#the disadvantages of living on the other side of the world

[parfaitblogs]

never grow up ❀ s. reid x reader

in which you are at the age you never thought you'd live to. 

genre: hurt/comfort + fluff! tags: established relationship. (very brief) mentions of r not eating. depression. non sexual nudity. mention of a past suicide attempt. reader is codependent on spencer #anxiousattachment!! mini argument not really because he loves you a lot!!! please know your triggers ♡  word count: 2.2k a/n: this was a vent write. LOL! i think i switch tenses a lot in this? i tried to fix it. this is why we don't write fanfiction while we're crying!!! i love u i love u i love u and i am so so glad you are the age that you are!! continue to grow please!! life will become beautiful!!!

Depression is a funny thing.

Sometimes you are forgetting there has ever been a version of you out there that fantasised about death and longed for an escape from this world you deemed so cruel, so invasive. Other times, you are sat naked on the cold floor of your bathroom rocking back and forth, clawing at your skin and ripping hair out of your scalp because you are sobbing so ferociously. The world spinning around you and your cries, so violent, are making you lightheaded and you wonder if you pass out here if anyone will ever find you. 

Clearly, tonight, you are the latter.

It started as a small pit in your stomach that morning, that you braved through and ignored to the best of your ability, even as you said gentle 'no thank you's' to food offered by your co-workers and forced your brain to focus on work and not the never-ending abyss of dread in your abdomen. Then, it became a tear or two on your way home, that you vehemently wiped away and pretended was never there because it couldn't be. 

Then you were showering to get your mind off things — a stupid decision, really. For your brain was latching on to every awful emotion it had felt thus far today, and you were stepping out of the shower with an even heavier heart, and your hands were wrapping around your now goosebump riddled body, as you were sinking to the floor in a ball.

And maybe hours passed by you. Maybe days — it certainly felt that way. Maybe it was only a mere five minutes. But your loud sobs felt like they took an achingly long time to slow and quiet down, until they were falling into ugly sniffles of the snot on your face, and a raging headache behind your eyes. 

Loud sobs — scream sobs, really — had a lot of disadvantages. The aftermath feeling of embarrassment of screaming at your brain that refused to simply shut up, the scratch at your throat from every sound you ripped from it. The audio block it gave you from the rest of the world. For you truly were in your own universe when you were howling alone in the comfort of your bathroom walls.

So much so, that the familiar sound of a door opening and closing, and a bag being placed down by the side of it, went entirely unnoticed to you. Footsteps against your apartment's wooden flooring weren't picked up, nor were the first two knocks on your bathroom door. By the third, you were blubbering through saliva and snot, and you had heard it. Followed by a very gentle calling of your name, that had your heart clenching within your chest for a new reason. 

He had said he was coming home tomorrow. Which almost always meant he wouldn't be home for another three days, and so, in your mind, you thought bawling that night could be a secret kept between you and your tiles. 

Apparently not. 

He called your name again when you didn't reply, an added hint of desperation in his voice. Trembling, you stood, your limbs feeling as though they were creaking while you straightened them out. And you didn't bother about the towel sitting in a crumpled heap on the floor, nor the pile of your clean clothes sitting on the countertop. In fact, you didn't bother about anything as a shaking hand twisted the doorknob and pulled it open.

In an instant, his worried frown deepened, and eyes that might usually drink in the sight of your naked body beautifully, now didn't wander further than the scarlet scratch marks along your neck — blood vessels risen to the surface from how fragile that part of you was. He exhaled, and took a hesitating step towards you. One you welcomed by remaining planted in your spot — you didn't know if you could move, though. 

"Can I ask what's wrong, or do you simply want a hug?" 

Both, you wanted to say. Both, but also neither. 

You didn’t say that. Instead, you said, "Hug."

He hardly took a second to register what you'd said before his arms were wrapping around you. If he found the slightly damp state of your skin annoying, he didn't comment on it. He didn't say much at all, as he enveloped you into his body, a hand securing itself on the back of your head, and his chin resting atop your head. 

Water dripped uncomfortably to the floor, splattering on the tiles and his shoes, being the only sound aside from your irregular hiccups and sniffles. His button-up was wet from your tears and your body, and you could almost hear his complaints about it, if this were any other day. 

Minutes passed, and even though you didn't want to, you pulled back, feeling his hands slip around to your waist and hold you benevolently. Your own hands reached up to your face to wipe away tears, an embarrassed laugh escaping your lips. 

"This is pathetic," you said, fingers digging into the corners of your stinging eyes. 

"How?" he asked you.

"I didn't think you'd be home to see me having a mental breakdown."

A smile that didn't quite reach his eyes appeared on his lips. "Well, I am." Fingers squeezed your waist reassuringly. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

You shrugged, wordlessly, your eyes dropping from his face to the damp spot on his chest from where your face had once been, heart stuttering. 

"We don't have to, honey," he said. "But it might help."

"I know it might," you muttered. 

He was silent, as were you. A few more beats passed between you two, before you were turning around to pick up clothes you had left for yourself on the counter. You didn't really feel any different under his watchful gaze as you dressed yourself. Accustomed to the act, or simply too overwhelmed with another emotion, you didn't know. 

He followed you into the living room when you walked out there, and he sat down next to you on the couch you curled up on. You opened and closed your mouth a few times, and he lifted his head on each intake of breath you had, as if about to say something. But you never did. 

So, he took over.

"Did something happen today?" You shook your head, and he nodded his own. "Okay. This past week?" You shook your head again, because other than missing him while he had been stuck in Texas for a case, nothing had actually happened. 

You wished it had. Truly, you wished you had experienced a murder on your way to work, or a distant family member had passed away so you could blame this feeling on something other than memories simply resurfacing. 

You sniffled again. "You know," you began, voice thick and wobbly from the lump lodged in your throat. "When I was fourteen, I didn't think I'd ever be this old."

Your gaze lifted from your lap to look at him, and you let a helpless tear fall from one of your eyes when you locked eyes with him. He was confused, unsurprisingly so.

So, you continued. "I tried to kill myself. When I was fourteen."

He readjusted his posture, eyebrows falling into a more concerned state, and he was silent for so long you wondered if this was when he decided you were too much and too complicated for him to deal with. 

He didn't. "I didn't know," he said, instead. 

"I don't exactly advertise it," you replied, and even if it was an attempt at being light hearted, it fell flat. "I just realised I never thought I'd be this age," you continued when he hardly reacted, "and I've been really anxious and down all week, so I think that realisation kind of sent me over the edge."

"Are you happy you're at this age?" 

Hesitantly, but surely, you nodded your head. "I got to meet you."

His lips twitched, but a smile never crossed his face. "You should be happy for reasons more than just me."

"You are my reason for being happy," you argued. 

"And I'm glad to hear I make you happy, but I cannot be your only reason."

"Why not?"

"Because that's dependency." 

You short-circuited, and he sighed upon realising the way you were taking his words — maybe not the smartest thing he could've said to his still tear-stricken-faced girlfriend. 

"What I mean is you should have other areas in your life that make you happy. Not just me."

"I like my job," you mumbled, gaze relocating to your lap. "And my friends."

"Great," he said, and you could feel his weight shifting on the couch as he nudged closer to you. "As long as I'm not your reason for living."

Your eyebrows furrowed. "You've been my reason for living since we started dating. Why is it different now?"

"I didn't know I was your reason for living until now."

"So if you are, then what? You leave me?" 

"No," his response was so immediate you were sure you could feel the whiplash, and he ran a hand down his face with an exasperated sigh. "I don't want to fight with you when you're like this."

"I don't want to fight with you either," you agreed, fidgeting with your fingers in your lap. "I'm sorry I'm co-dependent."

He didn't respond for a while, mulling everything you two had shared and now, your apology, over in his head. You sat, anxiously, as minutes ticked by until he was puffing his cheeks to let out air, and standing up from the couch. 

He turned to you. "I love you, you know that," he began, and even before he had a chance to finish, you were already drowning him out, world crumbling around you as tears welled back up in your eyes. Maybe if you weren't as emotional as you were that night, your vision wouldn't have already gone blurry, and your heart wouldn't be shattering in your chest already. 

"But?" you countered, a sob escaping you at the end of the word.

He froze at the sound of it, his eyebrows turning in to each other, "Sorry?"

"You love me, but?"

"I don't understand."

"I'm sitting here, sobbing really violently and I look hideous, and you've just discovered I'm co-dependent, and you don't like that about me, so now you're telling me that you love me, but this isn't going to work out, and I need to work on myself before I get into another relationship, and you hope I can find happiness, and—"

"—What are you talking about?" he cut your ranting off, blinking a few times, confused. 

"Is that not what's happening?" 

"No?"

"Oh."

You stared at him, and he stared at you, and you felt your heart slowly pick itself back up from the pits of your stomach, each piece mending itself back together. He wasn't breaking up with you.

"I wasn't going to say that at all. Please don't put words in my mouth."

"Sorry," you said, though it wasn't very sincere. He crouched down in front of you, hands finding your fidgeting ones to hold them.

"Can I finish what I'm going to say before you cut me off this time?" Wordlessly, you nodded your head, and so he continued. "I love you, and you know that, and I don't want you to think I'm upset or mad at you for being codependent. You're allowed to not know how to navigate a relationship. But—"

"—There it is—" he glared with no real heat at you, and your lips twitched "—Sorry."

"But I need you to communicate with me. I'm going to inevitably do things that upset you, because you're co-dependent. We need to figure those things out, because a lot of the time you will respond unhealthily, and knowing what I know now, I don't want to be a trigger in any way."

"You won't be a trigger," you mumbled, and he shot you a pointed look, and your shoulders deflated. "I just feel stupid communicating things like that. Like, oh, I'm sad because my boyfriend is out of state for work and he's super busy and not responding to my messages so I think he might hate me."

"That isn't stupid."

"Yes it is!"

He said your name, eyebrows risen, and he shook his head. "You're upset about something. That isn't a stupid thing at all."

"It feels stupid."

"Okay, well, how about the next time I'm away on a case and not replying and you miss me, which is what that crazy, sad, completely reasonable phenomenon is called, by the way, you communicate that with me, and you see how I respond?"

"What if you tell me to go fuck myself?" 

He didn't even need to verbally deny your words for you to know that that response was completely out of character for him. All it took was one simple look, and you were diffidently smiling and averting your gaze, mumbling a quiet, "Okay."

And yes, the next time he was out of the state and you missed him, as he so kindly put it, you told him. And he spent three hours on the phone that night with you, reassuringly expressing how much he loved you, and how little he hated you.

your reblogs and replies are always appreciated ♡

[yandereunsolved]

Yandere Five w/ apocalypse reader— 'the end of the world is the most unfortunate circumstance to develop an obsessive trauma bond.'

Yandere Five had been but a barely pubescent teen when he so wisely chose to manipulate time to win an argument with his dismissive parental figure. It was jarring in the beginning. Everything he had ever known had been stripped from him. There was nothing left but debris and blood.

He always had his powers to aid him, yet for the first time they failed. He realized that his reliance on them is what caused this problem in the first place.

How could he be so idiotic?

Fastrack, six years or so, he tended to lose track due to the harsh winter blocking what was left of the sun and the overarching smog always present. Where was he going with this? Oh, yes. It made it difficult to calendar because of the extenuating circumstances.

It had to be about February when he met you. The snow had settled over more monotonous ruins of what was probably a rural town. Most of the sun rays were blocked by smog and strange cloud formations manipulated by the effects of it all. Still, he could see you, leaning against what still stood of a brick building, devoring a stale-looking twinkie.

"This one's interesting, huh, Dolores?" Think we're gonna have to shoot em'?"

Yandere Five ends up sticking by your side to culminate resources and find your true reasoning for being here. That's totally the justification, yeah. It isn't as if he is incredibly touch starved and on the edge of losing what little sanity he had. He just needs to figure you out. That he does, a little too well.

Yandere Five becomes overbearing. You can't tell if you are being questioned by your future murderer or stalker. He demands you answer all his questions promptly and with the utmost truth. He doesn't fluff them and act nicely or reply with basic human empathy. He simply loses his edge after he learns one more thing about you.

Are you allowed to do the same to him in return?

Absolutely not.

You learning about him is on a need to know basis. So if he feels that you need to know it, you will.

Take him by his word. You have to.

Yandere Five isn't the largest fan of physical affection, or physical anything in fact. It takes years in the apocalypse for him to willingly be touched by you. That's at least how he tries to appear. His expressions are always so blank and dismissive. A sarcastic quip is always on the tip of his sharp tongue.

Yet after only a few months of traveling together, he is more than eager to feel your skin under his.

He doesn't want to be near you, no, but you injured yourself by being foolish. He warned you against it, and still you continued. So now he is using some of the minimal medical supplies you both have so he can patch you up. If both of you were back pre-apocalypse, then he would definitely install a tracker inside your arm. For protection, obviously.

He doesn't want to be touched, no, but you're shivering. Losing the only other seemingly living human being, besides Delores, in the apocalypse would leave him at a great disadvantage.

He doesn't want intimacy with you, no. He has just to cuddle you to protect you and keep the nightmares away. He has to kiss your irresistible lips to keep your morale up. He has to let his thoughts about you to linger about in private, unexplored places so he may relieve himself to release relaxing and happy hormones. It's simple as that.

Deep down, he knows the true reason is that he has become utterly smitten with you. He has just chosen to do his best to gaslight himself, even though statistics state it only makes those feelings worse. Perhaps he wants that. Maybe he just wants one person in this fucked-up world that is his and his wholly and unequivocally.

Yandere Five even gets rid of his beloved Delores for you. He was growing paranoid about her. She kept teasing him about how lovesick he was. She was talking about starting to fall in love with you too. The final straw is when she said she wanted a threesome with you. In the dead of night, he disposed of her, a bullet in her head.

Strangely enough you dropped the subject after asking once. It puzzled him. Did you truly dislike Delores that much to be so nonchalant about her disappearance? Did you know what he did? Of course you didn't. You obviously hated Delores and are glad she is gone.

Good.

He likes it this way.

No more distractions, just you two.

Yandere Five doesn't want to figure out the equation to get back to his pre-apoctalyptic life. He writes down a bunch of meaningful numbers in chalk. They aren't coordinations for returning to the academy. They're calculations about your possible romantic relationship, sexual aspects, how submissive you are, and more.

He has detailed a four letter plan in his private journal.

S ubmissivness — how complacent are you? are you gullible to his tactic? how strong is your moral code? would you go along with him knowing how truly infatuated he is with your very existence?

I nterest — how are you feeling? what are your reactions? he needs to know every single thing about you. he needs to know all of your likes just as importantly as your dislikes.

N eutrality — how will his actions affect you and everything else around you? what is the path that will keep you closest to him while also making him seem like the one in charge? this is how we will know if he has gone too far.

S way — how close are others getting to you? are they looking to befriend you? are their true intentions more sinister? he has to analyze every expression and every movement of those who make any contact with you.

You call it his diary. It is not a diary! Diaries are for feelings; journals are filled with statistics. Besides, you won't ever find the location of his actual diary. He writes it in southern Sumerian anyway. You don't have a chance at deciphering it.

Yandere Five meets the Handler while you are snoozing away after a particularly hard day of labor. He can't believe the promise this strange woman puts before him. He works for this Commission for five years, and after that, he's good as done. He gets you in whatever place he wishes for the rest of your lives.

It's a bunch of bullshit as far as he's concerned. Miracles usually don't come with strings attached. Then again, does he really have a choice? He doesn't want to see you suffer anymore than you already have.

So he takes this once in a lifetime 'golden' opportunity.

Let's just hope this one doesn't bite him in the ass.

Yandere Five tells you that he has a way to get you out of here. The both of you just have to spend a little time away from each other. His body psychically aches while way from you, and it isn't just because he's a crotchety old man. The both of you weren't going to be young forever.

He doesn't necessarily hate the job until he learns that killing you is part of keeping the time continuum in check. He doesn't wait a day after learning that information. He takes your hand and escapes somewhere in the past.

Of course his calculations were rushed and were off in the worst possible way. Of course he ends up in the middle of his father's funeral, both of you stuck in your thirteen-year-old bodies. Of course Kalus has to make a sex joke about it.

Damn it! He wants to scream at the top of his lungs.

He needs you! He had you all to himself, and then other people just had to fuck it up.

It's okay. It's okay.

He'll figure out a way to stop all of this and keep you forever.

Forever. What a pleasant thought.

[generalsmemories]

How do I tell my husband he got scammed into buying a lion?

✧ jing yuan x gn!reader

✧ summary: during one autumn afternoon you're suddenly faced with another one of your husband's impulsive purchases. only that this time it's a living being.

✧ content: established relationship, fluff, humor, might be a bit ooc

✧ a/n: hello there hsr fandom! i have unfortunately lost the battle against myself on making another sideblog for jing yuan, the man who has singlehandedly occupied my mind since his first appearance in the beta. i do hope that this will actually appear in the tags, but every infomation you would need if you want to request something is all up on the blog if you so wish! i hope we can have a pleasant time together !!

also this is not beta-read, we die like how fast my resolve to not create a jing yuan blog died.

Being the spouse of the Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Luofu comes with it's share of benefits and disadvantages. For one you're regarded at a higher position than most of it's citizens, often being stopped on the side of the road when taking a walk to exchange numerous pleasantries with merchants from outside of Xianzhou, various store owners or cloud knights on duty.

Another factor is shouldering the burden your husband has on his shoulder, an oath you had taken yourself the day you accepted Jing Yuan's nth proposal. You considered that a fair trade with his vast knowledge and insight into a possible future and doing everything behind the scene to avoid colliding headfirst into said problem. A feat that attracted you towards the general in the first place, minus his dashing looks of course.

The biggest disadvantage of publicly announcing that you were indeed the Arbiter-General's significant other was doing everything within your power to not throw your husband's famous title away for a newer, more terrible one. (more utc!)

Because as you see him walking up the steps of the Seat of Divine Foresight, your gaze is not locked with your husband's smiling face, rather it's fixated on the small being he has cradled in his arms. The soft smile you had quickly spreading into a more nervous and confused smile as you glance over at Qingzu, the counselor looking at you with just as much confusion.

How in the world did you manage to leave him alone out in the market area for an hour and he comes back with a lion cub?

"[Name], darling! Look at this grimalkin that a merchant had!"

A what now?

"... A grimalkin, you say?" Every book that has recorded history had specified that the grimalkin species had gone extinct, and you were well aware that your husband knew this fact. And yet here you were, faced with his smile directed down towards what you can clearly tell is a lion cub, his thumb pressing down at its paws affectionately.

You're starting to think that Yanqing's impulsive purchases with his sword collection aligns with your own husband's impulsiveness.

Coughing loudly into your hand, you take a deep breath before descending down the stairs to be on the same level as Jing Yuan, peering down onto the cub's face. It was indeed cute, and judging by how enamored Jing Yuan is, you can clearly tell that it's small stature is what attracted him to it in the first place.

Oh he's going to be crushed when it grows up, "It's adorable, Jing Yuan," you settle on saying, waving a finger over the lion's grimalkin face, the animal lifting its paws to try to grab it. You shoot a look towards Qingzu, a silent command for her to look into which outer merchant was now scamming people into buying literal lions. The counselor quickly excusing herself to look into the matter immediately, Jing Yuan only giving her a smile and a wave of his hand as she scurries down the stairs.

"Right? I decided to name it Mimi," he muses, and your heart breaks a tiny bit for him, but there are more pressing matters at hand than the fact that your husband once again got scammed because he was most likely bored out of his mind.

You would rather that the Xianzhou citizens know him as "The Dozing General" instead of the general that gets scammed a few times too many. How does one even go on about trying to tell their husband that the grimalkin in his arms is actually a lion?

"A fitting name indeed," you mutter, raising a hand to caress Jing Yuan's cheek, a simple gesture to make the general direct his attention to you. However, you could still see that his guard was slightly up with you. You only chuckle at that, leaning in to slide your lips over his own, Jing Yuan wasting no time to press back.

Another well hidden secret reserved for the walls of the Divine Foresight is the fact your husband is incredibly weak for his own spouse.

"... Want to tell me how much you paid for Mimi, dear?" you ask in a whisper when your lips part, thumb caressing over the mole under his eye.

Jing Yuan merely smiles, twisting his head to press his lips against your hand instead, "It was from my personal wallet, dear. Please don't fret over the small details."

"Darling, I hope you're aware that the small details would be the necessary funding for accomodation, toys and food, right?" you say with a chuckle, your husband freezing with his ministrations upon remembering that fact.

