#there's definitely something unusual going on with his transformations

[genevawrenn]

Fit & Bagi's conversation transcript about Philza and what ails him today (02/28/2024);

[/rp from 2 hours and 32 minutes in FitMC's VOD (2:32-2:42)]

FitMC : So have you heard any fofoca recently? Got any gossip, tea, drama? Anything?

Bagi : I haven't heard fofoca recently at least about me because I am waiting for y'know Tina to check her room, so we can have some new fofoca?

F : I see, I see, okay.

B : But um, do you know what's happening to Phil?

F : All I know, with Phil, ever since that stuff appeared on his shoulders he has been acting strange. His kids were both really worried about him. When I brought up a sensitive topic he seemed to get really upset with Tallulah, so I'm just—I don't think he is himself recently. Something is definitely bothering him or something's up.

Empanada : It's bad.

F : I don't know, what do you think? *Both read Em's sign.*

B : I agree with Empanada, it's really bad. Because Chayanne and Tallulah were really upset, like it didn't look like Phil. He seemed different, like maybe possessed?

F : Yeah, maybe, maybe.

B : With some disease, I don't know. And they ran away from him.

F : Which is definitely not normal.

B : That's really sad because Chayanne and Tallulah really really love Phil. And Phil looked like he was trying to get away from them. Going inside of dungeons alone and leaving them in the house. I don't know all weird, the weird thing about his shoulders, the purple thing on his shoulders, it looks like that crying obsidian you know?

F : Oh, wait a min—cause it's got like the purple in it?

B : Yeah, that glows a little bit?

F : Ramon do you have a crying obsidian on you? Put it on the ground, I just want to look at it real quick.

B : And I think they had one of those inside the lake, the little lake they have next to their house.

F : Oh interesting. It's like the same colour of purple.

B : Yeah. Do you think its a type of corruption or something? Like what happened to Slime when he was being—well I don't know...transformed by codes?

F : Oh, yeah. Mhm, I remember that. That seems to happen on this island, doesn't it?

B : Yea. Like a contamination or something.

F : Yea it could be a disease, yeah definitely he wasn't himself. *Looks at the obsidian again* But yeah, it looks the colour purple is almost identical to what was on him.

E : Crying obsidian sucks.

Ramon : So crying obsidian is toxic?

B : I don't think so. But maybe a piece of crying obsidian appearing at his place could mean something?

F : Hmmm, maybe.

B : It's not normal to have crying obsidian inside of lakes.

F : It's an unusual place for it to spawn.

B : Yeah, exactly. So it was put in there but, why? Just for decoration or different purposes? I mean it could be just decoration.

F : It's—it's a weird decoration if that's true.

E : I asked him on our birthday and he said its nothin'. I asked him why there was one in his pond it was there on our birthday.

B : Wait, Empanada, did he answer you?

F : He said it's nothing...hmmmm.

E : He said not to worry about it an its nothing :(

F : It must have some significance then it has too.

B : He said not to worry about, maybe it really...I don't know the meaning of this because I never went to the nether. Everyone talks about the nether but I was never there.

F : Yeah but crying obsidian is also useful for making weapons cause it can make respawn anchors which can be used as explosives.

B : Oh you remind me of something. Okay, okay let me try to remember this...Phil had a diamond backpack that the 'Federation' gave to him?

F : Yeah, yeah must be nice.

B : No but it's really weird because the Federation isn't giving anyone anything because they want us to buy stuff.

E : Chay burned it.

B : That was really weird because the backpack came with a letter from the Federation, but not sure if its from the Federation. And a really weird backpack, a diamond backpack and the bunnies are trying to sell us everything so it doesn't even make sense for them to give Phil a diamond backpack. They would at least charge something, like, give me at least a thousand coins for the backpack, I don't know.

F : So you are saying that Phil didn't get it from the Federation?

B : I think maybe its something else, not the Federation.

F : I didn't even think of that.

B : He got a backpack from someone because think about it, the bunnies they don't even give us free food. Every time we need food they aren't even giving us food. Why would they give us diamond backpacks, that doesn't even make sense?

F : You are absolutely right. Like, I didn't even think of that.

B : If you stop to think about it, the shoulders and the back was exactly the place he was contaminated. So maybe it's related to the backpack?

F : You are right, it was all over his back, I didn't even think of that.

