#so if you DID vote for me despite nobody knowing about it or telling anyone THANK YOU LMAO

[slasheru]

I'm doing my first interview for Slasher U this week :DD I'm really hype to talk about all the behind-the-scenes and dev and Feelings TM stuff :'))

[sapphim]

I've been a little bit obsessed lately with whatever it is that may or may not be going on with Connor Guerrin.

Desire: I abandon the boy… for now. But I retain the contract he and I made, and many years from now I may return and claim what is mine. Desire: This will be long after whatever you want is done. In exchange, I will provide something of value to you. Something you desire. What say you? Warden: So you leave and come back when nobody expects it? Desire: I have had my fun in the living world. If I leave, you could tell anyone you've slain me. Even the boy himself would believe it. Desire: He will grow and become a mage, mighty and wise. But when I return, his soul would be mine. Warden: How do I know you would keep your word? Desire: A bargain struck is a bargain kept. Such is our way. — Desire: Then it is a deal. You'll have what you desire… and I'll leave as if destroyed. For now. Desire: I wish you luck, dear creature. You shall certainly need it.

After Connor is freed (or, "freed"), regardless of whether or not the Circle and Irving were contacted for help, he is sent to the Circle.

Teagan: Connor is his old self. He does not seem to remember anything, which is a blessing. Teagan: I suppose we will need to send him to the Circle of Magi's tower for… training, once the war is over. It's so odd to think of the boy as a mage, of all things.

This is corroborated in his codex entry.

With aid from the Circle, he was freed from the demon's power. Connor will be sent to the Circle Tower where he will no longer pose a danger to the innocent. He was freed from the demon's power at a terrible price: the cost of his mother's life. Connor himself will be sent to the Circle where he will no longer endanger innocent people.

Now, the Origins epilogue disputes that Connor ever arrived at the Circle, in the event that the Warden cut a deal with the desire demon and allowed him to be repossessed.

While Eamon planned to send Connor to the Circle of Magi for training, the boy grew strangely ill and the trip was delayed… and then one day Connor simply disappeared entirely. After a frantic search, he was eventually given up for lost. His disappearance remains a mystery to this day.

However the Origins epilogue slides are explicitly non-canon, and have been freely retconned throughout the series. The implication that he never arrived at the Circle due to the demon's interference is also inconsistent with the its claim that it would wait "many years" for him to grow into a more powerful mage before attempting to reclaim him.

Furthermore, Isolde mentions how Connor is settling in at the Circle in dialogue from Mark of the Assassin if the DLC is played in Act 1 (9:31, less than a year after the end of the Blight). This plays if Connor is alive, regardless of whether the demon was dealt with permanently or not.

Perrin: How is your son, Arlessa? Does Circle life suit him? Isolde: He is well, thank you. He is glad to have proper tutors, and they say he is a very good student.

Tangentially, Teagan's dialogue about Connor, if Isolde died, implies that he has maintained a good deal of contact with his surviving family despite living at Kinloch.

Perrin: How is your nephew, Bann Teagan? Tegan: Connor is… a teenager now, Maker save us all. My poor brother is tearing his hair out dealing with the boy. Teagan: He’ll grow out of it. Or Eamon will kill him. Either one.

If he appears in Inquisition, he mentions that he was still at Kinloch when the Circles were dissolved.

Inquisitor: How did you end up in the mage rebellion? Connor: I was living in the Fereldan tower when the Circles dissolved. I voted against it, but… Connor: At first, it seemed all right. No one was summoning demons. They just wanted to oversee themselves. Connor: But then the magister came and… It's wrong, what they do in Tevinter. Connor: We are monsters. We need to be controlled. If it wasn't for me… Connor: Every family in this village wouldn't be missing a son, a daughter, a spouse.

However, (according to the wiki) he only appears in Inquisition (in 9:41) if the Warden did not cut a deal with the demon to allow it to return and repossess him later.

So, if that is the case, then what happened to Connor between 9:31 and 9:41? This question is the one that has been haunting me.

Connor doesn't appear in game between Origins and Inquisition, but there was a quest that was cut from DA2 in which Hawke would have met Teagan and Connor if Connor was alive.

I want to add a few caveats before presenting more information on this quest. Uncompleted quests like these are removed from the game for any number of reasons, and all the information contained within should be considered 1) incomplete and 2) possibly in error. There is, for example, another cut quest in which, if Harrowmont is king of Orzammar, the carta continues to support Bhelen and his claim to the throne. The problem with the concept of this quest concept is that, if Harrowmont is king, Bhelen is dead.

The quest was going to take place in Act 2 (9:34, which would have made Connor around 14 at the time). Teagan and Connor are in Kirkwall for? Some reason. A little field trip for a well-behaved boy, perhaps. Kirkwall's templars have gone rogue and are attempting to kill Connor, having heard of his little reign of terror in Redcliffe some five years ago and believing him to still be possessed. The political implications on this one are a bit uh, insane, if we're being honest.

Connor is still a mage of Kinloch, and says as much himself. Except there is an alternate line, in which he does not mention the Circle at all.

Connor: I’m a mage of the Circle Tower of Ferelden. Connor: (alt line) There’s no use keeping it a secret. Yes, I’m a mage.

When the quest was cut, the plot flag to determine if Connor would claim to be a mage of the circle checked:

1) Is Connor alive? (This seems unnecessary. He's standing right there in front of us, after all.) 2) Did the Warden make a deal with the desire demon? and 3) When cutting a deal with the demon, did the Warden not intimidate it into leaving Connor permanently and never returning for him?

In other words, basically, if Connor is slated to be repossessed, he doesn't claim to be a member of Ferelden's Circle. Again. This could be anything or nothing. It could be a mistake.

One very mundane explanation: in the zz_vault_debug dialogue, this plot flag is phrased as "Connor went to the circle of magi"/"Connor did not go to the circle of magi," and it's possible that's how it was phrased in the developers' toolset as well. Then someone saw the flag, with only that description to go off of, and wrote it in. This is... technically not incorrect? But it glosses over the very very important factor of WHY specifically did he not go to the Circle of Magi. Bioware, in the absence of the Circle of Magi, then what!!! Answer the question.

You can understand maybe why I'm a little, "hmmm?" over this, red string style, especially since Bioware has kindly given me no other details to to "HMMM?" about.

Anyway that's my current Connor brainrot that's been rotating in my head for the past several days.

[twinchampionsofkalos]

♚ - a memory of something paranormal

Serena wasn't scared. She wasn't scared at all. Sure the house was dark and full of odd creaking sounds, but that was nothing. It was all just for show, there weren't any real ghosts in here.

Shauna, on the other hand, didn't seem as convinced. She was clinging to Serena's arm pretty tightly. Serena had expected this. Shauna loved spooky stuff like this. Whenever they'd have movie nights she'd always vote for a scary movie and she'd been the one to suggest they visit the Scary House in the first place. Despite that, she always acted terrified and Serena was never able to figure out if she was faking it or was genuinely scared.

Regardless, Serena held her friend close and patted her on the head. "There, there, it'll be okay. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Calem agreed. "There's no scary things here."

Serena could tell he was lying. Which meant he could tell she was lying. Both of them were actually pretty scared themselves, and just putting on brave faces for the sake of looking cool.

"You're right." Trevor said, scrolling through an ebook on his Holo Caster.

Trevor was the most timid of all of them. He'd always been anxious and socially awkward. He preferred to avoid confrontation and typically hid behind his friends when the situation got tense. Despite this, he was keeping a remarkably cool head. It seemed that if he was able to filter a situation through the lens of research and science, it became less scary for him.

"According to this, there's none of the signs typical of a haunting." He said. "Not even from a Ghost-Type Pokemon."

"A-are you sure?" Shauna asked. She almost sounded disappointed.

"Well, it is a bit cold." Trevor replied. "But it can get pretty chilly in this part of Kalos, especially at night."

Tierno laughed and smacked Trevor on the back. "That's our Trev for you."

Before they could continue their conversation, they came across a man standing in front of a crackling fireplace. He was dressed all in white, with a white hat and a white suit. His hair was also white and he had a pale complexion.

"Th-that looks like a g-ghost to me!" Shauna exclaimed.

The man chuckled. "I'm not a ghost. I'm flesh and blood, just like you."

Shauna breathed out a sigh of relief. So did Calem and Serena, though they hadn't realized they'd been holding it in.

"So, what brings you to my decrepit old house." The man said. "I don't get many visitors out here, you know."

"But isn't this-" Trevor began before Shauna elbowed him.

"I mean... we are but travelers seeking shelter from the rain."

Never mind the fact that there was no rain. The man chuckled again, clearly pleased that they were playing along.

"Oho. In that case, why don't I tell you a story."

"A sc-scary story?" Shauna asked.

"Perhaps." The man said with a sly smile.

Suddenly, the fire in the fireplace went out. There was the hiss of a match and a spark, and a single candle lit up the old man's face.

"It was a dark and stormy night many years ago. Lost, I arrived at this house and went inside. The lights would not turn on, so I fearfully looked around the house. Eventually, I made my way into the kitchen. There was no sign of anyone being there... I found the fridge, and when I opened it, a faint light leaked out. I could finally make out my surroundings. And I saw the faint outline of a man huddling in the corner of the room.

I tried to tell him that I was lost and I was hoping he'd let me stay until morning, but when I approached him... The man suddenly screamed,

"Stay back!"

I apologized and continued to plead my case. "Please, can't you help me?"

"I'm not talking to you!" he shouted.

I looked at the man in surprise. When I did this, the man asked me...

"Can't you see them? Behind you! A horde of faceless men!"

There was a pause. Nobody seemed quite sure what to say. It was clear the story hadn't had its desired effect. After about 30 seconds, the man clapped and the lights turned back on. He held out his hand expectantly.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Shauna asked.

"Aren't you going to give me a tip?" The man said.

"Seriously!?" Shauna exclaimed, all traces of her previous fear gone. "You're charging us!?"

"Hey, I've gotta eat too!" The man replied.

Shauna sighed. "Fine." She dug 300 Poke out of her pocket and deposited it in the man's hand.

"Thank you." He said smugly.

"Sheesh, lets get out of here." Shauna grumbled, leading the way out of the not-so-Scary House.

[paarksunghoon]

I fr have nobody to talk abt what's going on politics wise especially considering the area I live in are all heavy republicans and its not even a joke when I say if he wasn't elected i was not planning on stepping a foot outside. I hope u don't mind me going on a rant but tell me why in class today ppl were talking abt the elections which didn't bother me until I heard this guy say "what Kamala stands for is irrelevant" when I tell u my blood started boiling he was trying to defend himself by saying he does care abt woman but its the fact that she "is promoting people to not have a family and to live unhealthy and un-natural lifestyles" I automatically figured he was hinting abt the fact that she is willing to allow access to abortion which I believe is the only right thing to do as its allowing woman to have more rights and have more control overthlemelves and when I stated that its our bodies and their should be no reason for anyone especially a man to tell us what to do he had the nerves to say "maybe u hoes should stop hoeing around so much" like excuse u i can't even make this shi up I was so disgusted I fr walked out of that class cs their is no way in hell I was abt to sit another hour with someone who says such things anyways I don't wanna bring things like politics to your blog but your blog is a safe space to me and I felt comfortable enough to share I hope u don't mind :)

this absolutely needs to be discussed and I’m happy to know my blog is a safe space for you. politics is unfortunately a really big part of our lives and talking about it is important. while I did not intent to make this blog anything but enhypen, I am willing to shed light and offer a platform to discuss as well because the outcome affects so many of u.ms.

firstly, I want you to know that you are loved and supported, even if it doesn’t tangibly feel like that. I also know there’s a lot of negative language about Red states despite a lot of its residence (whether they can vote or not) not identifying as far right/republican, as well as people around you who celebrate bigotry, so please know that you are heard and that your voice matters to me.

the rate at which men hate women is shocking to me even though this is something I’ve dealt with my whole life. hearing men, our peers especially, directly or indirectly tell us just how much they hate our existence always makes me really angry. Kamala is the perfect choice to become president elect. she is the only person qualified enough to hold this title. I know for a fact the combination of racism and sexism is what cost her the election because America loathes women. it doesn’t matter what else she could’ve done…men hate us.

I’m also sorry that this guy was rude to you after you spoke ): you are absolutely correct and I hope that you do have a support system where you are. it’s really brave of you to voice your opinion when you know people won’t back you up.

i might sound veryyy cliche when I say this but please know my blog will remain a safe space for you to talk about this, and however you feel is completely valid.

[absolutesort]

𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨   ;    ʙᴇᴀᴄʜ ʜᴜᴛ ᴘʀᴏᴍᴘᴛ #6 !

how are you feeling in your decision to couple up or stay single ?

 “ i made the right choice. i stood by it at the fire pit, and i still stand by it now. ”  there’s a fired up energy about her, fresh off the back of some latest conspiracy that she’s the cause of. she’s pushed the chair against the back wall, and is alternating between pacing and sitting as she attempts to organise her thoughts. “ people keep telling me that i don’t know what i want, or that i’m leading miles on, ” people is clearly angel and callie coded, “ or that my head’s so far up callie’s ass that he’s gonna move on and kick me to the curb. but i know know what i want now, and it’s him. because i’ve had doubts with callie in the past, about whether we were moving too fast, about whether we want the same things, but i’ve never had those doubts with miles. and maybe that’s because we spend more time goofing off than we do talking about heavy shit, i don’t know, but i don’t have the same stress that i have with callie. it just feels easy with him, and i want something easy. i shouldn’t have to convince someone i’m worth fighting for, they should just know. ”

are you happy in your couple or do you think your head could be turned ?

“ i think i’m as happy as i could be, considering the messiness of the situation, but yesterday cleared up a lot of shit for me. i didn’t realise how much energy i was wasting thinking about something that was dead on arrival.  it kinda feels like this new thing with miles has been hanging in limbo waiting for me and callie to wrap things up, and now that’s done it’s like this weight’s been lifted off my shoulders and i don’t have to tip-toe around it any more. i’m not looking to have my head turned. i dont see anyone walking in the door who i’d get on with better than i do with miles. i think the only person who could have made my head turn is callie, and she’s made it pretty clear she wants nothing to do with me, so no i don’t see my head turning, and i don’t want it to. i’m super happy. miles gets me, we have like, this shared secret language, almost. adela said it’s gross to be around, but whatever. she’s jealous. ”

what are your thoughts on seb & bash & rhys’ exit last night ? why did you vote the way you did ?

“ we picked dylan and adela because of the two couples stood there, they were the only one that was an actual couple. sure, rhys had someone else, but it wasn’t about rhys and seb vs. adela and dylan, it was rhys and bash. honestly, i didn’t think that seb would walk. i thought the whole boyfriend shtick was performative, but clearly it wasn’t. i didn’t think seb would walk, and i didn’t think he’d be a total dick about it, but i’m still sad to see him go. rhys, too, he was a nice guy. and i’m always gonna think about bash when i have a peanut butter & marshmallow sandwich. it sucks, obviously, but it is what it is. ”

out of everyone left, who would be the hardest person to see go ?

 “ miles. ”  she sighs, lips pursing at the thought of him, suitcase in his hand.  “ like, i don’t know if i’d pull a seb if he left, but i know that i wouldn’t want to be here if he wasn’t. obviously his concubine josh, too. i think if josh went we’d both go into mourning, get the black arm band and everything, start listening to death metal and reciting bad poetry in the beach hut, which is crazy because when i was watching it at the hotel before i came in i was like, this guy’s a tool. i’d miss dylan, too. he’s one of my best friends in here, and just like, my rock, y’know ? my dwayne the rock johnson. and yeah, i’d miss callie, too, despite us having had a rough few days. it would feel weird being here without her. ”

who seems like the strongest couple right now and why ?

