#siren zen

[leadmetothegardenbetty]

wondering if he can *** ***** **** ****

[smcempathy]

Dash did a thing! Tumblr gets it!!

by  ZAF

[echantedtoon]

Ocean Deep Ch20 Love Will Always Come Back

(Hey everyone. I just wanted to thank everyone who read this far and liked my story enough to read it to it's end. I had a lot of fun writing it and it makes me happy knowing some people loved it enough to read it fully. If you liked this consider checking out my other works. Thanks to everyone for reading this, faving it, or leaving a nice comment. And thank you to Koyoharu Gotouge for creating such wonderful characters and giving me the opportunity to make this wonderful story.)

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@lavender-moony

Everyone whipped around wide eyed at the raged filled voice and even more at the death glare that wine red eyes gave you all.

"T-Tengen?!"

He snapped his angry eyes towards you as his name toppled from your lips. His eyes lane with deep hurt under the angry present. The head of white hair and eye bags stared at you for a long moment before strong hands pulled the boat back towards him and away from the rocks jolting the the others in the boat.

"NO!!" Kanae screamed out looking panicked as the land was pulled away from her. "Nononono!!" Loud splashes echoed throughout the night air as she slapped the oar in her hands down and pushing forward to no avail. Tengen was just too strong for a single woman with an oar.

"Stop freaking out! Do you know how dangerous it is out here at night by yourselves?!" He continued to pull the boat back farther and farther before pausing to start swimming around the side, running a hand along as he made his way towards the front of the boat facing the land, the bracelets on his wrist jingling as he stationed himself there in place to start pushing the boat back where it came from.

"You all  could've been carried out by the current and starved to death! Or a siren could've eaten you!!," he continued to shout all along the way as he did so. "Or what if the boat sank and all of you drowned?! Or a rouge mer decided to snatch you up for his harem!?" That last sentence really made him angry as he hissed to himself. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU ALL THINKING?!"

"Tengen, stop!," you shouted holding up your hands. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm taking you all home! What does it look like I'm doing?!"

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!!," Kanae straight up yelled up at him in panic. 

"OF COURSE I CAN!! IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S A BIG DEAL ANYWAYS!! YOU CAN'T BE THAT DESPERATE TO RISK YOUR LIFE OVER A STUPID HUMAN VILLAGE!!" 

There was silence as everyone stared at him or Kanae as her face matched his own rage. Before you all watched as she stood, the boat creaking under her weight and the oar thudding as she harshly threw it to her feet. Her pink eyes glared hard at Tengen before turning sideways, spreading her arms forward, and then with a deep inhale launched herself forward-

"KANAE!!," Koyuki squealed out as you all watched her dive into the dark water.

There was a very loud splash as her body disappeared into the water, casting ripples from where she disappeared under before three seconds later the surface broke. With a splash and loud gasp a head of black hair pushed itself up from the water coughing and bobbing in and out of the small waves. Her long black hair stuck to her face and flowed out behind her as she turned and started swimming towards the land. Tengen only watched shocked too stunned to speak-

SPLASH!!

Before another splash made him look over and a moment later Shinobu's head bobbed up spitting water and slowly following her sister. ...Kanao stood up, tightened the belt around her waist before pinching her nose and mouth, and throwing herself off after her sisters another person following behind her.

"C'mon, Yuki!"

Koyuki let out a loud squeak of surprise when she was just suddenly thrown onto Mitsuri's back and without warning the pink haired girl jumped off the boat in a cannonball that let out the biggest splash of all. Sending a cascade of water over Tengen finally snapping him out of any shocked staring shaking his head and sending droplets everywhere to clear his vision and allowing him to watch the six girls swimming away from the now empty boat and reaching the rocks slowly grabbing onto the flat surfaces and hauling their soaked bodies up and onto the ledges. The ones who climbed up first turning around to reach out to help the others up followed by the two playing piggy back through the water and being the slowest swimmers. The four already on land hauling up the last two like desperate sailors on a sinking ship. 

"Run! GO!"

Kanae shouted at you all pushing Shinobu's back towards the trail of rocks towards the solid sand bank and the woods beyond. Wet footsteps thudded down the rocks as everyone just RAN. Bare feet slapping against rocks. Wet shoes squishing loudly with each desperate step everyone ran across!! Running and running and running- Until sand squished on your feet. Nice DRY sand! Hearts pounded as you all ran through the sand, kicking it up as you desperately clawed through. Shinobu slipped and fell into the sand at one point only for Mitsuri to scoop her up and just keep on running like it was nothing. 

Kanae collapsed first onto the grass. Falling onto hands and knees and letting out a sobbing wail that was held back for so long crying and clinging to the blades of green plants under her feet like it was her only lifeline. Forehead pressed into the ground and nearly worshipping its soft embrace. The long exhaustion of bodies followed around, collapsing in one way or another around her exhausted and tired. They'd done it..they were finally home! Stage Four of the plan had been successful at last. At last you felt like you could rest, laid out on the sand and catching your breath in the soft grass. Breathing heavily but being at peace...

Until a strange dragging sound caused you to look up from where you laid  and felt yourself freeze as Tengen began crawling out of the water and crawling his way across the sand towards you all. His jewelry jingling wildly as he approached.

"Hell no! Not again!" You swore that it was Shinobu who shouted at everyone as she yelled out. "RUN!!"

Footsteps moved. Shouts were heard. Hands grabbed at each other and pulled each other up quickly as the group collectively and instinctively ran for the thick treeline away from the beach with determination. Including you. You had that determination. But you looked back...And you saw red eyes. Wide hurt red eyes. Filling up with tears and letting them run down the length of his cheeks and collecting of his chin only to fall off in large drops. ..you feet slowed down and you stopped just outside the treeline. Staring at you with hurt that ran old and deep. 

"Y/N!! Y/N, C'MON!! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE ANYONE ELSE SHOWS UP! ESPECIALLY OBANAI!!" You didn't move. "...Y/n, what are you doing?! Come on!" Someone called out from the treeline.

You didn't move continuing to stare at the merman for a long moment. "... I'll be right back." 

"WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" The voice continued to yell out as you slowly approached the merman again. "YOU'RE GONNA GET DRAGGED BACK TO THAT HELL SPACE!!"

Footsteps slowly approached the crying mess of a man that looked one step away from straight up sobbing. He watched wide eyed, hopeful with each step she took towards him until she stopped just outside of reach. If he wanted to be could easily just grab her and easily take her back but the thought didn't cross his mind at the moment. She silently just stared at him neutrally and unusually calm. Silent 

"How did you find us?"

....He sniff. Reaching up an arm to wipe at those eyes. "I-I can hear you.."

Ah right. You forgot about that. It's not surprising that he ended up being here. Your eyes looked to the side before you sighed and looked back to him. "Tengen, I'm not going back. Realistically I can't just live on an island in the middle of nowhere with no one else."

"That's not true!" He shouted back but you didn't flinch. "You-You got m-my wives and K-Kyo and ME! "

"I need to see more people than just you guys all the time."

"You'll have the others!"

"TENGEN!!" ...You groaned again hand rubbing at your wet face. "*Sigh* I already went over this with you. No one wants to stay there because none of us had a say in it!" You frowned hard at him. "It has nothing to do with liking or disliking you. We all have families and friends and our own homes that we haven't been allowed to see. If we're desperate enough to sneak away in the middle of the night shouldn't that tell you SOMETHING about how we feel?!"

He opened his mouth-....But couldn't find the words to say anything.

You sighed again. "We're tired. And we're going home. Can you understand that?"

"I don't want to lose you." You blinked surprised at the way he shakily reached out to you. New tears coming out. "Please. Don't you.."

Love me. Didn't you love love me?

He choked and nearly sobbed when a hand cupped his cheek. "I do like you guys..but I'm not ready for a relationship yet. So it's not a never. It's a not now, and right now is not a good time for anyone. You need to heal before I come in the picture, and I need to figure myself out. When we're both ready I'll come back."

"How do I know you'll come back?!" His hands suddenly grabbed yours. "What if you just run off and never come back?! What if you marry someone else?! WHAT IF SOMETHING TAKES YOU AND I CAN'T STOP IT BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT HERE?!"

"I'll come back because I promised you." A thumb swiped over the bottom of his eyes delicately. "And I promise you Id give you a chance to convince me to be a Mrs. Uzui." Her hands slowly left his face. "But right now we have to go home..Our home. You need to go home too and be with your family too. Alright?"

No. NO! He didn't want her to go!! She can't go! She's was safer with him!! And yet.. Something made him say yes. Nod yes. But shakily still reached out as she began backing up and turning with a sad frown. Choking and finally starting to sob as you walked away from him back towards the treeline. A weight felt heavier in your guts as you returned to where everyone was waiting for you wide eyed until Shinobu grabbed your front. 

"What were you thinking?! You could've been kidnapped again!!"

"I-"

"Nevermind." She started dragging you forward into the woods. "We're loosing time and they already know we're gone! We need to leave before Obanai catches on!"

You blinked looking back to Tengen as she continued to drag you deeper into the woods, until the trees blocked him from view and the echoes of his loud crying could no longer be heard as you were dragged along further and further behind the group. She caught you up with everyone else. All of you were tired, sore, and all soaked but you made it. You were finally going home. But now the problem was that you didn't know exactly where you were, so you all just began walking. Leaves crunching under your feet and sticks cracking. Just walking and walking and walking. Walking still when the first rays of light shines up on the world and you all were yawning tiredly. Koyuki had once again be carried by Mitsuri because her weakened body had taken a toll with the stressful night. She snored away softly on the pink haired girl's shoulders without a care in the world. Lucky.

"LOOK!!" You jumped as Shinobu stopped. And then pointed ahead at the treeline. "A ROAD!!" She ran!

You blinked looking up at where she looked. A ROAD!! A DIRT ROAD!! RIGHT PAST A FEW TREES!! In awe you followed everyone as you crashed through the woods until your feet hit the soft dirt of the road..Or should I say roads!

"I know this place!" You exclaimed looking at the form in the road and the familiar weird looking rock, before pointing up the left way. "THE TOWN IS THAT WAY!!"

"You sure?"

You nodded. "I had to come this way when I brought them back to the ocean! Home is definitely that way!"

"Then what are we waiting for!? Let's get going!"

Walking. There was SO MUCH walking. You all walked until you had no choice due to your bodies' exhaustion and soreness and because the sun was setting. Bedding down behind some tall bushes for camouflage before awaking the next morning and walking again. Two weeks you all walked and walked. Stopping at small berry bushes and small streams for food and water but otherwise still tired and walking.

Until you came across the river. Ah! This was the river you found Kyojuro in! That means the town was merely a few hours away. However the sisters and Mitsuri froze seeing it. Oh..right. This is where the sisters were abducted and near where Mitsuri was taken so of course they'd be reluctant to go near it.

"Let's all just run across the bridge and keep running until we're long gone from it!" You suggested.

There was an immediate agreement. The bridge thudded with many loud thinks as you all ran across it. Ran and never looked back. Ran and didn't look at the water. Just run and run until you were long past it and you couldn't run anymore. And then after a short rest you all continued to walk on. So close to home..And then you saw it. The first house you all needed to pass. 

The Henya house.

You stared at it for a long time before you began walking again. It looked abandoned and empty. Good riddance. You were expecting the sight before you but it was a shocked to the girls looking around in shock at abandoned buildings empty and boarded up. No one to be found on the once busy streets. Nothing but cold silence echoing throughout the entire town as you slowly walked through staring at the buildings. And then Kanao looked forward. Her pink eyes going wide.

"DADDY!!"

Like a shooting star, the teenager shot off from your group and ran from the main road and down the right on another. The look of surprise on everyone's faces at the scene you saw. At WHO you saw. A man with black hair and pink eyes was carrying a small crate out of a house and towards a wagon attached to a mule mindlessly pawing at the dirt road. He looked tired and miserable and sad, but he stopped and looked up at the sudden yell. Pink eyes widened. The crate fell out of his hands and crashed onto the ground with a clatter, toppling over and spilling dishes all over the dirt. But that didn't matter to him. None of that mattered to him. As his wide eyes took in the sight of the teenage girl ran towards him. 

"Kanao...Oh my gods. KANAO!!"

Dishes kicked aside by feet racing towards her. Arms open wide and tears starting up as a taller man ran to her, and caught the shooting star as she collided into his arms with enough force to knock the wind outta him. But he didn't care as the two gripped onto each other. Tight enough to be afraid that someone would take her away again. Soft wails echoed out from the two hugging tightly in the middle of the abandoned road. 