E : I listened to Phil's and Lulah's convo and he said he did it to protect them from HIM

[Fit mutes and tells chat : You ever talk to someone and just be like 'I'm fucking stupid?' That's how I feel right now.]

B : Oh yeah, I remember that Phil said that he was trying to protect the kids from 'him'. And he said a couple times the word him but no one in specific that we know, I think. It was always 'him'.

F : But he specifically said 'him', right?

B : Yeah, don't know who 'him' is but he was talking about 'him'.

R : Tio Phil was being a little harsh on Chay and Lulah.

E : He got really mad at Tallulah.

F : You might be onto something Bagi, maybe it is some sort of like he is being possessed or something.

B : Here Fit, check this *gestures to Em's sign*

E : Called her a stupid egg HE WOULD NEVER

F : *Reads aloud the sign* Oh you are absolutely right, Phil would never call any of his children stupid. Something is up, yup.

B : So if you see Phil and he's kinda weird, that's probably what's happening.

F : Well I am glad we had this chit chat so we are both on the same page. Okay we need to be really careful.

B : If he needs anything, oh yeah, and we need to be careful that's right. Because we don't know what he is up to.

F : Cause yeah if he's berating his own eggs, insulting his own eggs, it could turn south very quickly.

*Ramon nods*

F : I'm worried, Ramon.

E : Don't ask him questions, he will think they told us more.

F : Never a dull moment on this island.

B : We should keep the kids safe. Chay and Tallulah can stay here if they need, they already know that but if they need anything they can come to us.

F : That's a good idea yeah, as long as they have somewhere to go.

B : I mean for now I really don't know if I can help Phil, so I am just trying to keep the kids safe.

F : That's the most important.

B : The real Philza would appreciate it.

F : Yeah, keeping the kids safe that is the first priority. That's good stuff, isn't that right you two? *Addressing Em and Ramon who nod.*

B : I think Phil needs to deal with it.

F : It's always something on this island, Bagi, it's always something.

B : There's always something.

[Bonus transcript between Fit and Ramon 3:09-3:12 relating to Philza's affliction]

Fit : Ramon.

*Ramon nods after they both teleport home from BBH's place*

F : When we were talking with Bagi about Philza it made me realise something. I remember, a long time ago, this was a few months ago, remember when I was dealing with all the black concrete? Like all the dark matter that was on the island?

I specifically remember Philza mentioning a thing. If I recall correctly, he mentioned something called the 'Ender King'. And I am starting to wonder if maybe that's what's been messing with him. Cause think about it; the crying obsidian, the obsidian, that's what you find in the End Dimension, right?

*Ramon nods*

F : This things called the Ender King...he thought he was seeing things and we thought maybe he was just imagining them—but now we can see there is something on him. Something we can see with our own eyes. I just wonder if it's related.

Ramon : So now it's not only in his mind?

F : Exactly cause at first we thought maybe he was just imagining these things but it's clear this is actually some sort of outside force. And that's why I am a little bit more concerned now. That's why I am way more concerned.

R : That sounds dangerous. Not only for him but everyone.

F : Yeah, cause if his behaviour towards Tallulah and Chayanne yesterday, or the other day, is any indication then this could be a problem for a lot of us. So we really gotta keep our eye on him and support him anyway we can.

F : *sighs* But, man, when it rains it pours. Cause we have our own problems to deal with, Ramon. Especially tomorrow, I mean Friday. I can't ever remember what day it was, I am so frazzled. So much going on at all times on this island. When it rains it pours.

[honeycreammilkshake]

Yuji can finally have his own Human Earthworm with blobkuna haha

it seems to me that gege is really fond of metaphors and stories within stories, so i took a closer look at the human earthworm series that was given to us in the anime/manga and i found a lot of interesting things that, as usual, i'm going to turn into a sukuita essay. (sorry for the overly long rant coming up, anon ;-;)

the basic plot of the 4th movie is that an ordinary man is transformed into a half-worm, half-human creature by an evil scientist/doctor. the human earthworm manages to escape but is forced to hide from the outside world as he will be perceived as a monster because of his appearance. however, his hiding place also enables him to meet an animal rights activist who ends up falling in love with him. she is a very understanding, compassionate, and empathetic person (remind you of someone?) and although she is scared of him at first, she looks past his "monstrous appearance" to find the true person within, and he is ultimately more human than other humans are.