“ me and these cushions i colour-coordinated with ! ”  frankie laughs, considering the question for a second, tongue running over her teeth. “ nobody seems solid right now, honestly. but based on conversations i’ve had with callie, i feel like it’s her and angel. it sounds like he’s ready to like, be all-in and stuff which is great, because callie deserves someone who can give her that, and she’s ready to be fully focused on him, too. i just hope they’re happy together. i genuinely do mean that. ”

who seems like the weakest couple right now and why ?    

“ naomi and charlene. ” that feels like pretty low-hanging fruit, but it’s the truth.  “ i mean technically they’re coupled up, but she’s clearly patched things up with josh, so... yeah, i feel bad for charlene. like why bring someone back if you’re just gonna immediately jump ship ? she seems like a super cool girl. maybe marcus will get to know her. ”

[bloodgulchblog]

Armor by John Steakley pt 1

I know a little more about Armor than I did last time I said anything about it. The book is divided into 5 sections, and I just finished the first. The next one starts the "space pirate section" which, if reputation is to be believed, is kind of a slog compared to the front end, so we shall see how that goes for me.

So. The front end.

Armor is about a power-armored soldier named Felix as he goes on his first combat drop onto a hellish planet called Banshee to fight the endless hordes of the ants (which is what humanity calls the bug-like aliens they are fighting.)

In keeping with the tradition of Starship Troopers (the very obvious inspiration for this book), the ants' motives are not known and there is no effort made to explore them. They are a soulless living tide of enemies, and nothing more. We also know very little about humanity's goals, or how the planet Banshee fits into any of them.

Felix, having proven himself naturally skilled with the armor in training, is chosen to be a Scout instead of a Warrior. This mostly means that Felix's odds of surviving this are even lower than they already were. Despite this, of all the soldiers on his team that drop, Felix is the only one who survives.

When he manages to link up with the rest of the force, he finds them in dire straits struggling to survive against an endless onslaught of ants that is far worse than anything any of them were prepared for.

It all goes very very badly.

This section of the book is written in the third person, so we spend a lot of time with Felix but we don't actually know a lot about him. We have some faint hints that his backstory might be interesting, but what we do know is limited to this: He thinks they're all going to die, he's probably right, he's bitter and frustrated and terrified. He keeps having these dissociative episodes where he feels like he isn't himself, instead being driven by this ruthless, cold, practical entity inside him he calls "the Engine" that is able to keep surviving no matter how much Felix the guy should probably be dying.

I'm too early on to comment on the book as a whole because I don't totally know where all of this is going, but I'm having an interesting time as a book nerd.

So far, the good:

Steakley is at least trying to do something interesting stylistically? That isn't to say that I think the prose in Armor is good, because it frequently is not. But I am the kind of reader who gives points for moxie when someone tries. I can't throw too many stones from my glass house, you guys know how much I love a dramatic turn of phrase.

Also, I guess I do want to know what Felix's deal is.

The bad:

There are some cool ideas in here, but Steakley's lack of experience as a novelist shows. Some details of the world building and the military strategy are dumb. For example: All armor has a self-destruct mechanism, but nobody is allowed to know about it because they might misuse it (???).

The philosophy he clearly wants to imbue this with feels kind of weak and generic. "War is hell" is true, but I've consumed so much "war is hell" that it really needs some fresh teeth on this truth for it to inspire me to feel anything. Compared to The Forever War, Armor is obviously written by someone with sincere interest but without really saying anything.

When people tell you Armor is Starship Troopers without the politics, they're kind of right. It doesn't have a project (at least so far) the way Heinlein had his whole "what if there was an authoritarian government where you had to join the military to be able to vote" project in Troopers. I think any time anyone writes about war it's inevitably political, and people who think they're writing apolitically about war are just blind to how their politics inform what they think an objective view of the world is, but that caveat aside: Armor is writing about the fantasy of an alien war where the enemy isn't people, you don't have to consider the personhood of the enemy for even a second, and thus that pretty much invalidates the depth of anything it has to say about "war" because "war" in this book is so unlike what real war is.

…That's not to get into the phenomenon of unpersoning the enemy to desensitize soldiers to killing them (a very real thing), but this section is getting long and I have other things I want to talk about.

Like style, again.

While I am positively predisposed to the effort I've seen so far and I think I am guilty of some of these sins often enough myself, I know what I am and what I'm about, I still have to say Armor feels a bit raw and over-written. It could've seriously used a much firmer editing pass than whatever it got, there are a lot of darlings in here that needed the axe. Steakley uses a lot of short, choppy sentences that would flow better with a little more connection. On the other extreme, he frequently describes things in super dramatic ways with obvious play with wording/sentence structure that are kind of cool but… he does it a bit too often. You can only make big plays so many times before you start getting more bad results than good. He sometimes pours way too much gravitas on moments that don't need it, and it becomes repetitive. Even worse, when he does give you a sentence that might actually be beautiful, it's drowned out by all the other things that aren't.

But speaking of repetition: Let's talk about the action sequences.

I feel like they are very polarizing. Some people love, really really love Armor for its action sequences. Steakley gives you punch-by-punch descriptions of a lot of ant fighting, and through cursory perusal it seems like the Internet falls along two camps about this:

One group loves and praises it. This kind of person wants every detail written out so they can see it in their mind's eye in perfect detail.

One group finds it incredibly tedious and repetitive, because there are only so many ways you can describe somebody punching an ant and the way the ant's body parts come apart, and there are thousands of these things and they have no emotional stakes attached.

….As you may have guessed by this juncture, I am definitely one of the latter camp.

But I'm not here to insult people for liking things I don't like. I'll accept there's a whole school of action writing (and action reading) that just isn't my dish.

If that is you, so far I think you might like this.

But I'm just in the first section, so I am not ready to endorse the book.

I've heard the back 80% of this thing is like, kind of rough and weird and also maybe not something I'll have positive words to say about.

But we'll find that out later.

…And maybe I'll loop back and talk about the plot in more detail.

In the meantime, here are some specimens of Armor's writing for you:

Here's some of Steakley being super dramatic:

Here's a fight scene:

(I think this is example is one that works better than a lot of the others? The ones from later in this section where a bunch of warriors are fighting ants paragraph after paragraph are worse.)

[malleux]

idk if my request went through cuz my internet went weird just now-- but anyways, could I perhaps get a soft corpse x reader in which they're all playing among us and Rae or Sean invites (y/n), who none of them have every heard of, and she's just very shy but has an adorable childlike voice, and is an incredible imposter? Like she's just super convincing just like corpse, and can tug at the heartstrings with her voice? thank you!

spell. | corpse husband

part two ; part three

-> Pairing: Corpse Husband x Fem!Reader

-> Fandom: uhh youtubers? idk

-> Genre: Fluff, Crack

-> Warnings: Cursing

-> A/N: hi it’s a long overdue corpse fic :) it’s not the absolute best and for that i’m super sorry i’ve just got to get in the groove of writing for him!

corpse husband taglist is closed!

You were never one to enjoy the spotlight. Instead, you were often found in the background of things, just observing the extroverts who managed to get themselves in the middle of everything.

You had a nerve to admire them- their ability to just get out there and show their true selves, despite so many people watching their every move. Just the thought of it made you shudder. Yet you couldn’t help but also be rather envious of them.

Them, in question, being Sean McLoughlin.

You weren’t quite sure how you became associated with Jacksepticeye himself, choosing to focus on the present and future with your friend rather than dwelling on your past. He was just Sean, your internet friend. And also Jacksepticeye- a famous youtuber with millions of followers.

Sean was who you aspired to be in life. Outgoing, happy, out there, everything positive in life that Sean had, you wanted.

He’d confided in you often about how nervous he’d get before streams or videos, fearing that he’d say the wrong thing or upset his fans, but he still put on a brave face and went out into the chaos. That’s what you admired. His ability to conquer those anxieties.

You wished you could do that. You were simply too nervous.

Which is why when Sean facetimed you one night- morning, actually, seeing as it was 3am in California, where you were- asking you to join a game of Among Us for one of his videos, you adamantly refused.

“Why? Please, Y/N, we need one more person.” Sean begged, “It’ll be me, you, Felix, Ethan, Corpse, Julien, PJ, and Dave. Not everyone’s playing today, it’s a smaller crowd.”

“But it’s still a lot.” You groaned, “I don’t even know them. I just know you.”

“They’re nice! You literally watch their videos.” He argued back.

“That’s the point, Sean! They’re famous, I’d just be some random chick in the game that everyone asks where the fuck she came from.”

“No, you’ll be the girl that everyone adores. Now get on, we’re playing in ten.”

You sighed as the phone hung up and turned on your computer. A Discord invite was waiting for you- Sean must have invited you for you to talk to everyone as you played. You accepted with shaky fingers and put your headphones on, pulling up Among Us and typing in the game code.

“Hello everyone- wait, who’s pink?”

“She’s a good friend of mine,” Sean explained to Felix, “Say hi Y/N. We’re streaming live right now.”

“Hello,” You couldn’t help the meek tone in your voice, smiling shyly as if you were actually on camera. “Wait, you’re streaming? Sean, I thought you said it was a recording for a video.”

“I, well. It’s a video all right.”

The group laughed, but you stayed silent, fixating your attention on a lower voice that chimed in at the end.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m Corpse.”

“The King of Imposters.” PJ joked, making Corpse laugh.

You giggled a bit, “Hi…”

Felix gasped. “Corpse, her voice is like, the total opposite from yours. Her’s is so cute.”

Corpse laughed as well. “Agreed. I like it.”

As the game loaded, your heart practically dropped.

Imposter.

As if your nerves weren’t bad enough as they were. But, on the bright side, you were with Sean as the other imposter. At least it was someone you knew.

You both split up, you heading towards Electrical. Corpse and Felix were close behind you, Felix following you into the room while Corpse left. You pretended to do your task for a minute before moving to your left a minute and killing Felix.

You rushed out of the room and then headed to Navigations, making sure to avoid anybody who could have seen you leave Electrical. A few moments later, a body was reported.

“Where was it?” Sean asked Julien, the reporter.

“Electrical.”

“I saw Y/N go in there with him at the beginning of the game.” Corpse joined in, “I saw them as I was going to the Reactor.”

“I was in Electrical with him,” You admitted, still acting a bit shy. What could you say, deep voices and new people made you nervous. “But after that I left and went to do my task in Navigation. Felix was still alive and there when I left.”

“Did you pass anyone sus on the way there?” Sean asked.

“No, if they came in after I did it must’ve either been from the other way or after I was already in Electrical.” You started picking at your nail polish- a habit of yours when things got a little overwhelming.

“So you’re saying that it could’ve been from the direction Corpse was in?” You could hear the smirk in Sean’s voice.

“Whoa, whoa, hold up. Why are you so quick to throw me under the bus? I’m just a crewmate.” Corpse questioned, “You’re pretty sus if you ask me.”

Sean scoffed, “I’m just inferring that the culprit came from your direction. Never in my words did I say it was you. Sounds like you’re getting a little too defensive for someone who’s ‘just a crew mate’.”

“Uh, guys,” You quietly spoke up. You didn’t expect anyone to hear you, but Corpse and Sean immediately quieted down at your voice. “I hate to interrupt, but we’ve got to vote. I don’t want us to argue…”

Sean laughed. “Oh little Y/N, you’re too sweet. I’m skipping this round.”

As you voted to skip as well, your stomach clenched when you heard Corpse quietly repeat “Little Y/N”.

꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂

“It’s Y/N, I’m fucking telling you! Y/N!” Julien was practically screaming at this point. You tried to stay calm, focusing on keeping your voice steady.

The group had been calling you cute and adorable practically all night, so you were seriously about to put that to use.

“I was in Medbay with Corpse, isn’t that right, Corpse?” Your tone was sweet and slightly flirty- hopefully he’d get the hint.

Corpse hesitated for a millisecond- long enough for your breath to catch, but short enough for nobody else to notice. “Yeah, she was with me.”

“She was with you after she vented there!” Julien cried, “I can’t believe this- she killed Ethan and vented away right as I went into the room! You all are fucking nuts if you don’t believe me.”

“I don’t even know how to vent…” You murmured innocently, but in reality you were smirking. Julien was definitely telling the truth, and you were internally beating yourself up for letting yourself be so reckless after a kill, but nobody was seemingly buying his story.

There was only you, Corpse, Julien, Dave, and PJ left. Sean was voted off after fucking up his alibi, leaving you alone with the rest of the group.

Corpse sighed. “You all heard the girl. She doesn’t even know how to vent.”

“Wh- she just fucking vented!” Julien exclaimed, “Corpse, man, she’s got you under some fucking magic spell if you can’t see all the evidence. Guys, back me up here.”

“She’s sus.” Dave admitted, “And Corpse defending her makes it even more sus.”

“The spell she tried on him obviously got the best of him. I say we vote Y/N.” PJ agreed.

“There’s no spell, guys, oh my God.” Corpse laughed, “I just don’t think it’s her. I’m skipping.”

“I can’t believe you guys don’t believe me!” You whined, deciding to go further with your emotional tactics, “I’m literally about to cry. It’s not me!”

And yet, despite your protests, Dave, PJ, and Julien all voted you out. Crewmates had won the game and you were giggling nearly like a maniac as everyone gushed about how you did as an Imposter.

A bit later, you had to say goodbye to your new friends and face the reality that their fans would definitely find who you were by tomorrow. Or like, in a few hours, because it was already 4am. Corpse was in California as well, wasn’t he? He should be getting some sleep too, you thought. But maybe sleep schedules were different for Youtubers. You didn’t know.

You pondered the thought for a moment before the notification sound for Discord alerted you of a new message on your phone.

Corpse:

Just letting you know, your voice definitely had me under a spell. I’d like to hear it more often

[tomonari-nue]

Junpei Lives AU

i already warned Kiyoko about this but basically this is dedicated to my friend whom i bullied persuaded into watching JJK only to have them crying in my DMs when they found out Junpei was gone for good.

anyway, who else is bummed out that Junpei never got to learn alongside Yuuji and make friends at JJTech bc i sure am so My City Now

let’s assume that in a slightly more merciful world Junpei wasnt idle-transfigured to death and Yuuji basically hauled his ass away from Mahito

Nanami: Itadori-kun he did attack civilians Yuuji: yeah after being severely manipulated by an extremely fucked up cursed spirit! and being bullied relentlessly! and losing his only family! Nanami: his only family? Junpei: my dad isn’t in the picture Nanami, doing quick neck-breaking mental gymnastics about the possible logistics of unofficially adopting another teenage boy: I See.

technically, due to his age Junpei should be a year or two higher than Yuuji but given that he’s pretty much a newbie, he stays with the other first years

Yuuji wasnt allowed to accompany Junpei when he had his “exam” with Yaga and pretty much sat outside the room biting his nails

he doesnt hear Junpei’s declaration that he’ll never allow anyone to ever lay a hand on him ever again, that he wont let himself be manipulated any longer

Junpei moves into the empty dorm next to Megumi

(poor Megumi is thus subsequently stuck with hearing them giggle during their movie marathons in either room bc the walls are THIN and it doesnt matter who’s in who’s dorm bc its STILL NEXT TO HIM AND HE WANTS TO SLEEP THANK YOU VERY MUCH–)

Yuuji gets Junpei a lavalamp with floating jellyfish in it as a housewarming (dormwarming??) gift

initially Junpei was a little nervous meeting Yuuji’s other friends but he figures if they like Yuuji they wouldnt be that bad

wrong. he was terrified of both Megumi and Nobara.