Oh well, you want to see how long it takes before your husband comes to realization that it's a lion. You just have to be extra vigilant towards the numerous fundings in the meantime.

While scrolling through your schedule for the next morning, your phone dings with a message from Qingzu. You quickly look down at Mimi whose resting on your belly and then at Jing Yuan whose sleeping self is still snoring away by your shoulder before letting out a small sigh in relief that the loud noise didn't awake any of them.

Qingzu:

Do I even have a say in this?

Was the message sent by Qingzu, attatched to it is a picture taken of what you can only presume is one of Jing Yuan's "diaries". The contents of it making you let out a low laugh, the shaking making said man beside you grumble before pressing his face into your neck.

Attatched image:

"Eventually, I paid hefty sum for the grimalkin, named it "Mimi", and took it home. Only that I'm too busy with official business and have little time to take care of Mimi. After thinking it over, chores like feeding it and changing its water should also be entrusted to Qingzu. I do wonder why [Name] looked so distraught when they first saw Mimi though. Maybe they didn't think I would favor the petite and small animals instead of the usual large and strong ones?"

[Name]:

So Qingzu, do you have an idea what the easiest way to tell someone they got scammed is?

Qingzu:

That is the role of the spouse, not the counselor.

[lina-transverse]

Queer discourse on this site of fun cause it just turns into mostly White Queers just saying the same things over and over and no one is capable of understanding nuance or willing to consider the others point of view cause they're more concerned with "winning" the argument. Which is stupid and pointless because arguing is for idiots.

Y'all know we're on the same side right? There's no point in having discussions over 'who the most oppressed' is when it's obviously black and brown queer people, especially transfem black women.

This is a fact.

Do y'all even remember back in the late 2010's when the only time "transgender" or "transfem" trended n this site was when another black or brown sister was killed?

Do y'all even care about them? I've seen tons of posts for Pauly Likens which is great, but where's the outrage for Shannon Boswell, shot to death in the street while police denied said shooting even happened? What about Tayy Thomas and River Goddard, just children who were killed by their partners? Where's your rage for TK Hill, shot outside his hair salon? Or Africá Garciá, homeless and shot to death in a dirty street.

Last year 320 trans people were killed. Three-hundred and fucking twenty.

Of those deaths, 94% of them were transfem/ trans women and over 80% were black and brown people. Many were sex workers or homeless. Lots of them were degendered by the media and police in death. Even more deaths are unreported either due to degendering or their bodies not being found. So many of these people (again, mostly black and brown transfem's) are violated and horrifically tortured by their tormentors.

If your discussion of transphobia doesn't include black and trans people, if you cannot recognize this simple fact, then you're no ally to the trans community.

Community means you look out and support those that are the most vulnerable; it means you show the fuck up and speak the fuck up when you hear racist shit. It means you ABSOLUTELY DO NOT call the cops on a homeless person, it means you look out for those that have less than you, the disadvantaged and disenfranchised. White queers have white privilege! We still benefit from our whiteness (especially in the US) so fucking use that shit!

Get your heads outta your asses and actually be a part of your community instead of whinging and whining and wringing your hands helplessly while ignoring the ACTUAL dangers trans people face.

I'm gonna close this with a quote from a friend of África Garciá that perfectly encapsulates how the world views transfem's.

“A lot of trans women are on the streets and are made invisible because many people believe that their lives are worthless,” LeQueen, a trans artist and friend of García’s, told the paper. “They don’t give them the ‘spotlight’ that they deserve, and those men take advantage of that. They think, If I kill her here, no one is going to care.”

Source 1

Source 2

[liauditore]

more arcane au! joel's not doing so hot. or is he (lore under the cut)

once the self-declared leader of his ragtag group of friends, joel found himself on his own after Scott sold the rest of the group out to topside. After narrowly escaping a lifetime sentence to Stillwater, Joel was determined to never feel weak again, and throws himself into the fighting pits as a means to keep himself and his ego fed.

his relatively scrawny frame served as a disadvantage in the early days, but doing the odd job for Silco's associates here and there earnt him access to shimmer he would otherwise be unable to afford. his prolonged use of it over his career has left him a stumbling wreck in his daily life, but serves him well when it matters.

his suppliers, upon noticing he was actually drawing in the crowds (and therefore, money), started providing him with a watered down strain of shimmer so that it would hopefully not destory his body too fast. whether their efforts are successful is dubious.

joel however could care less about the longevity of his career (or life, for that matter), his one goal now is to kill Scott for betraying him, but that dream seems farther and farther away as time goes on when Scott continues to gain control over his side of the lanes and joel remains a lone wolf.

some trivia/"plot":

despite being a well known fighter, he lives pretty much paycheck to paycheck since most of his funds are being spent on shimmer and rent.

other fighters dislike him a lot -- a good chunk of his ticket sales are people wanting to see him beaten bloody

his use of shimmer is no secret. the organizers do not care. gem was unaware because she isn't local

starts off hating gem's guts but they get more friendly after joel beats her shounen-anime style.

I'll be honest i'm a bit fuzzy on this part lol but in the world where I turn this into a fic of some kind, a lot of it would involve Joel's shimmer supply being cut off and the withdrawal horrors that come with that especially since he's not only an addict but using shimmer as a means to feel safe/strong.

^also in this world. he would eventually work up to actually being in a position to confront and kill Scott, but it ends in him not being able to bring himself to actually do it. He still hates him (even more now that Scott is officially a chem-baron) but he just can't.

the realistic ending would be him dying in an alley somewhere afterwards, succumbing to years of abuse. but I'm a softie and in my head Etho scoops him up and takes him home with him to Middle of Nowhere, Ionia where Joel finally gets to take a breather.

also, in the universe where the arcane characters exist and can interact with them: vi definitely beat him during her pit fighter arc.

[sevenboarproductions]

[IDOLiSH7] [Part 6] Chapter 14: To the Challengers [2/2]

6.14.4 - Always by your side

Audience G: Next is the last one… It's Re:vale's stage.... 

Audience H: It went by so quickly...! I can't believe it's already over…

Audience I: I still want to see more...!

Audience H: The champion has finally appeared.... Are Re:vale's lives really that amazing...?

Audience H: ŹOOḼ, IDOLiSH7, and TRIGGER were all amazing, but…

Audience G: Have you never seen Re:vale live?

Audience H: No… What is it like?

Audience I: It's really amazing.

Audience I: It's like seeing a movie, a live, sports, an art museum, and a variety show all at once.

Audience G: Invincible heroes appear there, like a concentrated version of every star in the world…

Audience H: Really? Don’t you feel like you're exaggerating too much?

Audience G: It's true! Even if it's an act…

Audience G: The lies that Re:vale create are the ultimate entertainment.

Audience H: Ah...! Something appeared on the screen again!

Audience I: It’s the latest interview footage...!

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!!

--

Momo: Everyone at the Black or White venue!

Momo: Yay! It's Momo-chan!

Momo: Ah… I guess I shouldn't be too excited. This seems like it's a serious interview.

Momo: Okay. ...Well, that's right. If I warm up the venue as the MC, it'll be a disadvantage for my kouhai.

Momo: …

Momo: Everyone at the venue~!! I love you…!!

Momo: Sorry, sorry, sorry. I do it like it's breathing. It's so ingrained in me as an idol.

Momo: Or rather, it's the truth. I love everyone at the venue from the bottom of my heart.

Momo: It’s thanks to everyone's support that we are here!

Momo:Thank you always! But even though you are all so precious to me, there is one thing I won’t yield to you!

Momo: To me, the most important person, the most important idol is…

Momo: Yuki!!!

Momo: Only one! Only one special idol! Y・U・K・I！ Yuki!

Momo: I said it jokingly, but I'm serious.

Momo: My partner is already eating radish sprouts, after all.* He looks almost like a living sculpture. 

Momo: That person is singing, dancing, and giving fan service next to me.

Momo:  It’s not like I can see anything else, can I?

Momo: That’s why, only one. Only one idol.

Momo: Hm? Am I just boasting? Is this really going to be shown at Zero Arena? On that huge screen? Right…

Momo: Then, let me say it last more time. To me, an idol is...!

Momo: Yuki! It’s you!!

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!!

--

Yuki: I wonder what topic I should choose.... Talking about music would take too long.

Yuki: ...Let's make it about lives. For me, a live is a time to see Momo having fun.

Yuki: Isn't that the case for everyone? Look, I don't move around much, but Momo is always on the move.

Yuki: He’s like a goldfish in an aquarium. He goes here and there, and just watching him cheers you up.

Yuki: Then, when I looked over, I noticed that the people at the venue were looking at Momo with the same expression as me.

Yuki: At times like that, I think this world isn't so bad after all.

Yuki: Ah... That sounds a bit arrogant. Let me rephrase that.

Yuki: I'm glad there's a place in this world that can forgive me.

Yuki: Thank you for giving me a place to belong.

Yuki: Yeah…

Yuki: I thank both God and the insects. 

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!!

--

Kujou Aya: ...What an incredible cheer.... As expected of Re:vale… Their fans are really fired up...

Kujou Takamasa: That may be the case.

Kujou Takamasa: But they're also trying to protect their idol from threats.

Kujou Aya: Eh…？

Kujou Takamasa: The threats are your brothers and your boyfriend.

Kujou Takamasa: There is no sun that does not experience a sunset. A new star is always born, overtaking the others from behind.

Kujou Takamasa: It's a tough world of competition. That's why their fans want to protect them.

Kujou Takamasa: They raise their voices with all their might, and celebrate the glory of their beloved star.

Kujou Aya: Re:vale-san…

Audience G: Momo-chan, do your best...!

Audience I: Momo-chan…！

Audience H: Re:vale…！

Audience G: Re:vale, I love you…!

Okazaki Rinto: ...Please do your best.... Yuki-kun, Momo-kun…

Okazaki Rintarou: Even though it hasn’t started yet, the atmosphere is so nervous.

Okazaki Rinto: President… Who are you talking about?

Okazaki Rintarou: About everyone here.

Okazaki Rintarou: The battle of the century is about to be decided. But all of this is what Re:vale wanted.

Okazaki Rinto: Eh…？

Okazaki Rintarou: I mean, isn't that it? If they wanted to monopolise victory for themselves, they wouldn’t pay any attention to their kouhai.

Okazaki Rintarou: What's more, they’re people from other agencies.

Okazaki Rintarou: Even if IDOLiSH7 had no chance, and TRIGGER had been left out in the cold, they would’ve been fine just leaving them alone.

Okazaki Rintarou: The reason Re:vale didn't do that was because they enjoyed it. 

Okazaki Rintarou: They made the entertainment and idol industry fun, just as they wanted.

Okazaki Rintarou: The ones who are having the most fun tonight are Re:vale. 

Okazaki Rintarou: Let's see it through.

Okazaki Rinto: Yes…

--

Momo: Ha…

Yuki: Are you nervous?

Momo: I’m nervous… But slowly, it’s started to get better.

Momo: My body remembers. That I love this kind of tension.

Yuki: That’s a sportsman for you. 

Momo: You, too, though, Yuki.

Momo: When you were at the live house, you always sang as if you were fighting. Like you were trying to overpower everyone around you.

Yuki: That’s right.

Yuki: We don't dislike this sort of thing, do we? It's like a kind of assault…

Momo: Assault? Even though we’re the champions?

Yuki: I’m fine feeling like a challenger. It's more freeing to have nothing.

Momo: That's true. We've had a long time where we had nothing, after all.

Momo: Well, then.

Momo: Shall we do it?

Yuki: Let's do it.

Nanase Riku: Re:vale-san…

Kujou Tenn: …

Isumi Haruka: Re:vale…

Kujou Aya: ...Kujou-san, which group do you think will win?

Kujou Takamasa: It's completely unpredictable. Tonight's stage is really interesting.

Kujou Takamasa: Who do you want to win, Aya? Tamaki-kun? Tenn? Haruka? Or Re:vale? 

Kujou Aya: …I don’t want anyone to lose…

Kujou Aya: Not Tamaki-nii-chan, not Tenn-onii-chan, not Haru-chan and not Re:vale-san either. 

Kujou Aya: I know that they are loved and supported by so many people...

Kujou Aya: I want everyone’s wishes to come true…

Kujou Takamasa: That’s not possible. Because this is the stage of Black or White. 

Kujou Takamasa: The time of ambiguity is over. There is only one who gets the glory.

Kujou Takamasa: It's clearly decided, black or white.

Kujou Aya: ….Black or white, clearly…

Kujou Takamasa: Aya. Go back to Tamaki-kun.

Kujou Aya: …

Kujou Takamasa: Thank you for being beside me until now.

Kujou Takamasa: I was happy because you were there.

Kujou Aya: …Kujou-san…

Kujou Aya: …

Kujou Aya: …I understand. I'll talk to Tamaki-nii-chan about it...

Kujou Takamasa: Yes. That would be a good idea. I've already spoken to President Takanashi about it.

Kujou Aya: ...Thank you for everything. I'm the one who's grateful for all you’ve done for me up until now.

Kujou Aya: I wanted to be by your side forever, Kujou-san, but...

Kujou Aya: ...I had the feeling that you may want to be alone right now, Kujou-san...

Kujou Takamasa: That’s true…

Kujou Aya: But, Kujou-san, can I just say one thing?

Kujou Takamasa: What is it?

Kujou Aya: You wouldn’t reject me a second time, right? 

Kujou Takamasa: …I just thought I should make sure…

Kujou Aya: You wouldn’t…

Kujou Takamasa: Uhm.... Oh, look, it's starting.

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Audience: The lights came on…

Audience: It’s Re:vale…!!

Audience: Waaah, Re:vale live!!

Audience: Oh my god…! Even if they’re not my oshi, I’m getting excited!!

Audience: The aura of Re:vale live is incredible...!

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Passerby G: Re:vale's live has started!

Passerby H: I wonder what they'll be playing!? The first song...

Passerby G: “SILVER SKY”...!!

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Nanase Riku: “SILVER SKY”…

Nanase Riku: The first time I saw them perform, it was this song…

Nikaidou Yamato: …That's true…

--

Momo: (That's right. I was excited that day, too.)

Momo: (The day I first met IDOLiSH7.)

Momo: (Everyone was nervous, trying their best; they were sparkling and cute.)

Momo: (I was happy to have more friends. Thank you for getting along with me.)

Momo: (Thank you for saving me.) 

Momo: (Thank you for letting me and Yuki meet someone important to us.) 

Momo: (It's thanks to everyone that I'm here.)

Momo: Everyone~! Are you having fun?

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Audience G: ...Ah, this is the best...! SilSky was the best…!

Audience H: Both Yuki-san and Momo-chan are the coolest they've ever been...!

Audience I: Don’t lose…！

Audience G: We’ll definitely make them win..!!

Audience H: Re:vale's live is so fun! I wonder what they'll sing next!?

Audience I: Ah, this intro...!

Audience H: It’s ”NO DOUBT”...!

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Nikaidou Yamato: ...This song...

Nikaidou Yamato: During "Mission", both Yuki-san and Momo-san helped me a lot...

Izumi Mitsuki: Yeah…

Izumi Mitsuki: I'll never forget that time.

Izumi Mitsuki: We were falling apart, but they gave us a place to belong.

--

Yuki: (I had fun then, too.)

Yuki: (I could never have lived with someone, and yet…)

Yuki: (Looking after someone.)

Yuki: (It was my way of giving back.)

Yuki: (Did I do well?)

Yuki: (Momo.)

Yuki: (Without you, I wouldn't be here.)

Yuki: (I never thought that a selfish person like me could make someone happy.) 

Yuki: (You can hear it, right?) 

Yuki: (It feels good.)

Yuki: (These cheers.)

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Yuki: Haha... Thanks.

Audience G: Oh my god…! Re:vale is the best...!

Audience H: Re:vale！I love you, I love you!

Audience I: There's no way they’ll lose this! It's Re:vale again this year!

Audience G: They can definitely win...! Because we believe in them!!

Audience H: Next is…

Audience I: It’s “Re-raise”…!

Audience G: Kyaaah…！They’re singing “Re-raise”!

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Kujou Tenn: …I remember when I first heard this song.

Kujou Tenn: Just like us, they were exposed to confusion and malice…

Kujou Tenn: I was impressed by how easily they could sing such beautiful songs.

Kujou Tenn: I am truly proud to have been born in the same era as them and to have been recognized by them.

Inumaru Touma: ...I was so happy.... When Re:vale told me they remembered me...

Inumaru Touma: I'm so happy, and I really want to tell them thank you...

Inumaru Touma: I wanted to stop doing the wrong thing.

Inumaru Touma: ..Now… I'm so glad that we're standing on the same stage...

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Momo: Everyone, sing along...!

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Audience: Momo…！

Audience: …Yuki…！

Yuki: Louder!

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Audience: Re:vale…！

Audience: Ah, the lights went out...

Audience: Maybe a costume change?! I’m looking forward to it!

Audience: The stage is beautiful...! Projection mapping!?

Audience: The cloth hanging down from the stage was fluttering like a bird...! Re:vale is even more beautiful than usual...!

Audience: What will the new song be like!?

Audience: Whatever it is, it's definitely a good song! It's Re:vale after all...!!

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Momo: …

Yuki: …

Audience: Momo-chan is cute...! His new costume suits him so much...!!

Audience: Yuki-san looks cool...! His hairstyle is great...!

Momo: Last song!

Yuki: “YOUR RHAPSODY”!

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Oogami Banri: …

--

Orikasa Yukito: I’m sure you’ll like the band name, Ban. 

Oogami Banri: What is it?

Orikasa Yukito: Re:vale.

-

Oogami Banri: I'm really sorry. I'll thank you again...

Sunohara Momose: I don't need any thanks! After all, Re:vale's lives always make me happy!

-

Orikasa Yukito: …

Sunohara Momose: …Yuki-san…！Please don't stop! Don't let Re:vale end!

Orikasa Yukito: I’m stopping… Re:vale has ended. Nothing you say will change that.

Sunohara Momose: No! Please...!

Orikasa Yukito: …I’m begging you, let me give up…! 

Sunohara Momose: I’m begging you, please don't give up…! 

-

Momo: I’m Re:vale’s Momo!

Yuki: I’m Re:vale’s Yuki.

--

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Momo: (Hey, Yuki.)

Momo: (The guests often tell us that it feels like a dream.)

Momo: (For me, it’s been that way ever since I became part of Re:vale.) 

Momo: (In return for this wonderful dream, I want Yuki to remain king forever.)

Momo: (Please, God.)

Momo: (I want victory.)

Momo: (Defeat doesn't suit Yuki, does it?)

Momo: (I’m begging you, God. )

Momo: (Let me stay here just a little longer.)

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Audience: Momo…！

Audience: Momo-chan…！

Yuki: (Momo's wish.)

Yuki: (I want to make it come true.) 

Yuki: (Please.)

Yuki: (I don't want to make him sad.)

Yuki: (Because there's no one else as good as him.)

Yuki: (I hope I can grant his wish.)

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Audience: Yuki…！

Audience: Yuki-san…！

Audience: Re:vale…!!

Audience: Kyaaaaaah...!

Momo: …Ha… Haa…

Momo: Thank you…！

Yuki: Thank you！

Audience: Kyaaaaaah...!

Momo: Yuki…

Yuki: I’m fine.

Yuki: Thank you!

Audience: Kyaaaaaah...!

(clapping)

Okazaki Rinto: …(sobs) Momo-kun, Yuki-kun… (sobs)

Momo: Waa…！Okarin, are you crying!?

Okazaki Rinto: (sobs)...Thank you for your hard work! It was really good...! It was the best…(sobs)

Yuki: Rintarou, you… Don't make Okarin cry while the others are singing.

Okazaki Rintarou: He wasn’t crying at all. He was just moved by your performance. You know that, right?

Yuki: Is that so?

Momo: Waah, I’m happy!!

Okazaki Rinto: (sobs) ...I don't know why… I'm remembering everything that's happened up until now...

Momo: After we win, after we win! We’ll definitely win, so cry at the after-party! Give an emotional speech!

Yuki: Nice, I want to hear it, too.

Okazaki Rintarou: Me, too.

Yuki: What?

Okazaki Rintarou: I was moved, too.

Yuki: …Haha… 

Momo: President! Tell us more!

Okazaki Rintarou: After you win.

Okazaki Rinto: ... Whether you win or lose...

Okazaki Rinto: Re:vale are my heroes…!

Mr. Shimooka: Well, all the lives are over now!

Mr. Shimooka: Will the one to seize the glory be ŹOOḼ, IDOLiSH7, TRIGGER or Re:vale!?

