. It feels like cutting an anchor off your ankle, head breaking through furious waters to finally find air.

Lucas pauses, blinking slow. You don’t fill the emptiness with more words, afraid you’ll pour salt into an open wound. He lets what you said ruminate, eyes shifting to the scene around you. A random room, bathed by the glow of the room, and two hearts opposing each other–one already poised to leave. One that was never really there.

“Why?” It’s said lowly. You know why. You owe him this admission, after dragging him around on a sinking ship. But the words refuse to part from your throat. 

“I’m not right for you,” you say instead, hoping he understands. By the flicker across his eyes, he doesn’t. “Like,” you try, your eyes dropping to where his heart lies. “You’ve got a lot of good in you and I don’t. We don’t match.”

Lucas cocks his head, staring at the ceiling. And this his gaze careens to you.

“You don’t think you’re a good person?”

“Well–” you splutter. But Lucas isn’t having it.

“You’re a lovely person, Y/N. With a lot of good in you too. You are kind of shitty for this though but every good person does shitty things.” It’s said factually like he needs you to understand this.

“I know that–”

“You don’t. You put yourself down too much. Why do you think Jeongguk loved you?”

Oh. That seizes that air from your chest, Lucas’s gaze slamming into your own with a surety that stings. 

“Why do you think I like you?” He adds. You don’t know what to do, nervous system spazzing at this information assault. “And I know why you want to end this. You could have said it. I understand, though. The two of you did fight together so well.” He gets up then, towering like a God dictating judgment. “I didn’t expect you to stop loving him immediately, you know.” He’s near the door now, not fleeing but parting a new path. There’s a weird smile on his lips, like the forging of his steps hurts as much yours does. It’s like it’s been hung there, not pulled from his heart like you’d grown used to seeing. 

“What did you expect?” You can’t help but ask.

He pauses, the door half-open. You could tell him to shut it, you could tell him to stay. 

You don’t want to.

“That maybe one day you would love me more than you loved him,” Lucas whispers. He sees the fall on your features, knows the answer on your lips instantly. “But it’s okay that you never could.”

And then he’s gone, honey blonde hair swallowed by the crowd even with his impossible height. He leaves the door ajar, the music seeping into the room. But this time your head is louder, surer. Because Lucas just let you know something you weren’t even aware of yourself. There was no room for anybody else except Jeongguk. And it truly wasn’t fair to offer him your heart when it was half a world away.

—

Half a world away is apparently glaring at the shrubs flanking the back garden. Jeongguk doesn’t know who’s house this is. He doesn’t care either because at the moment he’s considering burning it down. He’d just seen you amble into a room, Lucas trailing behind like a stupid dog and his heart clenching hard in his chest. It took two seconds after the door shut for him to shove Hyeri off his lap and mumble something about needing air.

(What he needed was you).

The coolness of the night ebbed at his boiling blood, but nothing could ease the ache. 

“You look like you need a drink,” Chayoung’s voice feels alien, creeping up his back. He turns to look at her, a polite comment on how he’d like to be left alone hanging on his lips. She interrupts it by handing him a cup, a tender smile gracing her lips. Jeongguk accepts it with a shrug, hoping the burn in his throat will be a distraction. It isn’t. But he forces another sip down as Chayoung slithers outside too, the room behind her glowing as if the building was on fire.

What store sells matches and lighter fluid in the middle of the night? And won’t ask incriminating questions? 

“Why the long face?” She asks, peering at him from the corner of her eye.

Jeongguk shrugs, the words in his head refusing to form into understandable sounds.

“Hyeri not cutting it?” Chayoung murmurs. His eyes snap to her, but she’s not staring at him, her gaze fixed on the dark sky. 

“What do you mean?” Jeongguk is baffled say the least. He thought his act with Hyeri was a little bit more solid proof. He liked her–somewhat. 

Chayoung turns slow, almost sinisterly, a glint in her brown eyes that unsettles him. “I just don’t think she’s in your league.”

The scoff that leaves Jeongguk’s throat burns. He hated that stupid idea of leagues. You should like a person for who they are, not where they stand in foolish social hierarchies. But Chayoung reads his response wrong, suddenly impossibly close, a stray finger trailing along his shoulder. Her nails are talons. He shudders, trying to hide it by leaning away. Chayoung just leans closer, alcohol tainted breath grazing his own. For a moment, Jeongguk considers fleeing back inside to come ask you to collect your drunk friend (a perfect excuse to finally say something to you after months of radio silence) but then he remembers that might potentially end with him walking into the room and finding you with Lucas’s tongue down your throat.

And that would suck. A lot.

But before he can think of another solution Chayoung’s fingernails are scrapping his neck, leaving his skin prickled.

“But then again, do you seem to always pick the wrong ones.” That bristles him and his eyes are suddenly hard and narrow.

“What do you mean by that?” He spits it out, a spark igniting in his chest when Chayoung shrugs. The smile on her face disgusts him.

“You know what I mean.” Her finger is sliding down his shirt and Jeongguk feels branded even through the material. “When you look like this, running around girls like that is honestly a little sad.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” He’s hoping he’s hearing this all wrong. That she’s just drunk and acting stupid. But when her eyes lift to him he knows she means it. Every word of it.

“You could do better, Jeongguk. So much better.”

“Chayoung you need to shut the fuc–”

Her lips taste like vodka and cherry lip balm, which is sickening because that’s what you taste like–sans the vodka. Cherry lip balm was your brand. It always was, you’ve got like five of them scattered around your room and a couple more hidden in Jeongguk’s. He recoils instantly, acid climbing up his throat as his hands find something–anything to push away. What he finds are Chayoung’s shoulders and when he pushes he pushes hard. They break apart and the floor beneath Jeongguk cracks wide open, his head spinning violently.

“What the fuck is your problem?” He doesn’t know what else to say, the circuits in his brain frying. Chayoung’s tongue skips over her lips, now wet and a little plush from the force she used to slam her mouth into his. 

“Showing you that you can do better.”

He blinks, taken a large step back when Chayoung moves forward, a little sway in her feet. 

“You’re drunk and acting crazy. I think I should call Y/N to com–”

“Oh fuck Y/N. Such a whiny bitch. Do you really think she deserves you? After all the shit she’s put you through?” Chayoung’s eyes feel like knives, sharp and striking deep with every word. 

“Aren't you her friend? What the hell is wrong with you?” Jeongguk needs this to de-escalate. Chayoung wants to throw gasoline on an open flame instead.

“No–what’s wrong with you, Jeongguk? Moping around for a girl who never realised what she had when it was right in front of her? C’mon now.”

“You seriously need to shut the fuck up. You’re not gonna talk about her like that in front of me.”

“Why not? Cause you still love her? Even when she’s fucking Lucas?”

That stings, his heart bursting in his chest because Jeongguk didn’t know you were sleeping with him. He thought it would just be kisses or something. Not that–not Lucas touching you like he used to. But then Hyeri’s face flashes in before his eyes and he wilts. He can’t blame you for anything, not when he’s been doing the same horrible shit to you. And that makes him pause, the sudden realisation that he’s been hurting you smashing into his head. He didn’t want to hurt you–never. Not even if you were hurting him. He just needed a distraction, something to ease you off his mind. And maybe you did too, but all left you both with was gaping wounds that would never heal. And with other people hurt too.

God, this was a mess. And it dawns on Jeongguk that’s he’s made the worst mistake he’s ever made in his life. 

“You should hate her,” Chayoung continues, venomous. 

“I don’t,” Jeongguk returns, voice levelled. All he hates right now is himself. And Lucas (which is fair). Chayoung blanches, shaken by his firmness. “I really don’t, in fact, I need to talk to her. Right now.”

He moves fast, foot already past the threshold when Chayoung speaks again, her words aimed with intent to kill.

“She kissed Namjoon.”

He feels the nerves in his legs still instantly, before they nearly give way entirely, his grip on the door frame the only thing holding him up as his heart tears out of his chest. 

“I thought you should know,” Chayoung adds. And he hears it then, that vile smugness in her voice. She’s lying. She has to be. You wouldn’t do that to him. And he says that, storming back to Chayoung with his chest ripped open, his body thrumming with barely concealed rage. And fear. Jeongguk feels so scared right now because if you did that means everything he felt–everything he feared–could be true.

“She did.” Chayoung is immovable, standing tall and staring him down. “I’m not lying to you. Go ask Namjoon if you don’t believe me.”

Which, Jeongguk realises as his eyes fall shut that is going to absolutely do. And possibly break a nose in the process. He turns, trying to blink away the blurriness in his eyes, before Chayoung stops him with a single sentence again, this one said a little softer.

“Jeongguk,” she starts, eyeing him down, her brown eyes aflame under the moonlight. “I mean it when I say she doesn’t deserve you.”

—

Someone is attempting to break down Namjoon’s door. Which is bizarre considering it’s almost three in the morning. He has to drag himself out of the comfort of his warm sheets to figure out which maniac is attempting to smash through solid wood with only their fists because it seems like they’re almost succeeding. 

The maniac in question is Jeon Jeongguk, standing rigid when Namjoon swings the door open, moonlight bleeding over his features. He’s mad, staring at Namjoon like he wished his head was rolling on the ground instead of stationed square on his shoulders. But there’s something else there, doe eyes glossy.

“Jeongguk? What the hell are–”

“You kissed her.”

Everything stills, the two men fixated on each other. Jeongguk is so still he could have been mistaken for a statue. Almost as if he was waiting for the words that would break this moment, ease the tension seizing his muscles, tell him what he wants to hear. Namjoon can’t do any of that. Instead, he sighs, a muted, “Oh”, floating from his lips.

Jeongguk snaps the second he realises it’s true.

“Oh? You kissed her and all you have to say is oh?” Hands are digging into the soft cotton of his nightshirt and Namjoon’s feet are no longer on the ground. He’s apparently levitating, lifted solely by this hurt angry boy invading his apartment. His back hits the nearest wall with a thud that vibrates through his bones. When the hell did Jeongguk get this strong?”

“Whoa–relax,” Namjoon wheezes, his strong fingers guiding Jeongguk off him. But heartbreak tends to be enough fuel because Jeongguk pushes back with an ease that unnerves him. “Jeongguk, you seriously need to relax. Let go of me and we can talk about this.”

“Why did you do it?” That is what he gets in return. Jeongguk’s voice wavers, coloured a violent red in the velvet of the night.

“I didn’t do anything,” Namjoon returns, the words delivered gingerly.

“No–no you did. You kissed her. You–”

“She kissed me, Jeongguk. And I can seriously explain all of it if you just relaxed and we talked about it–”

“No, she didn’t. She wouldn’t do that to me–she wouldn’t.” And Oh God No, Namjoon thinks he just heard the sound of a heart breaking. It sounds like a weird mangled bird collapsing from the sky and its wing hitting the ground with a funny wet smash, fragile bones snapping like twigs. 

Jeongguk’s fingers peel from his shirt and bury themselves in his hair, yanking at the cropped strands as his face twists. 

This is far too much emotion for a single person to deal with in the middle of the bloody night.

“Hey–hey, calm down. It was a mistake, I promise you. She was just feeling a little all over the place and made a bad choice–”

“No–that’s the fucking point! She made a choice. She chose you.” Jeongguk’s staring at him in a way that hurts, like he’s attempting to transfer all the pain that’s writhing through his body into Namjoon’s from sight alone.

“What? What are you talking about?” 

Jeongguk is frantic, almost like he’s trying to stop himself from pouring out onto the floor. A flood barely contained. “She chose you first. I was there–I was always there. But then you waltzed in and she saw something in you that she didn’t find in me and she chose you.”

Namjoon cocks his head, staring hard at Jeongguk’s round wide eyes, slowly coming to realisations that he was surrounded by idiotic people.

“I still have no idea what you are talking about, but I have to ask, don’t you remember a single thing I told you the last time we spoke about Y/N? You’re the reason we broke up.” That halts him and Namjoon takes that as a moment to press onward, somewhat tired of being dragged into this awkward mess. “And I’ll say this in the nicest way possible but you’re an idiot if you think Y/N wouldn’t pick you over me any day–over anyone really. I could be drowning and you could have a scrapped knee and she’d check on you first. We broke up because I realised I was just a placeholder until she felt brave enough to tell you she liked you. You were rather intimidating for her to approach. Or have you forgotten your track record of girls? It wasn’t easy for her–especially when she was risking losing her best friend.”

The silence that follows aches, Jeongguk’s eyes flashing like he never considered that in the first place. 

“But why the other guys then? Why not just tell me after you?” 

Namjoon’s going to bang his head into the wall. “You’re her best friend–what about that are you not getting? What if you didn’t like her back and it ruined the most important relationship in her life?”

“But I did–I always liked her.”

“No,” Namjoon nearly groans out loud. “You didn’t. If you liked her you wouldn’t have fucked Chaerin in the back of your car and then gone to report it to Y/N with a grin on your face.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Namjoon returns. “Oh. That’s the exact day we broke up too. Such a stupid fight because she was crying and that’s when I put two and two together and realised I was never going to take precedence over you.” 

“I didn’t know I was hurting her,” Jeongguk murmurs, almost distraught. 

A strangled noise erupts from Namjoon’s throat. “You’ve hurt her a lot more than you’ll realise.” But the second he says that and Jeongguk’s face twists into something unrecognisable he wants to take them back.

“She’s too good for me. Maybe we are better off apart.”

“No, no. You’re so wrong actually. This break-up thing has been miserable to watch and I’m not even in the centre of it. I’ve just caught a bunch of stray bullets.”

“You’re not getting me,” Jeongguk’s eyes swing to him. “She came to you at the end of it all. Maybe we are better with other people. Maybe you’re better for her.”

“She came to me because she missed you. She just needed someone to lean on during your absence. I wouldn’t have to do that if you were there. You know, you should just talk about this with Y/N.”

“I can’t, she’s happy with Lucas. I think.”

Namjoon wants to bang both your heads together so bad. Maybe finally the fact that you love each other would get through your thick skulls then. 

“She doesn’t,” he says, instead. “And I know that for a fact. You should really go talk to her. Figure this whole mess out. And also finally get out of my apartment.” Jeongguk’s gaze withers. Namjoon shrugs in return. “It’s the middle of the night and I have a meeting in the morning. I really need to sleep.”

“Oh, fuck, I’m sorry.” He’s so meek like this, nursing a shattered heart and a confused head. It’s slightly jarring to the image he usually presents, so self-assured and unfazed by whatever gets thrown at him. Never exposed like this, every emotion he holds inside displayed across his face. 

“It’s alright. Just think about what I said and talk to her. Honestly. Not skirting over shit like the two of you tend to do. Okay?”

“Yeah,” he says, trailing towards the open door. Namjoon had registered a breeze billowing in, but he’d completely missed the fact that the door of his apartment was swung wide open. Jeongguk abruptly stops just as Namjoon’s sense of bearing returns, turning to face him with his face pulled down by shame. “I’m really sorry. For this whole thing. I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that I was just–”

“I get it. You love her and it feels like she’s slipping from your fingers. Just don’t do that shit again and stop trying to push her away. I’ll say it again–you were always her first choice.” He sees it then, a slight flutter through Jeongguk’s chest. A broken bird mending. 

“Yeah,” Jeongguk breathes. “Thanks.”

Namjoon sighs, offering a tight smile and shutting the door firmly when Jeongguk finally drifts out. He needs a drink before he hits the sheets again. A strong one.

[reidamancy]

a little different || bau

summary: You are on your way to meet the BAU, who are just... a little different than what you’re used to. (reader & bau)

category: fluff

warnings: none

word count: 1k

a/n: hi guys!!! sorry i haven’t posted in forever!!! school has just been so busy :P anyways, this is ‘a little different’ (haha!) from what i usually write, but i hope you enjoy this short and sweet little fic! plz be kind i’m nervous >.<

MASTERLIST

The sun shined softly through the crisp, white curtains, signaling the start of a new day. Birds chirped happily outside the window; and the house was an eery quiet; maybe today could be a good day after all. 

