#the dice were merciful today i suppose

[innocence-wont-save-you]

Scene 11

You eventually gave up and turned off your visual faculties anyway. Turning them back on now, you wince at the sudden influx of light, shielding your face from the glare. Ugh. This is why you don't like doing this.

It's bright out today, the sun shining cheerfully through a thin cloud layer. You carefully climb down to the ground level again, brushing at yourself to rid your cloak of the dust it accumulated overnight. You really need to find someplace to wash your belongings, but it's less of a priority than continuing onwards.

Exiting the growing tower, you pause near the entrance of the burrow the scavengers went into last cycle, dialing up your auditory sensitivity momentarily. You don't hear anything inside; they must have already left. Or maybe they haven't woken up yet. Scavengers tend to be quiet in unfamiliar territory, you know that much, so it's hard to tell if they're still here or not. You'll need to investigate more closely to figure it out.

[nhasablogg]

Dungeons and tickles

Fandom: Stranger Things

Characters: Lucas/Max, Eleven, Will, Dustin, Mike

Summary: Lucas is slightly too stressed and so his friends decide he needs a distraction.

A/N: Commission for anon! I hope you like it!

Words: 2.5k

None of them really thought Lucas was cheating, because how the hell was he even supposed to do that? Buying weighted dice in Hawkins of all places was a near impossibility, and Lucas just wasn’t a good enough liar to be lying about his hit points. Besides, it made no sense to cheat in Dungeons and Dragons, a game which relied on player choices, dice rolls and the interpretation of a world through the eyes of one single creator. Not to mention Lucas’ evident respect for the game. It was simply absurd.

But it was just way too much fun to pretend that Lucas was cheating, as that agitated him more. He’d been a bit of a pain in the ass recently, tryouts for the basketball team keeping him jumpy and snappy, only for him to turn around and apologize immediately after. Still, the constant mood swings weren’t canceled out by the apologies, even though they all appreciated them. Roping him into the game, while Max and El sat on the sidelines and watched, had been hard to begin with, but his mind seemed to be wandering anyway, and so they knew he needed a proper distraction to get him out of his funk. What better way than to mess with him a bit?

“I’m not cheating,” he said for the tenth time, throwing up his hands as Dustin pointed at him and doing a good job of not bursting into laughter through his fake accusation.

“You are,” he shot back. “Tell me how you’re doing well when you’re obviously not all here.”

“Maybe I’m just that good.”

“Oh, please.”

Lucas raised his eyebrows in a way that was dangerous. “Do you have something you wanna say?”

Dustin grinned innocently at him. “No, nothing at all.”

“We can all see that you’re cheating though,” Will said, and Lucas sighed loudly.

“Not you too,” he said, rubbing at his temples. “I’m too tired for this. I give in. I’m going home.”

“Oh, come on,” Max said, grabbing his hand before he could stand up. “Don’t go. We’re having fun, right?”

“I’m being accused of cheating. That’s not fun at all.”

“So stop cheating.” Mike’s words made Lucas turn to him, annoyance evident across his face. “It’s as simple as that.”

“You know damn well I’m not a cheater.”

“Do I?”

Lucas gritted his teeth. “I’m leaving.”

Max’s grip on his hand suddenly tightened. “No.”

Everything was a blur after that; voices mixing and limbs tangling, until Lucas found himself pinned to the floor by them all, with Max most prominently straddling his waist.

“What are you doing?” he asked, suddenly aware that maybe all the accusing fingers were simply there to mess with him. He felt his annoyance melt away, being replaced by nerves instead. From the prospect of this, with Max on his waist, Will and Dusting holding his hands and Mike sitting on his legs, his body was left slightly too exposed for his liking. Eleven, who’d been quiet throughout it all, was sitting beside Max, smiling at him in a way that made him all the more nervous.

“We’re getting you back for cheating,” Max said, quickly dropping her facade. “And helping you get rid of all that excess energy you always have when you’re nervous about something.”

Lucas pulled weakly at his arms. “You can help me in other ways, you know. I don’t remember deserving whatever you’re about to do.”

“Uh, remember being rude to me at lunch today?” Dustin said.

Lucas rolled his eyes. “I said I was sorry.”

“Yeah, but you’d been rude the previous period too.”

“I’m going through a lot right now-”

“Oh, we know. This is simply just a bit of revenge.”

Lucas knew deep down what they were about to do, and so he turned toward Max, knowing if anyone would show him mercy it would be her. But Max was looking determined and Lucas realized he was doomed.

“Please don’t,” he said as she pulled up his shirt to expose his belly to the cold air of the basement.

“I’m sorry, but we have to.” She moved over to let El scoot closer beside her, the two of them sharing a look which he couldn’t interpret but which he knew meant trouble. He realized what was about to happen when they both leaned down, their faces coming close to his skin, seeming giddy like children.

Lucas screamed as they started blowing raspberries into his skin on either side of his belly, as if their lives depended on it, over and over, sending ticklish shocks through him. The initial panic merely doubled as Will suddenly started blowing raspberries into his neck as well, just beneath his chin where Lucas couldn’t shield himself. He could feel them laughing into his skin, enjoying this, and one part of him relished in their enjoyment. They’d not been kids for a long time. Maybe having to endure this was worth it just for the laughter.

Mike was going to town on his feet, holding onto his ankles for dear life lest he wanted to get his teeth knocked out. He’d grown taller, stronger over the summer, although Lucas was still stronger and probably always would be. Still, their tickle fights, rare as they were now, were no different from the ones they’d had as kids. Chaotic. Merciless. So much belly laughter they nearly couldn’t breathe. They’d not gotten Will as often as they used to after he’d gone missing and come back, but the few times they had - careful pokes, gentle smiles - had been reminders of childhood. Dusting screaming bloody murder whenever they got him. Mike running away until Lucas tackled him. Lucas having to be pinned by all three of them if they wanted to even attempt to poke him.

But Max had mellowed him out. Max had shown him it was okay to be vulnerable. Max, with her nimble fingers and teasing grin, who was beaming up at him now between raspberries. Max kept him young as the world around them tried to literally kill them. And in turn, Lucas remained gentle despite it all.

Lucas snapped out of his brief daydream (how the hell could he daydream through tickling like this?) when Mike switched spots, latching onto his hips which made them all shuffle around. He protested as they all paused their tickling for a moment, but no one was listening to him. Will simply grabbed his thighs, as if ready to squeeze at any moment, while Dustin wormed his fingers into his armpits, making him squirm from simply the contact. Max remained at his belly while El moved upward to take Will’s old spot at his neck, and suddenly Lucas wondered if he was to survive this. Max still had him straddled, but she was sitting up properly now, gently caressing his stomach as if to calm him. It tickled, but not enough to make him laugh. The only reason he was giggling now to begin with was due to the anticipation. He was pinned. He was exposed. He knew how this would end.

Did he plead? Of course not. He had a, somewhat misguided, ego to think of.

He would, though. Eventually. He knew that too.

The world was still for a moment, and then they all started at the same time, turning him into a momentarily fumbling mess of confusion, not knowing what sensation to react to first, until it all suddenly exploded simultaneously in the form of hysterical laughter. He felt Max’s hands around his belly button, squeezing around it lightly while El was curling her fingers under his chin. Those two things would be enough to have him begging for mercy, only somewhere beneath that he could feel Will squeezing his thighs, kind enough not to be gentle at the very least. He wasn’t sure if he could handle gentle scratching on his legs right now, not when Dustin was succeeding more and more in prying his arms up so that he could tickle his armpits more properly. Behind Max, somehow fitting between her and Will, Mike was still latched onto his hips, squeezing them in all his might. It was a miracle Lucas hadn’t bucked Max off in his struggle to escape, but later, when he’d been granted his much needed mercy, he would realize she probably wasn’t the only one pinning him down.

He could picture it. El and Will and Max taking turns holding his flailing arms, while Will held his legs down so that Mike could reach his spot. Or maybe it was Mike who was holding him down so that Will could tickle his thighs? Lucas didn’t know. Lucas couldn’t know from where he was lying, on his back on the floor, eyes squeezed shut as he laughed and laughed. He felt another raspberry on his belly, just beneath his navel, and he didn’t need to open his eyes to know it was Max. A raspberry to his neck told him that Eleven was following suit, not necessarily a follower as much as being unsure of what was allowed. He was glad that, in the midst of it all, none of the others started blowing raspberries on other body parts. That would’ve been crossing several lines.

“Aha!” Dustin’s exclaim was heard through his laughter, but was mostly just noise to him now, busy as he was. He could tell his shout of triumph came from Dustin finally pinning one of his arms to the side, not fully above his head but enough so that he could wiggle his fingers in the hollow of his arm with no problem, making Lucas’ focus shift to him for a moment. It was probably the worst of it; how he couldn’t focus on one torture at a time, but was bouncing between them. One moment he was with Will, who was still squeezing his thighs as if his life depended on it, moving between spots at the speed of light. The next he was with Mike, who was tickling his hips at the same spot over and over, slowly driving him insane. Before he could notice anything else about it - if he was being gentle or not, how the hell could Lucas tell like this? - he was with Max again, who wasn’t blowing raspberries anymore but was instead circling a finger around his belly button, getting ready to dive in. Lucas would’ve asked her not to, would’ve screamed and pleaded and begged, had El not switched tactics in a drastic enough way that he noticed, transferring his ever moving focus to her.

“No!” he cried, possibly his first coherent word since this started. But El didn’t listen, because how could she even tell he was speaking to her? She simply tickled both sides of his neck at the same time, just below his ears, making it impossible for him to scrunch up for defense. And maybe that would’ve been his demise had Dustin not found the spot that connected his upper ribs to his armpit…

He didn’t know how he did it, only that Max was suddenly flying off of him and his foot had accidentally knocked into the side of Mike’s head, and maybe the sight would have been funny had he been in any other position. The momentary relief simply made for a worse continuation, when he’d tasted the lovely taste of a non-ticklish existence.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” he said when Max started poking him, although not straddling him again.

“You did that on purpose,” she was saying, laughing along with him.

“Where did you get your strength from anyway?” Mike asked, holding his head. “Maybe you should audition for the wrestling club or something instead.”

“Mike, they’re not called auditions.”

“You know what I meant.”

Their game of DnD was forgotten, as were the accusations of Lucas cheating. The tickling was turning into a tickle fight rather than pure torture, but Lucas was drained and had a hard time putting up a fight, and so it wasn’t hard for Mike to grab his feet again or for Max to claw at the back of his ribs when he tried to roll away. The other three stayed back this time, except for the brief poke Dustin aimed at his ribs when Lucas rolled closer to him.

“Please, mercy, oh my god-”

“You think he’s had enough?” Will asked.

“He can take a bit more, can’t you, Lucas?” Lucas managed to catch the moment Max’s face softened as she grinned down at him, maybe realizing he wasn’t able to handle much more. “But maybe we should round it off. Does anyone want one last tickle before we let him go?”

“How about another raspberry?” El said, and Lucas could only close his eyes and lie there and take it as she, Max and somewhat surprisingly Will blew raspberries on his belly for another moment. It wasn’t as bad as the rest, but being all tickled out it was enough to send ticklish shocks through his body, although he did little to stop them.

“I knew you were still ticklish,” Dustin said when they’d helped him up again, hands rough against his skin to help rub out the residual tickles that they knew lingered on him.

“Did I ever say otherwise?” Lucas didn’t have the energy to sound annoyed.

“No, but it’s been a while since we tickled you.”

“You just tickled me enough to not have to do it again for the next ten years.”

“Or maybe we just caught up on what we’d missed.”

Dustin nudged him in the ribs and Lucas could only groan. “I’m so getting you back. I know how bad your belly is.”

“Big words from someone who was just begging for mercy.”

“And don’t think I’ve forgotten about your knees, Wheeler. You all better watch your backs.”

They all laughed, knowing full well he wasn’t kidding.

“Are you okay?” Max asked him later, the two of them curled up on the couch when they probably should’ve gone home ages ago. “Did we go overboard?”

“Yes to both.” Lucas softened, like he always did when he could smell sleep on her. “But it’s okay. I guess I deserved it.”

“That you did.” She ran a finger over his lower ribs, not tickling him necessarily but also not staying clear off his sensitive spots. He shivered, for various reasons. “And needed it.”

He felt himself flush. “I guess.”

“You guess, huh.” She grinned and he squeezed her tighter to him.

“Don’t get cocky. I can totally get you back.”

“But you won’t.”

“Not here, no.” He kissed her temple. “But you better be very very nice to me later when we’re alone.”

“I’m always nice.”

“Of course you are.” A pause, and, “I know none of you believed I was cheating.”

Max snorted. “Of course we didn’t.”

“That, if anything, deserves its own revenge, don’t you think?”

He heard Max gulp. Revenge would be oh so sweet. If he needed tickles, he needed to hear her laughter so much more.

[darthstitch]

Fic Snippet:  Cursed Dice™

It is said in the lore of D&D that the Phenomenon of the Cursed Dice™ was all too real.  

Sometimes, there were days when the hapless player would keep rolling 1's, much to the detriment of his character.  A merciful DM might try to help the player out a little, especially since nobody wanted to throw out a carefully planned storyline with the inadvertent death of one of the heroes or string it out for a dramatic and suitably tragic finish.  Dream had done that before, for Eddie's magnificent exit in the homemade Hawkins campaign, with his rendition of Metallica's Master of Puppets.

Today, however, they were playing a more traditional version of the game, with Eddie again in his cherished warrior bard role.  This time, he was facing off against Steve's cruel half-orc chieftain, Maglor the Malevolent.  

Initially, it had all gone well - Eddie was in fine form, shouting eloquent invective against Steve's raging barbarous orc warrior.  There were even a few power chords strung on his electric guitar....er.... lute.

The other players in the party, having been grievously wounded in the battle, had no choice but to watch and hope that Eddie's Bard would save them.  Popcorn had been produced and was being passed around.  

And then, disaster struck.  

Eddie was hoping to deliver a fatal blow by jumping up on Steve's orc and stabbing him in his one weak spot - the magical Achilles' Heel, so to speak.  It was at that point that his dice were cursed.  He kept missing and slowly, but surely, Steve was wearing him down.  

"Eddie," Dream warned him.  "Your death is imminent if you do not change your tactics.  You must do this soon."

"You're going down, Munson!" Steve said gleefully.

"Fine!  I'm gonna seduce my way outta this!" Eddie decided.

"WHAT."  This was everyone else's reaction.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Steve groaned.  

Eddie shrugged.  "I'm a bard.  When all else fails, kiss the sonuvabitch."

"Language, young Eddie," Dream reproved him, although it was clear that the Prince of Stories was trying very much not to laugh.  "It is, as always, your choice.  And if the dice does not fail you."

It was a natural 20.  

"Motherfucker," Steve facepalmed.  "Make it good, Munson."

Eddie cleared his throat.  And then:

So close, no matter how far

Couldn't be much more from the heart

Forever trusting who we are

And nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way

Life is ours, we live it our way

All these words, I don't just say

And nothing else matters...

Everyone started yelling.  The world was also treated to the sight of one King of Dreams burying his face in his hands, doing his utmost to stifle his laughter.  

"Are you fucking kidding me right now," said Max flatly.  "Metallica song lyrics?!"

"Hey," Eddie defended himself.  "If you and Eleven here had Kate Bush, Steve and I can have Metallica.  Also, it's not like our literature and history professors here weren't setting such fine examples, amirite?"

"At least Uncle Dream and Professor G were quoting Shakespeare and Keats!" Rose pointed out.  

"They're immortal, so they're allowed the classics!"

"Murphy, am I supposed to be seduced by this?" Steve protested.  

"It was a successful roll, Steve Harrington.  So Maglor the Malevolent was bemused and a little charmed by Eddie the Banished's attempt at wooing.  That being said, he has only but begun his courtship. It requires your consent, after all."  

"Fine!" Steve decided.  "I'm gonna roll and see if he can withstand how we answer courting attempts. Let him survive a kiss from my mighty Hammer of Grond!"

"It's too much!" Dustin was keening.  "Too many jokes! Too many!"  

"Any of them have a hope of at least being PG-13?" Mike said hopefully.  "We still got kids in the audience."

"By all means," Rose said brightly, with a pointed look at Jed.  "If you scar my baby brother for life, I know where you sleep, Henderson."  

"I'm gonna shut up now."  

Steve ignored the peanut gallery and rolled.  

It was a fail.  

"NOOOOO!!!!" Steve groaned.

"YAAAAAASSSS!!!!" Eddie cheered.  

"Y'know, it is kind of romantic - the warrior bard and the dread half-orc chieftain," Eleven observed.  "You two deserve each other."

"I call shenanigans!" Steve howled.  "Our DM is an eldritch magical being with a terrifying sense of humor!"

"You doubt my honor, Steve Harrington?  Just as I am now in the midst of setting aside the carefully plotted storyline I have planned so I can instead tell the tale of how Eddie the Banished and Maglor the Malevolent celebrated their wedded bliss?" Stars danced in Dream's uncanny blue eyes, filled with dire promise.  

"Sorry, Murphy," Eddie said brightly.  "We'll get back on the adventure as soon as Steve and I are done with our honeymoon."

***

*runs*

[cherri-cherri]

× Little Flower ×

-----------×-----------

Pairings - Ryoumen Sukuna x Reader

Synopsis - No one was allowed to touch you as you were his. Those who dared would suffer a fate worse than death...

Warnings - Possible Grammar Errors, Slight Gore, Swear Words

A/N - This fic here is pretty short but I wanted to write this after having a weird dream with flowers and Sukuna. I honestly have mixed feelings about this one but I hope you all enjoy! - 🍒

----------------×----------------

"Speak, girl. Do you know why you stand here on trial here today?" A voice called out to you from above but you simply kept your head hanging down to stare at the stacks of dry wood pressed under your feet. Your body ached due to the countless bruises and cuts littering your skin and the tightness of the ropes cutting into your bound wrists weren't helping at all in the slightest.

"Y/N L/N, do you understand why you stand before us?" The voice repeated again, this time a rough hand grabbing ahold of your hair and gripping it tightly, forcing you to stare up at the man before you.

"Cat has your tongue? Well then, let me remind you that you were caught giving aid to the king of curses. No doubt spreading your legs for him like that harlot you are" his words only mirrored the disgusted look in his cold grey eyes, glaring down at you as his grip on your hair only tightened. Sad to think that you would be used to this knowing your uncle was not a kind or gentle man and yet his words only stung.

"...I did no such thing....He was hurt and I was trying to help, I was–" Letting out a yelp as your cheek burned from the slap your uncle gave you, you felt tears prickling your eyes as he leaned in closer.

"Liar!! Someone saw you with him, saw you hold him! It is obvious that your vile ways allowed him to take over your mind and possess you!" Yelling at the top of his lungs, you heard others around you cheering the man on as some even chimed in. So many hateful words, so many people who you believed to friends and family only for all of them to look at you with such disdain and anger. Tears began to form until your uncle released you and stepped away, "There is only one way to save your soul now before he swallows it whole. The flames will send you to the afterlife and maybe then, you will be saved."

Your heart dropped after hearing that. You were going to die, all because of giving a monster sanctuary, all because you tried to be kind. Men carrying large clay pots came to the stake you were bound to and then began splashing you with oil. Coughing as the liquid was poured ontop of your head, you heard the chanting of the people all around you, screaming and yelling for your death over and over again as your uncle came walking back towards you while holding up a lit torch.

This was the end. Your miserable life ending at such a horrible note, it made you let out a small saddened chuckle as you slowly closed your eyes and waited for the fire to engulf your completely until nothing but ash reminded.

You waited..

And waited..

The ropes wrapped around your wrists were soon sliced off and at the same time, you hear a few thuds collapsing onto gravel not too far away from you. When you opened your eyes, you found yourself staring at your uncle. Your now headless uncle. The blood erupting from his neck like a geyser as the body slumped down to its knees, occasionally twitching as the blood sprayed across your face and ragged dress. The color drained from your face completely as you stared down at the blood on your clothes, horrified until a large tattooed around wrapped itself around your waist. Freezing completely, you looked back forward to see the villagers beginning to flee until those who even took a step back were diced into cubed pieces.

"Any human who moves another muscle will die." A rough voice called out behind you, sending your heart to panic. Turning your head slightly to the side, you saw him.

Ryoumen Sukuna.

His eyes darted down towards you, crimson hues staring into your watery E/C eyes and he simply gave you a toothy grin. "Come on now, Y/N, you shouldn't give such a frightened look to your knight in shining armor. I just saved your life."

"Y-you killed them.. " you muttered, causing Sukuna to roll his eyes as he lifted you in the air before placing you down onto his shoulder to carry you. "And? I don't see what's wrong here. You're alive, they're dead. Now that we've been over that, I think you owe me a reward—"

"I knew it..." a woman said from the crowd, her knuckles turning white from how hard she was gripping her fists. She stared at the two of you with fear in her eyes, more so you than Sukuna. "Y-you were sleeping with him..you dirty whore...letting a monster in this village. Letting a curse spread in this village!" As she screamed out, blood soon enough trickled down her lips as she felt a pain in her chest before a growing numbness. Looking down, the woman saw nothing but a gaping hole in the middle of her chest, blood dribbling down the emptiness to the stomach until she slowly collapsed on her back. Others around her screamed out, some moving from the places they were standing before being sliced in half or trisected into parts. You gasped out, covering your mouth as you felt bile rising up.

"S-she did nothing wrong!" You yelled to Sukuna as he only stared at the remaining people in the crowd with a smirk. "Wrong...As far as I see, everyone here has committed a great sin."

Crimson stained the once grey pathway as people are killed by the curse one after another. A few brave (or foolish) souls attempted to even rush at Sukuna only to make it as far as five steps forward before their insides became their outsides. A woman tried to beg for her life by offering herself as Sukuna's personal slave, even going as far as to give away to lives of her children but once again it proved nothing as she too was killed.

It didn't take long for Sukuna to kill off the rest of the villagers, regardless of their age or even if they were innocent or not. They were all killed and slaughtered brutally without mercy, their blood mixing together as the smell of their corpses began to reek. You stared down at the headless corpse of your uncle, eyes dulled as you thought perhaps it would've been better if the fire had claimed you. Then no one wouldve been killed. No, no that wasn't true.

It would've been better if you never met him. If you simply continued on your way and left him bleeding out for the shamans to find. If you had never opened your heart to the curse..then no one would've died. Then no one would've been killed. Feeling a hand brush your hair gently with his nails and combing a strain behind your ear, you were snapped out of your thoughts. Sukuna pulled you closer towards him with one arm and wrapped each of his arms around your small frame before pressing his lips onto your forehead.

"They didn't have to die..." your voice was practically a whisper at this point, hoarse and dry from the screaming and begging for him to stop. Sukuna merely chuckled as he released you, "Do you feel guilty?"

"What sort of question is that supposed to be? Of course I do...." Saying that you didn't would only be half of the truth. Sure you were angry with how they were so quick to hurt you and kill you but then again, if you knew this was what Sukuna was capable, you would've accepted the punishment. You should've listened, should've stayed away from him that night yet apart of you knew that this perhaps wouldn't have changed much.

"I don't see why when because of you, your people get to live on..."

Those words got your attention as they left you confused. Before you could even question him however, you heard a small weak voice speaking out towards it. "You've doomed us all, girl..."

You could've swore that it was your uncle speaking to you and yet you knew that was impossible seeing as his vocal cords were severed alongside his head. But when your eyes slowly looked over to the severed head, you saw a large flower growing where the blood pooled over. It might have been beautiful if it wasnt for the fact that your uncle's face was on the flower, darkened eyes staring at you. Gasping out, you covered you mouth and took a step back, pressing your back into the warm chest of Sukuna as he pointed over towards the other bodies littered around the execution ground.

A variety of flowers had sprouted forth from the blood soaked ground, each with the faces of the dead villagers as they yelled and screamed out in agony at you. So many cried out your name, children who were unfortunately brought here wailed as their mothers simply screamed out multiple swears at you. Speechless, you froze at the sight as more flowers simply began to grow up around the two of you and were only spreading. Small vines began to creep towards you, only to be sliced away when it got too far, not to you but to Sukuna.

"Regret, anger, hatred, sadness. So much negative energy, so much rage here. I wanted to repay my little flower and what else to gift her with than a garden of her own." He hunching over and reaching for one the screaming flowers, he plucked it forth from the ground as the face on it contorted in pain before it began to beg for mercy. "Flowers for my flower. Though none of this compare to you." Sukuna chuckled, placing the plant onto the back of your ear before combing a strand of your hair.

You felt disgusted as the flower's voice grew more and more faint, it practically whispering in your ear for himself to be spared such a fate. You could do nothing but silently say how sorry you were yet your hushed apologies were drowned out by the voices of your new cursed garden.

