#the only thing keeping me from just making a dia au form for this game

[kingsbride-moved]

Oh, someone made a rip of all of Sakata’s sprite :~) luv his goofy expressions also found some official art of him i hadn’t seen yet

[gglitchshit]

You asked for it. You get it. 👉👈

According to my excel file I have over 60 of them; but I will just talk about the ones I actually think about somewhat dfjghdfkj (which is apparently still more than 20. oof.)

99% of them are fancharacters because I'm better at inserting a piece of me into a setting than making up one by myself. <3 In alphabetical order, let's go!

Anasthasia "Anassy" Whittaker (Rayman) - starting with the obvious one. Rayman fancharacter, a mischievous robot pirate cyborg gal with infinite weapons built inside her, yet still failing to beat Rayman. Might be getting to her ego. Just a little bit. Maybe.

Dawn (Original) - A ghost of a young woman who wanders around the world of the living, creating black and white ink comics of what she sees there. Even after death her wounds still bleed, so her comics aren't the cleanest. She died by suicide but she doesn't remember it, yet she's still quite gloomy.

Dia (Splatoon) - An inkling woman who's obsessed with scene and rave culture of the long extinct humans. Originally a youtuber/model/influencer, she evolved into a quite popular DJ!

Dott (Guild Wars 2) - An undead corpse experiment of a necromancer (friend's OC) who's kept alive by science rather than magic; some sort of smoke that's dispensed to him through a facial mask. He's a new guy so I don't have much of him yet but if he stays still too long he will get stiff and can be carried around like a cardboard cutout. <3 Silly.

Eeyyaah (Guild Wars 2) - A blind metalhead asura, who spends more time inside making music than outside touring his music; he stopped touring after the audience didn't react to his music the way he imagined. He's grumpy all the time and not pleasant to be around, but his music does slap ngl.

Gin (Splatoon) - Another person who's unpleasant to be around, Gin is only tolerated by her friends and loved ones. She's a bully who thinks bad and edgy things are cool and she's in constant battle with the law. She's also a turf war player but after many years she's burnt out on them so she's considering throwing everything away and becoming a bandit sort of thing in the setting of Splatoon 3.

Gliaster (Guild Wars 2) - a nercomancy obsessed asura who travelled far away to learn it from reputable sources (a literal hundreds of years old lich) who they ended up marrying and who sadly ends up dying due to story(tm) but no problem, after years of mourning they end up in a timeloop where they can spend all those happily married years forever and ever!

Gwess Ripmane (Guild Wars 2) - A guitarist charr in a punk rock band with fellow outcasts of society (various different species in the game's setting) who makes her own guitars! I think that fact alone is really cool so I included her. <3

Ignis (Guild Wars 2) - AU for the next character, it's a will-o'-the-wisp who turned into a sylvari (plant person basically) thanks to dragon magic. It's very evil and murderous though, "haunting" the very bog it was born in. <3

Incendere (the band Ghost) - A genderless demon as old as time who was summoned to play guitar for the satanic pope band. She hates every second of it and even more so when her crush gets killed so since then she's kept locked up in the basement because she's that hostile. I can't wait for her to break free and exact revenge, she deserves it and I support her wrongs. <3

Kyrie Hu (Original) - A bully in high school who intentionally keeps failing classes and grades just so she can keep bullying her favorite victim forever. She likes to get gory and bloody too. Speaking of which, she is a resident frequenter of various gore forums, posting about the times whenever she "gets gory and bloody" in her school and has quite a bit of a fanbase~

Liv and Rigg Mortis (Guild Wars 2) - An asura sibling pair who likes synths, echoed snares, and the macabre, so they formed a goth musical duo to spread the spooky sounds around. <3

Lucien Devaux (Team Fortress 2) - Compressing my goths here lol, Lucien is a goth trans necrophile who's also the Spy in a BLU team made of other OCs of mine. I usually don't shout out who's trans or not but this is such a package lol. He likes to be a menace to everyone and also terrorize the enemy sniper who's the love of his life because that's the way he shows love. 👍

Magnus Ohrstrom (Team Fortress 2) - BLU Pyro OC who's the CEO of "I could fix him." He's a hundred percent sure he can fix Lucien and also befriend him like a feral cat. Good luck. Oh yeah he's also a metalhead and musician btw. Can't have enough of those. Especially because this guy is an 80's guy. Top tier.

Nassi (Guild Wars 2) - One of the two AUs of Anassy for Guild Wars 2, Nassi is a teenage asura who was kidnapped and experimented on by the Inquest (evil asura faction). She escaped and doesn't remember what they did to her, but whatever they did, it sure got rid of her limbs and turned her skin green. She's basically just going around helping wherever she can (and causing trouble wherever she wants~) and collecting friends like Pokémon-

Paille (Guild Wars 2) - An asura (yes I only have asura characters, why you ask-), who's a cult leader by day and researcher by night. Ze studies the nature of human brainwash through the cult ze leads. Secretly of course. Can't have hir cultists know about hir plans.

Patty Dunne (Original) - lesbian disaster pirate captain with sort of a cockney accent. That's it, that's the character-

Rei Izumi (Naruto/Original) - My very first fancharacter who turned into an OC I'm totally normal about and is totally not a fictional other of mine. Nope! Though due to this reason I don't share much about her because she's very personal.

Sol (Team Fortress 2) - RED Soldier OC who copes with the horrors by being silly and cute. He made his rocket launcher out of cardboard and it works. Yeah don't ask. This universe has teleports in it!

Tiborc "Tib" Alestorm (Guild Wars 2) - A charr who's the lead singer in a power metal band with two other charr and a lanky sylvari who's the drummer. They sing about the main character of the game and dragons. Sometimes historical events too. He tours together with Gwess often, even though their genres differ greatly. The sillies. <3

Vendel (Team Fortress 2) - BLU Medic OC who's the CEO of enabling Lucien's bullshit lmao. He could make him worse etc etc (and actually does). He enjoys orchestrating shit.

Vin (Splatoon) - Gin's brother and Dia's friend who's also obsessed about human history and culture. Is also a videogame and art nerd. Gnc af as well. <3 Femboy certificate.

Xanzz (Guild Wars 2) - The mentioned sylvari drummer of Tib's band! I don't know much about her yet lol, I just love the idea of a teeny tiny woman drummer in a band of big brawly men. <3

Detailed info about them AND more blorbos can be found here <- (link to my characters page on toyhou.se)

bonus points if you have them talk about them or at least post a drawing or a link to their profile or smth.........

[cescalr]

9 and 23 for the ask game please 😊

9: Are there any fics you'd love to see but don't want to write yourself? What are they?

Ooh, um... I'm not sure! Something substantial for Cursed 2005, maybe, like a crossover with buffy or teen wolf or something, with jimbo as the pairing from cursed and idk just something interesting (please no b*angel or st*rek or st*dia), or a time travel fic for Supernatural that involves Dean as the POV but absolutely zero, nada, nothing of (even hints) De*tiel or winc*st, that's 100% a fix-it fic (bc my mans deserved a lot better than that ending smh. And so did Jo, and Anna, and Lisa and Ben and Charlie and Benny and- ).

23: What's one piece of advice you would give to anyone who wants to start writing or posting their writing online?

Hmm... Just go for it? Like, write whatever comes to mind and post it. And keep doing that. Over and over again, because it's all the same thing - practise. If you can't think of an idea, there's no reason not to go trawling for prompts. I've got this list of 200 prompts, can't remember where I found it, but it's really useful if I'm stuck. But yeah. Find some time, any amount of time, whether its 5 minutes or five hours, and write what you can, as much as you can, whether it's ten words or 10,000, or more or less, it doesn't matter. Just get words on screen (or on paper, if you prefer.) And then... post it. If the main issue is getting the courage to post it, don't read back over it. That's when the nervousness rears it's ugly head. Just post it. Straight up. Type right into the Ao3 doc and hit post if you have to, just... find a way to minimise the amount of time you give yourself to get all worked up about whether it's 'good enough' or not. It won't be perfect the first time you write something - nothing ever is. Everything requires practise. And each time you post something, you get better at it. It gets easier. If proofreading is the bane of your existence, just post it and come back later to fix any issues. If titling it is a problem pick a random word or a song lyric or hell, a sentence from the fic, anything at all. 'Working Title | Stiles POV All Human AU Stira Fic', even. Just. Anything. You can always change it later. Summaries an issue? Grab the first paragraph. Grab the first sentence. Put 'Stiles POV all human au, stira focus.' as the summary. Who cares? You. Can. Always. Change. It. Later.

That's the great thing about fic. Changing everything later is possible. Nothing here is permanent. If you aren't happy with something, that doesn't matter. So long as it's out there, you can get feedback (because often, we don't know why we aren't happy with something - outside help is always invaluable). Being scared of criticism is half the problem, for a lot of people... but - not to sugar coat - it's necessary. And, just to note, in my 10 years of fanfic writing, I have never, ever, gotten a single malicious comment. Not. Once. It's much rarer than people think it is. And even if you do, you can always delete it. Put comments on moderation, turn them off, if it's the main issue. Gather your confidence at your own pace - but don't forget feedback is necessary for improvement. Eventually you will need to accept it's going to happen - it's not an attack on you. It's an attempt at help. We're taught in school to consume media critically, and those who internalise that will comment constructively. English class can leave an impression - the worst thing is to take any of it personally. Having a negative mindset (they hate it) versus a positive mindset (they want me to improve at this thing I enjoy doing, they're trying to help, they're being supportive) can make all the difference.

Eventually, you'll need to turn those comments back on. But you don't need to take anyone's shit, hence why moderation is a thing. There is a difference between constructive criticism and hate - but it's rare you'll get the latter. Tone is hard to convey in text form; benefit of the doubt is the best way forward.

Make sure you've got friends/mutuals you can ramble with about your fics. it's genuinely the most helpful thing. Give them snippets, do the whole cheerleader routine for each other. It's great. Brainstorm with each other. Not necessarily doing collaborative fic (though you might find that's what works best for you!) but just, geeking out with each other. It makes a huge boost for your ego, and that's useful for your confidence when it comes to posting things. But also, if you trust them, it makes taking their advice easier.

Sometimes, it might feel like two steps forward and one step back. That's great! It's still a step forward. Go at your own pace. The worst thing you can do is rush yourself and burn out. If it takes you a year to update, it takes you a year. I assure you, the readers will still be there, and they'll be happy to see the update. Nobody's going to hate you for taking your time. Prioritise your health. I promise it makes your work better if you're in a good place, and you don't have too much on your plate.

Though, having said that, if you find you work best with about twenty wips all at once updated every week, then go for it! Like I said; your own pace. If a schedule helps you, have one. If it doesn't, don't. I don't have a schedule. I have about 40 wips posted, and a few that aren't yet. It can take me a year to update, or I'll do four in a week. People are pleased either way - what matters is that you wrote something, and it exists, and other people can read it. Isn't that awesome? You've made something. You've made a mark. Someone's happy because of you, because you wrote something they like. Who cares if there's twenty typos and you use the wrong you're* (*or equivalent in your language, ofc) - you can fix that later. And it didn't stop that person's enjoyment of the first fic you ever posted, which might not be as good as your future fics, but it's still special. It's still yours.