in the end, though, he is killed by the girl's friends, who only see a monster. before they attack him, though, she tells them that they will be the monsters for killing him.

this theme of the humans being more monstrous than the actual monsters themselves, such as in literature like frankenstein by mary shelley or the metamorphosis by franz kafka, is a theme used to invert and reframe the popular myths and stories of monsters both looking abnormal and being unnatural.

so... what does this mean in relation to sukuna and yuuji's story?

i think it's pretty clear that sukuna was perceived as monstrous from his birth onward. in historical japan, during the heian era, there was a lot of conflict between different religions and very rapid changes in culture and lifestyles as people began breaking away from chinese influences. this era is sometimes called the "golden age of the imperial court" because of the court's growing power and cultural prosperity, and a lot of this power resided with the Fujiwara clan who had intermarried with the imperials. however, for the majority of ordinary people, this era saw a lot of suffering, hardships, low quality of life, and a high infant mortality rate.

sukuna was born into this starving world and would have died had he not eaten his twin in the womb. but he was unwanted and unwelcome from the moment he was born. i've written this before (so i'm sorry if it's getting a bit repetitive) but i think a lot of fans don't realize how much more demanding and cruel life was during this time (compared to modern day japan) in terms of life expectancy and quality. and those factors shaped sukuna into what he is, or at least make up a part of his becoming a monster.

in sukuna's own words his existence itself is anathema. the literal definition of this is "vehement disliking" and is a synonym of abhorrent. in religious usage it means "exclusion from the society of the faithful because of heresy" and it is described as being "cursed."

sukuna was perceived as being a curse before he even became cursed objects. whether or not he was born with extra limbs and/or lots of cursed energy, he was still seen as something unnatural and inhuman.

in other words, his unusual appearance and origin is monstrous to others. and i think he took this to heart and decided to just go with it, because he refuses to be seen as human by anyone even though he was in fact born one. he would rather be feared and despised as an imaginary demon than treated like a real person who was essentially cast out of the normal world.

but yuuji doesn't treat sukuna like just another monster in the end. instead, he offers him such selfless acceptance and honest empathy. and i don't think sukuna can take something like that.

sukuna is very aware of his own nature. he seems really proud to be an unfeeling, indifferent entity of chaos.

hm.....

lots of thoughts on this one panel alone. but i'll try to keep my ideas short. i believe that sukuna embraced what others saw as his "cursed nature" and became the strongest so he could be above all the hatred and ignorance that made others perceive him as being a monster. so he matched his actions to what people feared from him.

he became the monster so he could look down on those same people and also so he could isolate himself from ever being affected by those feelings again. after all, those others are nothing more than weak prey who shouldn't lament their own suffering, just like he shouldn't lament being seen as cursed from birth on. just like he claims he isn't lonely because only the most selfish can be on top.

but still. people want to destroy him for just being the role they more than likely forced him into. he never became more than what people saw him as, and yet they still hate him.

he claims to be above that hatred, but i think it might actually get to him. while else would he reflect so much on it during his fight with yuuji. yuuji, who he lived inside of, who he looks down on for being "weak" because he is far too emotional and caring for others, yet that's one of the biggest reasons for yuuji's strength. strength sukuna tries to undervalue because he can't stand the idea that strength can ever be compassionate as well.

yuuji hates sukuna's ideals and his indifference to the value of life. but he still accepts sukuna. he sees past the monstrous appearance and realizes sukuna was made into a monster by chance. what if someone was there for him, like wasuke was there for yuuji? even though wasuke still pushed yuuji away and was all that yuuji had, he still kept yuuji tethered to being a good person and caring for others. wasuke served as both a lesson in what not to become and a reminder for yuuji to realize the importance of life.

sukuna probably didn't have that, or if he was given that chance, it was far too late for him.

yuuji actually wanted to live with sukuna. he wanted to the animal rights activist to sukuna's worm monster, but in the end, sukuna chose death.

the humans killed the monster they made, yet again. sukuna would rather live and die as a curse than be anything different. yuuji loved him even as a worm, but sukuna couldn't take it.

and yuuji looks so heart-broken and disappointed for it.