Megumi: hello who is th– Nobara: WHO THE FUCK IS THIS HUH? WHO IS THIS STRANGER YUUJI? ANOTHER SWEATY TEENAGE BOY? WHY COULDNT YOU FIND ANOTHER GIRL DO YOU WANT ME TO DIE?

(its okay they became friends)

each of them coach Junpei regularly so he can keep up: Yuuji obviously takes over the hand-to-hand combat aspect

Junpei: no offence but i dont want to fight you Yuuji: oh its okay!! i have a high pain tolerance so dont worry about hitting me!! Junpei, who already got his ass kicked thoroughly by Yuuji before and knowing that this guy’s bicep is double the width of his own noodle arms: thats not what im worried about

Megumi, naturally, takes over coaching Junpei on all things shikigami – he’s very taken by Moon Dregs

Junpei: this is Moon Dregs, i didnt have her for very long but– Megumi: she’s beautiful, but can she fight? Junpei: she’s very poisonous Megumi: rad. anything else? Junpei: she. glows in the dark? Megumi: Megumi, under his breath: thats fucking sick as hell

Junpei isnt too sure what Nobara can coach him on considering their fighting styles are very different

Nobara: dont worry im gonna punch a spine into you Junpei: ????????

Nobara becomes the most terrifying (yet oddly effective) life coach in order to teach Junpei to be a lot more confident – unfortunately that also means feeding into his hidden violent streak KJBSBJKDJBK–

Nobara: this guy slaps your ice cream cone to the ground Junpei: what a dick Nobara: EXACTLY! what do you do? Junpei: hit him with a brick Nobara: YES Yuuji: NO Megumi: depends on what flavour the ice cream was

despite him and Nobara having similar violence levels, Junpei does kind of try to be the peacemaker in the group even if he does overindulge Yuuji quite often lmao

he brings the WEIRDEST movies to movie night fridays and often argues with Nobara over what they should watch

he once ignored Yuuji for an entire evening bc the other voted against him and he was stuck watching Frozen with everyone

Yuuji: cmon Junpei, just let it– Junpei: finish that sentence and im eating all of the mozzarella sticks

nobody likes to play Uno against Junpei bc he turns absolutely ruthless

on the first few nights at JJTech Junpei, having turned a little insomniac, wandered into the kitchen late at night to find this gangly figure in the dark with bright blue glowing eyes

nobody had bothered to tell him that Gojo liked to sneak sugar cubes

Junpei screamed so loud Yuuji took his door off its hinges in frantic hurry and Megumi got a bloody nose bc he ran straight into a wall

of course, that was nothing compared to having a very cranky and very pissed off Nobara show up in bunny-patterned PJs and hello kitty eyemask clutching her hammer

[doctorstethoscope]

Yes, Mr. President || Numbers

Hi besties, happy Tuesday!! Hope you enjoy this update, it’s on the longer side :) 

story summary: Scandal! AU-- your mentor, David Rossi, has recruited you to make Senator Aaron Hotchner the next President of the United States. Once described as a political nun, the Senator helps you see that maybe you can mix business and pleasure.

Read previous chapters of this fic here!

contains: food mention, allusions to sex, germ mention, slight cursing, assault

wordcount: 2.8k

You fell asleep in the Senator’s arms that night, at his request, but snuck out a few hours before you expected that anyone else would be up, leaving without a trace. Nobody needs to know. You had every intention of going back to sleep once you made it to your own hotel bed, but sleep never came. Instead, your mind swirled as you counted the dots on the ceiling tiles. You slept with a married man, with someone’s father, with a United States Senator, with a candidate for President of the United States of America-- and you really, really enjoyed yourself.

You knew, logically, that you should be ashamed of your behavior-- but you just can’t bring yourself to feel that way, not when you still felt so blissed out and well-fucked. However, you worry about your burgeoning relationship with Haley-- even if you don’t feel bad for what you did. How could you, when everything about your night with the Senator felt so perfect, so right? You give up on sleep after a while, climbing into the shower and hoping to get a headstart on the marks Aaron had left all over you just a few hours ago.

By the time you make it out of the shower, you can hear bustling in the hallway, which means the rest of the team is up-- it’s 4:30AM. You groan. There wasn’t enough coffee in the world for this, and you were pretty sure the church that was hosting this morning’s event was the no-caffeine type of crowd. You make a mental note to grab a Redbull from the small convenience store of the hotel lobby to chug on the bus while you drove to the event. In some ways, the campaign trail really was no different from college. 

Once you’re ready for the day, you swing open your hotel door, to find Aaron standing behind it, poised to knock. 

“Good morning, Senator,” you say, professionally, if not a little brusque. 

“Morning,” he drawls with a deliciously charming lazy smile, his voice still gravelly from sleep-- of the lack thereof. Damn him.

“Are you ready to head to the bus? We can run through today’s schedule and then Rossi and I will brief you on today’s event.”

“How did you sleep?” He asks, ignoring your question as the two of you walk towards the elevator. 

“Just fine, thank you.” You weren’t trying to be dismissive, but you had no way of knowing who was around, who could hear. Senator Hotchner was playing with fire once again. 

“You aren’t going to ask me how I slept?” He asked flirtatiously once the two of you were alone in the elevator. 

“How did you sleep, Senator?” You acquiesced him, mock annoyance in your tone.

“Just fine, thank you,” he echoes you, chuckling at his own joke. 

“Alright, so onto the schedule then,” you change subjects as the two of you step out of the elevator and you lead him towards the convenience center. “After the breakfast this morning, you have a meeting with a strategist from the DNC. He’s a polling guy, has some numbers for us,” you tell him as you grab your Redbull and head towards the cash register. He grabs a muffin from a tray with a pair of tongs, takes your Redbull from you, and checks out, making polite small talk with the woman at the register.

“Thanks so much, and remember to vote,” he winks at the woman running the cash register, and you grin despite yourself. If you could get him to flirt with every woman in America like that, you’d have the election locked down in one single blink of those warm brown eyes. 

“Do I need to remind you that we’re on our way to a pancake breakfast?” You ask Hotch as he unwraps his muffin.

“The food at these things always sucks,” he groans as he steps onto the bus, and you can’t really argue with that. Again, it’s just like college. “What kind of polling data does this guy have?” Hotch asks as he sits in his seat on the bus and hands you your drink.

“The first head-to-head poll against your general election opponent,” you tell him.

“I’m gonna crush that guy. He looks like he kicks puppies,”  Hotch says breezily. 

“Careful, it’s an open press bus,” you warn him with a meaningful glance, even if you did happen to agree with him.

“Okay, I’ll just sit here with my nose in my briefing materials like a well-behaved candidate,” he says.

“Good boy,” you tease him with a smile.

When you arrive back at the hotel later that afternoon, you spot a lanky man in a sweater vest that you recognize.

“Senator,” you say, pulling Hotch in the man’s direction. “This is Doctor--”

“Spencer Reid,” the man interrupts you. “Just Reid, or Spencer, is fine.”

“Nice to meet you, Doctor,” Aaron says, extending his hand for a shake. 

“The number of pathogens passed during a handshake is staggering,” Spencer tells you both. “It’s actually safer to kiss. Don’t want to be sick on the campaign trail, it’s bad for numbers.” 

You and Aaron share a quick glance before you speak back up. “We’ve got a conference room booked in the back to review the numbers,” you explained to them both, leading them to the meeting space where Rossi and a few other campaign aides were already waiting.

Everyone takes a moment to get settled around the table, and Reid produces a few packets of data from his briefcase, passing them around the table.

“So, the DNC ran its own poll, and we also took the liberty of averaging out a few major news outlet polls. The results of each of these polls is varied, and it’s important to note how sample sizes and confounding variables such as--”

“What’s the bottom line, kid?” Rossi asks in his usual no-nonsense tone, and although you know he means no harm, you can tell that Reid is offended. 

“Well, there’s a lot to it--” He starts, but you smooth the situation over before it can get out of hand. 

“We have a team of strategists here who would love to dive deep into all of this with you,” you assure him. “But as far as the Senator and senior staff is concerned, what’s our average?” 

“You’re twelve points down,” the doctor admits.

“Twelve points?!” Senator Hotchner exclaims, and you draw in a breath.

“Okay, and where are we underperforming?” You ask, doing your best to stay on task.

“Among older, married couples, mostly. You lead in the 25-40 demographic, but it’s narrow. You could probably get a decent chunk of those voters to shift.”

“Young people are easy,” you agree. “We shift our messaging towards our education plan,  towards student loan forgiveness and creating affordable housing,” you theorize, shifting your eyes over to Rossi for approval. He gives you a nod, and you jot some notes into the margins of your data. 

“I’m sorry, am I the only one who just heard him say that we are down by twelve whole percentage points?” The Senator re-emphasizes, and you shoot him with a glare.

“We all heard him, Senator Hotchner. Would you like to continue throwing a fit about it, or would you like to help us get you elected?” You ask, and he lets out a heavy, angry sigh before sitting back down next to you. 

“We have that community college event next Friday. We should strengthen the language in that speech and see what we can do to get national press there,” he suggests stoically. 

“I think that’s a great idea,” you tell him.

“What do we do about the older group?” He asks, looking first at you, then at Rossi.

“You’re not going to like the answer,” Rossi tells Hotch, and your brow furrows in confusion. 

“No way,” he grits his teeth. 

“It’s foolproof, Hotch,” Rossi argues. 

“Haley will never go for it,” Hotch volleys, and you’re still trying to figure out exactly what it is that Rossi has proposed, that the Senator is so against. 

“Haley already gave me the go-ahead,” Rossi informs him. 

“Oh, so now you consult my wife on campaign practices before me?” The Senator scoffs angrily. ‘Did you pressure her into that?” He asks, his intensity increasing at the idea of Haley being involved in whatever it was that he was so against. 

“Haley wants you to have what you want, which is to win this thing. Right?” Rossi asks, narrowing his eyes. 

“There’s got to be another way.”

“There’s not. Call your father, Aaron.” 

*********************************

You’re back on the bus the next time you have a quiet moment with the Senator. 

“So, your dad, huh?” You ask. His father, Michael Hotchner, had been a four term governor, a three term congressman, and remained a national treasure, even in his retirement. 

“My dad,” Hotch echoes, the disdain clear in his voice. 

“This is your campaign, Hotch,” you reminded him. “I can have our finance guy cancel his ticket out here right now, if you want. You run this show.” 

Aaron shakes his head. “You run this show,” he disagrees. “And besides, this is bigger than me.  This is about the future of our country. If I have to endure my father to deliver the American Promise, then I’ll do it. Just do me a favor?” He asks. 

“Anything,” you say.

“Keep him away from Jack,” he requests.

“I can do that,” you agree. 

“Haley’s back tomorrow,” Aaron informs you. 

“It’ll be nice to have her back. It can be a bit of a sausage fest around here,” you joke, and he smiles, causing a little twinkle to appear in his eye, which you were very quickly finding yourself addicted to.

“Yeah, but it also… changes things,” he says, daring to slide his hand out of his lap and on top of yours in the space between the two of you, curling two of his fingers around your own.

You shake your head. “It doesn’t change anything. Not really,”  you assure him. “We’re still delivering the American Promise.”

“Good,” Aaron smiles. 

Michael Hotchner is somehow, even larger-than-life in person than he appeared on CSPAN and in the various op-eds he wrote throughout his career. He ambles into debate prep a few days after Aaron called him, cracking jokes with the interns and offering advice to the comms team. 

“Congressman,” you greeted him with a smile, introducing yourself.

“Aaron! You didn’t tell me you had such beautiful young women staffing you here,” Michael calls out to his son.

“That’s because I told you the more important part, which is that she’s brilliant,” Hotch responds to his father pointedly, joining the two of you and shifting in front of you, creating some space between you and his father. 

“Of course she is,” Michael agrees. “I didn’t mean to offend, dear. Would you mind making the two of us some coffee? I’d like a minute to catch up with my boy.” 

“Dad, I make my own damn coffee,” the Senator grouses, but you stop him.

“That’s okay, Senator. Why don’t you take your father out to the courtyard and I’ll bring the coffee by,” you smile, shooting Aaron a look that says “behave.”

You make their coffee, and notice that the conversation has quickly grown tense as you make your way to the courtyard when you’re headed there a few minutes later. Michael is yelling, well and truly screaming, which isn’t exactly unexpected from a former congressman with a well-documented drinking problem, but you still don’t have to like it. Aaron has his head down, staring at his shoes as he nods repetitively, repentantly, at his father, looking every bit like a child called to the carpet, and nothing at all like the strong, capable man you’ve come to know.  You’ve never seen him look so dejected before. 

Michael isn’t loud enough for you to really hear what he’s saying, but something makes Aaron’s head snap up, angers him enough to get him to speak back to his father. They’re both red in the face, now, sizing each other up and growing louder. The junior staffers working at makeshift desks by the courtyard windows are starting to take note of the skirmish. 

It’s time for you to intervene. You step forward, open the door, and in the second you’ve spent looking down at the handle, Michael has raised his hand and struck Aaron across the face. You gasp, dropping one of the cups of coffee to the ground.

“Congressman!”  You exclaim. “I know I don’t need to explain to you, of all people, that there are members of the press everywhere on the campaign trail, and none of us want something like this to be the headline of the Sunday morning paper, am I correct?” you spit out, past your shock and suddenly seeing red. “I think it’s time for you to take a walk.” 

“That’s okay, darling,” the congressman says, with a smile you might call charming if you didn’t know any better. “Aaron and I were just settling a little disagreement, is all. It’s all straightened out, isn’t it, boy?” 

“Yes sir,’ Aaron mutters, still staring at his shoes. Your heart breaks, well and truly shatters, and you can feel every sharp edge light a fire in your chest. 

“That’s right,” Michael says, heading for the door and taking the cup you hadn’t dropped. “Thanks for the coffee, doll.”  He smirks, going back into the building.

You cross the courtyard in seconds. “Aaron,” you breathe out, but he won’t look at you. “Hey, hey. Aaron, are you okay?” You ask, trying to get him to make eye contact with you. 

He reaches out for you, goes to pull you in by the hips, but you stop him.  “Aaron, no. Come on,” you say, pulling him back into the building and leading him into the small cafe, past the pastry counter and into the walk-in freezer. 

As soon as the door is shut behind you, you pull him into your arms. “Aaron, Aaron, honey I’m so sorry,” you say, stroking the hair at the nape of his neck. 

It takes a moment for Aaron to recognize that the danger’s over, but once he does, he wraps his arms around your midsection, tucks his face into the crook of your neck and cries. You comfort him as best as you can, running your fingers through his hair and scratching your nails lightly up and down his back. 

“You’re okay now, Aaron. I’ve got you. Can I see your face? I want to make sure you’re not hurt,” you whisper after a few moments, wanting to give him the opportunity to be upset but also needing him to be able to compose himself before the two of you caught hypothermia. 

He lifts his face, looking down at you. There’s a small red mark on his cheekbone-- from his father’s ring, you realize-- but he’s otherwise unscathed. 

