#their powers are actually so dangerous especially if they are not concentrated enough

[darkkitty1208]

Reigen Arataka Headcanons (pt. 1/?)

I've been thinking about this cringefail loserboy babygirl A Lot lately (i cannot spend more than 15 minutes without my thoughts circling back to him somebody sedate me) so. Here are some of my favourite and/or personal headcanons of him (most are picked up from fanfic that I hold close to my heart, some are from shower/late night thoughts) split into 4 categories (general, food/drinks, physical/appearance, and family & childhood headcanons). Under cut because this got a LOT longer than I intended

Geneneral Headcanons

He's trans ftm & gay

Most of the shelves in his apartment are empty—he didn't have much memorabilia, photo frames or items that are personal/scream "Reigen" because his place is less a home and more a place for him to sleep and shower and eat. He does have generic self-help and anatomy (for massages) and exorcism guide books, but not much else. However through the years he starts keeping potted plants and has a mini vegetable garden in his balcony (mostly cherry tomatoes, but others too, like green onions and the like) and flowers in vases on his tables and little cacti and succulents and houseplants around.

At some point he also keeps photos in frames. There's one from an outtake from the s&s company's employees lineup photo he thinks is "necessary for their professional image" and insisted on taking (the resulting photo was framed in the office and in the website; in the photo he looked like a smug cat, Mob and Serizawa looked like stiff wooden panels, and Tome, horrified, looked eerily similar to her mother, while Dimple despite being there did not appear in the photograph), and it was a picture of Mob mid-way through blinking with his hand up in the beginning of forming the peace sign and Reigen arguing at the air while Tome argues at Reigen. Also in it Serizawa looked exasperated and confused.

Despite not actually wanting psychic powers, Reigen really, really wants to see their auras. The few glimpses he gets from when the espers use enough power to gain some semblance of visibility to the naked eye leaves him mesmerised.

He also isn't really afraid of them. Sometimes he feels Mob's or Serizawa's aura wrapping around him, like a protective touch on his shoulder or the small of his back when a client gets especially rude or rowdy, or during an especially dangerous exorcism. It freaked him out at first but he gets used to the warm, buzzing static over time.

His nose scrunches up when he's trying to concentrate.

He only learnt the existence of the undo button when he took a photoshop class one time.

He takes the kids and Serizawa to outings sometimes but with a strict (however fairly (and unusually) generous) budget. This leads to beach episodes and zoo/amusement park visits and hikes to watch meteor showers Tome talks about a lot during the weeks prior.

He's practically memorised the kids' favourite snacks and keeps them in stock in the office's snack cabinet. They are sweeped out clean without fail every single week.

He turns on classical music/instrumentals in the background when he's trying to focus. He always needs some sort of white noise.

One time Tome gave him handmade chocolate. They turned out to be chocolate-covered bugs from her friend. He hasn't and will never recover from the trauma.

When Mob first arrived he tried to quit smoking (replaces it with chewing gum, lollipops etc) but immediately caves 2 weeks in. The longest he's lasted without a cigarette is a couple months. He indulges in the occasional cigarette once every few weeks but keeps a limit of 4 sticks/week and not going beyond that. He sometimes fails to keep his word.

There's always the smell of tobacco clinging on him and his suit. He can't get rid of it.

His emergency contact includes his mom and Mob before he switched it to his mom and Serizawa because, well. Mob's a kid. His mom doesn't use the number he has saved anymore but he doesn't bother asking for her new one.

Food/Drinks Headcanons

He likes citrus.

He likes mushrooms, and moreso when in dishes like soup.

He isn't exactly a coffee person, but when he consumes caffeine it hits him almost immediately. You can practically see it set in in his eyes. He gets jittery and restless. (More so than usual lmao.)

He isn't a tea person either, nor does he have a preference in tea, though they keep different kinds of tea in the office and most of them are not-so-cheap-but-affordable hojicha, which are the clients' popular preference, so he drinks those.

When he makes tea he often leaves the kettle on for too long. His special move is pouring cold water from the sink over the cup(s) to compensate for his mistake.

He doesn't cook often for himself, but he has enough cooking skills to be confident enough to make a good meal when he tries/should he need to impress somebody, but not enough to go without a proper recipe. The problem is that he references them without actually following them. He's too impatient and stirs things when he should let them be, he refuses to measure practically anything, he forgets things and leaves after turning the stove dial on the highest setting and burns the food and tries to do multiple tasks at once without following a set order, he uses too many pans and pots, and he makes a mess. He's a menace in the kitchen but he can be trusted enough not to burn it down.

Follow-up on that last one: he thinks cooking can be a hobby of his if he dedicates more time on it, but it's the kind of activity that's easier (and more enjoyable) with company. He lacks that.

Physical/Appearance Headcanon

I stand by the hc that Reigen bleaches his hair. Mostly because I think he greys quickly. His natural hair is dark brown almost black, and the strands are stiff from constant bleaching.

He's got scars all over him from exorcisms and fist fights and what have you, but most of them are little nicks and cuts that have faded over. The notable ones are his top surgery scars (and this is an insignificant but harmless detail but the nerves on one of his pecs healed weirdly), the scar over his back from when Sakurai's sword sliced him back in the 7th division arc, and the scar mostly hidden under his bangs from the rubble that hit his head back in Mob's psychic outburst.

He has a little pudge around his stomach. There are stomach rolls there when he bends or slouches.

He tries to keep himself fit by working out, but he has horrible stamina. Around confession arc he starts having more defined muscle along his arms, though they've always been there from massages but hidden beneath his sleeves.

He takes good care of his hands and are very mindful about them. He thinks they're one of the first things a client would notice about him (but that's mostly because he moves his hands around a lot). Aside from the massage oils he uses during "physical exorcisms" he also uses lotion to keep them soft. He trims his nails short regularly and makes sure they're clean. Despite all that they are sweaty almost 90% of the time.

He. Has. Prominent. Eyebags. This man is an insomniac and a workaholic. He uses cheap foundation sometimes to cover them up but they get cakey and cracky during the day and he sweats buckets so they're mostly futile. He keeps using them anyway.

His lips have a darker shade from years of smoking but he tries to keep them from getting dry by using lip balm.

He has freckles all over his skin and spanning along his shoulders, and they practically bloom on his skin during the summer.

He has little crinkles between his brows and the edges of his eyes, lines under them. Some are smile lines, some are frown lines.

He has crooked teeth. He keeps good hygiene of them, though.

Family & Childhood Headcanons

He used to sit on his hands to stop them from moving because he's been told multiple times that they gesture a lot when he talks.

He had a childhood dog.

His mother used to make lemon cakes for his birthday.

His grandparents used to garden. He used to help.

The first time he smoked a cigarette was age eleven, when his father offered it to him one time to "have a taste of what it's like to be a man". Age sixteen, he started sneaking out to smoke. By the time he grew up the habit stuck and he mostly smokes as an excuse to take breaks between customer service during his watercooler job. (This was picked up from my short little fic drawn to the flame which is somewhat of a character study centered around Reigen's smoking addiction :D)

His sister is a lawyer and makes wild gesticulations with her hands when defending a client in court. (Ik it was probably mentioned somewhere that she works for a bank BUT when have I cared. Also the vision of wild wrist rotations being a thing that runs in the Reigen family is too good to not practically be canon already.)

His grades weren't all great but he tries. He just can't seem to pay attention in class or sit still for too long. He sucked (still does) at math.

In school he was pretty popular because he's loud and charismatic and lays the charm thick on first impressions, but popularity comes with it some kids that weren't as fond of him as others are.

He calls his sister sometimes, or at least picks up when she does. He wishes he got to spend more time with her before they moved out.

I imagine young Reigen as skinny with gangly limbs and too-big hands and there's always a band aid on him somewhere for some reason.

Anyway that's all I've got for now. I might come up w more but. *shrugs* who knows.

Now that I think about it, maybe I should make a post for headcanons of Reigen's sister... hm.

[666writingcafe]

The Truth Will Set You Free

Simeon

If this version of Belphegor as an angel is anything like the one I had to deal with, then he should be up in one of the trees, asleep. There's a few that he deemed appropriate for his naps. The actual search shouldn't take too long.

However, I need MC to answer some questions for me first.

"May I ask what you meant earlier when you said 'not this again'?" MC sighs.

"This is the second time that I've been sent to the brothers' past in the Celestial Realm," they wearily answer.

"When was the first?"

"Shortly after they arrived in the human world. Someone pretending to be Solomon told me that I needed to learn from their past." That's interesting. Not many entities have the ability to send people through time. This particular one appears to be a shapeshifter, but of what species, I don't know.

"Did this individual tell you why?" MC hesitates, which concerns me. They're normally not the type to hold information back. Did the shapeshifter instruct them to keep it a secret? I can understand if they sent MC to the future, but the past? Normally, the point of learning from the past is to use that knowledge to inform future decisions, thus altering the timeline.

"He said that someone close to me was at a crossroads. They could choose to remain as they were or change into something different."

Well, shit.

"Did he say who it was?" My heart races as I await their answer.

"No, but I figured it out." They stop walking, turning around to look me dead on. "I have to help you decide whether you should stay in the Celestial Realm or not. Trouble is, I don't know how. If the decision is difficult from where I'm standing, then I can't even imagine how much you're struggling right now."

It's my turn to sigh, but not because of anything MC did. I was hoping I could postpone having this discussion for as long as possible, but it seems as though my time has run out. If they know this much, they might as well know the rest.

"I've been writing about you. A lot."

"In what way? Like, am I serving as inspiration for one of your characters, or are you keeping some sort of journal about me?" Their question makes sense. They know about my connection to TSL, after all.

"Journals." My reply amuses them.

"Oh, so there are multiple," they tease.

"It started innocently enough. I was merely documenting my experience as an exchange student. I didn't know you very well back then, but the little bit I did hear about you intrigued me. I mean, there hasn't been a single human that has successfully made pacts with all seven Avatars and lived."

"I'm well aware. I've done my research." I'm sure they have. Otherwise, they wouldn't have reached out for help in the first place.

"The only other person I could even remotely compare you to was Solomon with his seventy-two demons, and even that's stretching it. While the power from the pacts is pretty much equal, yours is more concentrated."

"And hence more dangerous."

"Exactly. When you didn't spontaneously combust, I started paying more attention to you. I wanted to see how your pacts with the brothers would affect you."

"You mean my soul."

"If you want to get technical with it, yes. Would you still maintain a bright soul, or would it darken under the brothers' influence?"

"And?"

"Your soul's grown brighter, MC."

"That's not supposed to happen."

"No, it's not, especially since you're constantly exposed to the Avatars of Sin. You should have been reduced to a mere toy for them to play with, but instead you're influencing them to become better people." MC leans against one of the trees, crossing their arms as they look at me critically.

"And the fact that I've defied your expectations simultaneously fascinates you and pisses you off, doesn't it?" I can only nod my head. They have me backed into a corner, and I don't know what I can say that's not going to have them hate my guts.

After several tense moments, MC smiles mischievously.

Not the reaction I was expecting.

"I wonder..." They quickly begin walking towards me. I find myself quickly backing away from them. I don't know what would happen if they touched me again, and I'm scared to find out.

My back hits one of the trees. MC stops right in front of me, tilting their head with that same mischievous smile.

"What's wrong, Simeon? Afraid you'll show me something embarrassing?"

In that moment, they don't look like themselves. Not entirely.

I once had a dream that nearly played out this exact same way. In it, MC ended up shifting into Asmo, who then forced me to show him my deepest desires. Some dreams are open to interpretation, but not this one. Even my subconscious is tired of me hiding my true emotions.

I should let MC see exactly what I want to do to them.

But not here. Not when the angel Belphegor is literally napping in the branches of this very tree.

[yourfavoritebookclub]

WINGLEADER: A Xaden Riorson POV Fanfiction

CHAPTER 22

The next month is another flurry of classes, supply runs to Athebyne, and aerial training with Sgaeyl. 

The situation on the border is becoming increasingly dangerous, with raids becoming more and more frequent, and we can’t seem to get weapons to the fliers often enough. 

Violet’s training is a test all on its own. Everyday I spend with her tangled up in the mat, or instructing her as she uses magic, is a test of pure willpower. 

She’s so disarming, so intelligent, and driven, that it’s becoming difficult to keep things strictly professional. 

And beautiful. 

So fucking beautiful. 

There are days when she walks into a room and I have to manually override every desire fueled thought that courses through me. And, Gods, she doesn’t make it easy. She pushes, and I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.

“...I need you guys to get to class. Especially you. A signet would be great, you know. If you can maybe make that happen,” I hear Dain say as I walk toward his squad, gathered around the door to Professor Carr’s room. 

“She’s going to miss Carr’s class today” I say to Dain, the only warning of my approach, and Sawyer hurries to move out of the way.

“No, I’m not.” Violet shakes her head and I ignore her, keeping my attention on Aetos. 

“She needs to go,” Dain has the audacity to argue. “I mean, unless the wing has more pressing matters for Cadet Sorrengail, her time is best spent developing her wielding skills.” 

“I think we both know she’s not going to manifest a signet in that room. She would have already if that was the key,” I retort, looking down at him, annoyed.

 Aetos has no clue that I’ve been training her to wield over the last few months, and leave it to him to still believe he knows what’s best for Violet. “And yes, the wing has more pressing matters for her.”

“Sir, I’m just not comfortable with her going a day without at least practicing her wielding, and as her squad leader–”

“For Dunne’s sake,” I sigh, pulling a pocket watch out of my cloak and holding it out to Violet. “Pick it up, Sorrengail.”

Violet glances from Dain to me with an exasperated look on her face, and then looks down at the pocket watch in my hand, her face contorting in concentration.

She raises her right hand, and I can feel the brush of her power as it reaches my palm, a soft caress against my skin.

“You got this,” Rhiannon encourages.

“Let her concentrate,” Sawyer chastises.

The watch pulls from my hand and starts to fall, plummeting to the ground. Violet yanks her hand up and the watch speeds toward her, her other hand coming up to snatch the timepiece before it can smack her in the face.

There’s applause from her fellow first years, and I walk to Violet and pluck the watch out of her hand, dropping it back into my cloak. “See? She’s practiced. Now, we have things to do.” 

I put a possessive hand at the small of her back, delighting at the way Dain stiffens almost imperceptibly.  

I steer Violet away from the group, removing my hand once I feel confident she’s actually following me. “Where are we going?” 

“I’m assuming you’re not wearing flight leathers under that cloak.” I open the door to the dormitory and she walks inside, turning to stare at me, dumbfounded.

“What?” I ask, closing the door and leaving the bitter cold behind us.

“You opened the door for me.”

“Old habits die hard.” I shrug. “My father taught me that–” I hault abruptly as the sting of his memory, so at odds with the woman next to me. 

The hurt settles over me, and the world around me disappears momentarily as images of my father flood my mind. 

Mentoring me on the sparring field, taking Bodhi and I to the Cliffs of Dralor, letting us pick blackberries and play until the sun had fallen behind the horizon.

That final goodbye, where he’d promised to come home.

Even at twenty-three the ache that comes from missing my father feels enormous, like I’m still a child.

“Don’t you think it’s a little cold for flying?” Violet’s voice cuts through my cloud of grief.

I blink, the world coming back into focus. “I’ll wait here.” I say curtly.

Violet walks into her room and changes quickly, reemerging in a set of fur-lined leathers. 

We walk across the courtyard, empty save for a few cadets still rushing off to class.

“You didn’t answer me,” Violet says after a beat of silence.

“About what?” I don’t bother waiting for her, my resentment still fresh, her presence too close for comfort.

“About it being cold for flight.”

“Third-years have flight field this afternoon, Kaori and the other professors are just taking it easy on you guys, since the Squad Battle is coming up and they know you need the practice in wielding.” I push open the gate and stride into the tunnel, Violet hurrying in after me.

“But I don’t need the practice?” she asks doubtfully.

“Winning the Squad Battle is nothing in the scheme of keeping you alive. You’ll be on the front lines before the rest of them come next year.” 

“Is that what’s going to happen next year? I’m going to the front lines?” she asks, her voice holding an edge of uncertainty.

I press my lips into a thin line, the future already becoming a messy tangle between the two of us. “Inevitably. There’s no telling how long Sgaeyl and Tairn will tolerate being separated. My best guess is that we’ll both have to sacrifice to keep them happy.” 

We’re both silent for the remainder of our walk to the Gauntlet, watching the snowy landscape unfold.

“Second Wing,” Violet nods, noting the cadets that move through the Gauntlet, the obstacle course even deadlier with the addition of icy rain and thick clumps of snow. “You sure you don’t want your own squads out here practicing”

A small smile has the corner of my mouth lifting. It’s easy to forget sometimes that she’s still a first-year, and I remember what my own concerns and ambitions were then, all glory and no survival. “When I was a first-year I thought winning was the pinnacle, too. But once you’re in your third year, and you see the things that we do…” I grind my teeth at the horrors the professors have kept well hidden this year. “Let’s just say that the games are a lot more lethal.”