"DAD!!" "FATHER!!"

Two more blurs rushed past your forms and two more crying girls raced down the road only to collide with the older man still clutched onto the first one. All sobbing in one big pile only for one more to be added. Ms. Kocho must've heard all the shouting and took a break from packing to come investigate the noise, only to freeze and in a similar fashion to her husband run over to clutch onto the three girls. Crying out something along the lines of 'MY BABIES' before joining them. Both parents crying and clutching for dear life onto the three children of theirs. You three stood there awkwardly before Mitsuri suddenly gasped out and ran off up the streets more startling both yourself and Koyuki.

"BROTHER!!"

A young boy still young enough to be your younger brother but a few years older than Kanao looked up boredly from carrying a burlap sack but looked absolutely surprised when a pink and green braided hair girl came charging towards him. "MITSURI?! GAH!!"

"I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!!," she cried out grabbing him up into her arms as soon as she got close enough and began twirling him around braids swinging around wildly. 

"AHH AHH AHH!" Her brother cried out as she twirled him around and around. "Mitsi, stop! I'm gonna be sick!"

It wasn't long before her parents akso came out hearing the commotion. Both shocked to see her but absolutely ecstatic to see her back. Leaving both yourself and Koyuki awkwardly standing there and watching the scenes happening around you both. After a moment she looked at you and smiled hopefully if not still a bit sad.

"Y/n. Aren't you going to see your family? I'm sure they'd be happy to see you too!"

You flinched. "...Yeah. I bet they would've been too."

You knew she didn't mean too hurt you. She probably didn't know but it still stung. She must've senses something was upsetting you because she didn't say anything else.

"What about you? Don't you have a father?"

"He's in the next town over. It's a many days travel right up the bay."

Ah. That made more sense.

"You're such a mess!" Mitsuri's mother fretted over her. To be fair all of you were pretty much a mess. Two weeks soaked from seawater, running through woods and on dirt roads, sleeping in bushes and behind trees. You all weren't exactly prime presentable. "All of you look like you've been through hell." Well she wasn't wrong. Mrs. Kanroji beckoned for you and Koyuki to come towards her. "You girls come inside. Well get you all cleaned up and put some food in your stomachs."

Food? You perked up. Something that wasn't fish based or coconuts or wild berries from walking all the way here?! Sign you up!! You both gladly took the Kanrojis up on their offer. Getting a nice warm bath that felt like it melted away five layers of skin off, and was served beef. ACTUALLY BEEF!! AND PICKLED VEGETABLES!! You never thought you'd eat more than Mitsuri but you just might've that night. Mitsuri was even nice enough to lend both of you a few of her dresses her family thankfully kept. You felt so much better!

"What happened?! Where have you been?! How did you get back?! And who're these girls?!"

Mitsuri and you supposed the Kocho sisters must've explained everything but you didn't pay too much attention. Too busy wolfing down the delicious seasoned beef that Mrs. Kanroji had given you. IT WAS SO GOOD AFTER NEARLY THREE WEEKS OF FISH BROTH SOUP AND COCONUTS!! Well turns out they did explain everything to them. Including how Koyuki's father actually lived the next town over which was a few days journey, and coincidentally the place the Kanrojis and Kochos were moving too. After waiting so long and literally everyone else leaving, they had given up on ever seeing their daughters again and were in the middle of moving to be with other distant family. It was only by luck you all happened to come by just on time as they were packing to leave the very next day.

"You're free to come with us, Koyuki," Mr. Kanroji offered with a smile. "We'd be happy to help you get home after you helped our daughter."

"Really?!" She beamed at them with big eyes. "Thank you! I don't know what to say!"

"Of course! We leave first thing in the morning so be sure to get plenty of rest." He then turned to you. "You're free to travel with us too, Y/n."

"Hm?" You looked up at him blinking.

"Well the last few people here were all of us, and the Henyas and Satoshis. But Mrs. Henya left a long time ago. Just slung a bag over her shoulder one day and left. And the Satoshis all left after their horse went missing and they couldn't keep up the farm without it."......Oops. You suddenly felt bad. But at least you knew they left town to somewhere safer. "You're free to come with us as well. A young girl alone in this abandoned town .. Doesn't sound right."

Yeah alone 

"I-I'll think about it. Thanks for the food, Mrs. Kanroji. But I think I'd better go check my home."

Your home was rather empty when you opened the door. Dust seemed to have settled on everything and it looked the same as the other buildings did. Abandoned. Empty. You stood there for a long time and turned. Footsteps echoed throughout the hallway as you stopped in front of the bathroom door still open from when you left here. The cold room devoid of Life and bathtub completely empty of both water and Mermaids. Any moment you were expecting to hear Suma's voice shouting your name and Makio yelling at her to shut up again. Hearing Kyojuro's loud booming laughter and Hinatsuru calming everyone down with her soothing voice. You can just picture what Tengen would say about all of this.

"Ah! My flamboyant family is thriving once again I see. But you're forgetting to add me!"

You couldn't help but chuckle at the idea continuing to walk through the house. Huh...Did you always have such little furniture? And was the house always this big and empty? It felt so much bigger. So much emptier. So much more space. So little anything really. It made you feel small in your own home...Funny how you were so desperate before to get back here and now..it felt so lonely.

You did lay down in your old bed, but it felt different from before. Nothing like the warmth you shared when you took naps with them....

"Ah. Ms. L/n! Have you decided to come along after all?"

You stood there, bag slung over your shoulder and staring at Mr. Kanroji. You caught both families in the act of leaving just in the nick of time too. "It depends. Where's this town you're going to located at?"

"It's a much bigger fishing town up the coast. My wife's family lives there so it'd be a good idea to stay with them until we get resettled especially since it's not safe here anymore."

"Is it along the West Coast?"

"Yes! A beautiful view! You can even spot some islands in the distance a bit aways from the shoreline."

Tengen's territory. You smiled. "Well if that's the case I'd love to travel with you."

He smiled. "Go right ahead and hop in with the other girls. We're leaving as soon as Mitsuri gets her cat in a crate."

It was ironic really. Leaving home after you worked so hard to get back. Traveling the same path you did when you came back. The families hurrying their carts over that cursed bridge and getting as far away from the place where it happened as possible. Going back through towards the form in the road, but turning down the way you never went before slowly watching as the pathway back towards the beach where you left Tengen crying and begging for you to come back to him. 

Just wait a bit longer. You'll be back. You smiled. You'd be back real soon.

*****

The water was warm today. Very nice as they sat on the rocks. Of course there was always the occasional human gawker gazing out and pointing out them but they knew better than to try and approach them by now. The rocks surface was smooth obviously smoothed out by the sea water waves rolling over them for so long. It made for a perfect spot for him to just lay there and stare at the blue sky. Well that was before a pouting face leaned over him to stare down at him.

"Tengen! Makio pushed me off again!"

"Well then stop that obnoxious snoring! You sound like a walrus with a headache and bad tooth!" 

"I do not! Wwaah! Tengen, tell her to stop being so mean to me!"

He couldn't help but chuckle and dawn a smile before going back to close his eyes. "You know it's Kyo's day to stop the disputes today. I'm taking my time napping."

"Wwwaaahhh!! That's not fair!"

"What's not fair is you snoring my ears off!!"

"LET'S NOT FIGHT NOW!! Suma! Come here! You can cuddle up with me right now!"

"Kyooojurooo!! So considerate!"

He sighed happily settling down back against the warm rock. Listening to the loud sloshing of waves giving their lullaby. The breeze dusting over them. The sweet smells of salts and distant plants from land.

"Tengen!" 

He paused. Body going rigid at the voice calling out distantly over the wind....Nah. He must be hearing things. He slowly relaxed back.

"TENGEN!!"

Red eyes popped open. His partners jumping as he shot upright and paused.. before his head snapped around. And his eyes widened at a woman figure on the beach far away waving a full arm at him. You stood there having spotted him from afar and waved your arms at him. It took a few days constantly scouting out the coast until you could find them again and by luck spotted them just off the coast laying on some rocks. You knew it was them by their colors even if you couldn't see them too good from far away. Like you suspected, Tengen's hearing had caught onto your voice and the white blue pushed up from the rocks. Head turning to you...And then you saw the white blur quickly dive into the water. 

Here he comes. 

Smiling widely you watched and waited right in the water as a massive white blur approached. And then a body breached the water with a massive splash sending water droplets all over yourself as something large crawling up to you with the distinct sounds of jingling jewelry. Red Wine eyes wide and a wide smile on his face.

"Well..looks like I was right and my incredibly flamboyant fiance couldn't stay away.~"

You only smiled wider. "Try your wife."

His eyes blinked confused. "My wife?.." Before an even larger grin came over him. "Even better.~"

[sabraeal]

Sic Semper Monstrum, Chapter 10

[Read on AO3]

Obiyukiweek 2024, Day 2: Foxtrot

Written not only for Obiyukiweek but also for @sepalina, the last winner of the holiday raffle! It was never supposed to take so long to finish all of these but HERE WE ARE 🤣

The Marshal’s office might be the finest under the fortieth floor, but as nice as it is, Shirayuki has to admit: she’s getting sick of it.

“Sit down.” He already is, sparing her no more than a curl of his fingers as he pores over the tablet in his hand. “I’ve taken the liberty of arranging some tea.”

Making her mug appear was magic the first dozen times he managed it, but over that last two weeks, it’s turned from treat to trick. Just another one of the hundreds of ways the Marshal can pull the dome’s strings, closing and opening curtains, making tea mugs and pilots appear out of thin air. Maybe for his next trick, he’ll saw Zen in half too.

Shirayuki takes her seat, but she declines to take a sip. A detail that draws the Marshal’s interest; he glances up, setting aside the tablet with a hum. “All business today, I see, Dr Lyon.”

“We’re both busy people.” He is, at least, and it’s not as if he can tell how many hours she’s spent staring at the drop ceiling panels rather than academic journals lately just by looking at her. “I didn’t imagine you called me in here to catch up.”

Not when he’s had her in here every other day for the last seven. Shirayuki’s gotten more oversight in the past two weeks than she’s had the whole two years she’s been under this dome, and every last bit of it’s been about—

“The report on Obi’s postmortem.” Izana shifts in his chair without so much as a creak. “I haven’t seen it yet. Was wondering where it might be, in fact.”

Her palms press to the chair’s arms, steadying her. His mouth curls, too knowing, with every stretch of her knuckles. “I’m not done with it.”

“Is that so?” His eyebrows arch toward his hairline, like two terns taking flight. “It’s been several days, Dr Lyon. How unlike you.”

“My analysis” — is protected by doctor-patient confidentiality. That’s what she wants to say, at least, but this isn’t private sector, where the most dangerous piece of machinery one of her clients could get behind is the car they drive home in. No, this is the PPDC and all these people are soldiers, rated to handle ordnance that could take out whole cities, and—

And Obi had pointed one of them right at CIC. “It’s taking longer than expected.”

And would probably never be done. One session was hardly enough to get the broad strokes of something so…complex, let alone declare whether he was mentally fit enough to climb back in a Jaeger. And Obi didn’t seem to be in any rush to put himself back in the Conn-Pod— let alone her couch.

“Then give me your opinion.”

“Excuse me?” Shirayuki blinks. “It would hardly be professional to—”

“I am not interested in your professional integrity, Dr Lyon.” No, of course not; the Marshal’s made it supremely clear that his only concern is whether there will be two bodies strapped into Rex Tyrannis when the next siren blares. “I am interested in your expertise.”

“But it— it’s all conjecture,” she sputters, an indignant flush struggling its way over her cheeks. “There’s no possible precedence for me to base an opinion on…just…just…gut feeling!”

“You sell yourself short, Doctor.” Sharks smile with more sincerity than the Marshal smirks. “Around here, they call that instinct. All those rangers— they live or die by it.”

With his three-piece suit and hair longer than the regulations that ban it, it’s easy to forget: Izana Wisteria used to be one of them. “I can’t—”

“Tell yourself we’re having a friendly chat, if you have to.” His hands fold neatly over his desk, impatience in every twitch. “But for God’s sake, Doctor, tell me something.”

Her mouth works, trying to conjure some other excuse— integrity, ignorance, anything that might buy her another day, another week before she has to label Obi a lost cause or ready for action—

But when her eyes close, the lids bleed plasma blue, just the way they had in the CIC. “If I were treating a patient in the private sector, I would say they were experiencing chronic, coherent, and vivid auditory hallucinations, possibly consistent with a trauma of some kind, either physical or psychological.”