I let out a sigh and got up, passing the mirror on the way to the bathroom. My long, golden locks cascaded perfectly down my back even though I just woke up. I’m just that perfect. My blue/green/gray orbs stared back at me in the mirror. I let out a sigh and put my hair into a messy bun; I could not deal with it today. 

As I was getting ready, I heard my mom yell, “Y/N!! Get down here NOW!”

Ugh, I hated her.

I made my way downstairs to see what she wanted, but there was a man standing in our kitchen. 

“Um, who is this?” I asked.

“He is your new owner.” My mom replied. 

“Owner?!”

He stepped forward and introduced himself, “Aaron Hotchner, FBI.” He extended his hand for a handshake but I looked at it with disgust.

My mom scowled at me, “Be nice to Agent Hotchner, Y/N, I just sold you to the BAU.”

“You sold me?!”

“Uh, yeah, I just said that.” She waved her hand, “Take her out of my sight.”

Agent Hotchner nodded and said, “Follow me,” as he passed by me.

Wow, I could not believe this.

He led me to his car and told me he was going to introduce me to the rest of the BAU. 

“What is a BAU?” I asked.

“The Behavioral Analysis Unit. Your new owners.”

I scoffed.

“Just so you know, we are... a little different. But we own you now so there’s no escape from us.”

I rolled my eyes, and plugged my earbuds into my iPod and looked out the window the rest of the ride.

When we arrived at the FBI building, I followed Agent Hotchner to a small room with six other people sitting at a table. Their eyes followed me as I slowly sat down in the empty seat.

“Y/N, meet the BAU.” Agent Hotchner said. “This is Rossi,” he gestured towards an older Italian man.

“I have the money and power to kill you and make it look like an accident. But I won’t, even though I should, because it won’t be good for the plot.” Rossi said.

That’s a bit weird, but I’m just gonna go along with it.

“He’s a mafia boss,” Agent Hotchner clarified.

Rossi nodded, “And I’ve infiltrated the FBI, which means all these agents,” he gestured around, “work for me.”

“Okay then.” I nodded, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“And this,” Hotch moved on, “is Agent Morgan. He’s supernatural.”

“...What do you mean supernatural?” I asked.

Morgan leaned forward and slyly said, “You know, vampire. Werewolf. Ghost. Fairy. Warlock. All of the above.”

“Wow. That’s hot.” I said. Omg, did I say that out loud?!

He smirked at me, and I knew that even though he was much more powerful than me and could probably kill me, that didn’t stop my heart from fluttering when he looked at me. I could feel this weird supernatural bond with him, and I had this trust in him, that he would never hurt me, even if it’s in his nature to. But in the end, he’d probably turn me into whatever creature he is so we can live peacefully together forever. But I swear, we could be happy as human and supernatural <3

Agent Hotchner then pointed to the woman sitting next to Morgan. “This is Agent Prentiss.”

She frowned at me, and I rolled my eyes back at her. It was obvious she hated me but she was so hot. The tension between us was so thick and we couldn’t stand to be in the same room together. Maybe there will be an incident one day where we reveal the most vulnerable parts of ourselves and she will be the only one I come to trust </3 I knew in time she would warm up to me and even though she hates me right now, perhaps later we will be... lovers?

“Next to her is JJ,” Hotch announced.

A blonde woman came over and hugged me, “Hi, sweetie, I’m your mom!”

“Um, no you’re not.” I said. My mom literally sold me to her.

“In an alternate universe I am, silly!” She booped my nose.

An awkward silence filled the air.

“You know, in another alternate universe you could have been sold to, I don’t know, One Direction or something.” JJ laughed.

I laughed with her. Wow, she’s so crazy.

Hotch cleared his throat. “And this, is-” I turned to where he was pointing and gasped.

“Spencer?!”

“Y/N, hi.” He quietly said.

I walked over and gave my childhood friend a hug. “I haven’t seen you in so long!” I exclaimed. After giving him a tight squeeze, I released him, only to see his cheeks tinged a bright pink. He only blushed like that when he had a crush. Could we become childhood friends... to lovers?

“And lastly,” Hotch said. “This is Penelope Garcia, your-”

“Soulmate!” She finished for him. “See our matching tattoos! And I can hear your thoughts! And you can hear mine! And if we write on our skin, the other person can see it! And we can feel each other’s pain! Isn’t that so cool!”

Yeah!! I thought.

“I know right!!” She responded out loud.

Omg she really is my soulmate.

I smiled at her and gave her a hug.

Most people would probably think it’s really weird to be sitting at a table with a mafia boss, a werewolf/vampire/whatever, an enemy, a childhood friend, a mom from an alternate universe, and soulmate, but I am NOT like other girls so I was completely okay with it. I’m also okay with the fact that my actual mom sold me to the FBI. Because I hate her.

I looked up at Hotch. “So what are you?”

"Me? I’m just your normal FBI boss. And we’ve got a case.”

“A case?? I’m not trained for the FBI!”

“You will be. Wheels up in 30.”

...

APRIL FOOL’S!!

haha, if you couldn’t tell by now, this entire “fic” was my little april fool’s joke :’) i tried to squeeze every wattpad trope in to this monstrosity of a fanfiction and i wish i could say i hated writing it but it was honestly pretty funny... even tho it’s so, so painful to read. anyways, sorry if you were expecting an actual fic, i am trying my best to work on my wips but until then check out my masterlist (with writing that is much better than this)! <3

[andypantsx3]

cover shot | 4 | bakugou x reader

pairing: Bakugou Katsuki / Fem Reader

length: 2.6k words / 4th of 6 chapters

summary: For years, you’ve been the only assistant in the business equipped to handle foul-tempered supermodel Katsuki Bakugou. That is, until he catches on to your weak point.

tags/warnings: model/celebrity AU, praise kink, aged up characters, eventual smut, AFAB & fem pronoun reader, implied lighter-skinned reader**

**note: In retrospect, this work is one of my least inclusive. A large portion of the plot depends on the reader’s blush being visible on her skin. I just wanted to make this clear to anyone looking to read this fic, and apologize to any potential readers that this excludes. Going forward, I will endeavor to do better! 

Catsuki Bakugou @catsukicuteski Here’s Catsuki on the cover of Septem-purr’s Vogue: http://bit.ly/8oKZ5jf

ehra [no minors/no bakugou antis] @ehra_morta replying to @catsukicuteski I can’t decide who’s more handsome.

Yuki Nakamura @ladybird_123 replying to @catsukicuteski What did you guys think of Bakugou retweeting Catsuki the other day?? It’s so cute he’s a fan!

凸 ( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)凸 @machinodorufin replying to @ladybird_123 and @catsukicuteski omg what if they did a shoot together can yOU IMAGINE

The rest of the plane ride was mercifully quiet.

You’d returned to your seat after a woman turned up at the washroom, actually needing to use it, and Bakugou had watched with no small amount of relish as you awkwardly climbed over his long legs again, almost tripping and planting yourself straight in his lap. You’d saved yourself with a hand on your armrest, though, and refused to make eye contact with him after that.

You could feel the satisfaction radiating from him anyway.

You’d been too distracted and nervous to do anything like take the long nap you’d planned and you cycled tirelessly between your novel, answering emails on your phone, and a slew of random movies on demand that you couldn’t get into. Bakugou, for his part, dozed easily next to you, one leg outstretched to press against yours. You didn’t dare move for fear of waking him.

He woke easily enough when the plane landed and followed you out into the terminal, a warm shadow at your back. Your whole body seemed newly aware of him, every breath he took sharp in your ears, every minute movement drawing the focus of your eye.

Bakugou, however, seemed fairly unaffected. He only started acting weird again when you made your way into the car that would take you to your hotel.

“Hey, stop at the nearest coffee shop,” you heard him tell the driver as you climbed in beside him, yawning.

You looked at him in question. Coffee was another thing he didn’t allow himself.

“You didn’t sleep on the plane, right?” he asked shortly.

You gaped at him. He was asking to detour for you?

He smirked at your shell shocked reaction and reached over you, pulling the seat belt over your chest and buckling you in himself. You were so stunned you didn’t even make a move to stop him.

“Figured you’re gonna need something to deal with eyelashes,” he said as the car pulled away from the airport.

It took you a minute to realize who he was talking about. “You mean Bibimi?”

He grunted. “The fucking handsy witch.”

You let out a shocked laugh. You’d known he’d been uncomfortable with her at various shoots over the years, but he’d never talked to you about it, even to engage in his favorite pastime of complaining. It was gratifying to hear your suspicions confirmed.

“It sounds more like you need to get yourself something to deal with her,” you said, still wondering why in the world he thought you would need to be caffeinated to handle an interaction with her. “Maybe a xanax.”

He stretched languorously and your eyes were drawn to the rise of his well-defined pecs under his tee shirt, the flex of muscle in his tight jeans. “Like I don’t know why that damn harpy keeps shoving assistant resumes at me. I know she has it out for you.”

Your eyebrows went up. You hadn’t realized he’d been paying attention. “You knew?” you asked, unable to help the surprise in your tone. “Why didn’t you ever follow up on any of them, then? I thought you were just ignoring her to ignore her.”

He smirked wickedly. “Like any of those extras could handle me.”

Your brain stopped short, not sure if the words were meant to be a compliment or if they truly carried the implication that it sounded like they did. Or worse, if he meant both.

Also, was he showing self awareness?

Bakugou seemed to bask in your confusion, then moved to get out of the car when the driver pulled into the requested coffee shop. He gestured for you to stay inside, pulling his baseball cap back over his untidy hair and throwing on a pair of sunglasses. When he came back out, he was bearing an iced americano, black, and it dawned on you that he hadn’t asked how you liked it. He had just known.

“Aren’t I supposed to be running your errands?” you asked as he slid back into the car, handing it over.

“What was that earlier about saying thank you?” he demanded, and you flushed. He had you there.

“Thanks, Bakugou,” you allowed.

That seemed to satisfy him, and he turned to the window as the car pulled back onto the main road. He kept up a stream of complaints about Bibimi the entire way, making sure to insult seemingly every member of her staff as well, though it took you several tries to connect all the names he called them -- Nose, Ugly, and Harpy Number Two -- with their actual names.

You found yourself laughing under your breath when you made the connections. All of Bibimi’s staff was pretty unpleasant, though they played the game well enough. They had to, in order to keep Bibimi’s temper a secret. It sounded like Bakugou had all of their numbers, though.

The car deposited you at the front of your hotel, and you perked up at the sight of a huge infinity pool just beyond the front office, overlooking the beach. A refreshing dip would be so appreciated after what was undoubtedly going to be a long afternoon with Bibimi today and all day tomorrow.

You handled check in and helped the driver separate your bags with the bellhop, then climbed back into the car. It was nearing late afternoon and Bakugou still needed to show up on location for tomorrow’s shoot for camera testing and a final fitting. You texted the production team assistant and Fumika--Bibimi’s assistant who Bakugou had called Harpy Number Two--to let them know you were close.

The driver steered you along an access road circumnavigating the bay, finally stopping at a path that led onto a private beach. You could see the production crew a couple hundred meters out, an array of cameras and lighting screens already fanned out over a stretch of pale sand overhung with palm trees, looking onto a small outcropping of rock. The water here was crystalline blue, soft waves gently lapping at the shore, and you were overcome with the urge to roll up your jeans and wade in.

You followed Bakugou’s broad back as he led the way over to the crew, bomber jacket abandoned in the hot sun in favor of the white tee he’d worn underneath. One of Ground Zero’s creative directors came trotting over, a stylist tailing her, to take Bakugou immediately into wardrobe while you were left to greet everyone.

“Hi Fumika,” you said, setting your bag down next to the assistant and settling down onto the soft sand at her side. She was keeping a close eye on Bibimi, who was already down at the water, several photography directors swarming around her. You shrugged off your own jacket and stretched in the sunshine.

Fumika gave you a cursory once over. “Hello,” she said. She didn’t bother to follow up with any polite conversation so you asked a couple polite questions of your own, about her flight yesterday and had she had a chance to try the pool at the hotel? She gave cursory answers at best, rustling around in her bag mostly for something to keep her attention off of you, and you caught sight of what appeared to be a stack of several resumes as she shuffled the contents around.

You stifled a laugh. It looked like Bibimi was still trying, three years in.

After a few minutes of being fussed over by the stylist, Bakugou finally stalked out on set in a couple pieces of the Ground Zero ready to wears, a paramilitary jacket in a light fabric that lay open over his bare chest, and board shorts with a strange, asymmetrical waist that curved up the planes of his toned stomach.

Your face suddenly went hot with the memory of all of that pressed up against you in the tiny plane washroom. Had that only been a few hours ago? Had that even happened at all or had you dreamed the whole thing?

You groped around for a distraction, settling for toeing off your shoes and stretching out further in the warm sand, working through the rest of your iced coffee. You were mostly unnecessary at this point, unless Bakugou needed you to fetch something for him or anyone called with a business inquiry, so you could relax a little bit.

You let the soft breeze wash over you like a warm wave, tangling in your hair, and watched as Bibimi perked up at the sight of Bakugou crossing over the sand to where she stood with the camera crew. You pushed down another laugh when she, predictably, started fluttering her eyelashes at him.

Fumika eyed you with suspicion anyway. “Something funny?”

You turned to her, schooling your features. “No. Just happy to be off the plane.”

She clicked her tongue dismissively, clearly not believing a word. “He’ll fall for her, you know."

You raised an eyebrow.

"They’d be the perfect couple," Fumika explained, "She’s already the brand ambassador for his parents’ company and they’ve worked together closely for years.”

You thought back to how Bakugou had talked about Bibimi in the car. That might be so, but fat chance Bibimi would succeed. “Are you sure we’re talking about the same Bakugou? You’ve met him, right? I don’t think he’s capable of falling for anyone.”

Fumika laughed. “Please, don’t be jealous. I know you’ve somehow managed to keep your little claws in him for years, but it won’t last forever. He’s going to date sooner or later, and when he does, it will be Bibimi.”

Well that sounded ominous. Was she going to coerce him at knifepoint? “Best wishes to both of them, then.”

Fumika scoffed and went back to her phone. “You won’t be around much longer after that.”

You really had to hand it to Bibimi’s team. They had her back, at least.

“Uh, okay,” you uttered. What did someone say when they were flagrantly threatened like that? “Thanks for the warning, I guess.”

Not content to sit at Fumika’s side anymore, you got to your feet and wandered a little ways down the beach to dip your toes in the warm water, rolling up your jeans and wading in over near the props table, well out of shot of the camera. The temperature was so pleasant, and the sound of gentle splashing where the waves murmured against the shore soothed you, lulling you back into a peaceful mindset.

You kept a vague eye on Bakugou and Bibimi, watching to make sure you weren’t needed for anything. The camera crew seemed to work quickly, though, cycling through all the shots they wanted to take tomorrow, marking off all their settings and the proper positioning. Bakugou also quickly rotated through the wardrobe, the stylists only seeming to find one or two touch ups they’d need to make overnight, and before you knew it, things were wrapping up, just as the sun was beginning to dip low on the horizon.

You came wading back over as you saw Bakugou finishing up, stepping back onto the warm sand to gather up your bag and shoes before he got impatient.

Bibimi was already standing with Fumika when you made it back to your bag, and she gave you a repulsed look, like you were something foul she’d just stepped in.

“Hi, Bibimi,” you said, pulling your bag onto your shoulder and grabbing your shoes to pull on further down the beach, out of reach of Bibimi and her team. “Good to see you.”

She sniffed haughtily. “Is it?”

You suppressed an eye roll. “How have you been? How was the flight yesterday?”

She said something in return but you didn’t hear it, suddenly surprised by a hefty arm settling over your shoulder. You were pulled into a warm chest, and a voice rumbled in your ear. “Let’s go, cheeks.”