Prioritise the thing you want to prioritise. Plot, relationships (of any nature), whatever. Prioritise that. The rest will fall into place. Personally, I prioritise characterisation. interpersonal dynamics follow, part and parcel of character exploration, then plot, as an extension. Do what suits you. And people don't tend to mind very much about any of these. If characterisation matters to you not one whit, just put OOC in the tags and be done with it. Plot doesn't matter? Perfectly fine! You don't want to write ships? Nobody's forcing you. Do what you want. It's just fanfiction. That's kind of the point. There's no need to feel pressure to write a certain thing. I'm in a lot of fandoms with a lot of very large ships. I'd get a lot more readers if I wrote st*rek, or d*stiel, or whatever, but I don't, because I wouldn't enjoy it. Write what you want to see. What you want to read. That's the best advice I can give. If you cry at your own fic, perfect. If you laugh at your own fic, brilliant. If your own fic leaves you all giddy like, grinning wide, amazing. It's gonna give someone else that reaction, too.

Hits, kudos, comments - they're not everything. Ao3, for harry potter, has 5000 pages of fic, with some of the tags I don't like excluded. It's not a case of people not liking your fic - it's a case of people not finding it. Don't worry. Recognition will come with time. Also, the ratio for fics is kind of awful, anyway. Comments and kudos vs hits is always poor; 2%, 5%, 7%. Don't worry too much about it. If people read it, it's likely they liked it. A lot of people are just lazy, and don't press the kudos button. A lot of people are incredibly nervous, or don't know what to say, so they don't comment. Another thing; some of your fics are going to be more popular than others. This is normal. Fandom size, fandom activity, content of fic, tags - prevalence of fic type, etc etc. One of my fics has around 15k notes. the rest are all below 6k. the runner up is a whole 10k below that fic. This is to be expected, and it's nothing to tear your hair out about. Write, first and foremost, for yourself. The rest, as always, comes later.

Really, tldr; you can always fix it later. the rest comes later. recognition comes later. the best thing to do - the first thing to do, the only thing to do - is just start. Post something. Anything. And go from there however you wish.

In 2016 i had zero subscribers on Ao3. I've got 72 now. These things just take time. In 2016 i'd written 30k words. I've written 1.2 million now. These things just take time. Through fandom, mostly fanfiction, I've gained people I'd consider friends. I think it's a really cool endeavour, and I think - for your confidence, peace of mind, and social sphere - it's also a really positive one.

[athyrabunlord]

About LLSHP AU (Afterword)

[Brief note about School Term] [other LLSHP AU stuff] [YohaMaRuby concept arts] [ChikaYouRiko concept arts] [KanaDiaMari concept arts] [Hogwarts Staff]

[FFN link] [Pixiv Link] [Translated to Chinese by plin2290]

I’m just so pleased and happy to have made it! I have so many existing incomplete stories that it’s astounding for me to actually complete a multi-chapter story. Once again, I’d like to say a huge THANK YOU!! to my readers for staying with me to the end, providing me feedback and expressing interest, motivating and inspiring me enough to reach this point.

The following is really just about my rambling, about my thoughts, about the planning process and my decisions, so do keep reading if you’re interested in the makings of this story. I just feel like sharing (aka: blah blah blah) since, again, I actually friggin completed a story omg (´；Д；｀)  

===================

First of all, let’s go way back to near the end of October 2016, not long after LLS Season 1 ended. Yes this is so long ago lmao. After drawing several canon-related fanarts and writing short blips to satiate my thirst, I decided to create a complete whole AU so I can fantasize more XD I ended up picking the Harry Potter verse because, come on, it’s always fun trying to Sort your favorite characters and think about their abilities and whatnot.

Ideas started to whirl and initial sketches began. There’s an old post explaining why I Sort the girls into their respective Houses. That’s also when extra details were pondered over, the why and the pros in doing so. You should know by this point that I’m a complete useless 3rd Years trash, but as I brainstorm more, I realize that their story is more suitable to be a prequel, something that supplements a main story. And so, what should the main story be about? What kind of story do I want to present? Who would be the perfect main character/narrator for this?

Yoshiko. In canon, she’s already associated with (black) magic and, as a First-Year and Muggleborn, she would be perfect for a reader to immerse into this fascinating new world of magic through her perspective. As an old post says, I fudged up the School Term and age during the initial stage and didn’t realize until everything’s all finalized, that’s why I had to keep it as it is XD;;;;

Anyway, at this point, I’ve already decided Yoshiko to be a Horcrux, with the antagonist of this story to be Yohane, and how the last few chapters are going to play out.  Everything else, even the other characters’ backgrounds are all further elaborated and refined based off of this central plot. On a side note, how sexy is Aikyan’s solo in the 3rd Live, I mean, the white and black wing I could only think about Yoshiko/Yohane DX

Ahem, I’ve always found Yoshiko’s character fascinating, that there’s a Yohane side of her even though, really, she’s Yoshiko (a good girl). The Chamber of Secrets and the Half-Blood Prince are the main source of inspiration for this particular idea, but of course HP fans might notice many elements from the original story used or modified in my story. I’m also a strong believer that the Patronus Charm can do more than just warding off Dementors or Lethifolds (and Obscurus), hence its significance in this story, especially later chapters.

Therefore, each girl’s Patronus was tentatively decided at this early stage, with 1 or 2 possibilities. After this, I then thought of what ships should this story present. As much as I did not want romance/ships be The Major Point, I have to acknowledge that ships are what people go for in a story, myself included. I understand shipping might turn people away from even trying a story, that’s why I kept it secret for the first few chapters before confirming it on tumblr (where the chapters were first uploaded). I was just testing the waters, to see if people are interested in the story enough to keep reading even if the ships aren’t their preferences.

Back to planning stage - as a multi-shipper, I did not want to set in stone right off the bat what the ships are either. And thus I continued expanding on ideas and see where things would  go, keeping most of the initial interactions and important moments intact. This is why there are times it might seem there are multiple pairings even though nothing was specified (cough wee kanadia, youriko etc (｡･ ω<)ゞてへぺろ♡). Not to mention, as the main character, Yoshiko will always have moments with each of the 8 girls. I remember joking in an old post that, if this were a gal-game, there are various routes to this story, from the default path to those you have to unlock via certain conditions XDDD

Naturally, members of the 1st-year trio and Guilty Kiss get more screen time with Yoshiko. Then, as a fellow Slytherin and part of the tsurime trio, Dia does too. Not to mention Season1’s anime ED shows You & Angel together, You gets special moments too. Chika is Aqours’ leader who first accepted Yoshiko into the group as datenshi, so I tried to show that as much as I could given the circumstances in the story. And so, this leaves poor orca on the side lol. But yeah, YoshiMaru, YoshiRiko, YoshiRuby, so many possibilities! However, as more details get finalized, such as Yoshiko’s childhood, her Shiira-KANSU! Patronus and about the Augurey, YoshiMaru just happened. Things seem to click into place with their love as the focal point and I was able to keep expanding the story. First puppy love, innocent and pure. A dream that grew to become reality. Could other ships have worked? Yes, but then that would’ve given this story a different direction and it wouldn’t have been LLSHP AU – Yoshiko Tsushima and the Fallen Angel anymore. As I developed YoshiMaru more and more, I was very satisfied with my choice.

On a side note, I confirm Yoshiko did have a crush on You at first (and Hanamaru had a crush on Kanan) xD it’s mostly just physical attraction in a “the-senpai-I-admire” kind of way, and it soon morphs to strong friendship as this story progresses. I don’t know if this was obvious at all but that’s why these two girls always have a soft spot for Gryffindor Baka#2 and Baka #3 xD!!!

On the other hand, I was not expecting DiaRiko to form. Yes, it was my guilty ship but I didn’t intend for them to be a couple in this story, just close friends/confidantes. In canon, they’re already the straight man of their respective year trios (most of the time anyway, I’m looking at you ponkotsu penguin). Yet, given their respective pasts and personalities, they became intimately close and found solace with each other, and that kind of relationship is what I tried to show to the readers, especially through the Carbonado Interlude. They’re not predestined to fall in love but they did and found happiness. Out of the four ships, I was most worried about DiaRiko since it’s a rareship unlike the other three. That’s why I keep saying how pleased I am that it ended up being well-received by fans ;;A;;

ChikaYou came to be as I finalize the 2ndYears’ background and Riko’s part, while KanaMari’s story is set aside for the prequel and thus not given much spotlight in the main story (and also due POV effect). In spite of how much I adore ChikaYou, it’s also not shown much because of what happened in the story but also because I wanted to present their dynamic as a duo and CYR bond with Ruby (since that’s how Yoshiko perceives them most of the time anyway).  

Ruby, my widdle cinnamon roll baby, is left unpaired for a reason. I want to show that platonic/friendship love is just as wonderful and powerful. There’s a saying ‘lovers come and go, but friends are for life’, and that’s exactly what Yoshiko and Hanamaru meant for Ruby, and vice versa. Now, while I’m on this, I have a confession about Ruby’s fate. After the concept arts were drawn and uploaded, I was finalizing the details of the three Arcs before I toss the first chapter onto tumblr. The end of ch19 is definitely one of the biggest climax of the story - Ruby ended up being Yohane’s target instead of Dia. Originally, uh, yeah, Ruby is supposed to die because her wounds were too much. Regular healing spells do not work on sectumsempra, only a special counter-Curse could reverse the effects. I tried very hard to find a way around it to save her. I don’t want my baby to die, any of them really, and she still have so much ahead of her. Fortunately, I was able to save her through Yoshiko/Yohane which, in turn, saved this raven-haired girl as well. I was able to continue working backwards on finalizing the Arcs and individual chapters with a peaceful state of mind.

‘Yoshiko’, as in the one who’s been narrating the story from ch1-20, still died in a way, but at least I was able to change the story from Bad End to True End (?). True End is the ch21 I uploaded. Bad End route would have Ruby dead, Yoshiko gone and ch21 would turn out completely different. A Happy End would be Yoshiko the Narrator miraculously alive and the others not having scars or still recovering, but I just find that too unrealistic. I’ve minimized the, uh, damage enough as it is, given the circumstances. J.K. Rowling did go on a killing spree in Book7 but come on, with a psychotic maniac like Voldemort and all those magical spells, you can easily kill people. You don’t need Avada Kedavra to kill someone, a sudden Diffindo or Reducto is enough. I’ve chosen my sacrifice and one is too many already. And speaking of sacrifice, let me talk a bit about Riko and why she was the ‘first victim’. Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare. Even though this story was outlined even before the First Live, this song already stands out to me from the anime, a song where the 8 of them sang in Riko’s absence but her spirit is still with them. And so, I sort of portrayed that the way it is in this story. Even though Riko didn’t get any lines from ch12 onward until ch20, her role remains significant and is the pivotal point for the remainder of Arc2 and Arc3. In terms of the plot, I’ve followed my outline quite closely. All the core points remained unchanged as I write out the chapters, though how I write a chapter (ie the wording, the extra little details, and actual professor dialogues instead of just narration) did change as I go along, influenced by more of the official content. Facts about characters that are only revealed in Season2 or other media such as SIF etc were not incorporated into this story (for example, Kanan being afraid of ghosts and height). As I mentioned in an older post about wands, I would have chosen phoenix feather for Ruby’s wand core had I known about the Duo-Trio results. The Kazuno sisters would have been incorporated into the story alas, back then, very little was known about Saint Snow in Season1 of the anime. Yes… season2 was finished and, like, a total of 15 live performances have happened between the creation and the completion of this story LOL Back to the plot. Seven is said to be a magical number in the HP verse and that’s why each Arc has 7 chapters. Arc 1 is the Intro, Arc 2 is the turning point, Arc 3 is the climax and the resolution. Sounds easy and straightforward so I thought I would’ve finished the story within a year. Well. It ended up almost taking two years lmao. Obligations IRL aside, new ideas, more AUs, more fanarts etc also make sticking to the update schedule difficult. It’s the worst when it comes to writer’s block – you have the outlines, you know what’s supposed to happen in a chapter, yet the words just aren’t flowing and you’re stuck. Thankfully, with you lovely readers giving the feedback and encouragement I need, I made it over each bump on the road to get to the finale. Hanamaru wrote most of this story, yes. Each chapter titles with exception of Ruby’s interlude and ch18-19 also showed up in ch21. The title of the ‘book’ is supposed to be revealed in the Epilogue but, since I had to upload it onto Fanfiction.Net, I can’t just call it LLSHP AU so I had to reveal “Yoshiko Tsushima and the Fallen Angel” right away. Back then I called this a temporary title because I did think about giving this story an alternate title, since she didn’t write the interludes, ch21 and the epilogue. However, at the end of the day, this still suits the story best. After all, the individual titles for ch21 and the epilogue make up the story’s title.