“You think he’s experiencing a break with reality.” The Marshal doesn’t so much move as lengthen, the space between chair and desk yawning into a chasm with only a tilt of his chin. “Schizophrenic. That’s what you would call it, isn’t it?”

His teeth snap around the word, steely enough to make her toes curl.

“That’s only one out of a dozen possible diagnoses.” Though certainly the top of a very small list. “And even with a typical patient, the lack of other obvious and intrusive psychoses would make a schizophrenia diagnosis hardly past muster.”

“A typical patient, hm?” One elegant brow raises. “And what about our dear Major, then?”

“With Obi…” She licks her lips, one knee crossing tightly over the other until she half twisted in her seat. “With Obi, I’m not even certain it is a psychosis.”

His head tilts. “Explain.”

Shirayuki clears her throat, nerves making her voice threadier, higher as she says, “There is an observable phenomenon found among rangers that have drifted for a prolonged period of time with the same copilot, a…synchronicity that extends past the initial Neural Handshake and into their everyday lives. You might be familiar with the term ghost drifting.”

The Marshal’s mouth curls at a corner. “Intimately.”

“Right, well, some people might find themselves reaching for a snack that they can’t stand simply because their copilot craves it, while others report a…heightened awareness of their partner’s emotions— or sometimes even thoughts— without them being expressed verbally.” There were its skeptics, of course, but most of those papers came from the private sector, from professionals who has never set foot on a hangar deck but wrote analyses of works of those who did, calling them sentimental at best and intellectually compromised at worst. The sort of baseless, armchair speculation that could be cured by five minutes in any dome’s commissary. “There’s not much independent study on the exact mechanics of it, but there’s theories based on casual observation from data collected from K-Science. That at some point the brain stops thinking of the other mind as a foreign entity but some other part of itself, and when the Handshake is over and the Pons completely disconnects, it experiences the copilot’s body as a, er…”

“Phantom limb?”

“Yes, exactly.” Shirayuki does not smile so much as relax, the corners of her mouth naturally settling more up than down. PPDC may not see much human conflict— few soldiers do nowadays, not when there’s a much more extraterrestrial threat looming on the doorstep— but it’s still military. As much as the branches might love to butt heads, jockeying to be the biggest, buffest kid on the world’s playground, amputation’s always been the great equalizer. “Except— ah, I don’t know if you know the science behind it, but…?”

Izana opens a hand, magnanimous. “Assume that I don’t.”

Ah, right. With the other branches, their soldiers still get to go home after a failed engagement. The most Rangers can hope for is for the kaiju to take them out quick before their Jaeger becomes a titanium coffin on the ocean floor. “I’m sure it comes as no surprise when I say that the amputation process is traumatic— not just for the patient, but for their body as well. Multiple organ systems are cut— bone, muscle, skin, blood vessels, and, most importantly, their nerves. They all heal over time, but it’s the nerves that take the longest. So when they get stimulated— ah, like when a patient moves, or twitches, or even just gets an itch— the sensory fibers will report what they should be feeling, rather than what they do. It’s…it’s neural feedback, with nowhere to go. No, wait, more like…with no place to come from.”

“And this…is what you think the Major is experiencing?” It’s impossible to tell what Izana thinks; his face might as well be a mirror for as much as she’s getting off of him. “That it’s all…neural feedback he’s interpreting as his dead copilots.”

“No. Yes. Ah…maybe.” Sweat prickles under her arms and behind her ears, itchy and off-putting. Distracting, which is the last thing she needs to be in front of a man who might as well be a tank of starving piranhas considering his potential to chew up her professional reputation and spit it out. “That’s all theoretical. And it certainly seems plausible, it just…it doesn’t seem to account for, ah…”

He raises a brow. “I am patient, Dr Lyon, but I don’t have all day.”

“Right, it’s just…the phantom limb phenomenon seems to explain what we see when both partners are…extant. But when one dies— especially when they’re in the drift when it happens…” Her shoulders don’t so much shrug as twitch, flinching back from the unknown. “You’ll have to forgive me, there’s not much data on this, since…”

Since most Jaegers don’t make it back home with solo pilots. And the ones that do, well— the PPDC is still military. As far as most Rangers are concerned, psychiatrists are the enemy. “It seems that what remains of them continues to…drift with their copilot. Even after they’re disengaged from the Pons.”

“Are you trying to say that there is an actual ghost in the drift?” Izana leans back in his chair, shadows gathering in the sharp, patrician planes of his face. “That Obi is being haunted by the crew of the Hachimaru?”

“Not haunted.” Her tongue tangles, science and speculation at a roiling boil in her mind before she stumbles out, “Just…what if while they were in the Neural Handshake, they never let go?”

“Does that bring us back to the phantom limb, then?” The Marshal has never posed a question that hasn’t been half an interrogation too, but even Shirayuki has to admit he seems…interested. Invested, even. “A reflexive reach for the familiar? Neural impulses with nowhere to go?”

A shrug is never an answer— it’s a placeholder, an um or a hm in physical form. A pause right before the threshold of discovery, a stalling tactic to keep from facing what lays beyond just not thinking about it. And yet, it’s what Shirayuki does now, trying to keep the rest of her from squirming under the searing light of Izana’s attention. “It’s as likely a theory as any, at least. And in line with the current conclusions being drawn in drift research. It’s just…”

The Marshal’s brow curves in an arc too elegant for a man whose office is so far below the bay it can’t even have windows. “Just?”

There’s an itch this theory doesn’t quite scratch, a niggling that won’t stop pulling at her sleeve. “I don’t know what happened with the Hachimaru. I mean— before what Obi can remember. There’s nothing in the PPDC database on it” — or at least, none that she is cleared to see— “but everything we’ve been told…I mean, child soldiers? The training? There wasn’t even supposed to be a base in Osaka. There’s no telling what was done to those kids, let alone what long-term effects it could have had on their psyche.”

Or their bodies. Or even— even the drift. The implications of who Obi is— what Obi is—

“I’ll see what I can find.”

Shirayuki jerks back as Izana rises from his desk to pace the room. “Pardon me?”

“I’m sure you know my arms have a much further reach than yours, Dr Lyon.” His mouth slants into a smirk; wry, she thinks at first, but when he turns his head, it reads rueful. “If there’s something to find, I’ll find it. And if there isn’t…”

It’s him who shrugs now, but not to say, who knows, but rather— I’ll find it even so. “Now if you’ll excuse me, doctor, I should be getting myself down to the infirmary.”

Instinct has her half out of her chair before she manages, “Has something happened?”

“Ah.” Rueful widens into amused. “So you haven’t heard.”

*

It’s the sort of thing that’s bound to happen in any testosterone-soaked environment; get some young men together, force them to compete for a few coveted opportunities for promotion— and, most importantly, recognition— and it’s inevitable that tempers flare. The Academy’s major export is big egos, and the dome is the pressure cooker the PPDC puts them under, trying to see which will crack first. That Obi’s gotten himself in a dust up now isn’t so much a surprise as it is that it didn’t happen before, but…

She didn’t think it’d be Mitsuhide who put him in the infirmary.

“They’re both there, if you want to get right down to it,” Yuzuri informs her with no little relish, warming up for what will undoubtedly be an entertaining— if not extended— bout of complaining over commissary chicken and rice. “Lowen may have gotten in the harder hit, but I gotta say, that guy gave as good as he got. The major’s covered head to toe in bruises, and none of them are in comfortable places.”

“Is there a comfortable place to have a bruise?” Suzu asks around a mouthful of pudding— eaten first, no matter how many times Shirayuki’s insinuated dessert is supposed to be a treat for finishing a meal, not just sitting down to one. “I’ve gotten a couple in some pretty inaccessible places, and I don’t know, they always seem to hurt more than just like, my elbow, or even my leg.”

“That’s not the point, Suzu.” Yuzuri flicks her ponytail over her shoulder, unconcerned by how much of him is caught in the spray. “There’s not a single guy under the dome that hasn’t thrown down with the major and been dismantled for the trouble, and here Obi goes, deciding to go bare fists against him with no ref, no rules. He should have been wheeled out of the gym in a body bag, but the guy doesn’t even have a concussion.”

“Woah.” His eyes blow wide, mouth rounding to match— or at least, it tries; Suzu snaps his teeth shut just as they all are reminded that pudding isn’t liquid or solid, but a third, utterly different state of matter, beholden to its own rules. “I’ll have to tell him—”

“Don’t you say a word about it!” Yuzuri waggles a warning finger at him; her implied menace more effective at stopping Suzu in his tracks than if she’d laid hands on him. “Sure, I’m impressed as hell, but if that guy gets one whiff of positive reinforcement on this, he’ll be unlivable, and you know it!”

“Aw, but—”

“Nope! You figure out some other way to make your bromance blossom or whatever” She huffs, taking a desultory bite of the world’s saddest salad. “I refuse to have him hovering around, asking me to tell him how cool he is again. I’ve got my hands full just convincing him he can pee without me holding his dick for him, god.”

The fork jitters right out of Shirayuki’s fingers, landing on the tray with a clink they might be able to hear all the way in the hangar. “Is he really that bad?”

“Huh? Oh, no.” Yuzuri waves her off, scraping out a laugh. “If that was the case, I’d be enjoying this nearly food-like meal in a doggy bag at my desk. But they’re both fine— Obi just likes to see how far he can push this whole invalid shtick before I kick him out for a little peace and quiet.”

Suzu blinks. “How long do you think that is?”

“Twenty-four hours on the dot.” She spears a tomato, letting it bleed all over lettuce and croutons before she puts it behind her teeth. “If he hasn’t fallen into a concussive coma by then, he’s not my problem.”

“Unless he finds another way to hurt himself,” Suzu offers, thoughtful. “The Rangers are pretty good at that.”

Yuzuri sighs hard enough her bangs flutter. “Don’t remind me.”

“But he’s all right?” Shirayuki clears her throat as they turn to stare at her. “I mean, both of them. They’re…fine?”

“Well, obviously I can’t say uninjured, but it’s all just bumps and bruises.” Yuzuri’s shoulders twitch toward a shrug. “They’re in the infirmary more out of an abundance of caution than any real concern. And in Obi’s case, well”—she snorts, shaking her head— “he’s enjoying the idea of being waited on hand and foot. I’m just lucky the Marshal wanted a word, otherwise I’d be fending off spoon-feeding requests all dinner.”

Shirayuki blinks. “The Marshal’s still down there?”

“Oh yeah.” There’s a vengeful slant to Yuzuri’s grin, enough to send a shiver down her spine. “He told me to take a whole hour before coming back. And to smell the roses on the way down.”

Suzu lets out a long whistle. “Someone’s in trouble.”

“Multiple someones,” Yuzuri corrects. “Big trouble.”

Shirayuki’s stomach twists, tying itself not just into worried knots but discovering wholly unknown polygons of anxiety. It’s hard to handle Izana seated, even at his friendliest, but Obi— Obi’s stuck in one of the infirmary cots, the Marshal no doubt looming over him, unleashing the full force of his wrath. Oh, she’s run the gamut of Izana’s displeasure in the year and change since she’s come under the dome; she’s weathered his frustration, and impatience, and sometimes downright civil hostility. But mad?

She swallows, nearly choking on the heart lodged in her throat. Mad is something else entirely.

“Too bad,” Suzu sighs, finally scooping up a spoonful of rice. “I’d been hoping to stop by his office and show him the new projections. Now that we’ve solved the rounding error—”

“Wasn’t it a variable?” Yuzuri reminds him, too sweet. “A whole number you completely left out of your precious—”

“—ROUNDING ERROR that Ryuu discovered,” Suzu continues, undaunted, “I think we’re really starting to see that there’s a marked decrease of interval length, followed by an increase of kaiju—”

The table rattles as she stands, half-eaten rice making a liar out of her even as she says, “I think I’m finished.”

Yuzuri glances down at her tray, mouth pursing as she takes in what’s left. “Are you sure? The food actually looks halfway decent tonight. Better than this salad, at least. Should have just taken the lumps with those calories instead of—”

“Yeah.” She can’t eat when her stomach taking more tumbles than an acrobat, no safety net on this bout of nerves. “I just…”

Don’t know what a concussion will do to someone like him, is what she wants to say— what she should say as a professional, as the person who’s being pinned handle his condition long-term. But what she means is, I can’t just let him deal with Izana all on his own.