Mr. Shimooka: With everyone’s help, let’s have everyone lead their favourite group to victory! 

Mr. Shimooka: “New Black or White”... Also, there’s only so little time left in this year!

Mr. Shimooka: Everyone, please look forward to it!!

~ to be continued ~

--

6.14.5 - And the crown goes to...

Mister Shimooka: Everyone, I’m sure you’ve been waiting for this!

Mister Shimooka: It’s time to announce the results!

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Kujou Aya: …

Kujou Takamasa: …

Mage Takara: …TRIGGER…

Sunohara Ruri: Momo…!

Woman: Riku-kun! IDOLiSH7…!

Ousaka Soushi: …

Chiba Shizuo: …Yamato…

Thorvald: …

AudienceＡ: ŹOOḼ…!

Mister Shimooka: Now before unveiling the final result - let’s introduce the idols who showed us their amazing performances tonight again! 

Mister Shimooka: ŹOOḼ…!

ŹOOḼ: …

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Audience: ŹOOḼ…!

Audience: Touma…!

Audience: Haruka…!

Audience: Minami-kun…!

Audience: Torao-kun…!

Mister Shimooka: IDOLiSH7…!

IDOLiSH7: …

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Audience: IDOLiSH7…!

Audience: Iori……

Audience: Yamato-san…!

Audience: Mikki!

Audience: Tamaki…!

Audience: Sougo-san…!

Audience: Nagi-kun…！

Audience: Riku…！

Mister Shimooka: TRIGGER…！

TRIGGER: …

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Audience: TRIGGER…！

Audience: Gaku-san…！

Audience: Tenn…！

Audience: Ryuunosuke-san…！

Mister Shimooka: Re:vale…！

Re:vale: …

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Audience: Re:vale…！

Audience: Momo…！

Audience: Yuki…！

Mister Shimooka: Please greet them with a big applause!!

Tsukumo Ryou: …

Mister Shimooka: Well, let’s hear how they are doing right now. 

Mister Shimooka: Could you say something on behalf of your groups?

Mister Shimooka: Let’s start with ŹOOḼ.

Inumaru Touma: …Uhm… so I’m starting, huh…

Inumaru Touma: We did our very best. We were able to deliver our best live. 

Inumaru Touma: We were all very nervous but… we have no regrets. Right, everyone? 

Isumi Haruka: True…

Natsume Minami: Indeed.

Midou Torao: Ah… yes.

Inumaru Touma: C’mon, everyone!!

Midou Torao＆Natsume Minami＆Isumi Haruka: Yeah!!

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Mister Shimooka: Thank you. Now, let’s hear from IDOLiSH7. 

Izumi Mitsuki: Your turn, leader.

Nikaidou Yamato: Yes. Uhm…

Nikaidou Yamato: ŹOOḼ, TRIGGER, Re:vale… Because we were able to be on stage together with all these amazing groups…

Nikaidou Yamato: We could be even stronger than we usually are. This last IDOLiSH7 live of the year is the best memory we could have. 

Nikaidou Yamato: Thanks for kindly cheering us on. 

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Mister Shimooka: Thank you very much. Next up is TRIGGER, please tell us your feelings. 

Yaotome Gaku: Yes.

Yaotome Gaku: The three of us prepared for this day, so we were able to deliver a performance that leaves no regrets behind. 

Yaotome Gaku: Seeing the scenery from here for the first time in such a long time felt amazing. 

Yaotome Gaku: Thank you for having us.

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Mister Shimooka: Thank you. The last one is Re:vale, can you give us a quick statement as well?

Momo: Everyone, did you have fun?!

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Momo: That was soooo exciting, right?! I felt it too! My heart is racing even now! 

Momo: Being able to spend such an exciting time with the fans we love so much makes us the happiest!

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Mister Shimooka: Thank you very much. That was an exciting time indeed. 

Mister Shimooka: Well then, finally… 

Mister Shimooka: It’s time to announce the winning group of the male idol category! 

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Mister Shimooka: Everyone, who do you think manages to rise to glory in this new era!? 

Audience: IDOLiSH7…！

Audience: …ŹOOḼ…！

Audience: Re:vale…！

Audience: …TRIGGER…！

Utsugi Shirou : ŹOOḼ…！

Anesagi Kaoru: TRIGGER…！

Okazaki Rinto: Re:vale…！

Oogami Banri: IDOLiSH7…！

Takanashi Otoharu: IDOLiSH7…！

Yaotome Sousuke: TRIGGER…！

Okazaki Rintarou: Re:vale…！

Takanashi Tsumugi: IDOLiSH7…！

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Mister Shimooka: Oh dear, looks like everyone is really pumped up for this! With all that heat, it almost feels like it’s summer already! 

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Mister Shimooka: Finally, here is the announcement!

Mister Shimooka: The winner of the renewed “Black or White Live Showdown” in the male idol category is….! 

ŹOOḼ: …

IDOLiSH7: …

TRIGGER: …

Re:vale: …

Mister Shimooka: IDOLiSH7…!!

Nanase Riku: …We did it…！

Yotsuba Tamaki: Yeah！We won…！

Ousaka Sougo: …We…

Izumi Iori: We’ve done it…！

Nikaidou Yamato: We did it…！

Izumi Mitsuki: …(crying)…We really…ah…

Rokuya Nagi: Yes! We won!

Ousaka Sougo: …I’m so happy… All of us, IDOLiSH7, with my song…

Izumi Mitsuki: We won!!… Ah…w-we did it…

Nikaidou Yamato: Don’t cry you guys!.... You’re making me cry too…. 

Nanase Riku: Everyone… we…

Mister Shimooka: IDOLiSH7, they’re hugging and sharing in their joy already…! 

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Kujou Aya: …Tamaki-nii-chan…！IDOLiSH7 is amazing…！

Kujou Takamasa: So IDOLiSH7 takes it home…

Kujou Takamasa: Well done, highschooler.

Mister Shimooka: Congratulations, IDOLiSH7! Congrats…!

Izumi Mitsuki: …ugh… Ah…we did it…！　We won…！

Rokuya Nagi: I love you, everyone! Thank you…

Rokuya Nagi: …Thank you…

Nikaidou Yamato: …Nagi, don’t cry… You’re happy, right? Right? 

Rokuya Nagi: …Y- yes…

Izumi Iori: …We won…

Izumi Iori: See… See, I told you. One day we’d make it. 

Nanase Riku: Making me a superstar…！Thank you for always… believing in me…

Izumi Iori: …No, I’m the one who should be…

Ousaka Sougo: …Uh… ugh…Ah…hhh…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ahaha, Sou-chan you’re ugly crying! You can’t even breathe properly like this!

Ousaka Sougo: I’m just… so happy.

Ousaka Sougo: That something that I made… and worked so hard on… gets recognized like this. I’m so happy.

Yotsuba Tamaki: …Yeah… That’s true…

Yotsuba Tamaki: Ha… …I’m so glad…

Yotsuba Tamaki: I’m… I’m glad we could give it our best. 

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Mister Shimooka: Nanase Riku, you as the center, please tell the audience how happy you are right now! 

Nanase Riku: Thank you so much for your support! Thanks to everyone, we were able to take this victory together…! 

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Nanase Riku: Really… thank you so much!

(clapping)

Mister Shimooka: Iori-kun.

Izumi Iori: …Thank you very much. 

Izumi Iori: This is a longtime dream come true. I don’t think I will be able to sleep tonight. 

(clapping)

Mister Shimooka: Now Yamato, the leader.

Nikaidou Yamato: Leader, eh… I didn’t even…

Nikaidou Yamato: I’m very happy… So happy I can’t put it into words. IDOLiSH7 is the best group!

(clapping)

Mister Shimooka: Your turn, Mitsuki-kun. Wait– Mitsuki-kun, are you okay? 

Izumi Mitsuki: Uhh… hhh… I’m sorry, I just– I just got really emotional. 

Mister Shimooka: Haha, you sure did! It’s nice, right? 

Izumi Mitsuki: Thank you so much! Thank you, everyone! We won! 

(clapping)

Mister Shimooka: Well then, Tamaki-kun.

Yotsuba Tamaki: I’m super super happy! It’s thanks to all our group members, and all the fans.. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: And ŹOOḼ and TRIGGER and Re:vale. Thank you all! 

(clapping)

Mister Shimooka: What about you, Sougo-kun?

Ousaka Sougo: …Yes…I’m overjoyed…I ended up crying so much…

Ousaka Sougo: …Thank you very much… I’m so glad to be alive right now. I love you all.

(clapping)

Mister Shimooka: Now, Nagi-kun.

Rokuya Nagi: Alright! Everyone! 

Rokuya Nagi: Are you happy? 

Audience: Yes!! 

Rokuya Nagi: Okay! Beautiful! I’m also very very very happy! 

Rokuya Nagi: Thanks to our many friends who always looked out for us...

Rokuya Nagi: I was able to discover a new polaris. Thank you. I love you…! 

Audience: Kyaaaah...!

Mister Shimooka: Congratulations! IDOLiSH7!

Mister Shimooka: Please give a big applause for the winners of this new era! 

(clapping)

Takanashi Tsumugi: …IDOLiSH7, they… Everyone won…

Takanashi Otoharu: Amazing… Everyone really did their best. 

Oogami Banri: They’re the best idols! IDOLiSH7…! 

~ to be continued ~

--

6.14.6 - Our thanks to you

Woman: Congrats, IDOLiSH7! 

Woman: …Seriously… congratulations! 

Thorvald: Nagi-sama! Congratulations!

Chiba Shizuo: Ha…

Chiba Shizuo: You did it, Yamato…

Sougo's mother: …(crying)… 

Ousaka Soushi: …

Sougo's mother: I'm sorry… I just couldn't contain myself…

Ousaka Soushi: No, it's…

Girl: They did it! Congrats, Riku-kun.

Older sister: That’s great, right.

Girl: Yeah…

Older sister: …ŹOOḼ…

Mage Takara: …TRIGGER…

Sunohara Ruri: …Re:vale…

Tsukumo Ryou: …ŹOOḼ…

Tsukumo Ryou: Momo…

Isumi Haruka: …Ha…

Inumaru Touma: …

Natsume Minami: …

Midou Torao: …

Yaotome Gaku: …

Kujou Tenn: …

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: …

Yuki: …

Momo: … (crying) ... 

Momo: … (crying) … 

Yuki: …Momo…

Utsugi Shirou: …Ah…

Anesagi Kaoru: …No, that's… TRIGGER…

Yaotome Sousuke: …

Okazaki Rinto: …Momo is crying so much…

Okazaki Rinto: …Momo-kun… Yuki-kun…

Okazaki Rintarou: …

Okazaki Rintarou: …So that’s the end of Re:vale's winning streak…

Oogami Banri: …

Okazaki Rintarou: Banri-kun, you're probably pretty torn.

Oogami Banri: …That's true… But I already decided I wouldn’t support Re:vale anymore.

Oogami Banri: So right now I’m celebrating IDOLiSH7’s victory. 

Oogami Banri: Re:vale will definitely climb back up again. As long as they're together, they won't let it end like this. 

Mister Shimooka: Ahh, that was close… The crème de la crème of artists, defeated…! 

Mister Shimooka: And among them, Re:vale, the overall champion of the old Black or White! This really is a moment for the history books! 

Mister Shimooka: …Momo-kun, that's a frustrating loss, isn't it?

Momo: …(crying) Everyone… I… I'm so sorry to everyone who supported us.

Momo: Even though we're Re:vale, we ended up losing… I'm so sorry…

Momo: …(crying) It's so… so frustrating… (crying)

Nanase Riku: …Momo-san…

Yuki: …

Yuki: Um… Since Momo can't do it right now, let me say a word. 

Mister Shimooka: Thanks a lot... Yuki-kun, you put up a great performance. 

Momo: … (crying) 

Yuki: It'll be fine.

Yuki: We're just lending the throne to them for a bit. 

Audience: Kyaaaah…!

Momo: …Y- Yuki…

Yuki: Well, I can't just stay silent if they're making Momo cry like this, right? 

Audience: Kyaaaaah….!

Yuki: We'll take our revenge next year. 

Audience: Kyaaaaaah…!

Izumi Mitsuki: …As you'd expect of Re:vale…

Nikaidou Yamato: They're so cool…

Yuki: Aren't we, Momo?

Momo: …Y-Yes…！

Momo: We can't just let things stand like this, after all!

Momo: Re:vale will take their revenge!

Audience: Kyaaaah….!

Sunohara Ruri: … (crying) …

Man: Are you okay…? That was definitely a shock, right? ...Seeing Momo-kun like that…

Sunohara Ruri: …That's not it… Hearing the loud cheers for them makes me feel happy and warm…

Sunohara Ruri: I could feel that Momo has all that support. I'm sure it will be alright…

Sunohara Ruri: …Good luck with your revenge…!

Okazaki Rinto: …That's it…! That's the right spirit…!

Okazaki Rinto: Let's take our revenge next year! For sure!

Okazaki Rintarou: Since it's Re:vale, they'll definitely do it. There's no one who hates losing as much as them. 

Okazaki Rintarou: Starting tomorrow, have their backs for another year while they rush ahead.

Okazaki Rinto: …Yes… It's really frustrating that they had their crown taken from them but…

Okazaki Rinto: Thanks to that, we got to see Momo-kun crying like that and Yuki-kun vowing to get revenge for doing that to him. 

Okazaki Rinto: That was more dramatic and got me rooting for you more than any movie. Re:vale's story isn't over yet!

Okazaki Rinto: Momo-kun said he's sorry for losing even though they are Re:vale…

Okazaki Rinto: But it's not like they were Re:vale because they were the champions. On the contrary, because they’re Re:vale that they were able to become champions at all.

Okazaki Rinto: We'll get to see Re:vale as challengers again next year! And the one after that…!

Okazaki Rintarou: Right.

Okazaki Rintarou: Re:vale taking revenge - that has to be the best entertainment in the world.

Okazaki Rintarou: Let's support Re:vale and see what their future brings. 

Okazaki Rintarou: Yuki, Momo, you were the best.

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Mister Shimooka: They were also closely defeated but… ŹOOḼ, how are you guys doing? 

Inumaru Touma: …Yeah.

Inumaru Touma: It's really, really frustrating, but we just want to accept the result and move forward.

Inumaru Touma: Thank you so much, everyone!

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Natsume Minami: Thank you so much to everyone who supported us through this. Unfortunately we were not strong enough…

Natsume Minami: Personally, I think we put on our best show. 

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Natsume Minami: We will return once we have the power to bring the world to its knees and make them acknowledge us.

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Midou Torao: Thanks for your support. It's true, this is really disappointing… I don't want to believe it….

Midou Torao: But I'll try to remember the words someone I really respect said to me. 

Midou Torao: “Being frustrated by a loss means that there's something you want to do and that you believe in your own power to make it happen. That's really cool.”

Midou Torao: Right, Haruka?

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Isumi Haruka: …(crying)… D-Damn… Yeah, right…!

Isumi Haruka: I'm never ever giving up! 

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Isumi Haruka: We will be the ones taking revenge! …Sorry, Re:vale! 

Momo: What?

Isumi Haruka: The throne is gonna be ours next year!

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

Yuki: Ahaha. Confident, aren't you?

Momo: That's cool, Haruka! 

Yaotome Gaku: Uh, sorry to barge into the conversation like that, but… 

Yaotome Gaku: We'll take the throne. 

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!!

Kujou Aya: …Amazing…! Aren't the cheers tonight the best? 

Kujou Takamasa: Well, everyone is really happy. Even the losers put on a great performance. 

Kujou Takamasa: Scenes like this are why I believe in entertainment. 

Mage Takara: …TRIGGER…!!

Mage Takara: They're so cool…! Even though they lost, they're the greatest...!

AudienceＡ: ŹOOḼ are the best…! It’s frustrating that they lost, but I’m still excited!

AudienceＡ: I'm excited for next year…! I can't wait to see the next thing my favorite idols have in store…! 

Audience: Kyaaaaah…! 

Audience: IDOLiSH7…!

Audience: Re:vale…!

Audience: ŹOOḼ…!

Audience: TRIGGER…!

Mister Shimooka: TRIGGER, you were also narrowly defeated… 

Mister Shimooka: But you were quick to let us know your certain plans for revenge as well.  

Yaotome Gaku: Sorry for interrupting. The words just came out on their own… 

Yaotome Gaku: But we will stand by them. Next year, we will take revenge. 

Yaotome Gaku: Please keep supporting us until then! 

Audience: Kyaaaaah…! 

Kujou Tenn: It's sad we weren't strong enough this time, but we showed you the best we could. Tonight was really fun.

Kujou Tenn: Next year I'd like to see this view from the champion's throne.

Kujou Tenn: Thank you all!

Audience: Kyaaaaah…!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: To everyone who supported us: I'm sorry we couldn’t live up to your expectations. 

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: But let me promise you this: Next time, we will definitely take it home.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: TRIGGER will win!

Audience: Kyaaaaah…!

Anesagi Kaoru: …Gaku, Tenn, Ryuu, that's the spirit…!

Anesagi Kaoru: Let's win this next year! You three truly did your best…

Utsugi Shirou: All of you put up a great fight, ŹOOḼ! …You may have lost, but you moved me a lot. 

Utsugi Shirou: Thanks for showing us this amazing stage today.

Audience: IDOLiSH7…!

Audience: Re:vale…!

Audience: ŹOOḼ…!

Audience: TRIGGER…!

Mister Shimooka: Thank you very much! The cheers just won't stop…! 

Audience: Kyaaaaah….!

Mister Shimooka: Just a little bit until we are starting into a new year!

Mister Shimooka: Can we have IDOLiSH7 as the winners do a countdown for the last 10 seconds?

Nanase Riku: Sure…!

Mister Shimooka: Re:vale, TRIGGER, ŹOOḼ, you are in charge of greeting the new year!

Momo: Alright!

Kujou Tenn: To everyone who supported us through this year… 

TRIGGER: Thank you!

Audience: Kyaaaah…!

Re:vale: Have a happy new year everyone! 

Audience: Kyaaaah…!

ŹOOḼ: Please keep supporting us next year, too!

Audience: Kyaaaaah…!

Mister Shimooka: Thank you all! Now it's IDOLiSH7's turn, let's hear it!

Yotsuba Tamaki: Happy new—...!

Ousaka Sougo: Not yet!

IDOLiSH7: 10!

IDOLiSH7: 9!

IDOLiSH7: 8!

IDOLiSH7: 7!

IDOLiSH7: 6!

IDOLiSH7: 5!

IDOLiSH7: 4!

IDOLiSH7: 3!

IDOLiSH7: 2!

IDOLiSH7: 1!

IDOLiSH7: Zero!!

IDOLiSH7: Happy New Year!!!

Audience: Kyaaaaah….!

Momo: Happy New Year!

Isumi Haruka: Happy New Year!

Natsume Minami: A happy new year to all of you!

Midou Torao: Happy New Year!

Rokuya Nagi&Yotsuba Tamaki: Happy New Year!

TRIGGER: Happy New Year!

Inumaru Touma: Congrats, IDOLiSH7!

Izumi Mitsuki: Thanks!

Nikaidou Yamato: Thank you all!

Yuki: Congratulations.

Ousaka Sougo: Thank you so much!

Izumi Iori: …This is the best view in the world…

Kujou Tenn: Congrats, Riku.

Nanase Riku: Thank you!

Nanase Riku: (As everyone exchanged their blessings for the new year, my gaze went to the audience rows where lightsticks in seven different colors mixed and sparkled.)  

Nanase Riku: (Looking at it from here, I felt all kinds of memories welling up inside me.) 

Nanase Riku: (I'm sure everyone else was like that too.) 

Nanase Riku: Let's sing our new song one more time! I'm sure you've already remembered it! Let's sing together! 

Audience: Waaaa…!

Nanase Riku: Let's go! Three, two, one..!

--

Kujou Tenn: I'll make all of you smile, too! Putting all our feelings of how much we wanted to see everyone into it! (how to make this sound less weird)

Kujou Tenn: Here's “SECRET NIGHT”!

-

Nanase Riku: Ha… Please listen up! This is “Joker Flag”! 

-

Ousaka Sougo: This is MEZZO"’s debut song. It's called… 

Yotsuba Tamaki: “miss you…”

-

Nanase Riku: I've always dreamed of standing on this stage. 

Nanase Riku: Please enjoy “MEMORiES MELODiES”!

Audience: Kyaaaaah...!

-

Yuki: We put our gratitude for the past five years into it.