“Yoshiko has always known that she isn't normal like everyone else. Surely, she would master everything about magic at Hogwarts, and become the amazing fallen angel she's meant to be. Little did she know, her school year would be more than eventful as she makes great friends, uncovers secrets, and learns what it truly means to be Yohane.” - this is the summary I put on Fanfiction.Net. It speaks from both Yoshiko the Narrator’s perspective, and Yoshiko from the Epilogue’s perspective. It probably sounds confusing but I hope you understand what I mean. So, what’s next? I’ve invested a lot in this world of LLSHP AU already and there are still so many more possibilities, especially with the rather open ending both ch21 and the epilogue presents, so I’m definitely not done with this AU! Since I have the memory of a goldfish, I don’t know if I’ve already mentioned this but the prequel will be told mostly in Mari’s POV. It will have occasional Dia and Kanan POVs too (because I’m a shameless 3yrs-oshi and writer privilege); Rather than taking forever to write and cramping the scenes into a massive interlude chapters, I’ve decided to split it in shorter chapters - this will roughly be a 12-part story that took place before the main story, showcasing segments of the kanadiamari’s first 3 years at Hogwarts.

This prequel is… relatively normal and lighter compared to the main story, meaning it’s more school-oriented and more slice-of-life episodes for the most part (at least, that’s the outline), and much more Professor cameos. There will be more N-card girls to be showcased as well, such as kanadiamari’s Housemates and Quidditch teammates. Overall, it’ll be shiny °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° There will not be a full sequel to the main story. Instead, there will be blips/drabbles about events that happen after the main story, as teased in the Epilogue - the TriWizard Tournament for one XD And, unlike the main story, the ideas for blips in this sequel-timeline are more vague, so I’ll be able to incorporate new content into it (as in, from official content 2017 onward such as proper characterization of Saint Snow).

There are plans for omake/filler fun blips as well - little incidents that happened throughout the main story or, rather, ‘excerpts’ that Hanamaru wrote but didn’t make it to the final version of her book. The first Halloween, more scenes with the Professors, birthdays and so on.

There are also plans for character-exclusive blips as well, similar to an Interlude. For example, DiaRiko’s ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) cough cough.

My tentative plan is to keep going with the prequel, and maybe every few chapter or so I’d write a sequel-timeline blip. I’ll see how my muse and inspiration is in the future, I’m already extremely satisfied that I finished the main story XD And I do want to work on some of my other existing AUs (ie Animus AU and Mafia AU just because I’ve already invested time in creating the concept arts and so I don’t want them to sink into oblivion…) or who knows, there might be new AUs. I mean, pretty much every new SIF set is enough to inspire a brand new AU please allow me a moment to giggle like the trash I am over the DiaRiko UR set *pterodactyl screech*

AHEM. Another thing is illustration/artworks. Since most of my time was spent on writing, there are much fewer artworks than I would’ve liked for this story. I think I mentioned this somewhere that I’d love to have an individual cover art for each chapter alas, no time at all DX I’d like to have at least one illustration per chapter too but OTL I can only pick one and so for this AU I chose writing over drawing. Cry.

Anyway, I’ve rambled long enough and I think I’ve talked about everything I want to get off my chest. If you have any questions/feedback, go ahead and fire’em at me, since I’m now able to answer anything without fear of spoilers now XD (unless your question is about the prequel or things that happen in the sequel-timeline)

Thanks for reading the whole thing and, ofc, staying with me until the end of this story!

[swagyano]

Casually dating a werewolf

Pairing: DiaRiko

Word count: 2,764

Hello so this is based on the diariko werewolf au in which dia is dating a big woof!riko I’ve mentioned a couple of times and spoke about a lot on twitter! This kind of like an experimental oneshot, I guess? I just wanted to write something really badly and it ended up being....really fluff. Anyways I’ve been thinking about writing somewhat(?) linear short stories for it and have this like an introduction or something, so ya! The au itself is still being polished. Big thanks to Michelle and Robin for taking time of their lives to proofread and help polish it up I owe u a lot

Anyways hope u guys like dia being a furry

The evening was especially peaceful for Dia Kurosawa, seeing as it was one of few rare occasions where she got to relax. Mixing between college classes, part time job at the pet store, and social life she miraculously has is more exhausting than she ever expected, and that’s not including the studying and work around home she did in between.

It felt like she finished high school only yesterday, excited about her independence and everything that came along with being an adult. If only she could turn back the clock and have at least one day where her biggest worry was finishing homework on time. Now she’s here at 20, living alone with her younger sister. Despite it all, there was nothing she could find to complain about. As messy as it could get, her life felt fine the way it was.

She was alone on this Saturday evening, phone ignored on the side whenever she’d see Mari’s name pop up with a new text message, assuming it was yet another on of her “ wish you were here with us :( “ selfies that she keeps sending in a poor attempt to still convince her to come out of her home. Dia however, decided hours ago to spend this time in silence with calming music and a good book in her hand.

Her moment of peace was broken by ruckus outside, loud enough to catch her attention. She gazed towards the small yard, brows furrowing. Ruby returned from her date about an hour ago, and it was easy to assume by now she was asleep in her room. Maybe she’d shrug it off, if the clanking on the trash bins didn’t happen again.

Of course, this was Dia, so going out there to check wasn’t happening without caution. In a rushed moment, she decided to grab a frying pan before making her way to the glass door that lead outside. Her eyes squinted by reflex so her vision could adjust to the pitch darkness, and when she heard rustling around the bushes she spent her free time tending to, she raised her pan higher. However a few steps was all it took for her to spot the familiar tuft of dark fur…  yes, fur.

Her shoulders relaxed, and she released a relieved sigh.

“Riko-chan.”

As soon as she called out, a big wolf-like head perked up from the bush along with a pair of large round amber eyes shining with excitement. The game of hide and seek was over, and Riko pushed her way out of the bush and paced over to the one who cautiously found her.

They were now eye to eye, Riko tilting her head down in order to do so. Dia smiled warmly. It was almost like she wasn’t facing a furry, pointy-snouted, sharp toothed monster that was taller than her by almost a head; the sight of which would make any man run away in fear.  Especially in the dark.

And why would she do so, when this was none other than her adorable, sweet girlfriend?

Dia herself wasn’t sure how it happened either. It was a while ago that she learned the truth about the shy, flustered girl that became a regular at the pet store she worked at is in fact a werewolf. It wasn't easy to take it in, but it wasn't as hard to accept as she thought it would be. Like anyone she was aware of monsters’ existence due to the town’s (sometimes) friendly attitude, but had only actually known one prior to meeting Riko.

There were many things she still didn't know. She didn't understand why it was when the moon was full that the transformation was unavoidable, or how she grew taller whenever it happened (though it did explain why she wore clothes a size or two bigger). But one thing she did know; somehow she had developed feelings for Riko over the course of the time they’d known each other.

She gingerly extended her hand, and Riko immediately buried her snout into the warm touch with a nuzzle. The brunette frowned upon realization she must've been lonely, as it was Riko’s own decision to isolate herself during the full moon for reasons she never spoke about. Although Dia was willing to bet it was due to her insecurities.

Pulling closer, she rested her own forehead against Riko’s fuzzy one, and the the amber orbs blinked in content as she nudged forward affectionately. This elicited a rare chuckle out of Dia that only Riko had the honors of hearing. In the corner of her eye she spotted the smallest tail wag.

“What were you thinking?” The question was scolding, but her voice calm and loving. “Worrying me like this…”

There was an apologetic huff followed by pointy ears flattening against her head.

“It’s fine, but next time at least call me. Even Yoshiko-san didn't have an answer to provide when I asked her if she’s seen you today. Alright?”

The solemn nod should be enough of an indication that Riko truly did feel bad for worrying her and that she plans to work on her mistakes. This whole relationship stuff was still new to both of them. And even in this monstrous wolf form, Dia could recognize the softness of Riko’s genuine smile. She returned it and grabbed the gigantic paw-like hand into her own, tugging her much stronger girlfriend back inside like it was nothing.

“Come, now! In we go before we get too cold. Don’t think that all that fur of yours will stop you from sneezing tomorrow if you're not careful.”

Riko of course happily obliged and followed, embracing the warmth of Dia’s home with a sharp inhale. As soon as they entered she took a crouching position and without giving Dia a moment to process what was about to happen, she took an inhuman leap across the living room and landed on the couch. It creaked and the brunette cringed both visibly and audibly at the thought of it breaking, but hey at least the carpet was untouched. And Riko had already made herself comfortable. You should feel lucky you're so cute.

While Riko was busy burying her snout into the cozy pillow, Dia headed to the kitchen. She shortly returned with a box of dog biscuits in her hands, something no person without a dog would own. In this case, she didn't mind spending extra money on them. It still felt weird seeing Riko eat them on daily basis. Even when she was told the reason she liked them was because they were like brownies to her (a comparison Dia had trouble wrapping her mind around but it did almost tempt her to try them), she had settled on treating Riko to her favorite snack. Only after a couple of failed attempts to satisfy her cravings with something more normal, like cookies.

At the sight of the brunette Riko scooted over, allowing her to sit back into her previous spot - only to flop on top of her, earning an ‘oof’ and disapproving look from fragile looking Dia.

“I don't think you're aware of your own weight.”

But Riko showed no care about it, finding enjoyment laying on top of her girlfriend and already preoccupied with crunching on the dog biscuits that were meant for her, leaving Dia to sigh helplessly. Not that she minded completely, because Riko was warm.

Now that she thought about it, it wasn't much different from when they'd cuddle when Riko wasn't in this form. It was silent, cozy, comforting.

With a smile Dia returned to her book, every now and then moving her free hand to stroke the top of Riko’s head. It wasn't long before the werewolf in question drifted off to sleep.

“So much for the creature of night, huh..?”

When she said she wouldn't change anything about her current life, she meant it. That included her odd looking relationship she never expected, nor planned to have. If a year ago someone told her she'd fall in love with a scary looking, soft natured werewolf she'd laugh in their face. It was strange but Dia was content, and friends of both parties had been nothing but wonderful and supportive. Riko seemed more happy as of late too, which truly mattered.

A single ear twitched when Dia placed a soft kiss on her snout.