“I have a thing,” she says lamely. “And some paperwork. I’ll, uh, come back later if I get hungry.”

“Uh-huh,” Yuzuri hums, utterly unconvinced. “Sure.”

Suzu only nods as she slips out from the bench, adding, “Say ‘hi’ to Obi for me.”

*

Worry dogs her heels with every stride she takes down the quiet corridors, the metallic echo of her steps chasing her around every corner. It’s eerie at this time of night; the dome buzzes at most hours, day and night having no meaning without windows to help mark when one rises and the other sets, but with dinner served up hot and ready, only the PPDC’s most essential personal stay at their posts, waiting for the next shift to relieved them.

Shirayuki should be relieved too; going toe-to-toe with the Marshal is the sort of event that some enterprising officer could sell tickets to. With halls this bare— and the only spare set of eyes being Mitsuhide’s, who could probably make a career out of taking other people’s secrets to the grave— she’s practically guaranteed to keep this tête-à-tête private, and yet—

Yet she turns the last corner, and suddenly her slip-ons’ soles might as well be magnets for all struggle it takes to lift them an inch off the floor. It’s impossible to keep forward momentum, to do anything but stand still and wait, and— and—

Interrupting’s the right thing to do— she feels it, deep in her gut; the same place Rangers say they know when someone will take their hand in the drift, or whether a Kaiju’s going to fight to the death or cut and run once they’re against the ropes. It’s what she’d hope someone would do for her, if she was stuck playing wave breaker for Izana’s storm, but still, still—

She’s not sure she’d thank them for it. It might be nice dreaming of the rescue, but when someone actually rides to it, when they take the whole situation out of her hands and tells her to take a back seat, well…

Shirayuki’s known enough princes not to find that charming. Or at least the ones that think they are, taking choices right out of her hands and calling it kindness. The last thing she wants is Obi see her stride in and think, here we go, another person who thinks they can run my life better than me.

Her fingers curl, nails biting into the fleshy part of her palms. She could go in there still, just— just sit beside him as he took his lumps, but it feels too passive, too much like she’s just acting as witness rather than support, like this whole thing is an official part of his treatment, and she— she—

She sees someone idling down the corridor, just across from the infirmary door. A familiar someone, pale hair flopping as he runs his hand through it, looking just as tortured each time he reached for the door, only to flinch away, like it burns.

“Zen?” His name falls off her tongue before she can swallow it, lips too numb to do more than let it stumble out, more habit than question.

He startles, eyes wild as they dart up, looking for all the world like he’d rather have been caught in the women’s locker room than found here. “S-shirayuki! I wasn’t— I mean, I was just” — hanging around in the hallway, it seems like— “I’d been passing by and I thought I’d, er…”

His chin jerks down the junction of corridors; not the way she came, or the way directly opposite where the hangar sits, but the third option, leading back toward— “You were coming from the women’s bathroom?”

“What?” Zen’s neck swivels, chasing grating and plate all the way back to where the sign reads RESTROOM, a clear stick figure and skirt painted next to it. A strange sign to have in a facility where ninety percent of the population elects to wear BDUs regardless of gender, but Shirayuki supposes it makes its point. “No! I, er…”

It’s habit to wait him out, to let him finish composing his thoughts before she makes any attempt to guide him— but impatience wins out, this time. “Were on your way to the infirmary?”

“Ah…yeah. That’s it.” Red blooms over the tips of his ears, like he’s seen too much sun. “I just heard that Mitsuhide was down here, so I thought that I would, you know, check up on him.”

Her head tilts, and oh, she hopes it looks more curious than confrontational. “You’re here for Mitsuhide?”

“Well, you know, it’s just weird for him to get caught up in something like this.” He scratches at the back of his neck, and Shirayuki would bet dollars to donuts that if she could see under his jacket collar, it’d be sunburn red there too. “A fight, I mean. He’ll spar with the other guys of whatever, but they don’t, you know…”

End up in the infirmary. Rangers are tough by design, not easy to break; once they roll out the Academy doors, they’re combat rated and ready, eager to take down monsters a hundred times their size. A man head and shoulders taller doesn’t give even a cadet pause— not until they end up flat on their backs, wondering how they mistook strength for slow.

But Mitsuhide— Mitsuhide is careful too. He might be a decorated combatant, a seasoned killer of kaiju, but when it comes to squaring up with humans, he might as well be fighting with kid gloves. She’s seen him on the mats before, carefully feeling out the edges of what his partner can take, making sure their spar is a challenge but not a rout.

Mistakes happen, she knows. Too much force behind a swing or fumbled footwork could send anyone to med bay, looking for a bandaid or a cold compress. Even Mitsuhide’s had his bell rung once or twice, too focused on keeping his opponent on their feet to watch how close their jo came to sweeping his. But for both of them to end up on a cot, well…

It’s concerning to say the least. Especially when the other body in that bay is supposed to be—

“I heard it was Obi in there with him.” Zen shrugs, but it doesn’t look casual. Not a smooth motion, but two pickets rattling up and down by his ears, never quite settling back to where they shoulder. By the pink spreading over his cheeks, he’s well aware. “I just thought that I…I don’t know, that I could…”

Talk to him. He doesn’t say it, but he doesn’t need to: the words are scrawled across his face, written in bold-faced print for anyone to see. Fix something.

“Would you like to talk about it?” It’s reflex to ask, really— one she doesn’t even realize she’s done until his eyes blink wide, jaw slackening to match. “My office isn’t too far down the hall.”

He hesitates, eyeing her warily before he asks, “Unofficially?”

“Of course. As friends.” That’s what she’d meant anyway, she thinks. “If that’s what you want.”

There’s another, longer pause; his eyes shifting away from her to the door and then back again before her nods. “Yeah. I think I do.”

*

Her fingers are already reaching for a pen, palm pressed right against the soft cover of her notebook when Zen says, “You promised.”

The pen rattles back into the holder, knocking aside its mismatched brethren before settling into place.

“Habit,” Shirayuki laughs, suddenly all too aware of herself in space, of how she’s practically hanging over her desk. Of how desperate she looks to categorize his thoughts into neat little boxes, like somehow it might make hers more orderly too. “It won’t happen again.”

“Are you sure?” The corner of his mouth hitches up, a smirk she knows all too well. “I am about to be really interesting, you know. You’ll be itching to put it in my file.”

It would be entirely inappropriate to say, I know. “I promised,” she says instead. “Boundaries are important. For both professionals and clients.”

“Is that what I am now?” He’s smiling still, joking, but there’s no humor in it. “Your client?”

“No, you are what you’ve always been.” It stings as she smiles, folding up her legs beneath her, but sweetly. “My friend.”

His smirk falters into a frown, that direct, almost challenging stare of his foundering to the floor. “Really? I don’t think I’ve been a very good one lately. Not to you.” He sighs, leaning into his hand. “Hell, not to anyone, I guess.”

“Is that what’s worrying you right now? That you’re not being a good friend?”

Zen snorts, sending her a wry look. “You’re doing it again. The therapist thing.”

“Ah! Er…” Heat prickles at her cheeks, and she doesn’t have to see Zen’s grin to know it’s a blush breaking out over them, just as obvious as any of his. “Sorry, force of habit.”

“Don’t worry about it. Honestly, I think it’d be weirder if you didn’t try,” he admits, letting himself relax into the couch cushions. The way he used to before, when it was just him and her and a way to steal time under his brother’s nose. “I don’t really care about the friend thing. No wait, I don’t mean—I do care about being friends, and er, being a good one, but that’s not really my biggest problem right now.”

“It isn’t?” Her head tilts, an invitation. “Then what is?”

He stares at her wearily. “Really?”

“Oh! I really…” Her hands clap to her cheeks, but it does nothing for the heat radiating beneath her palms. “I didn’t meant to that time. I just…it’s Obi, isn’t it? You’re worried about him, even more than Mitsuhide.”

Zen lets his head drop back, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s kinda hard not to be. I mean, if you’d seen what I saw in there…”

“You mean in the drift?” Electricity zips through her fingers, chasing her nerves up her spine, and she pitches forward, struggling to keep the eagerness from her voice. “Can I…can ask what happened? When you were in there, in his…?”

Mind. Memories. There’s hardly a difference either way,

He doesn’t lift his head, but she sees the muscles of his neck move, the furrow of his brow implied rather than implicit. “You don’t know? I thought you and Obi had some sort of postmortem or whatever. I figured he’d be your favorite patient by now.”

“No. We never got past broad strokes. I don’t even think I could call him a patient.” It’s strange how relief floods her as she says that— not my patient— and how quickly guilt twists her stomach right after. He should be her patient, she should be helping, she just— just—

Doesn’t want to. Not like that anyway. From the outside. Professionally. But she’s not being given much of a choice. “I think it was too difficult for him to get past all the…commentary.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” He eyes her, almost speculative, before shaking his head. “It’s confusing in there. I don’t even know how he manages to walk and think at the same time, let alone mouth off the way he does. But you know about…?”

“Osaka, and the Hachimaru,” she confirms, the fabric of her skirt dimpling between her fingers. “That there were unauthorized experiments going on with the number of pilots in a Jaeger. That they were all…” Children. She can’t bring herself to say it. “You probably know more than me.”

“Maybe. Not enough. Too much. I don’t know.” Zen sighs, his head rocking forward, bowing over his knees. “It’s just…I don’t want to go talking about stuff that’s really his to tell. But…yeah, there was something with Osaka’s program. Some lack of oversight— or maybe everyone was purposefully looking away, who can tell? But there was seven of them, all packed into one Jaeger, in a big row like— like sardines in a can, and their commander, this woman, she—”

He rubs at his arm, teeth grit. “Let’s just say, she wasn’t a good mother figure.”

“Seven of them?” She’d heard of three— Crimson Typhoon and its triplet pilots— but more than one report had said they were like one mind in three bodies, rather than the other way around. That there was something wrong with them from drifting so often so young. Seven completely different children, forced to link mind in some unregulated daisy chain since before they were even in puberty… “How many of them are…?”

“They’re all in there,” he says, toneless. “Like they never left. Just a whole Con-Pod filled with…”

Ghosts. Shirayuki never was one of the girls who would shiver at a scary story, or see faces in the dark— no point in inventing horrors when there were plenty more real ones lurking just off shore. But there’s no better term for this, these leftover impulses that stalk Obi’s brain stem, or…whatever they were.

“I wish…” Zen doesn’t have Obi’s sharp jaw or Mitsuhide’s square one; his muscles don’t stand out in relief when they flex, but she sees the tension in his throat, the swallow. “I wish he’d just talk to me about it, you know? He saw all my shit and just took it, and now that I’ve seen all his…”

His hand scrapes through his hair, tugging at the ends. “He knows I’m not afraid of him, doesn’t he? That I don’t care? I just want…”

She thought she’d known what yearning looked like on his face, what harsh planes even the briefest touch of it could carve, but she sees him now, mouth twisted so tight it carves new fissures into his cheeks, biting runnels into the corners of his eyes, and she knows— however much he’d wanted her, it doesn’t come close to how much he wants this.

“I don’t know. We’ve talked, but Obi hasn’t really told me what he’s thinking.” And by now, Shirayuki knows better than to guess. “But I think…I think he does. He just…isn’t ready for that right now.”

For being known. For being accepted despite it.

“When he is though,” she adds, carefully picking around the words. “You should tell him.”

“I’m trying,” Zen sighs, sliding further onto her couch. “I’m trying.”

[zenubi-reblogs]

Yessss.......

teaser heehoo

[read-alert]

Happy Lesbian Visibility Week! 📚📖🏳️‍🌈

Again, I'm not 100% certain these all feature characters who identify specifically as lesbians, especially given that I haven't read them yet, but they are all sapphic. Full titles under the cut!