You looked up at Bakugou, surprised. You felt a blush bloom over the bridge of your nose at his proximity. “Uh, sure.”

Bibimi stared, her long lashes fluttering in perplexity. Last time she’d seen you, Bakugou had no doubt been deep up your ass, cussing you out and yelling across set at you. You guessed his weird about-face was as shocking to her as it was to you.

You tried to duck out from under his arm, embarrassed, but he held tight. His blood red gaze was boring directly over the top of your head into Bibimi’s face and you wondered what kind of weird supermodel posturing was going on right now. After a long moment, he gave you a light shove forward.

“Later,” he uttered, steering you back across the sand.

“Um, see you guys tomorrow,” you said as Bakugou directed you toward the idling line of cars waiting to collect the production team. You dusted the sand off the bottom of your feet before climbing into one, and the car taxied you back to the hotel.

When you got there, Bakugou steered you to the adjoining restaurant instead of into the hotel, complaining about how hungry he was through a mouthful of swears. The hostess found you a small table at a window, and the two of you settled in to eat.

Dinner was surprisingly pleasant. Bakugou bitched the whole time about Bibimi and her peons, and you thought with some surprise that his attitude and ire were kind of fun when they weren’t directed at you. He was almost friendly--as close as someone like Bakugou could be, anyway--and you found yourself relaxing a little, enjoying yourself and making something frighteningly close to real conversation with him.

It was only after dinner that Bakugou chose to strike again.

You both walked back to the hotel along the beachfront, and he made a weird fuss about escorting you back to your room, letting loose a stream of colorful invectives at you when you tried to insist you were fine. You gave up and let him march you over to your room, pausing when he continued to linger as you made to unlock your door.

“What?” you looked up at him, taking a surprised step back when he was suddenly much closer than you had expected. He guided you back against your door with a large hand on your hip, his eyes burning like torches.

Then his mouth was on yours again, and you lost all sense of what was happening or where you were.

Your sense of disorientation was magnified when you felt your feet leave the ground, and you vaguely registered hands under your thighs and a hard body filling the space in between, pressing you back into the wood of your door with all of his weight. A feverish trail of heat bloomed down your body at the abrupt show of strength, and you threw your arms around Bakugou’s neck, wrapping your legs more firmly around his hips to draw him even closer.

He swore into your mouth and pressed you harder into the door, licking into your mouth with abandon. You made a mortifying squeaking noise and you felt him smirk against your lips, before he moved down your neck to find the spot he’d found on the plane, sucking another mark into the skin there with slow diligence. You let out a louder moan at that.

“Sound so fucking gorgeous, cheeks,” he rasped against the skin of your neck, working back up to bite under your ear. You jolted, clenching your thighs around him harder. “You like that?”

“Fuck--yes,” you managed, leaning in to mouth at the same spot on him. He groaned and ground his hips into yours, and you gasped at the feel of him hard against your core. You gave a few helpless bucks of your hips, fingers tangling in his blonde hair for something to hold on to.

“Just like that, angel,” he said, and he let go of one thigh to drag his fingers against you where you wanted him most, yanking down the zipper of your jeans and getting a hand inside. You let your head fall back against the wall when he curled two fingers inside of you, his thumb brushing that sensitive bundle of nerves. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

You nodded, dragging him back for a kiss, working your hips against him a little desperately. It was absurd how turned on you were, letting Katsuki Bakugou finger you in the hallway where anyone could see you, but you didn’t even care. He felt so good against you, his fingers so fucking talented and incredible inside you, and it was mere minutes before you were gasping into his mouth, squirming wildly against his hand.

He kissed you as he worked you through it, then lowered you slowly back to your feet. You twitched as your sensitive chest dragged over his as you were let back down.

He smirked down at the sight of you so debauched against your own door. “You’re so fucking hot, cheeks. So good for me.”

You didn’t know how it was possible, but you felt yourself flush even more deeply. A satisfied grin pulled at the corner of his mouth and he leaned in to press one more kiss against your mouth. “See you tomorrow, nerd.”

Then, as he had on the plane, he disappeared down the hall, and you were left to stare after his back in bewilderment.

Thoughts slowly began to trickle back into your brain, magnifying your confusion. You weren’t sure how you had ended up making out with Bakugou twice in one day after three years of nothing but hostility, never mind how he had been weirdly pleasant and thoughtful today. You weren’t even sure what his motivation was here -- you’d thought it was to mess with you, this morning, but that was before he kissed all the thoughts straight out of your brain and got you off against your door. The kissing and heavy petting seemed to be way out of left field if the plan had been to just mess with you.

Whatever it was he was doing, he was the only person who knew.

As you turned to finally unlock your door and let yourself inside, you wondered how long it would be until you found out.

[karlnapity]

Heaven and Hell Were Words to Me

AO3 link

TWs: violence, manipulation

Now, Michael knows when things aren’t his business. He knows when things should be left to the past, when he shouldn’t pry.

And he doesn’t, not for the most part. He lets things happen around him, sticks to the side. He’s seen his fair share of chaos, had his part in it.

He doesn’t know what’s happening with the prison. He doesn’t dare ask.

But god, is it interesting. Something about it pricks his interest, makes him pay attention when it’s brought up. He doesn’t know if it’s the mystery, his lack of knowledge, a want to belong to something of the server. He tries not to pry, he really does, but sue him if he asks an extra question here or there.

After all, he’s a neutral party.

(He’s not. There’s an evergrowing feeling of dissent… it starts with the fact that there wasn’t a trial, then the fact that he has only a number of guards, and it grows and grows, but he doesn’t dare say anything.)

>

There’s a certain sort of discomfort when you’re the only one on the server. It’s so very quiet. Every time he mines a block, drops a tool, it feels so loud, so stressful.

It’s a strange feeling, a little shiver on the back of his next as he wanders through the usually vibrant server.

It feels wrong.

[Dream joined the game]

The uncomfortable feeling grows. He shakes it off. He can’t deny the way his interest peaks, but there’s no use wondering.

[Dream] michael come break me out omg

Oh.

Oh.

He can’t deny it’s slightly tempting.

...Okay. Pretty tempting.

Before he even really knows what he’s doing, he’s already slotting his pickaxe into his inventory, already pulling out his trident to jump in the water outside.

He’s not quite sure what possesses him, what drives him into the frenzy that carries him to the side of the prison, what drives him to throw his pickaxe against the wall despite the pressing ache of the mining fatigue.

There’s just the absolute, overwhelming need to <i>get him out</i>.

There are ever-present messages in the corner of his eye, and it only encourages him further.

His heart is beating in his ears. This is risky. This is stupid. This is what he needs to do.

He only gets so far.

[Awesamdude joined the game]

His blood runs cold. He gasps at the way his heart drops. The voice starts behind him.

“Michael. You don’t understand what you’re doing.” It’s not a question. It’s a threat.

He’s stammering something, desperately trying to think of something a little less insane than I was trying to break the only jailed criminal on this server out because he asked me to even as his brain shouts get him out get him out get him out now and then there’s a hot burning down his back.

He gasps in pain, stumbling forward. He turns just in time to see Sam raise his sword for another slash, cries out and backs away.

He’s whimpering something like please please please no as the message jumps into the bottom of his vision.

[Dream] He understands he’s just an idiot

[Dream] Kill him

Michael sobs, in pain and confused and so so scared. He blubbers something like he asked me to, please don’t, he told me to as if that would make it better, and Sam’s gaze shifts into something like disgust.

“I will not be this nice next time.”

And with that, he leaves the game.

Michael hauls himself to his feet, whimpering as it exacerbates the slash up his spine, and vaguely resists sending a why did you say that why I thought you wanted me to help why would you do that to me message.

He can’t. And he needs to leave anyways.

The climb out of the prison is painful. He didn’t make it to leave without another person He has to stop, a few times, just to make sure he doesn’t bleed out. He doesn’t have any healing pots. There’s no choice but to wait to heal on his own, or beg someone else.

He tells himself he’s lucky to have not lost a life. Every passing second a small, vindictive part of his brain resists that notion. It hurts so much.

He lays flat on the prison roof, legs still over the edge of the hole he used to climb in and out.

He’s probably just lost a lot of blood, but he plots a next break-in plan anyways.

He keeps checking for another message from Dream.

God. He’s either delirious or insane.

He rolls over and pushes himself to his feet again, already bracing for the drop off the edge. He instead stumbles and throws up what’s probably all of this week’s and last’s meals. Ow.

>

He’s just gotten down when he’s intercepted. He’s practically gasping for breaths now. He doesn’t want to know what kind of blood trail he’s left. He avoids looking to see how many hearts he has left.

“Holy shit, Michael, are you okay?” The voice is loud in his ears and it leaves his head pounding.

He opens his mouth, mutters something about I’m fine and a don’t worry about me, but he’s not quite sure what it is he says.

His eyes are having a hard time focusing, the ground pulsing and spinning around him. He’s having a real hard time thinking.

All of a sudden there are dots dancing in his vision. He turns to whoever is talking. He’s pretty sure he’s said I’m going to pass out if he’s lucky.

He falls. There’s a faint shout.

>

He comes to on a bed. It’s way nicer than his own.

He’s lying on his stomach. He hisses in pain. His back hurts. He’s almost at half health. At least it’s better than before.

He takes his time getting up and shrugs on the sweater left on the end of the bed. It’s painful to move, but he manages to get out the door.

This is Las Nevadas.

He had a suspicion the minute he woke, but this only confirms it. It’s only a simple house, but the glitz and glamor still make their appearance. He turns to examine it better.

“Like it?” He turns so fast it makes him dizzy. Quackity grins.

“Here, you look like you’re about to fall over. Come here.” Quackity takes his arm and leads him into the next room, seats him at a table.

“So, dude, what happened?” Quackity asks, and there’s actual concern there.

That’s interesting. They’ve hardly talked, after all.

He doesn’t want to say it. Quackity will try to stop him, just like everyone else.

“Sam was a bit angry with me,” he settles on.

Quackity frowns. “Sam? I know he’s been a bit short-tempered lately, but… did you do anything? That could’ve upset him?”

Michael sighs. He knows he’s not getting anywhere without actually saying it, and Sam will probably tell Quackity anyways. Better to get it out now.

“I maybe… kinda… triedtobreakintotheprison?” He runs his words all together, forcing them out as fast as possible.

Quackity freezes from where he’s turned to put on the kettle. “You… what?”

“Tried to break Dream out,” he mutters.

“Michael… why the fuck would you do that?” He demands, whirling around. He slams his hands on the table. His face is twisted into an anger Michael doesn’t think he’s seen before.

“He asked me to,” he says softly, as though he hadn’t already been thinking about it. “He sounded so sad. And he said he’d do anything, he was begging.”

He’s probably making his case worse, but it’s the truth. His heart hurts at the thought of Dream still stuck in there. He hopes Sam doesn’t do anything.

Quackity takes a long, deep breath and sits again. He takes Michael’s hands.

“Look, Michael.” Michael does. Quackity’s face is full of something like pity that he doesn’t understand. It unsettles him. “Do you know why he’s in the prison?”

He shakes his head. There’s a pit growing in his stomach.

“He.. he hurt all of us. He was our friend at one point, but something went wrong, I guess. But the main reason why he’s in there? Why he doesn’t have the right to go free like us? Manipulation, Michael.”

He doesn’t want to hear this.

“He was manipulating you. He wants out, and you’re the right person for it. Because you weren’t there to see what he did.

“He deserves whatever he gets, okay? Don’t feel bad. You don’t need to get in trouble with Sam for someone like that.”

It feels like a betrayal. He wants to slam his hands over his ears, barely resists. He wants to cry.

“He told Sam to kill me,” he whispers, and nearly clamps his hands over his mouth.

He didn’t just say that. He shouldn’t have. He doesn’t want Quackity to think of Dream any worse, why did he say that, if Dream knew he’d feel so betrayed, why did he-

Quackity rubs his shoulder in sympathy. “He’s evil. Sam wouldn’t do that.”

He doesn’t sound like he believes it himself.

He claps his hands together. “Look, Michael. I’m sorry this happened. I gave you some pots and you should be okay to go, there’s just some residual pain and stuff. There will be a scar, and I’m sorry for that. I’d recommend not going anywhere near the prison for a bit, Sam will have a conniption. And I’m sorry Dream did that to you. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Michael shivers. He doesn’t like the sound of that.

“I don’t want him to suffer,” he starts. “It’s okay, really-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Quackity continues smoothly, clapping him on the back. The way it only barely misses his wound feels almost intentional.

The air in the room feels oppressive.

“I have to go,” he says suddenly, rushing back to his room to grab what’s left of his things. Some of them are missing. Quackity’s shadow behind him no longer feels comforting.

>

He wanders, after that. Things feel so much emptier than before, even if nothing has changed. His brain isn’t together enough to get back to work, and he’s not sure if it’s residual effects of blood loss or something else.

“Hey, Michael!” He turns for the source of the voice. He smiles. Puffy.

“Hey.”

She runs up to him and sets a hand on his arm. Her face is pinched. “Are you okay?”

He shrugs then resists a wince at the way it pulls at his wound. “Yeah, why?”

She gestures up and down at him. “You’re kind of… bloodstained? You look like shit, sorry.”

“Oh.” Something tugs at him, a sort of contentedness at being noticed. “Yeah, you know, just got kinda. Lightly stabbed.”

She frowns and pulls him with her. “Come here, let’s get you cleaned up.”

As she sits him down at his second table for the day, he muses that there’s something about Quackity stopping the bleeding but leaving him blood-covered. There’s something there he’s not smart enough to dissect.

She dampens a cloth and runs it over his face, his arms, hands him one of her sweaters. She gasps when he turns to take off his own.

“Holy shit, Michael, what happened?” He doesn’t give her a chance to get a good look.

“It’s not important,” he mumbles. He sits and she resumes cleaning off his hands.

And that’s when he gets the message.

[Dream] are you ok

He gasps.

“Shit, Michael, you okay?” Puffy asks, incorrectly assuming she’s hurt him. He doesn’t respond.

[Dream] i hope sam didnt hurt you

[Dream] ily

He feels tears. Puffy, now thoroughly confused, sits next to him and rubs his shoulder while he cries.

“Can you tell me what’s going on?” She asks. “Because I would really like to know why someone stabbed you. Are you safe?”

Is he? Does it matter? He has to go back to the prison anyways.

[Dream] do you know when you can try again

He sighs, runs his hands over his face. “I’ve gotta go, Puffy, thanks.”

She grabs his hand, flicks off some more dried blood- how much did he lose, god- and frowns. “At least let me finish here.”

“No, but thank you.”

“Michael?”

He stops.

“My office is open whenever you need it, okay?”

He nods, even if it isn’t.

If she knew what he was going to do, she wouldn’t be this nice. It should sting a bit more than it does.

>

He stares at the messages. Dream has sent five more, throughout the course of the day, keeps asking.

He thinks of what Quackity said.

Dream can’t be manipulating him.

He can’t.

No one on this goddamn server gave him the fucking time of day until he got injured. Until he was visibly suffering.

Except Dream. Dream reached out to him, is nice to him, cares for him.

He needs to get him out. Michael is so excited to see him.

He piles up the blocks from the prison in his house. It’s a sign. A promise.

>

[MichaelMcChill] soon

[Dream] my hero

[kanaesparadise]

omg it's my first time here- can you make an akali x reader where she goes on a rampage after we get hurt cause the fEels

That's been really long. Only 2665 words and that's it...

COMIC SPOILERS ALERT

Ever since Shen caught Zed, he had been interrogating him and trying to get Zed to talk about his father's death. He thought Zed had killed his father and seemed to take his anger out on him.

Of course, that didn't really matter to you.