[rovelae]

Behind the Scenes of “Hologram”

           Today marks exactly one year since I posted arguably my most popular fic. “Hologram” is a postgame Saiouma one-shot about escapism, loneliness, and running away from the past. I put a lot of myself into this fic and I’m blown away by all the love it’s received, not only on AO3 but in Discord servers and other social media. All that excitement made me keep thinking about it, so I thought I’d share a (very self-indulgent) behind-the-scenes of sorts about how I wrote it, as well as what I think of the story.

           This essay will contain spoilers for the whole fic, so if you’d like to read it first, you can find it here. Of course, if the tags scare you off, that’s valid, but you might want to skip this post too since I’ll be quoting it throughout (so, just to be safe, expect the warnings I’ve posted on AO3 to apply here too).

           If you’re a Lorde fan you’ll recognize the lyrics in the fic summary – “Nothing’s wrong when nothing’s true,” from “Buzzcut Season.” The inspiration for this fic came to me while I was on my way to an early shift at work, and I needed a good song in my head to give me the will to live for the next eight hours. Not sure why I chose that song in particular, but maybe part of it is because I like imagining stories to go along with the songs I listen to, like AMVs playing in my head, and I’d never been able to pin down exactly what this song reminded me of.

           The mood of the music is really what compelled me – there’s something lonely about it, and the lyrics sound like the singer’s trying to convince herself that everything’s okay even when all evidence points otherwise. There are “explosions on TV”, and “The men up on the news / They try to tell us all that we will lose,” but “we live beside the pool / Where everything is good.” Despite everything going wrong, despite the notes of fear creeping into the pre-chorus, the character will “play along… in a hologram with you” and “never go home again.”

           From there, it was an easy jump to “postgame Saiou” and that was that.

             There’s a cloud of seagulls hovering in the air around him, and a dozen or so more standing just out of reach, staring him down with beady black eyes. Kokichi takes a slice of bread from the loaf he’s holding and tosses it to one of the birds, watches it catch it and stumble under the weight, watches its head bob as it tries to swallow the whole thing at once. It gets remarkably far before four other birds descend on it, shrieking wildly.

           “Mine, mine, mine,” he mumbles into his folded arms, wondering if Shuichi would get the reference.

           He really wishes Shuichi was here.

           Kokichi upends the rest of the loaf of bread onto the sidewalk and laughs at the resulting chaos until his chest aches.

             To start off, I wanted to create the same lonely mood from “Buzzcut Season” in Kokichi’s simulation. He’s not exactly trapped there, but he’s refusing to leave, because as long as he’s on the fake Jabberwock Island, he can pretend the killing game never happened. The trade-off to that escapism is that the only people he can talk to are the NPCs, who aren’t complex enough to be remotely interesting to him, and Usami, who… well, tries her best, but is more of an informational / moderation program and can’t offer him what a therapist could.

           The only thing Kokichi has to look forward to is Shuichi, who he’s convinced is an extremely lifelike computer program rather than the real thing, because the real Shuichi would definitely hate him for everything that happened during the killing game. He’s so locked into this line of logic that he doesn’t let himself consider that Shuichi has forgiven him – he doesn’t even have a good answer for why the Future Foundation wouldn’t just keep the supposed Shuichi AI on indefinitely, believing it’s their way of baiting him into leaving the simulation.

           It’s not a healthy or sustainable lifestyle in the slightest, but Kokichi stubbornly refuses to do anything but wander the islands aimlessly, passing the time with ice cream and feeding seagulls until the next time he can see Shuichi.

             He dreams that DICE is here in the simulation with him, smiling and carefree as they explore the weird music venue. One of them has gotten the karaoke machine working, and another found a box of kazoos and maracas in the back room. Kokichi already pities anyone unfortunate enough to walk by the building tonight.

           “Not going to sing, Joker?” one of his DICE asks (over the sound of their youngest member shrieking through seven kazoos at once), sitting on the bench next to him.

           “Some games are more fun to watch than play,” he answers, leaning back on his hands and sighing.

           “Like a killing game.”

           The warm dream-atmosphere turns cold then, and Kokichi’s head snaps over to look at him—but his brother is gone and Kaito’s looking back at him instead, blood in his teeth and face ashen pale.

           “You... we don’t have to do this, man,” Kaito says, but it’s a lie and they both know it, and he doesn’t want to look behind him because he knows the machine’s looming over him with its unyielding steel and slow slow slow descent—

           “You’re not real,” he snaps at dream-Kaito, who doesn’t respond except to lift him up again. “Nothing’s real, none of—PUT ME DOWN! LET GO OF ME! DON’T PUT ME BACK IN THERE!”

           “Death is more mercy than you deserve,” Kaito says, and Kokichi claws and bites and kicks his way out of Kaito’s grasp like a wild animal, only to end up in front of a prison cell full of—

           DICE, his beloved DICE, trapped and hurt and afraid, bloodied and beaten and helpless.

           “Why didn’t you save us, boss?” says his second-in-command, clutching the bars with bleeding hands. “Why didn’t you do more? Now we’re all dead and it’s because of you.”

             Moments like this are my reference to Buzzcut Season’s pre-chorus, where the not-okay starts to creep into the illusion. Despite Kokichi’s valiant efforts to forget, he’s still dealing with the aftermath of seeing his family hurt and in danger, watching his friends die, orchestrating the deaths of two of them, being killed himself— and then being told every bit of it was made up to entertain an audience who sees nothing wrong with that picture. Running away is not the way to heal from trauma, and one day soon it’s all bound to come crashing down around him.

             “Do you know what this … island paradise represents, Kokichi?” [Hinata] asks, and Kokichi’s really not in the mood for a lecture but he continues anyway. “Jabberwock Island … was the setting for the fiftieth season of Danganronpa. The golden anniversary, they called it. It was my season.”

           Kokichi hunches over, hugging his arms over his torso and stifiling a scream. He does not want to think about this right now—

           “They wanted it to be the best season of all, which, unfortunately for us, meant it was also the bloodiest,” Hinata says. “Twice as many participants, deadly traps hidden across each of the islands— they even changed the way the motives worked, like when they told Fuyuhiko to cut out his own eye so Peko could have a quick death instead of suffering for days.”

           “Do I look like your therapist, porcupine-head?” Kokichi hisses. A sharp pain is pounding into his skull, and there’s a bitter, metallic taste at the back of his throat. A taste like poison and blood.

           “There was so much going on that the simulation malfunctioned,” Hinata says. “When people died, their Ultimate talents downloaded themselves into me. I’m told that the stress of so many personality grafts came close to liquefying my frontal lobe. I’m lucky I woke up at all… especially considering more than half of the others didn’t.”

           “Why are you telling me this?” Kokichi grates out through the static building in his head. If he opens his eyes, will he see the beach or the dull chrome of the machine closing in on him?

           “Because I know how much you want to forget about what happened,” Hinata says. “Believe me, I get it.”

           ….

           “These things that happened to us… we can’t erase them, no matter how much we want to. Some things have to be remembered.”

             I’d mostly like to leave Hajime’s season up to interpretation, but there are a couple things I wanted to say about it. I imagine Danganronpa is like the Hunger Games in that it’d go all out for big anniversaries. So, there were twice as many participants for the Jabberwock Island beatdown that was probably subtitled “Bloodbath Bay” or something equally appealing. The game’s formula changed from a focus on the mystery and the trials to “look at all these kids massacring each other a la Lord of the Flies,” and since the VR system wasn’t equipped to handle that many people and their deaths, it malfunctioned, giving Hajime way too many Ultimate talents and putting half the cast into comas from which they never woke up.

           Viewers either absolutely loved or absolutely hated this season, depending on whether they were DR fans because of the “blood n’ guts” factor or the “mystery and psychological thriller” aspect. Team Danganronpa faced quite a bit of backlash for actually causing the real-life deaths of half its participants, but were able to weasel their way out of serious legal repercussions because of the waivers the participants had signed beforehand (plus a lot of bribery and falling back on their longstanding popularity). So, the cast of Season 50 failed to end the killing game, but helped provide great evidence for the “Danganronpa is morally wrong” argument.

           Hajime works as a victim liaison for the Future Foundation and has been trying to take down Danganronpa since he got out of it. He’s like that in a few of my fics, actually; I like the idea of Hajime acting as a big brother of sorts to the V3 cast. It’s especially entertaining to imagine his interactions with Kokichi— though maybe not so much in Hologram, since to Kokichi he’s a representation of the past he’s trying so desperately to forget and the future he refuses to acknowledge.

             “SHUT UP!” He launches himself at Hinata, his hands wrapping around the other man’s throat as he uses his momentum to slam him to the ground. “SHUT! UP!”

           “Ko— ghk—” Hinata coughs, eyes wide with surprise, but aside from moving his hands up to grip Kokichi’s wrists, he doesn’t seem all that worried about fighting back.

           The thought only fuels Kokichi’s rage until he’s choking Hinata so hard his knuckles are white. “If you want me out of this simulation so badly, you can kill me,” he snarls. “I’m never waking up! I’m never leaving, do you UNDERSTAND ME?”

           Hinata grimaces, the outline of his avatar flickering, but he still doesn’t struggle, and Kokichi hates him all the more for it, despises him with a seething malice that festers low in his stomach. He wonders distantly if he’d actually kill this man in real life. Or if he’d be able to stop himself, feeling like this.

             Kokichi’s breakdown here is more out of fear than anger. Like I mentioned, Kokichi sees Hajime as another piece of what’s hurt him, and no matter how Hajime tries to help, Kokichi will always remember Danganronpa whenever he sees him.

             Warm yellow-orange light casts a relaxed, cozy glow over the dining hall. It’s an ambience compounded by the flickering candles on the table, which seems overly idyllic, but Kokichi will let it slide because of the adorable way Shuichi flushed when he noticed them as they sat down. Well, if he’s being honest, everything about Shuichi right now is adorable, from the way his hair keeps falling into his eyes to the way he’s nervously fiddling wth his chopsticks. Kokichi wishes he could keep staring at him forever.

           Ah, not… not in a weird way, though, just… because Shuichi’s beautiful, and when Kokichi looks at him he can forget everything bad that’s ever happened, can create some new and brighter world to exist in.

             This is an idea I wish I’d had room to explore a bit more in the story— that is, just how far Kokichi will go to pretend everything’s fine. I thought about making him border on delusional, like having him talk to people who aren’t there or forget what’s actually happening around him because he’s so lost in his fiction-within-a-fiction. It would have creeped Shuichi out a whole lot.

           Unfortunately, there wasn’t much room for that past the plot I’d already nailed down, so I focused on his loneliness and escapism instead. I do touch on it later in this scene, though— the couple paragraphs where he slips into fantasizing about being a phantom thief having a surreptitious meeting with his detective under the not-so-subtle supervision of his DICE. There would have been a lot more of that if I’d gone with the ‘delusion’ stylistic choice, to the point where even the readers would be confused about what’s real. Maybe I’ll look into writing something similar in a future story.

             Eventually, Shuichi sets down his bowl and looks away with a little sigh, and Kokichi clenches his teeth because that’s the sigh he does when it’s time for that conversation.

           “Um… Kokichi?”

           Kokichi’s only response is to exhale the breath he’d been holding in a quiet hiss.

           “I-I know you don’t want to, but… but I really need to talk to you about something,” Shuichi says. “Please?”

           “My Mr. Detective can talk about whatever he’d like!” Kokichi says with a lilt to his tone that makes it sound more sarcastic than he wants it to. He takes the last bite of curry and wishes that it burns hot enough to hurt.

           “It’s about Kaito.”

             This more serious part of the date scene is meant to reflect the little bridge in “Buzzcut Season”:

“Cola with the burnt-out taste

I’m the one you tell your fears to

There’ll never be enough of us.”

           It’s a part of the song that sounds especially bittersweet to me, a bit of self-awareness between the insistence that everything’s okay.

           Really all I think I managed was to reference it when Kokichi’s internal dialogue comments on his drink being “so sweet it tastes burnt” and then later not tasting like anything. But hopefully the mood’s still there.

             “Tell him… that I have nothing against him,” he says.

           “That’s … not a lie?” Shuichi presses.

           Kokichi shakes his head idly, still not raising his gaze. “I wanted to wreck the killing game and he wanted to save his friend. We both got what we wanted. I’d say the end more than justifies the means.”

           Was that a lie?

           (I don’t want to die Shuichi I’m sorry I’m sorry save me Shuichi please I’m sorry ithurtsmakeitstop—)

           His fingers tighten into clawlike shapes, nails digging sharply into his forearms.

             I really don’t think Kokichi would have anything against Kaito, even if here he’s not being completely honest with how much he’s affected by what happened. It wouldn’t make sense to him to hate Kaito for something he himself proposed, but I think there’d still be a subconscious barrier between them. Too much history.

             “Don’t go, Shuichi, I’m so sorry, I— that was so dumb, what I said, please don’t be sad anymore.” He’s not sure if he can’t breathe because of the exertion of running or because of the hysteria boiling over in his head. “Please don’t go, I didn’t mean to hurt you— please don’t leave, Shuichi, I’m so sorry.”

           “Oh, Kokichi….” Shuichi’s tone is strange, soft and pitying, like he sees something Kokichi doesn’t, and he shakes his head slowly as more tears follow the paths of the others.

           Kokichi goes to his knees, ready to grovel if that’s what it takes, but Shuichi follows him down, closing his other hand over Kokichi’s, and then they’re both crying and he doesn’t know why, and all he can do is repeat a mantra of I’m sorry and hold on as tight as he can.

           It’s horrible. Shuichi’s horrible. Shuichi’s wonderful, and kind and lovely and perfect and Kokichi hates him, Kokichi adores him, and it doesn’t matter because Shuichi’s not actually here but Kokichi doesn’t want to be alone, just let me pretend some more, please, please let me have this—

           “I’ll… I’ll stay,” Shuichi says at last. “I can stay a while longer.”

           You shouldn’t, Kokichi wants to say, but his mouth won’t obey him. You shouldn’t stay if you don’t want to. I don’t deserve having you here. I’m not worth your mercy.

           But there on the bridge, crying tears of relief, he soaks up as much mercy as he can get and hopes it’s enough to drown him.

             I wanted to create a contrast between them that highlights just how the isolation and trauma Kokichi’s experiencing has affected him. He has an almost unhealthy reliance on Shuichi as “the only thing that makes this world bearable,” and panics when faced with the prospect of being alone again so soon. Part of why Shuichi’s crying is because he’s realized the extent of Kokichi’s desperation. It’s not that he thinks Kokichi’s apology is insincere, but that he’s hardly heard him apologize for anything before, so Kokichi going this far has him realizing how bad things really are.

             The door rumbles and slides open when they approach, revealing the bright light of the log-out point that took Shuichi away every time, that would wake Kokichi up in his real body if he walked into it. Shuichi stops just a step away from it, biting his lip as if searching for something to say, but before he can find it, Kokichi reaches out to tug at his sleeve.

           “Shuichi?” he says, distant as the waves on the beach that he can still hear if he listens closely enough. Shuichi turns back toward him. “Before you go, can I be selfish one more time?”

           “Huh…?”

           Shuichi doesn’t move when Kokichi steps closer, reaches up to ghost his fingertips over Shuichi’s jaw and around the back of his neck. He lets Kokichi tilt his head downward, lets him hover inches away, close enough to feel their breath mingle in the night air. Kokichi pauses there to give him the chance to pull away. He doesn’t.

           So Kokichi closes his eyes and the distance between them.

             That last line is a ZEUGMA! It’s a literary device where one word refers to two more in a different way. A popular example is the hyenas’ line “Our teeth and ambitions are bared” from The Lion King. It’s my favorite grammatical trick and I’d love to see more of it in fanfic.

             Slowly, he slides his hand down to Shuichi’s shoulder, using it as leverage to push himself away. That hurts even more. He can’t seem to open his eyes, and he feels so weakened, breathless, fragile. Cracked open, hollowed out.

           When he finally does open his eyes, Shuichi’s are wide with some mix of astonishment and a dozen other emotions. Kokichi bows his head, taking a deep breath to ground himself. “Sorry,” he whispers. “I just wanted to know.”

           “Kokichi,” Shuichi breathes, like a bullet through his heart.

           “Goodbye, Shuichi,” Kokichi says, and shoves him into the light.

           Shuichi’s little yelp of surprise cuts off abruptly as he falls through the door, vanishing into the glow, and all too soon, Kokichi’s alone again in a dream that suddenly seems far too vast. Alone, with the faintest taste of Shuichi’s lips still lingering on his own.

           And he thinks, It was enough just to know you.

           It’s a lie.

             Nothing to say here except that this is my favorite scene and I’m so happy with how it turned out.

             Fake sun rises over fake ocean, fake seagulls glide through fake sky while fake wind tousles fake palm fronds. Kokichi lies on his stomach in the fake grass and talks to his fake family in the fake notebook. Gives them fake names and runs through everything he remembers about them. Apologizes, over and over, wishes he could hug each of them goodbye one last time. Wonders if it would be more painful to die or to never have existed at all.

           He leaves the notebook of his memories on the seat of one of the Ferris wheel cars on the fourth island, because one time he promised them they’d steal the London Eye together.

           He buys a can of fake soda from the fake convenience store on the first island and sits on the fake beach watching the fake waves. Wonders when he’d hit the end of the simulation if he started swimming, or if he’d drown first.

           White sand, blue sea, bluer sky. Washed out, like an amateur watercolor painting.

           He opens the soda can and raises it to his mouth, but … even the thought of drinking it makes him sick to his stomach. He sets it down in the sand and flicks it over, watching the bubbly liquid run down and sink into the sand. The color’s all wrong, like blood streaked against a metal floor.

           He walks the fake streets of the fifth island, passing fake skyscrapers and fake commuters and their fake conversations, until he finally stops outside the factory he’s never been able to bring himself to go into. Smells like oil, and metal and machines and he can hear the sounds and he’s immediately back in the hangar, dizzy on adrenaline and desperation and leaning heavily on Kaito so he doesn’t keel over and die then and there. Kaito says something about how maybe he should sit down for a minute, and Kokichi didn’t agree back then but he does now, goes down on all fours and dry heaves.

           When his vision solidifies and he can stop gasping for breath, he sits up and presses his back against the factory wall, covering his ears and hiding his face in his knees. Tries to convince himself not to imagine Shuichi’s there with him, holding his hand again, promising everything’s going to be okay.

           “I’ve got you. No one’s going to hurt you anymore,” or maybe, “Breathe with me, it’ll be over soon. You’re safe now.”

           I love you.

           He laughs until there’s nothing left in his lungs. He called these little daydreams obsession, before, but now they just seem sick and insane.

             I wanted to indicate throughout this scene that Kokichi’s gotten substantially worse. Instead of halfheartedly interacting with the NPCs or finding something to spend time doing, he’s aimlessly wandering the islands, focused on how fake all of it is. Not even talking to his sketches of DICE can make him feel better. The suicidal ideation starts to slip in even if he doesn’t realize it— a fixation on wondering what death is like, purposefully triggering himself by walking by the factory….

           The thing I want to talk about most though is the italicized I love you. I left it outside of quotation marks and dialogue tags on purpose because I wanted it to be ambiguous as to who’s saying it. If it’s Kokichi’s line, it’s sudden and almost out of place, like he couldn’t hold back from thinking it anymore. But it could be Shuichi saying it, too. Since it’s outside quotation marks, unlike the previous dream-Shuichi lines, it’s more vague, almost a whisper in Kokichi’s thoughts— like he can barely bring himself to imagine it and even feels guilty doing so, because there’s no way it could possibly be real.

           Which do you think?

           Eh, I don’t have an answer. When I hear it in my head, they say it at the same time.

             “How did you know?” he finally croaks.

           Shuichi’s breathing still sounds shaky, too. “Because you said ‘goodbye,’” he says.

           Kokichi finally looks up at him in a silent question.

           “You never say goodbye,” Shuichi says, rubbing his sleeve over his eyes. “It’s always….”

           “‘See you later,’” Kokichi finishes for him. Despite himself, a tiny huff of astonished laughter escapes him. “I didn’t even know, not until a couple of hours ago. And you figured it all out from one word?”

           Shuichi bites his lip at that. “You kissed me,” he says.

           Kokichi’s stomach twists and he looks away. “I said I was sorry—”

           “No.” Shuichi squeezes his hand into a fist and lets it fall to thump against Kokichi’s chest, like he’s trying to knock some sense into him. “It was so honest, and vulnerable, and… and I know how much you hate showing how you really feel.” Another tiny sob catches in his throat. “And so it felt like … like something you’d do if you weren’t going to s-see me again.”

           “Shuichi….” Kokichi trails off as Shuichi muffles his cries in his hand again. He’s so breathtakingly smart. There’s no one else in the world who thinks that way, no one else who could possibly be that attentive and that clever. Not a programmer, not a team of shrinks… how can an AI manage it? How is it that Shuichi always manages to take him by surprise? How can he see straight through him when he least expects it?

           Kokichi’s hand reaches up to Shuichi’s cheek. Reverently traces the path of the tears falling down it.

           “I wish you were real,” he confesses in a whisper.

             Kokichi’s stubborn. So, so stubborn. And he’s not used to being cared about, if the way he does everything by himself is any indication. So it makes sense to me that he’ll refuse to believe anything good can happen to him even in the face of convincing evidence. He’s pretty self-hating for someone so arrogant.

             Kokichi’s weak, deep down to his core, weak for this man. Already knows he’d do anything for him, and the thought is terrifying—that one person could have that much power over him, even if he doesn’t realize it.

           But what if he has realized it? Couldn’t this all be an elaborate ruse, a lie he knew Kokichi would be so desperate to believe that he wouldn’t bother questioning it?

           …Shuichi’s never hurt him, though. Only that one time, when he really deserved it. Shuichi wouldn’t … betray him, even for what he thinks is Kokichi’s own good. They’re… different from each other, that way.

           But still….

           “I’m so scared, Shuichi.” It’s barely a whisper. “I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

           “You won’t be.” It’s so hard to be skeptical, lost in his eyes. “I’ll be right there with you, for as long as you want. I won’t let you feel like this anymore.”

           Promise me, he wants to blurt out. Promise you’ll stay. Promise me you’ll never leave me, Shuichi, he wants to demand, but that’s wrong, that’s manipulative and selfish and everything he doesn’t want to be for Shuichi anymore.

           Shuichi, of course, says it anyway.

           “I promise, Kokichi.”

…        

           “Kiss me again,” he says. “Please?”

           Shuichi leans in close, then pauses, his brow furrowing the way it does when he catches him in a lie.

           “I’ll kiss you again in the real world,” Shuichi says. “Okay?”

           Kokichi shakes his head. “Shuichi, please.” Please, I don’t think I can do this. Please, I don’t want to wake up to a lie. Please, one last kiss for me to remember in case it was all fake.

           Shuichi reaches out to tilt his chin up and Kokichi closes his eyes, savoring every second, burning it into his memory.

           Shuichi’s soft breath ghosts over his lips.

           “Trust me,” he murmurs.        

           Kokichi’s eyes flutter back open, searching his face. Shifting him around on the white board in his head, seeing what categories he fits into this time. Weird, of course. Suspicious, maybe not. Trustworthy?

           Trustworthy….

           “I do trust you,” he realizes.

             Kokichi’s still hesitant to accept all of this— Shuichi kissing him didn’t magically fix everything. He’ll still doubt all the way to the log-out point, but at least now he realizes that this simulation is only hurting him— that if things are to get better they’re going to have to change, too. He’s got a long way to go before he’s all right, but he’s not going to have to face it alone anymore.

             And that’s a wrap!

           Once again, I’m really proud of this story, and I feel like I grew as a writer because of it. There are a few things I would change if I wrote it again, but for all its flaws it’s still my baby and I like how it turned out.

           Thanks again for all your support for “Hologram,” and thanks even more if you actually waded through all this nonsense of a director’s cut. It’s a huge confidence-boost to think that people liked what I wrote, and even wanted to hear what I had to say about it. If there’s any interest, I’d love to review some of my other fics here, or theorize or brainstorm or whatever else  you’re into. (Ask me what Byakuya’s Thing is in my superhero AU, I dare you 😉)

           I do have a WIP in my folder of bits and pieces currently titled “boy finally gets that kiss”, and it’s a post-Hologram scene from Shuichi’s point of view to just sorta… tie it all together, have them talk things over again… and kiss, of course. We’ll see if anything comes out of that.

           Until next time!

[sidecarghost]

Suptober20 - Day 28 Hellscape

Fic Summary: Among Us Crossover AU where Dean is a crewmate headed to the Polus outpost on the frozen hellscape of Mars. But he may not make it there alive, because someone in their crew is an imposter that enjoys chopping humans into small pieces.