Momo: This is Re:vale with “SILVER SKY”!

-

Izumi Iori: This time we also have an amazing new song with us so we really want you all to hear it quickly.  

Mister Shimooka: After having changed their center to Izumi Iori, here's a new and fresh IDOLiSH7! This song is called “Perfection Gimmick”! 

Mister Shimooka: Now then, let's hear it! 

-

Nanase Riku: I will continue to sing with all my might now that I’ve returned to this important position as a center that I love so much! This is IDOLiSH7's new song, “RESTART POiNTER”!

-

Isumi Haruka: Forget all the things you've seen before! Everything that's been until yesterday - destroy it!

Audience: Kyaaaaah…!

Isumi Haruka: All you need to remember is this name: ŹOOḼ with “Poisonous Gangster”.

Audience: Kyaaaaah…!

-

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I’m sorry for standing here alone but still please let me sing TRIGGER’s new song for you.

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: This is TRIGGER’s “Negai wa Shine On The Sea”…

TRIGGER fan: Ryuunosuke-saaan! 

TRIGGER fan: You can do it…! Ryuunosuke…

TRIGGER fan: Gaku-saaan! 

TRIGGER fan: Tenn-kuuun!

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: …Thank you…

-

Nanase Riku: The other day, we sang TRIGGER’s song. And today, we have become TRIGGER’s rivals. 

Nanase Riku: But… Our feelings about singing haven’t changed. We’ll keep looking forward and singing.

Nanase Riku: We’ll keep our heads up high, looking straight ahead while we sing. …Please listen to our song. 

Nanase Riku: “Nanatsuiro REALiZE”!

-

Kujou Tenn: I promise. This dream won’t end. 

Kujou Tenn: Let’s go! We’ll catch their eyes and take them into their dreams!

Kujou Tenn: “DAYBREAK INTERLUDE”!

-

Isumi Haruka: Hey! Call our name guys! We're ŹOOḼ!

Audience: Wooooo！

Inumaru Touma: “ZONE OF OVERLAP”!

Nanase Riku: Thank you so much as always! Please keep supporting us forever and ever! 

Audience: Kyaaaaah…!

-

Mister Shimooka: And now, it’s time to sing! 

Mister Shimooka: Here’s IDOLiSH7 with ”Mr.AFFECTiON”!

-

Natsume Minami: Thank you for supporting us. Let’s change the world with our own hands. Right here, right now. 

Audience: Kyaaaaah…!

Mister Shimooka: Time for another song! 

Mister Shimooka: Here’s ŹOOḼ’s ”Bang!Bang!Bang!”!

-

Yuki: And now we’re going to sing our new song that Momo and I made together. 

Momo: What if we say the name together? 

Yuki: Let’s do that. We’ll go with the one we decided on at last, right? 

Momo: Yes, that one’s good. 

Momo: Now, everyone! Sing with us! Three, two, one… 

Re:vale: “Kokoro Harebare”!

-

Nanase Riku: So you’re gonna let someone like the center of IDOLiSH7 treat you like a mob character?

Nanase Riku: You’re TRIGGER’s center, aren’t you? 

Kujou Tenn: …

Kujou Tenn: …Bring it on.

-

Nanase Riku: That special, miraculous daydream that fell out of our pocket during that time that we just can’t go back.

Kujou Tenn: You mean those lost childhood memories at our personal ground zero from before we became idols.

-

Nikaidou Yamato: Alright! Let’s give it our all! 

IDOLiSH7: Yeah!

Nanase Riku: Everyone, good evening! 

IDOLiSH7: We’re IDOLiSH7!

Nanase Riku: It’s our dream to look forward and keep running after the future! 

Yotsuba Tamaki: That was fun! 

Izumi Iori: Yes, it was. 

Isumi Haruka: Yeah, sure, you guys can say that. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: Don’t be mad, Isumin.

Isumi Haruka: I’m not—.... mad, but until we take you down next year, you’re our enemies. Don’t you dare come talk to me at school like normal! 

Midou Torao: It’s not “next” year, it’s already this year.

Isumi Haruka: Ah, true…

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: I’m also thinking about defeating an enemy and taking back what’s mine this year, outside of Black or White, too. 

Midou Torao: What?

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: The “Thunder Dry” commercial.

Midou Torao: Don’t call me an enemy over that! We can star in it together! 

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Ahaha. We’ll see. 

Nanase Riku: Starring together… 

Kujou Tenn: Do you also want to be in the “Thunder Dry” commercial? Aren’t you still too young to advertise alcohol? 

Nanase Riku: That’s not it. Contests like tonight are nice but…

Nanase Riku: Getting all the members together but not as rivals and having a live on a big stage… I just think that would be fun. 

Yaotome Gaku: That sounds nice! 

Momo: Let’s do it! Together with everyone! 

Momo: I cried so much and losing was super frustrating, but having a live with everyone was so much fun! 

Yaotome Gaku: I want to spend many many more nights like this. There’s so much I want to do! 

Inumaru Touma: Let’s go for it! For example, we could plan the entire live around a certain theme… 

Natsume Minami: That does sound nice. If we did a live around an overarching theme like that, I think I’d like to write a new song for it too. 

Ousaka Sougo: I want to do that too! If we had a song that we all sing, we could also all work on it together… 

Yuki: Oh, yes. Let’s do a songwriting camp.

Yaotome Gaku: Nice idea! I’m still inexperienced with a lot of things, so I’ll bring our composer with me. 

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Do you think he’ll come? 

Kujou Tenn: You sure he won’t just faint?

Izumi Mitsuki: I like this idea! 

Rokuya Nagi: Yes! There’s still as many things we want to do as there’s stars in the sky! 

Izumi Mitsuki: It feels like we’re rushing towards a new dawn. 

Rokuya Nagi: It feels like I could just start dancing right now! 

Yotsuba Tamaki: Nice, let’s go for it! We also talked to the managers about it. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: That it’s about time we did a countrywide tour with just IDOLiSH7! 

Nanase Riku: A national tour?

Rokuya Nagi: Please also come to Northmeir. Everyone would be so happy to see you. 

Ousaka Sougo: It’s a nice thought. I want to spend more nights like this one. Tonight was the best. 

Ousaka Sougo: A lot of moments felt like they could last forever. I don’t think I will ever forget this.

Ousaka Sougo: Never until I die. 

Yotsuba Tamaki: I won’t forget it until I’m dead either. 

Izumi Iori: We will repaint these vivid memories for you as many times as we can. 

Izumi Iori: We managed to overcome Japan’s number one. Next up is the world. 

Yuki: You didn’t overcome us. 

Momo: You really didn’t. That was nothing but a dream that’s over in the blink of an eye.

Izumi Iori: Our senpai sure are scary…

Isumi Haruka: Also sorry to tell you, but if we’re talking about global popularity, ŹOOḼ is the number one. 

Inumaru Touma: Well said, Haruka!

Momo: Let’s do a world tour, Yuki!? 

Yuki: Let’s do it?

Nanase Riku: Do a national tour together with us! 

Nikaidou Yamato: Ahaha! There’s so much we could do! 

Nikaidou Yamato: By the way, did you hear the news from the manager? 

Nikaidou Yamato: We might get an offer to do the theme song for the new “Magical★Kokona” series.

Izumi Mitsuki: Seriously?

Rokuya Nagi: Oh my god…!! That’s the first miraculous news of the year!! 

Natsume Minami: Congratulations. The year only just started but I hope the miraculous news will continue. 

Yaotome Gaku: If you’re looking for miracles, just make them happen with your own hands! 

Nikaidou Yamato: As expected of Yaotome… 

Kujou Tenn: I’m excited. Let’s try a lot of things from now on. Our legend begins here.

Nanase Riku: Yes! If it’s with everyone I’m sure we can do anything! 

Kujou Tenn: Right. 

Kujou Tenn: Beyond the dawn, beyond the rainbow and even the ocean our sparkle still continues. 

Takanashi Tsumugi: Sorry for making all of you wait!

Isumi Haruka: Ah… It’s IDOLiSH7’s manager. Good job.

Yaotome Gaku: Good job!

Momo: Good work, Maneko-chan! 

Natsume Minami: Good work. 

Midou Torao: Hey, you did the stage direction today, right? Wanna talk about the details at some point…? 

Inumaru Touma: Tora! Stop hitting on her! 

Midou Torao: I’m not hitting on her! IDOLiSH7’s stage direction was really good, so I was just trying to ask about that. 

Inumaru Touma:  Really? Ah, sorry, Takanashi-san! Good work! And congrats on winning!

Takanashi Tsumugi: Thank you very much!

Kujou Tenn: Well done, Takanashi-san. 

Tsunashi Ryuunosuke: Great work! Today was amazing! Did you have fun?

Takanashi Tsumugi: Yes…!

Yuki: Let’s work together this year, too. 

Takanashi Tsumugi: Of course! I’m looking forward to it! 

Izumi Mitsuki: We were waiting for you, manager! 

Yotsuba Tamaki: We were just working out a new plan! 

Takanashi Tsumugi: A new plan?

Rokuya Nagi: It’s a special vision! We’re so grateful, manager! 

Takanashi Tsumugi: I’m excited! Please let me hear it! 

Izumi Iori: Let’s talk about it later when we have time. 

Nikaidou Yamato: I’m sorry, I know you just finished working, but you’ll keep being busy from here on out. 

Ousaka Sougo: Let’s all do our best. 

Nanase Riku: Yes! Let’s start all kinds of projects! It’ll be amazing! 

Nanase Riku: With our hearts aflutter and that melody that came from it, let’s travel the whole world! 

Nanase Riku: Manager, thank you for everything until now. We’ll be with you from this point onward, too. 

Nanase Riku: Please always, always keep watching over us! 

~ fin ~

--

TL note courtesy of Haruka-kun: White radish is supposed to bring good luck and is often eaten in the form of turnip cake for Chinese New Year because the word for radish is homophonous with good fortune in some Chinese dialects.

--

Mod Riku here. It's been a ride! A rather long ride, mind you, but hey, at least it's done.

It's time for special thanks to our mysterious benefactor Iori-P - it wouldn't have been possible without you! Also, thanks to everyone who supported us and was patient as we translated this. x)

Frankly, we started this project for a stupid reason, but I'm glad we did it. It beats complaining about P6 being untranslated.

I should mention that we probably won't translate more from here on out. and now to be cute again: join us on discord (click!)!! we're a proship general i7 discord and, until today, used to have TL updates! now we just vibe. cheers!

Finally, here is a special message from Mod Haruka:

just: banri give us the next season of the anime. and more utsugi-san

Have a good rest of the year!

[livi-in-digital-circus]

That one time when Ragatha (surprisingly) got jealous

For day 1 of Bunnydoll Week 2024 - Jealousy

It was the day a new character arrived at the circus. And unfortunately for Ragatha, it was a strangely cute pinkish rabbit. Dressed in pastels and ribbons, Mary Sue was the prettiest figure in the entire Digital Circus. But it was not her looks that the rag doll was jealous of.

After combining everything they remembered from their past lives, a conclusion was formed that Jax had in fact dated Sue in high school. Usually, girls lose their feelings for their boyfriends after they haven’t seen them for a few years, but this particular case was different. After being reunited with the ‘love of her life’, Sue wanted to make sure their relationship was still possible, but even though she seemed sweet and innocent, she wouldn’t take no for an answer.

The problem was that recently Jax was currently dating Ragatha and there was no way he was going to break up with her.

Right?

The first adventure Caine prepared for Sue also worked to Ragatha’s disadvantage. It was to be a treasure hunt throughout the circus, including the bedrooms. The team was divided into pairs and one trio, which was Ragatha, Gangle, and Kinger. All groups had about thirty minutes to find all the items to get a grand prize, which surprisingly wasn’t a feast.

Terror washed over Ragatha as she remembered something Jax had left in her room the night before. The thought of someone finding it under her bed made her dizzy, as their relationship was still a secret she shared only with Pomni. Mostly so as not to scare Gangle and not to make Zooble think badly of the rag doll.

Once the details of the adventure were explained, Caine snapped his fingers, and random valuable items spawned in various locations. There was no map or clues as to where to find them, which was to be expected from the ringmaster. His adventures weren’t supposed to be easy after all.

As they wandered through the main area, Ragatha heard a giggle coming from another side of the circus and she could swear it was Sue. Unfortunately, she was paired with Jax and was probably trying to convince him that they should continue their relationship. And that made Ragatha’s non-existent blood boil.

In all the years she was trapped in the circus, Ragatha never felt jealous of anyone. She had her own opinions about each character, which differed slightly from what she said she thought about them. But no matter how bad or good they were, jealousy was something unknown to her.

Until now.

Even though Jax had promised Ragatha a thousand times that he had no interest in cheating on her, Sue's presence made her anxious. She glanced again in the direction the sound was coming from, but saw nothing. That didn’t help at all, as Ragatha felt her fists clenching.

She didn‘t care about the girls Jax was talking to because they were their friends. But this was his former girlfriend and that was a problem.

“Ragatha, are you okay? You’re shaking all over.”

“Huh?” The rag doll was pulled out of her thoughts by Gangle, who looked at her with a worried expression. “Oh! Yeah, I’m fine! No need to worry!”

“You always say that when something is wrong…”

Ragatha let out a deep sigh and moved her non-button eye to the ground. What was she supposed to say? ‘Oh, I’m just pissed off because this Mary Sue turned out to be Jax’s girlfriend from the real world, and by the way, me and Jax have been dating for quite some time’? No way.

Instead, she just kept walking until they reached the bedroom area. The first room they decided to check was Pomni’s, but Ragatha quickly ran to hers. She had to calm herself down before she flew into a rage, grabbed Sue by her bunny ears, and threw her out of the circus.

She sat on the bed and thought about what to do. What if Jax had already broken his promise and cheated on her? Ragatha felt her eye water. She had to find out. But before she could do anything, the door opened and none other than Jax entered the room. The first thing he noticed, of course, was the rag doll.

“Quitting the adventure? That’s not your style, Raggy.” He sat down next to her, expecting to hear some sort of complaint from her, but all he saw was her tears and trembling. The smile faded from Jax’s face. “Alright Dollface, what’s going on?”

“I… don’t like you hanging out with another girl, especially if she’s your ex…”

Jax’s eyes widen at those words. He had never seen Ragatha jealous before, so it took him by surprise. But it was a sight to behold.

“Awww, you poor little thing. Remember what I promised you? [BEEP], Sue doesn’t even have romantic feelings for me anymore, she just spends a lot of time with me just because she wants to be friends again.”

Ragatha looked at him as if he had just said that he had drowned Caine in the Digital Lake. She felt a huge embarrassment and hid her face in Jax’s chest. She hadn’t even had a chance to get to know Sue better and was already making assumptions based on her and the rabbit’s past relationship.

Jax put a hand behind her head and slowly ran his fingers through her yarn curls. He wasn’t angry with her for being jealous. In fact, he found it quite impressive.

Ragatha also had no idea that her boyfriend had noticed her strange behavior and the way she gave Sue a death stare. What a cutie.

Yes, she should be jealous more often.

Thanks for reading!

[unamazing-sheep21]

The Daroga is actually an extremely important character to the themes of Phantom of the Opera

Many people might not know this but living as a Muslim/brown person in the west ( especially France… see: burqab ban, burkini ban, hijab ban, etc) is extremely difficult for some. Not to mention in a world post 9/11. Not to mention ( probably) in the 1890’s like in Phantom of the Opera where orientalist art and inaccurate and often dehumanising portrayals of the Middle East and it’s people ( muslims, arabs, Persians etc) were common and were used to justify colonialism.

In classic literature there’s only like, ONE character who is brown and is treated like an actual human being by the narrative and is presented as a central cast member to boot: and that’s the Daroga/ The Persian in Phantom of the Opera. And even then, every adaptation after either replaces him with a white person or has an incredibly disingenuous and inaccurate portrayal of him and his ethnicity/religion. Heck, in the Phantom Susan Kay book he’s given the surname “Khan” which isn’t even Persian it’s a PAKISTANI name.

Every other presumably brown/POC character are written animalistically and antagonistically. E.g Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights and Bertha from Jane Eyre. Bertha especially who is just used as an obstical/metaphor instead of an actual genuine character who deserves her own nuance and voice.

Now, back to the tittle, why do I think The Persian’s mere existence and especially with him being Persian/Muslim is inexplicably tied to the themes of POTO? Because he’s just like Erik and completely unlike Erik at the same time. In the book he’s constantly described as wearing as astrakhan cap/ a fez. Something quintessentially Middle Eastern and exposes him as ethnic right away to the eyes of the then European public. Both Erik and The Persian have sides of them that the society they live in at large shuns/dehumanises/condemns. For Erik it’s his face, and for The Persian it’s his culture/ religion/ race. But unlike Erik, The Persian has the choice to “ take it off” or assimilate more into society. He can, and it was better for him if he wore, a top hat but he CHOOSES to wear a fez. And he never takes it off. While he CAN and he has the chance to be more accepted in society than he already is.

But Erik can’t “take it off”, he can’t take off his face.

Though we don’t know much about the Persians’ beliefs, it’s safe to assume he was probably Muslim since Persia has been a Muslim country for a long time ( ignore the one we have now lmao). And I like to think that even in France he doesn’t give up this one part of him. He could just convert to whatever the majority religion in France was at the time and he would be more assimilated into French society, but he doesn’t . He actively chooses to keep parts of who he is even though they put him at a disadvantage. In contrast, Erik would give anything and does try everything ( even to phycotic lengths ) to be considered “ Normal” in society.

And throughout all of Erik’s efforts the only one who was ever really there for him was The Persian. But Erik dismisses him constantly.

I like to think that The Persian stayed because he understands Erik to a certain degree, and I like to think that Erik resents him because he doesn’t use every chance he gets to assimilate into society. To be considered normal. Sometimes Erik quite literally would kill for. Instead hanging onto every part that makes him who he is even when it only isolates him further.

[alshamswelnahr]

Based on what we know about Kanae Kocho we can gather that she is a kind, hardworking, driven, resolute, emotionally intelligent and strong, she is a healer and caregiver, she is interwoven into the fabric of the story and the core of multiple characters, her influence is palpable even long after her death, as her presence is felt and her impact seen throughout the narrative.

Kanae bears a striking resemblance to Tanjiro, as she is one of the few characters who truly understands the truth of their world. Her motivation is noble, focusing on healing rather than vengeance. This is evident in her actions, which are geared towards saving lives rather than taking them. Kanae envisions a world where neither side has to suffer, a lesson she learned from her father about helping everyone in need.

Unlike other demon slayers, Kanae did not take up her sword out of hatred or a desire for vengeance. Instead, her motivation was an authentic desire to heal, save, and prevent further harm. Although Shinobu saw her as unbearably idealistic, even naive, Kanae's beliefs are validated by the narrative, which consistently advocates for humanizing demons and ending their actions out of necessity, not cruelty. This philosophy, personified by Tanjiro, aims to break the cycle of violence perpetuated by Muzan.

Kanae's legacy is deeply embedded in the psyche of Shinobu and her other sisters. This is evident in the way Shinobu adopts Kanae's haori and mannerisms after her death, and how Kanao takes on her breathing style. The girls of the Butterfly Mansion wear hairpins that are a gift from Kanae. Even Shinobu's attempt to emulate Kanae's vision, though it becomes a hollow version due to her disbelief, shows Kanae's lasting impact. Shinobu's work with Tamayo to bring an end to Muzan’s reign further illustrates this influence.

Interestingly, a glimpse of Kanae can be seen in the demon who killed her. Both Kanae and Douma believe that killing demons or consuming human lives is the only way to save souls. The key difference is that Kanae's belief is genuine.

Finally, Kanae parallels Sanemi in having a "weaker" younger sibling who insists on demon hunting despite their disadvantages. However, Kanae contrasts sharply with Sanemi in her approach. While Sanemi kept people out and away, Kanae kept her heart open, wore her kindness on her sleeve, and allowed her sister to choose her own path despite her fear. Kanae had the strength to care deeply and openly about others, symbolizing healing within the Corps, while Sanemi chose a path of self-harm.

[sailoryooons]

Spider Web | JHS | (m)

☾ Pairing: Vampire!Hoseok x human!reader (afab)

☾ Summary: Playing games with vampires is a bad idea. Playing with Spiders is worse. 

☾ Word Count: 1,976

☾ Genre: Supernatural, Predator/Prey, Established Relationship, Smut

☾ Rating: 18+ Minors are strictly prohibited from engaging and reading this content. It contains explicit content and any minors discovered reading or engaging with this work will be blocked immediately. 