The first thing she felt upon gaining consciousness was the horrible headache that could be easily described as having her head split open. Which was something one grew used to the morning after a full moon. The next were the rays of sunlight that were bothersome even through her closed eyelids, making her shut them even tighter as soon as she felt tears forming in the corner of her eyes. After releasing a big yawn, everything else slowly started  coming to her.

Riko became aware of soft breathing beneath her, only then realizing that no, she was not laying on the soft mattress of her bed, but rather on a person. Blood rushed to her cheeks when she finally remembered that in a moment of loneliness she decided the best thing to do would be to show up at her girlfriend's place at such a late hour. Still in a haze and struggling to open her eyes, a tender feeling of fingers threading through her hair with caution prompted a whine out of her. She finally did after blinking a couple of times to adjust to the light, and she was met with emerald hues. Serene, yet in a way mischievous.

“D-Dia… good morning.”

Of course she'd be awake already. Dia had always been an early bird, at least as long as she’d known her. The older girl shifted underneath her, chuckling when Riko hid her face in the crook of her neck out of pure embarrassment. The comforting motion of fingers combing through her messy auburn hair did not stop.

“Are you always a heavy sleeper when you fall asleep like that, Riko-chan?” ‘That’ of course referring to her other form.

She pouted, glad that Dia could not catch a glimpse of her embarrassed expression right now. Being teased first thing in the morning wasn't the ideal way to wake up, but it worked.

“Sorry. I didn't mean to intrude like this. I just wanted to see you for a little, but then… ah, I kind of kept you on that couch all night, didn't I?”

“You're fine.”

So she said, but was Dia fine? Riko sometimes had weird habits of falling asleep anywhere, but even she imagined being stuck on the couch with someone a little heavier all night must be extremely uncomfortable. If she really did have any complaints, she didn't voice them. It was almost unbelievable how patient Dia was with her, and had been since day one.

The empty box of biscuits was nudged with a noise when she moved her hand that was hanging off of the couch to rub at her tired eyes. The headache was still present, and it must be obvious enough by the way Dia's brows furrowed in worry.

“I could go look for some painkillers if you’d like.”

“Mm, I’ll be fine.”

Dia still seemed skeptical, so Riko gave her a sleepy but reassuring smile. The first time Dia witnessed her like this she threw an entire fuss, and Riko found it hard to explain why exactly she ended up feeling this way every single time. The best way she could’ve really described it as being hangover. Not that she ever experienced one, but it sounded about the same when she was reading up the symptoms online once.

Moments of silence passed by as the two lay there. Dia was familiar enough with how long it took Riko to fully wake up in the mornings after such nights, and Riko was greatly appreciative of the time she’d give her. Especially knowing the brunette liked to stay on her schedule. Sometimes she couldn’t help but to worry she was a little bit of a burden because of it. Her arms wrapped around the other with a tight squeeze, earning a curious glance from Dia.

“I’m sorry for not telling you anything yesterday.” The sudden rubbing on her back caused her to shudder. Dia said nothing and allowed her to continue, “I wanted to pay you a visit at work but I wasn’t feeling too well. I didn’t want to cause any trouble for you when you already have your hands full.”

“Riko,” A little sternly, Dia tilted her head up so they could speak face to face.

“You should know by now that’s absolute nonsense, have I not told you so already?” Riko felt a pang of guilt strike as her girlfriend frowned. “I understand why you prefer to hide. But I want you to learn to trust me. I’m here for you.”

“I know.” Murmuring softly, Riko snuggled in closer. “You always have been… sorry.”

“No more of that, okay?” With that topic out of the way, Dia’s voice regained the softness that made Riko feel all fuzzy inside.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Guiltily, she pouted and cast her gaze aside. “It’s why I’m here now, after all…”

Dia chuckled and shuffled around more, now focusing on fixing up Riko’s blouse as it hung loosely, covering up her exposed shoulder while Riko let out another big yawn. She forgot to cover her mouth and left her sharp teeth out for the world to see. Luckily, only one person was here to witness it.

They were both in the sitting position now with Riko on her lap and cheeks cupped in those tender warm hands. Carefully, as if making sure she wouldn’t break something fragile, Dia placed a soft kiss on her forehead and the blood instantly came rushing to her cheeks again. For all she cared this was much better than any gross tasting medicine.

“Allow me to make you breakfast. Your stomach has been rumbling for an hour, it’s a surprise you haven’t woken up sooner.”

“No it hasn’t!” Right on cue Riko was exposed by a loud grumble coming from her own body. She ducked her head in embarrassment as soon as she caught a glance of the wry smirk. “Food sounds nice…”

“Wonderful. It’ll make up for not seeing each other yesterday, right?”

Amber eyes glowed as she nodded excitedly, shyness pushed away for the moment to lean in and steal the first morning kiss.

However, as soon as their lips connected, they got distracted by a click.

Riko’s head jerked up in a wary manner, Dia’s gaze following her’s across the room.

“Ehe... morning Sis, Riko-chan!”

Ruby, Dia’s little sister, stood at the doorstep. Phone decorated in cute keychains in her hand and a bright smile on her face. The two she addressed lacked the same enthusiasm she was showing in this moment, not finding time to even get embarrassed for getting caught.

“Hope you slept well! Ah, Riko-chan,”

The younger girl hummed with her gaze now focused on the phone. Riko broke eye contact as well, trying hard to ignore the blood boiling in her ears.

“Yoshiko-chan asked if you were here. I’m sure she will love to see for herself-”

“H-Hold on-”

“Ruby.”

It was Dia who interfered with their conversation. If there was one person Dia rarely spoke so sternly to, it was Ruby. Yet here, seeing her with that deadpan expression as Ruby did nothing but continued to smile innocently, even Riko felt a shiver run down her spine.

“Delete that.”

“I’m sorry sis, I’m afraid I can’t do that… not after all the dishes I’ve had to do last Friday. Sooo, did I overhear something about breakfast gathering?”

“Ruby!”

Like wind she was gone. Already chasing the twintailed girl out the window shouting something that quickly became inaudible when mixed with Ruby’s laughter, even to someone with great hearing like Riko.

Still feeling loopy, Riko finally got up with a groan that resembled a growl and stretching out her limbs. It was too early for a game of fetch, so she’d let Dia enjoy it on her own. She really probably should give her roommate a call and see if there was a way to blackmail her to never mention that image.

Why did it feel like days after the full moon were always the wildest ones? Humans must be affected in a way too. Riko shook her head with a pitiful smile at the thought. They still had it easier.

[lhugbereth]

King of Darkness, King of Light

ArdyNoct Week Day 2 // Kings, Marriage AU // @ardynoctweek

Ardyn proposes an alternative to the fate the Gods have dealt, and Noctis' hesitation is taken for all it's worth. (Not explicit but does imply a good deal of dubcon! You’ve been warned) 

Read on AO3

1382 words, Mature (dark theme, dubcon)

Noctis couldn’t breathe.

Above him, the figures of his loved ones hung chained, broken. Macabre marionettes on display like some kind of sick exhibition of death. Luna, his father, Nyx Ulric of the Glaives. All of them strong, all of them heros. All of them had given their lives that he might be standing here.

Behind him, Prompto, Gladio, Ignis. His best friends, his reasons to keep going. Sprawled out on the floor under the spell of some kind of dark magic. They had waited ten years, just like him, that they might be standing here at his side. And yet they had fallen, all of them, like a house of cards at the snap of fingers. As if their hard-earned strength amounted to nothing at all.

And then before him was Ardyn. The Usurper, he’d been called. The Demon. Smirking with his boot atop the throne - Noct’s throne - and his fingers tracing the rim of his hat. This was all a game to him. What concern was life and death to a man who could never die? What did he care of the suffering of others when he himself had endured two thousand years of exile, of pain?

Ardyn tutted. “Oh, dear. Your friends seem to be in distress.” There dripped such a mocking tone in that voice as it boomed around the throne room that any hope still lingering there was dashed in an instant.  

“Let them go.”

“I am sorry. Perhaps it wasn’t made clear enough to you.” Ardyn waved his hand in the air as he sank down into the seat of the King. “Anyone can see that you’re in no position to be making demands.”

“You haven’t won yet! I came here to kill you!”

“Afraid you’re a bit late for that, boy.”

“Fight me, Ardyn!”

“No.” Yellow eyes flashed deadly pale in the dim light. Another wave of his hand and shadows began to fill the room, and from everywhere at once the twisted cries, growls, snarls of demons. With a curse Noctis summoned his sword, stepped back between his friends as if to shield their fallen bodies. All around him, haunting, hollow eyes appeared one by one out of the darkness. Dozens of them, gnashing their teeth and dragging heavy claws over the marble floor, held back only by their Master’s commanding will.

“I can take them,” Noct growled under his breath. “I’m not afraid of your puppets!”

“You should be.” From the top of the dias, he could hear Ardyn’s boots tapping out a leisurely gait. Down, down, slowly descending from the throne to join Noctis in the center of the horde, effectively trapping him in on all sides. “Surely you realize by now that you and your merry men stand no chance against me.”

“We defeated a god.” Keeping his eyes locked on the monsters snarling on the edge of the shadows, Noct still managed to direct his venom at Ardyn. “We beat Ifrit and we’ll beat you, too.”

“Ifrit? Ifrit was a broken shell, little more than a fire spirit I learned to conjure at will.” Ardyn approached him. Close, too close. Noct struggled to watch the ring of demons surrounding him while edging further toward the center of the room.

“It doesn’t matter. Whatever it takes, I’m going to kill you. I have to. For Luna, for my father…. For everyone.” He would end the plague. He would restore light to the world and save the people. It was his purpose…. He wasn’t allowed to fail.

“Tell me, Dear Noct.” Strong fingers curled around his chin and for the first time Noct allowed his attention to be pulled away from the snarling demons. He looked up into the eyes of his enemy and found his doom written there above a smile. “All those years in the Crystal. All that time to think, did you never once consider joining me?”

The words rang in Noct’s ears. Pulled a horrified laugh from his throat. “You are crazy.”

“Sometimes, though not in this. I offer you a second chance, a path that doesn’t involve throwing your life away for those oversized ingrates you call gods.”

Had he been able, Noct would have shaken his head. Ardyn was wrong, of course he was. True, Noct had been told his life was the key to the world’s salvation, that he would need to die in order to restore peace to the land. But he was a king. The Last King. It was his duty. He’d never had a choice….

“I can see it in your eyes. You’re frightened, as you should be. Death, I hear, is an unpleasant affair. Painful. Final.” When Adryn shuddered, Noct felt it all the way down to his bones. “Wouldn’t you rather live?”

“No….”

“The lives of your friends, then. Surely those are more important to you?”

Noctis swallowed. Dragged his gaze over the prone forms of Ignis, of Gladio. Of Prompto, who looked so pale, so haggard. The shadows - and the demons contained within them - inched forward, and Noct felt his heart lurch. “Stop!” he cried, and Ardyn’s grip on him tightened.

“You do have a choice, Noct. Look at me!” Firm fingers tugged him back into place, held him fast. “I am the rightful King, by name and by blood. Your claim on the throne is based on lies and falsehood, and yet….” Ardyn grinned, baring his teeth as he pulled Noctis even closer. “The Ring of the Lucii accepts you, grants you its power. Your blood was chosen by the Crystal, and so you, too, are a King of Light.”