We start up the staircase, but there’s already a group coming down, so we both move off to the side to let them pass. I stand straighter, my spine going rigid as I take in the two figures descending the stairs. 

Commandant Panchek and Colonel Aetos reach the landing, and Colonel Aetos beams at Violet, who might be standing even straighter than I am. “At ease,” he says and her shoulders relax just a fraction. “You’re looking well, Violet. Nice flight lines,” he says, gesturing to the indentations around his eyes from the flight goggles. “You must be getting a lot of airtime.” 

“Thank you, sir, I am.” She smiles back at him, but the smile doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “Dain is doing well, too. He’s my squad leader this year.”

“He told me,” Dain’s father says, his smile growing wider. “Mira asked about you while we were touring the Southern Wing last month. Don’t worry, you’ll get your letter privileges in second year, and then you can keep in touch more often. I’m sure you miss her.”

“Every day.” Violet nods. I wonder what it’s like to be in her position. To be the child of someone like Lillith Sorrengail, to rub shoulders and exchange smiles with these people who destroy, and take, and change the narrative to remain the forever heroes.

The sight of the general coming around the corner and out of the stairwell makes my breath catch, her presence grating against me like salt rubbed into all one hundred and seven scars that sprawl across my back.

“Mom,” Violet’s voice is a burst of air.

The general says nothing to her youngest daughter, just assesses her in that severe way of hers, scanning her from head to toe. “I hear you’re having trouble wielding.” 

Is this the first time she’s seen her mother since Conscription? There’s no warmth in the woman’s gaze, and Violet takes a step backward as if needing to put some distance between Lillith and herself. 

She lifts her chin slightly, “I have the best shields in my year.”

“With a dragon like Tairn, I would certainly hope so.” Her eyebrow quirks up in a look of distaste. “If not, all of that incredible, enviable power will have been…” she sighs in a mockery of dismay, “squandered.”

“Yes, General” is all Violet says in return, something like defeat in her tone.

“You have been the topic of some conversation, though.” General Sorrengail’s gaze lifts to Violet’s head, her mouth tightening in disapproval. I ball my hands into fists at my side, the desire to hit the general growing stronger the longer this interaction takes place.

“Oh?” Violet says curiously.

“We’re all wondering what powers–if any–you’re wielding from the golden dragon?” She smiles, a perversion of kindness. 

Sgaeyl’s growl rumbles through my mind, low and threatening.

“Nothing yet. Andarna told me that feathertails are known for being unable to channel power to their rider. It’s why they don’t bond often.”

What a smooth little liar Violence is.

“Or ever,” Colonel Aetos adds. “We were actually hoping that you might ask your dragon to allow us to study her. For purely academic purposes, of course.”

Nausea rolls through me at the thought of any of them getting their hands on Andarna, a sentiment clearly shared by Sgaeyl.

“I will slaughter them all if they mention her name again.” 

“Easy there, tiger, no one is going to let them near her.”

“Dark One,” She snarls in warning. 

I decide it’s in my best interest to stay quiet. 

“Unfortunately. I don’t see her being comfortable with that. She’s pretty private, even with me.” Violet says with a shrug

“Pity,” Colonel Aetos says simply. “We’ve had the scribes on it since Threshing, and the only reference they can find in the Archives about the power of feathertails is hundreds of years old, which is funny because I remember you father doing a bit of research about the second Kroblan uprising, and he mentioned something about feathertails, but we can’t seem to find that time.” He scratches his forehead in thought.

They all look at Violet expectantly. “I don’t believe he finished his research on that particular historical event before he died, Colonel Aetos. I couldn’t even tell you where his notes are.”

“Too bad.” General Sorrengail tries to smile, it looks more like a grimace. “Glad to see you’re alive, Cadet Sorrengail.” The general’s gaze shifts to me and our eyes lock for the briefest moment. I smooth my features into a mask of cool indifference. “Even if the company you’re forced to keep is more than questionable.”

My whole body feels poised to strike, something instinctual trying to overtake the calm, easy facade I have in place. “I always felt that we resolved any of those questions years ago.” I say quietly, willing myself to breathe evenly, to not allow my hands to shake

“Hmmm” She hums and turns away from Violet and I. “Do see if you can master some kind of signet, Cadet Sorrengail. You have a legacy to live up to.” She dismisses us both, walking past without a backward glance.

“Good to see you, Violet.” Colonel Aetos says to Violet with a pitying smile. Pancheck ignores the both of us, scurrying off to catch up to General Sorrengail.

Without a word Violet stomps up the stairs, her whole body exuding anger.

“You didn’t tell her about how you got out of the attack in your bedroom, and I’m not talking about me showing up.” 

“I don’t ever see her. And you told me not to tell anyone.”

“Didn’t realize it was quite like that between you,” I say softly, a pang of sympathy hitting me in the chest.

“Oh, that’s nothing,” She says nonchalantly, “She spent almost an entire year ignoring me when Dad died.” A bitter laugh rips from her throat. “Which was almost as wholesome as the years she spent barely tolerating my existence because I wasn’t perfect like Brennan or a warrior like Mira.”

“She doesn’t know you very well, then.” I lengthen my strides to keep up with Violet’s furious pace.

She scoffs incredulously. “Or she sees right through me. Problem is, I’m never quite sure which it is. I’m too busy trying to live up to whatever impossible standard she sets to ask myself if they’re even standards I give a shit about.” She swings her angry gaze to me. “And what was that about anyway? Saying that you resolved questions years ago?”

“Just reminding her that I paid the price for my loyalty.” It’s a nonanswer, but it’s the only answer I’m willing to give her. 

“Paid what price?” Of course Violet can’t keep well enough alone.

“Boundaries, Violence.” I warn, the phantom sting of each scar in the forefront of my memories.

Tairn and Sgaeyl both land across the field, Andarna tucking herself between Tairn’s legs.

Violet’s face breaks into a smile so bright that I’m momentarily stunned.

“We’re all flying today?” She asks as we walk toward the trio.

“We’re all learning today. You need to learn to stay on, and I need to learn why the hell it’s so hard for you. Andarna needs to learn how to keep up, Tairn needs to learn how to share his space in a tighter flight formation, and every other dragon but Sgayel is too scared to fly closer.” 

Tairn blows a puff of steam out of his nostrils in agreement.

“And what is Sgaeyl learning?” She asks, her eyes fixed on the navy scaled dragon. 

I grin at Sgaeyl. “She’s been leading for almost three years now. She’s going to have to learn how to follow. Or at least practice. 

Tairn makes a laughing sound deep in his throat and Sgaeyl whirls on him, snapping her teeth at his teasing. 

“Dragon relationships are absolutely incomprehensible.” Violet murmurs under her breath.

“Yeah?” I turn to her, cocking a brow. “You should try a human one sometime. Just as vicious, but less fire.” I run up Sgaeyl’s foreleg, twisting at the last second to swing my leg over the dip in her shoulder and settle into my seat. “Now let’s go.” 

[fairycosmos]

tw domestic abuse, inc*st, animal abuse (nothing too explicit, just to be safe)

hii do you have any advice for dealing with domestic abuse from family members (adult brothers)? he has threatened me in the past and tonight he did it again and spat on me, hit me, constantly alludes to wanting to rape me or working as a sex worker bc I’m currently unemployed and genuinely seems to enjoy to see me in such a low position where it to ever come to that. I have a job lined up starting next week but I still live at home, so does he btw! and yet he is so angry at me for being in the exact same position. he’s also a drug addict and drinks, a misogynistic right-winger and kind of a psychopath. he gets off on threatening me and idk what to do anymore. my dad told me I can‘t move out bc the pay isn‘t enough yet but idk what to do. I‘m also physically disabled which is why I went months without working this year but I was employed for the past four months and I have a new job soon and yet it aggravated him so much that I didn‘t work for the past two weeks, it‘s insane. like, it‘s obvious that he hates his job and is unsatisfied with his own life but he is so disgusting towards me. there‘s s lot of incest-y threats and jokes which scares me, sometimes more than the physical violence. like I just want to die every time it happens and idk what to do. I can‘t move out if my dad doesn‘t let me and I looked at women‘s houses but they‘re all full or won‘t take women like me, myb bc it‘s not severe enough. on top of that he abuses our dog, kicks him and seeks him out every night to do just that bc the dog sleeps downstairs and no one is around to witness it. my parents don‘t care. I was around to witness it tonight for the first time and he did it in front of me and when I told him to stop it he spat in my face and threatened me and I just can‘t stay here anymore. I‘m not from the uk but do you have any advice for me please? ❤️ sorry if this is worded weirdly I can‘t really concentrate right now

the way i want to beat the shit out of your brother and would given half the oppoortunity i'm so fucking serious. i’m so sorry you’re going through this. none of this is your fault. everything you’ve described is so beyond wrong, and you don’t deserve any of it. it’s so messed up that you’re being treated this way in what’s supposed to be your home. your brother’s behavior is abusive, terrifying, and just plain evil tbh and i wish there were real-life consequences for these types of men bc they never fucking learn. no wonder you feel overwhelmed and trapped—anyone would in your situation. i’m really glad you reached out because this is too much for anyone to handle on their own, and you shouldn’t have to.

what he’s doing things like spitting on you, hitting you, threatening you, making those disgusting, incestuous comments etc is beyond unacceptable and the fact that he’s also abusing your dog is just so fucking sick. people like him use power and fear to control others, and it’s clear he’s lashing out in every direction to feel some twisted sense of control. your dog is just as vulnerable as you are in this situation, and it's not fair that you both have to keep living in such a toxic environment. it’s not healthy, and it’s not okay - it pisses me off so much that anyone would deny you help because it's not "bad enough" when it sounds like an actual nightmare. you literally shouldn’t have to live like this.

i know it feels impossible to leave right now, especially with your dad saying you can’t move and your new job just starting. but i promise, there are steps you can take to get out—even if it feels really far away or impossible right now. your safety and your dog’s safety are the most important things here. if your brother becomes violent again or you feel like you’re in immediate danger, please consider calling emergency services. i know that can feel terrifying, especially if your family isn’t supportive, but emergency services or a local domestic violence hotline can step in and help. they’re trained for situations like this and you don't have to wait for it to get any "worse" to call the authorities or an ambulance if you feel unsafe.

since you’ve looked into women’s shelters and they’re full, it might help to keep calling or checking back. sometimes spots open up, or they might be able to connect you to other resources—like emergency housing, legal help, support with clothing/food/transportation, or even animal rescue organisations that can help protect your dog too. it’s worth asking if they know of any shelters or foster programs for pets from abusive households. there are groups out there that work specifically to help people and animals escape abuse, so please don't shy away from seeking that support. i know it's a lot easier said than done and none of it is as simple as just making a phone call and getting the help you need. but keep pushing forward with it bc honestly the sooner you get away from him the better tbh.

in the short term, is there anyone you can reach out to? a friend, teacher, coworker, or even someone you’re not super close with but who might be able to help if they knew what’s going on? sometimes people will surprise you when you let them know how serious things are. even if they can’t house you, just having someone to talk to can make a huge difference.

your new job starting soon is such a big step btw, and i’m so proud of you for pushing forward even with everything going on!! that takes so much strength. once you start earning, maybe you can start saving little by little to eventually get out, even if it feels slow. looking into shared housing or roommate options might help make it more affordable, and depending on where you live, there could be disability assistance programs that can help with housing or expenses. you deserve a space where you and your dog can feel safe and at peace and it's so messed up that you aren't able to feel that way in your own home rn.

and in the meantime, i know you’re doing everything you can to protect yourself, but please don’t forget to keep an eye out for your dog too. if you see him hurting your dog, maybe you can distract or call your dog to you if it’s safe to do so. when you leave, think about how to bring your dog with you or connect with an organization that can help temporarily house pets in situations like this. it breaks my heart to think of both of you stuck in this, but you’re not alone. there are people who want to help.

this is all so much to carry, and i just want to remind you to take it one step at a time. even if that step is just getting through today. if you can, try to find little ways to care for yourself—spend time with your dog, listen to music, write things down to process your feelings, whatever helps you feel a little grounded. you’ve already shown so much strength by reaching out, and that’s the first step toward getting out of this.

please keep reaching out, whether it’s to me, a hotline, or someone you trust. you and your dog both deserve to be safe and loved, and you’re not alone in this. you will get away from him. there is a whole life beyond him and his fucked up behaviour. i’m here for you, and i’ll help however i can. you’ve got this. one step at a time. please take care, i'm sending you so much love. x

resource / resource / resource / resource / resource / resource

international domestic abuse resources

global domestic violence resources

[cyberexo]

FANTASTIC BYUN | A Byun Baekhyun Series

“You were supposed to die!”

warning: this series contains cursing, mentions & includes violence, detailed injury, and death.

GUIDE POST

word count: 1.2K

FANTASTIC BYUN | ONE

"So you're still in transition?" all three of you gazed at the newest edition to your group, Bonnie, Bennett had found her on campus ground doubled over from a pain she was feeling in her wrists, so he'd offered her a little help and brought her to meet the rest of you who were once just like her.

Why any of you were the way you were is unknown, you weren't born into it, it just sort of happened- there was a pattern where before becoming "superhuman" a traumatic event had taken place before, which makes sense however, non of you could figure out exactly what went down in your personal lives before this. It was as if the transition had wiped your memory clean of its cause.

Bennet had been the first, then you, Ben, and now Bonnie, it wasn't hard to come across one another, you all attended the same university, all lived on campus, it wasn't friendly at first; no one wanted to be taken advantage of; understandably, but the more time you spent around each other you were bound to become more trusting and open.

And that's how it's been for the past two years, explorative, fun, and the thrill was worth waking up for. Swinging around campus & the city at night with no care in the world- it was peaceful. Bennett had also scheduled random practice days in case any of you were to ever be in danger- a simulation to teach you what to do as well as what not to do.

Ben had joked around about going around the city and stopping crime- but this wasn't a spider-man movie, you were nothing in comparison to the arachnid icon but it would be a lie to say that it wasn't tempting. Still the risk wasn’t worth the reward in your eyes.

"I mean- I still can't do what you all can do so I must be," one hand holding onto her wrist to ease the burning pain you've all powered through before- it hurt like hell. "Well you've got us now, and it's best to not talk about it with other people who aren't.. us- you don't want people outing you or for word to go around about you being crazy," "Yeah- I was called a marvel moron for six months all because of a simple slip up so be careful," You added.

It was easy being this way in this generation, no one would actually take you seriously; the name calling was the most any of you got.

People don't buy a word you say until you physically did something what would lead them into believing you. It would probably be amusing to see the looks on their faces for a little while but of course it had its consequences- such as loose lips & social media, from one person to the next to a couple thousand and all of a sudden you're being mobbed by people you don't even know.

You had to approach people with caution.

Especially on a bad day, a bad day being; having wrist spasms, you can't hold anything without shaking or you'd shoot a web without meaning to- when you're experiencing a bad day it is best to stay in your dorm and away from classmates and from each other, sudden jolts in your joints that can cause a drastic change in whatever physical form you were taking, one second you're sat in your chair and the next your cross legged on the ceiling- you wouldn't even know where to start an explanation for that to anybody. Let alone a class of over 200 students who's first response was to probably record it all.

"How long does it take till the pain goes away?" she asked, "Depends, for me it was only a couple of days- oh and don't take any painkillers, it does nothing." Bennett advised, you & Ben nodding in agreement- "For me it took around half a year, it won't hurt 24/7 it'll get better with time. You need to concentrate on your mentality and ability to get the webs going, the more you release the less it'll hurt & soon enough you won't even feel it,” you added, offering her a reassuring smile that she wasn’t on her own, which she reciprocated.

This intervention made you wonder if you were going to keep coming across more people like yourself, you hoped not- thankfully all of you seemed to be good people who didn't abuse their powers to inflict harm on others, however, there is no guarantee that the next will be the same.

And about that you were right.

˚₊𓆩༺🕷༻𓆪₊˚

Baekhyun who was many miles away from your group sat at his desk moping instead of studying for his upcoming final exam in architecture, he couldn’t think of anything more boring, but if he wanted to lead a seemingly normal and unsuspecting life- he needs to do what needs to be done.

Previous to his transition he was a outgoing, sensitive and down to earth earthling- and that all didn’t come crumbling down right after, he was excited and uncontainable at first, didn’t do anything that would cause harm to himself or anybody around him, it was fun- really fun, and like every other good thing, it had an end.

His excitable persona faded, the feeling of being special and feeling like somebody who was above average significance went with it- nothing in particular triggered the mood swing, at least nothing that he could remember, which of course nagged at him, he wanted to know where it all started to go wrong but he couldn’t figure it out- frustrating and angering him further, telling himself he must’ve just gotten “bored” to suffice the itch to know.