☾ Warnings:  Predator/prey dynamics, intense feelings of fear, reader is navigating a maze while unable to see at all, Hoseok taunting reader, minor injuries, explicit language, explicit sexual content including vaginal fingering, biting, dom/sub dynamics, subspace, feeling fear during sex, reader being both afraid and aroused and just going with it, implied relationship of some manner. 

☾ Published: Monday, January 15, 2024

☾ A/N: This might not be for everyone, but this is for me. This is not only self-indulgent but it was so fun to write. The third roll for the 100 Drabble Challenge was number 46 - Predator/Prey and I had the opportunity to do something that surprised me - write a piece of a universe that I’ve wanted to write since I was in middle school. You heard that right - I have an entire outline/idea of a dystopian vampire novel where vampires rule and humans live under them with a complex political structure and rebel human groups and class war etc. that I have wanted to write since middle school and when I rolled this tonight… I was like what if I just use that world. In that world there are vampire guards call The Web that are broken up into three categories: Spiders, Widows and Venoms and they all have different purposes. In this case, Hobi is a Spider :) I’ve considered turning it into a fic so… let me know if you’re interested odigjdoigjdofgij 

A/N 2: This is unedited and I wrote it in roughly an hour pls excuse the errors etc. I will look back over it in the morning and fix them okay soifjsoigj

☾ Disclaimer: All members of BTS are faces and name claims for this story. This is entirely a work of fiction and by no means is meant to be a projection, judgment or representation of real-life people. Any scenarios or representations of the people and places mentioned in works are not representative of real-life scenarios.

Main Masterlist ☾ 100 Drabble Masterlist ☾ Ask ☾ 

“The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout,” a voice echoes. Your heart slams in your chest as you press your fingers against the sides of the wall, trying to feel your way through the maze. “Down came the rain and washed the spider out.” 

You should be used to the dark. Your life has revolved around the dark from the moment you took your first breath. Born in the dead of night during the hour of the predator. As a kid, you didn’t quite understand the hour of the predator. All you knew was that it meant to stay inside and not leave the building no matter what.

When you were older, you learned that walls and locks do not keep out predators. The notion that they keep their hunt to a single hour of the night is ridiculous. Now you know that vampires only let people think that they’re safe outside of that single hour of every night.

Like everything in the city, it is an illusion.

Inhaling shakily, you try to calm your breathing. The thud of your pulse in your neck and the rattling of your heart in your ribcage is a dead giveaway to this predator. Fear puts you on a razor's edge. A tingling sensation skitters along your skin like static as you keep one hand against the wall and the other in front of you, each step careful.

You can’t see in the darkness of the maze. He can. 

The disadvantage isn’t far. He’s better than you at most things: sight, smell, speed, strength - sadism, to be sure. But still, you’ve managed to evade him for far longer than he would like, and despite his taunting, you know it’s irritating him.

You smile. For vampires, most things are prey. For Spiders, all things are. 

“Perhaps we should change the lyrics of the song,” Hoseok calls. The hair on the back of your neck stands up. He sounds only a few rows over, making you quicken your steps. You’re barefoot and the ground is cold, making you shiver as you go. “The Spider doesn’t get washed out, but the little human does.”

The hand reaching in front of you hits the wall. You inhale and turn left, letting your right hand skim the corner and press against the new wall. You’ve hit a dead end twice and lost your sense of direction, but Hoseok hasn’t caught up yet. 

The thought makes you grin. You’re better at these games than you used to be, and you’re able to make faster decisions now. You also have managed to learn a thing or two about vampires. Somewhere, your socks and shoes are sitting in other corners. You’ve also dropped a jacket, making the entire maze smell like you. 

“Ah, the mouse has left a shoe for me.” 

Your heart beats faster. You only dropped that shoe moments ago, which means Hoseok is close. Too close. You’re not even sure what will happen if he wins - it’s always different. 

“I hear your heart, Mouse.”

The momentary panic makes you walk into a wall, banging loudly. Hoseok laugh is carried down a maze hall, chilling your spine. You throat caution to the wind, breaking into a run though you cannot see anything around you. 

In the dark, colors and shapes taunt you, your imagination filling in the gaps for the things you cannot see. Running wild totally unable to see is a terrible idea, you could run into-

You slam into a wall and let out a pained sound. Pain shoots up your wrist and you whimper, cradling it to your hand. A hiss echoes behind you and you run again, bad hand tucked to your chest as Hoseok closes in. 

“Yes!” he growls, glee in his dark voice. “Run, Mouse! I love it when you run!” 

You hardly recognize his voice through the growl, bloodlust taking over. Your instincts perceive a wall and you jerk to the left, skidding as you go. A speck of light beckons you and you gasp, realizing you can see the way out of the maze. You never make it that far. 

Without hesitation, you take off at a full sprint, the soles of your feet slapping against concrete, your heart pumping in your chest. Just a little further, almost there.

Hoseok snarls behind you and you scream, a primal fear exploding inside of you as your instincts sense the danger behind you, all other thoughts and feelings blotted out by the sheer force of terror. 

A force crashes into you, taking you down. You squeeze your eyes shut, jarred and waiting for the harsh impact of the concrete. It doesn’t come, instead softened by the blow of falling into Hoseok as he twists, taking the brunt of the impact. 

You’re dizzy, world spinning as the adrenaline tingles in your veins, your entire body feeling like it’s on pins and needles. In the dim light of the concrete building, you make out the shape of Hoseok under you. It doesn’t last long, the vampire rolling and pinning you with an ironclad grip to the floor.

A cry slips out of your mouth before you can stop it. It riles him up, Hoseok pressing in on you. He smells like rosewood and lavender, making your eyes flutter as Hoseok pulls your head backward against the old concrete, your skull digging in painfully as he noses your pulse. 

“You lose, Mouse.”

Hoseok’s voice rasps against your throat. Fear-laced pleasure blooms in your stomach. Where his mouth ghosts against your sweaty skin feels good, his words buzzing through you as his lips skim your neck toward your jaw.

You don’t dare move - can’t move. This is the part that you don’t understand, but don’t have to. Your body thrums with the innate terror of death. Adrenaline pumps through your system, parts of your brain screaming and alerting your organs that you’re in danger.

But there’s another part of your brain that goes fuzzy when you feel Hoseok’s fangs drag against your jaw. You can’t make out his features in the barely-there light of the building, but you catch the silver flash of predator's eyes when he glances up at you.

Once upon a time that gaze made you nearly soil yourself in horror. Now the wetness between your legs is entirely different, caused by the hell your nervous system goes through as it straddles fear and desire. 

“I smell you,” Hoseok breathes. His tongue snakes out to taste your salty skin and you can’t help the sound that comes out of your throat. It is equal parts a whimper as it is a moan. His lips are pressed against your cheekbone as one of his hands skims down your body. “You almost made it out this time.”

The ability to verbalize anything is lost on you. You can only squirm underneath his touch, sparking to life like cut livewires. A violent shiver wracks through your body as Hoseok presses his hands between your legs, causing a pulse of want to unfurl. 

You want more. You want none of it. You want both. 

“Next time try dropping your panties,” he whispers, pressing hard, painful kisses toward your ear. He bites your earlobe sharply at the same time he presses your clothed cunt, plain and pleasure dancing together. “That would certainly do it.”

“Never thought of that.”

Hoseok’s hand ventures up and grabs the waistband of your pants, pulling on them with a loud rip. It’s almost drowned out by the sound of your heartbeat in your ears. 

Your limbs start to shake in excitement as Hoseok catches your mouth with his. The kiss is sudden and demanding, completely inescapable. You kiss him back, drowning in the flurry of sensations hammering down on you, scrambling your thoughts, destroying your feelings. 

It’s always like this. He’s always able to do this. Hoseok has made an art of building you up and cutting you open, scattering every thought to the wind as he hunts you and beds you. Here with him you might not be safe, but at least you don’t think about being out there and being unsafe. 

This spider web you weave with Hoseok is high stakes, high reward. At least here if he kills you, you’ll be smiling. Out there when you die, no one will care.

Hoseok’s fingers hook your underwear to the side and pull. Cold air hits your hot, weeping hunt and you wiggle under him, trapped under his oppressive weight. He half growls, half purs as his fingers swipe up your sticky folds, avoiding your clit where all the pressure feels trapped.

You kick your feet under him, pressing up. You want more. Need more. The more he gives you, the more you feel the high of whatever this is between you. Hoseok knows this and gives in, playing nice as his fingers dip into your clenching hole to collect wetness before drifting back up, circling your clit.

A sound that is barely human escapes you. Hoseok has you pinned firmly underneath him as he starts to play. He carefully drags his fingers up and down, tracing your tightening entrance before drifting back up to apply pressure on your bundle of nerves.

“Little mouse is desperate tonight,” Hoseok pants. When he speaks, you can feel the sharp drag of his fangs on your cheek. “I bet you wanted to be caught.”

You shake your head no and he laughs, sinking a finger into your waiting heat. A strangled moan escapes you. Everything is on fire and you feel your cunt clench around his fingers. The concrete beneath you is too hot, Hoseok is too firm, his fangs on your skin are too sharp, you’re half afraid and half aroused - it all turns you into a mess, your mind tiptoeing on the edge of a blade between two nameless abysses. 

Hoseok thrusts his fingers up into you at an angle, pushing against that spot that makes you teeter dangerously. Your nails dig into your palms, leaving bloody crescents as Hoseok fucks you expertly with his fingers, drawing you to the edge of madness as he does it. 

Just as you think you’re about to tip one way or the other and plunge into darkness, Hoseok presses his mouth against yours, words slurred as he mumbles, “Ask.”

“Please.” Your words are slurred against his mouth, your breath hot and sticky. “Please let me. I need it. I - Hoseok - please.” 

His pace quickens. His thumb presses on your clit, wiggling. You feel it coming like a spool spinning thread, going and going and going until the spindle snaps and the thread comes unwound, spilling into his hand with a scream. 

Your ears ring. Your mind blanks. Your body goes so taught that it's only option is to go limp. You are vaguely aware that you’re gasping for air - you feel it more than you see it. You melt into the ground, unaware of anything but the static in your veins and the rush of air through your lungs.

In out. In out. In out. In out. 

You drift in the abyss. You’re unsure which one you fell into. Here, you are weightless and calm. 

In out. In out. In out. 

Nothing can hurt you here. There is no such thing as pain. There is only absolutely nothing but your breath and the buzzing on your skin.

In out. In out. In out. 

Eventually it wears off. Hoseok is still a firm weight against you, an anchor pulling you back. Your thoughts are syrup-slow and dizzy when you lift your too-heavy head to look at him. You cannot make out his features, but you get the sense he’s smiling. 

“Did you think we were done?” he rasps, a laugh in his voice. “You’ve only just fallen into the spiderweb, Mouse.” 

[yzzart]

— Blessed oath.

© do not repost or translate !

characters: Aemond Targaryen x (F)Targaryen!reader.

summary: after so many years apart, isolated, Aemond decides to come to you.

warnings: incest, explicit language, explicit words

word count: 3.694!

english's not my first language, so sorry for any mistakes!

The prince, who was recognized for his fearsome posture and his intimidating eye patch and having the blood of blood coursing through his veins, was aware of the danger and possible bloody war that he could face along his way, but, he was aware that could create a war to woo his dear sweet niece.

There were so many unhappy years, which Aemond described as living proof of hell, apart and with the absence of the warmth of bodies together crying out for love. — Even though the reason was completely involving Aemond, it stabbed his sister's decision.

He remembers the vague words he uttered to his sister to leave his daughter beside him and her father, your dear grandfather; Viserys, but, obviously, she denied the defiant request. — And with so much reason, Aemond used this one to complete all his anger and hatred for Rhaenyra.

The good gods, those who all begged for blessing and those who accompanied the Targeryens, knew that Aemond would kill anyone including his own sister to have his sweet niece at his side. — Not to mention his biggest enemy, his uncle; Daemon. That the one-eyed prince was informally bought by some of the outskirts of the red fortress and some mediocre kingdoms.

Your father, the rebel prince, would have Aemond's head if he only knew he'd come near you. — And you know better than anyone that he could do it. — And living with a situation as disturbed and suffocating as this was living proof of hell. — But, nothing was more suffocating than not feeling the heat of your lover's body next to yours.

The two of you were like two dragons living in conflict with the burning and pure feeling of passion, causing your souls to unite into one. — Two dragons, one souls. That was the motto.

And for all those years, damned years, Aemond's desire for you grew every single day. And he learned to connect with that feeling so hungry. — During his privileged training as a prince, he showed more vigor and agility. — A brute form was being ignited in that one-eyed youth's chest.

No one dared question where that anger or anonymous feeling of the king's youngest son came from, they just admired with surprised eyes and a few whispers. — It didn't matter to Aemond. In fact, it never even bothered him.

The only thing he really cared about, and for a few moments, was when your name was uttered from the mouths of servants and a few informants who kept their jobs while whispering. — It was like a wake-up call for Aemond. Like a dog's ears when an unhappy noise sounded all around.

But, during those sweltering years, the young prince recognized and devised a sneaky and dangerous way to see his beloved niece. — A way that, even he himself was aware of and knowledge he could miss more than his other eye.

Aemond had no visual knowledge of Dragonstone, he never even had an opportunity to witness the dragons' location. However, he had a literary knowledge of the place. — Using the old library, which was abandoned by most of his family, Aemond began to read all the books that contained information about the isolated island.

Each page, each writing made with embers and black pigment ink, the one-eyed man read and admired the facts that his ancestors and distant relatives brought him. — Aemond didn't care to miss a word that time.

The idea of invading, discreetly and boldly, the region that was dominated by his sister and, perhaps with little chance of success, Aemond planned to consider the action. Being the rider of the biggest dragon that this miserable world had ever seen was a great and superior advantage, but at the same time it could be a disadvantage. — The gods agreed with the thought.

The focus of that bold prince's mind was only for you. There was nothing else in the moment, in the second and world, that could remove your image from Aemond's closed mind. — Even if that certain invasion went wrong, he would be satisfied to know that he would die when he was ready to see you again.

Well, he would die for you and you for him.

That night, which by some mixed and intrusive ears from the vicinity of the red keep; they said the moon was brighter than usual and the wind was fighting with itself. — It seemed like a kind of warning that was ignored by most.

The cover made of pure leather, unlike the dark color palette Aemond usually uses, was a brownish color; like the rebellious earth that was trampled by the black boots of the one-eyed youth. — Aemond's steps were wild, he was desperate to meet his dragon and, like a good mother's son, he prayed to the gods that everything that had been planned would work out.

Unlike the other dragons, aka those of his brothers, who were sheltered and protected in the dragon pit, Vhagar was accommodated at the back of the fortress. Not just the fact that her size bothered half that space, but Aemond cared and cared for his dragon enough to want to keep her close enough. — And no one would dare to scold or tell him to move it.

The huge, intimidating dragon rested, its scaly, age-wrinkled wings spread out close together on the ground. — Taking up most of it. — Aemond, her young rider, didn't need to warn her that he was coming or even call Vhagar's attention; for with just his typical scent, the dragon sensed his presence.

Lifting his head, which carries with it a smoke of sand, Vhagar follows the short and fast walk that her rider takes to her.

"īlon emagon nykeā dīnagon naejot jikagon, hāedar." (We have a place to go, girl.) — He uttered with a whisper, even though there was no one, not a soul, near that region.

The old dragon didn't restrain himself from making any expressions or even a questioning noise at her rider's strange action, just assented by moving enough for Aemond to get onto her rough, scaly back. — During the movement of Vhagar's heavy body, some fine and coarse grains of white sand were scattered on the Targaryen's cloak.

With his hands trapped around the thick and strong ropes of the dragon's cell, Aemond had everything to fly to the isolated region where his beloved niece was sheltered. — The feeling of butterflies in his stomach agonized the boy again but this time it was because he had in mind that he would hear your voice and see you.

Aemond could finally find his peace again. After so many years, years with the taste of hell, the anguish and bitter pain of missing each other would end.

"Sōvegon, Vhagar." (Fly, Vhagar.) — An order with a heightened tone of certainty and confidence was declared to the dragon. Aemond took a deep breath, inhaling the salty smell of the sea and reassured himself that he would soon be inhaling the natural scent of your body.

Vhagar roared, that frightening noise could have woken up anyone who was close to the region where the dragon was accommodated before, as a way of agreeing with the one-eyed request. — She would never disagree with her rider's request.

The night was colder than usual for you. The waves were crashing so rough and hard against each other, it looked like they were in some kind of fight; wanting to distance but it was impossible. — Like your family at times, you thought

"Family". Funny how those rebellious waves reminded him of the rebellious rifts that had run between your family and your grandfather's family, or as he was mediocrely known, King Viserys. — And there was a certain person among those waves who always captivated your attention and ever since your passion.

Your uncle. Your goddamn uncle and your goddamn love.

Even with so many intrigues, differences and bitterness among your families; you and Aemond never let each other be shaken or even extinguished the flaming flame of dragon passion that existed in you two. — You were living proof of a dragon's true flame.

Perhaps, thinking about a person you hadn't seen for so long was a foolish and painful action. It was painful indeed, but when Aemond dominated your thoughts, your mind, it made your body so warm and reassuring. — That damned man was your anchor, your passion.

Your skin tingled, calling your attention and making you distance yourself from the thoughts that, little by little, were dominated by the image of Aemond. — But, that shiver was not caused by the freezing and strong breeze of the winds coming from the sea; there was only one culprit and you knew who it was.

Closing the window and heading for your beautifully crafted and sewn blankets sounded like a good idea and highly recommended. — The thought of getting a possible disease due to coldness was not so pleasant and would scare your mother. - But, an image, somewhat peculiar and dark, caught the attention of your eyes far back and among the clouds.

Flying among the dark sky, which belonged to the night, along with some accumulated and loose clouds; it could only be a destined dragon, aimless and didn't know which region it was heading towards. — Or, some intruder, perhaps?

A thousand questions and concerns ran through your head, and they all scared you somehow.

The dragon's image was slowly approaching and soon, you recognized that creature, destined for the Targaryens and sharing the same blood and life force. — The greenish and heavy scales, together with the wrinkled wings and of a surreal size that this unfortunate world could admire and judge, flew to a point of Dragonstone.

Vhagar wasn't just a creature that carried on her back the title and recognition of being the greatest dragon in the world at that time; she was aware of the entire cycle of conquest of your ancestors and distant relatives. — She was one of the prides of the dragon's house.

However, it wasn't just that dragon that acclaimed, called your attention; wisps of the purest color of white were appearing in accordance with the movement of the wind and the swiftness of Vhagar's flight. — It was him.

"Aemond…" — You whispered incredulously and not wanting to believe what was possibly happening. A part of you feared, did not accept that your uncle, hated and received with so much bitterness by your parents and brothers, was risking himself for you.

He was risking himself to see you. All the pain, lack of body heat and suffering, which were accumulated during all the years of isolation that your family agreed to do, made him reach that point.

May the good gods be on your side, you mentally wished.

Leaning against the huge window, the icy feel of the rocks that complimented that opening overwhelmed her bare feet. — You didn't even think about putting something on, an incompetent but desperate action. — When finally crossing the ends of your long white nightgown they got wet but that didn't make you lose your focus.

Your chambers were one of the few that had a space, like a small worthless balcony, but that gave a small path to some mountains that were around the castle. It was a bit risky, and you never dared use it for anything useful or escape anything, but everything had its first time and that was it.

The path was going to be long, and you knew you needed to be quick and agile; then, you saw a stone block, big enough for you to use as a support and climb to the small wall that opened to the gigantic field with mountains of different sizes. — It felt like the good gods were on your side and doing everything for you to finally meet your lover.

Your long-awaited lover.

The pure, fresh and rough feel of the greenish grass, but with the darkness of the night leaving it with a stronger, darker look and pigment, it invaded the soles of her feet. It was kind of agonizing, you never had the opportunity to let loose in the middle of the grass, so it was kind of a new thing at the time. — It tasted like freedom but that must have been influenced by Aemond's appearance.

Returning to your focus, trying not to get distracted, you were nervous, anxious and a little afraid of what was to come; for the first time, you were feeling mixed feelings. — Your eyes traveled through the dark skies trying to spot the dragon and its rider, and praying that they had already landed on the ground and not drawing attention or any alert around the castle.

And there it was in its complex size along with the details of green and black tones, Vhagar could take over the entire tip of the isolated island and she would take comfort in the region. — The young rider, who was wearing a garment made entirely of the purest leather and very well sewn, wanted to get out of the saddle as quickly as possible.