  Dean opens the electrical panel in the navigation room, and reaches in to his toolbox for a voltage detector. He wills his hands to be steady, but he is a nervous wreck. Dean is worried about the success of this mission, the safety of his crewmates, and his chances of survival. He is on a supposedly routine mission to prepare the latest Mars colony for habitation, but his crewmates keep getting chopped into pieces. Out of the original ten person crew, only seven are still alive.   The PA system crackles to life, "Dead body reported! Dead body reported!" Dean dashes to the cafeteria where the rest of his crewmates have gathered to discuss.   "I saw Kelly standing over the dead body!" Kaia yells.   "I was upset! Donatello had been cut in half. I'll try to remember to skip the tears after you get murdered," Kelly responds.   "Kelly sounds pretty sus to me," Benny sneers.   "Where was the body found?" Castiel asks.   "In the reactor room," Kaia replies.   "Okay, everyone listen up! Someone in this room is an imposter masquerading among us, and it falls on us to discover the truth and identify the cold-blooded killer before they can strike again," Kevin tells his crewmates.   "Jeez, shouldn't we just turn around and head back to Earth," Dean speaks up.   "No, we can handle this ourselves Dean. We can jettison the murderer into space, and then do our mission. Let’s keep it democratic, everyone will have a chance to vote for who they think the murderer is," Kevin speaks authoritatively, but Dean just shakes his head in disbelief.   "I vote Kelly," Castiel says.   "Well, I vote Castiel," Kelly says with icy disdain.   "Kelly," Benny states.   "Kelly," Kaia says.   "Yeah, I think Kelly too." Kevin says.   Everyone looks to Dean to cast his vote. "What? It sounds like you've already decided," Dean complains.   "Everyone has to vote Dean." Kevin tells him.

**

  "Okay, I vote Castiel," Dean says. Just something about Castiel seems a little bit off. Like he's playing at being human, but doesn't quite understand the rules. Of course, he could just be socially awkward, and if that is the case, then Dean feels pretty lousy of accusing him of murder.   "It's decided then,” Kevin says matter of factly. “Kelly has been found guilty by the majority of her peers, so by the authority granted to me by the HostCorp you will be executed by ejection into the vacuum of space. May God have mercy on your soul."   Kelly resists, but she is roughly pushed into the decompression chamber that provides ingress and egress for the spaceship. Dean watches her face stare back at them haughtily. Kevin opens the outer bay doors, and her body is sucked into the void of space.   "Great, now that the murderer is gone. We all have tasks to do. Let's get them done so we can make safe landing on Mars," Kevin commands the crew. ~~   Maybe Kevin had been right after all, Dean thinks to himself. The ship had just landed safely on the Polus station on Mars. And after sending Kelly into space, there had been no more murders although there had been a couple close calls with damaged systems. For instance, the O2 system failed and they just managed to get it rebooted before they all died of oxygen deprivation. Then the reactor had nearly melted down, which would also have caused the catastrophic death of the entire crew. But the cursed crew managed to land at the outpost against all odds.    "I'm going to report to HQ. Check your tablets for your tasks crewmates," Kevin tells everyone after they disembark the spaceship.   Dean looks out at the frozen wasteland of Polus. The space station is on the northern pole of Mars, and it reminds him of the old expression of "when hell freezes over." He powers up his tablet, and pulls up his task list.   One of the tasks catches his eye, "Monitor Tree." That sounds like an easy, short task to knock out first. And he is feeling sentimental about getting to see things from Earth like a tree and grass. Dean pulls up his map to find the O2 laboratory, so he can find his way around the unfamiliar outpost.   Dean enters the O2 lab, and he breathes in deeply the fresh air from the vegetation. He walks up to the monitor panel and makes the necessary adjustments to bring the readings to the specified levels. He then turns to look at his next task, but he catches some unexpected motion out of the corner of his eye.   "Uh, hey Cas. How did you just vent out of that hole? That seems like a pretty impossible thing to be able to do," Dean rambles nervously to the crewmember that just apparated into the room over a hole in the ground. Apparently, Kelly was innocent, because Dean feels certain that Castiel is not what he seems. And Dean is certain he is about to be the imposter’s next victim.   "I didn't realize that task was so short," Castiel admits. "But that doesn't matter for you. I hope you had a good life Dean, and if you didn’t you can feel glad that you won’t ever have to suffer again. Your death will be swift and mostly painless, and I think you will find me more merciful than many members of your own species."   "So you're not human?" Dean tries to delay the inevitable with banter while he looks around wildly for some kind of weapon.   "No, I am an angel of the lord. You are just perceiving my vessel, Jimmy Novak," Castiel replies.   "Oh, well your vessel is pretty hot," Dean hopes this imposter can be diverted by flirting.   "No, the temperature of my vessel is 37 degrees Celsius or 98.7 degrees Fahrenheit. That is within normal range for a human." Castiel tells Dean.   "I meant you're vessel is very attractive," Dean can't tell if the angel is messing with him or not. But he thinks anything is better than getting chopped into pieces, so he can play along if that gives him a chance to prolong his life.   "I'm above mundane things like physical attraction, Dean," Castiel says. "I just like killing humans for sport, but Heaven usually notices, and then I get thrown in the dungeon to stew for a millenia or two. But Heaven doesn't seem to care what happens to humans outside of Earth."   "That sounds very clever of you to figure out Cas," Dean tells Castiel.   "Yes, I do like to think of myself as the cleverest angel of the garrison," Castiel puffs up with pride and nods in agreement with Dean.   "Can I ask why kill humans for sport? Can't you take up frisbee golf or something else less homicidal?" Dean asks the imposter.   "I was given the task of watching humanity a long, long time ago. And humans can be so boring. So I just randomly kill a bunch every now and then. There is no malice in my actions. I just consider humanity to be on the level of ants, but maybe lower because I actually have a fondness for insects." Castiel discloses to Dean.   "That sounds very reasonable, Cas. But you know some humans can be the total opposite of boring," Dean says while considering his next move. Okay, Dean thinks, if movies have taught me anything, it’s that getting a villain to monologue usually gives the good guy a chance to win. If he can just get Castiel to ramble, he can probably escape alive and report Castiel to the crew or maybe even slay the imposter himself.   "I suppose you want me to believe you are one of those non-boring humans," Castiel comments and tilts his head to one side considering Dean.   "Yup! Today is your lucky day, Cas. Because I am the most non-boring human since the dawn of Creation." Dean sells his lie with confidence. He would have thought his life before was very boring, but how many humans have to outsmart a homicidal angel. Maybe he is more non-boring than he realized.   "Okay, I'm waiting to be entertained." Castiel tells Dean.   Shit, this guy just doesn't want to monologue, Dean thinks to himself. So Dean needs some way to entertain an angel before he becomes sliced and diced all over the O2 laboratory. He vaguely remembers a story about a lady that had to tell her captor 1,001 tales to avoid death. Maybe if he can tell enough stories he can make it off this Hell rock in one piece after all.   "Have you ever heard the tale of the Killer Stuffed Dinosaur in Love?" Dean asks the imposter.   "No, but I'll admit it does sound entertaining," Castiel relaxes and sits in the grass with his legs criss-crossed, and looks expectantly at Dean to start.   Dean begins to weave his story, and keeps careful watch of Castiel. He vigilantly watches the angel for some sign of momentary distraction, so he can seize the chance to raise an alarm or make a run for it. But in the meantime, he remembers back to storytime with his mom. When he and his brother would sit up in their beds to listen to their mom tell fantastic stories about witches, vampires, ghouls, wendigos, demons, ghosts, werewolves, fairies, and magic. And his mom told them with such love and care that he never felt bored by them. On the contrary, they were warm, fluffy comforts when reality did the best to beat him down. If anything could save him now, he was hopeful it would be the love of his mother that would keep him safe from the homicidal monster waiting for him to fail.   “Dead body reported!” the PA system crackles.    “Umm... is there more than one of you on this outpost?” Dean asks Castiel.   “No, but I did kill Benny before venting into the O2 lab,” Castiel confesses. “I am hoping I can rely on your discretion at the discussion.”   “Uh, sure Cas,” Dean lies.   Castiel disappears through the hole in the ground somehow. Dean walks over to the hole in the ground, but nothing magical happens to help him teleport through it. Dean decides lying to a homicidal angel is okay, because he is going to meet up with his crew and tell everyone Castiel is in fact the imposter.   Dean is the last crewmate to join the discussion.    “So there is only four of us left, Kaia was with me until we stumbled on Benny’s body. So the murderer must be Castiel or Dean,” Kevin declares.   “Maybe he died of natural causes,” Castiel suggests.   “Really? You think his body naturally got sliced to ribbons?” Kaia shouts.   “Uh, it seems possible, even if it’s not probable.” Castiel says thoughtfully.   “Guys, it was Castiel. He has been the imposter all along. He was going to kill me in the O2 laboratory,” Dean tells the crew. Castiel cocks an eyebrow at Dean, but says nothing in his own defense.   “I don’t know Dean. I think the murderer would be eager to cast shade on other crew mates. How do we know we can trust you?” Kevin says.   “I can’t believe you have been chopping up people Dean. What kind of a person does that!?!” Kaia shakes her head in disapproval.   “Look! I’m telling you the truth. Castiel is an Angel of the Lord, and he is supposed to be watching humanity. But I guess he thinks watching humanity like a reality tv show is boring, so he likes to mix things up with murder sprees,” Dean tells them.   “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, Dean,” Kevin says.   “I vote Dean,” Kaia says.   “I vote Castiel of course!” Dean tells the crew passionately.   “I vote Dean,” Kevin says.   “I vote Kevin,” Castiel tells the crew.   “Dean, you have been found--”, Kevin begins, but is interrupted by getting murdered by Castiel.   “Oh shit! Castiel was the imposter!” Kaia runs screaming out of the room.   Dean is not sure what just happened. Did Castiel save him from death by space vacuum, or did his bloodthirsty tendencies just kick in? Dean wonders. Dean stumbles out of the room, and sees Castiel standing over the corpse of Kaia.    “So, Cas... any reason in particular why you killed my crewmates?” Dean asks the angel.   “They were going to execute you. They were not fit to be your judge and executioner,” Castiel says. “You bravely spoke the truth, even though I had threatened your life. It reminded me of the dinosaur, in your story, that bravely stood up to the menacing spider king to save the trans princess after she had been cursed into the shape of a frog. Although, I think the princess should have been able to save herself, a frog should be able to eat a spider.”   “Well, it was a very large spider,” Dean laughs. It was kind of nice that the killer angel had in fact been paying attention to his fairy tale made up in desperation.    “So, what happens now Castiel?” Dean asks the homicidal angel.   “I don’t know. I had expected to have been ejected out of the space station by now, but the vacuum of space won’t kill me. There are very few things that will kill an angel,” Castiel muses.    “I don’t suppose you will tell me about the things that can kill an angel,” Dean says doubtfully.   “Stabbed in a vital area by an angel blade, attempting to exit a ring of holy fire, certain spells from a powerful enough book of witchcraft, a stronger cosmic being like leviathans, archangels, Death, God, Darkness, or the Cosmic Entity,” Castiel enumerates the means of his destruction.   “Darn, it appears I left my leviathan in my other pants. I guess you win this round Castiel. Uh, thanks for saving me for last I guess. Do you think I will go to Heaven?” Dean asks. “My mother, she passed away, and she was such a kind person I’m sure she is in Heaven. Sometimes I feel like she is just behind me watching over me, and if I can just turn fast enough I will catch a glimpse of her.”   “That’s a nice sentiment Dean,” Castiel says. “But I’m not able to predict where human souls will go when their physical body is dead. I am also not fit to be anyone’s judge. But I can check if your mother, Mary Winchester, is in Heaven.”   Castiel disappears before Dean gets a chance to ask how the angel knew his mother’s name, but maybe that was just an angel thing. Dean heads to the maintenance shed to get a shovel. He wants to dig suitable graves for Kevin and Kaia. Paying his respects is the most he can do for them now.   Dean is patting the soil flat on top of the graves after burying his crewmates, and he wonders if Castiel is ever planning on coming back or if he found more unsuspecting humans to murder. He decides to go back to the O2 lab and rest under the tree. The lab is comforting and fills his thoughts with childhood memories of climbing trees with Sammy in the woods and late nights playing manhunt with the neighbors. Castiel would definitely find his childhood version of manhunt boring, basically it was just hide and seek in the dark, but when you were a kid late nights outside just felt liberating.    “You’re mother and father are in a shared Heaven, Dean,” Castiel reports.   “Oh, hey Cas,” Dean looks up from where he was dozing by the roots. “Thanks for looking into it for me. I think I’m ready to be killed now. I know you can’t tell me where my soul will go, but I’m at peace with this being the end. I would have liked a longer life, but no one ever promised me life was fair. And I have had a really good life so far. Just try to look out for Sam Winchester if you can. Maybe I can call him one more time and warn him to stay out of space, so you don’t end up hunting him during one of your murder sprees. I’d rather he lived a long time and died an old man.”   “That’s not necessary Dean,” Castiel says staring down at where Dean is still dozing. “I think I will give murder a break. I would have stopped earlier, but Kaia and Kevin presented a threat to your safety.”   “Okay, Cas,” Dean says unsure how much he can trust the words of this cold-blooded angel. “I think it’s very nice of you to give up killing humans for a bit. Did I tell you my brother Sammy gave up eating meat? He’s a vegetarian. I think you would really like Sammy, because everyone likes him. He is the best man I have ever known.”   “He sounds very impressive then,” Castiel agrees.   “If you don’t feel like killing me, are we just going to keep hanging out together on Polus?” Dean asks.   “I guess so,” Castiel nods. “I haven’t really thought things through.”   “Okay, I’m really beat after everything today Cas. I need to get some sleep,” Dean says while stifling a yawn.   “I’ll watch over you then,” Castiel says.   “That is so random of you Cas,” Dean mumbles. “How did you just go from angel of death to guardian angel? I’m not complaining though, I like being alive. I definitely prefer being alive with guardian angel beside me to dead with killer angel beside me.”   “Here Dean, I got you a pillow and blanket. I think these things make sleeping more comfortable for humans,” Castiel drops the mentioned objects where Dean is laying down.   “Yeah, your thinking was right. Very comfortable for humans,” Dean mumbles as he wraps himself into a cocoon in the blanket. “Today was so random. If I wake up and you kill me tomorrow, no hard feelings okay Cas? Like I’m not going to pretend I’m something special and that a crazy, killer angel would be reformed after having one conversation with me.”   “Okay, Dean that seems fair,” Castiel nods. Then Castiel sits in the grass besides Dean, and he watches over the human as he snores peacefully. Hanging out with Dean sounded like a nice change of pace for the killer angel. And he cast out his mind to pinpoint where Sam Winchester was on Earth. It sounded like the health and safety of Sam was important to Dean, so that made it important to Castiel, too.

[sooibian]

Stranger Things (2)

Pairing: Baekhyun x fem!Reader ft. Kyungsoo, Mark Lee, Jongdae (if you squint)

Description: You met an obnoxious lawyer at the airport and fell stupidly in “love” but little did you know, his heart belonged to someone else.

Themes: Fluff, crack, stupid OC, Mark Lee’s debut with a law firm, organic cucumbers, cowsheds, corgis, farmer!Soo, lawyer!Baek

A/N: This was not supposed to happen but four people asked for it and that’s really all it takes to get me to do something. I was SO tempted to title this - Of Cowsheds and Corgis!! This fic is ridiculous and very predictable but I gave up on the angst I was writing for this because ridiculous is just what I need right now. I truly hope you’re all safe and healthy!

Word Count: ~ 1.6k

Chapters:  One | Two | Three | Four (Final)

Groaning, you put down your second ‘fruit platter’ with a deliberate clang on Kyungsoo’s bedside table. Nothing. “Yah! Did you catch narcolepsy in that ridiculously mind numbing hamlet?” The skinny end of your chopstick slowly made its way to the sole of his left foot. Still nothing. Panic swelled within you and you crawled over to his side to check his breathing. He was breathing, alright.

“Eomma!” You bellowed. Maybe it was time for the third medley of diced apples and bananas.

Still nothing.

***

“Sloth.” You took a jibe at a barely awake Kyungsoo.

“Creep.”

“Creep?”

“You were watching me sleep!”

“I was waiting for you to wake up! There’s a difference, Snorlax.”

“Patience - -”, his mouth fell open in a huge yawn.

“Isn’t my greatest virtue. Yeah, I know. You’ve said it a million times. It’s etched in my heart. I’ll get it tattooed across my forehead. Now spill.”

For a moment Kyungsoo looked confused before diving into his fruit platter with a half-suppressed snicker. 

“What?” You attacked his stupid bespectacled face with a pillow. When was the last time he got a change of glasses? He’s worn this thick-rimmed atrocity forever. Although the man was optically challenged, his hearing was more than just fine. He was quick to spot the hint of defensiveness in your tone and his heart shaped smile had a reputation of showing up only when you were in deep trouble. “Ahhhhh….my case? The bank is entitled to a lien on the adjoining cowshed - ”

You cut in with a long impatient sigh. “Kyungsoo, sweetie, can we talk about corgis for now?”

“Chubs”, you undid your messy bun at the sound of that horrendous nickname, “you’ve got a bad case of --- honestly whatever this is. You spent two hours with him. Two.”

“Squishy, I’m not three anymore. I am a woman now.” His face contorted into an expression of disgust. “Stop. Calling me. Chubs.” Interjecting every word by striking his shoulder with your feeble wrist, you noticed how ‘un-Squishy’ he’d gotten over the past one year. “And I know all there is to know...about your 174 cm tall friend who struts around like he’s no less than 185. But that’s not him...that’s Handsome Mr. Park, his partner.”

“Stalker!” Kyungsoo’s eyes grew wide in horror and he flicked your forehead very, very hard.

Swallowing your cry of pain, you pinched his ear with all your might, making him wince. “It’s called content curation. If you ever happen to meet a lovelorn village belle ….let me know, yeah? I’m willing to put up my skills to offer. For a fee, of course.”

“YAH!” He freed himself from your grasp. “Behave! You’re not three anymore, right? Tell me...how much do you know about Baekhyun?” He was curious. Slightly panic-struck, even. But you couldn’t tell why.

“I will tell you but I need to know something before that. Has he - Doh Kyungsoo I swear to God I will bury you alive if you so much as smile - has he mentioned me at all?” You felt your face flame and a part of you really did not want to know the answer to that.

Kyungsoo sucked the insides of his cheeks in and said, “He thinks you’re interesting.”

You knew 'interesting', almost always, was nothing but a euphemism for weird. Ignoring the tender ache in your chest you said, "Well, I think he looks a lot like his corgi Mongryong. Mum has invited you to dinner tomorrow. Later, Squish." You pulled him in a bear hug, picked up the two, now polished, plates and walked out of Kyungsoo's room, slowly closing the door behind you.

"Eomma, Kyungsoo will be joining us for dinner -"  

"Chubs, wait!" He hurried out of his room and handed you a rather heavy C4 size envelope. "My dentist appointment has been moved to today and I had to drop these documents off at Byun Park's", after a small pause he hesitantly continued, "he won't be there."

"Who won't be there?" Kyungsoo’s mother eyed the both of you suspiciously.

You couldn’t say no to the illustrious prince of a family who fed you a whole carton of organic fruits a while ago. At least not in front of the matriarch.

"It's nothing Eomma… it's Kyungsoo's friend Byun Baekhyun. Yah! Doh Kyungsoo! Stop acting like he's my ex boyfriend."

***

Your heart raced as you stepped into the elevator of the swanky commercial building. Pushing the button for the 27th floor, you turned around to examine yourself in the mirror feeling frumpy and underdressed in your faded yellow sweater and mom-jeans. The ding of the elevator jolted your heart and your mouth went dry as you lay your eyes on the blond haired man standing in front of you. You wanted nothing more than to snake your arm around Doh Kyungsoo’s neck and put him in a tight chokehold until he begged for mercy -- at this point you weren’t very keen on letting go of the imaginary, gasping for breath, blue in the face, Doh Kyungsoo. He won’t be there??

“Hi”, you said stepping out of the elevator but what you really wanted to say was ‘I want to delete myself’.

“Airport Girl!” He jested. You didn’t feel very apologetic anymore or even underdressed for that matter since the partner of a snooty law firm thought that a long sleeved jersey with bib shorts were an acceptable choice of clothing. Nevertheless, you properly introduced yourself and did what was long overdue.

“I am sorry about the other day and -- ” You briefly waited for him to cut you off with a ‘Don’t worry about it’ or even dismiss it with loud ‘hahaha’ but instead his little eyebrow raise insisted you complete your apology. “And I shouldn’t have - -”

“Airport Girl, I notice you have a problem completing your sentences.” Resting his hands on his hips he cocked his head to the side. That vaguely familiar annoying smirk made your skin crawl.

“Byun Baekhyun-ssi, I am here to see Lee Min Hyung. I am supposed to hand over Kyungsoo’s documents to him. I hope you’re working hard on my friend’s case. He really needs that cowshed back, he’s paid the broker’s fee in full for it. I hope this was coherent enough for you.” His smirk stretched into a genuine smile as he inched closer to you. Uncomfortable as you were standing in an enclosed space and conversing with a man in bib shorts, the diminished distance from his two small strides made you squirm. You could practically smell his cologne.

“I’ll forgive you if you agree to come cycling with me. Right now.”

“Absolutely not. Can I go see Lee Min Hyung now?”

“MARK LEE!” Baekhyun bellowed. The unsparing luminous smile on his face wasn’t doing any favours to the health of your heart. Within seconds, a bespectacled young lad who looked like he hadn’t slept a wink for days came rushing to his side. So Byun Baekhyun worked his employees to the bone while he himself took hiking trips in absurd outfits.

He put an arm around the frail boy and introduced the fresh law graduate to you, “This is my main man Mark Lee from Canada.” Violently thumping Mark’s back he continued, “Madam’s here with Doh Kyungsoo’s documents. Take her inside and go over the file. Check if anything’s missing and most importantly, offer her something cold to drink.” Letting go of Mark, he said to you with a wink, “I’ll be waiting in the lobby, Airport Girl. Or you’re never losing the nickname.”

***

Mark Lee’s involuntary metamorphosis from scaredy cat to ferocious lion cub in the conference room took you by surprise. While going over Kyungsoo’s documents like a hawk focused on its prey, he dutifully put a glass of ice water in front of you just as instructed by Byun Baekhyun. It was nothing more than a courtesy call. “Doh Kyungso-ssi’s personal documents all look okay -- ID card, bank statements, transaction information, realtors invoice, property possession documents.” You lost him at ‘realtor’s invoice’. “Seems to me, the realtor tricked him - - why did he not get due diligence done before investing in property? How could he not notice that the title deed does not extend to the cowshed?” Mark Lee was furious….at you.

“He’s just a simple man with simple dreams who wanted to trade his city existence for a quiet rural homestead and grow organic cucumbers, I guess? Why don’t you give him a call and --”

Mark Lee’s paw met the desk in a loud smack, startling you. “A simple due diligence would’ve saved him the hassle - -”

You weren’t exactly sure of the reason Byun Baekhyun thought you’d need a cold drink but he was so right, everything else seemed wrong. You took a rather large gulp of water, snatched Mark Lee’s notepad from his firm grasp and scribbled Kyungsoo’s number in it. “Here’s Doh Kyungsoo’s number. Call him if you need anything further.” You rose from your chair and eyed him sympathetically. “Take care, Mark Lee and please don’t skip meals.”

***

He waited for you, just as he’d promised. He somehow managed to look just as stunning in that funny costume as he did when you saw him at the airport. “Let’s go. Half an hour with that enthu cutlet Mark Lee and I need to feel the wind in my hair. How do you manage?”

“Yah! Airport Girl. He’s my best and brightest.” Sounding like a proud parent he guided you to the parking lot. The guilt weighing your heart down compelled you to ask, “What about Yoona?”

“She’ll be joining us.” Baekhyun quipped nonchalantly, opening the door to his Audi for you.

It was at that exact moment you said a silent prayer to a certain 3rd generation male idol to strike you with lightning and put you out of your misery.

Tagging: @hirumixoxo @majesticsnow @dreamingofdreamydream @juncottonluvbot

[murdertrialimagines]

Breaking Down

“Can I please get how the SDR2 boys react to their s/o reaches their breaking point and just goes off on Monokuma/ the boys having to comfort them afterwards when they realize how stupid/dangerous going off was and break down. Sorry if that doesn't make sense, haha. Hope you're having a good one!”

I’m finally getting back into the writing mood! If I haven’t gotten to your request yet I am so sorry! I will hopefully get to it before 2022 soon! This is such a good request, I am so excited to write it! ^-^ Story under the tag~

Hajime Hinata

Hajime had found you halfway through your rant, following you angered yells to your cottage

He had thought you were being attacked, so he swung open your unlocked door, not caring to knock

He saw you, screaming down at something much shorter than you

Monokuma, he realizes, as he sees the ever so calm bear standing in front of you, a blank expression on his face

And you, the polar opposite. Screaming, yelling angri- wait were you crying?

He watched as you stood mere inches away from the bear, waving your arms and crying

“This is all your fault! Everything could be fine but no, you made everyone turn on each other! You gave us motives to kill people! Friends! Friends are killing friends and that isn’t right!”

Hajime watched as you raised your foot against the still calm bear, ready to stomp down on it.