Treasure by Rebekah Weatherspoon

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia C Higgins

Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier

Alice isn't Dead by Joseph Fink

How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow

The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

How to Succeed in Witchcraft and Aislinn Brophy

D'Vaugh & Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C Higgins

Stud Like Her by Fiona Zedde

Second Night Stand by Karelia & Fay Stetz-Waters

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

The Art of Saving the World by Corrine Duyvis

The Final Strife by Saara el-Arifi

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

The Divines by Ellie Eaton

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

The Dyke & the Dybuk by Ellen Galford

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley

Boyish² Butch x Butch Yuri Anthology by Akizora Sawayaka, Hanakage Alt, Nekobungi Sumiro, et al

Dykette by Jenny Fran Davis

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alisom Bechdel

A Masc for Purim by Roz Alexander

Chlorine by Jade Song

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Ice Massacre by Tiana Warner

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

The Seafarer's Kiss by Julia Ember

The Little Homo Sapiens Scientist by SL Huang

The Siren, the Song, and the Spy by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson

Mangos and Mistletoe by Adriana Herrera

[emomanswhore]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ✧˚ ₊‧ ୨ (: ̲̅: ̲̅: ̲̅ [̲̅ :𓆩♱𓆪: ] ̲̅: ̲̅: ̲̅: ̲̅) ୧ ‧₊˚✧

❪(⟢:✯: ༣˚SENT FROM HEAVEN AND ABOVE ❨:✭:❩ ❜

❪(⟢:✯: ༣˚THE UNIVERSE ALIGNED ❨:✭:❩ ❜

❪(⟢:✯: ༣˚AND SENT ME MY SHINING STAR ❨:✭:❩ ❜

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꒰𓆩♡𓆪꒱ ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥→˚₊· ❛ hihi !! (^⩌^)♡ — this is just my page where i, or anyone who stumbles upon my blog can come n appreciate my mutuals ! they are all incredibly talented, hardworking, funny, and gorgeous individuals. every writer/content creator deserves every bit of love n support on this platform, and sooo,, it starts with my mooties !! ( ˘ ³˘)♡ (!)

꒰𓆩♡𓆪꒱ ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥→˚₊· ❛ sooo many of them i personally recommend that you follow, like, and reblog— heavy on REBLOG, their masterpieces. however, before you venture down that road. please make sure you read and make sure you follow their rules and guidelines. with most, make sure you’re at least 18+,, but with others, there may be extra precaution that you’ll need to take. with that being said, please respect and follow my mutual’s boundaries and rules (!)

꒰𓆩♡𓆪꒱ ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥→˚₊· ❛ now (๑ ᴖ ᴈ ᴖ)ﾉ !! without further ado— introducing my mooties, my stars, and my angels ! sending smoochies and love their way (っ˘з(˘⌣˘ )♡ ࿎࿎ (!)

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〔 📀〕:$:𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐄 𖤐 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐄 ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ••••••

@divinedabi —꒰ my divine ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @diorsbrando —꒰ sosa꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @maydayaisha —꒰ aisha ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @kazushawty —꒰ karma ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @lowkeysumgyall —꒰ nina ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @yourrfavzxri —꒰ zari ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @indigoballad —꒰ indigo ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @etherealxmaya —꒰ maya ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @miguelism —꒰ stella ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @todorosie —꒰ evelyn ꒱

@vilsoo —꒰ vera ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @hoshigray —꒰ hoshi ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @shunsuist —꒰ deja ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @blkshoyo —꒰ myaa ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @jupipedia —꒰ jupiter ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @chiquititaosita —꒰ leila ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @cybercandy1 —꒰ mirah ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @kingkonoha —꒰ tay ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @meikudan —꒰ mei ꒱:ᥫ᭡: @tiazvni —꒰ tia ꒱

@indiecursor —꒰ indie ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @shamelesshoefairy —꒰ bubbles ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @syomi —꒰ syomi ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @toji-bunny-girl —꒰ angel ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @saintbvnnii —꒰ bunn ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @aasouthteranoswife —꒰ rain ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @satorubi —꒰ saturn ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @hllokttyairhead —꒰ jojo ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @dilftaroooo —꒰ taro ꒱

@sirenspider —꒰ siren ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @kechiwrites —꒰ kechi ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @wakatshi —꒰ daria ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @eiflawriting —꒰ eifla ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @gojou-violin —꒰ rhys ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @kunizk —꒰ zen ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @bunnyyamor —꒰ angel ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @playgrl0 —꒰ p ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @ilygetou —꒰ evelyn ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @cyancherub —꒰ cas ꒱

@sintiva —꒰ sin ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @ghxstic —꒰ nymph :( i miss u ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @woahhajime —꒰ kat ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @yoshimurah —꒰ quinn ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @whoismoneaa —꒰ moneaa ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @bleubrri —꒰ nia ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @shawtuzi —꒰ alexis ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @satorhime —꒰ lolly ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @tobefrankocean :ᥫ᭡: @spiderpunkfien —꒰ takemichiluvr ꒱ :ᥫ᭡: @gabzlovesu —꒰ gabby ꒱

2 B CONTINUED . . . ✩ HERE . . . (!!)

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[leastdatablebracket]

Here's the bracket for round 1! I intend to start posting matches tomorrow.

Group 1 (Matches 1-16)

Sam Wayne (Scarlet Hollow) VS Penny (Stardew Valley)

Joy Johnson-Johjima (Monster Prom) VS Vladamir (Moonlight Lovers)

P.S. Elle (Romancelvania) VS Saint Germain (Code: Realize)

Bram Galeborn (Tales of the Wild) VS Jumin Han (Mystic Messenger)

Edgar Morton (To Love & Protect) VS Zen (Mystic Messenger)

Nowi (Fire Emblem Awakening) VS Elise (Fire Emblem Fates)

Maison Talo (House Hunted) VS Sam (Stardew Valley)

Akihiko Sanada (Persona 3 Portable) VS Sam Dalton (Choices - The Nanny Affair)

Ota Kisaki (Kissed by the Baddest Bidder) VS Casavir (Neverwinter Nights 2)

Anna (Fire Emblem Engage) VS Yang (Piofiore Fated Memories)

Isabela (Dragon Age 2) VS Shuu Iwamine (Hatoful Boyfriend)

Liam de Lioncourt (Monster Prom) VS Sunder (Boyfriend Dungeon)

Cassandra Pentaghast (Dragon Age Inquisition) VS Curie (Fallout 4)

Cliff (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town) VS Sylvain Jose Gautier (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Hanatsubaki Gorō (Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s First Love) VS Leliana (Dragon Age Origins)

Barbatos (Obey Me) VS Solas (Dragon Age Inquisition)

Group 2 (Matches 17-32)

Nightowl (Blooming Panic: Full Bloom Edition) VS Isako Toriumi (Persona 3)

Adam/Ava du Mortain (Wayhaven Chronicles) VS Drake Walker (Choices - The Royal Romance)

Taro Majima (Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 2nd Season) VS Vace (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist)

Yoosung Kim (Mystic Messenger) VS Siren Head (Siren Head Dating Sim)

Rick (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town) VS V (Mystic Messenger)

Ken Amada (Persona 3 Portable) VS Lorenz Hellman Gloucester (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Bigfoot (Dialtown) VS Damien Ramsey (Magical Diary)

Merrill (Dragon Age 2) VS Landon (High School Dreams Best Friends Forever)

Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis) VS Sumire Yoshizawa (Persona 5 Royal)

Sebastian (Stardew Valley) VS Triss Merigold (Witcher 3)

Rock (Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life) VS Morrigan (Dragon Age Origins)

Gray (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town) VS Calculester Hewlett-Packard (Monster Prom)

Harry Choi (The Ssum) VS Ichiko Ohya (Persona 5)

Sadayo Kawakami (Persona 5) VS Randy Jade (Dialtown)

Kevan (Long Live the Queen) VS Camellia (Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous)

Ace (Heart no Kuni no Alice) VS Rhea (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

Group 3 (Matches 33-48)

Ilessa (Romancelvania) VS Dolce (Rune Factory 4)

Sothis (Fire Emblem: Three Houses) VS Laito Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers)

Cameron Conner (Wylde Flowers) VS Sera (Dragon Age Inquisition)

Elliott (Stardew Valley) VS Shane (Stardew Valley)

Mikah Hudson (Save Me, Sherlock) VS Harvey (Stardew Valley)

Towa Wakasa (Sweet Fuse: At Your Side) VS Shiloh Fields (XOXO Droplets)

Arsene Lupin (Code: Realize) VS Blackwall (Dragon Age Inquisition)

Vere (Touchstarved) VS Shiki (Togainu no Chi)

Sebastian Vael (Dragon Age 2) VS Toma (Amnesia: Memories)

Sakura (Fire Emblem Fates) VS Ethan Ramsey (Choices - Open Heart)

Warren (Life is Strange) VS Ryoma (Fire Emblem Fates)

Katherine (Catherine) VS Jonah (Boyfriend Dungeon)

Anders (Dragon Age 2) VS Dorian Grey (OZMAFIA!!)

Skye (Harvest Moon DS Cute) VS Tammy (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist)

Fenris (Dragon Age 2) VS Dys (I Was a Teenage Exocolonist)

Peter King (Your Boyfriend Game) VS Eisuke Ichinomiya (Kissed by the Baddest Bidder)

Group 4 (Matches 49-64)

Tharja (Fire Emblem Awakening) VS Jacob Taylor (Mass Effect 2)

Elanee (Neverwinter Nights 2) VS Megaricus (Kaichu - The Kaiju Dating Sim)

Joseph Christiansen (Dream Daddy) VS Naoto Shirogane (Persona 4)

Mr. Pages (Mask of the Rose) VS Soleil (Fire Emblem Fates)

Baxter Ward (Our Life: Beginnings & Always) VS Ryouta Kazama (Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 4)

Colonel Sanders (I Love You, Colonel Sanders!) VS Kappa (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town)

Andy (Romance Club) VS Micah Yujin (Error143)

Anomen Delryn (Baldur’s Gate 2) VS Koolie Sterling (Tentador Leches)

Canus Espada (Cafe Enchante) VS Nah (Fire Emblem Awakening)

Doctor (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town) VS Lucy (Your Boyfriend Game)

Amber (Rune Factory 4) VS Marco (Lovelink)

Alfani (OZMAFIA!!) VS Makoto Niijima (Persona 5)

Haley (Stardew Valley) VS Azura (Fire Emblem Fates)

Zevran Arainai (Dragon Age Origins) VS Kai (Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town)

Yuri (Doki Doki Literature Club) VS The Red Prince (Divinity: Original Sin 2)

Lucio Morgasson (The Arcana) VS Cullen Rutherford (Dragon Age Inquisition)

[franceblr]

some of my modern au zukka headcanons!

- zuko is definitely the guard-dog-type overprotective boyfriend. like yeah, college zuko is on his zen shit and the rich kid gremlin that used to terrorize his entire highschool is a distant memory, but god help you if you so much as look at sokka wrong. zuko cannot stand seeing people be dismissive to sokka: sometimes people will take sokka’s kindness for granted, or discredit his intelligence just because he’s the funny guy, and zuko just hears kill bill sirens in his head and it’s over. it’s hilarious cause when it’s him that’s being insulted, zuko will barely dignify the offender with an unimpressed stare. but you make a jab at sokka and you’re done. next thing you know sokka has zuko in a deathgrip and is dragging him away before he jumps you.

- bonus points for zuko’s resting bitch face and his extensive training in like every martial art under the sun.

- he just cannot see sokka’s feelings hurt. he can’t. sokka is so brilliant and beautiful and funny and confident, it’s easy to miss how sensitive underneath it all sokka really can be. but zuko knows; zuko guards his heart with fierce jealousy, wrapped around it like a dragon protecting his gold. truthfully sokka is capable of defending himself just fine with his endless wit and snarky remarks, and he’s just as well built, but zuko’s fury always gets the best of him.

- zuko adores sokka and dotes and fusses over him all the time. not that he’d ever admit it. sometimes it’s subtle and sometimes it’s neurotic screeching, and sokka will never miss out on the chance to bring it up and make fun of zuko’s arrogant nose scrunch and his fierce blushing. zuko always keeps track of how much food, sleep, exercise and downtime sokka gets; he often has to chase sokka with his glasses or adhd meds, always picks up sokka’s jewelry when it’s misplaced; he’ll quietly surprise sokka with the most thoughtful acts of service, like cleaning his car when sokka’s been putting it off for weeks, or take sokka on a run when the lows hit. he’s a total mom. but also dad, cause sokka still struggles with discipline despite being so hardworking and motivated. and zuko sucks at talking about emotions -he’s still working that out in therapy but he’s getting there!-, but he always makes sure to check in with sokka when sokka gets a little too funny, when he gets restless and absent and clearly something’s up. and zuko’s not much of a speaker, but he always knows just the right words to say when sokka feels like his brain is just wired against him and he can’t get it to shut up. always knows how to take a day off with sokka and press the restart button for him when he can’t seem to break out of his executive dysfunction. somehow zuko always knows how to help sokka get his life back on track after a rut, without ever being patronizing or overbearing. zuko always knows exactly the way to reassure and hold sokka when the rsd gets bad, with his infinite dragon patience and understanding he only reserves for sokka’s heart.