also. i didn't notice this until now. but yuuji cradles sukuna's remains so so gently... in the hand that looks monstrous.

monster to monster. yet yuuji was so tender. he didn't seek to mock sukuna. instead, he said that they were the same. that sukuna is him.

yuuji was created for the purpose of housing sukuna inside of him, for being his vessel. he was made into a "monster" but instead of letting that turn him into something evil, he used his abilities to save other people. and he even wanted sukuna to come back to him!!!

again, i'm sorry for making this into yet another paper-long incoherent rant. i probably should have stuck to my original reply which was "sad we couldn't see their halfling children ;-;" but then this happened instead. thank you for bearing with me if you read through the mess of my thoughts. ty for your wonderful ask anon <3

[sinner-sunflower]

A HH Lucifer-centric AU 19/?

PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5, PART 6, PART 7, PART 8, PART 9, PART 10, PART 11, PART 12, PART 13, PART 14, PART 15, PART 16, PART 17, PART 18, PART 20, PART 21, PART 22

Hello!!! How's everyone's weekend?!

I had the most relaxing trip of my life. Me and my best friend went on a picnic and the place was so gorgeous I wish I was rich enough to have that kind of landscaping.

Anyway!

Here's my update. I hope you all enjoy.

As always: likes, reblogs, and ESPECIALLY COMMENTS are so appreciated and it honestly gives me motivation. We're near the end meaning this might end this week :((

Disclaimer: I did get some help with chat gpt for some paragraphs just to get my ideas across and also because English is not my first languagee. I edited them of course myself because u know how automated shit can be.

I'm learning I promise!

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

Every denizen of Hell held their breath in anticipation as each agonizing minute passed without a word from the King. Some feared he had met his demise the moment he entered, leaving them grasping at false hope. The Overlords pondered the same grim possibility but dared not voice it in the presence of higher demons.

Amidst the tension, the task of pacifying Paimon fell upon the Goetias, who found themselves ensnared in his relentless tirade about their illustrious King and their collective duty to fix Hell's problems, a duty he believed lay solely with them, not Lucifer.

The Sins, meanwhile, remained vigilant, their eyes fixated on the entrance through which Lucifer had disappeared, searching for any subtle sign of their brother's fate.

Satan, ever watchful, kept a peripheral eye on Goodie. The Good of Humanity had fallen into an unusual silence since Lucifer embarked on his suicide mission. Unlike the rest, she wore neither worry nor despair on her face, hell, not even of glee; instead, there was a knowing glint in her eyes the Sin of Wrath definitely did not like. He could only hope Lucifer emerges from all of this still himself.

At the very back, Vox stole a glance at his rival, noting the whatever-the-fuck thing he had with the King. He half-expected the radio demon to remain his usual apathetic self. And he was half right. The guy was smiling with no care in the world. Yet, to his surprise, a strained smile is etched the demon's face. It's not as noticeable but if you've been looking at Alastor as closely as Vox had been for the past how many years, it's like a giant pimple you can't ignore. There was a glassy look in his eyes, as if the radio demon is going to-

Vox wonders incredulously if his wiring got fried by that shockwave earlier because there is no fucking way.

The media demon is silently thankful he couldn't finish that thought as they are knocked down once more.

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

It all unfolded in a blink, leaving them no time to respond. The ground quaked with a force that they realized was from the towering tree that's trembling before them. Roots and branches contorted, twisting inwards and outwards like a well-oiled machine, as if the very essence of the tree was tearing itself apart. Red flowers all around withered as the oppressive miasma dispersed. Then, with a thunderous crash, the colossal tree collapsed into a single heap.

The dust clears presenting a lone figure stands in the center of it all.

Belphagor: Lucifer!

There stood the King of Hell, his horns protruding proudly and his corrupted halo casting an ominous black glow. His six wings spread wide, a testament to his power and dominance. It was Lucifer. But... something seemed off.

The Sin of Pride appeared altered. His once pure white attire had transformed into black, adorned with accents of red. His porcelain skin, once flawless, now bore a grayish, melancholic hue. However, the most striking change lay in his hair—it was no longer the radiant gold of angels, but a sinister black with tendrils of creeping red, moving like of the deadly miasma.

Lucifer looked like a shadow of himself.

Before anyone could react, the fallen angel lunged towards Goodie, swiftly pinning her to the ground.