He saw where Ardyn’s words were going, and his eyes went wide. No…. He couldn’t be suggesting…?!

“Join me, Noctis. We were meant to rule - together .”

“No.”

“We can end the night.”

“I don’t believe you….”

“Defeat the false gods, restore balance to the cosmos.”

“You’re mad…!”

Ardyn’s mouth closed over his and all thoughts were silenced. All further arguments died in his throat, drowned out by the dark ichor that flowed into his mouth instead. He tried to scream, to fight, but Ardyn held him fast, kissed him harder. Forced more of his demonic curse into his body until his limbs ached with the weight of it. Darkness swallowed up his vision, and he knew nothing more.

Dawn was his favorite time of day. Watching the morning sun rise above the ruined buildings of Insomnia, seeing the shadows retreat once more that the living might crawl from their broken homes. It was peace, or the closest thing they would ever know to it. It was the Kingdom of Light. It was his kingdom.

“Good morning, darling,” came a familiar voice, deep and dark as the night that had begun its retreat. “You’re up early.”

Noct smiled as Ardyn pulled him down from the window and into his arms once more. “You know how much I love to watch the sunrise.”

“I do.” Lips curved in a smirk pressed to the underside of Noctis’ pale jaw. The young king continued speaking as if he hadn’t noticed.

“It reminds me of you. It’s your greatest gift to me.”

“Anything for you, darling.”

Noct was naked, his pale body already shivering as Ardyn’s hands, mouth, tongue began to trail their way down the length of it.

“It’s a shame my friends can’t see the sunrise anymore.”

Ardyn paused. Looked up into his husband’s dark red eyes and frowned. “Your friends?”

Something happened then, a flash of light or a flicker of shadow. The contrast of it played across Noctis’ face for a brief moment, and his smile faltered. His memory shifted, replaced the images of amber eyes, of freckles, of sharp steel behind sharper lenses with more familiar ones: yellow-gold and the twisted smile of his One True King.

Noctis blinked. “Nothing. What was I saying?”

There was a laugh hidden somewhere in Ardyn’s throat, but he held it back for the moment. Distracted his beautiful husband with fingers tapping along his inner thigh. “I believe,” he lied with a well-practiced grin. “You were telling me how much you love me.”

“Oh, of course.” Humming his pleasure, Noct sank down into the pillows and drew his King up to meet his lips. “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t.”

[insomniac-arrest]

No Kiss List

@lapidot-anniversary-week and @jenhedgehog

prompt: first kiss

words: 3k

genre: childhood friends/enemies to sweethearts, human AU

summary: Peridot is the only person in the fourth grade that is on Lapis’s ‘no kiss list’ for a kind of underground kissing booth and Peridot is not happy about it, they grow older together and things begin to shift, Ao3

Fourth Grade

Peridot Barns tapped her foot on the pavement, the edges of her mouth tugged down as the line spread out in front of her, an irritated twitch was forming in her eyebrow.

Katie McMillan guarded a little pass toward the back of the school where a small alley ran between the music and art building. Peridot tapped her foot even harder.

Patrick Kirby went into the inlet with his chipped front tooth and goofy look on his face, Peridot rolled her eyes. She heard a short transaction in front of her and she frowned at the sky until the minute passed.

Patrick came back with an even bigger goofy grin on his face. She could count the number of baby teeth he still had.

Peridot turns hotly on her heels to the front entrance, Katie McMillan rose a fine dark eyebrow at her and put an arm out in her way.

“What?” Peridot lifted her chin, “I’m not even allowed to go in now?”

Katie’s eyes dart back into the shallow inlet, Peridot tried to look over her arm and a girl around her own age was staring back. The girl nods.

“Let her in.” Katie gave a low noise, “But keep close.” Peridot wrinkled her nose and walked stiffly into what Lapis apparently called ‘her office.’ It was just the dingy alley with an old card table set up, Lapis sat on a crate and looked bored.

“I want a number of 9!” Peridot slapped a five dollar bill she borrowed from her sister on the table. “If you will.” It was almost a threat.

Lapis raised one smudgy black eyebrow and lifted her face coolly up, “So you heard.” Peridot pulled at her own hair, “What?!” Lapis shrugged, “Dia wanted to add number nine. I said sure.” Lapis grinned, “For most everyone.” Theresa Diamond was one of the set of sisters that organized everything in this school. Dia ruled the fourth grade, Lapis was apparently ‘good enough’ to help.

Peridot narrowed her eyes, “Maria said I was the only one in the school that you wouldn’t do the kissing booth with.”

Lapis beamed, “Correct!”

Peridot balled up her hands and felt the bubbling words brew up from inside her, the worst ones, “Screw you!”

Lapis laughed and tossed her hair back, messing it up slightly. “That’s what you get.” Peridot slapped her hands down on the table, “This is...unfair! Injustice!”

“You told on me.” Lapis said shrewdly with her teeth bared, “You told Mrs. Sydney I was the one that let the fish go.” “You put it in the art room sink?” Peridot felt the next argument surfacing. “It was in danger.”

Katie stepped between them curiously, “Relax, it’s just a kiss on the cheek Barns.” She says with a slight frown.

Lapis almost giggled, “Hey, I’ll do on the mouth if you have a twenty. But closed mouth!”

Peridot stuck her tongue out a turned away, “Gross! You’re gross. I wouldn’t want a kiss from you anyway.” “Good! We’re putting up signs next! Kissing booth for everyone but Peridot,” Lapis called after her.

Peridot made more faces over her shoulder at Lapis until they both parted ways.

Lapis sold other things, like juice boxes and better markers but apparently, Peridot was the only one she wouldn’t sell a kiss to.

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

Seventh Grade

Peridot had three things that day: a headache, the purse her mom gave her with a large embroidered rose, and enough potato salad to feed a small army.

She didn’t want any of these things.

More importantly, Peridot didn’t want to go to her school’s ‘Spirit’ picnic, it was the end of the year, she wanted to go to bed for three days.

Her mom wouldn’t hear it.

Peridot was forced to put on her best sundress and ‘kitten pumps’ that made her toes ache and her mom telling her they wouldn’t be outdone by the Sanchez’s this year. Peridot tried to leverage her way out with the puffy red As on her report card, but grades were a given her mom said, not a carrot or stick.

Peridot found herself lugging her weary eyes over the bright green grass, the sticky Carolina humidity was already coating her skin and the sun tasted hot in her mouth.

Her mom took her potato salad and Peridot gratefully slipped away. She found a little distant slice of lawn and makes sure everyone else is busy.

“Ugh,” She flopped down on the grass and rolled over. It tickled her neck and she briefly watches the rounded cool whip clouds graze over the sky. She sighs.

It took twenty more minutes for many other students to arrive, Peridot’s family was the type to be more than a little early.

She could hear her phone buzz, she looks back up at the piercing blue sky, she should go congratulate Pearl Shimada’s science fair project. It was on the physics of floating objects.

Peridot rolls onto her stomach and lets the grass tickle her chin languidly. She didn’t want to go congratulate Pearl.

She could also pay her respects to Theresa like some sort of mob boss or just watch that Sapphire girl flirt the world thin with Ruby.

Peridot closes her eyes and lets her phone ring.

It was the end of the semester.

She has swimming visions of fish and a silky dream about being boiled in a butter ocean, it was more stressful than it sounded. The dream faded in and out of cool whip fluffy clouds. She may or may not snore.

“Peridot!”

Peridot jerks up, her blurry eyes popping open as someone called her name.

“Peridot! There you are, aren’t you allergic to grass? What are you doing?” Peridot rubbed her eyes and looked up with a squint, “I’m allergic to,” She yawns, “Cottonwood, eggs, walnuts, bees-” “Okay, okay.” Lapis Lazuli was standing before her in a loose blue skirt and a dark shirt promoting a band apparently called ‘The Cocaine Hooligans.’ She smelled distantly of chlorine.

Peridot frowns slightly and sits all the way up, “Did they serve the cake yet?” She asks in a flat tone as she tries to swallow the gray taste in her mouth.

Lapis kneeled down and shoved a twenty in her hands, “No. But my mom will look over in like a minute, quick.” “Quick what?” Peridot looked around and then back down at their hands with the green bill in it, “What’s this for?” “Twenty if you kiss me.” Peridot wrinkled her nose and looked up, “That doesn’t make sense. You called me a nerd...yesterday.”

Lapis was glancing over her shoulder, trying to get the attention of a dark-haired women in a pencil skirt, “Kiss, kiss, it will be like the fourth grade!”

“I was the only one in the fourth grade who didn’t get to use your kissing booth!”

Lapis snickered, “You do know I kicked half those boys in the end anyway.” “You put up a ‘do not kiss list’ with only my face.” “Come ooooon,” Lapis trying to slip the twenty into Peridot’s hand like she was was a faulty vending machine, “That was four years ago.” Lapis looked over her shoulder, “I need something big.” Peridot frowned for a moment, glancing over Lapis’s long painted eyelashes and slightly parted purple-gloss lips, she sniffs, “Wasn’t the hair enough?” Lapis was the first girl their grade to dye her hair, 2 weeks before Teddy got red streaks in hers, but everyone was talking about Lapis Lazuli. Lapis was all blue.

She watches her eyelashes again.

Lapis seemed to try and yank her forward, “She told me to get my ‘act put together right now young lady,’” She does a high-pitched little voice and Peridot almost smiles, “And then made fun of Ellen Degeneres for her suits. I’m going to show her!” Lapis was scowling and Peridot used her free hand to push her bangs back, her phone buzzed again. She glanced down, 3 missed calls from mom.

Peridot takes a deep breath, “Pass.” She straightens her least favorite yellow skirt out and shakes the grass out of her front, “I have my own mom to worry about,” She lifted her chin, “And I’m not taking money to kiss you! Weird.”

She goes to get up, Lapis flaps the twenty back and forth, “It’s easy money, I know you want to buy some geeky game right now or something... And my mom will be so mad!”

Peridot rolls away and shuffles to her feet, “I can’t even handle old Mr. Sheldon looking at me wrong. Getting adults mad is your thing.” “She has it coming! She went through my emails yesterday.” Peridot searched Lapis’s eyes for a moment, “I guess that’s just how it is when you’re on the ‘no kiss list.’” “Barns! Take my twenty.” Peridot turned around. “You’ll have to make me!”

“Ugh,” Peridot started running, trying to get back to the picnic as Lapis trailed her, “Just kiss me!”

“No!” Maybe she was laughing now, huffing as her lungs filled up with liquid air, Lapis made faces at her from behind.

“Uncool!”

Peridot winked as she got in line for the last of the cake, “Revenge.” Lapis tried to get two other people to kiss her for ‘shock value’ and Peridot complemented Pearl through gritted teeth. Lapis didn’t trail her again that night but Peridot studied her back with the eyes of a painter. She was impossible.

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

Eleventh Grade

Peridot glanced up at the muggy night clouds, almost purple in the November night sheen. It was just cold enough for a jacket and just warm enough to feel the thick air clammy across her cheeks.

Peridot set her jaw and picked her way across trimmed green lawn, the houses here were all wide apart and surrounded by bushy green trees.

The noise of a thumping house faced her to her left and she kicked a red solo cup across the grass and into the brown fence.

“Hey Peridot!” Some girl, Kathy Lane maybe, called to her from inside, “Woah, now they’ve really invited everyone haha, you look good!” “Thanks,” Peridot says airily and moves quickly.