You and Akali left Kinkou a long time ago. Because you found Kinkou's methods absurd and useless. You and Akali have decided that you can protect Ionia in your own way. You were only getting information from Shen and following the plan you and Akali had made in your own mind. You had learned that Jhin had come to Piltover after the massacres in Ionia, so you and Akali boarded a ship to Piltover. Also, Akali left Shen a small note, but didn't say where she was going.

He's already smart enough to more or less guess where you're going.

While you were walking to the ship's deck, Akali was watching people behind you for suspicious-looking people. "Come on, Akali, don't you trust me?" She came up to you, dropped her backpack on the ground, put her hands on the ship's railings and looked out to sea, "Of course I do, but I don't want anything to happen to you."

You smiled at Akali and hugged her shoulders. "Don't worry, I'm overly careful! Besides, this is Ionia, and no one knows this place better than you or me. I'll be more careful in Piltover for sure." You laughed when you saw Akali's cheeks turn red and you let her go and looked at the sea with her "I'm sure we'll find 'him'"

-------------------------------Timeskip---------------------------------- While disembarking at a port in Piltover called Anchorage, Akali was studying the people around. While you were looking at the merchants around, you saw a trader. "Hey Akali, there's a trader over there. Maybe we should get something like a map from him."

Akali took her eyes off the people and looked at the trader you pointed to. She shook his head positively and started walking towards the trader's counter. As Akali asked the trader something in Ionian, she sighed when she saw that he did not understand something. "Akali, I think the trader is from Noxus. I can read and understand the language the Noxians, but I can't speak."

"It's okay, I'll handle it." Akali put her hand on her chin for a second, thinking about what to say, and turned to the trader

("I want to buy one of those maps, how much would you give it?")

("Noxian, you know?")

("Yes, I can speak Noxian.")

Akali paid the trader's asking price, took the map, and started walking with you. She gave you the map for you to look at. "Wow, I didn't expect them to also plot the roads to Zaun. I know they see it as their black mark."

"I don't think it's on every map because that trader got good money from me. For a moment I thought he was cheating on me." Y

ou laughed at Akali and continued to study the map, "Akali, where exactly are we supposed to go?"

"To Zaun. People over there know something about that masked man for sure." They had bribed a guard outside a bar in Zaun to find out if anyone here knew about the masked man. You and Akali had to enter this heavily liquor-smelling place when the guard said that the bartender inside knew something about it.

"How could the barmen know?"

"Usually in places like this, bartenders know a lot. Lots of people come to them for drinks and they learn something unintentionally."

After listening to what she had to say, you continued to study the map. At that time, Akali was talking to the bartender, and before you knew what was going on, the bartender had taken out the Tellstones game pieces and placed them on the bar. You were sitting in a chair and watching them play.

Tellstones was a simple game, but the best bluffer won. And Akali was pretty good at it. She proved herself once again by winning the game.

("I shouldn't have played Tellstones against an Ionian...")

("Tell me, what do you know about the masked man?")

("The 'Performances' serve some kind of transport group. The man scared a lot of merchant households.")

("Why is that?")

("All the merchant houses he attacked were exporting weapons to Ionia. The only group still working was House Ferros")

("House Ferros? What are they doing?")

("The spy of House Ferros has assembled an assassination team. They're looking for him in Zaun, in a neighborhood called Mistfloor.")

You knew the masked man was killing people under the name of 'art', you tapped Akali's shoulder "Ask the man if there is a theater zone, maybe he is there." After Akali turned and listened to you, she smiled, "Clever, I was just about to say let's go."

When she turned to the bartender and asked if there was a theater district, he replied that the theater was on the Mistfloor, which he had just mentioned. Akali thanked the man and took your arm while you were looking at the map and walked out of the bar with you. You were walking backwards as Akali got your arm backwards “Hey, I would have left the map if you had waited a while!”

"If it were up to you, you would look at that map all day."

"Don't worry, I'm more interested in watching you." You glanced at Akali from the corner of your eye as you looked at the map, a suggestive smile on your face. Akali understood what you were saying when she looked at your suggestive smile, and she suddenly panicked

"I didn't say I wanted something like that! It's just for...well...well..."

As you walked, you tilted your head forward and looked at Akali. Her cheeks were flushed and frozen. She shook her head quickly to regain herself. She folded her arms across her chest and continued walking without looking at you. "If you could focus on our work, you would be more careful here?"

You smiled at Akali from behind and followed her. "I already do."

You caught up to her and continued walking next to her. You stopped in a street. When Akali realizes that you are not walking, she turns to look at you, "What's the matter (Y/N)?"

"I don't know where we're going from here, we're at the Mistfloor now. We'd better ask someone if there's a theater around. Someone in that group of friends knows. They seem like locals."

Akali went to them and said that if any of them knew a theater that was here, she would pay good money to anyone who knew. She wasn't normally so money oriented, but money was everything to people in Piltover and Zaun. You were asking trees to have a house in Ionia, and now you have one! As long as you were kind to the trees, they were always your friend. You really loved your country and you certainly wouldn't want to live in a place like Piltover.

You smiled at the boy when Akali came in with a young boy. He complimented you in noxian, you just smiled because you understood but couldn't speak. Akali scowled when she saw you smiling at the boy, "Really, did you smile at this brat?"

"What is it? He just complimented." Akali rolled her eyes and told the boy to show the way without talking too much. After walking for a while, he took you to a dilapidated theater.

("Is this here?")

("Yes. He's a freak. He clashed with House Ferros here a week ago. They pulled bodies out of the place for days.")

("Wow, what happened here?") As Akali looked around you thought there was someone else here. It just didn't show itself. The boy continued to talk to Akali as she walked towards the door ("That's beyond me, ma'am. I don't know. I don't want to know either. Your money is sweet, but I can't risk it any more.)

You were waving to the boy as he was walking out of the theater. While he was waving at you, Akali took your arm backwards and started pulling you. When you turn to Akali and puff your cheeks at her and descend a staircase that leads down from the floor of the theater stage. There was someone else watching you at that time. It was an absolutely awful place when you went downstairs with Akali. You could hear something collapsing all the time, and you could have sworn someone was inside with you. You climbed onto the stage standing above and looked around from above.

You didn't want to go any further, you were definitely walking into a trap with Akali. "Akali, I swear to you, there's someone else here besides us."

"That's the good news, so here it is."

"No, it's not good news! You're going to fall into the trap-" You took a step to get off the stage when you heard the stage crackle below you, but it was too late. You walked to the middle of the stage in the air and the stage was very long. You were out of breath as your back hit the ground so hard, and you couldn't move when you saw the boards falling on you. You couldn't even scream out of pain because you were out of breath. When Akali heard a loud noise, she turned around and looked in the direction the sound had come from. He didn't expect to see you stuck under the boards. As she was about to come to get you out of there, she was distracted by a machine running on her right, blowing air towards Akali.

A mist had formed from the dust lifted by the air and he could not see you. He could more or less see someone walking towards him through the mists. "You're like a leaf in a storm, Akali, dancing aimlessly and pointlessly in the wind. You both came here unwittingly to 'transform'."

Akali didn't really care what the masked man was saying, just focused on you. However, he continued to speak. "I will transform you both, Akali, I will add meaning to your poor lives with my art, I will make you both beautiful. And with your death, your transformation will be complete."

"Damn, that's not good at all!" Akali had already noticed the spears coming out of the air-breathing machine, and had somehow escaped them all. Just as a mist was about to form on the ground, the air-breathing machine on the other side had already dispersed the fog. While trying to evade the masked man's hits at the same time, the air-blasting machine to Akali's right suddenly exploded. The impact of the blast hit Akali hard against the railings.

When she looked up at the masked man, he had a knife in his hand and was staring at you. "I've watched you Akali, I know that daggers are one of your favorite weapons. But as a former knife artist I must say your technique is simple and boring. It doesn't offer the brutality that true art needs."

He came in front of your unconscious body and turned to Akali "Come on, now let's do something 'nice' for (Y/N) together."

----------------------------Timeskip again--------------------------------

When Akali opened her eyes, she realized that her hands were hanging from the fallen tree she had seen before. When she lowered her head a little, she realized that you were still under the boards.

"Fuck it, it's all my fault."

Akali closed her eyes in the dense light from above. When she opened his eyes, the masked man was standing on a stand with hooks suspended in the air, staring at Shen. Akali felt like her ears were ringing, Zed's attempt to attack the masked man from above had failed. He threw his shurikens towards him, but the man easily dodges them.

Actually, Zed didn't throw them at the man, he threw them to cut the ropes that Akali was tied to. He hadn't even noticed in the confusion that Akali's ropes were cut and she had jumped down.

It didn't take long for the man to secure Shen and Zed with hooks, but he threw Zed onto the boards you were under. As you screamed in pain, Zed recognized you by your voice. You had the opportunity to talk to him long ago and you had respect for each other, until he left Kinkou in such a bad way.

"I'm sorry (Y/N)!"

"Shut up! I'm hurting all over. I'm sure you're behind these things, Usan!"

"I swear it's not my fault this time, it never was!" Akali jumped at him as the masked man aimed a gun at Shen.

"You forgot me, you idiot!" Akali was punching the man in the face that was on top of him. "Let's forget about that too!" She punched the man in the face until he couldn't stand up, as if she was getting revenge for what he had done to you. Akali knew very well that this man had taken your family away from you. She seemed to torment him both for hurting you here and for what he did to your family.

Finally she picked up his gun from the ground and pointed it at him, "Let's see if I can make your face more beautiful, you sick!"

Just as Akali was about to fire, Shen called out to her from afar, "Akali, no!" Taking advantage of Akali's momentary pause, Zed pushed her aside, causing the gun to fall.

This time, Zed was on top of the man. "I promised Shen I'd catch you alive 'Jhin', my honor prevents me from killing you. But I'd be worse off killing you. Tell me how you escaped from Tuula prison!"

"Zed, I didn't run. You know that."

"Who set you free?!"

"No, Zed, I'm sorry, but I won't tell you this. Besides, you already know who set me free. You knew it all along. Think of it this way, Zed, I've been released. But so… you were released too."

Not wanting to listen to him anymore, Zed threw it facedown in front of Shen. "Take it, our deal is done!"

"His work is done, but not ours, Zed!"

As Zed quickly jumped off the building, Shen shouted after him, "Zed! Where are you going, Zed?!"

Akali was trying to get you out of the rubble, ignoring them. Shen sighed and came over to you and took the boards off you with Akali. You had a lot of cuts made by the board on your body. Also, the wounds deepened as Zed fell on top of you. Akali cleaned and tied up your deepest wounds with a cloth Shen provided. When you look at her face, she looks angry and sad at the same time. She was more angry with herself. She blamed herself for letting this happen to you.

At that time, Shen had tied Jhin, aka the masked man, out of the theater to take him to the prison where he belonged.

You didn't want Akali to feel guilty, it was your fault too.

"Akali."

She had heard you calling out to her, but she didn't have the courage to look at you. You took Akali's face in your hands and lifted her head.

"Akali, you don't have to blame yourself. When we got here we risked everything, and that was one of the possibilities. Also, look, I'm still alive and survived with minor abrasions"

"By minor abrasions, do you mean being buried under the rubble? It's all my-"

You connected your lips to her when you realized that she would blame herself more. Before Akali could react, you were about to walk away from her, but this time she started kissing you.

Akali hugged you when you both left to breathe. You could tell she was crying by the wetness of your shoulder. She was very quiet and didn't say anything. Only when you listened carefully could you notice that she was suddenly breathing while crying. It was near impossible to see her cry, and that's how you saw her again after a long time. You hugged her and dropped yourself to the floor and looked at the ceiling of the theater;

"I love you too, Akali."

[mchaelscofield]

PLEASE give me your in depth review after you read the chapter i love reading your thoughts 😭😭😭

also, you see what i mean about the servicing 😛😛😛

First things first imma plug the fic cause my sista ate this shit up! Check it out if you got TASTE and like things of quality:

Now onto my thoughts…

Wheeeew that opening… yeah I ate it UPPP. Oh you’re nasty! You’re nasty as hell and I love it 🤣 no cause why Dick and Kory was FAWKING. And when Kory was reminiscing Dick fucking her in front of that mirror… father gawd I come to you on bended knee… no like you’re sick for that and I was loving every second of it pls 😭 one thing about you, you gon body some fucking smut

The dialogue you had running too while they were in bed… oh you’re not right for that. You’re not right for that at ALL. When Kory said “I know you love it” and you described #that look that showed in Dick’s eyes… like bitch I’m only human 😭 there’s only so much I can take 😭😭

And then Kory wanna talk about some “they’re not together. They just using each other’s bodies for fun”… yeah ok sista girl… keep saying it out loud and maybe you’ll convince hope cause you sure as hell ain’t convincing me

Omg my poor baby Gar tho 😭 he been through it and I know his ass is dealing with bare PTSD but he tryna be strong and keep it to himself. Like someone get my son some help 😭

That lil dig you threw at Hank and Dawn oh I giggled BAD like 😭😭 you’re so nasty for that 😭 and then when you listed everyone left in the tower and Kory was like, “she likes it this way” oh I grinned. Cause miss me with that big ass cast they got on the show 🙄

Oh but wow. Not you showing the team doing things that don’t have to do with a mission??? Yea I needed that 😭 like it’s ok to laugh and enjoy yourselves while STILL moving the plot forward (see how that works)

Ugh after the altercation with that racist ass man when Dick came in to check on her… why do you know all my weak points sista??? Like that man was kissing all up on her face and nuzzling her nose like my gawd your pen… It ain’t right and it ain’t fair. Because you know my ass is weak as hell for that trope my gawd I’m in shambles 😭😭

And then that man giving her a massage after?? We see right through you Richard like you ain’t slick 😭

Oh gawd but you really ended me when Kory was watching Anastasia and you wrote how she missed her momma like… no why I’m getting sad?? Definitely giggled at her daddy getting paid dust tho, that nasty ass man! 🤷🏾‍♀️

The guilt she was feeling for not fighting to get back home and knowing shit is most likely in shambles and the images she keeps seeing 😭 lawd I was shaking n throwing up when my baby was crying in front of the mirror like… your pen on another level

I know shit bout to hit the fan in the next chapters and I’m both terrified and ready to eat that shit right on up 🙏🏾

This meal you’ve prepared for us is too sweet and my ass us gon continue to eat and eat and eat and eat. And when I’ve eaten and I think I can no longer eat more, imma push through and keep eating and eating and eating.

You a real one for this fic like. You giving the people what they want 😭 I hope you getting ya coochie ate for your service to the community 🧎🏾‍♀️

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 278: MOMO IN CHARGE

Previously on BnHA: Deku and Kacchan were all “SIR, THAT’S OUR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SENSEI” and got really ferocious and made a very passionate attempt to blow Tomura up and it was great. It basically did nothing, but it was still great. AFO was all “COME HERE LIL BRO”, and Tomura was all “silly Sensei, you can’t just take over my mind and body just like that”, and he was very confident of this despite there really being no evidence to back it up, but okay! Gran was all “time to make the fandom mad at me” and grabbed Tomura by the collar and yelled at him about Nana a bit, and then Bakugou and Endeavor made an even MORE passionate attempt to blow up Tomura, which may or may not have done some actual damage. The chapter ended with Gigantomachia battling Mt. Lady, just kinda out of the blue, which is FINE, but she had better be all right, though!

Today on BnHA: Everyone is all “WAUGHH IT’S GIGANTOMACHIA” and running around freaking out about it. The U.A. alums all kick some ass, and pretty much everyone else not from U.A. does jack fucking shit. Mt. Lady, who I plan on naming all of my future children after, does her best to stop Machia but he keeps flinging her aside. Kamui Woods is all “here I come with Midnight to put Gigantomachia to sleep!” and is PROMPTLY FUCKING MURDERED!? by Dabi because he’s a flammable tree man, and so Midnight falls all the way to the ground and is badly injured. So then she’s all “well I better call the most competent person I can think of to fix this mess” and dials up YAOYOROZU FUCKING MOMO, who proceeds to take charge LIKE THE BOSS SHE IS, and mobilizes the rest of the kids. And honestly I have more faith in them than in any of the adults at this point, so yeah, you know what? Let’s do this.

so I am possibly a bit spoiled on this chapter because I did a “top five predictions” post earlier this week, and someone replied to that yesterday on Thursday saying that they were mostly correct. I don’t know exactly how close to the mark I was though, and in any case most of the predictions were just “so-and-so shows up, probably”, so it’s not too bad. we’ll see how it goes!