He watched as your whole body shook and you lowered your leg, took a few steps back, and slid down the foot of the bed, collapsing into a pile of tears and hiccups

Monokuma silently snickered at you

“Puhuhu~ Maybe this is your gateway to despair? Will you kill someone, y/n, to get out? Or maybe-”

“Monokuma, get out.”

Y/n jumped at Hajime’s voice, looking up at him and furiously wiping her eyes

“Hajime! What are you doing here...?”

“I’m asking Monokuma to get out.” Hajime turned to the plush. “Please. Leave.” 

With a snide remark Monokuma left, leaving the two teens in silence

Hajime walked over to you, sitting next to you. He pulled you into a hug, sitting silently as you squeezed him, letting everything out

“I’m such an idiot!” You gasped in air. “I almost broke the rules, I’m just-I’m just so angry! This was supposed to be happy, but all of my friends are dying... and I can’t do anything about it!” You put your head into Hajime’s chest, continuing to cry until you finally couldn’t anymore.

After a few minutes of silence Hajime heard you make a small noise, then slip down more

Then the snoring came

He softly picked you up with only a little bit of struggling 

Laying you down on the bed, Hajime pulled the covers over his girlfriend before quietly leaving the cottage, making sure to lock the door behind himself

He sighed, replaying the whole scenario in his head

He could only hope that this will either end or get easier for you.

Nagito Komaeda

When you started telling off Monokuma during the second third investigation, Nagito was ecstatic

You were finally standing up to the greater evil after staying in the background for so long! Who wouldn’t be happy? 

But when he saw the tears streaking your face, he felt something was off

You started shaking, voice straining and lip quivering. Monokuma only kept repeating that this is how things were.

“But this isn’t how things should be! It’s all your fault! I don’t want to believe in your hope and despair bullshit! I want to go home, with my friends!”

Nagito stood with the others investigating the crime scene, watching you scream and make gestures at the snickering bear

“You are a monster! I hate you!”

A few people shouted in surprise as you picked up the stool sitting on the stage, chucking it at Monokuma

You missed by mere inches, the stool clattering onto the floor with a thud

Everyone watched as Monokuma grew angry, Nagito moving closer to you as the bear flashed his claws out

“You’re lucky that missed, brat! But just be warned, even if it misses next time I wont hesitate to punish you!”

With that, the bear was gone, leaving a breathless you and your frightened friends

And that’s when the whimpering started

Everyone watched as your whole body shook, small noises painfully coming from you. You sank down to the floor holding your face in your hands to cover up the tears

Everyone wished they could give you privacy, but this was the crime scene, and a few of them hated to admit it but they were a tad worried that this could be a ploy to distract them

So you sat in the silence and cried, until a weight was placed on your shoulder

You quickly looked up, wiping away the burning tears in your eyes to see your boyfriend standing next to you, a soft smile on his face

You gave out a tiny yelp as you were suddenly picked up and carried out of the music venue

You had been taken back to Nagito’s cottage, where he laid the two of you down on the bed and let you cry into his jacket

“I just don’t want to be a part of his stupid game anymore...” You sniffled and sat up

“No one is happy here! Everyone we know is killing each other, how long until one of us is a target? I don’t think I can handle a situation like this...”

Nagito pulled you into a hug, squeezing you tight enough to make you feel like you were grounded to earth

“I promise you, the rest of us will beat Monokuma! Once we pick out this despaired student, everyone else’s hope will make sure no one will die here ever again! You just have to trust me, okay? Everyone will be fine.”

You hugged Nagito back, sighing into his chest

“I really hope you’re right.”

You let your eyes close, body leaning on your boyfriend

Nagito looked down to see you asleep, and smiling,  got out of bed and pulled the covers over the you. You could nap until it was trial time, right?

He quietly left your room and quickly returned to the crime scene, looking for clues and ignoring the worried glances from everyone else

Still, he couldn’t help but worry

You were falling to despair, and he couldn’t have that.

Byakuya Togami

You didn’t want to believe that you panic this easily

Nothing had happened yet, no one dead, not even a motive set up by your captor

You had gotten to know everyone, quickly becoming close to the well known Togami

He was determined to keep everyone safe, so when he got a note that someone was going to die, he tried to hide it from everyone

But when you had come to his room to surprise him, you easily found the note hidden in a notebook

why is he so bad at hiding things

You found the note and completely flipped, going to Byakuya first to ask why he didn’t tell you

“I thought it would freak you out, and I guess I was right.”

After a very heated squabble (That left Mikan shook and Ibuki ecstatic), you stormed off from the park you went to your dorm and shouted for Monokuma, and like every time, he popped up out of nowhere

You demanded to know why he ruined your school trip, and put everyone on the island in danger

He just laughed, and said that it was, “For despair of course!”

You began to yell, stating that while you didn’t know everyone here very well, you knew they didn’t deserve to die like this.

The bear covered his ears, sing songing at you until you let out a harsh shriek, taking a book and raising it above your head to throw it at him

As you brought your arm down, a hand shot out and grabbed your wrist, forcibly causing the book to drop from your grasp

Your boyfriend, Togami, had seemingly gotten in undetected due to your loud one sided argument

“Y/n,” his grip on your wrist softened just a little. “Don’t be foolish. This is what he wants, you’re only playing into his plan.”

You snapped your head back to Monokuma, seeing he had disappeared via an unknown passageway

Togami tilted your head back to him, slowly releasing his grip on your arm, allowing it to fall to your side

As you stared into your boyfriend’s stern eyes, all you could do was well up with tears and cry, pulling him by his shirt into a hug

“I’m so sorry! I’m just so afraid that someone’s going to get hurt! I don’t want that, I want this to go back to the fun vacation it was!”

You couldn’t see it, but Togami’s eyes softened, and he raised his hand to softly rub circles into your back

“I know. You just need to be more careful with your emotions. As much as I hate it I can’t change our scenario. The best I- we - can do, is help everyone stay safe, lead them down the right path. Now, no more outbursts, okay? I can’t have you be killed for something so reckless.”

You let out a halfhearted laugh, pulling him closer and sighing. After a few more minutes of calm reassurance, you told your boyfriend you wanted to go to bed, and quietly said goodbye as he left

He was sad that you wouldn’t be going to the party tonight, but you needed rest, and the last thing you needed was to be around more hectic situations today

He’d have to make you a breakfast in bed when he checked up on you tomorrow. 

Gundam Tanaka

You had been trapped in the fun-house for what seemed like weeks, even if it had only been a couple of days

Yet days without food and water really take a toll on the human body, and you were starting to envy Nekomaru for not being affected.

That is, until you overheard your boyfriend whispering his plans to his Devas

You had been asleep, or at-least partially, in the room that you and Gundam volunteered to share. You had not yet actually gotten out of bed or even started moving when you heard his voice explaining his devious plan to his friends

And you stayed like that, pretending to be asleep until you heard him wrap up the conversation. You felt him walk over and give you a kiss on your forehead, before finally leaving the room.

You jumped out of bed, taking a moment to regain your balance due to undernourishment, and yelled for Monokuma, not afraid of someone hearing you since you guys had the quiet room

As always, the bear popped out of nowhere.

“Monokuma arrives! Now, have you brought me here to beg for my mercy?! Because the mechanic already did that! No dice!” He gave you a twirl

What he didn’t expect was for you to pick up a pillow and throw it at him, himself easily dodging it

“Why are we here?! This isn’t a motive, you’re forcing someone to kill just for food! You’re a monster!”

You picked up more items, the lamp, a book, the clock off the wall, chucking them at your captor, who seemed to make this into a game of one sided dodge-ball

All he did was dodge and laugh at you, fueling your anger until you could barely pick your arm up anymore and your throat felt hoarse from ranting

“You’re lucky your emotions are good for the viewers! If I have found you even a teensy bit more boring, I’d have you sliced up!” He went to the door and opened it, just as your boyfriend tried to open it from the outside

Monokuma waddled away, ignoring your softened demands for him to come back

Gundam stood only for a second in the doorway, wondering what just happened, before he ran over to you and grabbed you by your shoulders

“My immortal Y/n, what happened?!” He looked you over once, twice, before staring into your eyes, his brimming with worry. “Did he hurt you? Did he try to give you another motive?! Because I promise you don’t-”

“I know what your plan is.”

His whole body froze, as if he had accidentally cast a frost curse on himself

“What?”

“I heard you” You took his hands off of your shoulders. “I wasn’t sleeping. You really plan to kill someone to escape?”

“It’s not that simple Y;n, you of al people should know that.”

“And what happens to Nekomaru, huh?! He just got a second chance at life and you’re going to take it away? That’s not something you get to pick and choose!”

You begin to storm out when he calls your name

“I’m doing it for you! I want you to get out of here, all of you, alive! It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. I...I don’t plan on surviving the trial, I’ll only use it to help strengthen your deduction skills. If I don;t do this, no one lives.”

His voice, barely above a whisper at the end of his speech, broke your heart. 

“Oh, Gundam, I am so sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you! I’m just so scared, and I’ve lost so many people and now I’m losing you too, I don’t know what to do-”

Strong yet shaky arms pulled you into a firm chest, and you relished in the warmth of your boyfriend

“When are you going to do it?” Your voice, barely audible

“Tonight. It can’t wait. I’m so sorry Y/n. I almost let Monokuma get to you.”

You hugged him back, whole body screaming to shut down at the effort you just exerted.

“Lay with me. At least until I fall asleep.. Please.”

“Of course my love.”

Kazuichi Souda

Kazuichi was coming up the stairs to the dining hall when he heard you

“I wish you were dead!” A large crash was enough for him to bolt up the stairs in record time, afraid you were in danger, or worse, the next blackened

When he reached the top all he saw was a mess, a table once full of food now flipped over, and a laughing Monokuma

And of course, you on top of all the spilled food, what seemed to be punch and ketchup staining your clothes

“Wh-wha-what the heck happened?!” Kazuichi rushed over and grabbed your arms, hoisting you out of the mess

Monokuma laughed louder

This only fueled your anger, causing you to pull from your boyfriend’s grip and reel back your leg to kick the bear, before taking a breath and lowering it, walking past both him and Kazuichi

“Let’s go, he wasn’t worth the effort.”

A little saddened by the fact that he didn’t get food, Kazuichi lagged behind for a few seconds before realizing that you were walking out of the building, and hustled to follow you

“H-hey Y/n! What was that all about? You’re a mess!” He wiped some bread crumbs off of your shoulder

“He...tried to give me a motive.”

This stopped Kazuichi in his tracks. “What?! What was it?!”

You turned around towards the mechanic, arms folding across your body. “I didn’t let him say it. The second I heard the word ‘motive’ come from his mouth I flipped. I mean, we’ve already lost four people, almost five! How long is this going to go on? Is someone really going to sacrifice everyone, or will everyone be murdered by then? I don’t want to find out, I promise I’ll kill whoever is behind this myself!”

You swiftly turned on your heels, walking away again, but only managed to get a few steps away when you were pulled off of your feet from behind

Realizing this was a hug, you spoke up. 

“Uh, Souda? Can you put me down?”

“Nope!” He somehow effortlessly pulled you into a bridal style carry. “We’re gonna have a relaxation day, to forget about that stupid bear and his dumb motives! Nothing but the best movies and candy for my girl!”

He began walking, and in defeat, you sighed and sunk deeper into his arms

Could you ask for any better stress reliever?

Teruteru Hanamura

You and Teruteru had been cooking and cleaning for the party. You had volunteered to help.

He briefly left the room to put some tableware in the party room

You thought nothing of it, until he came back clearing shaken up

Asking what happened, he refused to answer, causing you to give him a stern glare that frightened him and turned him on

He gave in, telling you about how he saw Nagito place a knife under the table, and tell him his plan

You remained calm. Nothing would happen under your watch, and you assured Teruteru of that. He seemed relieved

Yet, that relief turned out to be a lie when Byakuya’s body had been found, not killed the way Nagito had intended.

You saw how panicked your boyfriend was, and instantly knew what happened

But you continued to help out, only mildly panicking when they found new evidence that could point to Nagito being innocent

Nobody caught the side glances you two shared. You were afraid he thought you were going to give him up, yet on the same hand you were afraid he thought you were going to help him. 

All the turmoil and frustration built up until you finally excused yourself from the building, stating that the body and smell of blood were making you sick

Nobody batted an eye, and the second you were outside you punched the door, cursing under your breath

And that’s when you heard him

“What’s wrong?” His voice changing pitch halfway through as if you were a kid. “Afraid that you’ll have to choose between your life and his?”

You turned around to face Monokuma, looking down at him in anger

And than you started crying

“This is all your fault!” You pointed childishly at him. “You planted this idea in Nagito’s mind! And now Teru is paying for it! What did we do to deserve to be here, with these insane people?! We deserve a normal life!”

The door behind you was suddenly pushed open, cutting off your speech. You swung around, afraid a confession was just heard by one of your classmates

To your relief, Teruteru walked out slowly

“What is heaven’s name is going on? Y/n, are you alright? He didn’t...hurt you...did he?”

You turned back to Monokuma to continue berating him to see that he was gone, and began sputtering out an explanation when you sighed and just let the tears fall

“I don’t know what to do, Teru!” Your voice turned into a low whisper. “I don’t want to die, but I don’t want you to die either! This is all such a mess...”

Teruteru pulled you into a hug which you gladly accepted, enjoying the short silence

“Uh, Teruteru? Y/n?” There was a voice from the doorway. “The trial is going to start soon, and I don’t mean to interrupt your heartfelt moment but we want to have one last talk with everyone.”

“Thanks Hajime, we’ll be there in a minute.” When the talent-less boy left, you let go of your boyfriend

“Y/n, I promise, everything is going to be okay. Just trust me, okay? And follow my lead, I have a plan.”

You gave him that soft smile he loves and squeezed his hand before walking back into the building

He stood there, watching as the door closed behind you

You didn’t know it yet, but he had made up his mind

He wasn’t going to let anything happen to you

Nekomaru Nidai

You couldn’t believe it

An hour ago things were going fine

and now, an ambulance was taking away Nekomaru, who had saved Akane

You couldn’t help but blame her for this, but you didn’t want to take it out on her

So you took it out on  Monokuma

You immediately marched up to the bear, grabbing him and shaking him

“Why the hell did you do that?! He didn’t do anything!”

You saw Monokuma’s eye glow red, but ignored it and continued to berate him

“You have no right to keep us here like...like prisoners! Everyday we fear for our lives, and we have a good reason to! it’s all because of you!” 

A sudden sweep of wind was felt as Monokuma slashed mere centimeters from your chest

You let Monokuma go, dropping him into the sand

“You’re lucky we can’t have two participants MIA, or I’d have sliced you to ribbons! God, you’re just like your dumb boyfriend!” And with that, he disappeared

After it happened you avoided everyone who tried to talk to you, vouching to stay in your room and only leave when you needed to eat

You didn’t even want to go to the new island that opened up, even when Ibuki broke the lock to your room while you were sleeping

It wasn’t until one evening you had a knock on your door

“Go away, Ibuki. I don’t want to go.”

“A-ah actually, it’s Kazuichi!’

Kazuichi? He never talked to you during your stay here, let alone after the incident

Curious, you got out of bed and unlocked the door, opening it a crack

“What do you need?”

To your surprise, a small trinket was thrust through the opening of the door, you grabbing it on instinct

“I just thought you would like it...I mean until Nekomaru comes back!”

Before you could question Kazuichi he shut the door himself, leaving you with the small device

Looking at it, you immediately noticed the resemblance to Nekomaru, looking like a small silver version of him

Feeling your chest tighten, you flipped the trinket over, noticing a small button

Pressing it, you felt the toy come to life, eyes glowing a dull yellow and the arms on it slowly moving. It looked at you, arms thrown into the air

“Y/n! How great it is to see you! How is my favorite girl doing?”

“H...how are you talking?”

“Kazuichi programmed me to be exactly like the real Nekomaru you know! I want to keep you company until the real me comes back!” 

You finally let the tears flow, clutching the small Nekomaru to your chest as you laid back down on your bed

“I miss you so much! I don’t know what to do!”

“It’s okay Y/n, I promise I’ll be back soon.”

You turned off the light, letting your toy Nekomaru’s eyes give you some light. Finally running out of tears, you fell asleep

“Goodnight, Y/n.”

Fuyuhiku Kuzuryu

You couldn’t believe it

Peko, your best friend, killed someone because your boyfriend ordered her to

Mahiru was dead, and this plan of yours had failed halfway through the class trial

You tried to hold Fuyuhiko back from running into the execution, but he wouldn’t listen

And you watched, as you saw both of your friends die right in front of you

That is, until Mikan gave you the hopeful news that he was still breathing, but critically injured

He was taken away by Monokuma, and you turned your attention to the bear

“What the hell Monokuma?! He wasn’t the blackened!”

The bear gave his signiture laugh, staring you down

“But isn’t it despairing? Especially for Peko, who believed her last moments alive were spent murdering one of her best friends. But it was also for all three of you, who all worked together to commit a crime!”

“Fuck you!” You took a step towards the bear. “I’ll kill you! You are nothing but evil and that should never be allowed, ever! I’ll make sure your last moments are by my hand!”

You tried to get closer to Monokuma but a hand was placed on your shoulder, and you turned around to face Chiaki

“What?”

“You’re giving him what he wants. Stop.”

With a growl, you wiped her hand off your shoulder and walked away

You left the trial alone for the first time, having both of the people you cared about stripped away in a matter of minutes

You stayed in your room even as everyone else investigated the new island

Until one day you heard furious knocking on your door, a voice calling your name through the door

Sighing, you threw your blanket over your head and dug deeper into the bed

“Y/n, we found a hospital, Fuyuhiko is there!”

Within seconds you were outside, still in your pajamas, running to the island as Mikan called after you to wait up

You found the hospital and swung open the door to each room until finally you found a room filled with people all standing around a bed

“Fuyuhiko!” You pushed through the wall of people to the bed, breath catching at seeing your boyfriend’s state

“Hey, Y/n.”

“I want to give you a hug but I don’t wan’t to hurt you.”

You saw him give out an airy laugh, slightly wincing at what you presumed was pain

You then noticed everyone shuffling out of the room, and soon it was just you two

“I’m sorry for scaring you, Y/n.”

You walked closer to his bed, sitting on the edge of it

“She’s really gone.”

“Yeah.”

You felt your lip quiver, and soon your whole body was wracked with sobs

“This is ll our fault! We caused her death!”

You felt a hand on your side, seeing Fuyuhiko facing the window

“It’s my fault, not yours. i shouldn’t have gotten so mad. I promise I’m going to get us out of here, for our sake. And not by killing anyone. I want the rest of us to get out for the sake of everyone who’s died so far.”

He looked into your eyes and you swear you saw tears in his eye

After a moment of silence you cleared your throat, standing up

“I should go back to my dorm, it’s getting late. You need to rest and I’m sure Mikan would flip if she saw you weren’t”

You began to stand up when you felt him grab your wrist

“Stay with me, please.”

With a sigh you turned back around, carefully climbing into the hospital bed with your boyfriend

You let him lay his head on your chest, listening as he slowly fell asleep.

“Goodnight Fuyuhiko”

Me? back from the dead? It’s less likely than you think! Seriously I apologize for the two months (or more) of complete radio silence! I’m trying to get back in the groove and complete the remaining asks I have (about 7?) These last two imagines are terrible, sorry Nekomaru and Fuyuhiko :(

[valnune]

Obey Me! OC - Marshmallow Chapter 8-8

I’m not going to do every chapter, just a few highlights here and there and side stories. Because we all have an idea what our MC would do. I just like writing. :D Enjoy! (Includes dance with Diavolo) Word Count:  5324 ------------------- “...Well then, I suppose it’s about that time.”

Lord Diavolo had stood up from the table of the guests that he had invited to his Palace. She had only ever been informed of a few activities. After all, yesterday was a tour, and earlier today was the scavenger hunt. Who knew that demons did so much walking. She had hope to get used to things after being here for a few weeks already and yet apparently not.

Motioning to the side, a few of the guards and servants moved about in the shadows of the gilded palace. It was hard to believe that this was a castle in Hell as the amount of gold reflected light so brilliantly from the hanging chandeliers. Dani had been sitting between Mammon and Levi for the dinner, across from Beel who didn’t look too happy that the meal ended. A gentle chuckle slipped from her but she was more curious as to what was going on. Though Lucifer cut the conversation short.

“Ignore him, Diavolo. Go ahead.”

“All right then, here we go…”

What was supposed to be a retreat  between the House of Lamentation and Purgatory Hall seemed to have one more surprise. Everything went black, unable to see even the hand in front of her face. It was enough to cause a startled jump in her shoulders. A bit of movement was heard as an aura that she was growing unfortunately familiar with was felt. The closest thing that she could describe it as, was a charged energy in the air, like static during a thunderstorm. Though as the lights went on, all mystery was dispelled.

The banquet table had disappeared and in its place had dozens, if not hundreds of new guests that were within the hall. There had been a radial room where those that she new had gathered, the exchange students and demons she had come to be familiar with that is, and behind the curling stairwell was the grand hall, sconces between floor to ceiling windows which reflected the garden adorned with red velvet on either side. Yet the floor, the walls, ceiling, chandeliers, all other decorations remained golden. It was truly something out of a fairytale, and her as she looked upon herself, was adorned in a ball gown as well?!

“Surprised? Magic really does come in hand sometimes, huh?” Solomon must have seen the obvious expression on her features. 

“We were the only ones here just a bit ago, but now look at all these people…” Luke seemed to be just as confused. 

“They’re all guests from across the Devildom, and there certainly are a lot of them.” Simeon must have been informed earlier this would happen for he didn’t seem surprised at all. 

Yet those around her also appeared differently. The demons were in their true forms,  Simeon and Luke were in formal wear, without angelic features unfortunately (she was really curious), and Solomon appeared to have a formal robe as well. This was the first time Dani was able to see a fair number of their demon forms and she didn’t really know what to expect for them considering she had only seen Leviathan, Beelzebub, and Lucifer.  Diavolo had become a more robust, darker shade, but his hair went a vibrant flame red. He truly looked like a demon, and royalty at that. With horns that… well. She didn’t know what animal really, but the closest thing were those high speed bike handles she never had as a kid. Yet more striking was the four bat wings of black exterior and red inside, much like the horns and both were tipped with gold adornments. Wait, should she be staring this much? He was also, to mention, mostly shirtless from the waist up. Yet he wasn’t the only one. 

Mammon. What… Was Mammon wearing? His horns spiraled upwords like ringlets that tapered off into curved tips,  bat wings pointed downwards sort of like… Oh right like the Darkstalker sisters. Well. Okay. he was wearing something over his upper half, but it was a bolero type coat in black, studded leather, a few dangling gold adornments on a popped collar and straps over his chest. His exposed chest with white markings that looked like nazca lines. Like someone finger painted them on. 

“...Yo, Dani. Um, like… you know… uh, I mean, like… uh… L-Like, you’ve gotta have weird tastes to ask a human like you to dance. I’m guessin’ no on here’s gonna do that, huh? Ahahahah!” 

“Mammon, what are you wearing-!” Dani did all she could to hold back a giggle, hand covering over her lips. He was already blushing from his now too common tsundere reactions, but so was she. After all, Mammon was attractive, even if he was dense. 

“W- what’s wrong with it? Besides- hmph, look at what you’re wearin’! I ain’t the only one who is dressed up.” Mammon only seemed to blush even more, scratching a hand behind his head, and even though he turned his head away, his eyes remained on her. 

“No! It… It looks good on you- I just… was a bit surprised is all… ah- ahah- And well. You… you look- Ahem! I mean- I was surprised at this dress too!” Deflecting the slip of her tongue, Dani inspected the ruby dress a bit more, a high-low dress with the highest point being just above her knees, and lowest point as two tips that tapered at the back, it seemed like she had a bustle with it? Oh! This was one of the dresses she drew and showed Asmo! It even had the little roses and bows at the ruching, black heels to match, and a golden underskirt. Red, black, and gold. Something she scribbled for Spirit Week. 

“Ah? Really? Well- you look less of a dork than normal so… So y’know, as long as you don’t have a partner, I guess I could maybe go ahead and pair up with you for a li’l bit-” 

“Mammon, why not just admit that you want to dance with Dani?” 

“You’re such a loser! And a total tsundere! Looooool People are sick of characters like that!... Didn’t you get the memo? Lololol Those characters are so yesterday! LMAO.”

Satan and Levi appeared and while she had seen Levi’s demon form before with his horns like coral and his long serpentine tail which coiled back behind him, this was the first time she saw Satan’s form (thankfully) as she heard that whenever he transformed it was normally out of rage. His horns were more typical, curling out and up, with a more skeletal tail that changed from black to green that wrapped around his leg to the floor but what was with that black boa around him? And black and green ribbons over a blouse? Well. It did sort of look like skeletal bones so he was having that aesthetic but. His pants had dots over them like clown pants. Should she tell him? No. Bad idea. 