She cleared the window where Kathy was waving at her from inside, the girl was red in the face and Peridot felt a little tense. She darts past a couple making out in the shadow of the house and rounds the porch into a chattering backyard.

She skims the throngs of teenagers congressing outside and spies mostly seniors, this was a party above her pay grade.

She’s being offered some dripping pink boxed wine when she sees a figure in a blue letterman jacket and a mop of electric blue hair.

The girl was facing away from them and slumped against a railing as some junior bothered her. Peridot sidestepped the last of the seniors, an honors student wearing a chest champion metal and starts waving.

“Yo,” She floats her way to the edge of the yard and makes her way in front of Lapis Lazuli, “Hey Lazuli, I’m here.” Lapis’s dark eyes flick over to Peridot and something in her brow softens, “Hey.” She said softly. Lazuli was hunched over, holding her stomach and looking a little pale in the light.

“Hey, it’s Barns, that’s one way to choose a plus one Lap.” The junior, Mark something, was trying to laugh with his popping freckles and earnest knocking knees.

“Buzz off Mark.” Peridot waved her hand in the air, “Lapis doesn’t feel well.” Mark turned, “You aren’t? Did you drink too much?”

Lapis scowls slowly at the other boy and then turns back to Peridot, “No.” She looks at Peridot, “Did you bring your scooter?” Peridot blinks, “It’s on the next street,” Peridot looks around, “parking is a mess right now.” Lapis grins and then holds her jacket a little closer to her frame, she was still wearing her blue swimmers one piece and a pair of jean shorts over them. Peridot saw a trophy being passed around inside but she doubted Lapis cared that much.

Peridot reached out, “Come on.” Lapis nods they start to head toward the front of the house again, picking her up was the least thing Peridot could do after the other girl spent that night at her house doing breathing exercises before Peridot’s first AP test.

Lapis was still holding her stomach and not looking particularly like a swimming state champion, Peridot doesn’t say anything.

They make it to the front of the yard, people were setting up a beer pong table out front.

Thomas Casper looks up, a senior who had also almost qualified for nationals. Almost.

“Lapis!” He calls, “Woah, you brought your gremlin.” Peridot could have kicked him, “You okay? Smile! We haven’t had anyone go to nationals since ‘00.”

Lapis did not smile. Henry elbowed his friend, “Leave her alone, the queen swimmer doesn’t have to smile.” “She doesn’t smile.” One of the girls said with a laugh.

“She’s still moping about getting drunk at state and sulking over not having gotten a first kiss or something.” Someone whispers, they laugh, Lapis holds up both her hands and flips them off.

“Hey, it’s all in good fun. I can help-”

Peridot takes Lapis’s elbow and they navigate back out into the wide paved streets. Lapis was still huffing moodily.

“Do you need an advil?” Peridot finally asks quietly.

Lapis was looking down at her feet, “it’sfine.” She mumbles, “I’m not even sick.” Peridot looks her up and down as she held her stomach, “Ya’ sure?” Lapis rolls her eyes, “I didn’t even want that damn trophy.” She grimaces, “And now they have ‘expectations,’ and ‘our champion’ bs, I would eat school spirit alive if I could.” Peridot blinks, “Hey, look at it this way. Mrs. Shaw said you’d be dropped out by now, so that’s coming a long way!”

Lapis chuckles, “If only, dropping out was honestly goals.” They turn the corner of the enormous elm tree, Lapis stops in place. “Now I have to go to nationals.” She wrinkles her nose, “After I said all those embarrassing things in front of my teammates.” She sniffs, “Not that I care.” Peridot sighs and puts out her hand out, they paused in the breath of the low branch overhang, “It couldn’t be that bad. You’re still cool Lazuli.” Lapis snickers, and then covers her mouth, “Obviously.” She seemed to be  smiling in the dimness.

Peridot looks around, spotting her green scooter off in the distance, she approaches where Lapis had stopped, “And what about fourth grade? You got paid to kiss people! That’s still a first kiss.”

“On the cheek,” Lapis protests, “They may have said it was on the mouth, but they are liars and I ended up kicking people in the shin mostly anyway.” Peridot raises her eyebrows, “You excluded me from being kicked in the shin all that time ago? Honestly.” Lapis frowned slightly, “Oh come on, that whole thing was so transparent.” Peridot wrinkled her brow and put her hands on her hips, “transparent?”

Lapis folded her arms across her stomach and looked to the left, “I wasn’t terribly subtle.”

She blinks, “Wait, what?” Lapis leaned forward, a stubbornness on her lip, “If you don’t know...then I won’t tell you.” Peridot threw her hands in the air, “All these years and it turns out there was some secret to it?! I can’t believe...I’m suing.”

“It was kind of obvious.” Lapis looks up at the tree branches as if studying them. “Not that it matters now.”

“What?” She insists.

Lapis sighs and scratches her neck, “I had a crush on you. Duh.”

Peridot stands up straight and blinks a couple times, and then blinks some more, “Oh.” Lapis shrugs and shifts from side to side, “granted, I was pretty much a little shit about it, but,” She twists her mouth to the side, “It was pretty definitely a thing.” Peridot gives a hesitant smile, “You had a crush on me?” Lapis blinks, “Yeah. I guess.” Peridot snorts, “A ‘no kiss list’ seems pretty counter-productive.” Lapis chuckles lowly, “You’re telling me!”

Peridot starts to laugh too, “Well, alright.” She searches her pockets and fumbled for her wallet, “But I’ll have you know I was pretty hung up about the whole thing.” She takes out a twenty, “but I’m sure you didn’t want to destroy me.” She bites her lip.

“Oh, I wanted to destroy you,” Lapis says with a grin.

Peridot shakes her head, “You know, I could help, with the whole state incident...and dilemma.”

Her face felt very hot, Lapis reaches for her pocket and takes out a little medal, the one from her free swim that wasn’t the trophy.

She slips the thick teal string overhead, “I know it’s not money…” Peridot quickly reaches out and gives her a five, “Well, I know it’s not a twenty…” Lapis closes her hand, pushing the money back toward her. Peridot lifts her chin curiously, eyes going as wide as saucers.

Lapis puts a hand under her chin and gently lifts her up farther, farther, Peridot finds herself pushing up on her tippy toes.

She gently closes the gap and Peridot feels her lips pressed into something soft and smelling of chlorine and nail polish. She closes her eyes and breathes deeply.

She feels her entire spine tingle and a dizziness filling her senses. It was slow and a little off center, but taking her apart like a deep exhale.

Lapis tilts her head and she deepens the kiss, everything is a little tunnel that funnels down down down to her.

Nothing is quite as sharp or surreal as the moment her first first kiss was with her fourth grade mean girl. Lapis is as soft as she is guarded and Peridot pulls her closer.

They kiss until it’s breathless and desperate and Peridot only has to pull away to start breathing again. Lapis looks down at her with hooded eyes.

“Not bad.” “Uh-huh.”

“Maybe worth my money’s worth.” Peridot looks down, “This is a medal.” Lapis leans down and kisses her cheek this time, “It’s gold.” Peridot puts out her hand, “Not bad then,” She grins, “Though you taste like an entire olympic swimming pool.” Lapis chuckles and takes her hand, “You better get used to it.” Peridot starts to guide her the rest of the way down the block, “I’ll be broke!”

“Maybe I’ll give you a discount.” “Yeah?” Peridot turns around to face her, reaching her lime green scooter. “What kind of discount?” Lapis shrugs a little shyly, “Well, for the right wooing, I hear girlfriends get a 100% off.” “100% off,” She says lowly, a little cheekily. “Sounds like my kind of deal.”

Lapis cheeks go a little rosier and she rolls her eyes before leaning down and kissing her on the lips again. A deep sparkling kiss and Peridot’s heart soars again.

“I didn’t say it would be easy,” Lapis says as they part, “I require the equivalent of forty dollars of wooing per hour.”

Peridot helps her on the scooter and they straddle the bike as she gets her helmet on.

“I’m up for a challenge.” Lapis almost sounds like she giggles. Giggles. She wraps her arms around her waist, “If I knew you could flirt I would have told you that elementary thing earlier.”

Peridot turns her head slightly, “If I knew you wanted a first kiss…” Lapis flicks Peridot’s visor down roughly, “I was pretty bad at getting it.” Peridot revs her engine, “Better late than never!”

Lapis holds on and they speed off with their elm tree and party to their back, the medal swings around her neck and something light bursts in her chest.

She hung up the ‘no kiss list’ sign on her locker for the rest of the year, their kind of joke before they snogged in the hall like idiots who sort of kind of liked each other since the fourth grade, and a long time after.

[syndianites]

The Consequences of Your Actions Chapter 3

Ship: Syndianite (Tom x S1 Dianite)

Summary: Vampire AU! Dianite has had many lovers over the years. Some were mere playthings, meant to pass the time. Others were passionate loves, a fire raging until their inevitable demise. Very few were of the immortal variety, most searching for a power grab, others enthralled by his image. One was different, one was special. And he’d be damned if he was going to let him slip away.

Chapter: 3/?

AN: Today we get to see Tom figure out how to be a vampire, partially on his own, partially with Dia or others of the following. Also, plot. And we get a cameo from one salt shaker and one sparkley pants

Chapter 3

Tom felt like a new person. He could move like wind, strangely swift and fluid. Every time he would rise from sitting, or laying down, or just go up stairs, he would feel like he was floating. Of course, he would push harder than necessary, making his movements awkward and ungraceful, arms flailing as he tried to keep his balance. Dianite had caught him many times before convincing him to go a little slower. (And by a little, he literally took the smallest amount of effort off, getting himself up without careening all the way over.

Once Tom learned how to move, somewhat, he was intent on checking out what his new senses picked up on. His first problem, however, was that he hated being away from Dianite. Even a few feet unnerved him. As much as he loved the man, he was just so curious about his new abilities. Much to Dia’s amusement, he would steel himself before leaving the Lord to his work in the living room, getting through as much as he could before he had to go back. Once he finally returned to the bedroom, a vague stir settling in his gut as he remembered all their good time there, he found himself… content. He wandered the room, before plopping face first on the bed. For some reason, this worked for him. The longing for Dia didn’t hurt as much here.

For a moment, he pondered this, trying to figure out why. Then he realized it was the smell. Turning to his side, he snuggled into Dianite’s pillow. Laying there, he slowly came upon an idea. He sat up, pillow tucked under his chin, a sent a glance to the closet. Without falling over this time, he made his way over to it, throwing the doors open with care. Immediately making his way towards the back, he skipped all of his clothes, looking for one thing. He let out a noise of triumph when he found it.

Tossing the pillow carelessly on the bed, he slipped on the oversized sweatshirt. He had bought it way back for his lover, appalled when he had seen mostly formal jackets in the man’s wardrobe. Though he didn’t wear it outside often, it was greatly pleasing to see him wear it around the house. (According to Dia, it didn’t suit his image to wear it near the following, and they would think they could slack with their attire as well. Of course, he hardly bats an eye when he sees his children wearing PJs, let alone sweatshirts).

Rolling up the sleeves, as he was dwarfed in the large amount of fabric, he strut from the room. Though he couldn’t resist curling back up with Dia for a moment, he already felt a tremendous difference when walking without him. As he pulled himself away once more, he was ready to go downstairs.