Lucifer: Ẏ̷̨̖̯͎̤͎͖̪̆̀̊͌͑̓̇o̵̻͗̔͊̃͘̚͠ṳ̸͎̍̊͗̌̈ ̵̱͙͇͛͑i̴̳͈̗̺͒̏̃̀̚͝n̸̢̧̖͖͚͉͙̤͇͆̃͛͊̿͛́̚͘s̸͇͚̱͍͈̤̘̒̂̈́̆͗̈̆ͅó̵̇̅́͜l̶͇̝̞̜̰̘͊̒͂̓͝ë̶̮͔̰́̀̑̔̽͊̐n̶̡̧̗̤̘̞̑̇̀t̴͙̲̳̦̦͎͔̠̔ ̵̮̰̞͐̌͌b̸̧͚̾i̴̧̜̪̳̤͔̹͉̦̇͠t̴͖̐̀̾̌̽̎̂̅͜ͅc̵̛̞̳͛̋̆̏͆̏h̷̟̺̬̗͗̉̓̍!̴͉̲̼̪͓̻̪̻̀̊ ̷͇͓̲̬͍̦̙̹͓̔̈́͊̇

Goodie chokes from the stench of hellfire on her skin.

Goodie: I never lied to you, angel. I told you that you were the key.

Lucifer: Y̷̢̘̻̩̲͐͋̐̌́́͝ŏ̴͎̌́u̷̟̯͋ ̶͔̝̘̓̈́̄̈́́̀̐ǵ̸͍͌͝͝á̵̧̫͔̤̘̹̓͗͂v̶̢͕̘̼̦̰̐ẽ̵̝̥͈̝̓͋̌̋͠ ̸̝͙̐̓m̵̩͖͍͒͌͛̔e̸̤̹̻̪͇͔̽̇ ̵̜̬̰̟̖̘͈̐̆̀á̸̻̜̬̫̝͇͚ ̷̢̗̠̮͊ͅf̶̡̩̟͘͝a̵̢͎͆k̷̲̰͓̤̐͌̽͐̿̕͠e̷̛̪̖̅̒̀̓͐͜ͅ ̸̭͙̫̂̚ͅs̴̩̝̺͕̲̯͒e̸̮͍̤̦̯̎̈́̔̌̇͌ä̷̳̖͓̒̕l̶̦̬̙̘̝̉̏̔̈́͆͘͠.̸̨͓͉͒̄̚ ̶͈͆̽̿̋̑̈̕T̶̗̹̱̞̭̩͉̍͆̀̚é̵̹̗͖ļ̶̜̬͍͓̗̿͑̾̋̏̕l̸̛̀̆̓̾ͅ ̷̡̗̼̀̿̓m̸̛̗̞͕̠̟ę̵̬̰̻̮͎̉̓ ̵̥̩̞̮͈͖̅̃̑͜͝ŵ̷͈̥͕̦̘̙̏h̶̝͈̬͖̲̯̝͊̓̕ȳ̴̱̓̄̎͝ ̵̛̣̭̘͔͋̏́̀̋I̵̡̦̬̬̫͓̭͆̍͌͗̍́̀ ̶̛͈͆s̵̛̗͙̙̭h̷̝͌͌͜͝͠ȏ̴̝̹̻͚̾́̃̔͘͝ư̸̮͓̰̖͔̙̇́͊̽̐̔l̶͙̟̙̣̮̱̞̂͌̏͗d̴̢͊͒̉̈ ̸̠̠̮̉̿n̴͚̯̜̫̊ō̴̡͉̪̥̗̹̲̽̄̀̕t̴̢̺̱̊̉̎̕͜͠ ̷̛̹̜̿͝ķ̴̻͚̙͔̈́͊̍í̸̥̼͕̮̾̿͌l̷̢͂̏͆͊̃͠l̷̡̨͎̪̝̖̱̽̽̓͐̀́̈́ ̷͖̿̋͛y̶̻̝̆͂͝ỏ̸̧̹͇̫̀̐̀̍͋̃ų̶̟̩͔͇̝͚̎̈́̑̕͠ ̵͍̃͗͠ẁ̷̝̟̥̰̘͎͒͛́͒h̵̦̜̩̬͋͐̋ė̶̃͜ṙ̸̡̧̟͉̻̬͚̅e̵̤̮̟͌̓ ̴̹͕̮͍̺̲͇̉y̴̨̛̪͛̍̓̏ô̴͔͍͉̅̈́̌u̴̙͖͖͎͐͛̒ ̶̟̙͍̖̭̃̌́l̵̙̽̈́̐͝á̷̡͔̞͈̜͎͒͌̑̐͝y̴̼̹̪̻̒̓̽̀̚?̴̛̻̘͈͍͕̒̃̀̓̏

Goodie: It was not a fake. Without it, you would have perished the moment you set foot in-ah!-side.