“GRRRRR! Get outta here, both of you! Shoo! Shoo!” Mammon waved his hands at the both of them but just then, a voice made her turn. 

“Dani, come dance with me. Now.” 

Her hand was taken and she was whisked away by none other than Lucifer, a touch of confusion upon her features as she hadn’t even seen him approach. He, in his glorious four black wings and long tail coat of almost solid black was quite the figure. Keeping stride with those long legs of his was hard enough, she could barely hear what the others said as she was taken to the dance floor. 

“Wh…!”

“See, you should’ve just come out and asked Dani to dance.” Satan let out an audible sigh. 

“The loser was rejected! Haha, awesome! Loool!” 

“SHUT UP YOU TWO!” 

Once upon the dance floor with the others, Dani glanced to see a few things. Asmo had been there, surrounded by a few scantily clad demons that she could only assume were succubi and incubi. He seemed to have four smaller bat wings on the upper part of his shoulders, a heart cut out on the back of a tailcoat reminiscent of a dice bunny, matching cuffs as well. Simeon was trying to keep a wave of fangirls away from him, and Luke seemed to be smothered by demons who considered his small stature and scrappy, dog like behaviour adorable. Yet her gaze was drawn back to Lucifer as he spoke. 

“Do you know how to dance?” 

“Yes, of course I do. Though I thought you didn’t like people touching your hands?” 

“There’s a time and a place for everything. Just try to keep pace. In general, there are all sorts of reasons why one might ask someone else to dance. For example, they might be interested in them, they might want to touch them, or they might simply be doing it out of politeness. Or it could be because they want to have a private conversation.” 

With her hand in his own, the other raised up to his shoulder while his went to her waist as was appropriate for ballroom dancing. The two moved around slightly as she did just that, trying to keep pace with his long legs. The hells helped a bit. She just needed to be as effortless as possible and glide. This would be vastly easier if she had longer legs. Of course, she couldn’t just have a nice dance with Lucifer, there had to be some other meaning behind it. His grip tightened as he spoke, making it impossible to pull away. 

“What is it you’re plotting with Asmo? Let me make one thing clear: I respect my brothers’ freedom to do as they wish. However, if I ever sense that you’ve become a threat to either Diavolo or us… then I will show you absolutely no mercy. Understood?” 

With a sharp movement, Dani was pulled up against him, forced to stare upwards into that foreboding gaze of his. She always thought that his stare was something to be both in awe of but also made her bones turn to jelly. Just stand your ground, you did nothing wrong, are planning nothing wrong, is what she just kept telling herself. Deep breaths. Keep calm. Don’t let him intimidate you no matter how easy it was to buckle under the pressure and grip. 

“You care about them a lot, don’t you? Even if you have a strange way of showing it. You know. I have a lot of admiration for that. How strong you have to be for their sake.”  Dani started off with a bit of a smile, trying to keep herself calm and in control of the situation. Don’t let him take away your power. Don’t forget to breathe. 

“Flatter all you like. I will have your answer on this.” Lucifer didn’t relent, spinning in time with the music and away from another pair of dancers. 

“It wasn’t intended as flattery but as truth. Nothing I am doing is intended to harm, nothing I ever do is intended to harm. Yet intentions can be misinterpreted. Pardon the proverb but, The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Perhaps quoting this hurts what I am trying to say but, all I want to do is be transparent with what I am saying.” 

She always tried to be a tolerant and flexible person, accepting and allowing with others, and even to the point where she lets others step over her at times to accommodate others. Perhaps she should have more of a backbone at times but when it came to her beliefs and convictions, Dani was not one to back down. She knew what she meant when she spoke about these things and would not back down either. As this was a public place with others watching, he couldn’t do anything extreme anyway. 

“All I want to do is to help. I… I look at all of you, your brothers and I… I suppose I can’t help but get jealous. My own family isn’t the greatest or closest. I thought that maybe if I can help a family of demons get along together that maybe there’s hope for my own family. All of you care so much about each other but you really have a terrible way of showing it. After all, you’ve been through so much together and if I, a human whose lifespan is a blink in your existence, is able to do this well. I’d be happy knowing all of you are happy, and safe. So. Yes. I suppose I am plotting with Asmo, but only with the best of intentions.” 

“You can keep your sentiments to yourself. You should be more focused on surviving the exchange program than sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”  The two of them slowed down with the music as the song seemed to be changing. Though his gaze didn’t lessen, at least the grip of his hand did. However, a new contender stepped forth. 

“...Pardon me. Well, looks like a new song has started. I’d love the chance to dance with Dani. Might I cut in?” Solomon had approached, garbed in his formal attire which looked like a glitzed up version of his casual wear. 

“...Fine. I get the feeling that you’ve gotten the message and you understand what I’m telling you, Dani. I’m glad we got to have this little talk.” Lucifer gave a final glare towards her, but it tapered off into one with a smug smile.  

“You look pale. Did Lucifer say something to you?” Solomon was a bit easier to dance with, accepting his hand and shoulder, though he was still rather tall. The white haired sorcerer had a less intense stare but his words always left her a little unnerved. 

“Thank you for the concern but it’s fine. I’ve got the situation under control. Probably. Maybe.” Though, at least she could exhale out with a chuckle to relax. Or so she thought. 

“I see… Well, good. This is the Devildom. When it comes down to it, you’re human, and that makes you different. Never forget that. You may have made pacts with demons, but you still lack the power to command them.”  

This caused her brow to furrow slightly. What was he getting at? Whenever she spoke to Solomon, it always made her feel like he was trying to get something out of it. Nothing was ever as simple as it appeared. Even if he just did something to provoke entertainment. 

“So? What of it?” 

“Well, everyone has some amount of magical power by nature. However, there are some people in which it actually manifests itself, and some people in which it doesn’t. And even among those in which it does, some have more of it than others. It varies based on the individual. Seeing how it doesn’t even manifest itself in you to begin with, even though you’ve made pacts with demons, you can’t take command of their powers.” 

Much the same, the two glided across the dance floor as the song carried on. Rotating around others as they spoke. In this place of eternal night, you could only tell the amount of time that had passed by the shift of the moon across the sky. One of these days, she just wanted a nice relaxing day without stress. No plotting. No school work. No demons dragging her off without asking her first. 

“Would you like me to lend you my power? Let’s just say I’m curious to know what would happen if I did. You’re a destabilizing element here in this world. I can’t say what might happen if I do this, which is exactly what makes it interesting. We are on a retreat after all. Why waste this opportunity? So, go on and-” 

“No. I refuse.”  A bit of tension shot past Dani’s lips, practically spitting out the words. She didn’t like to be forceful, but the very idea of what he just said, and how he said it? It brought a bit of revulsion to her. 

“Destabilizing element? Is this some sort of game to you?” Her steps became a bit more abrupt as the two moved through the hall and although she enjoyed dancing, she was not enjoying this evening so far.

“Are you sure you wish to refuse? This is the only way you’ll be able to  experience what it’s like to control a demon and use his powers.” Solomon seemed to be taken aback by the abruptness. It was clear that he didn’t seem to expect that kind of reaction. 

“I don’t want to command them and I don’t want to use them. If they are to lend me their power and aid, then I want them to do so of their own volition.” Now it was her time to put a bit of pressure on him. Dani never liked Solomon. Their first encounter set her on edge. No. Just finding out that it was the Solomon of old was enough to make her dislike him. 

“There’s nothing wrong with making use of your pact. After all, that’s what demons are for. Why else would you make a pact with them?” There was a confused expression from Solomon as if the notion was entirely foreign to him. Though, should she really be surprised? This person had 72 demons contracted to him and all of the demon brothers, save Levi and Asmo didn’t trust him. 

“Perhaps not to you. I- Ah- I am sorry. Well. Not really but. Perhaps not to you it is wrong, and perhaps they are used to doing things in exchange for a pact. However, how I’ve made my pacts have been more like… becoming friends with them. Mammon surely was because I needed him to take his job defending me seriously and Levi’s was a bit more frivolous but all of them, Beel included, is because I want them to trust me as a friend. If I am going to request them to use their powers, it will be as me, Dani, asking them, as a person for help, not as their Master.” 

Why was all of this so offensive to her? After all, they were demons. She shouldn’t be so worried about individuals that were ageless, those that were the Avatars of Sin and could withstand so much physical abuse, and yet… They were completely and utterly useless on matters of the heart. Sure, she didn't know all that much either, but she knew they didn’t deserve to be treated like tools. 

“So you’d deny your only chance at commanding demons because of principle? Even if you control what orders you give? Do you not trust yourself that much?” Solomon shot back her words just as quickly. He tried to twist her words and beliefs against her. Just by looking at him, this youthful boyish appearance, it was easy to forget he was the Legendary Solomon, apparently the greatest sorcerer humanity had ever known. What right did she have to talk back to him? 

“Of course I trust myself-”  Yet it didn’t matter who he was, Dani did what she could to stand her ground. What little ground she stood upon that is. 

“Hmm… I see. You are a stubborn one. I can see why Lucifer thinks so highly of you. Regardless, I insist. You’ll never know if it might come in handy. After all,  if you trust yourself, you can simply just not use it if something happens, right?” 

As he released his hands, a bit of a sparkle twinkled in the air around the both of them. Dani felt warm for a few seconds before the sensation faded. There was a lightness to her fingertips, as if they were chilled ever so slightly a different temperature from the rest of her body. However. It only elicited a frown from her further. How dare he cast a spell upon her! But- that just further displayed the differences between the two. Even if she, as a human, was supposed to make use of this uniqueness among demons, the only other human here was essentially her exact opposite. 

“There. For six hours, you have access to my abilities. This should allow you to command the demons you’ve made a pact with… If you happen to want to that is. You are quite a curious person, Dani. I’m excited to see what will happen…” 

Solomon then left her, giving that enigmatic smile of his as if he knew what was going to happen. It was quite possible he knew something was fated to occur. After all, he did have a ring of wisdom and pacts with demons already. This was a place he could shape around him and if he pulled the right strings, could likely make the Devildom quake with his schemes. She was not going to let herself be a part of that. Yet did she have a choice? 

Dani moved towards the punch bowl, because what proper dance party didn’t? Levi and Beel were talking to each other, rather, Levi was talking while Beel was stuffing his face with cocktail weenies. She didn’t blame his gluttony this time. Cocktail weenies were pretty tasty. Glancing about the others, it seemed that Satan was once more socializing and networking with demons, Asmo was still being Asmo, and Mammon was getting a shake down by Lucifer. Wait. Lucifer wasn’t glued to Diavolo’s side this time? 

In fact, Diavolo was alone at this moment. There was only a single chance to do this while Lucifer was distracted. Taking a deep breath, her eyes glanced off to the side, left… Barbatos was arranging details on the side. Lucifer was still chewing out Mammon… Taking a swift stride forward towards the lord of this castle. Prince of the Devildom, Future King, and a mountain of a man. Demon. Man… Don’t think of him as a demon. Just think of him as a person. Deep breath. Deep breath. He had to be a full foot taller, easily. Don’t think about it. Just do it. 

“Lord Diavolo, would you do me the honour of a dance?” Dani offered a polite courtesy towards Diavolo, picking up the corners of the dress as she followed up with a smile. 

Up this close, it was impossible to deny just how radiant Diavolo truly was. There was a fringe of what was either fine pillowy black feathers like those of an ostrich or fluffy fur of some kind draped around his shoulders. A clasp of gold bat wings held the mantle and chains adorned his upper body.  A tall black collar connected to it with accents of gold, black chest tattoos, and golden triangles all down his forearms. He really was something to take in. Black and white trousers, a white drape over his front, all of it gilded in chains of gold. Something about his appearance seemed familiar, though she had sworn she never met him or saw anyone like him before. 

“Oh, Dani! I’d be delighted to share a dance with you. Have you been enjoying your evening?” As Diavolo had accepted her hands in place, Dani caught a side glance of Lucifer who was now staring at them. At her. He realized he missed the chance to interrupt and as she glanced to the other side, realized that it was not just Lucifer who was looking at her. The room was. 

“I’ve been doing my best to enjoy it and I am doing my best to keep things in stride, your Lordship. However, I do hope I could trouble you for a bit of advice. If you don’t mind that is.” 

Everyone gave them plenty of berth to dance as the room seemed to be fixed upon the human who dared to ask the future king of the Devildom to dance. He was surprisingly light upon his feet for someone of his size. This was the most comfortable dance that she had this evening, for his hand was securely, not firmly upon her waist, and her hand rested gently within his own even if it was nearly swallowed by the size of his own. 

“Of course, you know you can always ask me for advice. Being the Ruler of the Devildom here, part of my job is listening to others.” There was something calming about his smile, something that made her ashamed of doubting that he might have an ulterior motive. However, this was no longer the standard back two, one forward dance. No. Diavolo intended to actually dance while they spoke, and that was perhaps the most calming thing. Her words could be a bit more candid she felt. 

“Lucifer assumes I am plotting with Asmo, and I guess technically I am, but not for anything bad. Then Solomon offers to lend me his ability to command demons and I tried to deny it, but he did it anyway. I just sort of feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place here where no matter what I do, I am going to upset someone. Mostly Lucifer but- other people too.” 

While Diavolo listened, he never once seemed to judge her for her words, though he did seem surprised when she mentioned a few times. Yet the entire time, his smile was calm and present, seemingly pleased with something that she said. Somehow there was a gracious movement with his steps. The light coming from the chandelier just made all the gold accents upon his body glow along with the warmth of his golden eyes. While Lucifer was stunning in his head to toe black, Diavolo’s gold and the white of his pants and drape, the black accents over this and the mantle he bore, truly made him an exalted figure. 

“Let me ask you this, what’s the real reason why you denied Solomon’s offer? Most humans wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to be as powerful as him, even if it was temporary.” 

“The real reason..? Ah… Well. I told him because I didn’t want to command others, rather ask as a friend if I needed something- and that’s true but… it’s because I don’t like him. Ah- Rather I don’t like the way he treats others. Like they’re all a pawn or a tool. He doesn’t treat demons like people. He treats them like… well…”

“Like demons.” 

“Ah..”  Dani couldn’t help but blush from that, especially as Diavolo seemed to burst into laughter, catching her off guard. With a bit of a fluster, Dani leaned in. 

“Lord Diavolo- Please! Take this a bit more seriously.” 

“I am taking this seriously, Dani. You always seem to exceed my expectations. I’m just happy that we were so fortunate as to select you for the exchange program. Your point of view is refreshing.” 

Being swung around as the music started to pick up in pace, his wings seemed to spread with the boisterous nature of his words, and at the same time, curl around in a protective way. It was in this, while the eyes of all in the room, where he pulled her in closer, nearly as tightly as Lucifer but without feeling hostile. 

“That you are able to see past us as demons and treat us as individuals is proof that my dream can become a reality and from what I hear, you’re trying to repair the relations between Lucifer and his brothers. While Lucifer may get mad at you in the short term, I believe you will succeed in what you’re trying to accomplish. Just believe in yourself and let that dream become a reality.” 

“So, you don’t think I’m in the wrong for getting involved in things beyond me? After all, I do feel a bit guilty trying to get involved in the affairs of people thousands of years old.”  There was that worrisome expression upon her face again, doubting that what she was doing was right. It felt right, after all it was made with the best of intentions but, was good good intentions going to be enough to convince others?

“Don’t let Lucifer’s words bring you down too much. If I am being honest, I think he needs someone like you to be there for him and his brothers. After all, I’ve never seen him so happy before.” 

“Really?”  

As the song finished, Diavolo nodded in response and perhaps it had been a white lie or an exaggeration of his words, but he really did seem to offer a reassuring response. Now that they stood still, he placed his hands on either side of Dani’s shoulders, looking down with that ever confident smile, the smile of someone who has never had anything go wrong in his life. Yet she knew that couldn’t be true. Surely he had plenty of things go wrong, but it didn’t seem like it. Diavolo. Whether he was genuine or not, Dani wanted to believe in him. 

“Don’t feel bad for being forced to accept Solomon’s offer. No one will think less of you if you try it out, Dani. After all, we cannot change the fact we are demons. Regardless, I have high hopes for you. I look forward to seeing what you’ll do next. In fact, you might just become my favorite human.” 

His laughter only resounded as he let go, leaving Dani staggered with a bit of a blush burning across her cheeks. Favorite human? Holding a hand over her mouth, she mumbled something about him teasing her, and as their dance had concluded, Lucifer had already closed the distance, arms crossed and looked disappointed between the two. 

“And just what were you discussing with Diavolo?” His tone stern as ever. It seemed as if Lucifer was ready to close in on her once more but thankfully, this was a public place, and Diavolo wouldn’t allow for an altercation. 

“Oh relax, Lucifer. This is a retreat after all. Dani was just telling me about how much she’s been enjoying her time in the Devildom. Who knows. I might just invite her out one of these days!” As if just to offset Lucifer’s mood, Diavolo couldn’t help himself. 

“W- L- Lord Diavolo- N- th- a-  Lucifer- Please- That-” She frantically waved her hands back and forth, now beet red as the amount of flustering overtook her features. Lucifer did not look amused. 

“Ahaha-! You’re as fun to tease as Lucifer. Go on. Enjoy the rest of the ball, Dani. I believe there’s one more person who wants to dance with you.” Diavolo placed a hand on Lucifer’s shoulder and the two started to walk off, seemingly Diavolo was calming Lucifer down that their conversation was nothing to worry about. 

That was as startling a situation to consider than all else. By this time, whoever had been looking in her direction had since looked away. Well, most people. There were still a few that were scrutinizing her as she now stood there, alone, perhaps they’d make their move on her in their own time but that isn’t what she wanted. The center of attention was not where she wanted to be. 

As she turned her head off to the side, her eyes softened a bit as they fell upon the one person who seemingly would always need her help. Mammon. He was sulking against the wall near one of the windows, arms crossed over themselves as the moonlight highlighted his white hair.  In fact, all of him seemed to gleam a bit in the eternal night. While the ball was still going on, she couldn’t obviously get Asmo’s request which would make him pact with her. After all, she could convince him to get over his denial about wanting to dance. She had just danced with Diavolo after all and convincing him it would be a benefit to him would be easy. Perhaps… Just one more dance couldn’t hurt. 

[cyberkevvideo]

Throne of Night Theory Builds Part 10: The Drama Creating Doppelganger

In August 2015, Gary McBride of Fire Mountain Games released the cover of Book 6 for Throne of Night, and discussed how there’d be a doppelganger that would meet up with the adventuring party and “has a critical part to play in the drama that unfolds beneath in the depths of the earth.” He also made sure to be vague about the gender, so my assumption is that this particular doppelganger has no gender. You’re seeing it more and more lately, and Pathfinder was definitely do its part in taking down the gender walls. I made sure that the stat block today reflects that.

This one’s going to be short and sweet as it’s after 6 am here. Need to at least try and get some semblance of a normal sleep schedule despite fighting off a cold. Fun times.

All images shared here were done by the forever fantastic and amazingly talented Michael D. Clarke, aka SpiralMagus.

EDIT: Like other parts I’ve released, I promise to clean up the stats later. For now I’m posting this as-is. Late for an appointment. Still working on things with the laptop and not my desktop, unfortunately.

All that’s mentioned in the update from four years ago is what I put in quotations above and that the doppelganger should be showing up “later” in the AP. It’s fairly vague, but given what you’ll likely have to be doing in Book 4, I’m going to assume that, that’s when you meet this individual.

The build uses a couple of things from Ultimate Intrigue. I’m told it’s OGL, but I’m not 100% on that. I’m not looking to publish this so I’ll likely be fine, but my editor always said that if if you’re unsure then to always release all the info on abilities, etc, just to be safe. That’s what he does for his books. Well, did. We’re done with that now and are going as homebrew as possible.

My idea for this creature is that they are infiltrating the drow city in Book 4. Thought maybe they could lay low and live the comfortable life, but soon realized they bit off more than they could chew and is scrambling to not get caught. Can’t use darkness unfortunately, but can use dancing lights and faerie fire, and that’s likely more than enough. Even managed to find a partially used wand of darkness should the need arise. At least, it is for now. Thankfully a party of dwarves/drow are also infiltrating the city, and this is just the chance that doppelganger has been looking for.

Without further ado, the doppelganger that could make or break the adventure.

Just a couple of notes: I’m pretty sure my Sleight of Hand is correct. I’ll have to double check the math, but it might be off by 2 points. As well, I was short on damage, attack to-hit, and hit points, so I increased the racial HD by +1. Pretty sure this individual is supposed to be an ally/new cohort, so I didn’t want to make them too high for HD or else no one could have them for Leadership purposes. Finally, the name, Iden, is from a name generator that jokingly shortened it from “Identical”, and I liked it enough to keep it.

IDEN THE ECHO (CR 12; 19,200 XP) Nonbinary unique Advanced doppelganger rogue (spy) 4/mesmerist (enigma) 1/master spy 5 N Medium monstrous humanoid (shapechanger) Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +21 DEFENSE AC 28, touch 18, flat-footed 20 (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +5 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural) hp 151 (15 HD; 5d10+10d8+79) Fort +11, Ref +18, Will +16 Defensive Abilities concealed thoughts, evasion, slippery mind, uncanny dodge; Immune charm, sleep OFFENSE Speed 30 ft. Melee +1 merciful sap +19/+14/+9 (2d6+8 nonlethal) or      2 claws +19 (1d8+8) Ranged dagger +16 (1d4+7/19–20) Special Attacks hypnotic stare (enigmatic stare, solipsism), sneak attack +4d6 Spell-Like Abilities (CL 18th; concentration +22)   At will—detect thoughts (DC 16) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th; concentration +8)   3/day—dancing lights Master Spy Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +9)   Constant—nondetection   2/day—magic aura Mesmerist Spells (CL 1st; concentration +5)   1st (2/day)—detect secret doors, faerie fire   0 (at will)—detect magic, mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic STATISTICS Str 24, Dex 21, Con 20, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 18 Base Atk +11; CMB +18; CMD 36 Feats Combat Expertise, Deceitful, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Feint, Iron Will, Power Attack, Sap Adept, Sap Master Skills Acrobatics +19, Appraise +16, Bluff +35 (+39 while using change shape ability), Climb +15, Diplomacy +11, Disable Device +16 (+18 with tools), Disguise +27 (+47 while using change shape ability), Escape Artist +18, Linguistics +12, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +8, Knowledge (engineering) +10, Knowledge (local) +14, Knowledge (nobility) +10, Knowledge (religion) +8, Perception +21, Sense Motive +19, Sleight of Hand +16, Stealth +28, Use Magic Device +15; Racial Modifiers +4 Bluff, +4 Disguise Languages Abyssal, Common, Dwarven, Drow Sign Language, Elven, Gnome, Skis'raal, Undercommon SQ art of deception +5, change shape (alter self), elude detection, glib lie (DC 20),mask alignment, master of disguise, mesmerist trick (mesmeric mirror), mimicry, perfect copy, poison use, rogue talents (combat rogue, minor magic), skilled liar +2, superficial knowledge, veiled steps +1 Combat Gear wand of cure light wounds (15 charges), wand of darkness (8 charges); Other Gear +2 glamered shadow leather armor, +1 merciful sap, dagger (4), amulet of mighty fists +1, ring of protection +2, belt of the weasel, buffering cap, headband of intuition, concealable thieves’ tools, wrist sheath SPECIAL ABILITIES Enigmatic Stare (Su) The target of an enigma’s hypnotic stare takes a –4 penalty on Perception checks to notice the enigma. This ability replaces painful stare. Mimicry (Ex) A doppelganger is proficient in all weapons, armor, and shields. In addition, a doppelganger can use any spell trigger or spell completion item as if the spells were on its spell list. Its caster level is equal to its racial Hit Dice. Perfect Copy (Su) When a doppelganger uses change shape, it can assume the appearance of specific individuals. Solipsism (Su) Whenever the enigma uses hypnotic stare on a creature, instead of applying a penalty on the creature’s saving throws, the enigma begins to fade from the creature’s view. Until the enigma’s next turn, the enigma gains the effects of concealment against that creature (unless it can see invisible creatures). Starting on the enigma’s next turn, he gains the effect of invisibility against that creature. These effects last as long as the enigma continues to use his hypnotic stare, but if he takes an action that would end invisibility, it ends his hypnotic stare immediately. The enigma can reinstate this effect whenever he wishes, but each time it begins with 1 round of concealment. This ability alters hypnotic stare. Veiled Steps (Ex) An enigma gains a bonus to their Stealth checks equal to 1/4 their mesmerist level (minimum +1). This ability replaces consummate liar.

[moonraccoon-exe]

In the school pickup line today, Coldplay's Viva la Vida came on and I thought of Ardyn. "It was the wicked and wild wind; blew down the doors to let me in. Shattered windows and the sound of drums, people couldn't believe what I'd become. Revolutionaries wait for my head on a silver plait. Just a puppet on a lonely string; oh who would ever want to be king?"