The acts of terror started off simple, easily disguised as a friendly prank or something that he didn’t intent for to go so far in case of any extreme reactions he’d get from friends- whom he’s now lost, or strangers he found interesting enough to meddle with. Unfortunately that all grew old for him quite quickly.

Quickly moving onto business that was non of his, messing with people he shouldn’t be messing with- as well as putting his hands on items he had no business fiddling with or taking. After a couple of fights and wrapping several groups of men to a single lamppost he decided he wanted to chase after the adrenaline by doing something bigger- something worse.

And there was no stopping him.

There was nobody around that was like him, to his knowledge at least, no one with a sliver of resemblance, nothing ever good comes from not being around people who are like you- sure, it’s good to surround yourself with different people every now and again but the feeling of utter loneliness engulfing your existence was unavoidable, especially for a man like Baekhyun.

He had wished there was someone around to share this power he carried, his mind however would dismiss the thought as soon as he’d have it- his being feeling threatened by nobody but the thoughts occurring in his own mind, the weigh of his own internal negativity blurring the scenes of what it would truly be like if he were to come across a person as himself.

No one should ever come close to Baekhyun, or as he likes to call himself; Fantastic Byun.

[pen-of-roses]

A Path Between Shards

Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial this week, this prompt helped me do some world building!

They could feel the change in the air as soon as the overgrown cobblestone road came into view, and it made the hairs on their arm stand on end. 

Not far from the road, what was once likely a guard tower stood in a heap of stone. It was still enough to make out the three walls with a hole for a door that had likely rotted away years ago in one. Two of the walls framed the rubble that had spilled out past them with the disappearance of the fourth and abrupt end to the cobble road. Nature made a valiant attempt to hide this peculiarity, but they could see through it after all their previous exposure.

“Well, at least I’m in the right place.”

An Abyssal fissure. And likely, a way off Korryn.

Paths between shards were always a tricky thing.

Some would have the whole of Esharial believe that most, if not all, were well known and documented by the various governments and rulers of each Shard. Those ones got fancy names and there was a lot of effort put into organizing travel between them. The big gateways even got special ships to go through because Abyssal fissures were terrifying enough to most just being near them, let alone in them. The little ones most people just knew to avoid or would have special guards placed near them. All nice, official, and safe.

The reality, of course, was much different.

With so little actually known about Esharial as a whole now, let alone pre-Shattering, there was no actual way to document every single Abyssal fissure, let alone every little portal that dotted them. Especially when certain ones were close enough to each other that someone could spend years traveling back and forth through it and never even know.

Of course, others were a bit more obvious in what had happened. Either the unlucky bastard literally fell through the Abyss to the other end, or they wandered through an innocent patch of land, only to turn around and realize the path they’d just walked was gone and it was a one way trip. Or if they were really unlucky, both the falling and one way trip.

Dear and blessed Veyrit, don’t let this one be one of those cases. 

Of course, with their life, the fuckers would probably think that would just be another humorous chapter in the tragic comedy of Oren Blytridj.

They sighed.

Regardless of how the trip went, they still had to find the abyssal damned thing.

Stepping closer to the crumbling stone wall, they closed their eyes and took a deep breath, and listened.

This close to the Abyss, many assumed that Cast came easier to Casters. After all, magic flowed easily here, whispering promises of secrets and power to be found and used by anyone determined enough to. It was an intoxicating thing. A dangerous thing. A danger that those who had never learned to use Cast knew very little about, and one every Caster knew by heart.

Casters did not learn at Abyssal fissures because the raw ambient power of Esharial’s magic could sweep even the most disciplined of Casters away in its currents if they let their guard down for even a moment. 

They didn’t even need to pull any Cast for that heat to begin stirring in their veins. A familiar buzzing warmth waiting to use them as a conduit to be freed if they just let it.

They shuddered.

There was a reason other types of magic users—even most young Casters, or those who performed truly powerful or dangerous types of Cast—preferred to pull it through something other than just their own body.

But even with the sure force of it crackling under their skin and the rushing river of its whispers only growing louder and more insistent, they followed it towards it closer to the source. One hand traced the edge of the fissure, multicolored sparks dancing along their arm. They pushed back against their attempts to flow through it.

Between that concentration, the thundering ethereal voices in their ear, and their own rapidly beating heart, they almost missed the ever so slight give in magic, just a hair weaker than the surrounding area.

The portal.

To their mortal eyes it was nothing but empty air and wild vegetation.

To their hands, it was the heat of a campfire trapped in this little pocket of air.

Their heart was competing with the rush of magic now as they swallowed and closed their eyes.

“Leyraveyrit, if you have ever watched over me or my sister, then you will let this lead me to her. Please.”

And they stepped forward.

And the world, their world, their home, fell away.

Tag List: @concealeddarkness13

[dinoace2]

Back and Forth

Anyone else make self-indulgent fics, writing themselves into scenes to try and salvage the situation that had just happened? No? That's a me thing? Ok cool

⚠️⚠️⚠️!!!!!JJK SEASON 2 SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!⚠️⚠️⚠️

Anyway I love Nanami he is my favorite and he deserved better and I sobbed for 2 hours after all that.

The fic surrounds the reader(me lol), a childhood friend of Nanami, born to the inumaki clan but struggled to accept her position. She saw the danger in Shibuya and couldn't simply stand by, so here we are.

>3k words, Angst throughout, but happy(?) and peaceful ending. Segments in italics are memories throughout their past, and the one bolded paragraph is that natrator who explains stuff occasionally. Only kinda proofread ish so if there's grammar issues I am sorry

TW: I feel as though this should be obvious but blood and death will be a recurring thing here. Also she vomits like 3 times

Characters mentioned/involved: reader, Nanami, Mahito, Itadori, Arata Nitta, Shoko, Yaga, and Toge Inumaki.

(Character doesn't know all of these people by name so she describes them, and it is first person so here's the reference list:

Mahito is the stitched man, itadori is the pink-haired kid, Arata is the blonde kid, Shoko is the woman with the cigarette, and Yaga is the man with the sunglasses.)

Ok let's go

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I shrugged, scrawling out another note on the pad in my lap, then held it out for my friend to read, trying my best to hold it still.

'It isnt that I don't WANT to help people. It's just a lot of pressure, you know? There's thousands of sorcerers out there...surely one can't make a massive difference in the grand scheme of things.'

Nanami looked at the scribble, deciphering my familiar chicken scratch with ease. "I suppose you have a point...and I certainly can't make you do anything but...all I can do is make recommendations. You're incredibly strong, you know that? If you actually put your mind to it...you really could do incredible things with your skills." He smiled, reaching for my hand. "Im sure the higher-ups would still be willing to make you an official sorcerer if you wanted."

I sighed, scribbling another response.

'Yes, but, that's the thing. I don't really WANT to be special or incredible, you know that. I have enough trouble in crowds as it is.'

I paused from my writing and touched my lips, my fingers gently grazing the tattoos on either side of my mouth. I was given these markings when I was way too young to properly have a choice. They're practically a burden as they are, sealing me to a responsibility I never asked for.

'I'll exorcise a minor curse if I happen to run into one, but I really don't see much need in becoming a big fighter like you or Geto or Gojo.'

He let out a sigh, nodding slowly as he looked back at me. "Yes...youre right. I understand."

Of course he does. He's the one who gets it more than anyone else.

He stood up to leave, his seat swaying in his absence, and I crumpled up our conversation, feeling at the paper beneath my fingers. I didn't know it then, but that was the last time we would meet on those old swings.

I wish I were as strong and brave as you,

"KENTO!"

My voice came out in a shrill shreik, cracking and breaking as I shouted a name that no longer had an owner. the lower half of his body crumpled to the floor, much to the glee of the strange figure standing over him. It was instantaneous, one moment he was standing there, and the next...? I couldn't even comprehend what had just happened.

~~~

It was halloween. I had been minding my business when I sensed a massive concentration of cursed energy near Shibuya. Whatever was over there, it was bad. I fought with myself for a long while. Surely the sorcerers could handle it. Surely everything would be fine, it always ended up that way anyway, especially with all the powerful guardians Japan has. I can stay put. What need would they have for a half-rate excuse of a sorcerer who feared her own voice anyway? Its fine.

I froze when I heard the voice. Some kid – no older than fifteen or so – stood at a rooftop, shouting something. I had initially paused because I recognized the name he was screaming to, but my heart sank when I heard what came next.

"NANAMI! NANAMI, WE NEED YOUR HELP! GOJO HAS BEEN SEALED!"

Gojo? As in...the Gojo? How could that-?

I'm not sure why or how but at that point my mind was made up. I changed into something more practical, pulled a mask over my mouth, and left my home to face the very thing I fled from decades ago.

~~~

The train station was nearly silent as I ran through it, sneaking around to avoid confrontation as much as I could.

I heard fighting in one of the terminals, and sensed a massive cursed force, spread out across possibly hundreds of vessels. What the hell...? And...with every hit, every grunt, every sound I heard, it was getting fewer. There was only one sorcerer in there, yet he was...taking on an army. On his own...

When I got closer I finally recognized who i was hearing. Nanami. Of course he was able to take on that much. He's always been strong, so of course this would be no different. I haven't spoken to him in years...maybe after this we can take more time to reconnect. The thought made me smile.

~~~

It was a nice day...we were all too young to be worried about anything...too young to care. I was sitting on the swings with one of my dearest friends, talking over the creak of the old chains. I had recently participated in an incredible family ceremony, and I was so excited for the life ahead of me.

"Grampa called it..um...cursed speak!" I said, my smile bigger than ever as I pointed to the marks on my chubby little cheeks. "I can tell people what to do and they'll do it! Even those ghost thingies that not everyone can see!" I giggled. "I wonder if I can make Mommy clean my room."

My friend chuckled. "Alright, just don't do it to me, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay, Ken! I promise I wont." I put on the most innocent little smile I could. "Youve always done stuff for me anyways, right?"

~~~

As I made it to the terminal, I was frozen in place. It was nearly devoid of life, the demolished corpses of mutated figures piled on the ground around a single person. That was him, wasn't it? Nanami Kento, one of the strongest, most composed men I had ever met, but...he was badly injured, half his torso mutilated, most likely by fire, and he was covered in blood and wounds beyond which I had ever even considered possible. I was so taken aback by the sight that I hardly paid any notice to the stitched-up man that approached him. I heard them speak, only for a brief moment. Nanami turned his gaze to a child who had walked in on the other side and muttered something i couldn't quite hear...

And then he was gone.

"KENTO!"

My cry, unexpected to even me, caught the attention of the man with the stitches. He looked at me, lips peeled back in a too-wide grin.

"Ohhh! You must be a friend of his! I don't think anyone's mentioned you before, so you must be new!" He giggled, stalking forward as more grotesque figures rose around him. "How would you like to join him?!"

For a moment I couldn't move, and in fact it looked like everything was moving in slow motion.

~~~

The same playground, the same people, the same swings. Just...a different time in our lives. We were both stronger, smarter, but still just kids.

"Man, we're gonna be so strong together! And we'll get to hang out so much, too! The academy said we would be in the same class!" I grinned. "Can't wait to beat you up in school! For a grade!" I laughed, feeling the wind on my pale hair as I swung.

Nanami nodded, the same grin on his lips. "I think youve got it wrong, if you think im gonna lose!"

We laughed for a while, until I was brought to an abrupt stop by rough hands on my back. A different kid, much bigger than me, shoved me out of my seat. Another look told me he wasn't a sorcerer, nor did he have any idea what we were capable of. "Youve been on the swings long enough, kid. I've decided it's my turn." He snickered as Nanami ran to my side, helping me up.

I glared at the boy, slightly shaken by the interruption. "H-hey...what was that for?"

He smirked. "Aww, what's the matter? Gonna cry?" He snickered as he took my seat, and I felt Kento's hands ball into fists at my side. "Hey! You better leave her alone!" He growled.

The boy crossed his arms. "Wow, someone's touchy. Why, is she your girlfriend?" He chuckled as Nanami's face went a few shades of red. "I dunno why you'd even wanna be with her anyway. She's got...weird tattoos all over her mouth, like some kinda delinquent who went to jail! Or maybe some circus freak!" His laughter only got louder, and Nanami began to growl as my shoulders shook from humiliation, tears beginning to blur my vision.

My lip quivered but I planted my feet, glaring at the boy in front of me. "Just....go AWAY!" I shouted. The realization hit as soon as the words left my lips, and I clapped a hand over my mouth, but the damage was done.

The boy was flung, almost cartoonishly, forced away as if some invisible monster had thrown him by the ankle. He hit the ground with a hard thud as concerned parents started running over.

I was frozen, I couldn't speak, couldn't think. I did that? Such level of power and destruction, quite literally at the tip of my tongue, and I just....did that?

I didn't talk much after that.

Decided that school wasn't really my thing, either.

~~~

I stared at the approaching man, and the dozens of mutilated human corpses surrounding him. Just how strong was this guy? How could he have done that to Nanami without a second thought? Too much coursed through my head, but one thing was clear.

He wouldn't be continuing.

I pulled down my mask, taking in a deep breath. My lip trembled, my chest shook, and my hands balled into fists.

"Shatter."

All at once, the bodies before me froze, trembling as massive cracks grew up from their feet. They cracked like glass yet their flesh made creaking, squelching noises as they began to break.

In a single, simultaneous moment, every single transmutated monstrosity exploded, a mess of blood, flesh, and gore unlike anything I'd ever seen before. My eyes widened, and my hands shook as I stared on at what remained.

The recoil hit me like a truck, my entire body feeling as if it were about to explode. I doubled over as vomit and blood poured out of my mouth with a pained retch. My throat felt hollow, and my chest felt as if it had been torn open. I could only cough and wheeze and whimper, leaning on the wall to remain upright. In my current state I didn't even notice what had happened right in front of me.

The pieces of the stitched man began to stretch and grow, reforming into his original shape. He looked at me with a twisted grin, slowly stalking toward me.

"Oh! I didn't know you were a cursed speech user! You didn't look like one at first!" I couldn't move as he approached. "But from those markings...youre an Inumaki, huh?" He chuckled.

"Wow....dyed your hair, got a mask on....you must have really wanted to be discreet! Almost like you –" he gasped in false shock, grinning ear to ear. "– Abandoned your clan like a little traitor~! That's fun! I'm all about forging your own path and stuff."

He smirked as he came face to face with my frozen, shaking form. "You abandoned your clan, then came running back to the battlefield to avenge a friend of yours! It would have been noble if it wasn't in vain." He snickered. "Youll die for nothing! How does that make you feel?" He cupped his ear, as though to listen for a response, then cackled. "After a shout like that, you'd be lucky if you could even whisper in the future! I'd expect your vocal cords to be in shreds at this point." He gasped, overcome with an idea. "Ooh, you know what would be even better?! If you went crawling back to your family yourself!"

He grabbed my chin. "I'm in a good mood right about now. So here's how it's going to go. I'll let you walk out of here on your own two feet, so you can stumble on back to that clan of yours and play charades with them until they realize you're their biggest failure of your generation!" He grinned, releasing me and turning toward the pink-haired kid who still stood shocked in the doorway. "Ta-ta now~, better get out of here before I change my mind."

My mind was reeling despite the fact that I couldn't move. This...this curse...had the audacity to tell me to run, with my tail between my legs? To flee, with empty hands, regardless of what more I could do? This thing had the temerity to tell me what to do?

Is that not what I've been trying to avoid my whole life?

~~~

"Incredible," he breathed, astonished. "Youre getting stronger, even if you don't know it." Nanami smiled, sitting on the old swing as I stood in front of him, arms raised as i finished demonstrating an odd move i had come up with and practiced. "Not a lot of people can even comprehend the idea of learning a new cursed technique, yet here you are, creating one of your very own. Impressive work, especially for someone with hardly any formal training."

I grabbed the notepad in my pocket, quickly scrawling a response.

'Its entirely possible that formal training would have suppressed this. If all are taught the general systems, it'll be hard to remain an individual.'

He chuckled. "I guess it's possible. But schooling aside, you really have become something special. Keep honing that skill...keep being you, and I bet you'll one day do something incredible, even if you don't see it. Even now, you found a workaround to vent out your cursed energy without using cursed speech."

I smiled, sitting in the empty swing next to him. I pressed one more folded note into his hand, gently swinging forward and back.

'No matter what I do, and how long we spend apart, you always support me. You give me confidence and let me feel like I can really....do something. And it's something that I want that you always encourage. I never feel forced around you. I suppose I want to say I'm glad you've always stuck by my side. I'm really glad you're my friend.'

Nanami smiled softly then reached over to take my hand, interlacing our fingers.

"Of course. I'm glad you're my friend too."

~~~

I scowled at the curse as he walked away, raising my hands in front of me as I pooled whatever cursed energy I had left into my palms. One hand raised to my eye level, and the other drew back, as though pulling the string of an invisible bow. I could only mouth the words as I conjured my power.