OH THANK GOD MY BABIES ARE SAFE

I mean, CLEARLY they’re all about to be in horrible danger, seeing as Jirou is about to inform them of the whole “THE BIG GUY EVERYONE WAS AFRAID ABOUT WAKING UP WOKE UP” thing, but in the meantime at least Kami and Toadette and Honenuki made it back to the group safely

also Kaminari’s use of “Jirou-Jack” here is fucking inspired and I want him to teach a class on nicknames. isn’t he the one who coined “Yaomomo” as well? this boy has a gift and it needs to be appreciated

so Jirou is all “SOMETHING REALLY BIG IS COMING”, and actually she says “INSANELY HUGE”, which if anything is still an understatement, hard as it is to believe

WOW

“A BAD GUY IS HEADING THIS WAY?? SOUNDS LIKE IT’S TIME TO ABANDON THE CHILDREN IN THE WOODS” kjlfakh okay you know what?? fine!! you weren’t even going to do anything anyway so let’s not pretend!!

holy shit it’s like Mt. Lady isn’t even there

look at those speed lines!! goddamn. I just felt this huge rush of empathy for Mt. Lady though. like can you imagine growing up with this super-destructive quirk, and managing to become a hero with it against all odds, and having to put up with the manga making fun of you all the time just because sometimes you have a tendency to DESTROY A LOT OF STUFF, but it’s not like you can help it!! but the upside has always been that when your quirk is on, you are fucking UNSTOPPABLE though. so even though it’s been a hell of a rough ride for you, it’s worth it because you’re a complete badass and the number of people who can beat you out in terms of sheer physical strength is probably in the single digits. and you’re working really hard too, and lately you’ve been moving up through the ranks and actually becoming a damn fine hero if I do say so myself (and I do), and it’s like, about time though?? like finally, finally it is all starting to come together for you. and then this snarling trashrock person suddenly comes stampeding along and you put your all into trying to stop him, and it doesn’t even do a damn thing. like, holy shit. that’s just not fucking fair and YOU DESERVE BETTER, MT. LADY

anyway so she’s still hanging in there for now though so let’s check in with our villain squad riding on his back

lmaooo they’re all “I don’t even understand what is going on here”

YOU GUYS, THIS IMPLIES THAT THEY WERE ALL PLUCKED OFF THE GROUND BY THE SCRUFFS OF THEIR NECKS AND THEY HAD ABSOLUTELY NO SAY IN THE MATTER OMG. like I’m picturing Spinner being held by his cape pinched in between Machia’s thumb and forefinger, and awkwardly trying to lecture him like a mom with his hands on his hips all, “BAD GIGANTOMACHIA! NO! NOOOUAGH -- !” and cutting off with a yelp as he’s dropped onto his back

and I am glad they got Toga some clothes! I like to think Gigantomachia grabbed those for her as well. so thoughtful

wow Skeptic actually wants to go back to Re-Destro??

color me legit impressed. I underestimated your loyalty my dude. and let me also just take this moment to extend my gratitude toward Horikoshi for leaving the rest of the MLA out of it because good fucking riddance to them, goodbye forever hopefully!!

I guess they’ll be needing Skeptic’s quirk down the line for some reason? maybe he is meant to be like a new, less out-of-control Twice. smdh y’all out here trying to replace your dead buddy like a pet goldfish

who is this “they” Dabi is referring to

do you mean the heroes? lol yeah I guess they’re pretty distracted by the literal fucking kaijuu you’re currently piggybacking on

SIGH

“the Jakku team must’ve made a mistake” BOY, I’LL SAY. you know what, don’t even talk to me about that yet. it’s still too fresh. suffice it to say that your suspicions are correct and things in Jakku are not very daijobu right about now

anyway here’s a closeup of this bubble person just cuz

they are everything and I want them to be my friend. also there’s a squid person a few paces behind them who can probably do anything a squid can do. or they might actually be a shark person, actually. I don’t know. either way I love them

GETEN PLEASE GO AWAY

WE ARE PHASING OUT THE MLA!! MOVING FORWARD IT’S ORIGINAL LOV ONLY!! I’M SORRY BUT YOU DIDN’T MAKE THE CUT. we already have an ice character so shoo

OH DAMN MY MAN CEMENTOSS HAS HAD ENOUGH OF HIS NONSENSE TOO AHHHH YESS

1) hey so Cementoss is legit terrifying who’d’ve thought

and 2), did Cementoss always have a mouthful of gigantic perfect teeth each the size of a slice of bread, or is this just something I’m only noticing now because I’m behind the curve. either way, let me just say sincerely, DKJDLKFJLSKJG

RE-DESTRO YOU GO AWAY TOO!!

@waywardfacegarden​ you asked the other day which are the characters I actually dislike, and this is one of them lol. he’s just a big ol’ prick, and on top of that has the audacity to not even be interesting in any way so as to balance it out. anyway so apologies to any Re-Destro stans out there but I basically spend every panel he’s in hoping that someone will punch him in the face hard enough to finally make him shut up

anyway so my man Edgeshot is here though, finally!! but of all the people for him to fight! this is a real predicament for me. the most soothing character in the series contrasted with the character who grates my nerves the most. Edgeshot’s sexy ASMR voice is gonna be drowned out by all of RD’s punching and self-important ranting in the anime and I’m lowkey devastated but I’m gonna pull myself together and read on

SPEAKING OF SELF-IMPORTANT RANTING

Edge, if you can liberate us from having to put up with his insufferable ass once and for all I will be so grateful to you. can you do this. please. for me

and it looks like some other boring MLA villains are following along behind Machia so I’m gonna need someone to kick their asses as well. please

-- YESSSSSS

okay so now I see what that comment on my prediction post was referring to lol. I did indeed have my fingers crossed that these two would show up again, and sure enough! THE GANG’S ALL HERE YAY

and Mt. Lady is being sumoed aside!

anyone want tonight’s lotto numbers. during this brief fleeting moment of having my predictions be actually credible, I would just like to say that Hagakure is the U.A. traitor. thank you and goodnight

OH NO KAMUI IS WORRIED

HE LOOKS SO PANICKED?? OUT OF THE BLUE I SHIP IT SO MUCH?? I keep forgetting they’re on the same team and stuff and wow, I need to calm down

LOL MIDNIGHT IS ALL “NO TIME FOR SHIPS!!”

I wonder if her quirk will actually be enough to take him down? this is something I’ve been itching to see for a long time, actually. just how powerful is she? we know her quirk is more effective on males than females, but is anyone actually capable of resisting it? imagine if she really did just knock Gigantomachia out after all of this buildup. that would be some god-tier shit omg, DO IT

(ETA: I am just going to assume that since Horikoshi had to go to elaborate lengths to take her out of the fight, this means that her quirk really was capable of knocking them all out. another tragic case of Too Badass For The Plot. y’all better respect Midnight.)

YESSSSSSSS

is she stripping. you know what -- don’t think about it. I won’t let you ruin this for me Horikoshi. Midnight’s gonna be a badass because the ladies are fucking ruling this arc and that’s all there is to it

NOOOOOO

DABI GET BACK HERE I JUST WANT TO TALK!!

oh thank god, she’s all right. BUT KAMUI ISN’T THOUGH DLKJSFLKSJDG??!

did Kamui Woods just... die

(ETA: okay but for real, is there an actual curse in effect on the Billboard Top Ten right now, though?? did one of them accidentally disturb the tomb of some ancient king??)

...

( ･ั﹏･ั)

oH MY GOD!?!

NOOOOOOO WHY ARE YOU SO QUICK TO SLEEP ON MAJESTIC, LET’S SEE IF THEY CAN DO IT!! GIVE US MAJESTIC GOD DAMMIT

(ETA: Horikoshi is seriously just yanking our chain at this point. when Majestic finally does show up, he or she better have the coolest fucking quirk of all time, that’s all I’m saying.)

okay how badly injured is Midnight here, though?? she just fell all that way?? DO I NEED TO BE REALLY MAD. I CAN WORK MY WAY UP TO IT PRETTY QUICKLY, JUST SAY THE WORD. I’M ALREADY HALFWAY THERE HONESTLY. WHERE’S KAMUI WOODS

!!!!!!!!!!!

AND JUST LIKE THAT MY ANGER EVAPORATES INTO THE NIGHT, YESSSSSSSSS!! MOMOOOOO

holy shit. “a quirk that can stop that thing,” she says. and goes and calls YAOYOROZU FUCKING MOMO y’all I am barely holding myself back from SCREAMING right now I...

you guys

you guys. if Midnight and Yaomomo team up to take down Gigantofuckingmachia using some sort of MOMO MADE A MACHINE TO SPREAD MIDNIGHT’S QUIRK strategy, or whatnot?? I will fucking die on the spot. you can end the manga right there. Kacchan you can keep your quirk I don’t even care

“IT MIGHT BE AGAINST THE LAW” lmaooooo insert John Mulaney “WE’RE WELL PAST THAT” gif here. holy shit. listen, that is fine. if anything it’s even better

WHAT THE FUCK

DO I NEED TO START GETTING REALLY MAD AGAIN!?!?! FUCKING WHIPLASH, IS WHAT THIS IS, BUT YOU JUST TELL ME WHAT SORT OF OVER-THE-TOP REACTION IS NEEDED HERE AND I’LL GO FOR IT

(((( ;°Д°))))

[GRABS HORIKOSHI BY THE COLLAR] listen, you. if you only just now, for the first time ever, gave us a lady hero actually mentoring another lady hero, which we have somehow NEVER HAD BEFORE in almost three hundred chapters, only for you to then KILL OFF THE MENTOR IN THE MIDDLE OF HER GODDAMN SPEECH TO THE MENTOREE, I will... there’s... I’ll... okay, listen. DON’T. THERE WILL BE A RECKONING. CAPSLOCK SUCH AS THIS WORLD HAS NEVER WITNESSED!!

ヽ(#ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ┌┛

I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO REACT TO ANYTHING IN THIS CHAPTER AND I’M LOSING MY MIND OVER IT

so the other kids are all “what the fuck” and “so Momo’s in charge??” which, YES!!! IT’S THE ONE GOOD PART ABOUT ALL THIS SO DON’T YOU DARE QUESTION IT

MOMO NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BE CRIPPLED BY YOUR ANXIETY, YOU CAN DO THIS GIRL I BELIEVE IN YOU

hell, it’s not even just an “I believe in you” thing, because it’s not just belief, it’s fact. you motherfucking can do this, you are the most capable and brilliant student in 1-A, you just gotta have faith and let yourself shine!!

so now there are some more panels of Machia running and the villains and heroes fighting, blah blah blah. and Momo screwing up her face as she makes her decision...

YESSSSSSSSS

my baby girl is all grown up and TAKING THESE MOTHERFUCKIN REINS and MOMO I WILL LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU JUST SAY THE WORD!!

lol she’s all “Jirou use your ears and scientifically calculate how long it’ll take him to get here”, and Jirou is all “I can literally fucking see him, he’s gonna be on top of us in like two seconds” WELL OKAY THEN

thank god there are no adult pros left to fuck this up. is that weird that this is a real and honest and completely sincere thought that just ran through my head? like, at this point if any of the adults were around I’d just be afraid of them dying honestly. but with the kids I actually feel real hope that they’re somehow gonna do this. of course it helps that unlike the adults they’re pretty safe from being killed off

also! way to represent the entirety of class 1-B there Honenuki lulz. sorry, The Rest of Class 1-B

OH MY GOD

MT. LADY I WILL LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU AS WELL!! YOU HAVE MY LOVE AND FEALTY!!

I’M STANNING HER SO HARD I’M GONNA EXPLODE SOMEBODY HELP!?!

JIROU SAYS THAT MACHIA HAS SLOWED DOWN!! YOU GUYS I’M ABOUT TO GET “MT. LADY FOR PRESIDENT” TATTOOED ACROSS MY FOREHEAD

lmao at Shouji using his power of “putting some extra eyeballs on my arms” to inform everyone that Gigantomachia is Right Over There and Very Big

good job Shouji

oh my glob I have so much love for Momo right now that it can’t even fucking be contained. brb wildly flailing my hands around a little to try and release some of this excess excitement

maybe Momo can be president instead and Mt. Lady can be the vice president

NO THE CHAPTER IS ENDING I’M NOT READY

AND JUMP IS ON BREAK AGAIN NEXT WEEK TOO, FML!!

okay!!

Kaminari is so fucking brave right now I just want to crush him in a hug?! we know he’s still scared!! look at his eyes!! and he was freaking the hell out earlier too, and now the situation is much worse! but he doesn’t give a fuck because his friends need him! he is ready to be a hero, my little baby boy is all grown up and I’m so proud??

Mineta’s face in the bottom right corner is everything. I know, I know, boooo Mineta, but that’s still the best face anyone has made in the entirety of this manga

Tetsutetsu’s out here all “I humbly request to also represent class 1-B” and Momo is all “okay fine I guess we can have two of you guys”

can we all just stop for a moment to appreciate how KamiJirouMomo is alive and well. like, we had interactions between all three of them in this chapter, in all possible permutations? do you know how happy this makes me?? I am vibrating with joy??!

I really can’t stress this enough -- I have no clue at all what these little soda can things are (anesthetic, I guess??? you know, like how you sometimes buy cans of anesthetic at the supermarket?? what do you mean you don’t do that??), or what they’re gonna do with them. I have like negative clues. but DAMNED IF I GIVE ONE SINGLE FUCK. the next chapter can be them all fucking hurling them at his face for all I care. THE DETAILS OF HOW SHE KICKS HIS ASS DO NOT MATTER!! GOOD MORNING TO YAOMOMO AND YAOMOMO ONLY!! MY MOMO ACADEMIA

[felassan]

Thoughts on Dark Fortress #1

(This post is under a cut due to spoilers.)

NB, my thoughts on the first pages that came out in the preview are collected here [spoilers at link], so I won’t repeat myself.

Okay here we go :D I’ve posted up my fav panels but always want a space where I can burble at length.. (I’m late in posting this bc recently for the last few days I’ve been obsessing over politics in my country as it’s the run-up to election time.. I haven’t read anyone elses’ thoughts on it either so I could be behind on prevailing speculation or whats known or something) The preview pages ended at the panel when Aaron says “Vaea is right”, so that’s where I’m beginning.

I can’t put my finger on why but I really like the “don’t tell me I’ve had too much to drink” panel showing a Tevinter street. It’s a neat blend of “Tevinter is advanced relative to much of the rest of known Thedas, but also ominous, but also a place where people live and go about their lives, and also not going too heavy on the cyberpunk angle”. I dig the composition ‘leading’ the eye up the street and the consistency with the recently-seen DA4 materials that have red lighting in Tevinter buildings, similar building shapes etc. ig I’m pretty obsessed with the idea of the DA4 PC & party walking up streets like these.