- sometimes zuko’s caring can become smothering, but sokka deeply appreciates not having to always be the self relying grown up with a plan, and he’s learnt to release the responsability and give in to zuko’s pampering. besides, it’s not like sokka’s any better

- sokka treats zuko with such overwhelming tenderness. he doesn’t care that zuko is 6’4 and all lean muscle and solemn regalness and cheekbones, zuko is his baby. sokka manages zuko like he’s fragile, handling his sharpest pieces with such care, it soothes zuko’s hurt and inspires him to be kind. even when zuko sometimes slips back in his old self destructive ways, sokka knows how to calm and tuck in bed the angry teenager in zuko that screams and kicks and sets himself on fire. knows that with enough kindness and firmness he’ll coax out again the mature zuko that goes to therapy and does his yoga and does his best everyday to be kind and brave. and sokka is so patient with zuko, how could he not always strive to be better and make him proud?

- sokka is aware he’ll never truly know what it means to grow up in a family like zuko’s, and he doesn’t always understand all the dynamics and triggers and layers of trauma that kind of abuse inflicts on a person. and zuko does a wonderful job at keeping things manageable and in control. but when zuko breaks, sokka is always there. sokka is always there to pick zuko up after he visits ozai in jail, and knows better not to question why zuko returns even when he cries in the passenger seat on the drive home. sokka always picks up when zuko’s having a panic attack at work and he’s begging sokka to talk him through it on the phone. sokka always sits with zuko on the bathroom floor and rubs his back when he’s throwing up from stress, and he’s always there to redirect zuko’s attention and force him to take a break when his work outs get too extenuating.

- totally agree on the common hc that zuko’s in either political science or law, and sokka is a mechanical engineering student.

- as far as hobbies go, they’re both physically active and into sports, though i think sokka would be more of a surfer/gym/basketball/track athlete type of guy, and zuko’s more of a martial arts/tennis/pilates type of dude. zuko’s also an avid reader and opera and theatre enthusiast, likely can play an instrument. while sokka engages in a variety of creative hobbies that span from painting to writing poetry to knitting to pottery. sokka picks up new hobbies routinely, and though most of them don’t end up sticking, he masters them crazy fast. he enjoys anything that stimulates his logical thinking, and him and zuko often play chess and videogames together. sokka also has the nasty habit to go through zuko’s crossword puzzles and fill out the words he knows before zuko has the chance to get to it himself.

- sokka broadened zuko’s personal aesthetic and fashion horizons. zuko still favours neutral colours (with the exception of red) and a laid back but purposeful style: he’s very anal about his pants being pressed properly and his sneakers being clean. he also wears only natural fabrics, and is well known for his perfectly ironed cotton t-shirts. he always makes sure to throw something in his outfits that nod to his heritage, whether that be in the tailoring or model of the clothes, or his accessories. he’s a serial hoodie stealer, and sokka introduced him to crop tops, which to sokka’s delight, zuko pulls off incredibly. he also may or may not have nipple piercings and a tattoo somewhere.

- sokka on the other hand is either giving athlete off duty or pride, no in betweens. he’s very expressive in the way he dresses and accessorizes, and likes to experiment with bold colours and less gender conforming stuff. most of his wardrobe comes in shades of blue though, that’s just how it was meant to be. sokka is huge on proudly wearing traditional clothes, and likes to showcase his culture through fashion. he also makes a lot of his and zuko’s jewelry. definitely has at least 3 piercings per ear, a nose ring, and is tattooed. most of the time sokka has kinesiology tape peeking out from his clothes. and dirty sneakers lol

- on days where zuko doesn’t want his hair in the way, sokka will braid it for him beautifully. but zuko always has at least two small braids at the nape of his neck, and beads woven in his hair.

[mikuni14]

The Rebound - Ep 3

Another episode of The Rebound and I also enjoyed watching this one. Earlier flashbacks suggested that Ryu and Zen may have had a romantic relationship in the past (since they were this close 👌 from kissing), but it turns out they were just strongly attracted to each other, but nothing came of it - at least as far as we know at this point. Which is actually very interesting! (not that I mind "returning to an old relationship" trope, such a complicated love situation could make for quite an interesting story and romance)

I'm also more and more curious about Ryu's family background, he obviously comes from a rich family, so why does he play for money?

AND WHAT EXACTLY IS HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH Q?? Very sus. And creepy 😬

Atom - Atom is not sus, he is a whole ass SUSPICIOUS. He's so nice that all the alarm sirens go off in me 🚨🚨🚨

I really "liked" the school bullying scene because it was so realistic. I also completely understand Ryu's frustration with how he is treated.

I feel a slight breeze of optimism, 3 episodes and the series still holds my attention, which only one series has managed to do so far. So I might even finish it 🤞🤞 woohoo!

Next episode: possessive Ryu and boys fighting for a boy, can't wait! 🥳

Edit: I couldn't resist adding this cute gif 🥰

[the-ninja-legacy-whip]

hey! this is chance & here’s week 3’s prompt. share an excerpt that you’re very proud of from any of your wips.

(I'm a little late to the party but shhhh—) (maybe this will help me actually finish the wip—)

@gloomiermood-so tagging u since I know you really enjoyed the mermaid!au before :3

. . .

Cole’s life is hilariously ironic.

He knows down to his very soul that he's a man of the earth through and through. He loves the feel of a cliff against his palms while climbing mountains, the crunch of dirt beneath him as he hikes along a trail, and even finds himself enthralled whenever there’s a quake rippling through the ground. Regardless, it’s easy for him to understand why his mother had been so drawn to it all as well.

And yet, he was still inexplicably drawn to the sea.

He uses the excuse that the sea is his muse: he does his best thinking here, gets inspired for new setlists for his nightclub DJ gigs, finds a renewed motivation to draw whenever he gazes into the mysteries of the waves…but, while all of that is true, he knows the real truth.

Normally, he’d put his headphones on while he draws, to really zen out while getting lost in his sea of creativity. But lately…there’s a certain subject of the sea that he can’t help but have his eye on.

...and also an ear.

Cole's gaze falls shut, letting his hearing become the dominant sense. It takes a few minutes, but Cole catches it—mellifluous notes born from a voice of velvet, copying the ocean waves as they both crash against the shoreline. Though no words are formed within the melody, there's still a...beckoning sort of quality to it, one that has pulled Cole's attention since the very first time he'd been privy to it.

And with a song that magical, it could only be conjured up by a creature both musician and magician in equal parts.

Hoisting his bag closer to his body, Cole moves stealthily down to the rocks beneath the pier, down to a secret spot he's been visiting frequently for the last few days.

From this vantage point, he can see—the mermaid that sings the song of sirens.

In a rather cliché fashion—if Cole does think so himself—the lithe merman lies himself upon his favorite rock at the crack of noon, basking in the unmarred rays of the sun. The scattering light makes the pink scales of his tail glitter like the stars of a late evening sky. The tip of his translucent tail-fin traces absent circles in the water, in time with the beat of the ethereal notes tumbling from his lips. The song floats along the sea breeze, capable of fishing in boats just as boats fish in...well, fish.

A lesser human, certainly, would fall victim to those dulcet tones in a heartbeat. Cole would claim he is not a lesser man, but…not even he is immune to the charm.

Still, the merman seems to only sing for his own pleasure and amusement; the notes aren’t loud nor intense enough to truly drag a sailor into the depths. No, Cole can tell—the creature’s only singing for the joy of it…and when fueled by the pure act of creation, that’s when the most memorable art is made.

Perched upon his own rock, though one bathed in cool shadows as opposed to the welcoming sun, Cole sketches the scene before him–the latest in his growing batch of mermaid illustrations. He's a bit upset that he can’t capture the song itself in strokes of charcoal, but he does his best to put the rest of the mer’s striking features to paper—the silly swoop of his pink-tipped burgundy hair, each fishy prong of his extra little fins, the delicate droplets that cascade down the expanse of his back, the way the scales of his tail fade into smooth sun-kissed skin, and those iridescent fuchsia eyes…

For lack of an actual name, Cole decides to nickname this mystery mer Fuchsia.

Cole never makes a move to draw the mer’s attention, nor ever get any closer. The days when he catches even a glimpse of Fuchsia are rare—as the merman is a rather jumpy one, and flees at the first sign of potential trouble—but the potency of his music keeps the pencil gliding across Cole’s page anyway. Even without his so-called muse sitting directly before him, Fuchsia still manages to inspire Cole.

The thought makes a certain warmth bloom in Cole’s chest, but he crumples it into a ball and stamps it down. Alluring, mystifying, and pretty though the mer may be, there’s no way he’d want anything to do with Cole, especially if the siren song isn’t being used to lure anyone in. Fuchsia's got his own world to live in, just as Cole has his.

Yet...a certain amount of longing remains present in the notes. For what reasons, however, Cole can't place.

It's simply a feeling that resonates in his heart...and, if Cole could, is a tune he'd like to resonate back.

A boat honks in the distance, cutting Fuchsia's song short. He flails in a startled panic and immediately dives—well, tumbles—back in the water with a resounding splash, while Cole sighs with disappointment. But, he's still faintly amused at how skittish his little mermaid muse is. It’s endearing.

Cole lingers, waiting for the boat to pass and waiting to see if Fuchsia will return for an encore. But Fuchsia appears to have had his fill of singing for the day, and Cole catches no glint of shimmering scales beneath the waters.

That’s fine, though. Cole’s seen and heard plenty enough today to work with…and daydream about.

...and besides, he likes to think he’s very good at keeping a seaborn secret.

[mochiimiiki]

| Vanderwood Route |

Summary: The sirens echoed around you, drowning out the now muffled screams of pain, fear and anger. A part of you was unsure if any of the sounds were coming from you as you dragged yourself across the floor, inexplicably burning up. Everything around you was fiery hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Just how did you get yourself into this predicament? 

A/N: Okay! Hi guys, so sorry for not posting but here have the first chapter for this Vanderwood fic, that will have 11 Chapters (maybe a bonus too) in total! Enjoy my crappy fic :)

Spoilers for Another Story etc.

Warnings: innuendos, trigger warnings of blood, death, violence, gunshots scenes, Vandy swears

If any of these make you uncomfortable then feel free to skip said scenes or to ignore this! 

{Day One}

Your eyes narrowed at the phone. It wasn’t overly old, definitely an iphone of sorts but certainly was one of the older bands. You double checked the address that flared up at you. Practically demanding you to open the door. A gut wrenching feeling of uncertainty settled in your stomach as you stared at the apartment before you. So far the only off putting thing about the scenario was the slightly creepy vibes that you got off of the ‘unknown’ guy. Having one last final debate with yourself you typed in the password and stepped inside.

The apartment was as clean as a crisp, it had the appearance of one of those set-up walk in homes that were trying to make a sell on the real estate market. For a moment you feared this might be a set up to some show. “Hello?” You called meekly, sheepishly peaking your head inside. “Uh, I have your phone?” No answer.

Suddenly, the phone in question buzzed incessantly.

You had just entered a new chat, with people (or so you presumed it was people) who were unaware of your presence. That was until the one labelled 707 started spamming the chat with a string of ‘AAAAH’s. 

707: HOWD ZOU GRT HERE!!!!!!!

yoosung ☆: typos lolol

yoosung ☆: seven wht u on- OMG STRANGER DANGER?!

Jumin Han: ?

Jaehee: ? seconded

ZEN: Seven did you let... someone in?

707: NO IDNT

ZEN: typos... again.

You watched the chaos unfold in the chat, utterly bewildered. Just who were these... people? Why did it matter you entered their chatroom, it was just a chatroom? Besides it was clear that this phone had the app on it before, so you were just using their phone surely it wasn’t such a surprise... It was the same name after all, right?

MC: Uh... hi?

yoosung ☆: EEP! It talks!!!!!!!

Jumin Han: How did you gain access to our messenger? Luciel?

707: HOLD ON CHECKING CAMERS!!!!

Cameras? You gasped and spun around to the door, searching for the cameras, surely they weren’t spying on you? That’s when your face dropped. There placed perfectly above the door was a small black camera, hidden in the corner of the hallway, unnoticeable if not pointed out. You gave the camera a sheepish wave and held up the phone before typing in the chat.