"Cursed technique: toybox."

Toybox: a cursed technique designed and used solely by a forsaken and forgotten member of the Inumaki clan. Playing into the often-overlooked yet highly versatile arsenal of a children's imagination, Toybox allowed its user to concentrate portions of her cursed energy into a physical form, most often taking the shape of a pointed arrowhead or the length of a blade. None could see this "weaponry" aside from the user herself, hence the reference to imagination and childrens' toys.

I took careful aim, seeking to strike the curse at its core. I had one shot at this, and in it, I poured every last bit of power I had left. With a shaky breath and a steady hand, I released the grip that was pulled back, sending the equivalent of a cursed bullet flying at the stitched man.

He was still for a moment, looking down at the sizeable hole in his chest.

His head twisted around unnaturally, only grinning as the wound sealed shut. "Oh dear. I gave you your chance. This simply won't do." He walked back toward me. "You keep distracting me from the person I actually want to kill! And I'm getting tired of wasting my time." He smiled lazily, shrugging. "Buuut, you certainly don't have anything left now. I can tell. You're all out!" He chuckled, as the aftershock of losing so much energy finally hit me like a brick wall.

Almost as if on cue, I clutched my stomach as more blood and bile rose from my throat, and he snickered. With a swift hit to the legs he made my knees buckle, sending me all too quickly to the floor. My head struck tile with a thud, and I'm sure I heard a crack. My vision blurred and my breath hitched, and I couldn't even flinch when his foot sunk into my gut, only drawing forth more blood and vomit.

The man above me sneered. "Youre a pest. And you aren't even worth my time. You were born weak, you lived a coward, and you'll die a failure. Now, instead of dealing with you swiftly like I should have, we're going to find out if it takes longer for you to bleed out, or choke on your own vomit like a wounded dog."

I could only watch as he walked away, gasping, shaking, and unable to move. No matter what I tried, no matter what I wanted to do, I remained still, feeling utterly broken and worthless. My vision was fading, my body beginning to shut down. I heard muffled conversation between the curse and the boy, before it all...stopped.

~~~

My eyes shut tight. Why didn't I feel anything? Why didn't it...hurt? I flinched as I felt a hand on my shoulder, instinctively pulling away and sitting upright. My jaw dropped when I saw him.

"K....Kento...?"

I couldn't believe it. There he was, kneeling in front of me, his blonde hair almost falling in his eyes. He smiled softly, holding out his hand. "...i dont think ive heard you say my name in a long time...did you miss me, by any chance?"

I didn't take his hand, but instead sprung from my spot into his arms, hugging him tightly. My body shook as tears stung my eyes, so many words I never said all rising to the surface.

So much to say, so many questions, so many words, yet the only thing that fell past my lips was, "I'm sorry."

He brushed a strand of hair over my ear, his smile never fading. "Whatever for? I couldn't be prouder of you."

That only caused me to choke on a sob, shaking my head as I buried my face in his chest. "B-but I couldn't fight him...I didn't do anything, I didn't help anyone...." my hands clenched. "I-i failed."

He shook his head, pulling me up to look at him. "My dear, you gave your all to defend a purpose. And I've known you practically our whole lives. Your existence was not in vain...and I can promise that others will agree. I promise, I will never be disappointed in you."

The tears that fell next were of a different kind. "...heh...you always knew how to make me feel better, Ken..."

He smiled, and I paused as I felt his lips press against my forehead. "Of course. Don't you remember? I always do stuff for you." He chuckled, watching my cheeks flush at the memory. I took a deep breath, trying to organize my thoughts. Of any possible chance, surely this was the best one I had to say it.

"Kento...you've been...my best friend and my closest ally....our whole lives. My greatest support and beloved confidant..." I whispered, taking his hands. "I love you, Nanami Kento, I always have. I....I know it's far too late to have said anything, and I should have done something better, or-or gone to you sooner, but-"

I was cut off by a calloused hand cupping my cheek, pulling me into the most gentle, loving kiss, like the kind from books that one could only dream for.

He smiled. "Im glad I could hear you say it. It probably would have been awkward if we had to make this exchange with handwritten notes," he chuckled. The off comment made me giggle, and I hugged him again. He simply held me to his chest, wordless, just allowing time to pass.

We spent what felt like hours in each other's arms, exchanging questions and catching up on every detail.

I didn't want to move, didn't want to leave this incredible, impossible moment. Despite the situation, despite what all just happened, I felt...peaceful. Safe. Almost...alive. Nothing else mattered right now.

All of a sudden, i...felt like I was being pulled. As if I was beginning to be torn away from Nanami's arms. He looked down at me, noticing the invisible force.

"Kento, what...what's happening?" I whispered, clinging to him now with more strength.

He...he smiled, brushing back my hair and pressing a kiss to my forehead. "...looks like it's not quite your time yet. You get to keep going."

Fresh tears sprung to my eyes and I shook my head, burying my face in his chest. "N-no, I....I can't...I can't go back...I can't face them...I can't do anything..."

Our embrace was short-lived, and I cried out as I was dragged away.

~~~

"Im getting a response! She's coming back!"

"Easy now, don't overwhelm her."

"Who is she anyway?"

"Im not sure. She's got the marks of the Inumaki, but she doesn't have a sorcerer ID and any other form of identification seems to imply she changed her name."

"Alright, don't interrogate her now, I think she's waking up!"

My eyes squeezed tight, my head was pounding. I heard a lot of voices, too much sound to pay attention to any one thing.

Much as I didn't want to, I opened my eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the light. I was surrounded by people, unfamiliar faces, their gazes all boring into me. I felt like I wanted to disappear.

A blonde boy looked at the others, standing close to me. "I found her near where Nanami was...i-i mean, I wasn't completely sure if she was going to survive but if there was a chance, it seemed worth trying." He turned to me. "Are you feeling alright?" I shrugged, only able to let out a pained sigh. He nodded. "Yeah, i..I bet. All things considered, you don't look too badly injured per se...a couple of cracked ribs...might have a mild concussion from falling...but most of your state seemed to come from a near total drain of cursed energy. What happened?"

I opened my mouth to speak, tried to do something, anything, but the only noise that came out was a creaky, broken groan. My hands reached to my neck, at this point only trying to make a sound. I hadn't spoken in years, but now that I couldn't? Oh god. The only sound that came from my mouth were shaky gasps and raspy hisses.

The boy nodded. "Considering the state you were in, I wouldn't be shocked if your vocal cords are damaged beyond use...here." he pulled out his phone, then held it out to me with the notes app open. I sat up, taking the device and beginning to type, beginning with telling them my name.

'Nanami was an old friend of mine. I might technically be a sorcerer but I left that behind for personal reasons. I saw the veil around Shibuya, though, and i couldn't bring myself to ignore it, especially after I heard that kid yelling about Gojo. I got there when I could, dispatched the transmutated humans and minor curses that I saw as I ran toward the threat. I found that patched-up...thing standing over him, but I couldn't move fast enough to stop it. I used my cursed speech on him but...its almost like I didn't do anything at all.'

I sighed, handing the phone back to him to read. He nodded, relaying the message to the others; a woman in a white coat with a cigarette, and a man with spiky hair, a goatee, and dark, angled sunglasses. They both looked...vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it at the moment.

The woman frowned. "...an Inumaki girl who was friends with Nanami? I do remember someone like that...she hung out a lot less after a non-sorcerer got badly injured, though. Must've been you." At her words I shrunk into myself, and she nodded as her suspicions were confirmed. "But...you came back. That shows a lot more about you than you realize." She smiled a little, tapping her cigarette. "Takes a lot of courage to do that."

I turned to the boy, reaching out my hand, and he gave me the phone again.

'I never wanted a life like this. If I could've removed my tattoos and just...lived, like a normal person, I absolutely would have. But it's not like I could have ignored a veil that big and an aura that dark.'

I frowned.

'Not like it really mattered anyway. I didn't save anyone, and nearly killed myself in the process. I'm useless. The only thing I did here was cause another casualty.'

The boy read my note and shook his head. "Thats not exactly true. There were remnants of your cursed energy all around that room. Those things all over the place were transmutated humans, bodies crushed and mutilated to that curse's desired form, yet not permitted to die. Your cursed speech laid dozens of suffering, frightened, pained people to rest. It's a hard thing to think about, but...you saved them."

I stared at him, my eyes wide and lip quivering. I...saved them? How could that have been possible, with the image of such gore, such suffering etched into my mind? It doesn't seem right.

"More than that, I sensed your energy that came from something else. It was strong, concentrated. Do you have another cursed technique outside of your speech?" He asked, simple curiosity in his tone. Not accusational, not upset, just wishing to know. At my slight nod he smiled. "Then...you could still help people. Er- if you wanted to, that is. I don't mean to sound like I'm forcing you."

I took his phone and typed another response.

'I don't know yet, if I'm being honest. There's a lot to take in right now. All I ask right now is, if you can, don't tell Toge I'm here. I don't know if he remembers me, but I'm not sure if I can face him.'

As if the curse of fate decided to play yet another cruel joke, I heard a gasp from behind me. A pale-haired boy stared at me, eyes wide. I couldn't see his mouth under the high collar of his jacket, but I could tell exactly who he was. To my surprise he wasn't gawking at the markings on my lips, but looking at me, with a certain level of recognition in his eyes. I couldn't tell quite what emotion he was feeling, nor what he felt about seeing me after so long.

I never wanted to speak more desperately than I did in that moment. He was so...so small when I left. So young. I'm not sure he even knew why I had gone. I opened my mouth to speak, begging and pleading that I could just get one word out.

My lips moved to a silent voice, tears falling down my cheeks. "Toge, I-"

He didn't even let me try to continue, and I felt myself enveloped in the tightest, most caring hug I had gotten in years. A soundless sob shook in my chest as I clung to him with all I had. My mouth moved over and over again, repeating 'I'm sorry' and 'forgive me' endlessly. The man in the sunglasses chuckled. "Looks like someone missed you."

I couldn't believe it. After everything, after all this time, I was simply...welcomed? Forgiven? After my shortcomings, my failures, my pain, I could still...do something? Be something? No one was upset, and instead it seemed they...or at least Toge, was happy to see me. Despite the tragedy, despite all the suffering...it was like I still meant something. This sense of belonging, of support, everyone had everyone's backs, and everyone was working toward a common goal: making the world a safer place.

When toge let go of me, I picked up the phone one more time, typing a final message with a smile. This level of enthusiasm was something I hadn't felt since I was little, and I was almost relieved to have it back again. I handed the device back to its owner, and he read it aloud to the woman and man, each with a knowing smile on their face.

"How do I come back?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fin.

Thanks for reading :]

[xanofmercia]

A C T U A L L Y

I’m currently a teacher (elementary, middle, and high school; I used to teach classes of adults too, but due to technical difficulties I can’t do that right now), and where I can I let kids have fun and be creative, and it is even LESS fathomable to me now than it was when I was a kid that teachers are Like This.

When I was in sixth grade (twelve, old enough to have to pay full price at movie theatres and on airplanes, legally allowed to stay home alone and be paid to babysit), our teachers cited the SR&R’s drug policy to thoroughly search everything we brought to school (‘personal property’ apparently wasn’t a concept that applied to kids, though try to look into a teacher’s desk or touch one of their belongings and see how quickly they demonstrate a thorough understanding of it. No wonder we all turned to internet porn in high school). Every item was counted, catalogued, and, if deemed excessive or unnecessary, confiscated.

Anyone with more than four pencils was allowed to keep four (4) and had the rest confiscated. To this day I don’t know where the extra pencils went. Anyone with more than two highlighters had the extras confiscated, and that one was even less explicable, because teachers didn’t have a basket of extra highlighters they kept around in case students needed one (every teacher had a case of extra pencils, but they were all freely donated to the school by some corporation with its website printed proudly along the side, and then the teachers would complain that we used so many of them). For all I knew, they were robbing us to sell our possessions on the black market (not exactly an *efficient* way to make money, but I suppose on a teacher’s salary every bit helps. I would know).

I’d brought a pile of snacks (snacking helps me concentrate, school lunches were sized just large enough to prevent starvation, and I attended an after-school program with no dinner and long hours to fill with homework and exercise. I was still too young to be a latchkey kid back then). I didn’t take them out at school, of course — our eating was carefully policed, and woe betide anyone who took out so much as a peanut while a teacher was talking — but they were necessary for the hours after. But a roll of cookies and bag of carrot sticks had not been on the school supply list. So, naturally, these went into the teacher’s pile as well.

This might be sounding a tad familiar to some folks in the same country where I went to elementary school. Police do this, too, when there’s an especially valuable item. It gets a fair bit of coverage, but nobody does anything about this, since we don’t want all those nasty dangerous criminals after us doing things like forgetting to watch their speedometers. I suppose teachers are in the same boat. Parents might complain, but they don’t really want to be forced into the nasty dangerous occupation of homeschooling.

And another commonality might be the desire for power driving folks into both professions. Genuinely believing you’re a hero who’s going to save the public/the youth/both, taking a job to do just that, and heaven help anyone who criticizes you, because you certainly won’t. Me, I’ve known I was a villain from the start. That’s why I became a teacher — I wanted to undermine all that law and order, actually. Encourage some anarchy; it builds character. Go ahead, bring three highlighters to school. Bring five. Write six paragraphs for a five-paragraph essay. Color outside the lines.

The Children-Protectors of Texas can rattle their pitchforks all they want. But they haven’t managed to catch me yet…

[memwazz]

SEVEN - Myko Kravchenko

- ROLE

Myko is a member of the 7th Division and the last one to have joined the team. Due to the nature of their power, they partly serve as a healer but they're also the most powerful fighter of the group.

- APPEARANCE

Species : unknown (high radioactive blood)

Age : 26

Height : 171 cm

COSTUME

- ILLUSTRATIONS, COMICS, SHITPOST

- Illustrations :

Finish Line - Bodies -

- Comics :

- Shitpost :

ABILITIES

Myko's blood is highly radioactive as they come from Chernobyl and this radioactivity causes them to develop powerful shock waves. Their radioactive blasts can either be used as an "offensive weapon" or a "healing device".

Their power is the strongest and most dangerous of the 7th Division, but Myko's lack of training, serious and concentration makes it unstable and sometimes ineffective. They sometimes even hurt their team mates by mistake.

They are also forced to "reload" frequently and produce energy by repeatedly hitting on things. A simple tap of their fingers on a table can be enough to activate their power a bit, but Myko reloads most of the time fighting or playing drums.

Their power could be infinite and unlimited if it wasn't mostly used to keep them alive. Myko suffers from an unknown disease which could kill them if their healing magic wasn't acting constantly.

- PERSONALITY

Myko could undoubtedly be described as an extrovert. They're a dynamic person who's not afraid of the unknown and always act boldly. They seem very confident in everything they do and never give up when things go wrong. They are overall someone positive and their enthusiastic smile never leaves their face.

The nature of Myko's power (an unknow radioactive source) makes their energy unlimited and thus they are highly hyperactive. Myko has untreated ADHD and needs a permanent stimulation, which leads them to be very noisy and agitated. They're always moving, talking loudly and fastly without thinking. The people who know them say they look on the verge of exploding at any moment.

They're extravagant and feel upset when ignored. As a consequence, they will sometimes act stupid and make as much noise as possible to seek attention. They're not a very intelligent person and will exaggerate this trait on purpose. People are often tired of this attitude but love them anyway because Myko is a benevolent and nice person with a sociable personality.

They lack patience and attention because of their ADHD. Most of the time, they can't focus during conversations and forget half of the important informations, which is a problem during missions. In the field, they are chaotic and don't always follow orders, driving Aloïs crazy. Myko is unpredictable and probably don't even know what they're doing themselves. They're a daredevil who often put their life at risk because they don't think before they act, which worries and angers their team mates a lot. When close to death, they act carelessely like their own life is less important than fun and attention. They're negligent, irresponsible and basically childish.

Myko actually put emphasis on their immaturity to hide their insecurities. They have a low self-confidence, which is the reason behind is need of attention : they're afraid to be forgotten or not to be enough, especially in front of their relatives they think are more intelligent and competent than them. Myko does their best to be a good person and team mate so they can be loved, but they do it the wrong way and make the situation worse. They see themselves as a good-for-nothing : the other heroes' reaction don't help and sometimes makes them think their existence is not desired. On top of everyhing, they're searching for recognition from their leader Aloïs, with whom they maintain a conflictual relationship.

In opposition of what they show, Myko lives in a permanent fear of death. Theh have anxiety when the topic is discussed because their radioactive blood makes them very sick and they could die any time. They're worried not to have the time to live it up so they seize the day, even if they have to "live fast, die young".