Sacred moogles above, I hadn’t noticed this!!!!!!! .A.

And so much more of the song’s lyrics fit him a bit too drastically well…

I used to rule the worldSeas would rise when I gave the wordNow in the morning, I sleep aloneSweep the streets I used to own

As is Ardyn, when he was a healer. Sure, maybe he was still heir to the throne, not exactly ruling it, but people followed him much more dearly than they followed Somnus. In some way, Ardyn was at the top of the world, metaphorically made the seas rise if he so said.Only to be taken from it, sent to absolute isolation and, later on, being a no one, a random stranger, a poor whatever in the streets of the kingdom that was supposed to be his.

I used to roll the diceFeel the fear in my enemy’s eyesListen as the crowd would singNow the old king is dead! Long live the king!

This could creepily and darkly fit Somnus most.Roll the dice as in, he used to be the one on control, choosing where to go even if he himself wasn’t sure about the results his actions were having, but taking the lead anyway.Feel the fear in his enemy���s eyes…because sometimes they weren’t even enemies. Sometimes they were weaponless, because, sometimes, they were the people. The common people whose only mistake was to be ill, or suspected to be sick. And Somnus must have grown a popularity of burning those with the scourge, so I can imagine people feared him at least a bit when they saw him approach.And the two last bits…the crowd singing the old king is dead, long live the king.Because that’s exacty what happened.Because as much as people could have feared Somnus in a beginning, those free of the scourge started praising him. And, as we know, they all started daemonizing Ardyn when the secret of his daemonification came out. The man chosen to be king, who they saw as a king even if just for a bit, turned a demon.So of course the people would celebrate his death.Sing about it; sing about ‘the old king’ dying as a celebration, and wishing “Long live” to the new king because they saw him as a merciful, righteous one.

One minute I held the keyNext the walls were closed on meAnd I discovered that my castles standUpon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

Back to Ardyn, who used to hold the metaphorical key of Lucis; used to be its savior, its main man, its…caretaker, to put it some way. Ardyn, who looked upon them one minute, and in the next one, the walls were closed on me.Because Angelgard’s prison is nothing but that; walls. Walls that were closed on Ardyn, almost asphyxiatingly, imprisoning him.And Ardyn discovers that his ‘castle’ stands upon pillars of salt and sand, because that’s what he can smell and see and that’s where he is. He’s on an island; the smell of salt from the close ocean, the sand of the island, and him, on the “throne” of his “castle”; a castle that is not a castle, but a mere metaphor of an echo of one.

For some reason I can’t explainOnce you go there was never, never a honest wordAnd that was when I ruled the world

I don’t think I’m reading on the original meaning too well, but these felt like some painful bits for Ardyn’s process of thought.“For some reason I can’t explain”. Just that alone. Just that speaks of the real weight of Ardyn’s burden; not understanding why. Unable to see the reason of why he was chosen to live what he lived, be given what he’s given. He doesn’t understand. And I think that’s horribly painful.“There was never a honest word”, because need I explain Bahamut, goddammit. I mean, he was honest, boldly really, but he could have told Ardyn from the beginning what he was meant to do instead of lying and going with the whole ‘you’ll be loved and praised and bring light!’ just so, once corrupted in darkness, he couldn’t say no. FUCK.

It was a wicked and wild windBlew down the doors to let me inShattered windows and the sound of drumsPeople couldn’t believe what I’d become

I don’t even think this needs any explanation so we all can see the relation with Ardyn. A wicked and wild wind blowing the doors open, like the aggressive way it all came out; Somnus’ way of snatching the throne, Ardyn’s daemon form coming out when people had not a single clue about the slightest symptom of it in their healer. A wicked and wild wind, like Bahamut’s plan; it feels twisted and wicked, but, as a ‘wind’, something untouchable, how can you say no even when you try?And people couldn’t believe what I’d become…more than clear.

Revolutionaries waitFor my head on a silver plateJust a puppet on a lonely stringOh, who would ever want to be king?

Just because they weren’t fighting the still non existent monarchy doesn’t mean the people from Ardyn’s days weren’t revolutionaries. Fighting in arms or big scale for a change is already revolution.Yes, fighting the Scourge and seeing the Astrals about to choose a king sounds pretty revolutionary to me.And so are the people that once were on Ardyn’s side, only to switch to Somnus’ later due to seeing in Ardyn a demon. The promise? Seeing him dead. They are waiting to see Ardyn’s head on a silver plate.And the one that probably suits and hurts the most:Just a puppet on a lonely string.As Ardyn was to Bahamut. Bahamut and his bullshit, taking people’s fate and twisting them into tragedies that the people are unable to deny. Ardyn was never a king, or a healer, or even a person with free will like all other millions. He was a puppet on a lonely string; a puppet handled to the will of the god, with nothing and no one else. Who would ever want to be king? Who would, after knowing all this bullshit. Who would, after knowing what the ring demands, what the magic demands, what the line of the Caelum have to go through. Really. As cool as the concept sounds, knowing all that Bahamut puts them through...who would want to be king?

[…] I know Saint Peter won’t call my nameNever an honest wordBut that was when I ruled the world

Because taking the metaphor of the catholic Saint Peter, who welcomes the souls into heaven, this is a way to say that Ardyn is not going to be allowed into the happy afterlife. Because he was a bad man. He was ‘evil’. Even when he wasn’t meant to be, or when he didn’t want to, Bahamut made him the evil one. And so, through lies, Ardyn, who was good, was forced to be evil, and later on he was denied a good fate for being evil. Like he chose it. Like Bahamut didn’t trick him into it. Like he hasn’t had enough, like he deserves it.

Gods dang it. It’s been a while since I last listened to this song, but I’m pretty sure that even if I had listened to it recently, I wouldn’t have made this brilliant connection as you did. Who’d have thought it fits so creepily much? 

Woah....thanks for sharing this discovery. I’m still thinking a lot about it!!

[fictionerd]

Good to see you, friends!

Please merciful gods... if any are listening, let me get caught up today. The sooner I can get on a proper schedule the better off I’ll be. Having a single show per day to write about would be great. Pretty please.

If you want it so badly quit praying and get synopsizing already I have some frustrations to vent. 

Full agreement. Less invoking higher powers and more talking about the show. Last time we had a god-thing visit the library it did NOT go well.

Don’t you have the thing suspended in a giant tube full of glowy green liquid powering something in your workshop?

Yes, but the damn thing nearly tore a hole in the library and all but ripped off one of your wings in the process. Remember that?

Yeah... yeah point taken. No more invocations. Time to talk about Kimetsu no Yaiba.

Synopsis: Our hero is the kid who looks horrified in the eyecatch. His name is Tanjiro, and his life is about to be fucked sideways by Murphy’s law.

Tanjiro lives alone on a mountain with his mother and FIVE siblings. Their dad apparently passed away sometime before the series began. One thing I can tell about Tanjiro is that he’s apparently spec’d into every Charisma skill he can. Dude’s a people magnet and seems to be an all-around nice guy. 

One day Tanjiro takes a load of Charcoal into town to sell. There he’s shown to be rather well liked and trusted, as stated above. On his way home, however, he’s stopped by some old dude and told not to go all the way home because it’s dangerous. He’s all like, “Nah, it’s cool my passive perception is BEAST”

“Get your ass in my shack, kid. There’s demons about what’ll use you for bubblegum and the last thing I need in my nightmares is the image of your face stretched over three feet of bubble yum.”

So Tanjiro, being the people person he is, obliges the old man. He wrangles a free meal out of the deal and quietly goes to sleep. He is rewarded for this by getting home the next day to find his entire family torn apart like a bunch of poorly-guarded pinatas at a five-year-old’s birthday party. He, naturally, fails his will save and freaks the FUCK out. However, it seems that not all the eldest of his younger siblings (That was a sentence) is still alive! 

Our hero does what any good TTRPG hero would do in his situation: Grabs his sister and starts booking it in the direction of town looking for a doctor. All’s going well until his GM rolls some dice behind the screen and winces.

So his sister has gone demon. Show of hands who’s suprised? Ah, no one it seems. You must have read the series synopsis same as I. That’d be why I’m leaning into the D&D metaphor so hard here. I need to do SOMETHING to differentiate this bit.

So Tanjiro is keeping it cool. He’s just barely making the strength checks he needs to keep his now demonic sister from using his intestines as sausage casings when the GM does another hidden luck roll and sends in a demon hunter to save his ass. 

Of course Tanjiro is kinda partial to keeping his sister alive, demon or not.. TJ is absolutely no match for the big-dick demon hunter, so he leans into his Persuasion checks and manages to sway the demon hunter just enough to piss him off. Hunts McGee tries to give TJ the “Hard Truths” of the whole demon biz, and taking cues from the NPC TJ goes for complicated set of bluffing tactics to try and catch the guy off guard and save his sister. These ALMOST succeed in decapitating the Demon hunter and ACTUALLY succeed at getting Demon-Sis free. The GM decides to offer one last out and rolls a final luck check... Which resolves OVERWHELMINGLY in TJ’s favor. Demon-Sis, instead of chowing on his face, Turns and starts protecting him from Hunts McGee. 

The GM decides to roll with this as the plotline and tells TJ to go seek out a new NPC who might have a lead on how to heal his sister’s demonitis.

Aria’s Thoughts: I REALLY didn’t like the demon hunter’s “Only the mighty have a chance at success” schtick. He might be right to one degree or another, but COME ON, dude. The kid’s just had the worst day of his life. He’s seen his entire family turned into hamburger helper. He nearly got eaten by his sister. YOU showed up and threatened to kill her. If I were “TJ” as Fic has named him I’m pretty sure I’d be fucked up to the point of begging too. That or so pissed I tore his throat out myself before using the knowledge he just gave me to join my sister in Demon-hood. Could go either way personally.

Do we need to talk about some shit, Aria?

I’m being realistic here. It’s not like the Demons are particularly evil. At the very least Nezuko (Whose name you never said btw) just seemed to be hungry. Also, before Justine can bring it up: Yeah I know that the Demon Hunter was just testing TJ. They did a decent job making it clear that was the case, but still fuck the whole “Only the strong survive” bullshit.

Justine’s Thoughts: This was a fantastic show. Despite hand-drawn characters being placed in at least partially CG backgrounds nothing seemed too out of place. I do have questions what time period this is supposed to be taking place in since the town they showed in this episode appeared to have power lines. As far as atmosphere goes, however, the episode did a great job delivering. They telegraph the shift in tone hard, but it doesn’t feel forced. The way the music shifts when Tanjiro discovers what’s left of his family struck some mainline of emotional resonance and really sold the moment. Personally I’m looking forward to more. Can we just go watch some more? Like right now?

Actually yeah. We’re a week behind on this one so it’s double feature time.

Oh, sweet. To be continued, folks.

See you in a bit!

[aticklishtem]

To Chase the Blues Away

((heyyy, I’m alive, sorta!! A very belated request for @mylittlemystery ^^;; sorry for the wait, darling, I hope you like it!! <3 ))

Some days, being the Devil didn’t seem like as much fun as it used to be.

Sure, he still had the kind of power most folks would sell their souls for at the tips of his claws. He still had an army of loyal, if occasionally incompetent minions to do his bidding – and of course, he still had the casino, drawing in the suckers to empty their coins like moths to a flame, even if they weren’t always bringing in the big bucks like the good old days.

The good old days before those two little finks played him at his own game, and ever since something had shifted. A couple dozen deadbeats getting bailed out may not have made that much difference in the long term – he had a sizeable stash of souls accumulated over the years – but nonetheless, as the contracts burned the Devil felt a little of his power, his control over Inkwell slip away, and it unsettled him more than he cared to admit. The idea of no longer commanding the unquestioned fear and respect he deserved was as horrifying as it was infuriating – he was the goddamned Devil, there wasn’t a soul in the land who could take that away from him – and although he was determined to claw back that control, some days it was all just too much. The slightest thing would niggle on his last nerve, and sometimes one innocuous comment from a casino employee was enough provoke a tirade of abuse. He’d rant and rave and wave his trident to let off steam, until he had the whole room cowering behind their tables. Call the Devil old-fashioned, but sometimes a fella just needed to see the terror in his underlings’ eyes as they grovelled at his feet and begged him to spare their wretched lives.

Other days, though, his emotions proved a tad more troublesome.

The Devil sat in his office, grinding his teeth together as he flicked through a pile of paperwork, searching for a contract – Salt, wasn’t it? It had been years, but he reckoned it was time to call in some old favours – if he could only find the blasted thing. What twit had organised this place? Couldn’t any of these imbeciles he’d magnanimously spared from eternal damnation do anything right?! Letting out a growl, he got up from his desk and started pulling out files, drawers, everything else on the shelves as the frustration boiled in his blood, bubbling closer to erupting the further he seemed from getting anywhere.

As if that wasn’t testing him enough, he also had the imps he’d been foolish enough to let tag along scuttling about under his feet, chasing each other, climbing up the Devil’s chair and onto his shoulders and tugging at his fur while they all chattered at once:

“Booossss, whatcha doin’?”

“Is that a soul? I wanna soul!”

“Is it lunchtime yet? I’m hungryyy…”

“Boss, can we have some chips? I wanna go play –”

“Would you all just shut yer pieholes?!” the Devil finally bellowed, the force of his rage sending out a shockwave of magic that licked flames up the walls and swept everything clean off his desk – including the imps, who tumbled to the floor in a shrieking heap. Four pairs of eyes gazed up at him in stunned silence, wide and fearful, but it didn’t give the Devil the satisfaction he craved. Instead, as the youngest imp blinked, its lower lip starting to wobble, the red-hot rage prickled behind his eyes, and – oh no…

“P-Papa…?”

That pitiful whimper did it: the dam burst, the Devil almost choking on the sudden lump in his throat as he slammed his fists down on his desk. “Enough out of you! Go! Scram!”

He waved a hand to teleport them swiftly back to Hell before they could protest – even though this ridiculous surge of tenderness made him want nothing more than to scoop his boys into a hug and tell them he was sorry, he never meant to hurt them (well, to seriously hurt them), but he couldn’t possibly let them see him break down. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be – he was the Devil, for pete’s sake! He should be able to command anything he wanted, not be at the mercy of his unpredictable emotions like some kind of pathetic mortal. First he gets walloped by a couple of kids, and now it felt like his empire was crumbling around him, and it just...damn it, it wasn’t fair!

The Devil unleashed an anguished wail, the tears finally breaking free as he collapsed back into his chair, his whole body shaking with great, ugly, shuddering sobs. They kept on coming, rolling down his cheeks, soaking his fur and splashing onto the long-forgotten paperwork, but he didn’t care – let ‘em all go to Hell, they had it coming anyway. He buried his head in his hands and let all the frustration pour out of him, lost in a haze of self-pity, until he was rudely interrupted by a knock on his door.

“I’m busy!” he snarled, in the most ferocious roar that should’ve sent anyone running for the hills – so naturally, King Dice just waltzed on in like it was his own office.

“Don’t look too busy to me. I thought you might wanna see today’s numbers - business is up from…” Dice trailed off, his sharp eyes flicking from the shelves turned upside down to the papers scattering the floor before landing on the Devil, in all his red-eyed, matted-furred glory, and he lifted an eyebrow somewhere between curiosity and concern. “Yeesh. What happened here?”

“Nothing! All under control!” the Devil snapped, furiously rubbing his eyes with one hand and unsuccessfully shooing Dice away with the other. “You can show me later – go get back to work and make yourself useful!”

“Sorry, boss – no can do,” Dice answered with a shrug, calm as if he was dealing with a petulant child rather than the embodiment of evil itself. He walked over, picking up the papers and shuffling them into a neat pile on the Devil’s desk. “What kinda right-hand man would I be if I left you here in such a state, hmm? Hey,” he added, more gently, “don’t blow your wig – it’s gonna be okay. Them cupfaces ain’t seen the last of us. The chumps’ll come back – they always do. We’ll be swimmin’ in the dough again before you know it.”

The Devil grumbled half-heartedly, deliberating giving him what for for daring to disobey an order, but then Dice placed a comforting hand on his head, stroking soothingly through his fur, and he couldn’t help but lean into the touch. As humiliating as it was to be caught bawling his eyes out, he had to admit the fella was good with his hands, and he always seemed to know just how to calm him down. He felt the tension start to melt away as gloved fingers got to work massaging his shoulders, letting out a few contented purrs followed by a sigh of pleasure when they targeted a particularly tight spot at the base of his neck.

It was only when Dice’s fingers moved higher, touch just a little too light, that he started to twitch, biting his lip to hold back any embarrassing noises while fighting the urge to scrunch up his neck. He’d almost convinced himself he could endure it – right up until Dice brushed the tender spot below his ear and the Devil jerked, a snort he couldn’t quite muffle slipping past his lips.

“Everything okay there, boss?” He could just hear the smirk in Dice’s voice – he knew exactly what he was doing, and the Devil knew he’d left himself much too vulnerable. “You seem a little...jumpy.”

“Dice.” The Devil lifted his head to glare at him, but the stupid wobbly smile tugging at the corner of his mouth threatened to betray him as the tension resurfaced in the form of anticipatory butterflies fluttering in his stomach. “Don’t you dare – you better not be thinking about trying…”

“Don’t what, boss? I’ve no idea what you mean.” Dice ran a fingertip over the pointed curve of the Devil’s ear, sending a shiver down his spine. “All I’m trying to do his help you relax – unless you’re telling me you’re too ticklish to take even this…”

The Devil opened his mouth to threaten him, but Dice’s fingers dug into the sweet spot behind his ear and all that flew out was a stream of unfittingly angelic giggles as he scritched away with just the right amount of pressure.

“Well, hi-de-ho, here we go!” Dice crooned, his teasingly triumphant sing-song almost melting the Devil into a furiously blushing puddle. “There’s that smile again. You’re looking much happier already – good to know this no-good lackey’s still good for somethin’, huh?”

“Dihihihihice!” the Devil spluttered, arms flailing wildly as he attempted to bat his hands away - but that only worsened his predicament, as Dice seized his paw, holding it captive in one hand while those fiendishly skilled fingers skittered over his ribs and scribbled mercilessly into his newly exposed armpit; the Devil should’ve overpowered him easily, but he was even weaker from the uncontrollable cackles reverberating through the room than from his earlier outpouring of emotion. “You just wahahahahait – Ihihihihi’m gonna –”

“You’re gonna what, boss, hmm? Laugh for me?” Dice purred, his warm breath in the Devil’s ear tickling him in tandem with his devious fingers performing every dirty trick they knew. “I sure hope so, ‘cause I’ve been missin’ that sweet laugh of yours. Been waiting to get my hands on this deliciously ticklish tum���” He squeezed his sides and the Devil yelped, lost to helpless hysterics as Dice’s fingers raked through his fur to tease the agonisingly sensitive skin underneath, pinching and poking and swirling around his navel before digging into the money spot. “Just imagine if the folks out there could see you now, the big, bad king of Hell, meanest and toughest in the land – but I know the truth. You’re just my ticklish li’l kitty, aren’t ya? Aren’t ya?”

The tears were still streaming down the Devil’s cheeks thick and fast – but now for an entirely different reason, and when Dice leaned down to rub his face lovingly into his trembling fur, nuzzling and nibbling at every bit of skin he could reach, he came completely undone.

“Y-yehehehehehes!” the Devil bleated, pounding his fist desperately against his desk as Dice smothered his belly with part kisses, part raspberries, but every bit too ticklish to stand for much longer. He only realised what he’d admitted to when they eased off and Dice stood up, grinning from pip to pip at having apparently heard the answer he wanted.

“There, now, doesn’t that feel better?” he cooed, emerald eyes sparkling with sadistic satisfaction and affection as he cupped the Devil’s burning cheeks in his gloves, thumbs stroking over the tear trails in his fur before pressing a brief but tender kiss to his nose. “No more tears.”“Youhuhuhu - dirty, cheatin’, sneaky, no-good…” The Devil rubbed at his arms, trying to shake off the lingering tingles along with his goofy smile while gathering his breath and dignity; Dice just chuckled and preened at his choice descriptors as if they were the highest praise – which, coming from the Devil, maybe they were. “Listen. If you tell anyone about this…”

He didn’t specify whether he meant the crying or the tickling – neither were exactly fitting for his fearsome reputation – but Dice nodded, miming zipping up his mouth and pressing a finger to his lips.

“Wouldn’t dream of tellin’ a soul, boss. Why would I, when I can have you like this all to myself?” He winked as he caught the Devil’s eye, fluttering his fingers before disappearing back into the hallway. “Catch ya later.”

The door swung shut and the Devil leaned back in his chair with a long-suffering yet contented sigh, smoothing his claws through his ruffled fur before resuming his work. They’d see who caught who later, alright, his usual scheming grin creeping back into place just thinking about the fun they’d have. The Devil always gave back a thousand times worse than he got – he did have that diabolical reputation to maintain.

And, just maybe, there was still a hell of a lot to love about his job after all.

[coffeeselfies]

This is technically the “I think I need coffee,” selfie, but it’s been so long since I’ve posted that I figured anything was better than nothing.

I’m still trying to sleep through the inspiration of a very wonderful Bob Goff.

I. love. him.

But on to darker things, like my not-so-distant past!

Hahaha. So I was looking for an old assignment I e-mailed myself, and instead found a bunch of cryptic-heavy things I had texted one of my rarely used e-mails from my phone.

So of course I’m going to put them together, here, since I will probably just lose them otherwise. And because everyone on the internet loves reading the things I e-mail to, well, myself (WAIT, DO I NOT HAVE FRIENDS, WHAT IS MY LIFE). :p

4/12/12 - A veces no quiero hablar Por Nada con mis amigos. Solamente, "Hoy me dice ,estas loca, pero le esta loco a Juan!" Y mas Nada. Yo quiero hablar about cosas lejas. Ayer y Hoy hable con jean y veronika, solamente small talk primer. Pero despues, yo decido hablar about the things which I was.actually thinking about lately, the deeper layers. My thoughts were kind of awkward. Random. But I'm so glad I did, it lead to such good convos! As if, although my own thoughts or specific revelation (another one about love, of course), but led to true, sincere convos from the heart. Yes! Thank you, Lord. It's funny how I won't open up and ill get frustrated at the lack of depth in a conversation, yet really all I need to do in some cases is just jump right into the true issues. Ahh small talk kills me.

3/4/12 - He asked us a few questions: Who are you using?

How are you using them?

Physically. Sexually. Emotionally. Spiritually. Monetarily.

How can you restore that? Who's using you? Do you love money, and use people?

Or do you love people, and use money?

5/9/12 I think my id and superego are in conflict... I prefer that psychological term to saying that right vs wrong or my flesh is in rebellion, I guess. I just want to do all sorts of things that aren't of God, and i don't even know what to do. I think I need to just remember that life is short, and not about what I want. I'm getting too caught up in the worldly details, my visions going, my path, every time I think I'm expanding it, is getting more and more limited. Goodnight, from post Dave n busters with cartel, post umsl, going to school tmrw. 

5/17/12 - "Can you keep a secret?" I should have realized by now that this question should be answered with fear and heaviness rather than curiosity.

5/29/12 - I dreamt that, after they thought I had left, my parents started fighting. Loudly, viciously, hatefully. I came down shouting, 'stop it, stop it!!' But their heads were already covered in blood, as I'd they were going to kill eachother. I never found out if they stopped or not, because dad called to me in real life from the other room. At first I wondered if I had really been shouting, and that's why he had contacted me, but no, it was just about bulk trash being today. Something sounds like its gnawing on something, I can hear and feel the vibrations of it through my pillow. Creepy. 

6/4/12 - I have always been a compassionate person – making little houses for wounded snakes and worms – befriending the kid who’s got no one but himself for company, partnering with the girl who doesn’t really speak English. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve recognized that God has been faithful in granting me patience, mercy, and grace as well, and I know that these are not my own,  but I am meant to share them with the very people God has give me a heart for – the downtrodden, broken, and outcast, and ultimately just humanity in general.  This has, more or less, been my (more recent) life pursuit. To follow God’s Will for my life, regardless of where it takes me. So far that has meant giving hope to weary and often lost travelers of Amsterdam, mentoring at risk juveniles and raising awareness for human trafficking in Los Angeles, running English and Summer-School programs for Chinese immigrants in New York City, training and creating jobs for families in Haiti, as well as hosting events and creating opportunities for girls to leave brothels , learning how to run a business in Mexico while also helping out at various orphanages for disabled Children, and even just being there for my own family and friends when they’ve needed it most. It has meant months of Ministry Training schools, years of living in International Community Houses, working in roles that range from administration, to construction, to managerial, and an ever growing reliance on and relationship with Jesus Christ.I’ve been back in Saint Louis for a year now,

7/1/12 - Today started strangely, my head still a little blurry from the wine from the night before. I went to church, very late, where daren had a cupcake waiting for me. Why? Because Tuesday I had admitted I had experienced some downer bdays and he realized that it was my half birthday. Mom came, cried, we hugged, went to the church picnic.. I went home, told dad about her accident, and he just started weeping, so hard that his nose began to.bleed. I stroked his hair and.got a bit teary eyed.and then we got.on our knees and prayed... Later was feeling down and missing Luke, but jean got me out.