“You aren’t… upset?” Aaron asks as you stroke his cheek with your thumb. 

“I’m pissed, actually,” you correct him. “I’m about to go give your father a bruise of his own.”

“But you’re not upset with me?” He clarifies. 

“Upset with you? Of course not. Why would I be?” You ask. 

Aaron sighs. “It’s stupid,” he deflects. 

“No, it’s not,” you argue. 

“He said… my dad said that everyone is disappointed in me. Because I’m not campaigning hard enough, or aggressively enough. And then you pulled away from me, and I thought--- it’s okay if you’re not attracted to a guy that’s still scared of his dad, is all.”

“Oh, Aaron, no,” you correct him. “None of that is true. First of all, this is your campaign-- not Rossi’s, not mine, and certainly not your father’s. We are running this campaign the way that you want.  Including involving your father. He’ll be on the first flight out of here, I promise.” 

“No,” he argues. 

“Aaron--” you start to argue, but he cuts you off.

“You’ve seen the numbers. Love him or hate him, I need his help. Like I said, this is above me. I’ll endure it,” he says, and you take his hand in yours. There’s a beat before you speak up again. 

“You had an audience,” you whisper. 

“What?” He looks at you quizzically. 

“In the courtyard,” you explain. “Some of the organizers were watching you and your dad. That’s why I pulled away from you, when you reached for me,” you told him. 

“Oh,” he says. 

He still looks so sad, so dejected, and you can’t help but push yourself up on your toes and kiss him. Your first kiss, you realize-- or at least, the first kiss that didn’t come in the midst of passionate lovemaking. 

“Thank you,’ he whispers when you pull away. 

“Thank me when you win this thing.”

tagging: @romanogersendgame @wanniiieeee      @zheezs14      @greeneyedblondie44 @angelic-kisses13  @baumarvel @ssamorganhotchner  @ijustwannaread2k19    @rexit-mo @alexxblake @qtip-blog @averyhotchner  @the-modernmary @itsmytimetoodream @choppa-style @hotforhotchner11 @infinite-tides @isthatme-thatsme @g-l-pierce @bakugouswh0r3 @ssahotchie @sleepyreaderreads @rousethemouse @scuttling @angelfxllcm @silvermercy

@sparklinghosewater @hotchinkevlar @qtip-blog @danieldimes @yoshigguk @angelhotchner @arsonhotchner @aaronhotchnersquarterzip @ssavanessa22 @skyler666 @mintphoenix @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @angelfxllcm

[daisylore-au]

The Revival — Day One, Part Five

NOBODY VOTED FOR “say nothing” AS THEY SHOULD !! /lh

this choice is a very specific one — read carefully because you have to pick more than just 1 or 2 as a choice !! :D

Daisy glances back at the ghost that she’s become so close to over the past few months.

“I love you,” she tells him, sincerely, and watches his eyes widen in surprise, “don’t forget it, ‘kay?”

Dream stares at her, caught off guard. In the evening’s low light, he almost looks tearful.

“Okay,” he whispers, voice a little wobbly, “yeah, I won’t… Um, I won’t forget.”

“We all love you,” Daisy says, “but I do mostly. We’re a team.” She smiles at him, gap-toothed and with settled nerves after talking to him. “See you tomorrow.”

“See you,” Dream says, and then, “Daisy?”

When Daisy turns back, Dream is cross-legged under the tree, hands twining around the pale green hoodie Lissie and Jame made him a couple of months back. “I love you too,” he says, and then he disappears from sight, as he does every night.

Beaming, feeling more content than she had in days, Daisy runs home to her father, jumping into his arms and letting him spin her around with a tired laugh. He’s been looking a lot more tired these days.

Daisy wonders if Dream will look tired when he’s alive, too.

—————

“Dad?” Daisy asks, as she’s tucked into bed that night. “What happens when you lose a life?”

“Like, a canon one?” George wrinkles his brow, looking down at her and smoothing the blankets over her. “Why, did something happen?”

Daisy shakes her head. “Just wond’ring. Does it hurt?”

“I mean… I guess it depends how you die.” Leaning back against the wall, George shrugs. “Mine hurt, but only because it was a painful death. If it was a quick death, it probably wouldn’t hurt. You would just… Blink, and wake up in bed.”

A faint frown creases his expression.

“Are you sure nothing happened? You and the others haven’t done anything stupid, right?”

“Define stupid,” Daisy says wisely, but gives her father a smile, “nothing that stupid, don’t worry. I just wanted to know. Nobody really talks about things, so I wanted to know from you.”

When George looks unconvinced, she reaches up, gives him an extra tight hug when he steps forwards.

“I didn’t know you lost a life.”

“I don’t go around declaring it to everyone,” George says, amused. “Only Uncle Q knows. And Uncle Fundy, I think.”

He gives her a kiss on the forehead, and heads for the door.

“Goodnight, Daisy. Sleep well. If you need me—”

“—I know where you are,” Daisy finishes for him, a strange feeling overtaking her as she watches her father leave, “I’m meetin’ Helga for school early, by the way. We wanna talk about our presentation before class.”

“I’ll have breakfast ready for six then,” George tells her, “better get a good sleep. Love you.”

“Love you.”

Daisy lets him leave, curling up in bed. Despite her calm exterior, something in her feels feverish.

What happens when you lose a life?

…She supposes she’ll find out firsthand tomorrow.

—————

“Ready?” Angel asks her the next morning, as she arrives in the flower field. “Big day.”

“Big big day.” Daisy’s bit her nails down to the pad. “I could only eat half my toast.”

He offers her a bar of chocolate, which she accepts eagerly. “Good luck,” he tells her, hugging her brightly, “you’ve got this. You’re gonna do great, okay?”

Dream is there with the other kids when she heads deeper into the field, looking just as nervous as she feels. Despite this, he smiles at her.

Daisy smiles back, trying to hide her fear.

And then things are moving, her friends busily setting up for the ritual while Emmeline directs them while reading from the book. The sun has barely risen by the time they’re finished, and soon enough, Daisy is standing with Dream, while her friends hover around them, every single face looking uncertain and nervous.

Daisy takes a breath. “Is this… it?”

“I think so.” Dream swallows, shooting her a sideways smile. “Are you taking anyone with you?”

“Huh?”

“Well, you can take people with you.” Dream shrugs, glancing around. “As many as you want, really. Or you can just go yourself. You have to lead the whole thing, um, but if you want, you can take people with you. It might help.”

And it also might not. Daisy bites her lip, stressed. Does she take any of her friends with her? Does she dare risk it? And if so, who does she take?

SO HERE’S THE CHOICE !! you can pick to take up to three people along on this journey to the void with you, and for each person you take, you will unlock a ‘section’ of the story that is unique to them. you can pick three, you can pick none, you can pick one or two — it’s up to you. your choice to pick them or not affects the story, as does the kids you pick themselves, so be careful !! you have 15 minutes :))

1. TAKE SOMEBODY / SOME PEOPLE (specify who!).

2. TAKE NOBODY.

[morkleemelon]

off the ice || chapter 3: steady now

previous || m.list || playlist || next

pairing: college hockey player! mark x college figure skater! reader

genre: fluff, humor, college au, sports au

word count: 6.9k

warnings: swearing, party with drugs and alcohol, scene of borderline harassment (nothing actually happens), financial struggle, insecurity, social anxiety, mention of injury

a/n: huge thank you to my beta readers @writing-frog​ and @skiimmiilk for helping me edit this! now I won’t have to tweak it a hundred times after posting XD also (not spoiling) I’m sorry I did you like this, sungchan :(

I’m not sure if I’m awake, dead, or dreaming, but somebody please take me out of this misery.

Your neck struggled to support your head as you fought to stay conscious on the locker room bench. It was early Saturday morning and team practice was far from over. Unwillingly, you had to stay up the previous night, studying deep into the AM because a certain boy kept distracting you in your head.

Over and over again, through your shift at the diner to the ride home to right here as you clung onto Yuna’s arm for support, Mark’s cute smile and Lisa’s daring accusations spun through your tired mind. It’s really not fair- a guy talks to you once and you’re already imagining things…

You quickly shake the thoughts from your head. 

  “Alright girls, thanks for coming in so early today,” your head skating coach, Tanya, smiled warmly, “captains, get everyone warmed up and I’ll go over some exciting announcements at the end of practice”.

“Thank you, Tanya,” the fatigued girls chorused half-heartedly as the captains ushered everyone out of the locker room and into the hallway for stretching. 

Reaching down to touch her toes, Yuna looks over to you. “Y/n, are you okay? You look worse than usual”.

The exhausted expression on your face said it all as you bent down to do the same. “I’ve got a lot on my mind. Econ test is coming up too”. You yawned into your words.

“I know you’re gonna say no, but if you wanna let loose a little, there’s a party tonight,” Yuna peers at you upside-down from in between her legs.

“You know I’m not a party person,” you decline, blacking out slightly as you stand back up. You blink to clear your vision.

As much as you admired your popular best friend for putting herself out there and being able to have fun at a party, it couldn’t be you. The drinking, the smoking, the groping, ogling men- not to mention the anxiety of existing in a frat house full of judgmental people, was all too much for you. As tempting as letting loose a little on a Saturday night sounded, you’d much rather do it in a way that involves your cozy pj’s and watching your favorite skating compilations on YouTube. Alone.

“I know, I know,” Yuna holds her hands up innocently, “but it could be fun. I know Mark is gonna be there”.

You whip your head around so fast that your ponytail nearly slaps her in the face. Flustered, you smooth down the nonexistent wrinkles on the front of your skating jacket. “Oh, that’s nice. What’s that got to do with me?”.

“Just letting you know,” Yuna shrugged in a ‘matter of fact’ manner. 

The captains led the team out to the rink to do laps. You weighed Yuna’s words for a minute as you skated across the ice. Naturally, being here where you were the most comfortable with yourself made you more susceptible to her convincing ploy. If you looked at the last few days in review, you had already made four new friends from just letting Yuna take the reins for one afternoon. That’s about one friend for every dollar in your bank account!

But the nagging reality was that Yuna had a massive amount of friends, cool friends, who were probably going to be at that very party while you had nobody but her and a guy you just met. This didn’t sit well with your anxieties. You’ll just end up awkward if Yuna wants to talk to someone else, or desperate if you cling to Mark, who would probably be weirded out.

As expected, it’s best to stay in.

The practice ran smoothly. As always, the hour and a half of spinning, falling, and getting back up resulted in soreness and loss of breath. Nonetheless, it recharged you and the cloud of tiredness in your head finally dissipated. You felt so free on the ice because you knew that you did it well. It isn’t about the money or your popularity or if you have to work part time just to afford the skates that you wear. If you put in the hard work and effort, you are rewarded with success; that’s a big part of what you liked about it. 

“Excellent job today, ladies. I’d like everyone to give a special round of applause to y/n today,” Coach Tanya suddenly singled you out as the team gathered around to hear her ending announcements. Tanya gave you a warm smile and gestured towards you as you bow to your clapping teammates. “For mastering the triple lutz. I can tell you’ve been practicing extra hours, both from the log sheet and from your performance today. At this rate, we may send you to nationals in the spring”.

Gasps echo across the cold, near-empty stadium. Your jaw hung open at Tanya’s ambitious plan and Yuna grabbed onto your arm excitedly, giving you a nudge of congratulations. It was extremely rare for a sophomore to be sent to the national competitions. Even some seniors never make it past the pre-auditions at Seoul University alone. You weren’t even dreaming of going within the next year despite all of your extra night-time practices. Looking at Tanya’s face, it didn’t seem like she was joking either.

“Thank you, Coach Tanya. I will work even harder”.

“That being said, I have some exciting news pertaining to all of you ladies: this year, Seoul University is sponsoring our team to hold a friendly competition for the winter festival as a sort of main event. Don’t be alarmed because it is optional. It’s September now, so if you are interested in participating, you will have just under four months to prepare a pair skate for the festival in December. Untraditionally, the audience will be voting to choose a winner instead of a panel. Furthermore, the theme, costumes, and music will all be up to you, so have fun with it! Oh and not to mention, the winning pair will be rewarded a monetary prize of $5,000 each”.

Shocked looks were exchanged between teammates. Your brain was still processing to make sure you heard Tanya right as she reiterated.

“Yes,” Tanya laughed, “you heard me right, girls, $5,000 each. It’s a tremendous opportunity and if not for the money, for a chance to practice performing in front of a crowd”.

Murmurs of excitement hush across the near-empty stadium.

“Yuna,” you look up to the taller girl and grip her arm with both hands, “Yuna please we gotta do this”. You shake her slightly with your pleading, “be my partner?”.

The blonde giggled, “duh, of course! Lisa and Hope will probably do it together since they’re both on JV so it’s perfect. Let’s get that ten grand for you!”.

“Wait no, but-”

“Y/n. You know I’m not about to argue with you about this,” Yuna sighed, looking up to the fluorescent ceiling lights to avoid your indignant stare. You relaxed your grip on her arm, knowing that you wouldn’t win this fight no matter how guilty you felt. “You’re better than me by a long shot. If anyone could bet on a winner, they’d put their money on you without a doubt. And if we win it’ll be because of you, so think of it as a fair split based on contribution. I’ll take a $20 cut to buy us dinner,” Yuna encouraged. 

You close your eyes and rest the side of your head on her shoulder.

That’s my best friend. I don’t deserve her.

You felt bad, but you knew that you needed this money more than anything right now. Your parents didn’t earn much and they were already burdened by this semester’s tuition, even with the scholarships. Picking up extra shifts at Frankie’s did little more than cover skating fees and rent. The heavy, looming fear of next semester being the one when you’d have to drop out often kept you up at night. It’s nobody’s fault, but that’s how it is.

Yet like a miracle angel sent from Heaven, this competition could cover an entire semester’s worth of tuition if you win. You needed the prize money desperately. You were going to have to win it no matter what.

“Bye!”. You waved to your teammates as they exited the locker room, probably to go out and be social on a Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately for you, your only plans were to sit alone at the library, studying.

“You seriously don’t wanna join us for lunch today?”. Yuna slung her skating bag over her shoulder. Her wet hair from just showering stuck to her face, but even like this she looked like she could be on the cover of a teen magazine.

“I’ll pass. I can grab a salad from the convenience store before I head to the library. Midterms are coming up and I gotta do a lot of review,” you explain, brushing a wide comb through your tangled mess of hair. Yuna moved to pull her hair back into a ponytail. You watched as her perfectly sculpted reflection made an action so simple into a reason for envy. The stained locker room mirror, however, did your bare face no favors. Your best friend remained oblivious as you picked yourself apart again. Your cheeks were a little too round, nose a little too wide, eyebrows a little too uneven. You shove the brush in your bag and turn around before you could fall deeper in insecurity. “Let’s go”.

As always, you chose to disregard your insecure thoughts and pretend like they never existed. Talking about it seemed weird, so you just chose not to do it. And you didn’t like bothering other people with your problems either. It was best to just keep it to yourself. 

“Y/n!,” a familiar voice called out from behind you. You stopped walking down the stadium corridor, turning around to see who could’ve known your name. Usually it’s Yuna getting stopped by one of her many friends.

Ashy blonde hair came into view as the boy jogged to catch up with you. Your legs were doing just fine after over an hour and a half of training, but they trembled at the sight of a certain dreamy junior boy.

“Hey, fancy seeing you here,” Mark smiled down at you, the dim hallway lights catching on his cheekbones and jawline, accentuating his beautifully sculpted features. 