Instead of taking the elevator, as the noise would alert his lover, he quietly opened the stair doors. They were tucked away into the side of the building, the main transportation being a number of elevators scattered among the floors. He crept down the steps until he reached the next floor, taking less care opening this one. They were used to the odd person using them. (To this day, one Tae Smith refused to use the elevator. Every day, he climbed 49 sets of stairs to go to work. At some point, they gave him his own little room to sleep whenever he was too tired to go back down). The sight that greeted him almost made him laugh.

It was only a few hours after sunset, and so many of them looked like zombies. The office itself was still a mess, (he could vaguely remember it being trashed last time he was there), and a handful of people halfheartedly tried to fix it. (“We should get rid of these wretched dividers and set up a new office plan. It’ll be cooler, and there can be mini fridges!” “Maria, I swear, that won’t fly with management.” “Not unless we get Furia on board!” Cue eye roll). When a hand settled on his shoulder Tom had to fight a girly shriek.

“Even now, you are so easy to sneak up on,” came a teasing voice of none other than Nadeshot (who preferred Nade over his actual name, Matt). With a playful shove, Tom stuck his tongue out. “Fucking hell, you know you are stupidly quiet. Fucking vampires.” Nade wrapped an arm across the younger’s shoulders, frowning. “I heard you’re a fucking vampire too. It’s a shame it happened the way it did,” he muttered, solemn for a moment. He perked up a little as an idea came to mind, “Oh man, we have to see if you can walk in the daytime without dying! It’d be a shame to lose my daytime buddy.”

Tom and Nade had met in a very set up fashion, though the newer fledgling had not known at the time. Both were online gamers, who shared an interest in many games. They first met each other at a tournament, though they didn’t end up facing off. (Tom came in around 4th ~5th , Nade got 2nd). After meeting there, they had exchanged numbers and done a couple videos together. They made fast friends, and Nade never questioned Tom’s weird hours, as his were just as strange.

Tom later found out he was a vampire by accident, after they pulled an all nighter and he had groggily rummaged through his fridge for an energy drink, only to discover bottles of blood. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, and just grabbed the damn Monster that he couldn’t open for ten minutes. Later, Nade admitted to being tasked by Dianite to keep Tom out of trouble during the day. (He had complained later that he didn’t need a babysitter, to which Dia’s response was, “Like you’d stop hanging out with him. Besides, you love it when I pamper you,” He wasn’t wrong). According to the vampire, instead of the typical pyrokinesis, he had it reverse almost: He could basically reject all forms of fire and heat. Someone tries to set him on fire? He could put it out with a thought. This made it possible for him to walk in the daylight with little consequence.

But now Tom was a vampire, and depending on how strong he was, he would likely burn in the sun’s rays. (He wasn’t sure how he’d explain to his followers why he doesn’t go out during the day anymore). “I could always slather up in sunscreen and walk around with a parasol like those old ladies with delicate skin.” Tom snickered at the thought, just at how ridiculous he’s look.

Sliding his arm off of Tom, Nade gestured to the bustling group of vampires, “As you can see, most of us are hunting down McBitchface who tried to kill you. The rest are trying to clean up where Dia kind of… destroyed the office. But don’t worry, lots of them are pissed that Mr. Let Me Fuck You Over tried to kill you. They’re more than happy to hunt down his bitchass.” Raising an eyebrow, Tom turned to Nade. “And the rest?” With a shrug he replied, “Those are the ones who didn’t like you in the first place.”

“Eh,” he added, “Fuck them.” The two wandered farther into the room, Tom ducking his nose back into the sweatshirt he wore. Nade noticed with a smirk, lightly teasing, “The two of you are such love birds. When I was turned, it took me barely an hour to be alright on my own. You’d been in there for almost an entire 24 hours.” The shorter of the two glared up at his friend, defiantly snuggling further into the shirt.

From the mostly intact corner, Furia sent a quick glance at them. Doing a double take, he prattled off some instructions to his crew before making his way over. “Look who crawled back from the grave. And got away from Dianite.” The Advisor checked Tom out for a second. “Though I see you would rather be up there with him still. Just as you should be.” Rolling his eyes, the fledgling petulantly mumbled, “I was super fucking bored. He’s busy working, and I already got him off of it for a…... rather long time last night.” By the snort Furia gave, he had a feeling the man knew well before he mentioned it.

“Though our Lord is very capable of cutting off his emotions during his leisure time, there are other ways to figure out what he’s up to,” he injected, “Especially when a certain someone is quite vocal.” The other two laughed at his embarrassed shout and blush. “You know what. Fuck both of you. You’re the worst.” Unable to hold back a snicker, Nade added, “Well, it would seem Dianite already did a good job of that. Wouldn’t want to get in the way of your fun.” Tom marched away with a disgruntled noise, deciding to go find Enrique and convince him to make him some food. The man could make a mean omelet.

~

Tucker Boner was not at all scared. Not only had his Lord practically cut off their Sire bond months ago, leaving the somewhat new fledgling panicky, he couldn’t find the rest of the following. He had briefly spoken to Sonja over the phone, but she was clearly on the move and rushed. She had ended the call minutes after he made it. So no, he was not feeling left in the dark, scrambling for his balance among the other newer fledglings. They were all fine, and he would do his best to take care of him.

Now if only Marco and Hannah would stop calling him out on it. He wasn’t scared, they were fine, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to them dammit. Only John was content to believe him. The other three were starting to catch on. Of their makeshift group, and he and Hannah were even remotely old. 94 and 115 respectively, they were left pulling at straws. And now the fucking Eastern vampires were looking for them.

He was told by a Northern friend that Mianite had done something terrible. He didn’t know what, or why, or even fucking when. But it was enough for the Eastern Lord Dianite to start a full-on manhunt for anyone in the Mianite following, intent on taking revenge on his brother. And guess who fell in that fucking category.

They had the small advantage of being rather young vampires, the youngest being a measly 35, who looks like 22. But that by no means meant that they were unknown. He could list many Easterns that knew he was of the Mianite following. They were closer to his age, but they existed nonetheless. And if they knew, any of the ones actively hunting for Mianite knew.

And now he was on the phone once more, calling the one person he was certain could help him: Jordan. Where his other friends were part of the following or human, Jordan was a Northerner. He had told him what happened, he had consoled him and told him to find a safe place. And now, he was hoping he could help him not flip his shit. “Tucker? What’s wrong?” He was a little surprised he knew Tucker was on edge, but then remembered their last call ended with “you’re in danger, hide”. “Oh, well,” Tucker trailed off, not sure what so say. Of course, the older vampire did, “You’re freaking out, aren’t you?” He let out a high-pitched laugh, the strain of barely keeping it together evident in his voice, “Oh, just a little…. Just a little fucking bit, cause holy shit there is entire group of Dianitees hunted down our asses!”

“Tucker,” the other man soothed, maintaining a calm tone, “We’ll work it out. Your group doesn’t have the information they want. If I have to, I will do my best to make sure they don’t take their anger out on you. You guys are just kids, still trying to figure out the best way to live. If you would like, I could see about getting you set up in the North? I doubt Ianite would let any man hunts trapeze through her territory.”

Taking a few steadying breathes, the man mumbled, “That’d…. that would be great. I’ll just have to convince them to try moving during the day. Sunrise would be best. If you don’t mind me asking, what, exactly, happened?” Jordan was silent for a moment, and he wondered if he overstepped a line. “Remember your old roommate, from when you couldn’t pay rent on your own,” the older man asked hesitantly, a strange note in his voice. “Tom? Yeah, I still have his number. We talk sometimes still. He loved hanging out with us, even though he didn’t know we were vampires.” Tucker wasn’t sure he liked where this was going, not sure where it was going in the first place. “Well, he’s Dianite’s lover. And,” Jordan said in a rush, not giving the shocked man time to respond, “Mianite tried to kill him.”

“What the Fuck?”

~

Dianite felt like something was… off. After hours of searching the streets of the West, temporarily rendering himself omnipotent, he was starting to tire from it. Scouring the other side yielded few results, only catching a few groups of scared, abandoned fledglings. They likely would not know where their Sire was, and he made a mental note to tell his followers to ignore them.

But back to the present, the area around him was strangely different. The night had progressed seemingly fast, and the sky was beginning to brighten. The air held a stale edge, as though it had been sitting for a while. Which was weird, as last he had noticed, Tom was antsy and wandering around at a whim.

So where was his beloved? A quick listen in to the apartment showed no telltale signs of another being present. And with how clingy Tom was being, he doubted he would be able to leave his side terribly soon, and that was if the Lord even let him. So where the fuck was Tom?

The faint scent he left behind was mostly mixed about the room, though it sort of trailed out towards the exit. He wandered over, following it as it made its way to the stairs. That sneaky little child. With a huff, he chose to descend the stairs, stepping out at the next floor. The room looked considerably better from when he had last been there. An actual work station had been set up, the most intact computers decorating divider less tables, and a handful of people sat there doing their work. The rest of the floor held both neatly sorted piles and a basic set up for the unscathed items.

Furia caught his eye from where he himself was scouring over something on his monitor. Rolling his eyes at the Lord’s mildly panicked expression (he looked like he was about to start another war), he mouthed ‘kitchen’.  Leaving after a quick thankful nod at Furia, Dianite made his way to the elevator. Due to the nature of the building, both an office space and a living space, they had set up two communal kitchens, with full-time chefs. In all likelihood, Tom had made for the first one.

When he made his way into the partially full room, he spotted his lover rather fast. It wasn’t hard, seeing as he was sitting next to Nade (so very surprising), but also as he was surrounded by many other vampires. It was a sort of tradition to make the newest fledgling(s) feel as welcome as possible, and getting to know them and making them comfortable was at the top of that list. (Though many of the following already knew Tom, from when he helped new fledglings adjust when they were attached to Dia, or from simply being around so much, even when Dianite wasn’t there).

He sat back for a minute, and watched. “Oh my god Tom! Now we can go late night hunting like you said you would when you lost that bet!” A older girl ruffled his hair, receiving a complaint about potato hair. “Man, you always look like a potato. I would know. I lived in Ireland during the Potato famine,” one of the other vampires stated. Another injected, “Isn’t that when, I don’t know, there weren’t really potatoes around? You know, the general lack of them causing the famine? How would you being there make you know better what a potato looks like?” Affronted, the first retorted, “We dreamed of them. Our fantasies included potato men and women, calling to us, beckoning closer to our deaths.” “…. What the actual fuck.” Tom leveled a glare at the two, “I don’t look like a fucking potato! My hair is just potato-y.” A younger male lightly teased, “A cute pouty potato perhaps. Dia is lucky, he has the best potato of the bunch.” Tom spouted more objections to being a potato, and the Lord felt like this was a good spot to intervene.

Softly teleporting behind him, he snuck his arms around his shoulders. “You’re definitely the best potato I could ask for.” His beloved sent a mock look of betrayal to the Lord, as the group around his laughed. The youngest looking one, a thousands of years old vampire, said in a straight laced voice, “Maybe you should seed him so you can have potato children.” There was a beat of silence as everyone just looked at them. Then, as Tom’s face reddened and he dropped his head in his hands, they all started cackling, a sly smirk settling on the vampire’s face.

Leaning down to nibble at Tom’s ear, he not so quietly whispered to him, “Sounds like we have some plans for later.” All he received in return was a dying groan, the normally outgoing man reduced to silent embarrassment. Nade slid out of his seat as Dianite moved to pick Tom up bridal style, ready to carry the poor princess to safety. With a merry wave, he left the room, catching a few telling snickers on the way out.