You ran, holding a small part of your dress, which was probably dirty from the grass. Your heart was racing, it felt like at any moment it would leap out of your mouth and your teeth were dragging, uncontrollably biting your soft lips. — A metallic aftertaste was already starting to invade your palate.

Vhagar let out a snarl, which sounded like just a thick, rough timber from her throat, she had it in her mind where she was. — The gods reminded her of some situations that she, along with her previous riders, got involved and were part of several pages of the conquests and battles of the Targaryens.

The wind was getting stronger and your heart was beating faster than normal and abnormal; in the eyes of other people it was a worrying thing, it could cause a brief death, but you didn't care about that. — You didn't care at all.

He was there. After so many years, so many lonely and bitter moons; a perverse and cruel isolation for your heart. You were forced to agree and be taken to that isolated island, which included a castle, and go through these times alone and without the comfort, warmth and love of your dear uncle. — Who with obvious reasons was hated with every thread of blood by your parents.

Aemond was back for you.

With only a small distance from the dragon, enough for it to notice your presence, you couldn't move; not even to interrupt the drastic movements that the dress proposed because of the wind. — Your body did not mentally recognize your orders to move. — But, your eyes roamed over the huge old dragon that stood before you. Vhagar looked more tired but she had no desire or desire to end her battle, her life. Her tired and intimidating eyes admired you.

"kiip kesīr se ubeī ñuha udrāzma, vhagar." (Keep here and obey my command, Vhagar.) — That voice echoed in your ears, causing the sound of crashing waves to be muted around him. Aemond's voice was so different, of course because of his growth and, mainly, maturity. — Everything about Aemond had changed except the love he felt for you.

The dragon obeyed the order and to signal she understood, Vhagar let out a low growl; if you could consider that as low.

You watched, but the gods agree you were admiring, every move Aemond made to remove himself from his dragon's leather saddle. It didn't take that long after all; he was used to it by now, but for you it took forever. — You were desperate, hungry and yearning for that man's touch. The touch you've waited so long for.

The pure leather boots touched the ground, the sound of grass being trampled reached your ears. With small steps, the one-eyed prince, covered with his cape but it was possible to identify the black dress, also made of leather, through a small breach. — Aemond was in front of you.

His eye patch caught your attention but not in a bad or perverse way but charmingly. — That piece that protected the absence of his eye was mesmerizing.

"issa jorrāelagon." (My dear.) — Those were the first words that were uttered from the eldest's slender and sharp lips; the very words you've been waiting all this hellish time to hear again. — Every time, every morning and night, Aemond made a point of calling you that.

A raw and, at the same time, delicate mixture of feelings was dominating your control, dominating you. Your vision was starting to get blurry, on account of the tears that threatened to fall down your brave face. — The gods weren't deceiving you, he really was there.

After tasting for so many years the taste of isolation, the true taste of hell after being separated from your lover; finally, you have achieved peace. — Your divine peace that you expected so much. — You lost count how many times you cried mercilessly begging for the young man's touch, attention and affection.

"Aemond." — Somehow you couldn't form a simple sentence, or put mediocre words together; it was impossible for you. The only thing on your mind was Aemond and nothing else.

However, your body responded with strength and short and anxious steps were forwarded towards the one-eyed prince. Your feet once again felt the living, damp grass and the feeling of cold dominated that region of your body once again that night. — Watching your approach carefully, Aemond lowered the hood of his cloak. It was no longer useful to use that piece of clothing, it was already considered useless by the prince.

When you got close to Aemond, with only a miserable little distance making you feel the elder's quick and restless breathing, you didn't lose a second to admire him. — His serious face, there were small and weak scars and some cuts in the region and you were sure you would question him about; then, you directed your hand towards the left side of his face.

A caress, an affection so simple in the eyes of certain people but for Aemond it was as if an angel could be touching him and making everything around him disappear. — And you were his angel. — Aemond rested his gloved hand on top of your and stroked it as a way of reciprocating.

"I missed you so much." — The first formed and conscious words you managed to direct to your uncle. Your eyes, which had previously been roaming over the prince's cold face, were now admiring his only existing eye and Aemond was focused on any sound that came out of your mouth, he was aware of any movement you made. — "I missed you so much, Aemond."

In a quick moment, in the blink of an eye, Aemond brought his lips together with yours. — The softness and a typical sweet taste invaded a part of the one-eyed man's palate and the only culprit of that was you, and he felt he was in a place created by the good gods; it felt like the taste of paradise. — Aemond's thin, sharp lips were battling your but in the end they managed to come together like a dance step.

The kiss was pure desire and passion. — The desire that was guarded with seven keys and covered with dragon flames. — Aemond's tongue was determined to fight for space, fearing dominance, but your tongue was also with the same plans.

It was like a dance. — A dance of dragons. — Two dragons hungry for desire, to feel each other and are finally getting what they craved and needed most in that miserable life.

The taste of Aemond's lips was a passionate, mesmerizing acid to taste. You could spend hours and hours enjoying your lover's kiss and never, under any circumstances, get sick or tired. — You were obsessed, and wanting to demand more and more; such a needy thought.

Aemond's hand, which had previously been supporting hers, went to the back of your neck; intensifying the kiss even more. You couldn't stop the shiver and he modestly felt it along with the tremor in your body. A smile, a little thin and malicious, crossed Aemond's mouth during the kiss. — He knew right away how needy you were.

Suddenly you forgot about everything around you. — Your parents, your brothers possibly falling asleep, maybe there were guards roaming the region, everything; nothing else interested you but Aemond's warmth, touch and presence.

When you felt the beginning of shortness of breath, your lips distanced from Aemond's, and it left a feeling of emptiness in you at that moment. — A feeling of abandonment. — Looking down at the young man's thin mouth, you realize how red and irresistible it was but, in fact, you needed to control yourself.

"I missed you too, my sweet niece." — Aemond whispered, still feeling the feel of your lips against his. He was drunk on you and wanted to go deeper into that sea with you. — "And i came back for you and i don't intend to let them separate you from me again." — He wasn't lying or trying to play with you; so you wouldn't feel worry or fear of him slipping out of your sight again. Aemond would never commit such a painful act to you.

They managed to separate you from Aemond, they committed one of the worst acts even the gods could witness. — When trying to separate or burn a dragon's flame, they would have the conscience that they would have return and revenge.

But, the good gods already had a hellish vision of what could happen; they were dragons fighting among themselves. — The same blood, the same will to win and conquer, and the same fire and no one could interfere with it, only themselves.

"I will officially make you mine in front of them and by their hands, my love." — The one-eyed man pressed your forehead against his. — "bisa iksos daor sepār nykeā kivio, yn nykeā bêesîd uati." (This is not just a promise, but a blessed oath.)

[circeyoru]

Dead By Demon

[Killer!Alastor x Survivor!Reader - Dead By Daylight AU]

By some interesting world reason or whatever phenomenon that is still unexplainable to your feeble little mind, you got sent to a game you’ve been forced to play by your friends called Dead By Daylight

It’s a horror game that’s designed to be a match based game. Each game there are 5 players, 4 as survivors and 1 as the killer. In each game, the players are all sent to a randomized map. Each side with a different goal

The goal of the survivors is to survive, how? By fixing 5 machines called generators, then 2 exit doors on the map will be allowed to be opened and the survivors can escape through that. The killer’s goal is to kill all the survivors, either offering them to the entity by putting them on another machine called a hook or executing them

Of course, the game is not as simple as that, since there are other variables that can give the players advantages and disadvantages. Not to mention the play style of each gamer is different, on top of the ever changing maps and new characters for survivors and killers. As a beginner moving to somewhat more causal player, you were proud to say you are familiar with the mechanics of the game and can survivor flawlessly

THAT IS IF THE KILLERS AND SURVIVORS WERE THE SAME AS THE GAME YOU KNEW

Somehow, the killers and survivors were all major characters from a show you watched called Hazbin Hotel. You didn’t understand it, when you were brought in, they were all familiarity with the game’s mechanisms. Everything that happened in the show was distorted as their background information

You were a survivor. The others were Charlie, Vaggie, Angel, Husk, Niffty, Adam, Lute, Sera, Emily, and Saint Peter. You’re not surprised the hotel staff was all put in the survivor side, but you were surprised that the angels were all on your side as well. By guess, you can bet that the King of Hell and Overlords were all the killers

You learned that the hotel staff members were the first to arrive on the scene, then they were quickly sent to the maps of their former allies, Alastor and Lucifer

Alastor was formerly a radio host and serial killer during his days as a human, his maps were based on his hometown but the variety spread to a few, including his beloved home with his mother and the murder scene of his father, his radio broadcasting studio and work station where he writes his scripts and ideas, his swamp where it was his body dumping grounds, and his forest where it was his hunting grounds and death

Lucifer as the King of Hell also has a few maps. One was a smaller scale of Pentagram City, another was his garden, then his ducky workshop and kitchen, and last was his musical room which was still a giant map

There didn’t seen to be an issue with the first map as the 4 sent survivors were keen on escaping and Alastor was keen on killing them by placing them on hooks or executing them. For Lucifer though, he was a softy for whenever Charlie was present, always letting her survive while showing no mercy to the others

The first match was the scariest since they thought their lives were on the line, but when it was clear that they were only dead during the match and revived when the match ends, everything was more chill

But that depended on the killers and survivors. If there were bad blood between, things could get petty like taunting and letting other teammates die. If the killer wanted, they can watch the survivor suffer a bit before killing them. It was a twisted repeat day after day. Luckily, it was only 3 matches a day and the same survivor won’t be allowed to join more than 2 matches a day

Matches are placed in the morning, afternoon, and night. All players are random unless one volunteers, to which the opposite side would be notified and no other volunteers are allowed to allow for fairness. Matches can be quick or slow, depending on the players. Rewards for a win in a match are what the player wants. Like better living quarters, better food, entertainment items, etc

Outside of the matches, survivors and killers live in separate areas divided by a wall of flowing water. If a survivor or killer is injured, their condition will be fully revived during the match but returned to the way they are if they lost the match

All these information was all so overwhelming for you since it was on top of trying to adapt your new surrounding, but they were all used to it since it was slowly introduced to them. The second wave of survivors were the angels from Heaven and then the rest of the Overlords

It was only a matter of time before you also got used to all the stuff that you were thrown into

There was one change after your arrive. Whenever you were in a match, any other participants had more control over their own actions and mindset. The former desire to survivor or killer was weaken to none the longer and more experienced and familiar you got. You even found yourself getting familiar with the killers or former Overlords

Albeit you were trying to survive by buying time through chatting. The highest of success was high usually. Sometimes it doesn’t work because you don’t know much about them cause there was a lack of information revealed in the show

However, even though Alastor’s a favourite of yours. You hate being in the same match as him. Watching him from the safety of your home when he was just fictional was fine, but having him chasing you with a knife or a shotgun and a crazed smile? No! HELL NO!!!

Whenever it was revealed that Alastor was the killer in your match, you would immediately run to find your other teammates no matter who they are. You just can’t be left alone with him, even when you serve as a good bait to buy time and let your teammates fix the generators so they can open the exit for you to run towards

“There’s a limit to my mental stamina!!” You screamed at the top of your lungs while running away from the deer demon behind you. “I’m so beating you guys up when this match is over!”

Meanwhile, all your teammates are mentally thanking your sacrifice. “Keep up the good work, almost there.”

Before your arrival, Alastor could never enjoy his hunt. It was like he was wired to hunt and kill, there was no thrill, no entertainment as he would prefer. It was so dull and boring

Find a survivor, scare them, chase them, stab them till they can’t run, put them on a hook and watch them die or go hunt the other survivors, repeat repeat repeat. That was how predictable the matches became after the first few times. It got to the point that he doesn’t even try anymore when he was sent into a match, especially when he was so well off in his living conditions

He didn’t need the wins anymore, it was all meaningless

Then he heard from Zestial who got the honors of participating as the killer for your first match. He told the others after the last meal of the day when everyone was gathered around a bonfire to see if someone wants to volunteer for the next day

According to Zestial, when he entered the random map that was Carmilla’s weapons workshop, there was a weaken desire to hunt and kill the survivors, even more so when it was the unfamiliar figure he met. He had found a survivor fixing a generator, he tried creeping up to the poor soul, but your head was looked around as if you felt him

The moment he got one step closer, you bolted up and ran away from the area. His hunting and killing urge came back and he gave chase, when his claws came into contact with your figure and you screamed, he felt an unfamiliar ache. He watched your speed increase and ran out of sight as it was normal whenever a survivor was slashed by a killer, then he looked down to his bloody claws

That inferno desire weakened again, like he was returning back to his true self when he was outside of the match

Killer’s volunteer table was quickly filled up as everyone wanted a chance to test Zestial’s words. Though, only some were able to actually be in the same match as you, and fewer got the chance to see you. Turns out, you were a sensitive and perceptive survivor. If you were a killer, they knew you’d be something like an assassin or a sniper

When Alastor finally got a chance to experience a match with you, he was relieved that he could pick a target like the good old days and not whichever survivor that was around. Or even the ‘obsession’ that was randomly picked in the survivor team per match. He felt sweet control to do as he pleased

So he set out to find you. His mind raced. Will he hunt and give chase like his desires drive him to in his previous matches? Will he immediately try to slash you and bring you down so he can hook you? Will he have that weakened desire like Zestial did? What was your effect? Why are you special?

Finding you was easy as lucky wasn’t on your side. You were diligently trying to fix the generator but ended up busting it every so often which alerted him of your location, then that teammate of yours, Adam, as he recognized the golden wing design on his back, leave you and didn’t even warn you of the incoming killer

He got a fast ambush, a deep slash on your arm that definitely need mending else risk being rendered immobile. You quickly ran away like other survivors would, no difference. Yet, he was just standing there watching your form fade from his sight, leaving a trail of blood splatters in your wake

His legs moved as he decided he can’t let you out of his sight. No way, not after he felt that control and real killer instinct. You’re like his prey back in the days, he wants to get to know you then have the best chase of a lifetime. Cut you up and watch the lovely red paint you in beauty and posh

The best part was, he didn’t have to worry that it would be a one time thing. Both of you will never dead as long as this stupid game is on

“Darling, why are you running from me? Let’s play a game. Let’s enjoy our matches.”

Note: Okay.. I've been away for some time.... Haha.... I'm fine, just out of town and didn't have time to write. Plus I've been busy with a new game. Anyways, wanna get back to it with this and see how things go. So what you think of this?

Circe Y. 

My Works: MASTERLIST

Taglist:

@aconfusedwonderland @crowleysthings @donustellaron @mistpurpl3 @lucifers-silhouette @fluffy-koalala

[newtthetranswriter]

The Little Pink Bird

Word Count: 6787

Paring: Rody soul x gn! Reader

Warnings: Talk of blood, canon typical violence

Summary: When Quirks first appeared so did Soulmates, being able to find your soulmate with the help of a tattoo that appears when they receive their quirk. Y/n spent their life with a little pink bird on their shoulder. What happens when they meet said little pink bird in another country?

A/n: Hello, welcome. First off I love Rody and he deserves so much more love than he gets. Second I’m addicted to soulmate au’s, probably because I’m a hopeless romantic but anyway I thought this Idea was cute so I went with it. Anyway enjoy and as always remember to hydrate or diedrate.

    Back before Quirks appeared everyone went about daily life wondering what it would be like if they could meet their perfect match. Always hoping that the one that they settled down with was their one true partner. Unfortunately for those who lived before quirks it was impossible to know for sure. But that all changed when quirks started appearing.

    As quirks became more prominent and widespread, people also began to notice that mysterious tattoo’s would appear on a random part of their body. At first it was thought to just be a side effect of quirks, but after people began reporting that when they met someone who’s quirk reassembled the tattoo, they would feel like they found their missing piece. The idea that these marks changed the way people looked for their partner, searching out the one who matched their tattoo.

   Over time it was figured out that the marks appeared when one’s soulmate got their quirk. And so not only were kids excited to finally figure out their own quirks but to decipher their soulmate’s quirk and try to find them as soon as possible. It was easier for some, then it was for others. For example someone who’s soulmate had a mutant type quirk would have a picture that looked like the mutation, or if the quirk was fire they’d have a flame. Of course this left people with quirkless soulmates at a disadvantage because they would have to wait for their soulmate to find them instead of searching for the matching quirk. Now that you understand how soulmates work in this lovely world, it’s time to actually get into our story.

   I, like most children, was extremely excited to get my quirk and find out what my soulmate's powers were. When I was five I became the first out of the two of us to get a quirk. My quirk allowed me to manipulate plants and use them in a variety of different ways. I can use them to heal, as well as use them for a few defensive attacks. The only drawback of my quirk is that I have to have access to plants for it to work. So I tend to carry different plant seeds, it doesn't matter what the plant is, I can make it heal or strong enough to attack.

  Anyways, after developing my quirk, I waited impatiently for my soulmate to get theirs so I could finally find them. Sure I was young but many parents will go to the quirk registry to find their child’s soulmate and in hopes of introducing them young so they don’t have to wait long to find them. So when the little pink and purple bird appeared on my shoulder, my parents raced to see if they could find out who my soulmate was. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the person whose quirk was symbolized by a little pink bird, most likely did not live in Japan and if they did they weren’t registered. So, my hope for finding my soulmate early was crushed and I was destined to find them when the world decided it was the right time.

   I suppose having to wait to find my soulmate was a blessing in disguise because while many people my age were spending time planning their life around what both them and their soulmate wanted to do, I was free to plan what I wanted to do. Sure my soulmate was a factor in my choices but for the most part I was free to follow my dreams. So when the time came for the U.A. entrance exams I participated.  With my versatile quirk I managed to score a place in Class A.

   Being part of the top hero class at the top hero school was sure to give me amazing opportunities. When work studies came around many different Prohero’s sent offers. As much as I wanted to pick a hero who’s quirk and fighting style matched my own, I decided that having a chance to learn from the No.1 Pro didn’t happen often. So I accepted the offer to do my work study at Endeavor’s agency along with three of my other classmates. And only time would tell how smart of a choice that was on my part.

  After only a few weeks of our work studies, Endeavor was called for a mission that was crucial for the greater good of society. Being his trainees, Bakugo, Deku, Shoto and I were dragged along for the mission as well. We were sent to stop an organization known as Humarise from executing their plan to destroy quirks. When we first arrived at the Humarise base in the country of Otheon, the trigger bomb was nowhere to be found. After relaying this information to headquarters, we were informed that none of the bases had the bombs we were sent to disarm. In Spite of the failed mission we were instructed to stay in the country and wait for further information, as we couldn’t just give up and let these maniacs kill millions of people for no reason.

   While waiting for information, us rookies were sent out to run errands. I was trailing behind Bakugo as he complained to Shoto and Deku about being an errand boy. While zoning out from their conversation I noticed a commotion happening in a store as we walked by. “Hey guys.” I said, trying to get their attention.

   “WHAT DO YOU WANT?” Bakugo shouted as he wiped around to look at me. Being used to the blonde's explosive attitude; I just pointed to the door of the store where a villain busted out flying past us holding a case of what we could only assume to be stolen jewels. 

   Registering what was happening my three companions launched into action. I followed them knowing that chases weren’t my strong suit, deciding to hang back slightly and help if anyone got hurt. I watched as Shoto and Deku raced down an alley after one of the guys, deciding they had that covered, I helped Bakugo take care of the thief he was chasing.

   After dealing with the thief, we meet back up with Shoto learning that Deku had gone after a third culprit who apparently was waiting in the alley. We all made our way back to the hotel where we were staying. 

   “Idiots! We're right in the middle of an important mission. You should leave the petty criminals for the local authorities to take care of!” The three of us were now being yelled at by a very furious Endeavor.

   “I thought heroes were supposed to assist those in trouble.” Shoto argued back at his father. 

   Bakugo, who was leaning against the wall nearby, decided to also talk back to the flaming man. “You're the one who's supposed to be teaching us. Maybe you shoulda explained how to ignore crimes.” He said with a smirk. I had to fight back a laugh at that, he had a valid argument.

   I just watched as Endeavor’s anger started to bubble over. “That's not what I said! And Deku? Where'd he run off to?” He asked, realizing the fourth member of his trainees was nowhere to be seen.

   Sighing, I joined the conversation. “According to Shoto, He's following someone who was

working with the jewel thieves. I’ve been trying to call but he's not picking up his phone right now.” I explained waving my phone.