“I’ll see you later,” Yuna winked, patting you on the back and making a break for the exit before you could protest.

“I-uh, hey, Mark,” you stutter. Was it just you or did he get even more good-looking since the last time you saw him?

“Did you guys just get out of practice?”. You could hardly pay attention to his simple question as you checked him out. Mark sported a simple outfit consisting of a plain black hoodie with matching black joggers and sneakers. His red hockey bag which was slung across his back was supported by one of his thumbs. With the sleeves of his hoodie rolled up to his elbows, you watch as the lines of his forearm muscles shift and strain with each fine movement from the weight of the duffel.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah! We did,” you answer after an awkward pause. Oh, God, please let that not have been weird. “Are you here for your practice?”. You mentally slap yourself for your stupid question; he’s wearing gym clothes and has his hockey gear, what else was he going to do at the rink?

“Yeah, I am,” Mark laughed good-naturedly, leaning slightly on the wall next to you, “I came here a bit early, actually. I was hoping to catch you”.

Catch...me?

Your face flushed at his heart-fluttering remark. Contesting with the urge to spontaneously burst into flames, you try your best to give a steady reply, “Oh! What for?”.

“I-uh,” Mark diverted his gaze down to his shoes, “I know I got your number from the group chat, but I wanted to ask you in person. There’s a party tonight at the sheep’s house- my friend’s house- and I was wondering if I was gonna see you there”.

You simultaneously wanted to sink into the floor to disappear forever and jump into the air to celebrate. You did neither. 

Was he asking you out? Not really. But then again, he wants to see you there at the party. And he came here early to specially ask you in person. 

You replay the debate you had with Yuna earlier. Past-you had made some valid points about not going, but how could you say no when he put it like this?… oh, fuck it.

“For sure. I’ll be there”. You offer a wry smile to try to cover your nervousness.

“Awesome,” Mark’s eyes twinkled as he smiled, “can’t wait to see you tonight, then”. 

“Can’t wait,” you echoed. You couldn’t help but notice how he was a few inches taller and you had to tilt your head back to meet his soft, brown eyes.

“I should probably get down to the rink to set up for practice”

“Oh okay! Don’t let me keep you”

“Not at all”. His fingers shifted to adjust the strap of his hockey bag and your eyes brushed over the ripple of his forearm. He was doing the bare-minimum and your knees were ready to buckle in the middle of the hallway. 

“I’ll get going then!,” you excuse yourself with a curt wave. Turning around, you head briskly for the exit before you could embarrass yourself further and agree to more irrational proposals. 

Before your hand could even touch the exit door to let yourself out, reality hit.

Oh no. I have to go to the party.

Yuna squealed and pounced you onto your bed as you told her the news. “I can’t believe it! You’re really gonna go?”.

You run a stressed hand through your wavy locks, “I guess? He didn’t leave me much of a choice”. Rolling around on your bed, your best friend clapped and cheered despite your wanting to travel back in time and tell Mark you couldn’t make it. But how were you supposed to say no to that face? Thanks to this, your library study session was far from focused or helpful.

“We gotta get you looking hot, y/n. I mean, you’re already hot,” Yuna corrected, “but even more hot for your first college party”.

Hopping off your now messed-up covers, you go to observe yourself in the full-body mirror in all your said ‘hotness’. You were currently enveloped in a grouchy oversized tee shirt that you got from a choir field trip in high school paired with plain gym shorts hidden underneath. Your hair was especially frizzy from being air-dried after your shower. 

“The only hot I am is a hot mess,” you groaned. Did you look like this when Mark saw you earlier? Shit.

“Nonsense, silly,” Yuna hugged you from behind, “you’re adorable and you’d be surprised how much hair, makeup, and a good fit can change someone”. She looked into your eyes eagerly through the mirror as if asking for permission. You were too nervous about the party to deny her so you gave your roommate a reluctant nod. It was better that she helped you get ready so you could fit in and thus blend into the background.

Squealing again, Yuna gave you a squeeze and scurried to flit through her closet for something you could wear. 

“Go straighten your hair, y/n!”

“Yes ma’am”. This much you could do. “How’s this?”. Yuna held up a skimpy bralette top, its white lace barely covering any surface area at all. 

“That’s a top?!”

“Ok nevermind”. Tossing the tiny piece aside, your roommate continued sifting earnestly through her collection of expensive clothes.

You ran the straightener through your partitioned hair carefully. 

“What about this one?”. Yuna held up a simple red crop top. A small notch ran an inch down the neckline which gave it a little edge, but it seemed like it would be in your comfort zone.

“That’s perfect,” you smile.

Hair now pin straight and finally smooth, you change into the red top and ripped black denim shorts Yuna picked out for you. Your best friend was much better at makeup than you were, so you let her take the lead once again. The only times you wear full makeup are for performances and you would look like a complete clown if you showed up with the two inch eyeliner you knew how to do. 

Applying a small amount of base makeup to your face, Yuna went for a more natural look, knowing that you weren’t comfortable with standing out too much. Subtle brown eyeshadow and lengthening mascara made your eyes pop just the right amount and a cherry lip balm tinted your lips a translucent, shiny red. Even you had to admit your confidence was boosted from the new look you weren’t used to seeing in the mirror. 

That’s me. I’m… kind of pretty

“Aw, honey, you look so beautiful,” Yuna cooed, wrapping up your makeover with a clap. She did her own makeup effortlessly and put on the discarded bralette from earlier. However ridiculous it looked on the hanger, she made it look like a million bucks and it suited her perfectly. 

You moved to sit on your bed and lace up your trusty white sneakers. Yuna wore a bigger shoe size than you which came as a relief because you weren’t sure if you could handle wearing any of the daring stiletto pumps in her collection. 

“You know, I’m so happy you’re going to come this time. I was always really sad when you stayed home studying every weekend instead of going out and having fun”.

“I would’ve gone if I knew how to talk to people,” you reason, picking at the dirty aglet of your shoelace, “and I’m honestly really nervous right now. You better not leave me, okay?”.

“You’re so sweet and thoughtful, anyone would be lucky to talk to you! I know it’s easier said than done, but you’d be surprised what a little confidence will do. And of course, I won’t leave you”. Yuna gave you a bright, reassuring smile before pulling you off the bed. 

You take one last look at your reflection in the mirror.

That’s right, confidence. I’m confident.

“Let’s go”

The walk down to the party was much shorter than you expected. Turns out, the ‘Sheep’ lived in that sketchy house just off of campus which you made a point to avoid during your nighttime jogs. The tables were turning as you approached the rickety front porch on purpose. You clung to Yuna as an array of neon lights shines through the window blinds and the open door. The bass of a generic pop song jolted through your bones. 

Walking into the home, your grip on Yuna’s arm tightened as unfamiliar faces surrounded you. The crowded room stank of sweaty bodies and weed. A countertop stocked full of red solo cups and different types of alcohol was visible from where you stood. Heads turned to stare at Yuna while the two of you entered.

What am I doing here?

“Hey, you made it!,” an unfamiliar voice shouted from over the ruckus. Your eyes fell nervously on the voice’s owner. He had dark brown hair and sharp, defined features. His accent was strange, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on it. 

“Hey!”. Yuna brought the stranger in for a loose hug. “Yangyang, this my roommate and best friend, y/n. Y/n this is Yangyang also known as ‘the sheep’. He’s from Germany”.

Ah, Germany.

You offer him a small wave, surprised when he pulls you unexpectedly into a hug. 

“Nice to meet you, y/n. Mark’s told me all about you,” Yangyang smirked, “please help yourself to drinks, girls. The guys are in the basement playing pong”.

“Woo! Let’s get wasted!” Yuna yelled while pulling you towards the drinks.

You stood awkwardly at her side as she poured both of you drinks- a half a solo cup of strawberry vodka for her and a sprite zero for you. You wish you could be in bed, curled up alone with a good movie. Or even at the library studying-

“Hey,” a deep voice right next to your ear wrecked your train of thought. Alarmed, your eyes were met with the middle of a chest as you turned around to see who it was. Craning your head back, an unfamiliar, tall boy with stiffly-gelled brown hair looked down at you. You winced at the acrid smell of axe body spray now flooding your nostrils. He looked young, maybe even younger than you, but he was clearly very drunk. “Where have you been all my life?”.

“Excuse me?,” you exclaim over the booming music. The boy placed his hands on the counter on either side of you, trapping you in between his arms. Looking over to find Yuna, she had already shifted deeper into the crowd and was busy talking with other people. 

“I’m Sungchan,” the boy unwelcomingly introduced, “what’s your name, beautiful?”.

“I-uh I’m y/n,” you stuttered. Sungchan’s face was way too close for comfort and his breath stank of cheap alcohol. You felt his humid exhalation brush over the top of your head like a toxic cloud and you fought to not gag.

“Y/n. You come here with anyone?”. You pressed your back as far into the counter as you could to get away from him, but there was little room to go. Fear began to set in as you realized you were trapped. What should I say? What do I do?

“I-I…” 

“She came here with me”. A firm hand gripped Sungchan’s left arm and yanked it forcefully away from the counter. Your saving grace put a gentle hand on your shoulder, tugging you slightly away from the drunk perpetrator. Struggling to comprehend what was happening, you looked up to see it was Mark, staring the intoxicated boy down. 

“C-captain”

“What’s a freshman doing with my girl?” Mark pressed. His expression was unamused. 

Your heart trembled at his unanticipated lie. His girl? Mark brushed a reassuring thumb over your shoulder, clueing to you that he would handle this. 

“I didn’t know, I-”

“Sungchan, right? You still trying to make varsity next year?,” Mark interrupted, eyebrows raised in annoyance at the freshman. Sungchan’s eyes went wide as he held both hands up innocently.

“Y-yes I-”

“Misconduct can get you kicked off the team, you know. Not to mention I’ll be senior captain next year so I’ll have a say in who makes it into varsity”.

“I’m sorry, captain, I really didn’t-”

“Fuck off”. Mark gestured his free hand towards the open front door. Sungchan looked around, as if unsure what to do. The surrounding party-goers danced and drank on, unaware of the altercation and more interested in who they were going home with tonight. Finally, the lanky boy’s head cleared enough to make a decision. Sungchan bowed slightly in apology and stumbled towards the exit. The untouched solo cup of sprite fizzed in your shaking hands.

“Are you okay?”. Mark faced you with a concerned look.

You clenched your grip tighter around your drink as you fought back tears, the shock wearing off and the gravity of the situation hitting you full-on. You set the cup down and shake your head no.

“Do you want to get out of here?”.

You nod your head vigorously and tears began streaming down your cheeks. What a waste, all of Yuna’s hard work down the drain. Mark nudged you forward and guided you towards a back door. Weaving your way through the crowd, Mark greeted his friends with a “hey” or a simple nod. You felt a few girls eye you discontentedly at the sight of Mark’s hand ghosting over the small of your back while others were too high or drunk to notice. The cool night air welcomed you as Mark urged you outside and you rushed to escape the cramped house. He shut the door behind him, muffling the heavy bass so you could finally hear yourself think.

Dabbing away at your tears so he wouldn’t see, you breathe deeply to regain your composure. 

“Thanks for that”. You managed to let out after a few minutes of sniffling and silence. Your voice was slightly hoarse and you couldn’t meet his eyes, but he waited patiently by your side. 

So much for coming to this party, he probably thinks I’m a mess. This whole thing was a huge mistake. 

“I think I’ll go. Sorry I can’t stay”. You turn to walk down the wooden porch steps.

“Wait-”. Mark’s voice halts your departure. “Would you like to go on a walk with me? Or I can at least take you home. I don’t want you going out alone after what just happened…”. 

Looking up at him, the dim porch light glowed behind him, giving him a soft golden halo. His brown eyes which were usually smiling now shone with worry as he scanned over your tear-stricken face. Your heart which was beating rapidly from fear earlier began to settle down in his reassuring presence. Being alone right now might not be the best idea. But more importantly, being with him sounded like what you really needed. You nod.

The sound of crickets chirping and sneakers scuffing took over as the two of you walked farther away from the booming music of the party. You weren’t sure where you were headed, but you also didn’t know if there was anywhere you wanted to go. Wandering down the deserted streets in comfortable silence, Mark followed you patiently as he waited for you to be ready to talk. Before you knew it, your feet brought you to the lake and you stood watching the water ripple under the night breeze. The moon, almost full, illuminated silver each ebb and flow.

“I’m sorry you’re missing the party”. You quietly broke the silence. You felt bad for making him leave. All of his friends were there and he probably really looked forward to it. 

“Don’t be. I only went so I could talk to you, anyways”

You look at him in surprise. Mark’s eyes remained glued to the lake, sparkling from the reflected moonlight.

“How many girls have you told that to?,” you scoff. Internally, you screamed.

“Couldn’t name another one”

You pause before resolving to stroll further down the lakeside. The sound of footsteps behind you confirmed that he was following. Stopping as you reach the familiar creaky wood, you take a seat on the worn-out dock, him on your right. You dangle your feet over the dark, sloshing waves. It was cool, despite the summer season. A breeze rolled by, making you shudder. However cute the crop top was, it didn’t do much to keep you warm. Not that you could have planned on running away from the party and needing a sweatshirt beforehand.

“Here, take this”. Mark unzipped his jacket to give to you.

“Oh it's ok-”. You couldn’t finish your protest before the warm fabric was draped across your shoulders. Your face grew pink once more. If you didn’t know better, you could be admitted to the hospital for how much you’ve been blushing recently. “Thanks,” you mutter, looking down at your hands with a small smile. 

“Is that Frankie’s?”. Mark’s voice cut through the silence.

“What?”

“Is that Frankie’s?,” Mark repeated, nodding at the small restaurant bordering the lake some distance away. It looked as if it had just closed, yellow fluorescent lights still on while a tired waitress scrubbed away at a table. Only one car, probably her’s, remained in the parking lot.

“Oh, yeah. That’s where I work part time,” you confirmed. “I come here to the dock to sit sometimes. You know, just to think”.

“I feel that. Sometimes everything is way too much to handle and you need to take time to breathe. I have a place like this too”

Mark’s sincere confession came as a surprise to you and unintentionally, it showed on your face.

“What, you don’t believe me?” Mark feigned hurt, putting a hand on his chest. “Do you think hockey guys can’t have feelings too? I have a fan club for heaven’s sake!”.

You laugh at his exaggerated outcry. 

“And that’s a bad thing? Don’t you guys like the attention? Attention from lots and lots of pretty girls”. You raised an eyebrow, teasing him.

“As if,” Mark ran a stressed hand through his hair, “they’re all crazy as hell. Honestly, none of the guys really like the attention”.

You nod in understanding. Seeing how the Lovelees acted the few times you were around them, you’d hate being the subject of their affections too.

“But how about you,” Mark continued, “I haven’t seen you much at parties”.

You let out a sarcastic laugh, “if you couldn’t tell from tonight, I’m not much of a party girl. Today was my first and probably last party”. You had gotten so comfortable walking and talking with Mark that you had almost forgotten about the horrible incident that occurred earlier. Pulling the soft jacket over yourself more, your face falls as you remember Sungchan’s intoxicated face.

“Hey” Mark’s hand grazes over your slumped shoulders, bringing you back to focus on him. “I’ll never let him bother you again”. 