11/11/12 - And with your hands in the air, your feet barely touching ground, I take that smile to mean that life is finally turning 'round. And we laugh til we cry and we dance til we cant, and I feel free as can be each time I see that gleam in your eye. Then the secrets come out and its less about being blessed and more about a high. So when you're dancing I'm wondering if that's you, and when you're singing, I know you would be singing.the blues... But that gleam in your eye, well really its more of a glaze all along, I just saw what I wanted as you,strung me along. 

12/20/12 -

Well the queens off her throne Hiding in a stairwell Feet strewn about the stairs Seeming barely aware That her kingdom awaits The king, divorced long ago He's crying Where's his iron fist? Seems he's traded it for sentiment "Pathetic!" He might self accuse If only his tears would let him Seems everything's a dream these days, Some hellish, some sweet But all 

--

I used to find the idea of receiving a text in the middle of the night strange.

Now, after years of practice, I find it comforting, perhaps a reminder that I am not so alone as I would feel.

I hadn't realized this, of course, until now.

Now, when I wake up to nothing but darkness and my own thoughts.

Now, when, regardless of whether I toss myself awake at 2am or 4am, there is no message.

There's nothing to reassure me that there's another person in this world who is awake and eager to share a moment, even a small, electronic message with me.

1/11/13 - Today Gave my testimony. Adopt a block, played ninja. Eva likes hanging out with Christians. I break rules and have real convos with the disciples. Play bs. Go to angelus temple. Do food distribution. Met hosea who talked to us because he thought I was pretty, was super catholic, thought tim was my bf, etc etc etc

1/29/13 - Oh hi, I'm feeling cold and pathetic, and thought I would ... Email myself. That seems fitting. Somehow emailing yourself feels much more pathetic than just journaling. Right now I feel like I wish anyone, absolutely anyone , would sit down across from me. Even the old creepy man who, after asking a few non essential questions, left me for the warmth of the indoors, or... I don't know, a donut. Why do I feel like this.Lord? Is it because I am not so busy in school? Is it because Adam moved and despite the fact that I was barely hanging out with him last semester anyway, he was a crutch, and knowing that at 1am when I feel pathetic and lonely and confused, I can't even text someone I know would care? I mean. I know others would care. But we aren't exactly on that level just yet. What is my life? Why am I this way, and why do I want attention for it? Or why do I feel the need to find someone who would , what, save me ? From myself.? From my thoughts? Why am I seeking comfort in shallow things, the wings of friends and acquaintences and , frick, anything. Whywhywhywhy. I don't know. Is this what life is like for people? Lord, you are the one God, the only thing worth it, you are good when no one else is, am I getting caught up in things that I shouldn't, what am I even going on about? Life life life. It's all good, right

2/13/13 - (From a voice to text translator)

tomorrow I'm supposed to have an awkward cuddling session with my love scene manager and a love my phone from church I'm not sure how I get myself into these awkward situations but I definitely am good at it office tomorrow my uncle is moving in for a month but should be really awkward and I wish that I had a lock on my door and the house I'm learning that the things that I desire to have a find myself feeling empty when I do get them but I'm happy about it because it gets me clarity because it shows me that nothing else really matters is just kind of in my head really got the only thing that matters is the only thing I should pursue S I miss Adam I know you won't hang out that much before you left but now I guess I'm missing him double I don't know I don't know what I mean exactly but he's been gone a few weeks now and it's weird not having a best friend to talk to you about everything I have a lot of friends I have a lot of good friends but this is different it is different when you have someone who knows so much about you already and you don't have to tell the back story every time you tell them a new story because I already know who so I'm so is or why you feel that way or white was a bad idea that you did that so I'm also giving up ice cream and I'll call for lunch and I'm going to be time to eat a lot better subject tomorrow hopefully that I've also really just been wanting to be free of employment just live and everyday wake up and say what I want to do without help homeless people if I want to make something I want to sell another day love you babe I wanna go out with a friend I make my card I definitely don't want to spend 5 shifts a week at cartel but at the same time I don't feel like I'm self disciplined enough to not have a job I'm just getting tired of the creepers and the internet the kids off work as well as yeah I don't know ent from my HTC on the Now Network from Sprint!

8/18/13 -

Woke up really missing my dad. Go figure. Able to properly seduce emotions into a flat, shruggable denial ever since those first few days, and now, on the day I hoped to "stay strong" the most, I can't stop thinking of part of the song he wrote for Rachel, only now in regards to him - "I miss you, in the summertime.. I miss you, in the wintertime.. I miss you - all the time. I love my Rachel Sue." Only.. Daddy-o, or something. Ahhh.. Thank you, Lord, for such a kind father. Please help today glorify your name, run smoothly.. its so obvious we can't do it without you.

8/19/13 - I miss my dad. I am sad that I'll never have him burst in my room in November at three am with pancakes and lit birthday candles because he started thinking about some of the birthdays of mine he had missed, and wanted us to be able to celebrate  together. I can't drink milk or even look at rootbeer without hearing him ask for some, so eagerly, and then sigh 'mmmm, now that's good,' so contentedly after his first sip. I miss that his crazy stories are not going to be things that I share in everyday conversation with my friends, because they're all old stories and it will seem out of place. who do i have to talk to about my dad? no one. it makes everyone sad. theres no one to just share his life with, aside from close family, and that will be limited. Everyone keeps telling me I'm so strong. What does that mean?I'm strong because I didn't start sobbing when I spoke? Because I'm smiling and laughing with you? Is that strength or disposition? Blake said that I was handling this better than anyone he's ever seen deal with death. What does that mean? 

12/13/13

I see a sadness in your eyes.Behind the words, another message.The weight of your world becomes tangible, heavy, a thickness that weights me like a fog rolling in with, strapping invisible bricks to my body. Sometimes it's your words, blatant and straightforward, other times it's the sighs, the eyes that flash with emotion for just a moment, Did you know that's been seen? So many words, how can they be contained? I hear things you've never said, I see 

1/03/14-

I've tried reflecting on 2013.. tried finding words which could somehow, miraculously encapsulate all of the growth, struggle, joy, depression, transformation, and experiences that it contained. It will be one of the most memorable years of my life, for many reasons, but it may also be one of those years that the full impact of may be lost on me for awhile now.In the past few weeks, I've been looking through journals, photos, and letters, remembering and realizing exactly how many changes this year has brought. Led my first missions trip, felt the loss of saying goodbye to one of my best friends, discovered what living with not just my dad, but my uncle Ken, five chickens, two cats, two ducks, a dog, and whoever else decided to stay over was like, became the missions director at middletree church, became an AUNT to the most beautiful little Emelia Skye, gained a new set of amazing and wonderful friends, played nurse/daughter/friend/staff member/sister/maid/hopsicecare/barista/student/leader to the point of confused identity and exhaustion, left cartel to become part of the Caife Caife family, DIDN'T leave the country for the first time in yeaaaaars, actually had to turn down exciting travel/jobs, speaking opportunities, and a leadership position with a non-profit (rather than seek them out, like usual), spent 7 months of the year experiencing the beauty, hardship, and love of caring someone who is dying in more and more ways every day, the trauma and release of my dad's actual death, the months following that are nothing but fog, sorrow, and blurred memories, the 14-state family road trip of a lifetime, moving to the Loop with Dani, experiencing being 'home for the holidays' without any actual family to be home with, and .. I don't know.. the Sara of today, who can look back on things only a year ago and find I have a whole new perspective on them. ..I only wrote one public (well, as public as it can be when I have a total of 8, predominately inactive followers) blog post in 2013, mostly talking about overcoming fear to become the person I feel I'm called to be. It was mostly inspired by revelations from the LA Dream Center trip, and I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to look back on the goals and dreams I wanted so desperately to become a reality, and to be able to say that, even through all the changes and sorrow of this year, that they were able to come to fruition. I'm not in to new years resolutions, but I do highly recommend kickstarting your year with an inspiring, transformative experience, which can set the trajectory for how you are going to live, what goals you will meet or fall short of (but still come closer to, which is still GROWTH, something to celebrate!) in the coming adventure of 2014. No matter what 2013 held, don't let fear of who you were just last month keep you from being who you want to be tomorrow. This little blog post is nice for me to re-read, because it reminds me of my fears, and what overcoming them, even one step at a time, can lead to. 2013 was a hard year for me, but it has also brought me to exactly where I feel I'm supposed to be right now. 

1/29/14 - "I'm good" I wore the reassuring words like a blanket. Cover, no, smother whatever was beneath, within.   Protect yourself from the cold, vulnerable words might slip thru the holes in the blanket... exposed means they can feel temperature of your meaning. Heavy, heat from the heart. you can feel their response.  Pray for a warm touch, but there's always risk of icicle daggers

2/19/14

it's just that

I have a lot of thoughts

ideas, fears, ..a lot of places that I'd like to explore

But they feel so heavy when it's just me and them

feels like there’s a lot of trees to climb before i get to the clouds

and I'd like to share them with someone

who cares about them just as much as I do,

someone with just as much to risk,

who understands each side of the story.

And sometimes, I see planets in those eyes,

but have no rocketship to get me there

And I see that depth, but there's just no way to tap in

Im searching for someone to explore with

those infinite galaxies in your mind and mine.

Someone to make sense of it,

write poetry about it

but not get so caught up that it's just us - no

Always God first.

Always seeking his planets, his stars, his truth..

and maybe that's the adventure..

[unholyhelbiglinked]

Summer Society | 005

The knife pushed down against the onion with a satisfying crunch, a thick scent of spice filled the air. It ran across my lungs, my throat burning in response to the fragrant smell.  I let out a long breath, trying to get into the pace of cutting the seventeenth onion of the day. It took a lot to feed dozens of kids. Of course, if they knew that actual vegetables were being worked into the mix of sloppy Joe's and tater tots.

"Scale of one to ten," Jenna asked me, her palm running over the cutting board as she pushed the diced green peppers aside.

"Solid eight," I told her simply.

Troye hadn't shown up today to help Jenna in the kitchen. He didn't usually pull this type of thing, but after my little outburst the other day, I didn't really blame him. It didn't make spending the whole day in a kitchen any easier. I was used to going outside, checking up on everything. Not being cooped up. I didn't see how Jenna could stand it.

"It's not his fault though," I rationalized with myself "he's a kid."

"he stopped being a kid a long time ago."

"So did I." I pointed out, crunching down on the next half of onion. "I think everyone in this camp got a huge wake up call awhile back. You know?"

"Yeah," Jenna scoffed "I do know. Some know more than others I suppose."

I scrunched my face up, not taking my eyes off of my task "How so?"

"Some are left with more trauma then others," Jenna mumbled "take me for example. I can't remember a fucking thing past a day." her voice was riddled with pain, sadness a main theme for this type of conversation.

I let out a shaky sigh, wishing there was a way for me to cure Jenna, or at least give her some type of release instead of this never ending loop of forgetfulness. My gaze moved up from my task for a quick second, a small smile spreading across my lips "Hey, at least you don't run a camp for your mortal enemy."

"Kids are your mortal enemy?" a new voice said from the doorway, catching our attention. I glanced over, the smile still playing at the corners of my mouth. Hannah was holding a coffee cup in her hands, the steam raising from the mug as she took a small sip, careful not to burn her tongue. The smell was intoxicating. I couldn't tell if my senses were overwhelmed by the drink, or by the fresh scent of body wash that she carried with her.

"Oh yeah," I raised an eyebrow "they're the absolute worst."

My voice was riddled with sarcasm, but I couldn't help but know the truth. Kids could be awful. Behind those toothy grins and bright eyes, there was something darker. Not all kids had the potential to be horrible, but the ones I had encountered a long time ago did.

Hannah just chuckled "I wanted to see if you guys needed any help. Cooking is kinda a strong suit for me."

"Really?" Jenna cocked my head to the side "You'd wake up at seven am to help us chop up a bunch of vegetables."

Hannah nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. Her and Jenna hadn't had much contact at all from the looks of it. After all, it had just been a week and the camp was huge.

Jenna scoffed, scooting over to make room for Hannah, who gave us both a grin "By all means Hannah, get to chopping!"

My mind started to wonder as quiet fell back over the room, the only sound coming from the knifes against the wooden cutting board. It was a silent morning, our breathing in sync before Hannah finally spoke.

"Don't take this the wrong way," Hannah started, my eyes moving up to the blue crystal ones that showed so much curiosity. "But what's with this place?"

"Hannah, no sentence that begin with that phrase have ever been good," Jenna looked up at me as I spoke, her eyes flashing in recognition that was so pure even Hannah took notice. "But humor me."

She shrugged "I mean, it's a great camp, don't get me wrong. You and Mamrie do a fantastic job at running this place. It's just- do you ever get the feeling that something is off around here?"

Jenna and I stared at the girl, not exactly knowing what to say. Of course she felt the weight of the secrets this place held, any perceptive person would. I was shocked that Phil hadn't taken notice to all the strange things around here. Dan and Sarah on the other hand, were a little two wrapped up in their own little worlds to care.

"Uh," Jenna brought the knife down on the bell pepper with a small crunch "Nope."

I gave her a sheepish smile as I shrugged. By the expression on her face, I could tell that she wasn't exactly satisfied with us brushing her off. Her blue gaze was gaping, almost like she had so many questions. She probably did. But with that small little exchange, she knew she wouldn't get a thing out of me.

"That's a cool tattoo." Hannah sighed, changing her focus to the small sun marking that rested on Jenna's wrist.

"Oh!" Jenna held up her hand a bit, the sun catching the light "yeah, I forgot I had that."

I chuckled nervously, no one could just forgot they had a tattoo. It didn't work that way. No matter how many times I wanted to scrub the marking off the inside of my forearm, I just couldn't. Hannah's gaze wondered to the one that peaked out from under my rolled up shirt.

My mind was wondering as a warm pain flushed across my thumb. I let out a small grunt as I glanced down at the cut that was on my finger, a bright patch of blood rushing across my palm as Hannah dropped her own blade to her side.

"Oh my god, Grace!" She said, rushing to my side as Jenna raised a brow.

"I'm fine," I rushed to cover my hand with a nearby dish towel, the blood soaking into the white fabric with a splash of rustic blood. The scent was sharp, but I knew Hannah couldn't really notice it past the thick smell of onions.

"No you're not, you just sliced through your hand, let me see."

"Hannah, really." I kept my fingers clamped around the towel "It's just a small scratch."

I relented as her warm hands wrapped around my wrist, she moved the towel away from my palm, the cool air pushing against my already icy hand. The cut was still there, the blood still pooling around the laceration. The skin of my hands were frigid, not necessarily pale, but they were blue. Hannah had never gotten a good look at my hands before, she had only felt them.

She glanced up at me, a bit confused. "Grace, you're freezing."

"bad circulation." I shrugged it off, even though I knew Hannah was staring at the grayish tint. "Really, Hannah. It's fine."

"You say that a lot." She responded, a bit defeated. But for once this morning, she accented my answer.  

The ground was quickly beneath my back, air being knocked from my lungs in a painful way. I wanted to drag more air into  my lungs, stop the burning that was so quick to take home in my chest as my head began to ache. The ground looked soft when my feet were the only thing touching it, but when my head is knocked into the gunk filled ground, it got a little less comfy.  

I groaned, finally finding a way to get some noise past my lips. The night was dark, the trees of the path not even giving me mercy enough to see the dull light of the moon. Usually I could navigate this area without any trouble, but tonight was a different story.

There wasn't a log in my path, there wasn't even a root that tripped me up. No, I had been hit. Hard. Another body had collided with my midsection, taking my balance with it. The cold mud was soaking through the back of my sweatshirt as I tried to gain sense of direction, my whole mind cloudy.

There was a warm pressure across my midsection as I blinked rapidly, trying to focus on the figure that straddled my body. Their knees were digging into my palms, the pain numbing.

My eyes widened as a new pressure found a way to my chest, this time, it was sharper, the thick scent of pine filling my lungs as I finally found myself more aware then ever.

"Don't move, or I'll kill you." The voice was a low grumble, but one that was very familiar with to my ears.

"Hannah," I sighed "get the hell off of me."

My tone wasn't amused, which I was. I wanted to go back to the cabin and sleep, even though I knew I wouldn't get much of it anyway.  

"I'm serious," her voice wavered, her breathing heavy as she pressed whatever it was harder against my chest. This time, I winced. Whatever it was, it broke skin. "Move, and I'll kill you."

I swallowed, "what the hell is that thing, huh?" I said, my voice a little harsher as I easily shoved her aside, hearing her grunt as she hit the mud next to me. Now I needed a shower and sleep. I got to my feet easily, peeling some of the mud coated leaves from the fabric that covered my shoulders.  

Hannah looked up at me, her eyes catching the only bit of light that streamed through the trees. It wasn't much, the only color of the path a dark indigo.

"A stick,"

"A what?" I asked, running a hand through my hair "you threatened me with a stick? Real fucking classy Hannah."

"It's wood!" she defended, hostile now as she scrambled to a standing position, holding the now visible branch in front of me. She looked scared, serious, but scared. I snatched it out of her hand regardless, cracking it against my palms before throwing it to the side.

I stepped closer, that familiar body wash filling my lungs as I stepped closer to her, the ground cracking under my boots as Hannah pressed her back against the nearest tree. She was shaking, and not from the chill that ran through the air. I had never seen her so sacred.

She swallowed roughly, breathing out. It tickled my neck, the warmth a rough contrast to what I was used to. She closed her eyes, turning her face away from me. Her jaw was clenched, teeth gritted. My hand rested above her head, the bark digging into my palm.

"What do you think I am?" I asked her in all seriousness.

Hannah didn't answer for a few seconds, as if she was trying to find the right words,if there were any right words for what she was about to say. "Vampire."

I was quiet, the crickets overtaking the long silence that hung in the air between us. I shook my head, letting out a loud laugh. Hannah opened one eye as I continued to laugh at her statement. Tears were forming in my eyes, my chest beginning to hurt as Hannah folded her arms over her chest angrily.

"This isn't fucking funny, Grace!" She shouted in a whisper "You're fucking cold all the time, you always show up out of no where, you're pale and-"

"Hannah, really-" I drew in a breath, wiping a tear from my cheek "Even if I was a vampire, you really think the best plan would be to attack me with a stick?"

She shook her head, pressing her forefingers to the bridge of her nose. She was flustered, that much was sure. I wasn't exactly helping the fact. Her hand came in contact with my shoulder as she shoved me lightly.

"ow," I mumbled, finally calming down to take the situation seriously. Serious enough to catch the glare that Hannah wore. "What?"

"Something is wrong," She said softly, letting out a shaky sigh "Sure, maybe I jumped the bandwagon with this whole 'vampire' thing. But you won't give me any other answers, Grace. There's something seriously fucked up about this camp!"

I stared at her then, her eyes crystal and desperate for some type of relief.

"you're right," I finally spoke, "there is something wrong with the camp."

She cocked her head to the side, a bit of shock crossing her features.

"I'm not a vampire." I told her, lifting my chin slightly "but I'm not exactly human either."

[zebraslovescupcakestoo]

Golden eyes Chapter 12

It was her again. Bastet.

“We meet again, my lost child.” She told me in a calm voice. “We can now talk to each other.”

I was a bit confused on what's going on. I glanced on my surroundings and it appears I'm at some sort of an Egyptian palace fit for a Pharaoh. There was like a river Nile connected to the palace and we were in some pillow pit of some kind. I noticed there were several domestic cats and a few wild cats roaming and scattered over the palace. They looked like they're having their cat nap or minding their own business.

“Where... am I? Why did you wanted to see me?” Am I in ancient Egypt or something?

“This place exist between dream and reality, mind and matter... I have summoned you, so that I may aid you to hone your unique ability and assist my aid when you required.” She explained vaguely. That still doesn't clear a few things.

“What do you want from me? I've never used that 'sight' I was born with. Sure, it may 'activate' on it's own, but I can't barely control it until today. How can I be any help if I hardly know how to use it?” She then stroke my head and ease me.

“Please calm down, Felix. These skills will take practice and time to nurture, but it won't take long. You are the decedent of great warriors who protected the people and their families. Whether it was for a good cause or a rebellion, it was all up to the successor’s choice. They follow from what is in their hearts and believed of what is right.”

Follow... their hearts. “Then... you must knew about my mother. She left me and my father many years ago, and they told me she didn't have a choice. Why is that?” She looked straight in my eye as to see what was in me.

“She had to protect you.” Huh? Protect me? From what and by who? “She was sold to an organization at a young age after the death of her own parents. She was supposed to be engaged to an unmerciful man, but she escaped to this country you were born into. She then helped a certain someone with her 'gift'. Than man was your father.” She... was previously engaged to someone else? And then she met my father at the time they spent together?

“Then over time, she was expecting a 'gift' she always wanted at the time.” She then gently touched my cheeks, indicating it was about me. “Her happiness was but short lived when she found out about her previous fiancee have located her. She then went into hiding until you arrived in this world. She made the most difficult choice for a mother to do for your safety.” She... left me for whoever was after her... and to protect me from whoever 'he' is... Then...

“But why did my father never mentioned this to me before? Was it the same reason as she did? And from who did they wanted to protect me from?” If I can't find out who wanted her or me for that 'sight', then they might be after me... Not to mentioned this will put my friends and family in more danger!

“It was the man she was promised to. He wanted to use the 'sight' for his own selfish desires and will not hesitate to use any means necessary to have what he want. That man is also responsible for your mother's demise, and others who were with her at the time.”

I was sadden and held my tongue when she said that. She... died. Along with others... “Who were they?”

“It was the people known as the Red Dragons. All but two, were annihilated.”

I gasped! That's almost the same story Mickey told me! No wait, it's exactly the same story! This can't be a coincidence!

I need to ask her. “Please, tell me-NGH!” Suddenly a flash shined and my head pounded at the same time.

“It seems our time is almost to an end. I must send you back.” No! I haven't asked on what I wanted to know! I was going to ask but then she placed a finger on my lips. “Do not worry, child. The answer you seek shall come soon enough. For now, I must intrust to you an ability that will come in handy in the future.” She then placed her hand on my chest where my heart is and then a sudden glow showed. I felt some sort of energy flowing through me and I have a 'vision'.

I saw a womanly figure in a rogue attire with a whip along with a black panther. They were up against a band of thieves which I assumed they weren't their companions. She seems like she used those eyes and in a fraction of a second, her whip took out two of them as her partner took down the other one. They took them out along side with her and they all emerged victorious.

I then got back to her with my 'vision' back to normal. I looked at her confused. “You can now use the ability Heat Eye. It will grant you some spare time and a quick reaction for fast opponents. You will feel like time has passed slowly, but in reality, it runs normally. It is in our instinct to know which is which.” She chuckled. “We shall meet again once you've hone it.”

I then felt my conscious fading, but I still wanted to know more from her. Alas, I faded.

----

I then woke up and sat up to look at my surrounding again. I was back in my room. I looked at my left hand with the ring hidden in them. Then I looked at my chest to see if there was something on it. There was nothing on it, yet I felt like it was touched... What kind of dream was that?

I wanted to brush it off as a nonsense , but somehow, I can't help but to think there was something. The only exception was my 'sight'. I first noticed it when I was eight, it was the time my father lost his reading glasses. I wanted to help him and be like a detective. I searched the bottom level cause I wasn't that big. That's when I noticed some strange glow underneath a dresser. I looked underneath it and there it was. When I went up to him and he asked how I find it, I told him about it and I never forget his frighten expression. I didn't understand back then but... Now I know why he wanted me to keep it a secret between us... I finished dressing up and glanced at the clock. It was ten minutes before five, so I think I'll make breakfast for everyone.

This will be a long day and a big night.

----

Today was a bit dull. I was send back on paper duty due to my 'actions' two days before so they wanted me to stay put just for today. Luckily time passes really quick, especially when Woody joined me for lunch break and he bought our meals. It was homemade burgers, some baked potatoes and a canteen full of orange juice. We had a pretty good time until me mentioned something important. He was going to return to Ireland for a couple of months because his family needed him in two weeks from now. I understood what he means and we will keep in touch after all of this was over.

After he left for his work, I immediately dialed for Sam. I hope he picks up.

“Defense Attorney Sammuel Toutsaint speaking, how may I help you?” Oh, thank God you did and yes, please! “Sam, it's me.”

“Félix? Que-çe qu'il a?” He asked worriedly. “Nothing, it's just... are you free tonight?”

“Bien sure. Why do you asked?” I wanted to tell him the reason why, but I was worried that there might be someone listening to our conversation... and who might be watching. I had to be careful.

“I wanted to go to that tea shop in a district, but after last night, I don't think I'll be allowed to be on my own for a day at least. Can you come with me?” I have to make it sound like I was going to have a bro time with Sam so that I can make him meet them and THEN I can checked that King Dice casino for myself.