- BACKSTORY

Myko was born in Ukraine, near Chernobyl. For this reason, their blood is highly radioactive and they were diagnosed with an unknown deadly disease as a baby. Their life expectancy was supposed to be a few years only, but they survived thanks to their powerful healing power which activates almost constantly. They grew up with their parents and their 15 years older brother Serhiy in a very modest household.

When Myko was 10, their family decided to migrate to the United States hoping for a better life. They were separated from Serhiy who disappeared when they crossed the border. The rest of the family was placed in a refugees camp, where Myko's parents both died from a contagious disease. The 11 years old child was spared thanks to their powers and left the camp to search for their missing brother.

Myko was completely lost in the United States and couldn't speak English : they were quickly discriminated and lived an even poorer life. They asked for the army's help (mostly for their investigation about Serhiy) but they didn't care and turned them off.

As they were having a breakdown in front of a military office, they met the officer Arthur Wentworth who empathized and accepted to help them. The searches were inconclusive even with his access to secret files but Arthur never gave up and also helped Myko with their daily life. He found them a small rent-free accomodation thanks to his privileges in the army and Myko started having a better living.

They managed to learn English a bit and to settle in the country. Myko made friends, started playing drums as a hobby and joined a speed metal band named Sanatorium. From then on, their power started to develop even more thanks to the repeated knockings. It was a disturbing and scary experience : aged 20, Myko mentioned it to Arthur who introduced them to the 7th Division.

They finally joined the team and are now a permanent member. Serhiy hasn't reappeared yet : Myko's still searching for them with Arthur's help.

- PRIVATE LIFE

Myko lives in a small rent-free apartment provided by the US Army. They play drums in their free time and are in a speed metal band named Sanatorium. They like to got out in public places and get drunk with friends.

Myko's only family is their missing brother Serhiy and they are currently investigating on his disappearance.

RELATIONSHIPS

LILYAS

[SPOILERS]

Lilyas, also known as Serhiy, is Myko's big brother. They were separated when they were 11 and 15 as Lilyas was kidnapped and brainwashed by the mafia. When they meet, Myko is convinced Lilyas is holding their brother hostage because he's in possession of the hairpin they offered him years before. They break down and try to fight him.

Myko quickly discovers Lilyas actually is Serhiy and tries to reason him, in vain. A few days after turning them down, Lilyas has regrets and tries to contact his sibling again, to discover they were attacked by Aristide and are in a coma. His determination to save them will be the main motive of his redemption arc. When Myko wakes up, the two of them start bonding again and Lilyas slowly gets his memory back. He swears to become a better person for his sibling to be happy.

Because they were separated for a long time, their relationship is fragile and complicated. Lilyas is not fully adapted to society yet and Myko do everything they can to help him. Unfortunately, Lilyas sometimes hurts them with his immoral actions or just acting too blunt and aggressive. They both try to fix things and to act like they've always been together. Lilyas takes his big brother role very seriously and is obsessed with the idea of protecting his only family left. Myko on their side, try to brighten Lilyas' life and to make him smile as much as possible, but it's not the easiest thing. They sometimes tire or anger him because of their extravagant and noisy personality and because Lilyas is naturally grumpy.

Myko craves physical contact from their brother but Lilyas refuses their hugs because he's afraid to hurt or poison them with his powers if he's holding them too tight or too long.

However, despite their flawed relationship, the two of them are extremely loving and care for each other a lot. They will slowly learn to overcome these difficulties together.

ARTHUR

Myko is attached to Arthur a lot. They've known each other for 15 years now and Myko see him like the father or the big brother they lost. Arthur is the person who helped them the most with their investigations on Serhiy and Myko trusts him blindly. He also reassured them when their powers started getting out of control and is the one who introduced him to the 7th Division.

Not only Arthur is a mentor to Myko, he also is a good friend of theirs and they're having chill times together. Myko is grateful Arthur stays calm and patient under any circumstances, even when everyone is mad at them for causing trouble.

ALOÏS

Myko and Aloïs' relationship is pretty tense. They're in permanent conflict because their respective personalities and neurodivergences don't match. They're not close at all in their private life and a huge part of their conversations revolve around work, are arguments, or both.

Myko see Aloïs as an authoritative tyrant and hate his rigidity and the way he leads the team. Since they're having a hard time with any figure of authority, they often disobey Aloïs or just forget what the plan was, which leads at best to Aloïs getting angry, at worse to failed missions or injuries. Therefore they often argue about it and Myko feel upset every time Aloïs scolds them, leading them to be even more provocative.

Myko is resentful to their leader because the way he shouts at them make them think he likes them less than any other member of the team. They're having a hard time integrating and sometimes hold Aloïs responsible for it, considering he's not treating them right.

They still respect and love him a lot in secret and don't know how to express it, thus they act willingly stupid or dangerously to get his attention.

Both suffer from this conflictual relationship because they still see each other as team mates and friends. Myko would do everything to protect their leader and never hesitate putting their life in danger to heal him on the front line. Unfortunately, their absence of communication is what leads to their perpetual conflict.

ROXANNE

They slept together once after drinking a lot and Myko was one of the rare people to treat her well. They didn't become a couple and never had sex again : they consider themselves as good friends.

EZRA

They are good friends and are having a lot of fun together. Right after Arthur, Ezra is the person of the team Myko is the closest to, probably because they share the coping mechanism of acting goofy to hide from their problems.

Myko do everything to make Ezra laughts because it's the best way for them to feel loved.

KREATOR

Myko is the one who gave Kreator his nickname when the team was fighting him without knowing his real identity. Their inspiration comes from the 80s thrash metal band.

[neochan]

DEATH WISH (M)

PAIRING | vampire!haechan x vampire!reader

WC | 1k

WARNINGS | lots of cheesy vampire jokes and mentions of blood

A.N | i'm considering making this a full fic, so if you like it, please tell me!

everyone wants to take a bite out of their lab partner every once in a while, right?

especially when his blood thumped and pounded through the bulging vein running along the side of his porcelain neck. he was so fair, almost translucent, and if you narrowed your eyes enough, you might just be able to make out the dark red hue of ecstasy.

okay maybe not everyone fantasized about that kind of biting, but right now you were fighting to control the itch stinging the back of your throat.

it had been a while since your last feed, shifts at the hospital growing further and further apart thanks to your heavy college course load, and it was taking an immense toll on you.

you felt tired all day despite not being able to sleep, your usual bright amber eyes were a dark muddy brown, and of course the worst part of it being the constant itch in the back of your throat that had you looking at everyone like a gourmet meal.

the boy whose neck you had been concentrating on drops the thin test tubes into the rack and turns to you, "so do you want to meet later to finish the lab?"

osaki shotaro was a sweet boy with an even sweeter blood type, and you knew there was no way you could meet with him later without feeding first.

your voice is hoarse when you speak, "i can't tonight." for some reason you think he's going to protest, but he just shakes his head instead, "how about i do the rest since i've been spacing out this entire time." your laugh is more like a dry cackle but he still cracks a smile in return, "it's only fair."

"sounds good to me."

the dried up professor starts barking orders at the class on how to safely dispose of the labs materials. no matter how thirsty you were, you wouldn't touch that old bag of bones with a ten foot fang.

thankfully you and shotaro were quick at cleaning up, because as soon as your professor gives you the go ahead, you're rushing out the door, a promise to finish the lab report thrown over your shoulder. you sprint down the stairs, through the double doors, and out into the open air before you could run into the mass of students being let out for lunch.

a quick stop at the hospital would do you an insane amount of good, so you start to walk towards your car. you opt to take a quick shortcut behind the cluster of academic buildings, but soon an eerie feeling creeps up your spine and grabs at your stone heart.

if you were still human, you bet the hair on your arms would be standing, and your pulse racing.

the undead didn't work that way.

"if you're gonna kill me, can you hurry it up? i got places to be." the joke makes you snort.

as if anyone could kill you.

the concrete sidewalk laid empty, along with the fire escape off to your left. there was no one in sight, yet your instincts were screaming at you the opposite.

"i was gonna start off with a hi, hello, how are you, but if you really want me to, i guess i could..." a whoosh of air rushes over your face and suddenly you're face to face with a boy your age, "i don't particularly like killing my kind though."

alarm bells were ringing through you, the sickening sweet smell of a fresh vampire invading your nostrils. he didn't look dangerous though, his blonde hair in a tousle, eyes a muddy amber.

he needed to feed.

"my campus is off limits."

for as long as you were turned, you had been the only vampire in your town, which made you unkind to...strangers.

"relax. i came to see you." his fangs shoot out, the sharp tips resting on his bottom lip, "the names haechan." why was a freshly turned vampire here to see you? what did he want? and why was he actually kind of cute? "your ability is tactile telepathy?"

"how the fuck do you know that?" now the alarm bells were screaming at you to run. go somewhere and hide until he left.

"my ability is mimicry. i can draw on others power and manipulate it as my own. " he seemed proud, "touch my hand, and you'll see that i'm not gonna hurt you." his left hand juts out for you to take.

you would only need a few seconds of contact to see the last couple weeks of his life, so hesitantly you make contact, a shudder passing through you on impact. it flashes in your mind like a movie, transforming in your thoughts as if they were your own memories.

laughter, tracking, scents, two pairs of eyes, three, four, five? a coven? a... family.

"there's more of you here." you say, withdrawing your hand and taking a step back.

haechans mind was one of the few interesting ones you'd had the pleasure of seeing. since he's freshly turned, he still has the hazy gold glow across all of his memories - as if he was seeing the world for the first time. he was... happy, young, yearning.

he shoves his hands deep into the pockets of his oversized basketball shorts, "they want to meet you, but they sent -"

"sent you because you seem the least intimidating." you cut him off, finishing his sentence for him.

you had seen everything.

"...yeah. you saw we don't want to hurt you. we just want to talk."

he was telling the truth, that much you knew, but you'd been alone a long time, why all of a sudden was there a coven of vampires wanting to speak to you?

and why was he here?

you had seen someone you knew in haechans memories. someone you'd known a long long time ago, and he was here waiting for you. he had tracked you down, you could feel it.

might as well go and see what he wanted.

"i'll talk, but i need to feed first."

the boy grins from ear to ear and gives you a wink, "don't worry, i was gonna ask if you wanted to grab a bite anyway."

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[lichdragon-fortissax]

who's ready for a fuckload of omen hcs

too bad you get them anyways. Warning for canon-typical child death and abuse of power, put under a readmore because this gets long

(Note: this is going off of my current theory that the Erdtree was once linked purely to life and the Primordial Crucible, before it became possessed by the Greater Will and was forced to become a vessel of Order. This may change down the road, but the current concept I'm playing with is that the Erdtree itself was similar to Marika in that it became linked with the Greater Will just as Marika became linked to the Elden Ring, and that its nature is not inherently linked to Order, only Life.)

-Each omen is different, with the unifying traits being an abundance of horns and various animal features overlaid upon a human form. Most often, the horns tend to overwhelm all other features, but omen children birthed with distinct animal traits aren't too uncommon. Mohg and Morgott are extreme examples simply because their divine nature makes them inherently linked to the Erdtree, and its more ancient form as a sapling of the Primordial Crucible

-Because of this, omen x omen crosses are never viable. There's usually just too many animal features to keep track of for the fetuses to be viable. Omen x non-omen crosses have normal fertility, however, with a 50/50 chance of producing both omen and non-omen offspring

-Before the Greater Will inhabited the Erdtree, these features were considered a sacred aspect of the Primordial Crucible and were celebrated as a representation of the once-conjoined form of life, similar to how the holy incantations of the Crucible Knights imbue their forms with aspects of different beasts. After the crusades lead by the Golden Order, however, this changed. Strict enforcement over conquered territories demanded a harsher reinforcement of the concept of Order, which lead to omen-born children being seen as cursed. This came to a peak after the exile of Lord Godfrey, who previously lead the Crucible Knights

-Despite this, all omens retain their predisposition towards holy magics. It's pretty much the only inherently dangerous thing about them, and is the most concentrated in their blood, an occurrence that was originally linked to the Erdtree's sap being a source of highly concentrated holy magic

-As time went on, the superstition around omens grew more and more convoluted, with many believing that their 'curse' was a tangible thing that could be contracted like a disease. It started off with the concept of them having 'accursed blood', then shifted to any form of physical contact, and then to the concept of them being able to curse others on sight. Nowadays, anything from making eye contact with an omen to touching one to sharing actual bathwater is considered bad luck, as it is thought that they are capable of cursing your seed through such contact

-As a result, the only people who are allowed to touch or heal omen are the perfumers of Leyndell, who serve as sacred healers as well as annoying fireball-throwing assholes. Even so, they do so while wearing protective veils and gloves, and remain as detached from their duties as possible. Omenkillers specifically are high-ranking perfumers dressed in a way to dissuade them from rebelling, and have often drunk enough emotion-tampering draughts to be twisted into merciless murderers

-Re: the Omenkiller masks, the visions that Omen see in their nightmares aren't actual accursed spirits haunting them- it's their natural affinity to the primordial aspect of the Erdtree, which was then twisted and pruned into shape by the Greater Will. The defiance of the natural state of life in the Lands Between haunts their nightmares, and has made for a very handy way of keeping control over them, especially paired with the whole shunning-grounds nonsense

-Speaking of the Subterranian Shunning-Grounds; the culture down there is highly lacking to nonexistant. Noble children given up by distraught nobles are assigned watchers so that they can be assured thst their babies don't starve to death, but the minders are practically jailers, and that lasts only long enough to ensure the kid can eat solid food before they're left on their own. Many omen do feel the instinctual need to care for the abandoned children, but fear of the watchers paired with a lack of a consistant food source + knowledge generally means that actual mentoring is scarce. And for highborn or more animalistic omen, their limbs are shackled and they are confined to cells to ensure that they do not cause 'problems' for the watchers

-Lesserborn omen babies that die in the horn-cutting rites have their bodies thrown into the sewers instead of earning a proper burial to prevent potential 'contamination' via curses. While many rot where the waters wash them, many of the omen in the sewers create some sort of burial rite for the children they do find, pieced together from the fragments of culture they learned from watching below

-The vast majority of omenborn in the Shunning-Grounds do not know how to speak. This is not due to an inability for speech, but from neglect. While some noble-born were visited by their families up until said visits caused a scandal, and have limited speaking abilities, most don't, and resort to basic growls and body language to communicate with others. Some attempts at a sewer-language were made in the past, but those who tried to spread it were slaughtered loudly and messily by omenkillers before they could cause an uprising. As such, even those who have broken speech will always refuse to talk to non-omen individuals

-Nonroyal omens who survive hornloss surgery don't get this luxury, either- many are kept in the army as brute strength, and only learn their orders or their names.

-This makes structuring reform efforts for the omen to be extremely difficult. When Morgott veiled himself and became king, he attempted to push reform by claiming his true-form to be Margit, the Fell Omen, hands and eyes of the Veiled Monarch, but placing an omen in a seat of power did very little to change the stigma, and war struck before he could attempt anything else. Still, he tried to place lowborn Omen in the army in positions of less danger (like right in front of the hidden path to Leyndell behind a magma wyrm), pulled many of the watchers to fight on the battlefield, and armed the omen that stayed behind in the sewers so they wouldn't be so defenseless against omenhunters. Mohg also took a lot of the ones capable of speech with him in his journey to create a dynasty, which helped...a little bit

-The reason why there are no omen at the Haligtree is specifically due to this reason, btw; Malenia and Miquella both offered on their campaign, but by that point Mohg had already taken all the speech-capable omen and Morgott was too mistrustful to let either Empyrean anywhere near Leyndell.

-Mohg heard, however, which was the second part of why he went for Miquella for easy lordship beyond him being vulnerable- he thought that Miquella's more leniant stance meant that if he broke his curse with his blood, then Miquella would make him his consort and automatically grant lordship as a thank-you, like some sort of exhange system. Which is not at all how politics or people work, but he was raised in the sewers, so go figure.

-Culture and community in the sewers is sparse; this is not because the omen are innately antisocial, but because they often have such little socialization and resources that they can't really allow themselves to be social. They have catacombs down there, so some who were taught how to pray will do so, there's an unspoken agreement to leave children alone, to kill off invaders coming down to slaughter them, and there is a sort of tentative trade system that many are familiar with, but for the most part, everyone sticks to small groups of twos and threes. Food is mostly gathered from wastebins tossed down into the Shunning-Grounds + hunting the rats, slugs, and lobsters that naturally live down there, and some vague understanding of water purification via boiling exists, but that's pretty much it. It's much easier to feed one to two mouths than multiple at a time, and the harsh punishment of anything that can be seen as plotting against the watchers or omenkillers dissuades more contact with other omens from already half-feral adults

-Unfortunately, this has only strengthened the idea that omens are naturally animal-like cursed brutes that are a danger to the rest of society if not locked away. Paired with the fact that many omens benefit from the animal features they retain (such as Morgott's stupendous jumping ability + agility, and Mohg's dragon wings + snarling), and the prejudice pretty much writes itself.