MC: Sorry to barge in! I was given the address and code to return this phone I found um... who owns this phone?

707: No way... guys she accessed Rika’s apartment. She’s standing there right now in the hallway. 

yoosung ☆: SHEWHAYT!?

*V has entered the chatroom*

Jumin Han: V? Do you know this girl?

Your mind, to say the least, was fried. You hadn’t intended on causing such a ruckus today. In fact, all you wanted to do today was search for a new apartment while you tried to escape the clutches of your crazed, lunatic of a roommate. However, looking at the situation here made you double back on your decisions and debate on retreating to the psycho you deemed your roommate.

MC: UM... look i really mean no bother I really was trying to return this, the guy on the phone told me to come here... does Rika own the phone can I give it to her?

V: MC... is it? Listen there is a cafe down the street from you, would you mind meeting me there? I’ll be there in about ten minutes.

V: Luciel.

707: ...ye?

V: Call me.

*V has left the chatroom*

You stood there dazed. What... just happened? You didn’t even get a chance to interject. The members each seemed just as dazed as you were, still debating with themselves whilst you had an internal argument on the plan to go see this mysterious guy you just met on the internet or bail this crazy scheme entirely. 

Feeling no less unnerved than you had when you arrived you decided your best bet would be to put up with this crazy half thought out plan. Nothing terrible could truly happen. You were meeting him in a public place after all. After bidding these new members a strange farewell you grabbed your bag that lay halfheartedly against the too painfully white walls and headed out in pursuit of this cafe the mysterious V had mentioned. 

You checked the address that V had forwarded to you, making sure once again that this was the place you had arranged. You sat down apprehensively, jumping in the swivel stool as each person entered. You had no idea what he looked like, and until now just realised you had been in fact guessing he was a he, the little icon from your previous chat provided little leeway for your guesses. Your thoughts disturbed when a quiet voice snapped your spiralling queries.

“Hello, I hope you’re MC?” 

Your eyes lifted from your phone taking in the person before you. Your guesses were right; he was a man, and certainly not just any man… he had the face of a model! You could’ve sworn an inaudible ‘wow’ escaped your lips as you took in his dishevelled turquoise locks that curled perfectly into his face and framed his defined cheekbones. And the way in which his eyes slanted ever so slightly, provided him a look belonging to the wise. Oh and his eyes, he had such gentle, kind eyes. Immediately you felt a tension lift from your shoulders (one you hadn’t realise had settled there), as he took away your worries with a soft hum and warm eyes. 

“May I take a seat?”

“Please.”

V ran through a bunch of things, things that left you sitting there utterly bewildered once more. The day just gradually became more and more confusing.

“I would like something to ask of you, MC?”

“Hm?” You hummed politely glancing up to meet his soft gaze from your steaming coffee. “I hope...” He began, voice akin to his kind eyes. “That you would join the R.F.A.”

At that you choked on your sip, dismissing V’s worried hands as he tried to comfort your coughing fit. You? Join them? You didn’t even know these people! It comforted you even less when he insisted you stay in the apartment. Especially after learning that it belonged to his ex-fiancee. You didn’t know how to process this information, much less relay your reluctance about the whole idea to the head of the organisation, no less. However long you took to answer V sat back with a gentle smile, patience evident through his body language. He really did appear like an angel to you. 

“Um... while I appreciate your offer... sir, I really did just want to return the phone.”

“I completely understand.” He returned, same level of confidence and patience unwavering in his words. “I just feel that because of such... unusual circumstances in which you came to find our little app it may prove to be an issue for you.”

“Issue?” You echoed, confusion written in bold letters across your furrowed brows.

“Only a hunch.” He smiled back, once again his warmth evaporating any worries that may have previously infested your mind. Your fingers itched and your knee bounced anxiously beneath the table. “Alright...” You began slowly, swallowing your coffee as you allowed his words to truly sink in. “May I at least think on it, like have a nights sleep and... uhm tell you tomorrow? Or something?” 

“I wouldn’t ask anything more of you.” He nodded contemplating your request. For a moment you feared that he wouldn’t let you go and would kidnap you to be apart of this charity organisation, as though it were a kind of cult. But you were quickly reminded that this was not in fact a movie or soap opera, or drama thing of any kind and in reality things such as cults and kidnappings didn’t happen to ordinary people such as yourself. 

V pushed the little rickety french chair away from the table, the cafe he had chosen seemed to fit him so well. It was petite and had a frenchesque style, something that seemed very befitting to a man so beautiful. “Reach out to me tomorrow, I’ll tell Luciel to grant you access. And for now I welcome you temporarily to the R.F.A, until you’ve made your decision.”

And with that the two of you departed, shaking hands like old friends do.

You slumped back in the chair allowing your brain to catch up with the speed of events. In just three hours you found yourself with a new phone, an apartment to rest in and a job of sorts.

You debated whether or not pinching yourself would bring you any kind of consolation or just a little bruise. Sipping the rest of your coffee you decided to make your way back to the pristine apartment, which to V’s request you would sleep in until you came to your decision. Maybe it was naive of you to trust his kind smile and warm-hearted words. But suddenly you felt a perk to your walk and thought that maybe life could get more sunny afterall.

- - - Vanderwood - - -

Kicking the gravel from under his foot Vanderwood stalked up the driveway with a scowl etched onto his handsome features. He was furious. How was it his job to be involved with the stupid red headed brat? It wasn’t like he was the lazy one mucking about. But alas, ever since they’d assigned him to the weird red head kid Vanderwood’s life had been utter chaos. More so than the usual.

Vanderwood banged on the door. “Yo Seven, open this damn thing.” Briefly the air went still and time froze. Raising a fist to continue pounding the gate finally clicked and slowly opened. Vanderwood scoffed. “Trust him to only let me in when he thinks I’m gonna wreck his precious creation.”

Seven spun around to face Vanderwood with a wicked grin. “Oh Mary have you come to look little ol’ me?” He blinked, feigning innocence. Vanderwood folded his arms - thoroughly unimpressed.

“No, I’ve come to tase some sense into that thick skull of yours.” Seven mumbles something unintelligible as her turned back to his screens. Vanderwood momentarily cringed. He truly thought that staring at those screens all day might one day give Seven square eyes. “Jesus, would you look at the state of this place?”

“Mary!” Seven gasped. “That is utter blasphemy.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“To think you’d use such language.” Seven tutted, shaking his red locks to and fro as his fingers stilled. Vanderwood scowled, glaring daggers into the backs of his head. “It’s shameful, Mary.”

“Not my name.” Vanderwood’s eyes lazily drawled over his screens, observing with little interest just what Seven was up to. With an audible sigh Vanderwood realised just why the red had been slacking off. “Are you shitting me? The charity shit? Seven - fuck - I told you before, I’m only letting it slide if you actually do your work.”

Seven remained quiet, his body tensed. Vanderwood knew immediately that Seven was guilty. It didn’t take a genius to read body language. Vanderwood toed a packet of filthy crisps away, he felt a headache coming on. Slipping out his cigarette packet he was determined to let off some steam, figuratively and literally.

“Oh no you don’t.” Seven cut in, spinning in his chair to face Vanderwood with a rare scowl. “If you’re going to do that, smoke it outside.”

“It’s cold.” He retorted.

“Don’t care. My house, my rules.” He waved Vanderwood off, making the latter grumble out in protest. Before the two could begin arguing Seven’s computer bleeped.

“Is that the work for your man? Is it done?” Vanderwood stuffed the cigs back into his pocket, determined to sneak one later.

Seven shook his head. “No, I’m running a background test on someone.” He rubbed his neck sheepishly, mouse clicking across the screen.

“MC…” Vanderwood read her full name aloud, eyes scanning over the rest of her features. Age details, family, job, hobbies. At first glance she appeared to be any other girl, simple and ordinary. He frowned. What did she have to do with anything? Unless she worked for a rivalry agency?

“She’s just regular.” Seven tutted, as though reading Vanderwood’s thoughts. “As suspected… but how’d she even manage to get in then?”

“In?”

“The chatroom.”

“Damn it! You’re doing personal shit? Seven-”. The screen flashed and was replaced with a black reflection. The two exchanged glances before suddenly green code sprung up with a message - I’ll Hack It All. Vanderwood stared blankly, before scoffing. “Did you go and get yourself an arch nemesis? Congrats you can be that Dames Bond you rave about.”

“Vanderwood.” Seven cut in, incredibly serious for a change of pace. Vanderwood raised a brow, debating how likely it would be the younger agent might actually kill him if he smoked in his place.

“I need a favour.”

[kivaember]

random o'keeffe/flatwell drabble go!

3:43.

The numbers blurred slightly in O'Keeffe's vision, loitering at the bottom right corner of his computer screen as he continued his methodical work. It wasn't anything urgent, and he could do it tomorrow in the office if he wanted, and it was beneath him anyways since this was junior analyst work, but the night was long and dark and the thoughts in his mind too loud.

Staring at numbers, scouring through profiles and names and linking together Mr What's-his-face with Mrs. So-and-So and the embezzled funds from This-or-That project or Thingiemajig budget that were spent on luxury yacht #54 or sunk into a giant swimming pool tiled with rare marble from Pluto and the water coloured crimson from heavily diluted recycled Coral (that is toxic it's toxic it's toxic but do the more rich than sensible executives care no no of course not), weaving through the byzantine corruption that spun the corporate wheels, that fed the kleptocracy that masquaraded as their democratic capitalistic society, all the same shit over and over, until O'Keeffe didn't even bother writing unique reports anymore he just copy and pasted names, dates and what luxury item was purchased that day.

It was menial work. It was tedious work. It was work that forced him to focus and so was the only thing that kept him sane, nowadays.

3:59.

This particular case he was working on was very minor, yet the executive involved was a little cleverer than most. He understood the concept of money laundering for one, probably because of his relatively junior rank, and so couldn't relay on his gold citizenship and executive status to protect him if Arquebus wanted to make an example. The guy had a side business of cakes for dogs or something. He laundered his money through there. It should've stood out like a red flag because cakes? For dogs? As a business?

But this was the society they lived in. Earth was a ridiculous place, utterly delusional and disjointed from the wider galaxy, where cold, harsh reality stepped on the necks of every day humans. There was a reason so many people ran the immigration gauntlet to get onto Earth, even if it was as a working class citizen. The great cult built around Earth was a siren-song, and even O'Keeffe had fallen for it all those years ago.

Still, even with hindsight, he'd make the same choice. If he hadn't accepted Arquebus's offer, he wouldn't even be here right now. He would've succumbed to Coral-Burn, and if it hadn't killed him outright from organ failure, then he'd be reduced to a witless vegetable, his grey matter chewed up and consumed by the crytallised Coral in his implants and his nervous system. Horrible fate. Awful. O'Keeffe was a stupid human through and through: he'd jump through so many hoops to keep his mind and life intact.

4:04.

This executive wasn't much different, but he just had more expensive tastes for what was 'survivable' for him. O'Keeffe wasn't going to submit this report, in all honesty. The guy was small fry. He hadn't stolen as much as the board director did for his three mistresses and that 'love basement' of his. Still entertaining to read into this cake for dogs business though. Really, who came up with these ideas?

4:05.

"O'Keeffe."

He blinked, the name a sudden intrusion into the focused zen he had fallen into. He half-turned, peering over his shoulder to see a silohuette standing at his office door, leaning against the frame with their arms crossed. He couldn't make out their face, but he could tell that they only had a shirt on, open, and not making them decent in the least.

"Flatwell," O'Keeffe rasped. "What're you doing up?"

"Fetching you, apparently," Flatwell sighed, pushing off the door frame and walking over to him.

O'Keeffe didn't move as Flatwell stood behind him and rested his hands on his shoulders, deft fingers slowly kneading into the tense muscles there. Despite himself, he slowly relaxed, Flatwell knowing exactly where the knots and tension were, ruthlessly coaxing it out.

"A dog bakery," Flatwell murmured after a lull. "I've seen it all now."

"Money laundering business," O'Keeffe explained. "Some small fry executive. Nothing important."

"But important enough to keep you up at-" Flatwell paused, checking the clock in the bottom right corner of the screen. "-four in the morning."

O'Keeffe grunted.

Flatwell pressed his thumbs on either side of O'Keeffe's nape, slowly running parallel to his vertebrae. He could feel the skin pull slightly against the metal implants embedded into the skin there, evidence of the life-saving augmentation upgrade that countered the Coral-Burn sizzling through his grey matter, even now: contained, but not gone.