Lucifer: H̵̹̩̗̑̎̈́́̕o̷̘͝ẇ̷̢̨̛͇̞̝̦̠̎ ̸̯̹͋̃͑͘͝d̴͉̭̟̫̙̠͂à̶͎̮̝̺̺̥͙̓͛͂̒́ŗ̴̡̺̬̭̝̳̓̈́̑̍͝ĕ̷͓̕ ̸̺͈̖̣̳̃y̴̜̞͆͑̉͠o̴͓͋ủ̸͈͎̳̥͈̞̍̀͜ ̸̥̑͐̇̂̈́̐͝t̶͓͋r̶̼͠ỉ̸͍̻̫̩͍̓͌̍̄͝ċ̷̞̤̭̳̈́̓́̃k̶̖̹͙̋̓̑̀̅̔͊ ̵͙̠̻̜̎ͅt̵̛͇̀̑̀h̴̛̥͉̲̬̰͛̊̀̅͝e̵͇̮̫̟̗̍͊̓ ̶̰͎̟̜̗̈̋͂̓K̶̞͉̰̫̂͂̋͝ͅi̷̯̟̤̽͛̈͑n̵̬͙͑̉̍͊̕͠ģ̸͖͍̪̉͗̂͠ ̷̣̯͖̭̜̀ͅǫ̵̨̣̿̽̑͜f̶͔͖̬͐͌ ̸̼̅̿͒̎́Ḣ̴͎͕̳́ͅe̶̛̞̱̦͈l̴̡̲̯͔̰̱̂̅̀̄̈͗͋l̸͍̩̯̗̏?̴̯̥̭̦͙̃̏!̸̼̹͍͖͒̊̅̊̌̔̍

Goodie: Do not delude yourself. There was no chance that this could have ended differently.

Lucifer was heaving so much that Goodie could sense his energy waning. Seizing the opportunity, she managed to escape his clutches. Despite the danger surrounding her, (such bothersome loyalty) she couldn't resist letting out a chuckle, teasing the angel one last time.

Goodie: I gotta say, angel, I do like your new look. Corruption definitely suits you.

Lucifer: F̸̢̨͔̲͖̖̳͍̑̽͜U̵̼̪̰͈̟̜͙͌́́̅̈́̔C̷̢̯͓̘̬͖̝̎K̶̳̖͓̘̝̗̀̓̈́̾̉̾̾͊͠͝Î̶͇͕͚̪̭̎N̴͉̟͍̻͇̚G̵̠̲̰͈̖̎͂͋̾ ̴̧̥͕̹̭̘̜͍̟̎̂̔͗̋̿̒B̶̢̦̤̥͕͉͋̂͌́́͂̈̔͠I̸̗̭̼͊̐͂̀̈́̐̏̐T̸̠̹͓̮̱̻̹̯͉̦̍̔̽̍̄͌̆C̸͍̩̉̈́̈́̄͒̓͑̾͝ͅḨ̴̦̙͉̫̪̫̇̀̄̈́̋͘!

Lucifer then collapses to his knees, clutching his throat as if he's drowning in searing heat. Confusion and desperation fill his voice as he struggles for breath.

Lucifer: How? *gasp* why? *gasp* -trusted-

There's a flurry of movement around him, voices overlapping and blending into a chaotic white noise. Amidst it all, someone speaks with a commanding tone, their words cutting through the haze.

Alastor: Listen to only me, my dear.

There was a faint humming of music? Was Alastor here?

Alastor: I'm here, my Majesty. Calm yourself. You need not to panic.

He's trying, he really is. But his ears are muddled and he can't understand anything anymore. Everything is happening all at once, leaving him disoriented and terrified.