(AN: I wrote most of this before work, so the last part may seem to hold a different tone. But I wanted fluff, so I wrote fluff. It’ll hurt more next chapter ;D)

[athyrabunlord]

Pride & Envy

A/N: This came out of nowhere ╮(￣ω￣;)╭  I had so many other things to write/draw too... Before i knew it, I wrote two bliplets. Stopped myself and upload it before my brain continued lmao Rated for violence and NSFW scene I suppose. Writing exercise, Yakuza AU. POV effect is important. Words: 2,159 Ships: DiaRiko & YouMari, but with DiaMari content

Lone amber eye peered from underneath the shades of the umber fedora, gleaming hawkishly at the squirming prey. The underling’s breathing came out in shuddering pants, but terror kept him in the seiza position before his superior.

The commanding tap of the cane jolted the sweating youth into action, as he scrambled onto his feet.

Silence then persisted in the room, renewing another bout of tremors from the poor boy. Still, he did not dare to move a single inch or raise his head as the burgundy-haired woman continued to judge him.

A sharp clang rang loudly at last, as the boy’s verdict was delivered in the form of a small tantou delivered across the table. Eyes widening, he tried to keep down his hitched gasp as his unsteady hand reached out to grasp the silver blade. Gulping, he slowly placed his other hand onto the mahogany table and trained his dilated pupils on his pinkie. His breathing became heavy again, the flighty nature of his mind inevitably kicking in at his grisly predicament.

There was neither fight nor flight in his options, he knew it well, and his spectators knew it well too.

Sakurauchi Riko stared coldly at the wild-haired youth, and tapped her rosewood cane on the ground once more. The jittery boy cringed and almost dropped the tantou, but gritted his teeth in both defiance and to minimize the whimpers that sneaked out of his bloodless lips. Narrowing his eyes, the lackey stabbed downwards in one last burst of courage.

Even then, his screams of agony could not be dampened, not by the slick crimson that poured out of his severed digit.

As he cradled his bleeding hand against his chest, the one-eyed woman spoke flatly. “Take him.”

The only other occupant in the room, an older man who was responsible for the youth, hurriedly pulled the latter out of her sight. He, too, was held accountable for the boy’s blunder earlier the day, but the bandage swathed around his hand did not excuse his presence from this affair.

Riko’s expression remained placid even as the young underling’s muffled whimpers were out of range. The boy was only a few years younger than herself, yet that did not grant him any special treatment. Such was life after all, where one lived by the rules that was imposed by the environment. This was the Kurosawagumi; either you were part of the yakuza or you were not.

Either you belonged to something, or you were alone in this unfair world.

Almost mechanically, she used the tip of her cane to swipe the severed digit off the table, for there was no place for such litter anymore. The deed was done, the crime was pardoned, and the world moved on.

“How terribly unsightly,” a purring voice coiled around her neck and reeled her blank amber eye towards a pair of glacial chartreuse.

“Not as deplorable as you.”

Ohara Mari buffed her manicured nails against the murky hue of her dress. “Oh please, you praise me too much.”

Riko did not hide the disgust in her stare as she walked brusquely towards the exit. That woman was poison, and she refused to be in the presence of such filth any longer. The world was defiled enough already.

“Wait, you have something on your face.” Mari side-stepped ever so slightly before she could walk past the other. Riko remained rigid as the taller blonde lightly brushed away her long bangs with a finger. Instinct would have her take a comfortable distance away, but pride prevented her from backing down from this woman.

Her head tilted, Mari then raised her fingertip to Riko’s line of vision, revealing a dark stain on the alabaster white skin. “Splattered onto your blind spot… hard to avoid, no?”

The underlying threat had the one-eyed woman’s blood boil. The audacity of this bitch. Yet the anger was quick as it came, and her deathly grip loosened around the cane. The hidden blade slid soundlessly back into its sheath, its fang never bared.

Riko smiled coolly. “Thank you for your help, Mari-san. It’s rather chilly today, so I would suggest that you wear a coat or scarf to cover your neck, ne?”

The wavy-haired American-Italian let out a quiet, breathy laughter. “Dia prefers it when I don’t, but grazie for your kind advice.”

The jab did not reach the proud amber of her lone iris. “The pleasure is mine.”

====================================================

“You may do whatever you wish, mi avete capito?”

A twittering laughter blended in with the soft cries of the violin that reverberated in the grand office. The blonde’s rich and crooning voice interlaced through the melody, dipping its enchantment into every corner and crevice of this enclosed space.

However, the inexorable heat in those emerald eyes continued to blaze, untamed by the music’s spell as they trailed over the woman’s creamy white skin.

Branded by such scorching gaze, Ohara Mari giggled quietly and stepped away from the stereo. The dreamy pace of the violin propelled her towards the unmoving figure leaning against the window, her pace unhurried yet purposeful. The loud clicks of her heels seemed to muffle the innocent violin, each and every single one of her deliberate step.

“You are the boss.”

Kurosawa Dia only tilted her head, which allowed sparse moonlight to filter through the blinds and light up a faint circle in front of her. Emerald eyes were predatory now as they locked gazes with the blonde, demanding her submission. The black-haired woman’s long ponytail was draped over her exposed shoulder, its dark curtain barely concealing the myriad of tattoos that stretched over her skin. Her right arm rested in the yukata’s open seam, seemingly casual in manner, yet this soft fabric did nothing to lessen the severe aura she exuded.

It was as if a deadly beast was barely caged by such flimsy clothes.

Mari licked her lips in appreciation, for she had always preferred the yakuza boss in her traditional outfit, rather than the pristine western suit she tended to wear in public. This was their headquarters after all, and this was the leader’s room.

The beast’s lair.

The blonde obediently walked into the small circle of light, but her steps remained bold as her heels continued to clack cacophonously against the violin’s trembling cry. Now a pace away from the master of the room, Mari languidly reached up for the grisly scar underneath Dia’s left eye. Her advance was stopped by a firm grip on her wrist, the force not strong enough to cause pain but unyielding enough to snare her attention.

Dia’s voice was flat. “Why are you here?”

Why she was here in the boss’s office, why she formed alliance with the Kurosawagumi, why she even come to Japan at all.

“Why do you let me?” Mari’s lips curved in amusement, but her voice was just as monotonous and her chartreuse eyes hardened in pride.

Dia’s perpetual placid expression softened so fleetingly that the American-Italian woman thought she had imagined it. A sharp tug had her leaning against the black-haired oyabun as the latter wrapped her arm around Mari’s waist.

“Kirei na kimidori…”

Though fluent in Japanese, the blonde felt goosebumps as each syllable of the foreign language brushed hotly against her neck like an alluring spell.

“You think my eyes are pretty?” Mari grasped the ponytailed woman’s hairtie, tugging it loose the same time Dia pulled the white coat off her shoulders.

There was no reply in words. The blonde was slammed against the wall as calloused hands hiked up her dress, hot skin against cold rings. The two intertwined silhouettes melted away from the small circle of light and conversed heatedly through feverish movements.

Speaking was no longer a necessity, not in such tryst.

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

Panting quietly, Mari gazed at Dia through half-lidded eyes as the latter hovered above her. Loose ebony strands trickled onto the blonde’s reddened skin, tickling the bite marks that covered her shoulders. The black-haired woman was still expressionless, yet her whisper was lukewarm against her cheek.

“You are here now.”

Their lips had not met, not even once, when their bodies joined in fervent madness. However, Mari recoiled at the unfamiliar sensation of tenderness rushing through her chest at such a simple line. A part of her understood exactly what those ambiguous words meant, and had sought after them almost desperately. Disgusted and terrified, she hid the tremor in her tone as she sat up elegantly and pulled on the straps of her dress.

“Yes I’m here… aren’t I?”

Dia watched her silently, contemplatively as she shrugged on her yukata as well. She did not re-tie her hair, allowing it to cascade down her back. She gingerly brushed a few sweaty strands of the blonde’s eyes before turning away and left the office in distinct strides.

Mari’s tense body eased a little after the door clicked shut. She remained seated on the desk and glanced coolly at the stationary and paperworks littered all over the floor, feeling disconnected from reality. Her thoughts were everywhere and nowhere, and she couldn’t help but laugh quietly at her pitiful state.

She initiated this game but she had lost miserably. She idly touched the hickies marking her skin, shivering in delight upon recalling the slick pleasure the kumichou had given her, yet she felt emptier than ever. It was an unexpected turn of events and Mari despised nothing more than relinquishing control, no matter how briefly.

A respectful knock on the door broke her out of her reverie, making her realize that the stereo was playing the same track as earlier. It seemed that she was so lost inside that the CD had looped itself, entrapping its sole audience within.

She almost found herself appreciating the beautiful music. Almost.

Shaking her head, she ensured that her appearance was presentable before opening the door. There was no need to check, for only one person would ever be so patient and polite.

“M-Mari-chan,” Watanabe You blinked in surprise and took a step back nervously.

“Dia is not here, cucciola,” the blonde said liltingly, grinning when the short-haired woman scratched her head agitatedly at the nickname. They were inside their headquarters after all, so it was her right to enjoy her assigned assistant’s flustering. It wasn’t her fault that You really was like a puppy dog. A really tough puppy, nevertheless still a puppy.

Nodding stiffly, You shoved her hands in her pockets and started to walk away, only to tense again when Mari followed after her. The blonde tried not to smile when she deliberately slowed down so their paces matched. The small yet kind gesture caused the blonde to wonder for the umpteenth time, what a pure soul like You was doing here, wading through blood and clawing through filth like the rest of them.

“I was just passing a message,” You mumbled, “Riko-chan… I mean, wakagashira is looking for oyabun.”

She trailed off and stopped in the middle of the hallway, her expression scrunched in mixed emotion. Mari followed her uncomfortable gaze and saw two silhouettes up ahead, just at the corner, sharing a chaste kiss.

A soft smile adorned Dia’s austere visage, which appeared to have melted the menacing chill in Riko’s lone amber eye. It was such a simple, brief gesture, yet its intimacy appeared so vibrant that the blonde felt like a voyeur for witnessing such a private scene.

The two did not need to hold hands, and their arms did not even brush against one another as they walked side by side. Unhurried, they disappeared behind the corner and must have headed for their compound’s garden. The oyabun and wakagashira often enjoyed long walks around their extensive pond, where prized koi fish swam gracefully within the tranquil water.

You broke the silence with an awkward cough. “At least they didn’t see us… I hope.”

Normally Mari would be curious about You’s reaction towards Riko, but right now her thoughts were on a completely different matter.

“You, kiss me.”

Blue eyes widened rather ridiculously. “Huh? What did you just-”

The blonde grasped the stunned woman’s tie and pulled her into a deep kiss. However, her lips and tongue were unable to replicate the staggering intimacy she had just witnessed moments prior.

They broke away after Mari deemed it enough. Both gasping for breaths, the two exchanged looks, one bewildered and one thoughtful. “What was that for?”

Her flushed cheeks and embarrassed expression empowered the blonde, for she smiled cruelly and tilted the former’s chin with her finger. “You are a good kisser, You. I will remember that.”

Mari turned away from the stammering woman, casting her envy behind as her strides regained confidence and purpose once more. She was in one of the many cities in Japan, within the Kurosawagumi’s compound, residing in their headquarters along with many brothers and sisters.

It seemed that she has much to learn in her new home, her new family.