While you were unsure of how your makeup was holding up due to all the crying, his delicate features were all the more beautiful under the pale moonlight. You notice how close you’re sitting, knees almost brushing against each other’s and his face was but inches from yours. And even though you were wearing his jacket so he was left with only a tee shirt, you were sure you weren’t imagining the heat radiating from his body. Slowly, your eyes flutter down to his parted lips.

There it is once more, the hot flush in your cheeks and the strain in your chest. 

Meeting Mark has been a rollercoaster of emotions, but you felt undeniably comfortable sitting next to someone who would’ve been a stranger just a few days ago. Something about him felt familiar to you now and you trusted in his words. He was someone... safe. 

“Really?,” you whisper, not taking your eyes off of his soft, pink lips. 

“Really”. His confirmation was too gentle to be heard above the sound of the rushing water below, but you read his lips as they shaped around the word.

Before you know it, you were leaning in, just enough so you knew you weren’t imagining it. A mellow breeze plays with your hair, causing a few strands to fall astray. Cautiously with his hand, Mark slowly tucks the fallen pieces back behind your ear. He hesitates there. The feeling of his warm fingertips sends tingles down your spine. Carefully scanning your expression to make sure you were okay, his hand inches down to gently cup your cheek. “Can I kiss you?”.

You could feel the warmth of his breath fan across your lips, his own not centimeters away. Your heart pounded rapidly as you gave an affirming nod. Closing your eyes, you wait.

This is happening.

A jolting vibration from your pocket caused your eyes to shoot right back open and Mark let go of you in surprise. Your phone kept buzzing, the harsh sound amplified by the wooden dock. Sighing in frustration, you struggle to remove it from your back pocket as Mark looks away, coughing awkwardly. Your face burned red from embarrassment.

Why does this always happen to me?

“Hello?”. Your tone was laced with annoyance.

“Y/n! Where aare youu?,” Yuna slurred. Trap music blared in the background confirming that she was still at the party. You could hear Ten asking if Mark was with you over the ruckus.

“I left. And yeah, Mark is here”. You put the phone on speaker and held it up towards the boy you were about to kiss moments ago. 

“Hey guys,” Mark said sheepishly. Yuna squealed in delight.

“That’s my boy!”. Ten’s booming voice took over the call.

“Stop it man,” Mark warned, increasingly agitated at the couple for ruining the moment.

“Okayy kids! Have fun, but not tooooo much fun”. Yuna giggled into the microphone. 

“I’m hanging up,” you said quickly before pushing the red button to end the call. Any longer and you weren’t sure you could resist throwing your phone (and perhaps yourself) into the lake. A brief moment of silence ensued, both parties unsure of what to do next. Was there anything you could do to save the moment after that? 

“I uh…,” you start.

“Yeah umm…,” Mark agreed. Silence ensued.

“Uhh…”. Your steady tone wavered as you started to giggle. The awkwardness dissipated because before you knew it, both of you were laughing wholeheartedly at the unfortunate situation. 

“Yuna tends to have great timing,” you explain.

“Mm. Ten does too,” Mark related, stroking his chin and nodding as if thinking deeply. 

“She said she wouldn’t leave me at the party but lo and behold”. You gesture to your surroundings, exasperated.

“That sucks,” Mark agreed, “you should have come found me. I was waiting for you, actually”.

“I was going to,” you picked at the zipper of his jacket, “but we had just gotten there when... you know”.

“Yeah. You don’t have to talk about it if you’re not ready. I don’t want to pressure you at all, but I’m always willing to listen”

“You’re,” you look for the right words, “you’re so amazing”. 

“Yeah?”

You keep your gaze in your lap, “Yeah. And you know, I wish we’d met earlier, Mark. Because it’s really nice talking to you and you’re a really great guy”. You check for his reaction.

“Yeah, I wish we met sooner too”. His expression was that of… adoration.

Being with Mark was so easy. Conversation came to you two easier than anything else in life did. And just like that, feet swinging in sync above the water, you talked for hours. He told you about his alien conspiracy theories and his aspirations to be a professional hockey player and then retire into sports medicine. You told him about your parents and how you missed them dearly because they worked way out of the city to support you and your dream. You did everything you could to be able to pay them back, even majoring in economics which was more profitable than environmental studies or professional skating. Mark listened thoughtfully and admitted that he related in a lot of ways with his parents being all the way in Canada. 

The night rushed by and the two of you talked until the golden peaks of sunrise painted the water from its usual blue. You had shifted so you were sitting facing each other on the dock. The early sunlight cast a warm glow over Mark’s face. He looked like a painting- a Monet. Or a Renoir.

“Um so, I guess it’s Sunday now”. Mark rested his chin into the crook of his elbow. You could hear the tired in his voice, but you mutually understood that neither of you wanted to leave.

“Do you have to go?”. You picked at a piece of fuzz on the sleeve of his sweatshirt which you were still wearing. The disappointment was evident in your question. Even though you had spent the whole night getting to know each other, it felt like you had just barely scratched the surface. There was still so much more you wanted to talk about. 

Checking his watch, Mark contemplated for a bit. 

“It’s 6:12 a.m. right now. I actually have to get somewhere by 6:30,” Mark explained.

“So early?”

“Yeah it’s… you could come with me if you want?”. His sleepy eyes twinge with hope.

You look to the lake, the sparkling ripples tinted gold with the rising sun. Sunday was usually a rest day for you and you didn’t have anything planned. As fatigued as you felt, everything in you wanted to accept his invitation. You cracked a small smile, getting up to stretch your legs. You hold out a hand to help him up.

“Lead the way”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home? This might not be fun for you…”

Mark’s expression was worried as the two of you stood at the entrance of the local church, the doors open and you could see rows of tables and food set up as if ready for people at any minute. The streets were starting to bustle as the world began to wake up. A volunteer from inside the church spotted you, walking out to give his greetings. 

“Mark!,” the man called out as he pulled Mark  in for a warm hug, “good morning!”.

His eyes turned towards you and Mark moved to introduce you. 

“Daniel, this is y/n. Y/n, this is Daniel. We volunteer together here at the church to serve breakfast to the homeless,” Mark disclosed.

“Nice to meet you, Daniel”. You shake his hand with a smile. Gosh, I probably look like a mess right now. I didn’t even get to change or take off the makeup from the party yesterday. You self-consciously zip up Mark’s oversized jacket to hide your exposed midriff. 

“Nice to meet you, y/n! This is the first time Mark has brought a… friend here”. Daniel’s eyes darted between you and Mark with an assuming smile.

“Yeah,” Mark coughed, turning to you, “do you want me to take you home? This probably isn’t what you expected I don’t know why I-”

“No,” you interrupted, “I’d like to stay and volunteer”. Offering him a reassuring smile, you rest your hand on his arm to show him that you were okay. There was truth to his worries when Mark said this wasn’t what you were expecting. You never would have thought that a popular guy like him woke up early on the weekends to help the needy. Evidently, he did it out of the kindness of his own heart, not for attention. You always imagined it was all parties and messing around, but you were pleasantly proven wrong.

“Great! Mark can show you around and get you started,” the older man clapped before heading inside.

“You’re kind of awesome, you know that?”. Mark’s question caught you off guard. He slipped his hand into yours to lead you into the building, the simple action sending your heart into a frenzy. 

“Awesome how?”

“Just… awesome,” Mark clarified cryptically, holding the door open for you to enter the storage room. He tosses you a green volunteer shirt.

“Alright, I’ll take the compliment,” you laugh, taking off his jacket and handing it to him. To your surprise, he pushes it back to you.

“You keep it. I like it a lot better on you”

Mark Lee if you keep saying things like this, I’m going to catch on fire.

You fight to put out the flames spreading across your cheeks and give a single nod, setting the sweatshirt down on a nearby box. Not willing to strip in front of him in the church storage room, you pull the volunteer shirt over on top of the shirt you were already wearing.

“So anyways,” Mark continued as if he didn’t just say the most romantic thing you’ve heard in your life, “the people will start coming in about 20 minutes. Our job is to portion out the food and once everyone is served, we can go eat and talk with them”.

“Got it”

“Here, let me get this for you”. His hand guided your waist to spin around as he pulled an apron over your head. Tying the back of the garment together, your breath hitches in your throat as you feel his fingers brush under the fabric of your shirt. You turn your face to the side and you can see his soft expression in your peripheral vision. The heat from his body behind yours feels so welcoming.

I wish he’d kiss me right now.

And he wants to. He tries to. He’s leaning in and everything is perfect. Your heart is beating fast as you tilt your head back, but like clockwork, a jolting buzz from his pants makes you jump apart. No, not like that.

“I swear to God, I’m throwing away my phone”. Mark ran a frustrated hand through his hair, picking up the kiss-blocking call. “Hello?”. You sighed.

You watch as the annoyed expression on his face fades into shock as the speaker on the other side panicked through the phone. Your own frustration transforms into concern as Mark looks at you and you catch the words “car” and “hospital”. Mark paces back and forth.

“Alright, I got it. Yeah, she’s with me. I’ll tell her. We’ll come right now. Don’t worry, Ten, she’s going to be fine”

“What is it?,” you ask as soon as he hangs up the call, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and worry.

“It’s Yuna…,” Mark trailed off, shocked by the news. Your heart dropped down to your feet.

“What about Yuna?” Your voice shook with panic.

“She-she was in a car accident. She’s at the hospital right now”

previous || m.list || playlist || next

[boy-above]

why do u dislike him ? you don't have 2 talk abt it if ur uncomfortable of course

well for starters he did call korekiyo a slur in the original japanese, which was removed in the localization lol. basically called him a slur that's like gay/transphobic word all in one. so that would give me reason enough, but theres a lot of things about him in general i've disliked before knowing that.

kaito has a bunch of toxic masculinity going on, it's evident even from the beginning. when everyone is devastated after kaede's execution, he starts getting upset and even angry at them for "whining and complaining" and even hits shuichi for mourning her, saying that shuichi was "pissing him off" for not "being a man" about it. this is the moment i immediately decided kaito was not worth it. you can see his sexism as well when he says women shouldn't have weapons. there's actually more instances of sexist beliefs in the original japanese but these were mostly taken out when it was localized for english.

kaito thinks he's the hero of the story, pretty evident considering he calls shuichi his "sidekick" and in general views shuichi as someone he needs to ~take under his wing~. he viewed shuichi as weak and someone in need of fixing. in general kaito has a very inflated sense of self importance. he's stubborn and thinks his way is the right way.

he displays pretty bad toxic positivity. that's why he and kokichi butted heads as two extremes at the opposite ends of a scale. while kokichi wouldn't trust anyone, kaito was Too trusting. his "always believe in your friends!!" spiel would have gotten them caught So long ago. nobody would have survived had everything been done his way and his only. he got mad at shuichi for finding out the truth that gonta was a killer, despite the fact that everyone else would have been killed if he hadn't. that logic also rubbed off on maki, who got angry at shuichi for considering one of them could be the murderer in the final trial, because "friends don't accuse each other". i've already talked about how horrible of a thing that was to say to shuichi, whose had to condemn all of his friends to execution including kaede and felt shame and guilt for it. i'm pretty sure in the japanese version kaito was also asked something along the lines of "would you really risk everyone's lives and not vote maki even if you knew she were the killer?" and he said yes, he would. which makes him a giant hypocrite because he said something along the lines of "we all want to live! so don't get in our way" to ryoma once he found out he was suicidal.

another thing that always made me annoyed is that he decided that maki was trustworthy, despite her doing absolutely nothing to earn it. even after learning she was an assassin hiding an entire room full of weapons, he still decided he believed in her or whatever, but he made no effort to try to understand kokichi like he did with her. at that point maki told Huge lies, she kept her talent and weapons a secret from everyone, she was a Huge Risk. but kokichi is the one who is demonized for outing her, even though she could have been a huge danger to everyone and it was really important for the group to know! but of course he's the asshole for telling everyone her secwet ): maki is allowed to keep secrets and be mean, and gets patience and understanding from kaito, meanwhile kokichi got none of that. and i'm sorry but i think it's bc he wanted in maki's pants lmao. i'm sure people would argue with me about that and that's understandable, it's just what my immediate interpretation was the first time i experienced the game. if not that though, i would say i'm pretty sure it's his sexism that determined his trust in maki. he most likely viewed maki as a non threat because she's a woman. he has several lines that imply his belief that women are weaker than men, so i think that is why he viewed kokichi as a threat and not maki. if kokichi were a woman i think kaito would have been less likely to see him as a serious threat.

i'd like to talk about the localization and how it frames kaito and kokichi. it has a clear agenda on who it wants to make look better or worse than they are in the original. kaito curses like a sailor in the original, and they took that out for? what reason exactly? they took out kaito calling korekiyo the slur, (and of course taking out the slur was a Good thing) but i'm saying they could have replaced it with something that still could negatively impact how you view kaito as a character, rather than just pretending he didn't say something insensitive about korekiyo at all. if kokichi gets to call miu a slut and miu gets to tell him to go play with himself then there should have been NO issue with having kaito say crude or derogatory things. another sexist thing he does that they took out is when ryoma admits he is suicidal, kaito uses a word for him that describes him as girly or effeminate. this is changed to coward in the translation. calling a suicidal person a coward to begin with is horrible, but then in the original it's like he's calling him a sissy or pussy or something for being mentally ill as if that's only a "girl thing" as well.

my biggest example of the localization making kokichi worse is when he says that line about "when i like someone i'd do anything to get them to notice me, even strangle them"? in the original he said "when i love someone, even if they strangled me, i still wouldn't turn away." like that is the exact OPPOSITE of what he said but they decided that was fine. they make changes like that that demonize kokichi further while making kaito seem better than he actually is. it sounds like a conspiracy theory or somethin but look it up, they cleaned kaito up in the translation, they took out a lot of his negative qualities that would make him a more nuanced character and instead tried to make him the hero he always thought he was :I

my dislike for kaito also results in a dislike for maki because, i'm sure some people don't agree with me, but i think maki is a complete orbiter character for kaito. which is why i think it's so wild that i've seen people call others misogynistic for not liking her (throwing around impactful words like that when someone doesn't like your favorite character is a common thing i see in fandom spaces lol) because i think maki exists to have feelings for kaito. she attached herself to him and she doesn't have much to do with any of the rest or the cast. what little growth or development she did had was directly because of or in relation to kaito. she even started parroting his beliefs after he was gone like i mentioned earlier. that's why i just can't get behind those two. i know some people love them and that's okay. i know there's tons of ways you can interpret them and that's okay! i have just never been able to like them. there's objectively worse characters in this series so i'm not acting like they're Worse than them, my dislike for them is just something i'm more passionate about i guess??? or like, yknow something i feel more strongly. you should never be passionate about hating something haha

[darklordriddle]

Tomione: Hermione teaches Tom how to drive a muggle car.

"Now put your seatbelt on."

He shot her an annoyed look, eyes narrowed. 

"You don't bloody well expect that to save us, do you?" He rolled his eyes, grabbing the contraption and clicking it into place regardless. "First sign of trouble and I'm apparating us out of here."

"You can't do that, you prat," she sighed, irritated with his attitude already. "it'll be fleeing the scene. We can get ticketed."

"What's a few dollars of your muggle money when it comes to our safety?" He sniffed. "Don't you value your life?"

"Muggles wreck cars all the time and come out fine." She subconsciously pulled on her seatbelt, checking the reflex to ensure it tightened when met with force. "Regardless, you're not going to wreck, right? You're not possibly capable of failing that terribly."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, love," Tom grouched, placing his large hands on the wheel, flexing his fingers. "Let's get this over with."