I wonder how Aaron felt witnessing Tractus’ drunken scenes in the pub :(

Tractus’ attitude towards the barman here shows the influence and power Magisters wield in Tevinter, and the fear of them common among the mundane populace

digging the Tevinter-y motifs & design of the bartop, bar shelving etc. it feels like thought went into it

I’d watch a spinoff show or read a story where Marius and Ser Aaron have to team up in order to achieve something

Vaea is so badass and agile! I appreciate that the shot of her up high was tasteful and didn’t like, weirdly contort her body, have a weird leering angle or emphasize things in that way comic art often does for women at moments like these

so in Tevinter, lamps give off red light (seen in the bar scene). are the windowpanes themselves also red?

good thinking Vaea grabbing the staff. great sense of snappiness and motion in this panel. her landing reminds me of squirrels doing the superhero pose landing actually :) 

tfw you and a dog burst out of a wardrobe

Tractus recognizing Fenris, it seems - did they encounter each other when Tractus was young, or does he just know of him (distinctive markings and all that)? if the former, I have a feeling we might get a flashback scene to that time in a future issue

cutting to look at Francesca when Tractus talks about Fenris murdering his father is GENIUS. look at the sadness on her face here; “you murdered your father” is exactly what she’s been telling herself and struggling with all this time

nice to see staff-less magic in action

Tractus seems to have drawn power from the red orb set in his staff. he reaches out to it and it responds by glowing and the staff moving, but he wasn’t doing a Jedi ‘use my Jedi powers to make my thrown lightsaber [staff] return to my hand’, as you might expect, he was instead charging up and drawing magical energy/power from it [the orb], as seen by the red light in his hand in the next panel. this reinforces my earlier wonderings that the red orb is notable and that there’s some connection between it and his red eyes. later in the panel when he’s trying to cast on the floor his eyes seem lit up (altho it could just be lighting & dramatic effect)

I wonder if Fenris thinks of Anders and Justice when Tractus says “justice”. There was once a mage in Fenris’ life who was really focused on justice..

the combat scenes are beautifully drawn, thought out and colored

Fenris’ lines here are really metal, badass and impactful. I could hear Gideon Emery’s voice in my head as I read these bits - the word choice of “hounded” helps with that I think, it immediately recalls Fenris talking with anger about how Hadriana denied his meals and hounded his sleep. they nail how Fenris speaks, the pattern and words he tends to use, etc

PHASING POWERS in action!! this is very cool to see, this ability of his didn’t get touched on much at all in DA2 outside of combat or a few scenes

I enjoy the contrast between the red and blue glows

Fenris is understandably merciless 

“Perhaps if you had it carved into you” feels like foreshadowing for the ‘red wraith’

:( the reminder that the very thing Fenris struggles with feelings of hate and fear towards is carved into his skin for the rest of time and always will be

Vaea is brave to step in, standing up for what she believes is right and also re-centering focus on the critical mission at hand

;___; Autumn helping keep Tractus on the ground. she is such a good girl. she Help

“You’re lucky the mabari is here” - having Fenris in a dark light here relative to the rest of the panel is nicely symbolic

oh shit!! some plot advancement in terms of the ongoing story of the wider world. The Antaam have now reached Neromenian!! the invasion is progressing further and further into Tevinter. how far will it have come by the time of DA4? will there be an active war front not far from Minrathous? I appreciate the comics from this team a lot, here and there they push forward the ‘story of Thedas’ not just the story of the comic’s focus. also, I like that the Qunari soldiers here aren’t clones of one another but all look different. different hairstyles, sizes/bodies, clothes

love how our group work together, everyone has a strength and a role to play, the teamwork, the delegation, they’re like a DA basegame party or a D&D party

the way Fenris’ hand and arm glow in this sequence has been drawn/colored is smart - calling to mind the image of blue veins running through someone’s arm or below the skin on the backs of their hands

Fenris has surely picked up Fereldan sayings from Hawke.. stop .. my heart ;__;

the Fenris/Autumn exchange

this is so intense.. why do I get the feeling that Fenris has used this sort of torture technique before in his hunting and extermination of Danarius’ adult children campaign and/or his hunting of slavers as the BW with Shirallas campaign. it feels like he has done this sort of thing before in the time post-Kirkwall. I like that they didn’t hold back with a bit of gore here and there in this issue (phasing a hand and then solidifying it inside someone’s body, the Qunari attack portion in the street etc), while at the same time not being excessive with it.

this miniseries so far has good pacing, things moving along nicely and not being too slow or meandering

it’s smart having Tractus’ explanation of how to get in stay off-screen to the reader while we follow Francesca calling the alarm. It means we get to find out as we watch them infiltrate

omg those puncture wounds from his talons

when Fenris is about to kill Tractus after he tells him what he wanted to know, I’m strongly reminded of how he promised to let Hadriana go then killed her anyway, regardless of player choice. he has his ruthless streak and it feels like a callback. and before, when he was standing over Tractus when he was on the floor, echoes that scene in A Bitter Pill when he stands over Hadriana on the ground, who also reached for her staff

Tractus pale with bloodloss and fear

lmao @ Fran and Autumn’s faces when they walk in on this scene

Fenris listening to Vaea is nicely consistent with his character too imo - there are times in DA2 when Hawke can be like “Fenris no don’t do the Thing” and he doesn’t do the Thing

I have missed the way Fenris’ nose bridge crinkles when he’s angry

I wonder what the consequences of leaving Tractus alive will be. [tv announcer voice] FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON DARK FORTRESS

so the ritual will only take minutes to complete huh 👀

wow Neromenian has truly fallen, reeducation of the people of Tevinter continues as in Three Trees to Midnight in TN

explaining that they are speaking in Qunlat is a nice immersive touch and shows attention to detail of the lore of the world

bobbly-shoulders Qunari, Legolas hair Qunari, septum piercing Qunari, bobbly-brow Qunari, undercut Qunari. I wonder if the shoulder and brow protrusions are aspects we’ll see in the Qunaris’ latest design in DA4?

poor Tractus can’t catch a break lol. it has Not been Tractus’ day

Karasten: an infantry field commander

bit of Tevinter lampshading, lil fourth wall break with “This land and its obsession with magic. There is always a forbidden ritual with them” hhhhhh

Ringwraith on a horse moment at the end there

strong ending, can’t wait for next month weww.. 👀

[sunflowerdigs]

So, I did a little sarcastic-y review from the salt mines for RNM 3x09. Warnings for excessive sodium content, Maribel mourning, a desire to recycle cardboard, and, of course, Malex opinions. Without further ado:

- Every time Michael smiles I forget for like 5 whole seconds how much I hate that Malex keeps me shackled to this show. Too cute that he brought Alex lunch (and probably hoped he could sneak a glimpse of him) and they're going on their first date (omg omg omg).❤❤❤❤❤

- Kyle should yell at people more. Starting with his garbage friends who left him in a barn without proper triage or jello cups while he was in a coma (why didn't they just keep him at DS if he's having appointments there anyway? Nevermind... ). Alas, he's starting his understandable rage tour with Uncle Edgelord, who, naturally, makes a dramatic statement and tries to leave. I am so glad Kyle called him on that.

- Delmanes would be cute if Greg didn't have the personality of cardboard. They've created a character who is actually only here to remind us of how special and amazing Maria is. Turns out that's not super interesting. And it's so painfully obvious that it's a pair-your-spares situation. I really wish they'd just give her Kyle, he has the patience of a saint. Anyway, Isobel's pigtails are cute af (rip my Isobel/Maria/Kyle heart - I would have taken Isobel interrupting Delmanes and Heather's post with pigtails today as signs if not for genetics).

- Anatsa and Isobel's development seems to have taken place completely off-screen, like everything else gay on this show, so I'm guessing it's gonna stick. Honestly...I guess this is controversial but Isobel and Maria have really good chemistry and a history. I know their bond is supposed to read "sibling" but it doesn't for me. And rather than waste time watching them flirt with these one-note (ah, Greg chimes in right on time with a convenient line any rando could have delivered) LIs, I'd much rather see them get closer. The whole related thing has thrown a wrench into it for me. That said, it's nice to watch a woman be encouraged to go after another woman. 🎉

- Alex the sci-fi/fantasy nerd figuring out immediately that the hallucination is his own subconscious is 100% legit. Much like Kyle not letting his uncle pull a classic tall-dark-and-broody exit, I appreciate Alex's 4th-wall break moment.

- Not Max and Liz proving that discussions about s2 drama can occur on Roswell New Mexico?! What? Must be a straight thing. Lucky them.

- Isobel is actually acting a lot like Sherlock Holmes when he's on a case, from the wardrobe to the focus, and it's hot. Also, totally believable that Isobel would be able to pull up that pod from under the ice because we know she's been training even if it didn't happen onscreen. Because she told us. Just a suggestion.

- I love the idea of Jim Valenti as a double-agent, but I don't see how Eduardo thought he could keep Kyle safe by never knowing him. It feels like there's a lot more here Eduardo isn't saying.

- It wasn't a sister-fight that Maria and Isobel had, but whatever (no one got physically shoved or brought up a horrifying memory from 100000 years ago to shove in someone's face in public - doesn't count).

- Also, why would you waste a glass by throwing it into the fireplace? Wouldn't it just explode back in your face? Man, the show is trying so hard with Maria and Greg, I want to give them some kind of romance-novel award for effort (but not success).

- Not Liz and Max showing us that it's possible to move forward by discussing your past mistakes like adults instead of pretending they didn't happen!? What? Must be a straight thing. Lucky them.

- Draw a line on the bottle? No way, Valenti, he obviously wants you to chuck that whole thing straight into the fire in a fit of passion to prove that his words had an emotional impact.

- Also, Kyle wins the prize for this episode for that speech to Uncle Edgelord. Everyone go home. When do I get a Kyle and Alex spin-off where they travel the world, defying sci-fi tropes and seducing beautiful men and women?

- Not Liz and Max talking loudly about aliens while breaking and entering! This one is actually very believable, I take it back.

- It was idiotic of Liz to trust Heath. And Echo keep having this same fight because MAX IS RIGHT BUT THE SHOW WON'T LET HIM BE. Which is so obnoxious. I would forgive Liz for almost any sin (like, idk, getting a better romantic storyline because she's straight) because she's gorgeous and smart and tough and I wanna go live with her and her mad scientist energy on a deserted island somewhere. But she's being real dumb rn.

- I love the t-shirt and if Vlambase doesn't sell one I will. But he couldn't have held up a radio and blasted some Barry White? I feel like that would have cleared everyone but Alex put of the building real fast. Also, what is time on Roswell NM? Was Alex just setting the alarm every so often for kicks? Does Eduardo really not check in on staff who are working with dangerous technology for days on end? Also, why is this entire plot happening over a single goddamn episode instead of two or more so that we can really feel Alex wasting away under the machine's influence? The reason this twist is at all surprising is also the entire plot's undoing - Alex's demeanor wasn't exactly one of a man obsessed (or an addict, tbh) in his last scene.

- Anyway, back to Rizzoli and Isles. I definitely am always super excited to hear the details of my sister's sex life. All the time. That is totally a sister thing except where it's really not. Do any of these writers actually have a sister? I feel like they must because the Michael/Max/Isobel sibling chemistry is always bang on but Maribel is just...flirty lady city. Oh, and look, the beard just showed up with coffee to cockblock - it really is R&I!

- Back to Alex's plot line, which, much like Isobel's coffee, is Express To-Go. He's become haggard and worn in the time it's taken Michael's mom to find a cute sweater in the void. Seriously, we wasted like 3 whole episodes where Alex was presumably sitting in DS twiddling his thumbs and now he's being worn down by the machine in a single episode? Why didn't this plot start back in episode 3 or 4? Like...look, I don't come on here to be an asshole. But I just really hope they're taking note of what worked this season and what didn't because HOLY PACING FIASCO BATMAN. Just because you're giving us Malex doesn't mean everything else can just be hot garbage (not the acting, Taylor's doing his best to sell this). Also, when did Alex put his leg back on? I have so many questions but they aren't the good kind, so Michael better ride in soon and save this mess.

- Regarding what Nora is saying, it's fine, it makes sense but the zero build up makes it completely ineffective. Alex is afraid he doesn't love enough - it would have been nice to see that over several episodes instead of just being told in a burst of sudden exposition but, you know. Nice straight things we can't have, I guess.

- If Michael and Alex want their relationship to "purr" they could, idk, talk through their past misunderstandings like people in relationships do. Or the show could keep throwing exposition bombs at them, idek.

- Are those empty toilet paper rolls inside the machine? I knew the CW was budget but come on...

- And we finally get the Heath connection and it's to our brand new trope-y character, Wise Old Black Man Dallas. It's surprising but only because the 4th alien didn't exist before this episode. So, good job.

Overall, not the worst episode of RNM ever. I only wondered why I watch this show maybe 3 times this episode. And Michael's enthusiasm for Alex was adorable.

[atopearth]

Collar X Malice: Unlimited Part 6 - Side Stories

ONWARD (Kazuki SS)

Awww, I love how Akito and Kazuki first met. I think it's really cool that it was Kazuki who chased after him and was interested in him because he saw him doing music related stuff. I guess I'm so used to Kazuki being so harsh and whatever with Ichika that having him actively befriend someone is refreshing haha. I thought it was so cute how Kazuki so genuinely thought Akito's music was amazing, that probably really touched him. On the other hand, it's kinda sad to hear that people only talk to Akito to make fun of him, that's so sad. I wonder if Akito just allows it too because of what happened to his sister, so he wants to know how she might have felt? Anyway, I really love how Akito didn't listen to Kazuki, and told him straight the first time he went over to his place and met Ichika that she was just worried about Akito being here considering how late it was, and that he should greet her since he's in their home, and that it wasn't wrong for Ichika to be worried about him, which I'm very glad for. Kazuki is wayyy too blinded into thinking of Ichika as "the enemy" that it gets really frustrating a lot of the time. Anyway, seeing Ichika in third person perspective is interesting, she's so cute~ It's really cool how much Akito expanded Kazuki's world in music, like not only did he introduce him to bands and other people who play guitar that can give him better advice on his playing, but Akito also tried his best to contribute a lot to helping Kazuki mend his relationship with Ichika. LMAO at Kazuki's imagination of what Isshiki was going to be like and then called him ordinary😂😂

I really enjoyed seeing much more insight into Isshiki's feelings to his pro debut being cancelled. I think what hit me the most was when he talked about starting solo again, and people came to see the "tragic vocalist that got mistakenly arrested" instead of listening to his music as a musician, and I think that probably broke his heart quite a bit. I can see why he would have wanted to quit. Isshiki is really admirable though, but I guess hearing about Fujii's death pushed him to putting everything he could into his music, since it made him realise that your daily life can shatter in an instant, so he wants to appreciate every opportunity and chance he has to sing, and share his music and feelings to as many people as he can. Hearing Akito shout at Kazuki saying he doesn't have the right to continue composing music, especially as a pro made me really sad. The whole time from when Akito met Kazuki to them having fun tweaking their music and everything, Akito was suffering. He was happy that he could compose music and find it fun again, but he also felt really guilty for "having fun" because this was something he felt that he took away from his sister. It was because of this "fun" that he chose to ignore her and signs of her plight because it was too annoying to deal with, and that regret torments him to this day. And then now on top of that, the guilt and pain of all those bullies' lives are weighing on him because he told Zero that the whole class was a part of it and practically deserved to die, and then they did... It's understandable why Akito would think that he doesn't deserve anything "happy" since all he's been doing is taking away lives and the happiness of others.

Honestly, I love Akito and Kazuki's relationship, so seeing them make up and have Akito admit he really enjoys composing music etc was really nice. I also loved how Akito gave Kazuki his own guitar pick, it was so pretty! I'm so glad Akito got them to all take a photo before Kazuki's debut concert with Isshiki and officially formed a band with him. I'm glad Akito wanted to keep such a precious memory. And yep, I really loved this side story. I honestly didn't think there was much to add to Kazuki, Akito's and Isshiki's story anymore but I'm glad I was wrong haha! I think the emotions, their thoughts and their feelings throughout the story were portrayed really well to kinda show how much of a journey Kazuki was on whilst all the X-Day stuff were happening. It was like a whole different life compared to Ichika. But anyway, I really liked how we got to see more of the friendship between the three of them and how they all worked hard because of their passion for music, and how they felt connected to each other through listening to each other's music. I think that's really sweet and I can see better why Akito and Isshiki were always so protective of Kazuki and really understood him, and wanted Ichika to acknowledge him and his hard work. Still doesn't change the fact that I didn't like his attitude to her in the main story, but I liked seeing Kazuki try his best to grow in music and as a person with Akito's and Isshiki's support and acknowledgment.