“You know I don't drink tea, Félix.” He sounded unamused. “Sil vous plait, Sammuel? I wanted to try a new blend.” I tried to please him with some french words. Please, don't back me out.

He sighted and said. “At what time?” “Here at four! Merci Beaucoup, Sam!” Yes! Thank you, Sam. I promise I'll tell you what I really wanted to tell you once we are out of their sight.

“Make sure you are ready, I don't like to wait for a long period of time just because your partner wanted to have a 'small' chat.” He said. “I will. I”ll tell them I'm going to spend time with a friend.” I replied with a smile on my face.

We then hang up. Good! Now that's been taken care of, I can now focus on these papers.

I hope he can digest on what will happen tonight.

----

Time then passes by and I heard a knock. I looked up and it was Sam that was leaned on the door frame with his left hand on his hips and he looked at me as to say 'are you done?' “Ah! Sam! Don't worry. I just needed to finish this and... THERE!” I finished the last report and pick up the stack of papers. “I'll put these on the secretary's desk and we'll be good to go!”

“And where IS that tea shop?” He asked for the place. Carp fish! I haven't thought about this thought! Nice detective skill, Dingus! “It's uh... at a district not too far from here.” “By foot or by car?” I sweated nervously on that car part. I really hated his driving and that road rage of his is switched on if there was no 'underage' minor... but I really needed him, so I have to take that poison.

“B-by car. But please try to drive more carefully. I... I'm still a bit sore from yesterday.” I placed the papers on the  secretary's desk. O.K. Now it's time to boogie out of here! “Ne t'inquiète pas, Félix. These sidewalks might come in handy.”

“SAM!” I yelled at him furiously as he was laughing while we walked out of here.

----

“So... Why are we at the bakery instead?” “Shhh! Not so loud.” I scolded him quietly.

We were at the bakery across the street from the House of Mouse. It was four and a half in the afternoon. I told Kitty that I will be with Sam for tonight so they can order some take out for supper. I can't exactly tell her about what is going on lately, especially with my 'sight' I never mentioned to her...

“I still want an explication, Félix.” He then got a bit cross. “Sam, please understand. I kinda lied about the tea shop, but I REALLY need you for tonight.” I whispered to him as I pretended to look at the goodies.

He then follow my lead and looked at the pink cupcakes. “Why didn't you mentioned it before? Where you under surveillance or something?”

“Something like that, yeah. But that's not the only thing.” I picked up a box of pie and pretended I was examining it. Sam lean in next to me so it looked like he was inspecting it too. “Then what's the real reason?”

I glanced around the shop. It may be a fairly sized shop for the streets like these, but there might be someone who might be watching and listens closely. “I was asked to be part of a swap operation at a certain place and I need your help.”

“Why me of all the people?” I put down the pie. “Because... it's the place.” He raised an eye brow at that. “You know? THAT place.” He then realized what I meant. “Ta-bar-nak!” He harshly whispered, grabbed my wrist and started to drag me out of the store. He then slapped a ten dollar bill on the counter and grabbed a box of cupcakes, yelling at the baker saying he can keep the change. I tried to calm him down. “Sam! Please! Let me explain!”  

“You can explain it in the car and back home! I told you before, I forbid you to go there!” He wasn't going to listen, but I had to try harder. I was going to continue until he stop dead on his track and I bumped into him. I looked who had stopped him and it was a familiar navy blue over coat and fedora guy from that day back at the Michigan Avenue, it was Oswald Disney.

Sam then said with a surprised expression. “Toi encore?” Huh? Have you met him before? He then tossed the box in my arms and said angrily. “Félix, hold that sh!t! Vien ici, maudit lapin!” He then launched at him, but Oswald was quick on his feet and dogged him, placing himself next to me. He then grab a hold on me with one hand on my side as to indicate he's holding me hostage. I blushed immediately. What the heck is wrong with you? Why do you put me in an uncomfortable position? And why am I blushing for???

Sam then looked back and saw us. He was trying not to get angrier in broad daylight, so he said. “What do you want?”

“Oh me? Well, I was told that Felix here had promised a friend about going somewhere. So I was a bit... curious.” He then took his other hand and held my lower face close to his. Wha-wha-wha-wha-Whoa! Too close! Too close for comfort! I was getting redder and a bit dizzy in my current situation, but I held on to my strength not to drop the cupcakes. What's making me blush when he's close to me? I mean, he may be attractive sure, but he's acting like a jerk! So why...

“What do you want, Lapin?” Sam asked him and snapped me back in reality. Wait, I remembered that french nickname from the circus when those two magicians called him. He knows who he is too?

“I just wanted to meet his friend, to see who he's hanging out with. I never expected it would be you, Sammuel.” He smirked. He met Sam before too?

“Are you the one who dragged him in this calice de marde of a mess?” He cussed, pointed and glared at him. Ohhhh! He's pissed, alright! Oswald didn't help much since he seems like he's not usually the type to give up on intimidation.

“We only needed both of you for an hour or two at 'that' place. I'm sure you have enough experience and visits under your belt to know their routines and methods to keep him out of harm.” He said back but he wasn't budging from his previous decision. “I can't. They'll recognized him before he can make it to the reception. I can't afford to lose him and the same goes to his friends and family.” Oswald then looked at me as to think on what he's going to do. He then got an idea. “That... can be arranged. The others are there already so we can devise our plan.” He then 'lead' me to the House of Mouse. “You are free to join us, but we REALLY needed him for our party tonight. If you can't make it, we can always 'persuade' another escort to help him. I don't think it-” Sam then put his hands on his right shoulder to stop him. “Non! I will go with him.” He admit his defeat.“Excellent! I thought I might have to pretend to be his beau for the night.” I choked and nearly died from embarrassment on those words and nearly dropped the cupcakes.

My WHAT?! Just say partner, not beau! You stupid carrot top! Stop sending the wrong signals or giving the wrong ideas, least of all in public! I'm straight, dog gone it!

“You all own me a brief explanation and a VERY good reason on this.” He followed us to the high class restaurant slash entertainment establishment. I hope he's ready for what's coming... Cause I doubt he'll believed on ancient Egyptian deities and half-baked prophesy’s. If they'll bring that up.

We were then in the hidden blue chamber I was with Mickey a few nights prior. There was Mickey, the french waiter from that same night, the two indie gentlemen that was from the circus, that Mulan woman from yesterday and someone who I assumed would be her husband. Mickey saw us and exclaimed. “Ah! There's our man of the hour and his friend with ohhhh! Cupcakes!” His eyes gleamed at the box I was holding, then Oswald grabbed them from me and placed them on a dresser. “None for you until we get our jewels back.” “Boooo! I worked hard too, ya know!” He acted like a kid brother and then resumed his speech. “Fine, so let's introduced ourselves so we can get to know each other well. As you all know, I'm Mickey and the gentlemen over there with the navy blue over coat is my brother Oswald. The man on my right is Frédérick Astaire, but you can call him Lumière. He's one of our oldest friend here and a very trust worthy man. Next to him is Bagheera Tendua and his big friend, Baloo Bhandari. They are one of our closest friends here in this district. On my right is our couple, Shang and Mulan Li. They are our new members even if it was for a couple of months. They are very cleaver. And now I would like to introduce to our two newest yet temporary members, Felix Lockheart and Sammuel Toutsaint, also as known as Sam Toucan.” We waved as to say hi. I was a bit nervous but Sam was cool with it in appearance. They waved back, they seemed nice.

“Now that we all know each other, We can discuss on our swap operation.” He took out a big, roll of blue print and unrolled it across the table. It was a detailed layouts of the King Dice casino. It showed all of the rooms and what they were served for. Most of them was for the usual basic yet luxurious casino and hotel standards. There were a few however, was not what they were meant to be or a bit dark, like the 'torture' room and 'prison cells' on the lower levels for examples... Is there something that NOBODY asked why they wanted that when they started to plan it?

“If you can see that room we coloured in right here on the second floor that was served as a mocking guest room, this is where our stolen jewels is hidden. They planned to ship them the next day so we have to make sure we get it before they can. So here what our battle plan is. Me, Oswald, Lumière, Sam, and Felix will all enter inside the casino as guests. Bagheera and Baloo will at at the end of the wing here where there's a window. Shang and Mulan will be our backup and wait in the cars in case we will be in a hurry or soon to be discovered.” Mickey explained our roles.

“The first step is us entering the casino. We will play a few games until Mickey and I will make a diversion. Once we do,  Lumière will go to the secret room and both of you will follow him after. Make sure you don't get followed or being watched. Meanwhile, Bagheera and Baloo will be hidden right here in this giant bush. When the second party flashes the signal, which is a yellow handkerchief from Lumière, you will need to be positioned right underneath that window and signalled a light up match, so that you may catch the jewels when they tossed out. Make sure you stay out of the first window's sight, in case if there was someone passes by. There might be hidden traps in that area, so proceed with cautious. They are not merciful towards trespassers. Then lastly, Shang and Mulan will be at our cars. Their job will be providing back up in case something goes wrong. They may not look like it, but they are the most refined bodyguards in their country before they moved here for personal reasons.” Oswald then explained the plan simply enough.

“But what do we do to find the jewels? And why does Felix has to go?” Sam questioned.

“We gave both Felix and Lumière a define description of the necklaces. THEY will do the finding and YOU will do the look out for anyone and tossed them straight down.” Oswald answered him.

“Ah! I remembered something! Speaking of necklaces, there's something about the Sapphire Collar you need to know before I forget it again. That 'famous' piece of jewelry was actually... a mockery.” Mickey said to us.

My eyes widen. That Sapphire collar was a mocking piece the whole time? “It was a fake?”

“Not quite. To tell you the truth, the 'Sapphire Collar' treasure had never existed in the first place.” Mickey told everyone. I think the only ones who was surprised was me and Sam who we looked at each other and yelled. “Whuaaaaaa?!”

“Are you telling us that the blue gems were fake and the 'real' ones never existed?” Sam questioned and pointed at Mickey.

“Yes, but only a few pieces on them were just ordinary sapphires just to make it looked like it's real.” He crossed his arm.

“Hold it! Didn't you just said they were fakes just a few seconds ago?” He objected. “See, the thing is... it was meant to be a bait.” Lumière intervene him. “The mocking necklace's original purpose was to lure a certain someone that has stolen a few priceless artifacts from other countries. We were hoping to catch them in the act at the jewelry exhibition we set up. But however, there were things that got out of hand. Not to mentioned there is more than one player in this thieving affair.”

“You mean it was for that thief you were all after, but then there were others that went after the same thing. Correct?” Sam simply deducted just so see if we were on the same page.

“That would be the most precised explanation.” Oswald agreed. “It wasn't until there was a pet napping case and the renewal drug distribution that got us off tracks for a bit. Luckily for us, we have ourselves our favorite detective to do our bidding and he got his answers that he wanted, so it was like a win-win situation for both parties.” He then placed his hands on my shoulders and deviously smiled. I was shocked.

They were using me the whole time for their investigations and in exchange, I was thrown in this big mess on my own free will, just so I can solve this mystery! Well... I was kinda 'persuaded' to help them but then again, they DID help me in return... The clues, Bendy's confession, but the biggest surprise for me for what they did was about my 'sight' and my mysterious mother... I felt like I was doing almost nothing in my end of our 'teamwork agreement'...

“It may be a mockery, but there's a few stones on it that were was real sapphires. I'm sure that Felix can spot them better.” Oswald then snapped me back in reality. I can? Oh wait, my 'sight'... right.

“So then, it's just a simple swap operation and we can leave the place after?” Sam asked.

“Pas vraiment, Sammuel.” Lumière said. “After we are done with the jewels, we must then return to the entertainment area so that Mickey and Oswald can rescue the poor creatures that were locked in here.” He pointed at the basement plans area. “There's a conveniently window there that we can slip the captives through. Then that's when our third party can do the same thing on the other side. Same rules, there might be traps hidden so be cautious. Oh, and there's a few cages in the truck they'll be in.” He then suggested at the couples across him. “While they do their part of heist, WE will be the distraction.”

“Hold it! Félix cannot be allowed in there! They have a picture of him so they can keep an eye out and they'll shoot him on the spot if he was discovered!” Sam objected. He was trying to prevent me from stepping a foot in there, but I understand if he wanted to protect me... yet I also 'sorta' promised them to solve the case. I was like in between a tug of war.

Oswald then answered his problem. “If it's his appearance is what got your feathers ruffled up, that can be easily arranged.” That could work... Until Sam grabbed my shoulders and make me faced him. “Clothes are one thing, but his eyes are another. He's the only one we all know, plus the staffs, has golden eyes! What trick do you have if he can walk in there without bullets flying at him?” My heart started to pick up the pace on how close I was to him. He looked at me in the eyes and had a few seconds of thoughts... Man! He looks quite fine...!!! NO! STOP THAT! He's a brute! Remember what he did yesterday apart... No. He's... a bit more complicated... I need to know better about his personality complex before I can say anything else...

“How about sunglasses? Can he use those?” He asked. “Oh brilliant! They would looked like magnifying glasses on him so they can see them from the parking lot at the reception, estie!” Sam sarcastically replied. “I was suggesting SUN-glasses. They can still cover them, and they'll never asked to remove them. You know this by now, right?” He gave him a smirk. Sam grumbled. “I still think this is a bad idea to-!” Mickey then spoke up. “Sammuel?” He then looked at him. “I understand that you are worried about your friend's safety. We all know he's one of the few good ones that have the courage to stand up against people like Bendy. But please understand there are only things that only he can do. I promise that he won't be in danger if he get's spotted. If something does happens, I will take full responsibilities.” Mickey earnestly and calmly declared.

Whoa... That was some good speech... I knew you were charismatic, but I never imagined you'd be like an honest guy.

“If my brother's words isn't enough, I will add myself in his responsibility. I knew how to take care broken families.” Oswald then added. YOU too?! I mean, that's very kind and all but... I don't know what to say!

Sam looked at me and though about it for a minute. He then said. “I'm only gonna agreed to this IF I'm the one to be with him at all times, apart for bathroom breaks. Do I have your word, that YOU TWO will take full responsibilities if something happens to him?” He was dead serious and pointed at Mickey one more time.

“I pledge my entire career on his safety.” Mickey agreed. There was then a few seconds of silence until Sam broke it. “Fine, we're in.”

“I thank you, Sam. This really means a lot for this heist.” Mickey thanked him. “Now that we have this settled, did we all understood how the plan goes?” He asked anyone else if they understood their roles. I revised them so that I could get a better understanding. I raised my hand and asked. “Just so that I understood the plans, may I ask?”

“O.K. Shoot.” Oswald said. “Thanks. So from what you all said, The first step was to enter the casino. The second was for the Disney brothers to create some sort of diversion while me, Sam and Lumière will go for the jewels. The two gentlemen will also be outside waiting for the goods to be dropped out. Once that was done, we will return to the entertainment area again and this time, we swap. WE will create a diversion and they will go to rescue the dogs. Once we are done, our last step is to exit without making suspicions and meet up with the couples at the car and truck. Have I got anything wrong in this plan?” I hope I didn't have anything wrong.

“You have briefly corrected the plan so there's no mistakes I noticed.” The indie man named Bagheera  agreed with my deduction.

“Now that we all know the plan, we need to get dressed fit for the occasion. Including you, Hēi māo.” Oswald said to me.

“Get... dressed? What's wrong with what I got?” I mean sure I need to look the part but- “This ain't gonna be a Halloween party, this is a high class night out! You'll need something decent and hardly noticeable in their eyes for the heist.” Sam explained. Says the guy who wears crazy color blinded ties at work.

“I'll help.” Oswald then grabbed me. 

Huh? 

“I'll help too. I know what would suit him without being recognized.” Mickey the followed. 

Huh?? 

“It better be convincing, or we're leaving.” Sam replied.

 Ehhhhhhhhh?!?!

I cried for help at my friend before they dragged me in the changing room.

----

This time skipping was brought to you by the Ko-Fi sponsor page. If you like their art, please buy a cup of coffee for them.

----

I was feeling drained... I can't believed I was 'forced' into this.

We are in one of the cars that was destined to be driven at the King Dice casino. We were all dressed for it. Sam was a natural. He was wearing a beige, stripped suit combo with a matching hat and a red tie.

Mickey was wearing his best night out suit. A black vest with a tie, red dress pants, his signature black and white spectator shoes, and his hair was groomed back. He looked like the spitting image of his father at that age...

Then there was Oswald that is next to him. He had like a blue rolled up shirt, a grey vest, a baby blue shade of a scarf tie like with a navy blue brooch like at the knot part, a white over coat and the same kind of spectator shoes. He also ha his hair arranged in like an unusual yet an alluring manner. He had like bangs slid on his right, had most of his hair down with a few in a knot.

(A/N: It looked like Nakamura's hair style. He's a character from 'the High school life of a fundashi' manga series. Google it.)

Then there's me... I dreaded on this style... they picked out for me... It's not bad! I mean, I'm wearing a black sweater, a beige vest, black dressed pants, and some classy black oxford shoes... How much are those cost? Then there's my hair. They made it in a pulled back pony tail. They also provided black shaded sunglasses to conceal my eyes.

This is the solution they thought about it? Sure they won't spot me from afar, but... Nrrrgh! Never mind! At least Sam let it slide and I'm going there for the first time.

What REALLY bothers me is that they changed me... Again! Although I hate to admit... I was kinda flailing around to get out of their grasp until Oswald smacked the back of my head to knocked me out for a few minutes. But I could have done it by myself! I felt violated!

Calm down. Calm down. Think of something else to ease the feeling... I then thought about them of their past. I could deduct on that so I could better understood them. That could work.

OK! So for starters, I'll go with Mickey's early description.

He was originally the only child of Walt Disney. Until one day, he was introduced to his half older brother at the age of nine. He's from another woman that his father was previously engaged until Mickey's mom, Natalie, had some sort of role to break them up and what she did to her...

Then there was Oswald's story. He was probably with his mother the whole time in his early years. He was constantly judged before anyone gets to know him better. He got kicked out because of it despite he brawled with a bully... I don't remembered how they mentioned anything about how he met his father apart he was brought home to see his half little brother... or what happened to Lillian, his mother... I have to ask him, when I found an opportunity to do so.

Then once they met, it was like they were trying to get along like real brothers. Mickey got it to start their conversation and it was going smoothly until that witch Natalie came along and scolded them. After that they find a new way to bond over like Saturdays, when they can be together while their 'mother ' was out.

Until that one night, things got ugly... and they ran away as far as they could until they reached in the Chinatown district right here in Chicago! They were thieves living on the streets for a while until they were caught by the Red Dragons.

They were almost executed until... my mom... that woman I never met once, have saved them. They then became one of the top members known as the 'Head dragons' along with their leader Kay Chow, Their top muscle slash bodyguard Kyrio, their gun and bomb expert Chayton, and my 'mom'... Féline. She was from what they've described her, a kind aunt. She's a spy, thief and painter... still think it's some kind of a marketing novel.

They were like a group of vigilantes that works for the good of Chinatown district. Much better than what the politicians promised during their election campaigns.

But it seems that I was on to something when I brought up an old case file about a mysterious string of robberies from a few years back. It was one of my father's cases that it got cold, but then there was that gut feeling when the name 'Head Dragon' popped here and there rarely. And I was right on the money.

But that's all I got from yesterday's confession. I still needed to know more details on what happened after that!

Like what happened next? How did they come back to their home with their father? What happened to their two mothers? What happened to their old team? Did my 'mother' told them everything about that 'sight' we both share? What's their connection with the Alfonso's mafia aside their alliance for that peculiar robberies? Ar they-!

I suddenly realized something I should have considered in the beginning.

 Are they the good guys or bad guys?

I mean, sure they were cooperative on the cases of the missing necklaces, the kidnapped animals, and the drugs. They even helped tamed my 'sight' I feared so much. They even told me half their stories from their past they never mentioned to anyone. I don't blame them if they were involves into 'mafia' references and they actually ran away from home at an early age from Mickey's abusive mother. Well, abusive toward Oswald...

But then again, they could have been acting like they were nice at first. They could have faking this whole set up and they were in cahoots with Bendy and they were trying to toy with me. That fight in the circus, their connections, they might be acting like the victims/good guys, and why do I always get the feeling that- NEVER MIND! I don't want to bring that up!

Anyways, who's side are they really on? Just... I don't know...

“Let me guess on what you are thinking, māo.” Oswald then interrupted the silent ride. “You were thinking about that 'riddle' you've been having trouble to solve it on that first day we started to work together.”

“What riddle, Lapin?” He asked him. Again, why is he and those two assassins called him that?

“Oh, it's just a riddle I've read it in some book I don't remembered the title it was from. But it goes something like this: A mule was strolling one day on a paved road. He then noticed his two friends, the fox and the crow, was having a fight with a really mean skunk. The mule then tried to help his friends. From what he was being told, the skunk wanted to have them join in his gang again since they used to knew each other before they are friends with the mule, but they refused since they didn't wanted to be the bad guys anymore. Then mule was stuck between who's words to trust. Does he trust his two friends who are now the good guys? Or does he believes the skunk's word, thinking they might be still bad and using him for their own ends?

That was a bit of a trust issue riddle than a fable to me, but from a attorney like yourself, what do YOU think? What would you do in his hooves?” Oswald asked the darnedest thing that was RIGHT at the top of my head. AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING ME A PACK MULE?! ... I bet five bucks that skunk you mentioned was referring to Bendy.

“Well, that is a bit of a complex story. One was a new friends he wished to be with and the other one who used to be friends with them but not anymore, knew them better and wanted to kick the donkey out of their new friendship by any means necessary.” Sam said.

“But from the mule's point of view, who would you believe? Their words or their ex-friends words who knew them way back?” He sounded like he KNEW what my situation was like! He must have noticed something about me that said 'Are you good guys or bad?' GOD! Why is he on to me? Sam then answers his question.

“Well, If I was in that donkey's place, I would take my chance of trusting his new friends.” Huh?

“I mean, sure there's a chance that they might be using their mule friend, but if they really mean it when they aren't the bad guys anymore, they wouldn't be friends with someone who's nice like him anyways and from the mule's point of view, I think he would still believed they've changed their way. I mean, everybody deserves a second chance, even if they don't deserve it sometimes.” His answer was surprisingly good.

No, he was right and it was Oswald who helped him as he was secretly helping me. There was evidence that support this!

Sure, the first time we met at the tea shop, I was a bit worried on what their motives are. Mickey was open minded and kind hearted in a way on first impression while Oswald's well... was brutally honest, to say politely.

Then there was that time I went to that House of Mouse Mickey invited me and my family so that I can have Bendy's renewal drug scheme plans along with his new 'supplier' partner, Mr. Vermelho.

Not to mentioned they also led me to another lead of forgeries by somebody at the King Dice casino which explained on the robbed necklaces case!

I almost never mentioned on the dogs and the monkey on the case because they weren't much in the picture.

Then there was that night at the circus... I was possessed by some Egyptian goddess and they helped me regain my sanity big time. If they weren't, I would be... long gone, ‘leaving’ my friends and family behind...

They even told me about their past they never mentioned to anyone AND they told me about my mother I never knew... and maybe her ring that belonged to her that I'm wearing now to help keep my 'sight' in control. They could have kept it, but they gave it to me.

THAT is proof enough that they're not the bad guys... at least, I think they aren't.

“Does that solves the 'riddle,' kids?” Sam asked us. Oh right! I need my mind to be ready for the swap plan!

“Well, yes! I think so! If they really are good friends, then they should trust each other, right?” I answered eagerly.

“I think so too! I believed in second chances too!” Mickey agrees with me like a kid.

“Heh! Well, we shall see... if that answer is true.” Oswald answered and rested his chin on one hand at the window, smiling. He never smile like that before... at least not around me. Does he really wanted to... be friends?

We were then stopped at our destination. Sam then said. “We are here.”

Mickey then got his game face on and said. “OK everyone! It's show time!”

TO BE CONTINUED... Chapter 13

Read chapter 11 here.

Read the beginning here: Chapter 1

-----Author’s Notes---------

Whelp! Here’s Chapter 12!

It seems that Felix has a second ability in this story. To keep it short, Heat Eye will give him the advantage to quick reaction time.

I did my best to make my OC Sam’s characteristics as one of those people that cares for his closest friends, but he doesn’t give a crap on ‘today’s suburban cultural life style.’

I also did my best to retell my version of the Disney brother’s past, But just to remind anyone. I DON’T have the canon proof on the BBTIM comic’s version. I only have the past posts on them like how they were based on the Wii game Epic Mickey 2 after I posted the first few chapters. I can only make plausible theories. Like how Marini made her Boris buffed up and then after Chapter 4 release, she predicted. XP

And to end this brief, tune in next week as this team is heading in the King Dice Casino and Felix will get more information from Sam and Oswald.

BBTIM Characters belong to Marini4. Some OC’s and Disney Characters belong to me and the Walt Disney Studios.