-Morgott and Mohg are perhaps the most socialized out of the bunch, and that's because Godfrey kept visiting them up until he was exiled. How affectionate these encounters were is somewhat up for debate, but we can assume by Morgott's almost childish faith in the Erdtree and the golden, nondistinct illusion of his father that he summoned to ward us away that the visits likely only lasted long enough to teach them to speak, the basics of society, and why they were trapped in the Shunning-Grounds

-Morgott's animal features are primarily mammal based (and lionlike), while Mohg's are reptilian. Morgott himself is covered in a layer of thin silver fur that thickens drastically at different points of his body, has short whiskers, a rasped tongue, and rudimentary paw pads, while Mohg is scaled + feathered and has a stubby little tail under his robes. If Morgott accepted his omen blood like Mohg did, then he would probably look a whole lot more like a lion-man

-However, he attempts to suppress said blood as much as possible, even to the detriment of his health. Part of the reason why he looks so old and worn down compared to the rest of his family is because the sheer stress of trying not to be himself has taken a toll on his body. The other part is that he was just born an old soul, and in Marika's ilk the soul is often reflected by the body vs the body being affected by the world around it

-Getting treated as a feared, damned thing to be avoided whenever he dares to go out under the guise of Margit probably doesn't help, either. He doesn't wear the mimic veil + go out in his human guise as Morgott the Grace-Given often due to fear of the illusion being broken, and the respect he gets in that form compared to the fear and hatred his true-self earns always makes him bitter and irritable afterwards

-Mohg, on the other hand? His pride in his blood is partially fueled by Marika throwing him into the sewers, and partially because he's so desperate for affection that the Formless Mother showing him the full power of his omen blood had him leaping at the opportunity to embrace his 'curse'. He's been batted around like a toy by all the gods who've met him, and his methods of gaining power via satanic blood rituals on a comatose Empyrean are...kind of a problem, but he is the closest an omen has been to their status as a religious symbol in a long, long while

-And despite all the prejudice they face, the desire to shun and destroy omen children? It's not innate. It's very much a case of the Golden Order attempting to weed out 'undesirables', and many of the people who bear omen children are often forced into giving up or killing their babies instead of doing it voluntarily. Nobles are more willing to get rid of them to avoid scandal, partially because they don't have to live with the knowledge of their baby bleeding out in their arms, but for a non-noble, an infant omen is considered to be pretty much a tragedy. Reversing the prejudice after the Golden Order is abolished will take some centuries, given how extreme the reactions to the 'omen curse' is, but it hasn't seeped so deeply into the general public that it'll be

-Likewise, the Erdtree is perfectly willing to accept those with the 'omen curse' into its roots; it just needs the Greater Will to be slain before doing so, as it is the Greater Will's obsession with order that prevents them from doing so. That's why Morgott became human after he died- the Erdtree saw all that he did for it and its progeny during his lifetime, and removed what was once its blessing from him so that it could accept him into its roots. It was never able to speak to him during his lifetime, as the Greater Will forbade it from doing so, but love him it did.

[projectilecry]

exactly. biden isn’t great. we all know that. but he’s miles better than the alternative. he’s miles better than trump, and miles better than whatever the republican party is coming up with right now.

you might say “oh well since i don’t like biden or trump/other republican candidate, i’m going to vote for a third party”. please don’t. at least not just because biden isn’t your absolute favorite. third parties have never and still do not have the power to pull votes in america like the democratic and republican parties do. sure we’re not technically a solely two party system, in that we do have more than two parties, and because more than two large parties are definitely possible in america if we wanted them, but we are effectively one.

vote for a third party candidate for your more local government if you like them the best and think they’ll do the best job 100%. vote for whoever you actually like most for primaries. but please don’t vote third party for president right now, at least not until a third party is popular, and i mean very popular. i mean polling at least 1/3rd of the vote.

vote democratic in the general election. if biden wins the primaries, fucking vote for biden. i know it sucks, but it’s the best option. because otherwise, if you vote third party that gets 1% of the vote total, you’re essentially “wasting” your vote on this type of situation. this type of situation absolutely sucks, and it really shouldn’t exist, but sadly it is the reality. (yes, no vote except one not cast at all is actually wasted, but in this case it often acts like a sort of sunk-cost fallacy. “wasted vote” is a loaded term and i don’t really like to use it because it’s typically very subjective, but it’s the best term i have here.)

if our political situation in america was normal right now, if we didn’t have one absolutely despicable and dangerous candidate, if both main candidates were alright and the differences between them were differences with small policy and not basic human fucking rights, voting third can be viable. it can be okay. but if we’re dealing with this type of situation, the kind where we’re picking the lesser of two evils, vote for the lesser of the two.

at this point in america, there’s no way a third party is going to win the presidential vote. voting third party in generals right now is basically equivalent to not doing anything, and even sometimes worse. we cannot once again afford the greater of two evils in office. the better of the two may not be ideal, may not be what we really want, but it’s definitely closer.

republicans are much more unlikely to vote third party, at least the trump fans/trump-esque liking ones. they’re going to vote for the republican elect. their vote will not be split over multiple candidates, they’ll be concentrated on one. democrats are much more likely to vote third party right now, because they don’t really like biden either, but that splits the vote. vote splitting can be very dangerous, and is something that many political elects, especially republican ones, intentionally attempt to cause by things like gerrymandering.

(vote splitting is what (likely) caused the outcome of the 2000 presidential election. it (likely) caused al gore to lose to george w bush because of the green party canadate ralph nadar getting enough votes to split votes that would have likely gone to al gore. ralph nader only got 2.7% of the popular vote that election, but he likely made a massive impact with just that small amount, and not necessarily in a good way. if al gore had won, america likely would never have gone into iraq.)

that makes it so that sure, 47% of people are voting for trump/the republican candidate, but only 46% are voting for biden/the democratic party candidate. the other 7% are going to third parties. this means that although 47% is less than half, and we usually think of the presidential election as being won by the candidate that gets more than half of the vote, that 47% in no way means that they are not winning. with third parties it makes it possible for a candidate to win without getting over 50% of the vote, which is entirely fine and valid, but it’s not intuitive when america is treated like an entirely two party system.

that 47% is still going to win. the views of the 7% that voted thirds and the 46% that voted democratic are probably more alike in ideas and views than they are to the republican sector, but that doesn’t mean that what is actually the popular view wins out. if the 7% that voted thirds voted democratic, the democratic candidate would have 53% of the vote, and would win. even if only 2% of those third party voters voted democratic, and 5% still voted third, the democratic party would win. the candidate that you have more similar views to would win, rather than the one whose views are less like yours.

again, it’s absolutely shit that this is so crucial right now. you should be able to vote for a third party or whoever you want, without feeling like you’re unintentionally hurting people. you should be able to actually vote for who you want most without unintentionally causing harm. but because of how america currently runs, it’s tricky. it doesn’t really work like that. and it’s shit, because it shouldn’t work like it does right now, it shouldn’t be fucked up, but it is. and we unfortunately need to accommodate for that.

please consider not voting third party for president. at least not for now. they may sound like a good idea, but they can be dangerous. we cannot afford another four years of trump or republican leadership. american politics has turned into a game, play it responsibly and play it well.

(plus, it’s not like trump or republican leadership would care about the issues that people are mad at biden for not taking a stronger or better stance on either. trump/republican leadership would not be doing anything more to help anyone in palestine or israel right now, would not be doing anything more to help the actual innocent civilians that are being killed en masse. would not be calling for a ceasefire. would not be doing anything more than probably trying to drop our own bombs there too. they would not be doing more to support minorities, to support women. they would be actively trying to ban abortion even more than they are already. they would be trying to ban gay people, yet again. they would be, and already are, trying to legislate trans people out of existence. would not be trying to help the people of ukraine any more, would not be trying to prevent more innocent civilians from being killed. would not be doing any more to prevent the rampant gun violence in america, in fact would be doing much less. would not be doing any more to help prevent innocent civilians around the world from being killed. i saw someone describe this election as “more war crimes” v.s. “less war crimes”, and that’s exactly what it is. please vote for less war crimes.)

People are talking about not voting for Biden.

Again.

I'm just so tired of this argument.

I just can't do Trump again.

I can't.

His incompetence killed so many people. A panel estimated 40% of COVID deaths could have been averted.

One of those deaths was my mother.

She was killed because people didn't trust the vaccines and they didn't think masks were worth the inconvenience. That man could have gone on TV and said "This is the Trump vaccine and it is great." He could have sold fucking MAGA masks on his website. He had 100% influence over his dipshit followers and could have used that for the greater good. But he was too vain to wear a mask in public and bungled the vaccine rollout.

And now I worry some of my trans loved ones may not make it through another far right administration. They have this giant target on their back right now and conservatives seem determined to eradicate as many trans lives as possible.

I wrote a whole ass post about how I didn't care for Biden. I still don't. But when I try to imagine what a right wing administration would be doing right now... that seems like it would be a nightmare orders of magnitude worse than the current nightmare.

As someone with an untreatable chronic illness, I know the feeling of being presented with choices where all of them suck. And I have had to survive by choosing the least sucky option over and over.

It feels bad every single time.

I hate it.

And I still fucking choose.

It should be different. There should be better choices. I shouldn't have to choose the least bad thing among all bad things.

But there are people and things in this world I feel are worth sticking around for, so I continue to choose the least sucky thing.

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Giant Flytrap

CR 10

Neutral Huge Plant

Bestiary 1, pg. 134

Of course, of course this would exist. Golarion as a planet in general has no shortage of man-eating plants, so of course the most famous predatory plant on Earth and the granddaddy of the ‘killer plant’ idea as a whole would have a statblock devoted to it! Common Flytraps that feed on significant numbers of magical insects or which grow in areas with high concentrations of magic gradually bloat in both size and appetite, twisting their roots--now useless for even gathering water--into legs that let it trundle along at 10ft a round as it searches for prey to sate itself with.

More accurately referred to by locals in their common hunting areas as Green Gulpers or Snapperjaws, Giant Flytraps eschew both eating flies and patiently waiting for prey to come to them and instead seek out whatever catches their attention via either their +10 Perception or their 60ft of Tremorsense. Their 15ft space and 15ft of reach give them an impressively large threat radius, even flying creatures vulnerable to being snatched out of the air if they can’t get away quick enough. Giant Flytraps are fairly simple creatures, lashing out with up to four bite attacks each round, each one dealing 1d8+7 damage and Grabbing whatever they hit.

But, as one may expect, the real danger starts if someone can’t break the tenacious plant’s grapple. If the Green Gulper begins its turn grappling a Medium or smaller creature, it can make a Combat Maneuver check (to which it gets +22) against one of its prey items to attempt to Engulf them. Any creature engulfed by the thick leaves not only takes 1d8+7 and 2d6 Acid damage each round, but the seal swiftly becomes airtight, threatening the victim with suffocation if they don’t escape or succumb to the damage first. The Gulpers can maintain a grapple on as many creatures as they have mouths, typically capping at 4, though larger versions exist, snapping up herds of animals and groups of wanderers alike until their every mouth is full.

What might catch a party expecting a mindless eating machine off-guard, though, is the fact Gulpers are actually smart. 1 Int, so not sapient or particularly creative, but they are capable of using their skills intelligently, such as creeping along with their +17 to Stealth if they believe their prey might be attentive or breaking off of a fight if their would-be victim proves too much trouble to handle. More importantly, however, is that their Intelligence means they can use feats, and they’ve got a decent selection: Power Attack to put a bit more juice into their multiple blows, and Cleave and Vital Strike to grant them combat flexibility if they can’t make a Full-Attack. Cleave allows their Grab to latch onto two adjacent foes at once and potentially swallow them next round, and Vital Strike lets them squeeze just a bit more damage out of a single bite than they normally could.

They won’t exactly dazzle a party with their advanced combat tactics, but these massive maneaters can still provide a startling challenge for parties heading into swamplands and marshes, especially if they can’t detect the subtle shifting of its roots until they’re already within its reach...

You can read more about them here.

[starglitterz]

Could you please make hcs for Diluc, Kaeya, Bennett and Xingqiu with a gn s/o that is a really powerful anemo vision user? But, the thing is, they are actually pretty chill in their life-style, no adventuring or fighting monsters or anything, they are a random farmer that no one would bat a eye if not for the fact that Hillichurls and Mitachurls seen to be seen constantly around where they grow their vegetables, so yeah, they will not just watch some Mitachurl wreak havoc on their babies

hello !! one order of a donut coming right up ! i hope you enjoy it, and ty for ordering from quill's dessert cafe 🍧

🍩 genshin boys with a powerful anemo vision user s/o

feat; bennett, diluc, kaeya, xingqiu x gn!reader

warnings; none

bennett.

you and bennett had just started dating recently, and were still in the process of getting to know each other. it might have been sped up if it wasn't for the fact that most of your dates went haywire halfway through thanks to his bad luck. however, you never let it dampen bennett's mood or yours, and often reminded him it wasn't his fault whenever he started getting insecure that you would leave him.

of course, bennett had noticed the anemo vision you wielded, but had yet to see you in battle with it. for that at least he was grateful, because he didn't know what he would do if anything bad happened to you. he assumed you weren't much of a warrior due to your relaxed demeanor, as you weren't a member of the adventurer's guild nor a knight of favonius. bennett wasn't sure if he was strong enough to protect the two of you in a fight, especially with the entire universe conspiring against him.

one day, you decided to invite bennett over to your farm. it was a little on the outskirts of springvale, where there were acres of flat land that were perfect for growing a healthy harvest. your boyfriend was incredibly excited, and was buzzing with energy all day as he rapidly fired off questions about anything remotely related to farming. 'what tools do you use?' 'how often do you water them?' 'do you know how to cook with these crops?' 'you do?! can you teach me to make something?' the list went on and on, and frankly you were very pleased to see bennett being this interested in your profession.

however, when the two of you arrived, there was a huge blazing axe mitachurl swinging its weapon around in the middle of your lush field! bennett's jaw dropped as he considered how much damage it would cause to your crops if the axe lit up, while you merely cursed under your breath 'not this again.'

without a trace of fear, you rushed ahead, unwilling to see any harm befall your beloved crops and oblivious to bennett telling you how dangerous it was. 'don't worry!' you called back as some sort of reassurance, but bennett was obviously still going to worry. he would have followed you into battle if he wasn't so terrified that his bad luck would only make things more difficult for you, not to mention his pyro vision would simply set the crops aflame. the mitachurl's white eyes rested on you for a moment before a mighty growl escaped its throat as it prepared to lunge forward and crush you beneath its feet.

you merely held your hand out towards it and concentrated, while muttering a quick prayer to barbatos. almost immediately, the vision you owned began to glow as you summoned a gust of wind which whipped around you, bennett and the mitachurl with a howl loud enough to rival that of andrius. as you clenched your fingers, the wind blew towards the mitachurl and knocked it off its feet before pushing it so far away it was nothing more than a speck in the distance. dusting off your hands, you instantly bent down to check your plants as if defeating giant monsters were just part of your daily routine.