She rolled her shoulders, willing the tension to leave her body and the annoyance to leave her voice. Her curly hair clung to her neck in the summer heat and she cranked the air conditioner. 

"Hold down the break and put it in reverse, making sure to look behind you as you pull out."

He jerked the car into reverse, jarring the car as he slowly pulled out of her parents' driveway, hand resting on the back of her headrest. His face set into a look of concentration, he rolled his eyes at the set stare she placed on his face. 

"Didn't your mum teach you it's rude to stare?" He growled, pulling into the street and putting the car into drive before slowly taking off. "I can't concentrate with you looking at me so much."

"You're just too cute to not look at," she replied cheekily, placing a quick kiss to his tightened jaw and laughing at his irritated huff. "Turn right at the stop sign."

He paused briefly at the stop sign, not coming to a complete stop and turned right, forgoing his blinker and making Hermione slap her forehead with her palm. She shrunk down in the seat, hoping no one she recognized the familiar car manuever its way through town. 

"Stop isn't just a suggestion, you know."

"I paused."

"That won't hold up in a court of law."

"Quite so." They arrived at another stop sign and he slammed on the breaks, rocking the car forward and pushing their bodies against the seat belts. He gave her a too bright smile, dimples and all, reminding her of just how handsome he was. 

And evil. 

"Was that better?" He asked innocently, continuing forward despite his dark eyes on her face. 

"You did that on purpose and you know it!" She growled, punching his shoulder and relishing in his mumbled ouch. "And keep your eyes on the road! You're going to get us killed." 

"And what a mundane way to die," He sighed. He refocused his attention on the road but placed a hand on her bare leg, rubbing small circles in a familiar pattern. They were going out for ice cream, of all things, while visiting her parents in the muggle suburbs; despite absolutely detesting muggle clothes, he begrudgingly admitted to her that he was rather fond of the short-shorts she trekked around in. 

She grabbed his hand and placed it back on the wheel, looking pointedly at him. He barked out a laugh.

"You're not experienced enough to drive one-handed," she admonished. "Turn left at the stoplight. And use your blinker!"

He turned on his blinker immediately and she resisted the urge to smack her forehead once more. They were about a mile out from light, and he could've turned a number of places before reaching it. She looked over her shoulder to check if anyone was behind them and let out a sigh of relief that nobody was cursing their existence. 

"This is rather boring, you know," he said absentmindedly, running his hand through his dark curls. "I can see why muggles always seem to have a stick up their arses, having to drive around to get anywhere. It's abhorrent."

"Yes, well, they don't very well know they're missing out, do they?" He came to a stop, slowly this time, and she smiled brightly at him. "great stopping, by the way."

"I am capable of doing things correctly, you know. I don't need congratulated for stopping." He grumbled. "Oh, Tom, what a wonderful job breathing!" He said shrilly, poorly imitating her voice and shrinking away as she hit him in exactly the same spot as she did earlier. "How you do that is uncanny, you know."

She smiled widely at him as she saw the ice cream shoppe up ahead. 

Tom turned into the parking lot, only bottoming out slightly at the incline, and parked rather crookedly over the lines.

"Alive and well," he grinned triumphantly, quite proud of himself despite his mediocre job. "Easy enough. Muggles make things out to be so difficult."

She elbowed him in the ribs at his use of the word muggles and smiled to herself when he merely slung his long arm over her shoulders in response. 

As they ate their ice cream—his a simple chocolate and hers mint chocolate chip, respectively—he grinned mischeviously. 

"So what's this I hear about car sex?"

She choked on her ice cream and he threw back his head, laughing loudly. 

"I can show you better than I can tell you." 

Tom's laugh stopped abruptly and he cleared his throat, licking his lips absentmindedly. 

She felt heat pool in the depths of her stomach. 

"Fuck," he breathed. "I'd quite like that, I think."

[the-final-sif]

My head produced a scene, basically what happens after the ending to my blue core Katsuki vs Overhaul post where Dabi captures Katsuki after Katsuki defeated Overhaul. The whole fight/fights were broadcast out, and the heroes get free too late to stop Dabi from taking the heavily weakened Katsuki.

So, the LOV/PLF now have Katsuki. He’s still heavily weakened and injured, but they patch him up as best they can and he’s put on painkillers, which have the added benefit of keeping him hazy so escaping his harder for him. 

Aizawa is losing his fucking mind, as are a lot of class 1-A, but unlike before they have no leads on where Katsuki is, given that the league now has way more resources to keep him hidden.

Or at least, they think they have no leads.

Hawks, a double agent, is working on fixing that. Sort of. It doesn’t take him long to find out where Katsuki is. The league is wary about letting him have any information on the matter, but Hawks is a charmer and convinces them he just likes the kid and wants to be sure he’s okay.

Finally, Hawks gets down to where Katsuki is being kept. He’s meant to stay quiet so Katsuki doesn’t notice him. That was his plan anyways.

His plan did not involve a wide eyed Dabi being in the cell already.

Katsuki is high on painkillers, gaze bleary as he recounts his mother’s anger and blame after the last time he got kidnapped. His words are slurred and voice quiet, sad, weak. Towards the end of his story, he refocuses, red eyes seeming to see Dabi again, for just long enough for him to get out a single sentence.

“Guess you'd understand what that's like, huh Touya?”

And then he’s passed out. Leaving Hawks and Dabi both equally stunned and confused.

Dabi recovers first, pushing his way out of the cell almost in a frenzy, brushing past everyone else to get up to the roof. Desperate for fresh air and to be alone. He is not alone. Hawks is stunned for several seconds longer, but once he regains himself, once all the puzzle pieces fall into place, he’s surging after Dabi, frantic to not lose him. Not again.

When Hawks gets to the roof, Dabi is on the far side of it, sitting on the edge with his legs dangling off the side. The door was silent, Hawks was silent, Dabi is not looking at him. That doesn’t stop Dabi from speaking the moment Hawks pauses in indecision.

"I know you're there."

Throwing on a smile Hawks tries to play it off, stepping forward as if nothing is wrong. As if this doesn’t change everything.

"Hey, uh, sorry, didn't mean to intrude, I just saw you and you looked kinda upset-"

"Don't lie to me, spy. I know who you are. I know you heard him."

Hawks blood freezes, but Dabi's made no move to attack him, so he steps a little closer against his better judgment. He’s not afraid. How could he be?

"... So I'm guessing the kid got it right?"

"... Go away."

"That's a yes then."

Hawks is still a few steps back, and he's got so many mixed emotions but in the end, he's a hero. He does what he does best. Besides, there’s no way he could walk away from this. Not again.

"Listen, I don't know what hap-"

"Fuck off. I'm not doing this. I'm not someone you can save, Hawks. Don't waste your time. Just take the kid and go. I figured out you're a spy, your cover was blown, blah blah, so you didn't have any other choice but to cut your losses and save who you could."

Hawks' eyes soften, hesitation slipping away as he steps forward, hopping up onto the roof's edge to sit next to Dabi. They’re sitting too close together, but Dabi doesn’t try to move away despite his words. Both their gazes look out over the horizon as Hawks tone shifts to something regretful.

"I can't save him."

That gets Dabi to look at him, blue eyes angry and accusing.

"The fuck are you talking about? You could cut those damn chains and be gone before the damn alarm even sounds."

His words, an odd hostile vote of confidence, only serve to make Hawks' expression fall further into soft apologetic sadness.

"You’re right, I could do that, but I can't save him.” He pauses for a moment. “I figured out his location two days ago. I've been lying to the Commission about it since I found out. I’m going to keep lying to them about it."

Now Dabi just looks confused, eyes narrowed and face scrunched up as he tries to figure out Hawks’ game.

"Why the hell would you do that? What's stopping you from just taking his ass back to his shitty high school?"

Hawks' voice turned cold, eyes hallow. He looks more defeated than Dabi had ever seen him, which isn’t saying much. But he also looks more defeated than Touya had ever seen him, and that says a lot more.

"Because if I bring him back, if any hero brings him back, he won't be returning to UA. At all."

Then after a beat, almost as an afterthought, Hawks continued. There’s too casual a tone to his words, as if he’s on the news giving an update on a bad situation while trying not to let his mask break.

"The Commission saw the broadcast. Everyone did. Everyone saw a 16 year old unleash the equivalent of a small nuclear weapon in under 10 seconds. According to one of his classmates, the kid can do it with no real prep and a 12 to 24 hour recovery. No long lasting damage if the attacks are spaced out enough. After the Commission saw that, they gave me new orders."

It takes a moment for Dabi to process that. He's almost gaping at Hawks in horror and revulsion. Hawks doesn’t need to say what his orders are. Both of them already know what the Commission does.

"They can't- I mean I know they'd fucking try it, but UA wouldn't give up one of their best students. Fuck, that homeroom teacher of his wouldn't put up with that shit."

"His parents already signed the forms. Hardly took anything to convince them. UA has no legal ground to stop anything.”

Dabi tries a different approach, still unwilling to believe it.

"It wouldn't work. He's too old, you know how stubborn that damn kid is. I can tell you for a fact we aren’t gonna be able to break him, and they sure as hell won’t either."

"They can. They’ll make it work. One way or another.”

That’s all Hawks has to say, both of them know how true it is.

“The public wouldn’t-”

Hawks barks out a laugh, and it is an ugly, angry sound of resentment.

"They've got it all planned out, No matter what state he's in when he's recovered, the story is he got brainwashed by you lot and required a specialized recovery program along with extensive therapy. That excuses the personality change and sudden cooperation. UA can't do shit about it, even with their PR influence, they let the kid get kidnapped twice and the public is already upset with how they’ve handled him."

Hawks' gaze turns bitter and his voice is near venomous.

"The Commissions’ already got a new name picked out for him and everything. ‘Firecracker’ because they thought it'd ‘create positive associations’ and ‘make him more marketable to children’."

Both of them need a moment after that. Dabi looks away, furious now. Hawks takes a deep breath and gives him a watery grin of helplessness.

"Like I said, I could get the kid out of here, but I can't save him."

Dabi takes a deep breath too. Then another. His anger focuses, turning from unfiltered rage to a targeted fury. He knows what Hawks was saying now. Knows just how this story goes. How it’s already gone. But things are not the same as they were back then, and Dabi is sick of this fucking story.

"Alright. So, the kid can't go back until those fucks are out of the way. We're sitting on the roof of a fucking villain organization that's already trying to bring down the government. I'm one of it's fucking commanders. That’s not a problem. Or at least it won’t be for very long."

For the first time since he got the orders, hope sparks in Hawks' chest, and it's his turn to be wide eyed. If it was anyone else- anyone in the fucking world, there’d be no way. But this isn’t just anyone. This is Dabi. This is Touya. But doubt still taints his voice.

"I- It's not just one person. It's dozens and dozens, and they're all heavily protected.”

"So? We aren't one person either. There's a whole damn army here waiting to go."

Hawks bites his lip, but the hope only grows stronger. He used to have dreams of getting free. Of ending the people who trapped him here. It’d been a long time since he had those dreams. They’d been foolish, he had no where else to go but his pretty gilded cage. Nobody to turn to. No help, no savior. But that wasn’t true, maybe it never really had been. He’d gotten a feeling that someone had been bailing him out when he’d almost slipped up a few times as a double agent. Maybe someone had been.

"Will the kid be safe here in the meantime? This won't happen quickly. Even with all the resources in the world."

Dabi considers it, well and truly, before he nods firmly.

"Yeah, it'll be a pain to actually keep him here. Word going around is that he's a little escape artist. But Tomura's not gonna hurt him, he’s given a standing no harm order and nobody around here’s stupid enough to go against that. I'll keep my eye on him too. Just in case."

Then he pauses, plans taking shape in his head, growing and spinning, forming more completely.

"All we'll need from you is names and faces. We need to know who needs to go."

It's terrifying, it’s the wrong choice, it’s a stupid idea, but Hawks nods in agreement after a few seconds of internal debate. He wouldn't under any other circumstances- but fuck. He can't let them do what they did to him to someone else. He just can't. Hawks wants out of his cage, and he sure as fuck isn’t letting them drag another kid into it.

“I- I can do that. Give me a day to get everything together, I don’t know all the names, but I can get code names if nothing else.”

Dabi nods once more to affirm the plan, and the two of them sit in silence for a few more heartbeats, unsaid word lingering between them. It's Dabi who breaks the silence, an uncharacteristic softness to his voice.

"God, I can't believe you finally find out my name, and what, fucking five minutes later we're already back on our bullshit."

Hawks laughs, but this time it's light and childish like it used to be. Like it should be. He kicks his legs out, stretching out his wings behind him.

"What can I say? There was a reason the Commission hated it when I hung out with you, isn't that right Touya?"

It brings back memories Dabi had been suppressing for months now, pretending that they meant nothing to him, even as he let Hawks into the league, covered for him, erased camera footage and lied to protect him. He can't help but laugh too. His laugh is raspy from years of smoke and burned lungs. Hawks can’t help but take joy in hearing it again.

"I supposed so. You really haven't changed at all Keigo."

It's the first time in nearly 10 years Hawks heard that name, and it makes him grin ear to ear, silly and open and feeling comfortable like he hasn't since the last time he was called that. The last time he was Keigo.

Dabi takes another deep breath in and then twists to hop back onto the main part of the roof, pausing to meet Hawks' eyes with a long lost mischievous grin on his face.

"Come on slowpoke, we've got shit to do."

It’s not the first time he’s been called that. It’s the first time in a long time, but it’s just like every time before.

Just like every time before, Hawks' wings flutter in indignation (Touya was the only one who ever called him that, because he thought it was ever so funny how affronted Keigo got, so much so that no matter how fast he got, Touya refused to let it drop).

“You are the worst.”

Hawks grumbled, rolling his eyes as he hopped to his feet, snagging Dabi's hand to tug him back towards the door. Dabi is laughing at him again, but Hawks can't find it in himself to be actually annoyed.

How could he be? For the first time in too many years, he had his Touya back with him. He was allowed to be Keigo again, even if it was only for a short period. And for once, he had a feeling that things might be okay after all.

[grishaversecommunityyy]

The Grishaverse Ship Survey Results

So! After all of that, we finally have the results! What is the general opinion on the ships in the Grishaverse? Well, that’s for you to read below! It’s actually pretty interesting and, while some parts make sense, there were definitely some parts which... surprised me... Anyway, onto the results!

Everything in this post can be split into:

The Grisha Trilogy

Six Of Crows Duology

The Nikolai Series

Shadow and Bone: TV Series

Most Enjoyed Ships

Least Enjoyed Ships

Crack Ships and Shipping Discourse

Notes from the Survey 

(note from mod emily: i tried to bold all of fritz’ comments, but i might have missed a few! be aware there are two of us analysing here :))

The Grisha Trilogy

The first book series we asked about was, of course, the first chronologically: the Grisha Trilogy. The most popular ship, with 83% voters for this series selecting this, was Genya/David (Fritz was glad to hear that; Yes I am). This is likely due to the lack of alternate romantic interests in the series, which seems to be a major issue for Alina’s ships. It also seems to be one genuinely enjoyed by most fans, in contrast to Darkling/Alina and Mal/Alina (each around 30%) and Nikolai/Alina (just under 20%), for which I have definitely seen plenty of debate. The second and third most popular ships for this series were Tamar/Nadia (55%) and Nikolai/Zoya (47%). Interestingly, Genya/Alina (43%) and Zoya/Alina (30%) ranked surprisingly high, especially considering how few of my friends and associates I hear talking about them. Good for them!