   Hearing that Endeavor’s flames shot up once again. “You slackers! I shouldn't have brought you with me even if you are doing your work studies!” He exclaimed, before he could continue ranting about how we should have stayed in Japan, Shoto’s phone started ringing.

   “It's him.” He informed us as he answered the phone. “ Midoriya, hey. Do you have the suspect?” He asked, pausing to let Deku speak. “What?” The question confused all of us. It sounded like Deku was panicking from the noise barely reaching me from Shoto’s phone. “Calm down! Tell me everything that happened. Start from the beginning.” He told the panicking boy.

   There was a moment of silence while we waited for Deku to explain what happened to Shoto. The silence was broken as Clair, one of the heroes we were teamed up with, opened a door to an office nearby. “Endeavor. Emergency.” We all turned, waiting for her to elaborate. “It’s about Deku.” Hearing the boy’s name we all moved to find out what was going on.

   Upon reaching the conference room we all watched as the news anchor on the tv spoke next to a picture of Deku. “Once again, according to recent police reports, the suspect, who is thought to have killed twelve people, is at large and considered by authorities to be highly dangerous. He's a Japanese hero. Uh, called Deku. Real name, Izuku Midoriya. The entire nation is on the lookout. There are also reports that he has an accomplice…” The anchor went on to further explain as we all stood shocked and looked at Shoto as he raised his phone to his ear.

  “Midoriya. What did you really do out there?” Shoto asked, hoping for a clear answer as to what the hell we just saw on the news. “The news. They're saying you're wanted as a suspect for mass murder.” Shoto went on to explain after Deku presumably responded confused to the first question. There was a pause as Deku responded. “We'll look into it on our end. You stay off the grid for now. They'll track you with GPS. Once you turn off your phone, don't forget to take out the battery.” Shoto told Deku before hanging up the phone.

  We all looked at each other stunned, “What the hell is going on? Deku would never kill anyone.” I was amazed by the strange turn of events. Bakugo, Shoto and I all looked at each other trying to figure out how to help our friend.

  “You three stay here, I’m going to speak with the police.” Endeavor said, looking at us pointedly. There was a grumble for Bakugo but we all nodded understanding that clearly something major was happening and we needed to stay put.

  While we waited for Endeavor to return with any news on why Deku is a suspect, I decided it was a great time to lay down on one of the couches in the office. While I tried to recharge some energy, Shoto was busy doing something on his laptop and Bakugo had stormed off to do who knows what. After around thirty minutes of sitting around Clair came in to talk to Shoto.

  “Shoto! I just got this report back from a detective friend of mine.” She started, and I was then reminded of the car accident that happened while we were chasing the jewel thieves earlier in the day. “It appears the car you saw was attacked by a Quirk. The strange thing is, the driver was a member of Humarise.” Clair explained, catching my attention.

  “Wait, Humarise?” I asked, getting up from the couch to join the conversation.

   Shoto looked at me equally surprised by the turn of events. “Well, did he survive the accident?” Shoto asked, hoping we would have a lead of some kind.

   ��Clair sighed before responding. “He's comatose, in critical condition. Police are standing watch outside his room in the ICU.” She explained.

    “So we can't interrogate him yet.” Shoto reasoned.

    “And there's one other thing, too. It looks like the stolen jewelry was left scattered nearby the scene.” Clair added on to the discoveries that came to light.

    I couldn’t hide my confusion as I tried to figure out what happened. “Huh? But why?” I asked, but before anyone could answer Shoto’s phone chimed.

    “It's a message from Midoriya.” He explained as Clair and I leaned closer to see what the message said.

    “What does it say?” Clair asked, unable to make out the message from where she was standing.

    “Keep eating lunch with strawberries and make sure you eat the dinner in the fridge, too." Shoto read off the message in a confused tone. “Why is he telling me what to eat? This is odd.” He looked over at me.

   Taking another look at the message I realized what it was. “This must be some kind of code. See the first letters of each line spell out K-L-A-Y-D.” I explained.

   Shoto looked at me before looking at the message again. “Clever.”

   Clair gasped. “What does this mean? Did he flee to the neighboring country of Klayd?” She asked, looking at the two of us.

    “If not yet, he must be heading there.” Shoto answered, putting his phone in his pocket.

     I nodded following him out of the room, turning back to inform Clair. “Which means, We’re going to. Please tell Endeavor.” I said as I followed Shoto out. Clair just offered a nod in agreement. 

     As the two of us began to leave, we ran into Bakugo. “Bakugo, come with me.” Shoto informed him while grabbing his arm and pulling him along.

     “Get your hands off me!” Bakugo snapped. As we exited the building he spoke again. “It's about Deku, huh?” He asked.

     Noticing the cops trying to hide that they’re watching us. “We’ll explain later, but first we should lose the cops.” I explained earning a nod from Shoto and Bakugo. After finally losing the police, we made our way to the train station getting tickets to Klayd. Once on the train Shoto explained to Bakugo what we had found out and where we were going. With all of us on board with the plan we decided to rest on the train while we had the chance.

    Time skip to meeting up with Deku and Rody at the train station.

    The train had stopped close to the border to pick up new passengers. While waiting for the train to continue moving the three of us noticed what looked to be fighting on a cliff side. We were going to ignore it until Shoto spoke up. “It’s Midoriya. We need to go.” Looking back at the chaos I also noticed the black tindalls attaching to the helicopter where the majority of the attacks were coming from. Recognising them the three of us grabbed our gear and headed to aid in the fight.

    While Bakugo and Shoto focused on attacking the villains, I moved to check on the young man who I assumed to have been traveling with Deku. After helping him off of Shoto’s ice, I led him to cover behind a rock so we weren’t in the crossfire of the fight. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?” I asked as I quickly looked him over for any noticeable injuries.

    “Uh, no I’m good.” He responded while scratching the back of his head.

    I nodded in response before turning to make sure my friends were doing ok fighting. After watching the Helicopter crash, Deku ran over. “Rody, are you all right?” He asked the guy sitting across from me. 

    Registering he was spoken to, he turned to the green haired hero. “Yeah, but I'm not sure how. Where is it?“ The brunette asked, looking around frantically. 

    As if on queue Shoto approached holding a beat up briefcase. “Midoriya. I grabbed this.” He announced, earring a sigh of relief from the boy.

    “Thanks, Todoroki. But how did you find us?” Deku asked as he looked around at the three of us.

    “All thanks to their flashy attacks. Shoto spotted you from the train.” I explained.

    Shoto nodded, before looking at the new member of our group. “Is he the one you were talking about on the phone?” He asked.

   Deku nodded. “Yeah, that's right. He's been pegged as a criminal, like me. His name is Rody Soul.” He introduced his new companion.

   “Hey, thanks for the assist.” Rody said, looking at Shoto. After he finished his sentence my attention was drawn to the familiar pink bird that jumped from his hair onto his shoulder. Seeing the bird I was immediately reminded of the matching mark on my Shoulder. Of course my moment of surprise caused me to zone out from the conversation currently happening around me.

   I tuned back in, when I heard Shoto mention something about useful intelligence, followed by Midoya gasping and grabbing the case. “What’s the matter Deku?” I asked, looking at him confused.

   “A compartment.” He stated, looking at the bottom of the case. After we all saw what he was talking about, he moved to open it to see what was inside. The only thing that came out was what looked like a puzzle. “What is this? How does it work?” He asked as he began turning the pieces.

  This went on for a few minutes of Deku trying to solve the puzzle while Shoto and Bakugo offer not so useful tips. I on the other hand kept glancing at Rody, curious if my assumption about the little pink bird was correct. While watching the brunette I noticed him getting impatient as the young heroes failed to solve the puzzle. “Hey Rody, are you sure you’re okay?” I asked, noticing his impatience. 

  “Uh yeah.” He answered before looking back at Deku. “Deku, can I see that for a second?” He asked, reaching for the puzzle.

   Deku looked confused but nodded. “You know how to solve it?” Shoto asked as Rody sat on the ground.

   “I did a puzzle like this before when I was a kid.” He explained as he began working on it. “Let's see. Like this. And this. Aw, yeah. I think I got it.” He announced as the puzzle popped open revealing an sd card and an odd purple and black piece of what I assumed to be plastic.

   After it became clear that none of us knew what the unidentified object was we turned our attention to the sd card. “We need to figure out what's stored on this card.” Shoto said holding it up.

   I quickly pulled out my phone checking for anywhere nearby where we could see what it was. “Okay, there's a town at the foot of the mountain. We can investigate there.” I announced, earring a nod of agreement from the group. We all gathered our things and began the trek to the town.

   As we were walking I noticed Deku, wince as he accidently Bumped his shoulder into a wall. “Hey are you okay Deku? Do you need me to take a look at your shoulder?” I was concerned.

   Deku being well Deku tried to brush it off as nothing but turns out our newest companion is a snitch. “Actually Deku was shot with an arrow.” Rody announced earning a look of betrayal from the hero.

  “You were shot? And didn’t think it was a good idea to tell someone? Especially the one person around who can heal you.” I said, looking at him like he was stupid. “As soon as we get somewhere to look at that card you’re letting me take care of it.” He just nodded slowly, and before he could argue I moved to walk ahead of the group.

  Skip to looking at the contents of the card

  We had found the small town and asked to use a computer at a hotel there. Once inside Deku plugged the card into the computer loading it up. The screen was quickly covered in various folders. “So many folders. Where do we even start?” He questioned aloud. 

  Bakugo pushed Deku out of the way and began looking through the folders. “Hey Deku, while Bakugo deals with that, come sit down and let me take care of that wound.” I said motioning to the chair I was standing next to.

  I watched as he sighed before moving to sit down, taking off his shirt so I could have access to the injury. “But Y/n we’re inside, are you sure you can heal it without any plants around?” He asked.

  “Did you hit your head? You know I carry seeds around for when you idiots get hurt now sit still.” I said while pulling a few seeds from my pocket holding them close to Deku’s shoulder while activating my quirk. The seeds quickly began to grow wrapping around his shoulder before they began glowing a light bluish green color. After only a few minutes the wound was completely healed with no sign it had ever been there. With Deku taken care of I turned my attention back to the computer, missing the look of realization that flashed across Rody’s face.

  “I found it. It’s this video file.” Bakugo announced opening a file. 

  The screen changed to show a man with an eye patch who then began talking. “Hello. My name is Alan Kay. Along with several other scientists, I was kidnapped by Humarise.” He explained earning shocked gasps from the five of us. He went on to explain how Humarise forced the scientists to build the trigger bombs and how the first attack was just a trap to lewer out the heroes. He spoke of how the plan was to then detonate the rest after having all of the top heroes gathered and in turn decimate the hero population.

   After explaining the villain’s plan, he included that the unknown item that was in the case was a key to disarm the bombs from within the Humarise base. Shortly after the video ended, the other occupants of the hotel ran out screaming. Our attention was quickly drawn to the Tv where a news anchor was reporting that in less than two hours the trigger bombs were going to explode. A map of all the locations showed up on the screen.

   Seeing the map Rody immediately reacted. “No, it can't be. That circle's in Otheon! My house is inside of it!” Hearing the distress in his voice, my body moved on its own to try and calm him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

    Also realizing what that meant Deku responded. “Oh, no.” The five of us were now on the verge of panicking.

    “We should send this to HQ and have them order the hero teams to retreat before it's too late.” Shoto said moving to the computer, planning to send the file.

    Before he could finish, Bakugo cut in. “We can't do that.” His statement pulled Shoto’s and Deku’s attention to him.

  “The heroes are out there looking for the Trigger Bombs. Even if they're the actual targets of the terrorist attack. Even if they know this is a trap. As long as there are people who need help, the pros will never leave them and run away. That's what makes them heroes. Humarise counted on this when they came up with their plan.” Deku stated.

  We all paused and nodded in agreement. There was no way the heroes would run and leave innocent people to die just because they were the targets all along. “Then we use that disarming key. It's up to us to stop those bombs.” Shoto said, we all turned to look at him surprised. 

  “But how do we do that?” I asked. “We don’t even know where their main hideout is.” I agreed that we needed to stop the bombs, but that's easier said than done.

  Bakugo moved quickly before he started opening files on the computer. “On it! The answer has to be in here somewhere. You're an idiot if you make a key without telling people where the lock is! We look for the place that wasn't part of their announcement. This is where their base is!” He announced as he layered the map of the announced bomb locations with the map of the Humarise bases in the computer. Marked clearly was the one base that didn’t have a bomb over it.

  “Kacchan, Can you find where the bomb controls are?” Deku asked as Bakugo started clicking through more folders.

  “Let me work, ya damn nerd!” He shouted as he looked for the controls, eventually pulling up the base’s floor plan.

   Deku looked over the image. “The furthest area underground.” He said, trying to think of how to get there.

   As if voicing everyone’s thoughts, Shoto spoke up. “So we know where it is, but it's

more than 400 kilometers away from where we are.” Hearing that the small amount of hope that we could actually pull this off started to crumble.

  “We can make it.” Rody announced drawing our attention to the other computer in the room. “I think I know how to get us there.” He said while pointing at a map of what looked to be an airport nearby.

   Having no other ideas on how to reach the base, we made our way to the airport and acquired a plane. Once on board the plane, we quickly changed into our hero gear preparing for what would potentially be a very dangerous fight. 

    As the base came into view, Bakugo, Shoto, Deku and I began to get ready to jump from the plane. “That's it! The base! Going in for a landing. Brace yourselves.” Rody informed as he flew the plane closer.

   Thinking for a moment I spoke up. “No, Rody you should turn back, it’s not going to be easy.” I explained hoping he would understand.

   “Extras like you should stay out of the way.” Bakugo exclaimed as Shoto opened the door for us to jump. Shoto made a comment of agreement. After Deku allowed me to hold on to his back, as I’m the only one who can’t move through the air with my quirk, we jumped from the plane. As we got closer to the ground, members of Humarise began firing on us. “I don't have time for you idiots!” Bakugo shouted as he began returning fire.

    Once on the ground, we used our quirks to break through the lines of resistance. Making our way into the base. “Bakugo, we'll leave these guys to you!” I shouted as I trapped a few people in vines from the rock formation.

    After leaving Bakugo to deal with the group out front the rest of us moved into the hideout and began the trek to the controls.  We were making great time using Shoto’s ice to glide down the halls, that was until lasers fired and broke up the ice block sending us tumbling to the floor. After disarming the laser with his flames, Shoto ordered us to continue on while he held off the approaching members of Humarise.

    Nodding Deku and I began racing down the halls as fast as we could manage. We faced a few opponents as we made our way through, easily taking them down with either Deku’s Air force or me throwing seeds that sprouted into entangling vines trapping the attackers. Eventually we reached a large room that appeared to be some kind of library with a golden statue of a baby in the center. “This is the deepest room in the base which means the trigger bomb control system should be on the other side of those doors.” Deku explained.

   I responded with a simple nod before we moved towards the door. Before we could get close a laser fired at Deku’s feet causing both of us to jump back in surprise. “How dare you? This is not a place where someone so diseased should set foot.” We watched as a blue man wearing robes approached looking pissed that we dared enter the room. “You have entered a holy stronghold that will bring about the salvation of humanity.” He continued to speak.

   “You think this is what the world needs? The Quirk Doomsday Theory hasn't been scientifically verified!” I shouted as metal barriers began to rise around the room.

    Deku looked around in confusion before joining in my questioning of the man. “You're basing your crimes on nothing but a rumor! How can you accept something so uncertain and use it to justify doing such terrible things?” He yelled as Flect descended the staircase to be level with the two of us.

    “Pure humans are being threatened by the sickness of Quirks. Of that there is no doubt. As time passes these powers will mix, evolve, and run rampant, driving humanity to destruction.” Flect preached as he looked at us in disgust.

    Deku immediately went on the offensive. “You don't know that for certain! Whether you have a Quirk or not doesn't matter. We're all alive. We're all human beings!” He yelled trying to convince the villain across from us.

    Flect just sighed. “The gravely afflicted are beyond our help. I suppose I shall have to force you to atone.” He said as if it was fact and like he had any chance at beating the two of us.

   “I'll stop your Trigger bomb if it's the last thing I do!” Deku announced as he launched his first attack on the man. I watched in amazement as Deku was sent flying backwards smashing through the metal wall behind him, and Flect was left with no sign the atack hit except for the robe was wearing being blown off.

   As I helped Deku out of the shelves, Flect approached. In hopes of stopping him I flung more seeds that I had used my quirk on hoping to trap him in his place, only for the seeds to be flung elsewhere leaving the vines to just cover the floor. “That's right. I was born with this cursed plague myself. A disease that can't be cured. I automatically reflect all I come in contact with.” Flect explained seeing the bewildered looks on our faces.

   Deku looked around for a moment before moving to attack from multiple angles. “So even though you have an ability of your own, you still think they're somehow evil?” He asked blasting bolts of air.

   “You would question me? Quirks are a tragedy. Because of this ailment, I was never once held by my parents, never knew a caring touch.” Flect limentied as Deku’s attacks were sent back at him. “Even my closest friends, and those I gave my heart to left me, their feelings repelled. I watched them all leave me, one by one. Since I reflect everything, I couldn't even choose death for myself. A Quirk that cannot be controlled leads to a life of suffering. But I can save others from this misery. These meta powers will trample no more hearts.”

   I tried my hardest to think of a plan. The only plan I could think of was taking the key and running while Deku tried to distract Flect. I moved quickly trying to get close enough to Deku to tell him of my plan only for the lasers around the room to fire directly at Flect. He used his reflection to his advantage causing the lasers to reflect and scatter a few of them hitting Deku.

  I would like to say I was lucky enough to avoid them but unfortunately I was not fast enough. One laser hit me in the thigh and another hit me right in the chest, just narrowly avoiding my heart and instead rupturing a lung. As I collapsed to the ground I used the little strength I had before blacking out to sprout a healing seed near my chest to hopefully heal the hole in my lung before I bleed out or drown in my own blood. The last thing I remember before completely blacking out was the sound of Deku’s screams as more lasers pierced his body.

   To my surprise I awoke only a few minutes later. Realizing I was awake and could still move I quickly looked around the room. The first thing I noticed was the unconscious form of Flect laying in the middle of the room. The second thing I noticed was the large amount of blood leading to the doors to the control room. Standing up I rushed to find Deku and offer help in whatever way I could. 

   As I got closer I could hear what I could only assume to be pained laughter from two people. Reaching the room I saw Deku sitting on his knees laughing with Rody laying across his lap. I rushed forward as best as my still injured leg could carry me meeting the two. “Oh my god, What happened to you? And Rody, why are you here, I thought you turned back?” I asked, taking in the large wounds on both boys who stopped laughing when they realized I was there. 

   “Uh long story, tell you about it later?” Rody said with a slight shrug, wincing at the movement.

   I shook my head, looking to Deku for answers hoping he would tell me what I missed while unconscious. Unfortunately Deku just shrugged, choosing to also postpone answering. “Fine you’re lucky you’re my soulmate or I would make you tell me before helping with that wound.” I started ignoring Deku’s look of shock, instead choosing to grab the few seeds I had left to at least close the boys’ bleeding wounds. Rody was also left speechless as I finished healing the wound as much as I could given my own fading strength. “It’s not perfect but now you won’t bleed to death while we wait to be rescued.” I said, smiling at the boy.

   It took him a second to register what was said but after I pulled the plants away from the two Rody sat up. “Wait, ouch, How did you know that we’re soulmates? You don’t know what my quirk is.” He said shocked, the little pink bird from before sitting on his shoulder also looking stunned.

   I smiled looking at the little bird. “It’s hard to forget such an adorable bird that’s been on my shoulder since I was little.” I explained reaching out to the bird. Accepting the explanation the small bird leaned into hand.

   Rody still had a slightly confused look on his face but I could see the joy in his eyes. “Yeah, that makes sense, also that is Pino.” He said introducing the bird. I chuckled as Pino began chirping happily. “Her actions show how I’m really feeling.” He explained to me as I let Pino sit in my hand.

   “Well then I’m glad to know you’re happy.” I said, smiling at him. “But you should really lay back down, I couldn’t fully heal your wounds, it’s just enough to keep you alive while we wait for Heroes to come rescue us.” I explained nudging him lay back. “You to Deku, I can’t heal anymore until I get healed so you should conserve your energy.” After telling them both to relax I also leaned back on to the floor. While I may have sealed our wounds enough to not die, they were nowhere near fully closed so we all need to take it easy until we could be saved. 

   To the hospital.