'that was so cool!' bennett cheered as he ran over to you, 'i didn't know you were so strong!' you smiled at his enthusiasm, 'thanks. now could you help me water these? i think the fight might have dehydrated them.'

bennett now knows you have a hidden side reserved solely for unknowing hilichurls who dare trample your crops, and he thinks it's the most epic thing ever. he feels as if you're a sort of superhero coming to your helpless vegetables' defense. he also loves how you treat your plants as your babies, taking such amazing care of them. however, he doesn't visit your farm as often anymore, the two of you prefer meeting up in mondstadt, because whenever he comes over, the number of hilichurls and mitachurls trying to attack your crops increases by way too much.

diluc.

you were quite well-known in mondstadt for your green thumb, and you had a stall where you sold the vegetables you grew in the field outside your house. diluc only got to know you when you visited the angel's share after work for a drink. the two of you began talking, and eventually started dating.

the dawn winery had been suffering from a lack of grape produce recently, which in turn affected the amount of wine they could create, causing diluc to be rather concerned. well aware of your talent with growing plants, and your skill in farming, he came to you for advice. you agreed to visit the winery with him to check out what was wrong and hopefully get to the root of the problem. to be honest, you were very happy that diluc had chosen to ask you. it sometimes felt like your stoic boyfriend despised requesting assistance, preferring instead to deal with his issues alone. the fact that he asked you showed just how much diluc trusted you.

diluc was a very perceptive man, and of course he had noticed your anemo vision. as far as he knew, and he personally believed he knew you quite well, you didn't spend your time adventuring or fighting. with his limited knowledge of farming, diluc supposed you used your vision to... blow bugs off the leaves of your vegetables???

the two of you were heading towards the mansion and its expansive land when you suddenly heard a shout, only to see connor running towards you and diluc looking absolutely terrified. 'there's a horde of hilichurls outside the winery!' he yelled in between pants to catch his breath. always ready to act, diluc gripped his claymore as his vision began to glow, but you quickly stopped him, 'diluc, the vines will burn if you use your vision.' seeing the wisdom in your words, he lowered his weapon and sighed, 'but the hilichurls-' with an enigmatic smile, you replied 'leave it to me.'

diluc trusted you, but he wasn't about to let you rush headfirst into blatant danger. so when you tried to run towards the field of grape vines, to which the hilichurls were also moving precariously close, diluc held you back. 'i'll be fine', you promised, and he had no choice but to let you go. with his heart in his throat, diluc watched as you strolled almost casually towards the monsters.

raising one hand, you focused all your energy on the hilichurls, who had just noticed your presence. you swung your arm at them, and suddenly a tornado of swirling wind appeared out of nowhere and blew in their direction. the hilichurls were lifted into the air and tossed away, after being spun around long enough to make them permanently dizzy. with the threat eliminated, you started to investigate the plants to find the problem.

diluc rushed over, 'are you alright, my love?' with your hands on your hip, you smiled at him 'yup!' before turning to connor and scowling 'which genius thought using slimeicide would be a good idea?' 'oh, that was me... why?' 'it's hurting your plants!'

thanks to your intervention, the dawn winery was saved from eventual bankruptcy, and for that diluc was extremely grateful. he also admired your prowess in using the anemo vision gifted to you, although he would definitely still worry for your safety.

kaeya.

kaeya alberich, cavalry captain of the knights of favonius, was dating you. how had that happened? he had first seen you when you were selling homegrown vegetables at your stall, and then started flirting with you. flirting was a sort of hobby for him, and he didn't actually expect his flings to go anywhere. however, with you, kaeya found himself genuinely enjoying the conversation, and he started coming to see you every day until he mustered up the courage to ask you out.

kaeya may look playful on the outside, but in reality, he's very observant, and had quickly noticed your turquoise anemo vision. he was also aware that you weren't an adventurer, but since he was dating you, he decided not to pry, and instead wait for you to open up on what you used it for on your own.

it so happened that one fine day you had invited kaeya over for dinner. although he had been loaded with work from acting grandmaster jean, who claimed he was slacking off recently, the eagerness he was feeling to visit your place for the first time gave him the energy he needed to power through it and hand it back to jean the same day with a smug smirk. however, when he arrived at your farm, he noticed you were standing right in between two hilichurls who did not look friendly at all!

your name slipped past his lips in a cry of fear as he quickly unsheathed his sword, ready to fight them off, but as he ran towards you, he realised that perhaps you didn't need his help after all. with confidence, you summoned a wind current that lifted you into the air, much to the shock of both the hilichurls and kaeya. you were carrying nothing but a rake, so kaeya believed you must have been gardening when you were surrounded by the monsters. however, you were creative enough to use the rake as a weapon, and you performed a mighty plunge attack after being boosted up by your anemo current. the hilichurls were knocked back by the impact, and it certainly knocked some fear into them as well, for the next moment they simply ran away in the opposite direction.

clapping slowly to hide how impressed he was, kaeya strolled towards you, "i never knew you could fight so well, darling." you smiled, "i prefer farming, plus i knew you would try to get me to join the knights." he feigned embarassment with a playful smirk, "you know me too well."

overall, kaeya was quite pleased to find out that you had this hidden fighter side, and he would probably tease you about it a lot. "if you're that mad at me you could always just use your vision against me, you know," he's fond of winking at you, even if it's just to see your flustered reaction.

xingqiu.

xingqiu had first met you when he was visiting qingce village to look for the final installment in the latest martial arts novel series he was reading at the time. the two of you had hit it off very quickly, and decided to start dating. you both spent hours talking about everything under the sun as you explored liyue to escape xingqiu's legacy and his busy life at the city.

of course he had seen your anemo vision, who could miss that turqoise gleam? he had never seen you use it, but in his creative writer's mind, he made up fantasies where you were the most powerful anemo user alive, utilising the powers granted to you by the archon barbatos to slay evildoers without hesitation. however, in reality, he suspected you were just a regular person who had been through a lot, and had been blessed with a vision. it wasn't that big of a deal to him anyway, he was with you for your company, not your strength.

one summer afternoon, he was walking to your house to pick you up for the day's adventure, when he spotted a mitachurl carrying a huge shield rushing up to you. your back was turned to it, and you were gently caressing the blossom of a flower in your garden with one hand and watering the vegetables on the ground beside it with the other. he yelled out your name as a warning, and dashed to protect you, but you called back, "it's fine, xingqiu!"

standing up, you faced the mitachurl and groaned - did it really have nothing better to do than to interrupt your farming time? your vision started glowing as you summoned a gust of wind that blew away the mitachurl's shield as if it was just a tiny toy instead of a heavy broad piece of wood. with its protection out of the way, you pointed a threatening hand at it to gesture that you were going to attack, causing it to turn around and flee at once.

glad that the danger was eliminated, xingqiu ran over to you and searched your body for injuries before sighing with relief. "i'm so happy you weren't hurt, my liege," he hugged you tightly before pressing a kiss on your temple. "xingqiu, we're dating, do you really still have to call me that?" "of course, my liege. now, onto our next adventure!"

learning how powerful you are doesn't make much of a difference in your relationship, except xingqiu might probably ask you to teach him a few moves every now and then so he can practice during his 'moments of solitude'.

quill speaks !

i love how this request had so many best boys,,, cries bennett deserves the world he is The Cutest Ever this request nearly made me cry many times bc tumblr died like twice and deleted everything i had written 😦 anon u better pay me some good money for this 🤨‼ /j hopefully i wrote ur request well !! i hope it wasn't too repetitive hehe <3 although i wasnt exactly sure how to write visions working T_T

also i have a very important question; i usually don't post that often because my answers for the requests are so LONG that it takes me sm time to write them, so would you guys prefer me to keep writing like this or shorten them?

i hope you enjoy your stay at quill’s dessert cafe, and feel free to check out the menu if you'd like ! 🍭 reblogs are greatly appreciated :)

© starglitterz 2021. do not repost or modify in any way.

[moonbaby26]

Title: What the Heart Wants

Pairings: Young!Shota Aizawa x GN!Reader

Summary: You were a young hero in training, living in the United States. And when your high school offered an exchange internship to one of the hero agencies in Japan, you were first in line. But the last thing you expected was to fall for another of their young hopefuls.

Notes: Story features the other dumbigos as well. It’s implied that this story is just the reader reminiscing, and that the reader and Aizawa have been in an established relationship ever since.

Warnings: Mention of blood and a little battle damage, otherwise just superpowered teenage friends being pretty wholesome honestly.

My Masterlist

——————————

The first time you’d ever met the now pro hero Eraser Head, he hadn’t been much more than another teenager in over their head so much like yourself.

Back then you hadn’t known how to say no to anything either. While most of your classmates had been taking the typical internship offers from your state’s local hero agencies, you’d heard about a new exchange program abroad. And of course you’d jumped at the opportunity, anything to set yourself even one hair’s edge above the amazing competition.

Your Japanese had been terrible too honestly, so much so that you’d almost been afraid to speak for fear of ridicule once you reached Japan.

Luckily, the hero you were assigned to, Stunner Man was fluent in several languages. And his quirk was something akin to fireworks from his body at will, like a human flash bang. It greatly complimented your own quirk of consuming light energy to then expel it as energy blasts as well.

For the first few jobs together, you’d likely grown too confident and complacent because of this. It was all too easy to replace your own energy by drawing in that light from his fireworks. Sometimes to the point that all around you went dark, before then expelling the energy again as concentrated blasts from your hands to help incapacitate the small time villains you both ran across.

But then had come that rainy night and reports of a much stronger villain taking out actual teams of heroes somewhere downtown. Multiple agencies had responded to this of course, but your hero had been adamant about you staying behind. This was real danger he said, and it would be unheroic to let your desire for success blind you to your own inexperience. You would be a liability in the main battle, and you could be just as valuable assisting firemen and police in their efforts to evacuate the nearby apartment buildings instead.

Of course you were obedient, and so there you’d been, running up the stairs and through the corridors as fire alarms blared and people cried in panic in these high rise buildings. You’d put on your best act of confidence, directing the scared people to exits, asking them to mind their neighbors. You told them not to push, to please help those that were elderly or disabled, and that it would all be all right. Surely it would be because so many pro heroes were now on the job.

But just as you were almost done clearing the last floor at the top of that building, a terrible crash had sounded from far down the hall. Maybe debris breaking through from the nearby battle? You were cautious enough though to make sure that the police and firemen safely exited this floor entirely with the last civilians before you went to investigate.

You would make sure no one was left behind, that no one was hurt or trapped. But as you’d rounded the corner, in a glitter of broken glass and blood, that was where you’d first seen Shota Aizawa…Eraser Head.

He was only a sidekick you thought immediately though just from his age, so similar to your own. Yet he was already trying to get back to his feet even as you called out to him. The hole he’d come through in the large windows and the cracked wall around it were letting the rain now blow fiercely inside.

“Get back!” He’d yelled right back to you in Japanese however. As if he wasn’t losing blood all over the floor as you did pause brief enough to hear an odd humming sound outside even over the rain.

It was reflex of course. He hadn’t even been facing you, but the way he tensed you’d assumed what was going to happen only that fraction of a second before it did. Before whatever villain had just thrown him through this window attacked again, you’d used your energy reserves to make a shield of light between Shota and the broken windows and wall.

The blast that came through the hole had likely been intended to finish the boy. As it was, it still exploded violently against your force field, the recoil sending pain through your arms as you’d dug your boots into the floor beneath you as much as you could just to keep from being knocked backwards with the force.

You wouldn’t be able to take another direct strike like that without gathering more energy. And in the confusion as the blast did dissipate, you ran forward, grabbing the boy by the wrist. “Come on!”

You only saw the surprise in his reddened eyes for just a moment, the first time he’d really looked at you. His shaggy black hair was dripping on you from the rain before you both ran together.

“It’s going to get dark. Just hold on to me and trust me!” You spoke as you pulled your goggles down from off your head to cover your eyes in mid run. The goggles were a support item developed especially for you. In darkness you could switch between night-vision and thermal imaging to allow you to still see when your opponents and even teammates could not. And when you used your light abilities to discharge energy again, the opacity of the lenses darkened instantly to keep you from being blinded by the brightness of your own quirk as well.

As you both ran, you activated your quirk to draw energy from the artificial lighting in the hallway. True to your word, the whole hall became almost pitch black in short time. Your skin darkening to an inhuman shade as well as you used your power, a color akin to the lightless void now around you as you led him to a stairwell in the center of the building.

“Will the villain follow us in?” You asked as you closed the door, but making sure not to absorb all the light of the stairwell as well as you could still hear people making their way down to evacuate below. You knew you couldn’t stay in this place long. You had to protect these people you had already been trying to rescue as well. But information was always crucial to having a better chance at victory, and you needed anything that the boy could tell you quickly now.

As you lifted your goggles back up in the light of the stairwell, you were already trying to assess his wounds as well. But when you realized he was just staring at you, you finally made eye contact with him again just before he spoke.

“He’s more powerful out in the open.” The boy said. “So I don’t think he’ll follow us inside yet. But you’re assuming I’m a hero?” He sounded somewhat surprised? But the way he was looking you over, he was also trying to discern your quirk even in his own confusion.

“You told me to get back when I found you in the hallway, even though you were hurt.” You saw now that most of the blood was coming from his lower abdomen. A puncture wound maybe? “Who else would worry about others even when being attacked themselves?”

You saw his eyes widen a little at the sort of compliment, but you kept on. “And I’m sorry if I’m hard to understand. My name is (Y/N). I’m from the United States. Part of the intern exchange. I’m working for Stunner Man right now.”

“I can understand you.” He admitted. Though still looking at you in that odd way. “My name is Shota Aizawa.” He paused, seeming a little less confident, before he admitted his nickname. “Codename Eraser Head. I’m interning from the UA with His Purple Highness.”

“Oh,” You said, impressed truthfully, as that school’s hero course was obviously world renowned. But from the quizzical look you couldn’t help but show at his codename, he clearly had already discerned your next question.

He answered before you could ask, but even as he did you could tell he was already steeling himself for your disappointment. “I can erase others’ quirks just by looking at them.”

“You can…what?” You stared helplessly, for a moment almost forgetting your training to always be cool and collected as you tried to fathom what on earth this boy could really mean.

But he just stared back at you, was he that surprised at your reaction?

When he said nothing more, you had to shake away your shock to press further. “I’m sorry. This might be the language barrier again, but I need you to explain that to me please.”

Hero work could lead to unexpected team up situations at any time. And if this was to be one of those times, you both needed to know what you would be dealing with.

He frowned slightly, like he was having to talk more about himself than he was comfortable with. But he did comply. “If I activate my quirk while someone is in my direct line of sight, it inactivates theirs. But I can only do it for so long. Once I blink, or the line of sight is broken, their powers will come back.”

Silence hung between you for one long moment after his admission, and you could sense the tangible unease building in him.

You didn’t mean to make him jump either when you just blurted out. “That’s amazing!”

You still didn’t yell, but it was loud enough to be unexpected. But you couldn’t help it. You’d never heard of such a quirk. How could anyone be so powerful to make someone else quirkless just by looking at them!?

And why the hell did he look so self conscious about this? “You can’t be this modest. How are you not believing me that this is amazing!? I bet you only got thrown in here then because the rain obscured your vision, right!?” Your voice was quickening with your excitement. Your strategies to victory also readily multiplying in your brain. You could make a shield of light to push away the rain and Shota could look at the villain to make them helpless, then you could take them out with a subsequent light blast!

“My quirk has no offensive merit.” He deadpanned.

“Not every quirk has to!” You retorted, but maybe yourself now finally starting to understand a hint to his self conscious nature. “There are always multiple ways to win! Don’t they teach you that at UA?”

“We need to get moving,” He grumbled still in resistance to this subject. “People could be being killed out there.”

He wasn’t wrong you knew, as you nodded. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to gather information.” Which fair was fair as you tried to keep your own explanation as straight forward as you could.

“As you saw, my quirk is that I can absorb visible light energy. It doesn’t matter what kind. I darken everything as I absorb the light around me. I can store it inside myself, then discharge it when I’m ready, to make force fields for defense…or light blasts for offense or distraction to blind opponents.” Like everyone though, there was always still a catch as you continued. “But the weakness is that once I’ve discharged what I have, I’m tapped out until I can absorb more light. Which, at night in a rainstorm like this…there’s not much to be had.”

He was mostly stone faced as he listened to you though. But there was an analytic sharpness to his eyes, like you were inputting information into a human calculator before abruptly he tried to walk back away from you as if to continue up the stairs.

“I have a plan then,” He announced quietly, his back already to you again.

As much as you somehow believed him already though, you grabbed his hand before he could get much farther. “And whatever that plan is, we still won’t be much help to anyone if you faint from blood loss.”

It was obvious he was someone not used to being touched, you could tell that from the instant way he stilled and looked back at you.

But you didn’t weaken at the stare, only offering him a slight smile. “I’ve been trained in emergency first aid as well. There are first aid kits all through this stairway.” You’d passed them on the way up. “I’ll be quick, alright?”

————————————

The logical side of him must have won out that night in that stairwell. He’d known you were right about at least stopping his bleeding. But that was the real beginning you thought. This odd relationship that would keep its hold on you both for so many years to come.

Him, still so skinny then and self conscious, quiet and awkward as he’d sat on one of the stairs, holding his shirt up so you could clean and disinfect the wound just above his belt while you kneeled in front of him. Luckily the injury was not as deep as it could have been. Just too wide to close or clot on its own as you’d wrapped his abdomen with the appropriate bandages after cleaning out the debris.

And you kept your word, you still weren’t negligent of your duty as a hero in training even then. You didn’t waste any time at all, being as quick and efficient as you could while working on him. But even if all your training told you to also keep your mind on the mission at hand, you’d still felt that warmth in you.

The intimacy was practical, professional. But it still had its effect as you’d run your fingers across his abdomen to finish securing the bandage. You felt him tremble just for the slightest moment, and then it was over. His shirt was back down and he was standing again.

He’d only muttered a quick “Thank you,” as you’d both headed for the roof to execute his plan.

And still only being teenagers then, the clumsiness of your yelling and waving to attract the villain’s attention again would be something you’d both have been embarrassed about now. But at the time, you’d really both done rather well considering your low experience levels.

That villain of course hadn’t been the only villain that night. The main heroes had had their hands full with the other, stronger one at the heart of downtown. This one had been more like the sidekick really, just trying to keep on the outskirts to run interference and keep even more heroes from joining the fray for his boss.

He’d picked off Shota earlier he thought, so he was easy to get worked up when he realized Aizawa was now back for more.