"Bad night, is it?" Flatwell asked mildly.

"Something like that," O'Keeffe muttered.

"Hm." Flatwell patted his shoulders. "C'mon. Reading about dog bakeries won't do you much good."

"Failing to sleep won't do me much either."

"Then we'll fuck or something," Flatwell said dismissively. "Or, if you really want to be productive, you could let me access the restricted areas in Arquebus's database using your priv-"

"No."

Flatwell clicked his tongue, but the smile in his voice was audible: "Damn. Foiled again. Well, since my seduction attempts aren't swaying you..."

He drew away, this time pressing his palm against O'Keeffe's hair, ruffling it like he was a miscreant child.

"...how about coffee?" he asked, after O'Keeffe stoically waved his hand away. He lifted it up and waggled his fingers temptingly. "That favourite cafe of yours should be open by now. Let's get something."

"You hate going anywhere early," O'Keeffe pointed out, but he locked his computer and stood up, grunting when his joints popped loudly. "Ergh."

"I do, but I can't sleep while you're skulking around like a convict," Flatwell drawled. "And I'm up now."

And Flatwell struggled to go back to sleep once he was woken up, O'Keeffe knew from experience (had endured several kicks to the shin when he'd accidentally jostled Flatwell awake at some unholy hour of the night). Despite being able to sleep, which most augmented humans struggled with, Flatwell was woken up on a hair trigger on most days. It made them an incompatible pair as bed fellows.

Yet, they still kept sharing that bed anyways, despite O'Keeffe being who he was and Flatwell being who he was. He was a spy, and O'Keeffe his consensual mark, and together they tied themselves into a relationship that they knew wasn't sustainable but kept feeding anyways because, well...

There weren't many Old Gen left. They were a dying breed, and in Arquebus alone he and Flatwell were the only ones. There was no one out there who understood them like they did each other, and Flatwell was also a very experienced honeypot who really knew how to put his silver tongue to good use (both literally and figuratively), so who did it hurt to toss a few crumbs of info his way, to turn a blind eye to his snooping or stealing a few schedules for Arquebus's supply routes between colonies?

He scratched Flatwell's back and he scratched his. It was a mutual, professional arrangement between two fellow wetworkers, and if there was some selfish indulgence on the side, then hey, they were only human after all.

(And just as delusional as the rest of the people on Earth.)

[queenofarkansas]

I love typing like the narrator fight club. SIGH. I am so NOT zen because I had a BAD matcha latte and I am so totally joes low blood sugar because it was so totally too sweet. the sweet siren song of beating up faggots calls to me in my dreams….

[natasha-in-space]

What are your Headcanons for the rfa if they were fairytale characters?

This ask has certainly reawaken my childhood interest in fairytales and mythical creatures! It's always fun to play around with magical au's, so I had a lot of fun pondering over each respective character, and what role would they play in a fairytale setting. Btw, feel free to shoot me another ask if you were referring to actual characters from various fairytales, 'cause I have ideas on that front as well!

Yoosung

Unicorn. Now, this may seem like a very odd choice for him, but there's actually some reasoning behind it! Unicorns are often depicted as skittish creatures, who are actually very fierce at heart. I can't help but compare them to Yoosung in that regard, as he's often viewed as somebody who's a bit of a scaredy cat when, in reality, he is a person with a heart of gold who will fight tooth and nail for something he knows is right. Kind of like unicorns sometimes serve as protectors of nature and its many creatures in need of care. They are also deeply intertwined with healing properties, which fits right in with our boy Yoosung. Do I imagine him as a star-themed unicorn? Yes. Yes, I do.

Zen

Merfolk. Well, that was an easy pick! What could be more fitting for our darling star of the RFA than these beautiful and mystical creatures of the sea? Merfolk often symbolize individuality and independence, and those traits are very prevalent in Zen's life story. Be it through the tale of Ariel rebelling against her controlling father, or the tales of the sirens (which are different from mermaids but are worth mentioning regardless since they're often intertwined with one another) luring those unlucky enough to disturb their home waters to their demise, merfolk are mysterious and freedom-loving creatures. I can imagine Zen struggling to make a life for himself, as every human he meets falls for his beautiful voice and mesmerizing beauty... But, all he wants is to be seen for his skills and passions. There could be a very intriguing love story to be written about a merman Zen falling for a runaway sailor MC!

Jaehee

Faun. While fauns are creatures who are only depicted as men, we can bend the rules a little! This one's more of a biased choice of mine since I have a soft spot for fauns and their gentle nature. Fauns, similarly to satyrs, are half-human half-goat creatures, but they serve a distinctly different role from the aforementioned satyrs. While fauns are known for their occasional mischief, they are a symbol of harmony and balance between human existence and nature, and serve as protectors of the countryside and shepherds. There's something very sweet about imagining Jaehee as a reserved loyal faun slowly learning to accept that gentle loving part of herself and finding her own little community. I want her to create many delicious foods for the village she chooses to make her home and keep everyone's livelihoods safe and happy. (With occasional mischief of course!)

Jumin

Wizard. More specifically, dark magic wizard. It is simply way too fitting for his canonical fascination with the occult for me to overlook! Though, despite his affinity with dark magic, Jumin would use his powers strictly for necessary and good use. I could also see him being one of the most powerful mages in all the land, which is why he's also responsible for keeping the peace between every individual magic user. Could you imagine the damage a powerful witch or wizard could do if there were no regulations put in place? I see him also studying alchemy and potion-making in his free time. He is a responsible and wise wizard who's very in tune with his magic, but his status and power also keep him alienated from the rest of the world. Maybe a certain curious MC could help him with that? And yes, Elizabeth is his familiar.

Saeyoung

Dragon. This is another biased choice of mine because I just know for a fact Saeyoung is a huge nerd for dragons and has a dragon OC he loves with all his heart. To be fair, in some folktales, dragons do play the role of fierce protectors, loyal to those they hold dear and vicious to those who dare lay a hand on their treasure, be it in the form of literal gold or people they swore to defend. Either way, dragons are a force to be reckoned with, and it does describe our lovable but unforgiving redheaded on a pretty good level. Can you imagine? Him having to use his strength for horrible things, if only this meant his precious brother would be protected and happy? A lot of story potential for sure. I'd also like to imagine him having glowing dots on the underside of his wings that form various constellations. A reminder of his true gentler nature beneath all the blazing fire.

Jihyun

Phoenix. What could be more fitting for Jihyun's self-destructive devotion than a creature that literally sets itself on fire, only to be reborn again to repeat that very same cycle again? Not to mention the fact that fire brings a ton of very painful memories for him? He probably sees only the destruction his fire brings, overlooking the true beauty of it. Jihyun spends a lifetime neglecting himself and burning brightly for other people in his life instead of valuing his own tender heart. And, in the end, that's the exact reason why his fire hurt so many, despite his good intentions. But, phoenix's story is not one of loss and despair, it's a story of hope and renewal. I'm sure Jihyun will find his true strength eventually, and once he does, he will come out of the ashes shining brighter than ever before. Not for anyone else's gain but his own.

Rika

Faye. I quite like the idea of Rika being a faye with genuinely good intentions who was met with nothing but fear and loathing just because of who she is. See, fayes are known for their malice and the danger they entail for humans, especially children. It would certainly be hard to convince a bunch of paranoid and scared folks that you mean no harm. And, paradoxically, that's exactly what pushes Rika to eventually become the very same malicious and cruel faye everyone in her village claimed her to be. She abducts those she views as outcasts and brings them to her kingdom - a place where everyone can live in peace and harmony without fearing rejection or hatred. While faye can't lie... However, Rika is known for her extraordinary charisma and her elegant way with words. She can convince anyone to come to her side with one wave of her hand and just a tiny sprinkle of magic.

[surpriseraisin]

trollchendise au _ more blurbs

Viva and a variety of trolls got purchased by a ring master-esque person. The group perform like a mix of cirque de soleil and circus. Flips, songs and tricks for the audience. Mix of pop, country and funk trolls in the group. Vivas group is thought of first, if not The thought, when circus/big top performances are brought up.

But the ring master looks odd…movements are slightly delayed or disjointed and is never seen without their signature carnival porcelain mask and long coat and gloves. Has a veil covering the head with what looks like multi-colored embroidery through it, and sits on a wheelchair that floats (similar to funk troll technology). Truth is the ring master is a larger being (who looks like a wooden puppet) that they killed or died, and the trolls maneuver to keep the place running and remain "owned" but free. Trolls who were bought and lose their owner is subject to being reclaimed to be purchased again or just taken by larger beings who find them for keeps.

Noted to always have trolls around him. Notably viva and hickory.

hickory got modified to look like a country troll, as he connected with country trolls and wanted to commit. Thought it was a blessing, the favor in exchange for the transformation was his brother to be traded. Currently have no news of what happened to him or where he is. Ring master agreed as that would be quite the attraction, a troll who changed genres and also because hickory brought it up himself. Performs as a beast tamer and stuntman

viva has a trapeze clothing (think zendaya from greatest showman) and plumage on her wrist, shoulders and waist (like carnival costumes from brazil)

clays hair is wild and shaped like a lion and has multiple scars. Semi feral so has bigger teeth and his claws no longer retract so easily. Performs as beast man, wears toga or themed armor, roaring and partnering with hickory to perform fights and stunts. Picked up by viva as he was making his escape after attacking and running from the facility when he was branded as a discontinued troll (means they become solely a consumable product and can't be bought or treated as another type of product). would have been a leader, but prefers to not be in the spotlight so he wont be collected again. (Clay was hyped up before being sold, as there were different demands for him due to his bright coloring and high energy performances. So the facility tried to create higher demand by rousing the competitiveness between the different buyers. Clay caught wind of the intentions and also doesn't want to leave his remaining brothers and fought when he was being collected. Injured a worker and was labeled as a discontinued troll)

Creek is bought by Chef and became something like a mascot/host for her restaurant. His zen and medication techniques have a more significant effect like jazz music, once he has beings meditating and following his voice they become more vibrant/concentrated and compliant. This ability is what allows the restaurant to have their specialty, named misted meal. Where a troll is diffused and misted over the guest during their meal of other foods, before finally being eaten.

the restaurant is called Bergens Desire; and was rearranged later to spell De Sirens

creek worked hard to improve his ability and went from needing hours and one on one, to multitudes and only needing a moment of relaxation and being obeyed by a troll to affect them.

wearing host clothing, with scented wooden beads he fiddles in his hands and around his ankles. after taking over he wears an apron with the most fascinating pattern, the splashes of color draws the eye and makes one focus.

gets betrayed by chef and attempted being replaced with chaz. Is furious and sings (think certain part of no way from six the musical) before paralyzing and injuring chef, and taking over the restaurant. Group of trolls left over becomes something like a serial killer, led by Creek and Chaz. Uses the restaurant's reputation to lure in customers, with promises of a high end customized meal with one on one experience. Doesn't always kill the people who come into the restaurant to ward of suspicions. When they do kill a person its usually preceded by interviewing if they harmed/exploited trolls and a chorus of "You want us? You like us? You wouldn't leave us right? Replace us and just throw us away, no you're better than that. You want to eat? Be our guest (serves the guest previously killed large beings as meals; where else would they have gotten special meats/ingredients)

chaz collaborated with creek because one, creek is kinda scary when he attacked chef all the while soothingly narrating in order to paralyze her, and also cause he didn't want to work with the Chef anyway. So might as well work with creek. They became somewhat partners to maintain the establishment moving forwards

John sending secret msgs to his bros using his written songs that make it to top 100

branch; by talking or speaking with the bands who sang johns song and they were basically dropping hints that there are msgs hidden there for him and his brothers. he just needs to listen closely

Bruce eventually starts talking about little facts about himself that are true. such as he hads brothers. he feels uncomfortable with comments or compliments about his looks. he found that he likes growing out a beard, he was never able to do that before. he appreciates that brandy speaks to him at a comfortable distance and sits so that shes not looming over him. And all these little comments adds up and while brandy is feeling flattered and happy that bruce is feeling comfortable enough to share more about himself, she's also growing concerned because wow, yea. This guy definitely has a Story about him.

Cooper was born and raised by the funk royals. But because of a favor and because the current funk family owner wants to experiment, cooper is sent to become part of the snack pack. Funk family owner when prince D tried to intervene and argue: 'I want to see how separated twins will react and grow. Entertain me and ill even make a reunion later. Make it worth my while little prince, your happy ever after depends on it'