   After laying in the Humarise base for what felt like hours, some pros finally showed up and brought us to a hospital in Otheon. While we were there they flew out Recovery Girl to help speed up the healing process so we could return to Japan. Recovery Girl had first healed me and asked me to assist in healing the others so it would go by quicker. I agreed and joined her in checking on the boys.

  While she was focused on healing Bakugo, I turned my attention to my soulmate. “Hey Rody, want a little more help with those injuries?” I asked moving to sit next to his bed. He just nodded and watched as I placed a few seeds on the bed next to him before activating my quirk. The seeds sprouted and vines laid across him before glowing softly.

  While I was focused on healing him, I failed to notice the door behind me opening, until two small children ran into the room.  Turning to the sound of excited children, I was greeted by a young boy and a young girl who looked very similar to Rody. “Roro, Lala, I’m so happy you guys are here.” Rody exclaimed, sitting up. Deciding his healing could wait for now, I turned off my quirk to allow the children to climb up on his bed. “How have you guys been?” He asked them.

  I just watched and listened as he spoke with them not wanting to interrupt the happy reunion. “Oh I almost forgot. Roro, Lala, this is Y/n they helped save my life and they’re my soulmate.” Rody introduced me looking at me with a bright smile. “Y/n, this is my little brother Roro, and my sister Lala.” I quickly greeted them. Soon I was subject to the children’s never ending questions, and honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  To the Airport

   As much as I’d like to say that I was able to stay for a while and enjoy getting to know my new found soulmate and his family, I sadly can not. Once we were all cleared by the hospital to fly home, we were all at the airport ready to depart. As we approached the escalator to head towards our flight I heard a familiar chirp from behind me.

   Before I could even turn around I heard Deku confirm my suspicion. “Rody” He called out, as I turned and looked at the limping burnett. He just chuckled in response before getting closer. “Didn't think you'd be out so soon! Heh.” Deku observed.

   I nodded in agreement. “Ah, they said I was good to head back home.” Rody answered the indirect question. Pino chirped in agreement before flying over to rest on my shoulder.

   “I’m glad to hear it, though I wish I could have healed your leg a bit more.” I said, patting the small bird.

   Rody just shrugged. “It’s all good, I’m grateful for what you did. Although, if I had died stopping those bombs, I would've become a total legend.” He went on to explain.

   Deku and I gave him a slightly concerned look before Deku spoke up again. “That's a morbid thing to say!” We all just laughed in response. “So, hey. Come up with any big plans for the future?” Deku asked. 

   I looked at Rody, curious to hear what he may be planning. “Just going back to my normal life for now. Though, I suppose, with all I've been through, who knows what's in store for me?” He answered, glancing in my direction. Pino Chirped in agreement , confirming Rody was being truthful about his unsureness.

   As Deku was about to keep the conversation going, the overhead announcements informed the airport that our flight back to Japan was now boarding. After exchanging glances with me, Deku spoke up. “Right, I’m gonna run to catch our flight. Y/n I know you will need a moment but try to be quick.” His tone was understanding, he knew the chances of me and Rody being in the same place again soon were slim. After bidding farewell to Rody, Deku started for our flight.

   It took a second for the reality of the citation to set in and when it did I turned to Rody, trying to hold back my tears. “I know I should be running to catch my flight but I can’t until I tell you this. I promise that no matter what happens in the future I will come back. Once I’m officially a pro hero. I’ll come back and we can actually explore what it means to be soulmates.” I explained. “But until then here is my phone number, please feel free to call or text whenever you get the chance. I don’t want the distance between us to affect what we have.” I finished handing him a piece of paper with my number on it.

   Making eye contact with Rody it was clear he was trying to hide his true feelings but staying true to her nature, Pino was on his shoulder, tears filling her eyes. “Yeah of course, just promise to come visit between now and your pro hero debut. Okay?” He said with a bright smile.

   I nodded before pulling him into a quick hug. “I promise. Now I need to run. Tell Roro and Lala I'll miss them and please stay outta trouble.” I heard the announcements calling for boarding again. “See you later, Rody.” With that I turned and ran off toward my flight's terminal. Finally once on the plane I did my best to wipe away my tears before anyone noticed.

   “Don’t worry you’ll see him again soon.” Deku said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I just nodded, already looking forward to the first chance I could get to return to Otheon.

[dorminchu]

oh, the things we invent when we are scared and want to be rescued

Summary: In a fairer world where the sun blazed bright and Dialga had not succumbed to madness, they would not be walking this road. Rating: G Characters: Dusknoir, Grovyle Wordcount: 335

a/n: I've never written for these two before, but I like the vibe and how the fandom has run wild with it! Here's my contribution.

Moving through untouched snow, leaving a single pair of tracks in his wake, Grovyle failed to disguise a shiver. The tattered bag shook against his svelte frame. A living body had its disadvantages. Grovyle's, in particular, was ill-suited to this paralyzed climate. Dusknoir perceived the chill in the air without any adverse effect. He could never feel the sun's warmth as Grovyle did, nor its lack.

A long time ago, before the planet's paralysis, Dusknoir would have had a different purpose, guiding wayward spirits to the other side. In a fairer world where the sun blazed bright and Dialga had not succumbed to madness, they would not be walking this road. 

Grovyle stopped pace.

"What is it?"

Grovyle's reptilian eyes had no lids. The pupils fixed on his singular eye. "The air, here. It's not as stagnant as last time."

"You're imagining things."

"You can't feel it?"

"I have no such frailty."

Grovyle humphed, turning his back. "Figures. You're just a spirit yourself."

The frozen forest was a mystery to Dusknoir, beyond its inordinate levels of energy capable of rending flesh from soul. This planet was a gravesite and their future entombed. Once he inhabited the empty shell, would he succumb to the elements? Or would he simply drift, a puppet rotting on its strings? Dusknoir had never considered such a question before, nor had a reason to. In a world long since abandoned there was no point in entertaining such frivolities.

And yet.

"You're shivering." Grovyle said nothing. Dusknoir floated effortlessly beside his stubborn pace. "It won't do to overextend yourself. Your dear—"

"Quiet."

That old note of venom crawled up Grovyle's dry throat.

Dusknoir could not smile. To make up for this, he emitted a booming chuckle. "This is a fool's errand. You and I both know that."

"I've made peace with it."

"And what if, by some miracle, you didn't disappear?"

"Even if I didn't, it makes no difference. I have to try."

Dusknoir shook his head. "Ever the stubborn one."

[82mitsu]

{18Trip} <CHAPTER 001 SIDE-A: Sun will R1ze!> 001-A05 First Strategy Meeting

A translation of 18TRIP's CHAPTER 001 SIDE-A by 82mitsu. ENG proofreading by sasaranurude.

Kafka: Mhm, all the founding employees being assembled really makes you feel like the reality of it all has kicked in.

Kafka: However, what we’re doing here isn’t some get together for friends. Bringing proper results is our goal. For the time being I want to explain the restoration plan I came up with though, is that okay?

Yachiyo: …Um, uhm…

Yachiyo: That special tourism ward thingie mentioned in the documents… What uh, is …it?

Kafka: ………

Sakujiro: I cannot believe we have to start from there.

Yachiyo: Sosososososorry!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kaede: (Living in JPN in this day and age, and not knowing about special tourism wards… Maybe Yachiyo-kun is some sheltered boy?)

Kafka: Sakujiro, you know what to do.

Sakujiro: Of course, President. Fuefuki-kun, please look this way. It’s an educational video aimed at children titled “Tourism For Beginners”. 

Kaede: (That video…! It’s the one I saw while I was in preschool…!)

Mister Rabbit: “Hello all good boys and girls! Today Mister Rabbit and-”

Little Miss Lion: “Little Miss Lion~!”

Mister Rabbit & Little Miss Lion: “-Will be learning all about the tourism industry~!”

Little Miss Lion: “Hey hey Mister, why do people call JPN the nashion of toorism?”

Mister Rabbit: “Good question, Little Lion! You see, JPN isn’t the only “nation of tourism” out there, since many countries all over the world are the same as JPN!”

Mister Rabbit: “People from the past worked very hard and made many machines. Thanks to the power of science, everyone’s got lots and lots of free time! Which is why traveling became a very popular way of playing!”

Little Miss Lion: “People from all over the woreld are trafeling!?”

Mister Rabbit: “Yes they are! A lot of effort was put into creating a “Ministry of Tourism” so everyone can have lots of fun, even in JPN!

Mister Rabbit: “In particular, the places where lots of tourists go to play are called “special tourism wards”, and support is provided in all sorts of ways throughout the whole country so everyone can have fun!”

Little Miss Lion: “Waaah~! Does that mean taxes becoming cheaper too~!?”

Mister Rabbit: “Yes, you bet! Among other things, in a “special tourism ward”, there’s the official position of “0th Ward Mayor”, someone with a loooot of powerful authority!

Little Miss Lion: Little Lion love love loves authoreety~! What can I do if I become the 0th Ward Mayor? Can I destroy the entire neighborhood~?”

Mister Rabbit: “Ahaha! Little Miss Lion makes some funny jokes! But, maybe you can? wink”

Mister Rabbit: “The 0th Ward Mayor can advertise tourism, choose who gets to be a Ward Mayor and decide on what the local tourism should be about!”

Mister Rabbit: “Whether it's killing or reviving the neighborhood, that all depends on the 0th Ward Mayor and the other mayors!”

Little Miss Lion: “Waaauw, when I grow up Little Miss Lion will definitely become the 0th ward mayor and obtain all the authoreety in the world~!”

Kaede: (... Did this video always have such a dark twist to it…?)

Yachiyo: Tremble tremble tremble… The 0th Ward Mayor is an authoritarian figure……………!

Daniel: Hweh~ I see now, uh-huh~ That’s what special tourism wards and 0th Ward Mayors were all about, huh.

Kaede: (Hold on, what do you mean Daniel-san didn’t know about this!? The previous company he worked at WAS a travel agency…!)

Kafka: So, the mentioned 0th Ward Mayor is what I am, basically…

Yachiyo: Hieh, you’re gonna destroy the neighborhood…!?

Kafka: Well, whether the ward sinks or swims all depends on the Ward Mayor themself. In fact, my own father is the one who almost killed HAMA, so…

Kaede: (Kafka, your smile is creepy…)

Kafka: It wasn’t mentioned in the video, but special tourism wards also have their disadvantages.

Kafka: Instead of receiving support from the country, they’re put under surveillance by the 23 wards of Tokyo connected to the government. Our own supervisory authority is in the hands of Tokyo’s 8th Ward Mayor.

Kaede: Shigematsu Hakkei-san who was at the inauguration… right?

Kafka: Yes. Ward Mayors like him frequently come sightseeing without prior notice. So if the hospitality level is low, a negative review will be drafted up immediately—think of them like some kind of menace of a sister-in-law. 

Nayuki: However, you cut all financial support from the capital, right? Then in that case, the 8th Ward of Tokyo must not have the right to interfere with tourism policies anymore. 

Kafka: Exactly that♪ I’ll be taking bold, drastic measures with our tourism policies this year.

Kafka: If we don’t reach the quota of required tourists in a year, HAMA will lose its status as a special tourism ward and my role will disappear too. 

Kaede: We just gotta get over that hurdle of drawing in tourists, right…

Kafka: So that’s all to say, in order to revive HAMA I put a plan together under the name of “NEO18Wards”.

Nayuki: According to the documents… the benchmark is the 9 wards of KOBE? 

Yachiyo: Marking benches?

Sakujiro: A blueprint, an example, the goal we’re aiming for. That’s the meaning of it, Fuefuki-kun.

Yachiyo: Muh! Memo, memo…!

Kaede: Why KOBE-9 though, if you don’t mind telling us?

Kafka: The reason is simple. KOBE and HAMA are both port cities, making them rivals that've been getting compared for as long as they've existed. Though, KOBE is crushing the competition at the moment.

Nayuki: If I remember correctly, KOBE did a large-scale reformation on their approach to tourism a few years back, and established a plan for the Ward Mayors to be directly involved with hospitality.

Kafka: Exactly. To begin with, what people are trying to find by traveling is a fresh, personal human connection that they cannot experience on a daily basis due to the mechanization and automation of the modern age. 

Kafka: Such an element cannot be easily replicated by technology.

Kaede: (That’s true…)

Kafka: HAMA’s failure is attributed to the surplus of tourism policies attracting way too many tourists for its own good, and in turn this lowered the quality of hospitality to each individual as a whole.

Kafka: To get us out of this situation, it’s necessary to give tourists the experience of courteous hospitality just like in KOBE. 

Nayuki: A simple but a very reliable method, if I had to say. Nonetheless, what do we do about the policies to increase tourism?

Kafka: That’s the Nayuki I know, always quick on the uptake♪

Kafka: First, we’ll narrow it down to domestic affairs… When thinking about the population of JPN, there are only so many people that travel on a regular basis, after all.

Kafka: It’s a situation where every city wants a piece of the pie. Keeping that in mind, the only way to increase tourism is by increasing the amount of repeat tourists. 

Kafka: Not just touring all the famous spots as people have been until now, but transforming all of HAMA into a tourist attraction and establishing a fanbase is what’s essential here. Which is why… I intend to increase the number of Ward Mayors for exactly this reason. 

Kaede: More Ward Mayors…?

Kafka: Currently, there are three Ward Mayors left in HAMA. The plan is to appoint a Ward Mayor to all 18 wards in due time.

Nayuki: It’s the 0th Ward Mayor’s job to lead the other mayors, right. Wouldn’t management be a heavy burden with such a large number of people?

Kafka: It’s me, remember? Think I can’t pull it off?

Nayuki: … You have a point.

Kafka: Though, first we start bolstering what we have with the current Ward Mayors. Sakujiro, you know what to do.

Sakujiro: Yes, President. Click click, as you asked.

Kaede: …Splitting up the 18 wards into four areas? By morning, noon, evening and night…?

Kafka: That’s right. By the way, the intention behind the name is along the lines of “Enjoy your trip to HAMA from morning till night”♪

Kafka: Which leads us to the following. Yachiyo, Sakujiro, Nayuki and Daniel. All of you will be providing full-time support to each squad respectively. As for the role itself—I’ll simply call you “conductors”.

Yachiyo: Eh, eeeh…!? Such, such an important task, me!?

Kaede: (For Yachiyo-kun this is definitely too much… W-wonder if this is okay.)

Kafka: No worries. Yachiyo is in charge of Morning Squad, which includes me. Chief-chan, you’ll be keeping an eye on all squads, okay?

Kaede: G-got it.

Kaede: (I feel the pressure, but… I said I’ll face anything that comes at me. Gonna give it my all…!)

Nayuki: Dividing into groups and establishing squads, I can understand. However, what is the meaning behind going through the trouble of dividing?

Kafka: The fact that we’ll get the Ward Mayors of each squad to coordinate and create a superior touring plan. There's a limit on how much our tourism resources can be fortified when our time is restricted to one year. 

Kaede: (That’s true… Right now we’re unable to sit down and create new facilities, and increasing what sights to see isn’t an easy task.) 

Kafka: But, we do have something we can use immediately. What do you think that is?

Yachiyo: Eh……, eh………

Kaede: Can use immediately…?

Daniel: Our amazing Bossman’s money? Gahah, just joshing!

Nayuki: …I see, that’s what it is.

Kafka: It’s none other than human resources. 

Kaede: (Ah…!)

Kafka: I’ve said it before, right? What people look for on travels is something that cannot be replicated by technology. 

Kafka: Extremely hard to quantify that the numbers may as well be random. An existence whose pattern is indecipherable to the whole word. That’s what “humans” are.

Kafka: I’m wagering on the “human” potential of Ward Mayors. A meeting between people—there’s no personal experience more intense than that. 

Nayuki: If this is the President’s plan of action, I will provide my support.

Nayuki: Though, will the current Ward Mayors give their endorsements? All wards had been operating independently up until now. 

Kafka: I’m the 0th Ward Mayor, remember?

Kafka: Just sit back and watch how I’ll make them say yes.

<<previous chapter / next chapter>>

chapter 001 side A directory: TBA upon completion

[possiblyunhinged]

The mere mention of identity politics makes everyone’s spine stiffen—left, right, middle, whatever. Both sides argue that the other’s gripes are unfounded. Very helpful. Very progressive. Very… Twitter.

Much like the word "woke," identity politics has been kidnapped, beaten up by the right, dressed in clown shoes, and paraded around as a cautionary tale. The left, naturally, responds by shrieking louder, flailing its arms, and punching itself in the face. But here’s the kicker: you can’t understand systemic prejudice without looking through the lens of identity. Equally, looking at it without understanding how capitalism sustains that oppression is just as nonsensical.

Take Luigi Mangione. Some left-leaning commentators have decided he’s only being fawned over because he’s a handsome white guy. Sure, fair. Privilege is a hell of a drug. And let’s be honest—if he looked like Boris Johnson, would my friends and I be sharing pictures of him in that cunty orange jumpsuit? Absolutely not.

But let’s not skip over the fact that this might also be the first time in decades that people have collectively agreed the U.S. healthcare system is more criminal than your average cartel. Mangione’s case has sparked wider conversations about how shamelessly the media and politicians protect their billionaire donors—while the rest of us have to grin and bear the cost-of-living crisis and the slow-motion collapse of our quality of life. Elon Musk, for example, isn’t worried about solving world hunger—unless it’s the million children he’s fathered out of wedlock. Very traditional. Much man.

This is one of those rare moments when class consciousness kicked down the door, barged into the conversation, and shouted: “Where have you been, dickheads?” And we should be listening. Classism is the vessel of systemic prejudice. It’s the golden goose that keeps laying eggs for the rich while the rest of us scramble over the shells.

Mangione’s privilege? Sure, it’s skewing the narrative—no denying that. But suggesting it’s the only reason people empathise with him is reductive at best and utterly clueless at worst. Maybe folks are just sick of billionaires treating us like extras in their dystopian fanfiction. Just a thought.

In the UK, the top 20% owns 63% of the country’s wealth, while the bottom 20% owns a paltry 0.5%. That’s not even enough to fill a trolley at Lidl. And yet, middle-class progressives sip their oat lattes and wax lyrical about privilege as if they aren’t sitting on a cushy safety net. I was born into a working-class family that fell into poverty when I was ten. Watching white, middle-class folks treat identity politics like gospel while ignoring class is like watching someone lecture you on drowning while standing in a lifeboat.

Classism is why kids from disadvantaged backgrounds are 19 months behind their peers by the time they finish school. It’s why 3.6 million children lived in absolute poverty last year. And it’s why those problems remain immovable—because fixing them would mean looking in the mirror. And let’s face it, blaming the "other" is much easier than self-reflection.

Dreaming of abolishing capitalism in the UK feels delusional. Especially when billionaires like Elon Musk are playing the world’s loudest violin, painting progressivism as socialism to protect their wallets. Musk isn’t doing this because he’s a genius. He’s doing it because he’s a hollow man with a God complex and unresolved daddy issues. But I digress.

Capitalism thrives on division. Nothing oils the machine faster than convincing us to turn on each other. And look, I get it—understanding identity-based oppression is vital. But when it devolves into a pissy shouting match? It’s just white noise. No learning. No change. Just people screaming into the void.

Surviving as a working-class person in a capitalist economy is engineered to break you. Now add some self-important pundit on telly wagging their finger at you for not being progressive enough. What do you get? Rage. Exhaustion. Division. If I hadn’t been so socially disconnected from the kids I grew up with—thanks, undiagnosed autism—I might’ve followed the same far-right pipeline they did. Why? Because they had fuck-all, and society kept telling them they were the problem.

My single mum didn’t have time to be an activist. She was too busy working three jobs, clutching her mental health by the throat, and keeping a roof over our heads. That exhaustion is the whole point. The system is designed to keep you too knackered to fight back.

You can’t separate identity struggles from class struggles. But ignoring class entirely? That’s how we end up here, with riots in the streets and Farage clones stoking the flames. Those riots weren’t populated by middle-class Foxes or Robinsons. They were predominantly white, working-class people. Why? Because class disparities breed discontent, and that discontent gets weaponised by the rich to keep us fighting each other instead of them. It’s the oldest trick in the book.

If we addressed class disparities—if we dragged billionaires kicking and screaming out of politics—it’d become painfully clear how class has been the boot on everyone’s neck. Instead, we squabble and point fingers while the top 1% buys up everything, including your grandma’s bungalow. This is no accident.

Politicians haven’t failed us. They’ve done exactly what they were built to do: oppress the majority, enrich the ruling class, and keep the boot shiny. By cutting class consciousness out of discussions on racism, sexism, and transphobia, we’re missing the plot.