Honourable mentions:

Alina/Sun (no doubt inspired by that crack fic I wrote a while back) (Still havent read that out of fear)

Alina alone (a common concept among those surveyed, though most mentioned it later)

Zoya/Genya or Alina/Zoya/Genya

Six Of Crows Duology

This series was a little less divided, I would say. Predictably, Kaz/Inej came out on top with a whopping 96% of voters (:relieved:), with Wylan/Jesper next (90%) and Nina/Matthias just after (83%). None of the others really came close, despite Nina/Inej gathering 35% of the votes and Colm/Aditi at 25% (yeah, I’m not sure why that was so popular on AO3 either, but nobody really has objections so I assume that’s why it amassed so many votes). As Six of Crows is decidedly less divisive about ships and doesn’t have such controversial ships (more on that later), it seems the fandom agrees with canon pairings and the votes are... pretty unanimous.

Honourable Mentions:

Jesper/Wylan/Kuwei

Polycrows (platonic or romantic)

Kaz/Inej/Nina

Whoever didn’t read the instruction about this being for only the book series and put Jesper/Milo. I will never escape. 

The Nikolai Series

This one is a little harder for me because I actually haven’t read this... so over to Fritz for analysis! But first, the stats. At 85%, the most popular ship is Genya/David, followed by Zoya/Nikolai at 77%. Tamar/Nadia and Nina/Hanne draw at 61.5% and Nina/Matthias has 56% voters onboard. There’s no real honourable mentions for this one, sadly. Hello Fritz here! Read the books and very glad to see Genya/David as the top ship as it damn well should. Although still a bit surprising since its more of a side-arc of the two and only ties in with the importance of the story at a specific chapter that I feel like I don’t need to elaborate about, if you read Rule of Wolves. (I believe the popularity of the ship also sky-rocketed due to ROW) Following of course Zoya/Nikolai, the high ranking makes sense, it is the main ship and lets be honest they deserve it <3

I think the only really surprising thing about this is the high votes for Nina/Matthias since [SPOILERS CROOKED KINGDOM] he’s dead so I feel like people should move on from that. Nina/“Hanne” having not as high a ranking as I would’ve thought, but with Matthias still being in the frame I guess we shouldn’t be surprised either.

Shadow and Bone: TV Series

This one is really interesting, with the exclusive show watchers now taking part! We have 89% voting for Kaz/Inej, 76% for David/Genya, 71% for Matthias/Nina, 67% for Ivan/Fedyor (that’s a thing???-->Yeah they had a few somewhat sweet interactions in the background-->nvm i watched it you’re right fritz) and 62% for Mal/Alina. What’s really surprising is how high Malina is compared to Darklina, with Darkling/Alina at 36%. Who knows, maybe Fritz’ analysis can shed some light on this?

Yes yes Fritz to the rescue: First of all we have to see their interactions a little different from what we already knew of them by the end of episode 8. I still think it is a surprising number, since the Darkling in the show isn’t as nasty as he was in the books BUT over all his actions are now seen on TV. We all thought the deer antlers were a necklace amirite? Well no apparently not, the darkling used the worst kind of small science to fit Alinas collarbone to the bone and out comes a gruesome sight: a reason why many people might have started thinking: Wow what a disgusting person he is. And on the Malina “ship”: Mal finally has personality!! jkjk :eyes: Mals and Alinas friendship has been portrayed way better in the show and I believe that the people noticed more chemistry between them especially by the end of season 1. So I’m still a little surprised Darklina has such a low ranking (what with him being all sweet and cuddly in the middle of the show) but it makes sense and the Malina ship as well. Their vibes are just *chefs kiss* and thats coming from someone who didnt even like any of these “ships” <3

Loving the quotation marks for the word ‘ships’, Fritz. Over to the honourable mentions!

Honourable Mentions:

Jesper and Milo (isn’t milo a goat? guys, why?)

Nadia/Marie (huh that didn’t appear anywhere else)

One person had several - Kaz/Inej/Jesper, Dubrov/Mikhael, Dubrov/Mikhael/Mal - and yeah, you can really see the show differences in these mentions right? (whose dubrov...and whose mikhael...)

16% actually voted for Inej/Alina which is wild to me because of book context (they did have chemistry in the show tho :cowboi_smirk:)

Another person with several! We have Nina/Inej, Genya/Alina, Zoya/Alina, Zoya/Genya/Alina. Very sapphic. Good for you.

Kaz/Jesper and Nina/Inej all in one

That’s a lot of honour and mentions but it’s so interesting to me and I think you should see too

Most Enjoyed Ships

The most enjoyed ship was Kaz/Inej. This had unparalleled support, being at 35%. Jesper/Wylan, which was next on the list (23.5%) and Nina/Matthias (18%) were also pretty popular. Most of the others were quite low, though interestingly Mal/Alina only had 1 vote (plus one for the show version). Overall, the SoC ships were a lot more popular in this section, which makes sense - this part is really about your favourite ship, and those were more unanimous in the last sections.

Least Enjoyed Ships

Most people said Darkling/Alina, which got 47% of the NOTP votes. A lot more people disliked Darkling/Alina than liked Kaz/Inej. Make of that what you will, but I take it as a somewhat general agreement among many of you guys. Mal/Alina was also strongly disliked at 22%, but around a half or more of these were clarified to be about the book version of the ship specifically. They really must’ve upgraded in the show! Jesper/Kuwei and any other Darkling ships were also voted by a few, but all of these pale in comparison to the anti-Darklina votes. Shoutout to the person who said Apparat/Anyone. I agree, though it’s not something I thought of before seeing this response. Also one person said they didn’t like the poly ships, which I hope meant just the ones mentioned earlier and not all poly relationships in general... Another shoutout to whoever said Kaz/Heleen, because why did I have to read that. A fun question, all in all!

Crack Ships and Shipping Discourse

I love talking about crack ships, so let’s start with that! This time, I really don’t want to have to count and list because... well, let me show you:

I think that sums up the sheer variety, to be honest. Then again, it would be rude not to mention that the most popular were Jesper/Milo, Darkling/Nikolai and Alina/Sun. (If you’re still confused about that last one, I take full responsibility.)

YES KAZ/KRUGE I SUPPORT!!!

Honourable mention to this:

which was a lot to take in, and:

Now for the discourse. Yep, the part you probably came for. 

Actually... maybe you didn’t? Looking at all of these responses, I see a lot of people genuinely don’t care about ship wars and so on, and often enjoyed the books regardless of the romances involved. Quite a few disapproved of the ongoing (though small) wars between Darklina and Malina, and others had a similar line of thinking, saying we should maybe stop focusing so much on it. You guys are right. I know this is a ship survey, and the conclusions should not include that shipping isn’t as important as we make it (Yes it should), but... that’s where it’s at.

And then again, a lot of you guys expressed disapproval for Darkling/Alina, discussing how it is often one-sided and manipulative and overall unhealthy, so I could be completely off with that last one. Some people mentioned that they ship this but as a slightly different version that the one given to us, recognising the flaws of the canon ship.

Someone said they headcanon Tolya as aroace (OMG YES!!). We need more aroace characters, so thank you for that headcanon :) We also have a few gay ships mentioned here, and one person telling us they love Malina. Yes, you’re right - it’s pretty unpopular, it turns out. Someone else said Alina should’ve been single, and I agree, actually!

One person rickrolled me here. Thankfully, Youtube’s ads saved me. *wipes forehead*

I leave you all with this, in the end:

Notes from the Survey

Statistics Stuff:

The top ships were taken from AO3, so some ships may be more focused on in other books and may not provide accurate statistics for an earlier series.

The main circles this was sent around may have had bias as most people are from the same discord server, which has debated these topics in the past. Hence certain ships may have lower-than-average results. In future, this could be improved upon by sending this to other servers and areas of the fandom.

Personal bias may be present in the analysis, though I have tried to minimise this in the more formal sections.

Observations and Notes from Me:

You guys really don’t like Darklina. Or you love it. Usually one or the other. Wow.

Be glad I didn’t talk about any of the cursed ships in this. The things I have seen... (:cowboi_eyes:)

I thought more people would rickroll me, ngl.

What Surprised You Guys:

Kaz/Inej/Jesper

A few of you guys saw some of those cursed ships, and that surprised you. Well, me too!

Nikolai ships being in the TV Show section at all, what with his character not being in the show (yeah what was up with that huh tztz)

Inej/Alina

The existence of The Severed Moon

Darkling/Nikolai(/Alina)

How fun the quiz was :D

Things You Sent Me:

Bee Movie copypasta

“Nobody expects The Spanish Inquisition!”, except via an AO3 link

A fun fact about enzymes! I liked this one

Fic recs for Feriku and Sarai (esp for Wylan/Jesper shippers)

Another rickroll

Nice compliments :) aww you guys

I asked everyone for some kind of placeholder name and never used it. Sorry! But hey, anonymity, right?

Closing Statements

If you got this far (I feel like ive been sitting here for hours), thanks for reading! This was fun to do and I hope you enjoyed all of this too! The survey is still open for anyone who hasn’t done it but wants to. If I get a huge amount of new responses, I might update this post! But for now, adios!

-mod emily (and mod fritz)

[amor-immortalem]

My Adoring Fan ch. 11

Previous

As Aurelius returned home, he bumped into his older brother who was headed out to a shift at Hell’s Kitchen.

“Hey,” the teen says after catching his footing, “Going to work? I thought you were off today?”

“Yeah,” Cyrus says, “Someone called in so they’re short staffed. Can’t miss an opportunity to make some extra cash, y’know? What’d you find out about where Azalea was going? You were gone for a bit.”

“Yeah, I get it. Anyway, Azalea got a job... maybe?” he says “At least that’s what I think happened. I was so amazed, I kind of lost track of time just watching her.

“You sound surprised. What, didn’t think she could get along with others?”

“No, that’s not it... more like I’m surprised she didn’t tell anyone about it... That would be something she’d be super proud about. Maybe she’s working under the table or something like that...”

Cyrus shrugged, “Who knows? As long as she’s enjoying herself and staying out of trouble, what does it really matter? Maybe she’ll make more friends than just Max or our cousins.”

“Yeah, well, I won’t hold you up any longer. I’ll see you later.” The younger half-demon says as he walks inside.

“See ya,” Cyrus waves back as he took off.

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A few days later at school, Aurelius sat down at his desk in his home room, soon to be joined by his twin. She took the seat next to him as he sighed.

“It’s too damn early... why did I agree to meet her here at 6 am again?” He asks as he turns his head toward Azalea.

“I dunno,” She shrugs. “I’m only here so early because I was up ‘n had nothin’ better ta do. It’s kinda dumb to come ta class early just ta meet a girl ya hardly know...”

“Yeah, but this is really the only place where I won’t constantly be hounded by fans so... Guess it all works out.”

“What’s so special ‘bout her anyway- Oh waitm don’t tell me she actually did the impossible and managed ta charm ya?”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Aurelius says sarcastically. “It's impossible to charm me. Just like Mum, that nonsense just simply doesn’t work on me.”

“You must be a delight in Seductive Speechcraft, huh?”

“I am, thank you for asking. My classmates fight over who gets to be my partner during the practical portions actually,” he says smugly.

“Only cuz it’s an easy A...” She grumbles, “At least you have people who wanna be yer partner. I’m lucky if I get asked at all- devils forbid, I actually ask somebody to partner with me... I get rejected every time.”

“Maybe if your bookworms of classmates weren’t actually afraid of you, you might get more offers...”

“Afraid? Of me?” She laughed, “don’t kid yerself, Bro. If they were really that scared a me, they wouldn’t have such bold words fer me... They just don’t wanna partner with me.”

“Sure, whatever you say... you know, Zay not everyone hates you... You’re just a bit of a... loose cannon, if you will. Nobody knows what’ll set that temper of yours off. If you tried being nicer and more even keel, I’m sure you’d be just as popular as me or Zulima... I mean despite everything; our class did vote you in as our class representative...”

“I tried ta be nice, okay? I tried it for thirteen god damned years and look where it’s gotten me.” her lapis-like eyes shot him a pointed look. “It always blows up in my face one way or another... and so? What of it?”

Aurelius chose not to say anything as Persephone walked in.

“Good morning!” She smiles as she takes a seat next to the pair. “How’re you?”

“I’m well,” He smiles, “And yourself?”

“I’m alright,” The succubus smiled. “And Azalea? What about you?”

“Physically, I’m fine. Emotionally, I’m face down in a lake somewhere...” The girl responds jokingly and both Aurelius and Persephone give her a worried look.

“’Zay...” Aurelius says cautiously, “Did you take your meds today?”

“Yeah, of course. I was just jokin’.” She lies, “Have a sense of humor, why don’tcha...”

“I don’t think you should be joking about things like that,” The periwinkle-haired girl frowns. “You’ll worry people talking like that...”

“Nahhhh, I’ll be fine...” Azalea just brushes Persephone off. “Besides-”

“There you are,” Max says as she rushes into the classroom. “You ran out of the house so fast, you forgot to take your medicine this morning.”

“I knew it,” Aurelius sighs as he sits up straighter. “It’s a good thing you’re on top of these things, Max. She’d have gone the whole day without them.”

“So I forgot one day out of the month, ya’ll don’t gotta jump on me for it...”

Max held up the little box that sorted Azalea’s medicine into the days of the week they used so she would know if she’d taken them that day. “Judging by how full this thing is, I doubt it’s been just one day, hon.”

“You haven’t taken your medicine all week?” The boy’s eyes widen.

“What’s the big deal, huh? I don’t think I need ‘em anymore.”

“You only feel like that because you were consistently taking them.” The human sighs, “Here, I brought you a bottle of water. Take them now, please.”

“No.” She leans back in her chair.

“Azalea,” her twin has a warning tone in his voice, “You take those pills right now or I’ll use Max’s phone to call Mum and Dad and rat you out.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” She’s testing her brother.

“Oh yeah? Bet. Max gimme your phone, please.” He holds out his hand and Max unlocks her phone and hands it to her. He clicks on the call icon before dialing their house phone and shows her the screen. “Last chance before I click call.”

“…...fiiiiiiiiiinnnnnneeee, gimme the damn pills.” She groans dramatically, holding her hand out for the container and the water bottle. Persephone has to stifle a giggle at the scene. When Max hands them over, Azalea opens the slot for friday and takes them. “There, happy?”

“More than you know,” both Aurelius and Max smile as the human takes a seat and leans over to plant a kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek and lace her fingers with Azalea’s.

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Once the rest of their classmates had filed in and taken their seats, everyone chattered amongst themselves. Class was supposed to start ten minutes ago and yet, their teacher was nowhere to be seen. Soon, the chatter turned to hushed whispers as the door opened and who should walk in but the Avatar of Pride himself. Everyone- with the exception of his niece and nephew and Max- immediately rises to attention and gives the high-ranking demon a salute. They just give him a wave.

“Good morning, children, I apologize for keeping you all waiting. You may sit now. I’ll be taking over for your old teacher in all of her classes while a new one can be arranged. She’s been... relieved of duty, if you will. Now, let’s start with attendance and then we’ll move on to the morning’s announcements.”

Upon hearing that their uncle would be taking over some of their classes, the twins would only think that those classes just became a lot more difficult for this little bit of time.

------------------------------------------------------

To be continued