Pride (Minegishi SS)

I guess it's interesting to see that aside from civilians in Shinjuku having to try and get used to normal life again, Minegishi is also trying to get used to dealing with "normal cases" and prioritising those rather than just X-Day incidents. I guess it's to expected since the Investigations HQ is disbanding. Considering how much SCRPO gets looked down upon, I'm really happy that Ichika and her diligence in telling civilians to report anything suspicious helped Minegishi and them solve a case with a kidnapper. LOL when Minegishi said he wants to be closer with all his subordinates and then he told Ichika she can call him "Mine-chan"😂😂😂 Imagine calling him that at the police station😂😂 Anyway, I've always really liked how sincere Minegishi is, so I was really happy when he personally went to thank Ichika for helping out with the case, praised her, and then even took her out to lunch. Anyway, even though the incidents are over, people like Saeki and other Adonis members haven't been captured, so it's understandable for Minegishi to still "care" about the X-Day stuff.

I know Minegishi is mainly interested in Ichika because of how crucial she was to solving the X-Day incidents and he wants to know more about her to see why they targeted her but awww, it would be so cool to have a Minegishi route! Lmaoo at Minegishi's joke saying he came to the station just to see Ichika and receive chocolates from her😂 It was so cuteee when Ichika ran after him and actually gave him chocolates she prepared~🥰 It's so cute how Minegishi loves teasing Ichika because of her funny and honest reactions🥲 I loved the chat Minegishi had with Sasazuka and Okazaki at the cafe hahaha, they're all interested in Ichika in their own way, it's so adorable lol. It's nice to see that Minegishi was in a sense frustrated that he believed he could lead the way to solve the X-Day incidents but in the end relied on one of the many subordinates he didn't take notice of alongside a group of police dropouts. I guess that would be difficult to face when you're so capable. I'm glad Minegishi was a bit more honest with her about his intentions and thoughts. Awww, I loved how Ichika teased Minegishi back in the car ride home! I totally dig their relationship and would have super loved an actual route with Minegishi, so cuteee!

Overall, definitely more of a fluff story than anything else. Makes you wish that Minegishi had a route, but also gives a bit more insight into the idea of the X-Day incidents "ending" and missing it. It makes me miss the main plot of the original game haha, and I guess that was the aim of this route, but at the same time, gotta move forward to accept other things~

Crossroad (Yoshinari SS)

Honestly, I've always loved Yoshinari because he's obviously capable considering he's in the SP, but he's so silly it's hilarious. Lmaooo at his drawings and notes on all the guys, I loved Enomoto's and Sasazuka's ones, totally shows their personalities😂😂 Yoshinari's sound effects are so funny, especially when he's sad🤣 Hahahahah, Shiraishi calls Yoshinari Inari-kun😂 I actually like inari sushi hahaha. Anyway, considering Shiraishi's nicknames for Sasazuka and Enomoto, him naming Yoshinari anything is actually friendly lol. It was so cute how happy Yoshinari was when he got Ichika to laugh, he's so adorable for trying so hard to talk to her so she won't feel so tense and guarded around him. Considering all the "exotic" things Okazaki likes to try, I'm surprised the durian shake is the one that made Yoshinari nearly vomit hahaha, but maybe that's just because I'm used to the people around me liking durian.

LMAO when Yoshinari collapsed from hunger and even made Kazuki be nicer (since he was initially quite prickly with Yoshinari) and carry him to their apartment to feed him lol. It's actually kinda cute how that encounter ended up making Kazuki feel like it was easier to approach Yoshinari and chat with him lol. Omg, I didn't expect Yoshinari's past and his relationship with his parents to actually be so...sad. I mean, I can understand to an extent why his parents might feel "resentment" or whatever towards Yoshinari since he never came home, was in a gang etc whilst they were probably working their asses off just to make ends meet, but I honestly don't think I can really empathise with them if they can say something to him like just die somewhere that won't trouble them or whatever, like really??? That's just such a cruel thing to say to your child. It's depressing to think that Yoshinari wanted to make up with them and tried to be an upstanding guy and worked hard to be an SP and stuff to show them that he's changed, but they didn't even want to give him a chance and literally just disowned him, that's really terrible.

I love how Yoshinari would willingly "make fun" of himself just to defuse and ease a situation (when Kazuki and Ichika clashed after she followed him to his band practice place), but I really love his sincerity. He's not great with his words, but seeing his sincerity and consideration for Kazuki made Ichika understand that she could trust him and wait for Kazuki because someone like Yoshinari asked her to, and that gives her confidence since she isn't aware what Kazuki is always up to. I think it's sweet to see Ichika appreciated that and told him that she trusts him, and I think that really helped Yoshinari too, since he always feels like he's "trouble" because of his past, but hearing someone appreciate him for doing what he did must make him happy. Lmao at everyone in the office being mean to Yoshinari for planning on going on a date with Ichika hahah. Aww, Yoshinari in work mode is pretty cool~ 

Aww, Ichika crying and hugging Kazuki feeling relieved that he's okay and not in danger anymore was so cute. Gotta feel sorry for Kazuki, he's always targeted lmao. Anyway, seeing the scene with Ichika and Kazuki being able to be more honest with each other and care for each other openly made me really happy. It also made me think, this is probably one of the reasons why I always found it "sad" in Sasazuka's route that they made it like Kazuki needed to "grow up" and live by himself so she could be with Sasazuka properly, when I feel like it's so sad that Kazuki and Ichika have finally made up and can be a "proper" family now, but they didn't even get to spend much time together yet. But it's okay lol, since we get to see her bond with Kazuki in moments like these in other routes.

I can understand why Yoshinari is so insistent on detaching himself from Ichika and them though. As an emotional person myself, when I get attached to people, it would definitely affect my feelings, my thoughts and how I handle things regardless of how much I want to stay logical, so I usually adopt something similar to Yoshinari's way of doing things. But I'm so glad that Yoshinari just went screw that after Ichika gave him a scarf for Christmas haha. In the end, as he said, people aren't machines, and life is too short to hesitate and give up on things like that when it's so difficult to find someone you actually like! Too bad the world wants to bully Yoshinari too, so even though he was able to talk back to Okazaki and tell him he seriously wanted to tell Ichika his feelings, the writers didn't want him to lol. Oh, and I loved how all the guys treated Yoshinari like an abandoned puppy outside in the cold and kept giving him food and stuff so he would keep warm whilst on the job, that was so cute hahaha.

Overall, I quite liked Yoshinari's story, I think it was really cute to see how even though Yoshinari is kinda like the "joke" character that gets bullied, he also has a past that allowed him to connect with Kazuki on a deeper level and help mend Kazuki and Ichika's relationship in his own way. I really liked how sincere Yoshinari was to everyone, and I think it's with such a personality that everyone is able to do the same with him. I think a romance with Yoshinari and Ichika would be so adorable with how they are, and I also really like his friendship with Kazuki so I think they would be a really warm family hahahah. If only we got proper routes for all these side characters🥲🥲🥲 Definitely enjoyed all the side stories and in a sense, they were probably much more fun than the actual routes haha!

[wexhappyxfew]

i literally choked on my pizza when i saw your writing and analyzing questions post, I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!! first of all, what sort of process do you go through when creating characters? what kind of things do you take into consideration when creating them? i’m fascinated because creating characters is far from easy, especially when you’re creating someone like agent mortem! i’m always interested to know what the writer’s thought process was when creating a new character!

okay, so secondly, i wouldn’t say i’m having trouble with keeping all my planning organised and ‘precise’ in a way, but it’s really not easy 😅 i was wondering what kind of processes you go through when planning, whether you have like a specific structure or a set of steps to follow, or if you just kind of roll with it? at the moment when i plan it’s okay and it makes sense, but it’s literally just 4 or 5 pages of really chunky paragraphs which makes it really difficult to pick out the events again when i come to needing the plan to help me. i don’t really know if you do anything different, but if there is any way you know of that i could keep it more organised and easy to follow, that would be great :)

i’ll keep the last ones a little shorter because this ask is already looking veryyy long — what have you enjoyed writing about natia, what struggles have you faced and what have you learned? and basically the same with agent mortem if that’s possible :) i have asked a LOT of questions in this, so don’t feel like you have to answer them all because it will probably take quite a while 😅 anyway, thank you for putting up with my endless questions, and i hope you have a good day <33

ROSE AH HELLO MY FRIEND!!!! <333 sorry ive just gotten to this omg! it’s been sitting here for a little while but i’ve just had so much going on right now and wanted to make sure when i answered that my *full attention* was put on this! (because i’ve been very excited to answer this ESPECIALLY as i see agent mortem questions poking up on here and that just makes me even more hype!!! :D enjoy! <3

Ooooo this is a cool question! I’ve been asked it before but I feel with different characters and such, it always seems to fluctuate for me at least? In the sense, it’s almost never the same process for me in the developmental stages of a character haha! Sometimes I get characteristics first hand, or sometimes a certain scene pops up that just makes the character click and I can build from there, or sometimes, it’s just a last name or a first name that I work with and suddenly have an idea for!

For example, since we’re on the general topic of Landslide, I’ll talk about some things I did when creating specifically Natia. The “Natia” who is currently portrayed in the fic, was not always really like that. Natia initially was not a SOE Agent/Polish Resistance Fighter and instead a Dutch Resistance Member who would meet with Easy in Episode 4. I always sort of knew Natia, in whatever form she was, would meet Easy in Episode 4, but I wasn’t sure how, so the building in the first 17 chapters was the toughest part to come.

I did heavily feel the Polish were underrepresented in terms of the situation of the war along with everything that happened in the Warsaw Uprising and so I felt it was important to see if I could do something with that and that’s really where Natia came into play!

Natia means “hope” essentially and something I really like doing with her character is to parallel or juxtapose different ideas together, to continue on this sort of theme of her being a quite ominous and ambiguous character — you get the general sense of what her morals are, but in certain points it’s questionable. Morally-ambiguous characters have always been fascinating to me, especially female morally-ambiguous characters and so creating Natia in that respect I felt would be interesting to see what I could do!

Something major that I’ve slowly began to take into consideration with characters more and more, is the sort of general theme I want to be present with them — what’s that goal i that they are moving towards in the end and what’s the them surrounding it? For Natia it’s a multitude of things; family, revenge, being silenced, numb, grief, mentor vs protégé, lone wolf etc….the list could truly go on! And with these basic sort of ideas and themes, I can then move on from there and expand.

Why did she want REVENGE? Because the enemy killed her FAMILY, which is extremely important to her, and she wants to feel some sort of REDEMPTION for them.

Why was she BEING SILENCED? Because of the *past* conflict of the HARMFUL MENTOR VS SILENCED PROTÉGÉ situation that occurred between Agent Mortem and herself, where she allowed herself to be silenced by someone who abused the SUDDEN POWER he never had before in his life, ultimately leading to her continued issues of TRUST that she would meet throughout.

Why is she NUMB? Because at a fairly young age she experienced heavy and intense GRIEF that struck unforgivably at a time where it seemed things were safe. To rip something from a character, especially the main character, like FAMILY which is extremely important, you pull at the heart strings and it makes that character move forward on a quest for that in a way, ultimately by the end of the fic. (Basically you up they are least get a semblance of that lost thing, found again by the end)

Why is she a LONE WOLF? Because of the MENTOR VS PROTÉGÉ situation yet again, where she was taught to rely strictly on herself and no one else and so when TRUST and COMPANIONSHIP and TEAMWORK were introduced to her character, she didn’t know how to cope because she had been so desensitized to the ways of Agent Mortem that working back in the morals of family and friends was a challenge in its own respect.

It’s sort of a like a ripple effect if you think about it and that’s what helps me eventually move forward and develop the character arc I want to take place. She’s this way because of this — sort of like cause and effect. It’s really helped me out with major scenes or plot holes that have risen throughout the fic!

AGREED! Writing in general is not an easy feat and now including mind you ORIGINAL CHARACTERS, you’re literally, essentially, creating human beings from scratch and giving them characteristics, a backstory, trauma if you wish, friends and family, people they love, people they hate, morals, standards EVERYTHING! ITS INSANE! AH AND AGENT MORTEM! I’m so very glad that you brought him up, because his creation definitely stemmed directly from the want to experiment with the relationship of failed mentor vs protégé, entirely. I wanted a foil to Natia that was not directly with her all the time. Mortem plays such a MASSIVE role in her story and yet any interactions between the two are either from her mind or from memories and that’s just such a fun way to play around with their dynamic! (I just finished the creation of his backstory and character arc I want him to take and it’s only made me even more excited for what’s to ultimately come for him as well as Natia!)

A song that HEAVILY represents their dynamic is Ghost by Marvin Brooks (2WEI) and I’ll explain why. Even though Mortem is not always inherently *with* Natia, he still is a huge factor of her life, and still heavily controlling many aspects of her life such as recurring memories, reactions, and how she is also conditioned to react to certain things as well. He is essentially a “ghost” who is “haunting” Natia and I feel that’s an interesting take on their connection because they’re two people who clearly had a power struggle and a difference of opinions of multiple things and that just makes it so incredibly interesting to write!

song:

OOOOOO good question!!! So many people have such different ways of approaching story writing and planning and drafting and writing and editing and it’s honestly amazing!! I will say, I’m not an excessive planner or even a real great planner with writing, I never really have, and even as I’ve developed my writing and learned that “it’s okay to slow down”, or “it’s okay to take time for different portions to provide a deeper focus”, I still have not been someone to plan out every bit of my writing.

Reason being is I enjoy seeing where I can take the story in that time and place. Maybe if I’m doing a quick little writing segment and suddenly this idea just appears and hits me, I work it into the fic and it takes it a whole new direction and I end up not being super upset about it because it just…it works! And of course, this is not how other people operate and I have every respect for people who plan and have every detail laid out and figured out and just….completely and utterly planned to the dot. Lile kudos to people who genuinely get the planning all cleaned up before even writing, truly.

I just finalized Agent Mortem’s backstory and where I want his character arc to go and I’ve had him as a character since August of last year LOL! But ya know sometimes, I sit and I think back and go, maybe I wasn’t ready at that time to develop him completely yet because I, the writer, didn’t understand him enough to and I had to write more of him to be able to get a grasp of who he was and his character (and just about everything else!) and that’s okay!!! :)

Going with this idea I just stated above — the 4 or 5 pages of info — KEEP IT MY FRIEND!!! I swear, half the reason ideas even come to me is simply because I just write a big info dump that has all my little ideas somewhere inside and will ALWAYS be there. I recommend maybe taking a day though - away from focusing on writing or editing - and just picking that apart. (That’s what I did the other day and it helped me out MAJORLY! and it was worth it in the end!) Maybe keep the original 4-5 pages and then copy and paste the same thing in another doc so you always have the original!

And then just go through and split ideas apart! If you start reading and see it moving into another realm of headspace of ideas, just press enter and separate the two — you didn’t delete it, it’s still there and still intact! It’s just easier to look at now because instead of two, jumbled and completely different ideas, you now have two paragraphs and portions of text that relate to their own respective idea. It definitely makes it an easier pill to swallow when trying to get yourself organized!!