But that villain had drawn his power from the difference of electrical charges in the air. Obviously then at an even greater advantage over the two of you with the thunderstorm above. But the trick had only been avoiding his electrical blasts, but drawing the light energy from them enough times to eventually surprise him with a big enough blast in return.

There’d been a few miscues of course, as well as you using your shielding to protect Shota all the while trying not to get hit either before you could finally land that big enough return hit to stun the villain. Then Shota binding him up in his scarf like weapon and removing the enemy’s quirk long enough to deliver a decisive knockout kick to the villain’s head.

It was your first ever victory as a team.

—————————————

And it’d been a bit of a whirlwind afterward. The congratulations and acknowledgement from your respective heroes for the small, but positive role you had both played of course. But more personally for you, you had owed so much to one of Shota’s best friends you had met immediately in the hustle and bustle afterward.

Oboro Shirakumo, otherwise known as Loud Cloud had been there immediately, ecstatic to hear the story of Shota’s and your success. His extroverted and effervescent personality such a direct opposite to Aizawa’s quiet nature. But Oboro had been the one seemingly so excited to learn you were from the United States as well.

He’d insisted that he, Shota, and their fellow UA student and other best friend, Hizashi Yamada (codename Present Mic) show you the real young hero life in Japan before you would leave again in the coming weeks.

Without Oboro’s intervention, there was likely no way otherwise you would have gotten to see the shy Aizawa so many times again after that night.

As a group the four of you had gone to malls, out to eat, and to see the touristy sights you likely never would have gone to alone. They didn’t even make fun of your bad Japanese, well not seriously anyway. Hizashi did a few times, but in a way that had you laughing with him as he teasingly walked you through a few pronunciations you’d butchered yet again.

On your last night in Japan, you’d been feeling a little sad really though as you’d wished you had gotten to speak to Shota a little more one on one. Even though he’d accompanied you all on your excursions together in those few weeks, you still had noticed how little he really talked and how often he seemed to always be looking away from you.

In the end you just had to think you were being silly for the way you’d felt in the stairwell with him briefly that night and how often you’d thought of him ever since. You’d probably never see him again you knew.

That night though you’d all gone to a park together that met the beach and ocean. Oboro was insistent that you needed to see the view of the sea there before you flew back to the United States the next morning.

Oboro had made one of his clouds, taking just the two of you up high into the air. As Shota and Hizashi still on the ground grew smaller and smaller, you did look away to the horizon and the starlit ocean beyond. It was beautiful of course.

But what Oboro said next, made you forget all about that view entirely.

“He likes you you know. He just doesn’t know what to do about it.” The blue haired boy said as if it was as simple a truth as saying the sun would come up tomorrow.

Your head turned immediately, just to see Oboro smiling at you in an almost conspiring way. “And you feel the same don’t you?” He asked you. “You look at him the same way he looks at you.”

“He doesn’t look at me!” You blurted, stupidly protesting as if your stomach wasn’t already trying to tie itself into a knot.

But Oboro just laughed, that genuine, happy one you’d heard from him so many times already. “Well he knows what to do with his eyes doesn’t he? He has practice. Of course he doesn’t let you catch him staring!”

So many emotions ran through you at once then. Embarrassment at your naivety, sadness that you still had to be leaving the country regardless, shock that this could even be true, and….frustration that you would just be being told now!?

“I’m leaving tomorrow, Oboro. Why would you even tell me this now!?” You asked somewhat desperately, but still keeping your voice down in your escalating panic.

He raised his hands innocently, yet unafraid of you either way. “Hizashi and I have been encouraging him as much as we could to speak up, but Shota is like those stories where an unstoppable force meets an immovable object…but in this story both are Shota!”

You stared, the absurdity only mounting at his words.

He chuckled, looking a little embarrassed then. “He’s quite stubborn is what I mean? And he says it’s pointless because you’ll be thousands of miles away. And I said that’s what phones, email, and video calling are for! Of course conversation is not one of his better skills…”

“Oh, man” You sighed, yet trying to think in your nervousness. “Did he send you to tell me all this? Or does he even know we’re having this conversation right now?”

The boy just shook his head. “He didn’t tell me to, and I didn’t ask his permission, no. He would have only told me not to. But sometimes heroes have to do what heroes have to do, right?” A kind look overtook his face again. “I want to see him smile sometime. He actually has a nice smile you know. I think I’ve seen it all of twice,” Oboro joked.

And it was true, it’s not like Shota was cruel or anything. But he didn’t smile, he didn’t laugh. It was like he was always afraid to perhaps. You weren’t really sure yet. You hadn’t known him long enough. But surely Oboro and Hizashi had. You should at least be able to trust that they had made a correct assessment of their friend’s feelings.

“Well…” You hesitated. “If I told him I wanted to stay in contact…do you think he’d actually call or write me?” You looked at Oboro imploringly, unsure if it would hurt more to try this and be rejected later anyway if you still never heard from him again.

“I can only promise you that we’ll try to keep him from screwing up if it’s only his fear that’s holding him back. We all have to overcome fear in one way or another if we’re going to be pros one day.” He smirked then, before looking a little more boastful. “You know, when Shota, Hizashi, and I graduate, we’re going to start our own hero agency. I’m sure by then if you wanted to come and do some more work in Japan, we could make a space for you too. I’d be a bad manager to turn down foreign talent you know.”

He did seem so sincere, you couldn’t help but smile back at him. “I’ll talk to Shota. But, whatever happens, thank you for trying to help either way.”

Oboro gave an exaggerated thumbs up with, what honestly you were guessing was his best imitation of an All Might type grin. “Of course! Plus Ultra! Always!”

———————————

It was something how quickly Oboro and Hizashi got themselves out of sight, now just you and Shota on the beach together. Yet you suspected they may still be in earshot somewhere in the distance. No doubt painfully curious of how this would go and silently cheering their best friend on.

At first you were afraid that Shota was angry actually, the way he’d visibly bristled, shooting his friends’ quite unhappy stares before they’d left as he fully realized what was about to happen.

But he didn’t ignore you, nor did he look away from you this time as you got closer to hopefully speak a little more privately. “I’m sorry if this is…weird.” You started awkwardly. “But I don’t think you should be too hard on your friends either. It’s obvious they really care about you.”

Your foot was kind of shifting in the sand. Nervousness still flowing freely as you just kept on. “But I’d still like to hear it from you…if you’re wanting to keep in touch. If you want to get to know me better, I’d like that…so…um-” Ah, this would be awful at any time, but stumbling over words you’d only recently learned made it all the worse. “So is it true, Shota? Do you want to keep talking after I’m back home…maybe I can come back again though…I’d like to see you again…I really would.”

He was silent at first, but he was clearly listening. Intently, as if analyzing your every movement, your every word.

But it was painful how long you had to wait for a response. Surely it wasn’t really as long as it felt though before he finally responded. His voice surprisingly even, almost emotionless?

“You’ll be a successful hero if you keep to your studies and training. I find it unlikely that you wouldn’t be able to start at any agency of your choosing in the United States once you graduate.”

A huge compliment to be sure, as you stared at him in surprise. But what did that have to do with the subject at hand? Was he trying to avoid your questioning entirely?

Yet his eyebrows lowered before you could interrupt as he kept on. “So I don’t understand why you would ever want to come back to Japan longterm where your reputation would have to be built back up again just to get equivalent job offers to what you could attain already in the US. The one instance with capturing the villain at that apartment complex isn’t enough for top placement at the agencies here in Japan. Especially without UA accreditation on your record. You would be putting yourself at a disadvantage to be here. It would be a mistake for your career.”

You could swear you almost heard a groan from somewhere in the distance. If you’d put your goggles on now, you were sure you’d probably see Oboro and Hizashi hanging on every word, wherever they were hiding to eavesdrop in the dark.

But your brain was also quite busy trying to digest the most words you’d ever heard from Shota at one time. Was this his excuse to reject you more lightly? To say he was only thinking of your career?

Of course he was under no obligation to feel anything for you. You knew there were certainly those with more powerful or interesting quirks than your own, or people more physically attractive. You weren’t anything amazing in your own mind compared to all the potential superstars you interacted with on a daily basis back home.

Yet if he didn’t feel how you did, you wanted to hear it outright instead of buried in a confusing way like this, and you couldn’t help but admit so then. “So you think I shouldn’t ever want to date you because it could make me spend too much time in Japan and not become as famous as I could have been otherwise? Nice that you assume working at a top tier agency is the only thing I would care about for my future….”

Perhaps you did come across a little harsher than you intended, but the way his normally tired looking eyes suddenly widened in shock had you realizing you had definitely brought some sort of emotion out of him at last with those words.

“You…wanted to…date me?” He uttered the words as if he never would have expected that combination of syllables to ever leave his mouth.

Well, you never would have been so forward if you didn’t feel he forced your hand with that strange insinuation of saying your personal choices should all be tied to a need for future fame and fortune.

You put one hand on your hip, trying not to sound as dumb as he was making you feel in this moment. “Well, not like tomorrow or anything. We’d need to get to know each other some more of course. But yes, I thought about it a lot these last few weeks. But if you didn’t like me like that, then friends is fine. I was hoping that was what we were going to talk about here. If you…liked me like that or not.”

Oh Lord, was this high school like it should be or was this elementary playground kind of drama? You didn’t have enough experience to be any more adult about this. But it was a yes or no type of question wasn’t it? Either he felt some sort of interest and attraction like you did, or he didn’t. You just needed to know.

“I…think you’re talented. And capable.” He said, like it was taking so much just to do this.

It was maddening somehow though. Could he not just say he felt nothing if that was the case? Was he so afraid of hurting your feelings? But honestly, he didn’t seem the type to ever mince words either. “Shota…” You tried. “You know you don’t have to worry about sparing my feelings. All you have to say is that you’re not interested. I’m not some delicate flower.”

Yet, you were starting to feel guilty yourself. Maybe this was all wrong, trying to force him out of his comfort zone too much. You should just take a hint right?

When he still said nothing more, your stomach finally sank as you stepped back from him a little again. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to know the truth, so I didn’t have to worry wondering later. If I’m not your type that’s okay. I appreciate you taking the time to try and talk to me like this.”

Oboro must have been wrong. That was all it could be. His friends had seen something that wasn’t there, and then pushed it this far in a sincere, but misguided attempt to help their friend.

But the let down still hurt. In the span of a short time, Oboro had gotten your hopes up and then they’d crashed down again. You’d been able to admit your feelings to Shota, just for it to end up as one sided.

Or so you thought.

You started to walk away, not wanting to be further embarrassed if the disappointment in your face had really started to show.

But you froze as soon as you felt his shockingly quick hand grab around your wrist. The memory of you doing the same to him in the apartment complex flashed through your mind.

“I didn’t say you weren’t my type…not that I’ve had a type before.” He spoke, but not in his usual even tone as you looked back at him.

And that was likely the very first time you’d ever seen a little bit of fear in his expression. He was still holding your wrist tightly, but it was like he didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t know how to express whatever it was that he was really thinking.

“Eraser really is that bad at this! Just run with it, (Y/N)!” Hizashi’s voice boomed in the distance even if he was only partially using his quirk. The vibration startling you both as Shota immediately shot a death glare in that direction, his hair levitating as he activated his quirk as if trying to lock on to Present Mic even in the dark.

And you couldn’t help it then, slipping your wrist out of Shota’s grip at his distraction, but just as quickly clasping your hand warmly around his own instead as you used your quirk to absorb some of the ambient starlight. It created a dark spot on the beach between the two of you and the others, just enough that Oboro and Hizashi would no longer be able to see. Though Shota would still be able to see you as you chose to take a risk, leaning in enough to kiss his pale cheek.

His hair fell back down at that very personal touch, the red glow also leaving his eyes as he looked back to you.

But you couldn’t read him then. You weren’t sure at all what would happen.

Yet he was still human wasn’t he? Even as stoic and calculating of a person as you’d ever met, he was still human, and still young then with that touch of recklessness you all had deep down.

And when you felt his lips touch yours not long afterward, it was as clumsy as could be expected for teenagers. But you didn’t care at all as you easily returned the kiss.

You knew immediately then that you would be coming back to Japan as soon as you could. Your goal was still to be a pro hero, but it didn’t really matter where.

A true hero’s spirit came from the heart. And if your heart ended up in Japan…who were you to tell it no?

———————————

(End for now. ❤️ I will likely write more of this pairing, but not sure of how soon. Thank you for reading!)

[familylightfox]

Just hearing Bless breathing was a relief. Even though it was so soft he could have missed it with all the other noise, Volt had still picked it up enough to focus on the task at hand. His fingers were careful as they moved the quills to find the point of impact, but when they did... His stomach dropped.

Skull fractures were dangerous, especially with his kinesis. One wrong pulse and he didn't want to think what that would do to his partner.

Focus

He scolded himself and very carefully shifted the way he was holding Bless. One arm went to fully support his head at an angle that allowed him to actually see the injury as his other hand moved quills out of the way. Anyone else might have been sick to their stomach at the sight, but Volt was more concerned about treating the injuries.

The robots coming from the ceiling didn't even register as he focused the power from the Chaos Drive into his body, converting it as quickly as he could into electricity before it could begin to burn through his veins. Glowing eyes closed for only a moment as a breath was taken, then focused on the point of swelling. The small static sparks worked their way into the swollen tissue, regenerating what he could to reduce the swelling.

It took so much concentration, so much focus. Volt barely even noticed when his own hand had begun to tremble, the electricity stuttering. He'd only barely managed to get the skull fragments to stitch back together when darkness encroached on his vision. At least he had enough sense to stop, shifting the way Bless was supported before he gave in to the exhaustion.

His head tilted forward, chaos levels severely low.

Unfortunately, his sudden movement had caught his daughter's attention for a moment.

"Dad!" Sudden dread filled her, fueling her already rampaging emotions. Robot Eggman's screams drew her attention back to the task at hand. This was all his fault. The Dark Gaia Energy from her fist flared as she turned her narrowed eyes back in his direction.

The damage done to his one hand spread throughout the internal workings like fire ants, but her own footsteps paused at the crumpled mess around them.

"Whoa." Now there was something she'd never seen before. With a quick shake of her head, the teen was back on task. She'd ask about it later.

"Misunderstandin' my ass!" True to her earlier threat, Harmony closed the space between herself and the arm she had punched. Her hands dun into the metal plating, denting the surface and pulling with all of her strength to sever the limb.

"Yer gonna pay fer what ya did!" She gripped the dented wrist like a baseball bat and swung with everything behind it into the metal chassis she could reach.

Node had gone deathly still.

So much...memories burned behind their eyes, the sorrow of the others- compounding on their own. They could barely see as tears began to blur their vision. Volt had rushed to Bless' side- Node's breathing was growing more unsteady by the second. He'd save him. He had to.

I have t-...

I can't...

Everything was boiling down to a point. They were trying to scrabble desperately in their head against it- but they were failing, fast. Node's vision was blazing red, the memories they never wanted blazing.

You.

Robots clicked down from the ceiling as Eggman was struck, his surprised shout filling the space. The panels under Node's feet began to groan and warp, bending as gravity itself pressed down on them.

You did this.

Their Chaos Energy was running rampant- and in an instant, all the robots that had fallen into place were smashed into razor-thin pancakes. They took a step forward, a shockwave careening outward- smacking the would-be attackers into the walls. Don't you DARE hurt my friends.

Volt would find his fingers sliding through sticky-warm crimson, but that trail would lead back to the source- a wound of smashed flesh, near the center of the back of Bless' head- between his top and bottom quill-sets. The quills were slightly ripped open, but the damage...it would be easy to tell that Bless had been hit- if it wasn't treated, there was a chance it could be lethal. And yet, that space was also trying to swell- burning hot.

His skull had been fractured.

But he was breathing- the faintest stutter of a breath, the barest hint he was alive- but it was so weak that, to anyone but Volt, the hedgehog undoubtedly looked still as death.

"WHAT THE-?!" Eggman screeched as Harmony's Dark Gaia Energy ripped into his metallic framework. He was unlucky enough to have installed metallic nerves, which sent signals back to what remained of his true body- his brain- causing his synthetic vocals to scream in anguish. "--WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" His good servo swung, ready to try to hit Harmony- to punch her flat-off of him.

Said servo crumpled like tissue paper, as if it had slammed into a thick wall. Node was walking closer, their body glowing a faded yellow, the ring in their chest glowing- pulsing strongly to each angered beat of their heart.

Don't you touch her.

They couldn't get the words to escape. Their jaw was set, fangs glistening. Another step forward as Eggman screamed, now trying to backpedal from the two mobians.

"WAIT! WAIT!!! THIS WAS ALL A BIG MISUNDERSTANDING- PLEASE!!!"

The color had vanished from Node's eyes, their steps unceasing. They were sure they shared a singular thought with the teen right now- rage. A need for revenge. A need to hurt.

This must have been how Nature always felt...

So full of pain...so full of sorrow...

I'll kill you.