This really helped me when I was in my beginning stages of figuring out Landslide ESPECIALLY the first 17ish chapter where Natia was not in contact with Easy yet. I’ve explained it before but those chapters are there because we are seeing her final days with the resistance in Warsaw and how she ultimately ends up with Easy PLUS we see who she is as a character by herself and how she is not merely an extension off of Easy, but her own character, her own person. She has her own story and her own morals and ways of going about her life that don’t even relate to Easy. Their paths just happened to cross!! :)

By getting those first 17ish chapters planned, not extreme planning though I will admit, half the scenes were very much thought up on the spot for example like Natia driving to Munich in disguise or the introduction of Zdzich — two very important scenes that show us something about Natia. (1) She’s willing to go to extreme lengths for the people she loves to ensure that in the end they are safe, even if it means sacrificing herself and (2) she has trouble realizing that there are people out there that genuinely care for her, a connection to her ultimate, unruly and upsetting past. And the best part about it is THESE WEREN’T EVEN PLANNED! So sometimes, just let the story take the reigns and your mind and just guide you through it. Sometimes it is for the best :)

If you have your basic ideas and concepts and themes for how you want your fic to eventually go, the scenes for me most of the time just appear I guess when they should. Sometimes even in the times I'm not writing, I sit theorizing and questioning and thinking and developing ideas in my mind and it's a real good exercise, so when you get back to writing, you already know where you want the fic leading in the end!

MAN I LOVE THIS QUESTION. Anytime I can provide some meta or give some insight to Natia who is just one of the best characters I’ve gotten the pleasure of working with, I’ll gladly answer!

The thing I enjoy writing about Natia the most I feel, and I’ll probably always say this, is her complexity — as a writer, her character orders a healthy challenge for me that I gladly have accepted! You don’t know everything about her as a reader and as you read each chapter, that’s how you slowly uncover and discover what she hid about herself to protect herself. There’s so many different aspects of her that I could discuss truly!! (There has been so many parts that I’ve scrapped because I read through and just think “Man this doesn’t seem like Natia!”. She’s tricky sometimes to stake down exactly how she would react because of her past and her trauma and how long she’s been in war, but I just LOVE it!)

Many different aspects of her character though, come from her past and that’s what makes her interesting. I’ve really enjoyed working with the ideology of “Chekov’s Gun”, a writing device that can be used, with how I will mentioned something and it almost might seem out of the blue, yet later it all just makes sense?! When the flashback is revealed or a small portion of her past is finally allowing *light* in. It's a device I've used with Natia that has just really helped to develop her story at the pace I want it to be revealed! :D

For example, the OCEAN is mentioned many times. I make constant reference to the WAVES, the RECESSION of them from time to time, the comparison of the OCEAN both ABOVE and BELOW surface — all of that sorta stuff! For her character, it seems a bit out of place. She’s COLD. She’s NUMB. She’s BROKEN. What does an open body of water consuming at least 70% of the Earth have to do with an OC based in Warsaw, Poland?

This is where the importance of her PAST will play it’s role, as it has a major INFLUENCE on her and her CHARACTER and her MORALS. One of the main reasons the OCEAN is inherently connected to Natia is because of her PAST and one of those main reasons is AGENT MORTEM and her TRAINING, especially WATER training. I can’t comment further on this though as readers have only touched the tip of the iceberg for the use of the OCEAN and it’s IMPORTANCE so far in this fic! (Ask me again about it once this fic is finished up for the most part, unless….by Part 4 readers understand why!)

Natia just remains a character who constantly is developing and changing inside my head - where I want her path to ultimately end up leading by the end of the fic, where I want both her mental head space vs emotional head space should be and etc. So many portions of this fic are dealt specifically on her internal monologue and how she calculates and problem solves from that portion of her sort of *engagement* within the conflict. There never seems to be a dull moment when writing her!

Another thing I really have enjoyed about writing Natia is her clashing personality traits that make her interesting to write in both different scenarios and reactions. She's stubborn yet humble. She's numb and cold but internally extremely caring and giving and filled with these bottled up emotions. She's mentally strong yet she's been through so much and let the war take so much. She never complains about what she's doing, but she's lost nearly everyone she loves. She's a fighter in this war and refuses to back down from a battle she know she can wage, but the second she is pulled from the aspect of war, things crash and burn around her. Just even these few combating sort of things, really show her character and what, through writing, has slowly developed! They always lay around in the back of my mind and it's one of the main things I remind myself when I write Natia all the tme.

I think one of the most important things I've learned from both writing and creating a character like Natia is that (1) it's okay to ask for help, about anything, literally anything. You don't have to confine everything to yourself and build up this immense pressure to do what you must to continue moving forward. It's okay to have people there to help you and support you. (2) It's okay to be strong alone and even if you seem to be the only one on the current path you're are on, it does not mean you are wrong. it can still lead to the right destination in the end!

Oooo okay! AGENT MORTEM!! I am totally down to chat about some things I've loved to write with him with and some challenges I've discovered, but as far as what I've learned from him, I will be holding off and could answer that when the entire fic is both completed and then updated on platforms....just because ;) don't want to give away any spoilers haha! <3

Something I've enjoyed about writing and crafting Agent Mortem is letting him remain as mysterious and secretive as he is for so long. Initially, I can't even begin to recall what his character would be like even a year ago, but seeing where he has developed now, I'm really happy with where he is. He's mysterious, he's shadowed, he seems like a figure in the background, a past mentor who is half deranged and lost his mind with a background with so substance. It makes for such a fascinating way to begin to reveal his past! (something I've began to insert into part 4 of Landslide and man I'm just so HYPE!)

I feel I'm excited simply because he's finally getting the time and moment he deserves to finally explain and show himself as to what has occurred. There's so many fractured and disconnected parts of what is currently going on with Natia and her connection to both Agent Mortem and then Death is tossed in the mix and it seems this big complicated mess of 'how' Agent Mortem got to be this way, 'why' he does a thing such as this, just different and varying aspects such as that. it makes for those big final reveals to all be even more worth it!

He has been quite the challenge though I will admit. There's so many perspectives he could quite possibly be viewed from and his *character* + morals/values could be pulled in a various amount of ways as well. Making sure he accurately comes across the way I want him to both appear and come across to the reader and to myself has definitely been tricky. He's not as easy as suspected, you know, not just a 'dude who had a bad day and went insane in the end', there's a whole multitude of levels and reasons and a deep, heavy and traumatizing background starting from his birth really (which is a whole other story). Managing and balancing that all in one has definitely been something I've had to keep on top of and monitor but I feel has really been worth the challenge in the end. Because at the end of the day, I'm someone looking to constantly challenge myself.

And a good challenge, whether it be writing or academics or a workout, is healthy and GOOD! That's what Landslide in a whole has really shown me, to challenge yourself daily to see where you can push yourself and your imagination and creativity, just to see where you can even go!! it's exciting and refreshing!

Thank you so much for this wonderful ask Rose! I appreciate it more than ANYTHING as you well know, and I know it's taken me *quite* some time to answer, but I've been working on it for weeks now and finally got it out because it was ready! I really wanted to take my time with it and develop it to its full potential in the end and I feel I have (without giving away any spoilers haha!) As always, please know if you have any further questions regarding Natia Filipska, Agent Mortem, Death (along with other characters of Landslide), writing, the process (my own included), tips for writing/planning, or just anything else in general, I will always be happy to help in anyway I can! You're always welcome, anyone always is!!! <3333 Thank you again, I had so much fun doing this more than anything! :D

[tartagliaxx]

hi. i only got to play in inazuma today so here's me live reacting to the archon quest. it's a lil out of context tho so have fun trying to figure out which parts im talking abt. also, this is the only time i'm going to be talking abt spoilers for at least one week so... 🤷‍♀️

swordfish ii? cute.

Jesus Christ. and here i thought it was my lowest settings that made his hair grey… this poor kid. teppei i admire your determination but no… just no...

SCARAMOUCHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

IF EVIL WHY SO HOT

you know.... scaramouche could stand still and the air would get electrified. and yknow,,, that's p... that's p attractive

ugh im disgusting myself. and here i thought i still had an inch of sanity left in me.

of all people it had to be this little jerk

scaramouche is so fucking evil. i’d like ten of him, please.

man,, they expect me to dodge this shit? that’s the biggest l i’ve heard today. none of that shit. i’m bringing out my zhong and my sweet madames skrrt

sayu is adorable… i remember when i had hopes of growing up too… alas, it has come to this.

OH MY GOD AYATO CRUMBS. I AM LICKING THAT SHIT UP. PLEASE— HE HAS A SECRET UNIT. THATS SO HOT WTF. AYATO MY DEAR, PLEASE DONT BE A REGULAR ICKY NPC BUT WHITE HAIRED…

SNEAKY SNEAK. SNEAKY SNEAK.

THOMA OH MY GOD MY MALEWIFE. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? also, sayu’s sleeping again. this girl’s got talent. is her circadian rhythm okay?

pains me to be the bearer of all bad news and no good news…

WAIT THOMA IS LEAVING NO DONT LEAVE YET I WANT TO LOOK AT YOU MORE

oh nvm he’s still in the background.

EYY WHATS UP AYAKA. YOU’RE AS FINE AS EVER.

i… i don’t like where this is going… i refuse to be the bait. i’m too hot for that. so spicy they’ll spit me right out

DONT VOLUNTEER YOURSELF LUMINE— GIVE ME AN OPTION OR AT LEAST AN ‘OH SHIT HERE WE GO AGAIN’ LINE

YES FIREWORKS THAT WOULD WORK RIGHT? PLEASE TELL ME THAT WOULD WORK-

oh thank god… wait... they… they wouldn’t ask me to be the one to set off the fireworks right?

UNFORTUNATELY NO. AFTER YOU BECOME A FREE MAN, YOU’RE IMMEDIATELY MARRYING ME THOMA ANJKFHAIGHLANGKLAHOFJLKAB

oh crap… i’m… i’m in deep.

HE’S BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING US AGAIN EVERY DAY SINCE HE GOT THERE ANFLaglvbajlfblabvljabefva;bfalLJBLJDABVBAALSNADL tumblr user @tartagliaxx is broken. she is now irreparable. she has no regrets. goodbye.

ehem… what if… you and i… and hotsprings… together?? JUST KIDDING. PG-13 OVER HERE. NOTHING INDECENT WHATSOEVER MOVE ALONG NOW

poor thoma,,,

oh come on ayaka… cut us some slack… i just watched lumine wheeze bc of evil purple mist only to be dragged into 2 timeskips and an entire training arc. dont let her be yet another traumatized shounen manga protagonist… altho, it might be uh… too late for that…

oh dear… is thoma going to get another round of diarrhea?

OF COURSE. OF COURSE IT’S ME DOING ALL THE WORK. OF COURSE IT’S ME WHO’S RISKING MY LIFE ALL OVER AGAIN. GOD! GIVE LUMINE A BREAK. BEING A TRAVELER DOES NOT MEAN IT’S FREE REAL ESTATE.

hello yoimiya… still looking as bomb as ever i see……… mhm… gonna see myself out rn…

HELP MY SHITTY GRAPHICS COMPLETELY ERADICATED HER BROWS

oh god… are we dying because of fireworks? forget getting caught by the patrol… we’re about to light up an untested firework that was made to be a billion times more explosive….

NO. SHE SAID IT. SHE SAID THE CURSED SENTENCE. WHATS THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN? IDK YOU TELL ME. YOU JUST SENTENCED US TO DEATH YOIMIYA GREAT GOING still love you tho.

man… these patrol guards aint shit… i literally walked an inch behind their backs and they did nothing… its a surprise the rebellion still hasn’t won when they place guards like this in their ranks………. ok that was kinda mean i’ll apologize in a bit.

SAYU OMG… DONT WORRY I’LL SNEAK YOU OUT AND RISK MY LIFE willingly JUST TO RESCUE YOU. ILYSM HONEY YOU’RE DOING SO WELL

no, paimon. it’s not but we’re doing it anyway 🤡

NO ONE TOLD ME WE’RE GOING TO RUN. I WENT COMPLETELY OFF COURSE. first try tho 😏

HELLO THOMA. HELLO AYAKA.

HELLO SAYU. HOW DID IT GO? IM GUESSING IT WENT WELL BC YOU’RE STILL ALIVE?

oh no….. she’s worn herself out…. man,,, this is why you dont make convicts out of kids….

WE ASKED SAYU FOR AN INCH AND SHE GAVE AS TEN THOUSAND MILES. SAYU MY CHILD YOU EXCEED EXPECTATIONS

god, don’t remind me. as hot as the shogun trying to kill us w her blade was, i don’t appreciate almost getting murdered on screen (even if we most certainly have plot armor)

awwww is thoma worried about me uwu owo? dw i have like… a lumine w 6% crit rate by my side

sigh… i dont want to leave yet… cant i just stay by thoma’s side and not go to war for a change?

it was at this moment that tumblr user lei saw the wonders of being a housewife.

oh sara… my stars… i’m so sorry. i feel so bad for you but at the same time… this oddly makes me want to write a song for you ABJFJKABJABCABVABVKA I KNOW JACK SHIT ABT SONGWRITING WHY AM I THINKING LIKE THIS

well… there she goes…

oh…. oh….. yae is stealing my heart. WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO (i have an alt for a reason heehee)

DEAR LORD. PLEASE STEP ON MY NECK SARA.

these guys got guts to say ‘i’m sorry ma’am’ to THE kujou sara.

oh old man… you’re dead. you’re so dead.

man… this old man is a simp? sheesh.

YES. GO TELL EM PAIMON. PREACH THAT SHIT LOUD AND CLEAR.

oh my god… is that dude dead? i probably should’ve uh apologized b4 he flopped down to the ground ig…

MAN,, SARA’S DOWN FOR THE COUNT?? tbf i didnt expect much but…. also, AYE SIGNORA’S SO ICY.

she’s calling me out for being a simp ;-; heart been broke so many times or smth

OH SHIT LUMINE SPOKE. MAN,, WHY IS SHE SO COOL.

oh… i love this part of the vow… im suddenly inspired to write… how about a wedding au? an angsty wedding au?

goddamn… it’s been nice knowing you all…. i dont think i’ll come out of this alive if signora went out like that…

WHATS HAPPENING? ARE YOU SAYING KAZUHA WENT THROUGH THIS BS? IS LUMINE OKAY-

DID THEY REALLY JUST STORM THE ENTIRE FUCKING CAPITAL?? THEY HAVE SOME NERVE.

FUCK OMG KAZUHA AHHAHFHAFHAHGKJABKASBGA IM TEARING UP WTF WHY AM I GETTING EMOTIONAL- HONEY BUN THATS SO HOT OF YOU TO DO

oh… oh it’s time for round two? haha… time to… say my goodbyes….

yo… there are actual tears in my eyes… like… idk why… but that cutscene? shit man… that hit me…

hm… i feel bad for the shogun… ultimately, there is reason behind every act no matter how horrid. no matter how unreasonable, the reason one thinks of is always justified on their end. whatever everyone else thinks pay little effect on whether the act is fulfilled or not. also, her little laugh? i’m extra deceased.

the animation's fire as always wtf

oh but my kokoro... oof... my kokoro... ugh...

I’M SO FUCKING DONE AJKFHAKJBVAK- WE BEAT A HARBINGER AND FOR WHAT? she should’ve just tossed that gnosis into the ocean or smth...

HAH OMG SCARAMOUCHE. WHAT A MAN. I’M- I WAS RIGHT OMG. I HAD A LIL THEORY AND ITS JUST SMTH I HAD IN THE BACK OF MY MIND. I NEVER THOUGHT IT’LL ACTUALLY COME TRUE DEAR LORD. so now ig i have to admit i think abt him a lot and he has a soft spot in my heart 🥺 he’s evil you see and you know what my type is? evil men or at the very least, men with the potential to be evil. ugh so annoying.

scaramouche banner when

bc i sold everything worthy of money in me (read as my organs) for albedo, i'll sell my soul for him how about that?

EYE- makoto huh… well… fuck…

it’s day 400 of being ayato less even if he’s like… teased a million of times (jk it’s like… a grand total of seven but thats still p high)

im so… sigh…

i wonder if i’m still alive by the time sumeru releases… at the very least, i know my brain wouldn’t be.

....we were literally a captain for like... one second. that is so sad.