As consciousness begins to slip through his grasp, the Sin of Pride feels a sense of detachment. A new presence moves in front of him, accompanied by a chorus of apologies that echo faintly in his ears.

A cool sensation brushes against his fevered forehead, offering a brief respite from the overwhelming heat and chaos. And with that fleeting moment of relief, Lucifer succumbs to the darkness.

Roo: How fun~

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

Transformation central! (Transformation central!)

Reformation central! (Reformation central!)

Transmogrification central!

[mirai-e-jump]

Uchusen Vol. 182 (Autumn 2023) Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger | Detail of Super Sentai Main Cast Member Interviews (translations below)

Publication: October 2, 2023

Taisei Sakai x Watanabe Aoto x Kaku So x Masashi Ikeda Interview

The story has entered a new chapter! The actors who play the kings have grown just as much as their characters through more than half a year of filming. In this issue, we asked Taisei Sakai, Watanabe Aoto, Kaku So, and Masashi Ikeda about stories from filming and their enthusiasm for the new chapter.

"First, we'd like to talk about the battle against the Earth Empire, Bugnarak, which was depicted in episode 26. While filming, did you notice any growth in your characters?"

Ikeda: Jeramie has grown significantly. Gradually, he's become more human, and has shown new sides and changes in his feelings, which gave off the feeling that he was being "updated" as I played the role.

Sakai: Gira hasn't changed much in terms of his character, but I felt that the feelings he has for his people have changed greatly since becoming king.

Watanabe: The impact of Yanma's first appearance was strong, so I think the way he's depicted is to show the various sides of him. As an actor, it was fun to see developments continue, allowing me to play new aspects of his character.

Kaku: There was a big change in Kaguragi with the absence of Racules……I enjoyed acting and having conversations with (Masato) Yano-chan, who plays the role of Racules, and many people complimented us on our performance by saying, "It's like something out of a Taiga drama,* only more profound." However, I get the strong impression that Kaguragi remains the same, and is as relaxed as ever. Perhaps more impressive than the change in character, is the growing friendship between the cast members over the past six months. We even go out to eat after filming finishes….. (*annual historical drama by NHK)

Watanabe: With the exception of our days off, we're always together.

"Looking back, please tell us about any episodes that left a particularly strong impression on you."

Kaku: It would have to be episode 26. It's the last episode of the first chapter, and I was moved by the scene where Gira and the others resolve things with the Bugnarak. The one that was most fun to play was episode 24, which was the summer festival episode. Wearing a yukata in that worldview was also fun.

Ikeda: Episode 26 is definitely memorable, but if I had to choose the best one, I'd say it's episode 11. I think that the scene where Jeramie made his first appearance, taking off the spider mask he's worn for 2,000 years, was the first step in his new life. I'll never forget that scene.

Watanabe: The first film shoot I had was together with Gira. From there, everyone came together in episode 5, and after Legend King-Ohger arrived, Jeramie joined us…..When I think back on the process, the most memorable moment was when all 6 of us were together for the shoot. In particular, I was moved by episode 19, when it was announced that we were, "The Five Kingdom Unusual Incident Countermeasure Lifesaving Force," abbreviated as, "Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger!"

Sakai: The 6 of us transforming together in episode 19 left a deep impression on me as well. I was amazed when I saw the finished video for the first time. I was impressed by the wonderful effects of the screen cracking at the moments of impact.

Ikeda: It was fun to see everyone fighting together, and gave off an atmosphere unique to the Sentai series.

"We'd also like to ask about the retainers who support the kings. What are everyone's impressions of Douga, Shiokara, Kuroda, and Gerojim?"

Kaku: Despite the fact that he hides his face, I'm glad that Kuroda is very popular. I discussed with (Hajime) Kanzaki-san, who plays Kuroda, that the relationship between Kaguragi and Kuroda is that of a lord and a spy, but Kuroda's personality became alot more prominent, and he's since come to the forefront. Before I knew it, he became an essential part of King-Ohger.

Ikeda: Gerojim is so cute! When I watch the broadcasts, I can't help but laugh when Tomokazu Seki-san (Gerojim's voice actor) interjects between my lines. I never thought I'd have a retainer, or that he'd even ride in God King-Ohger. I did alot of acting with monsters, especially scenes with (Riichi) Seike-san, who plays Desnarak VIII. Seike-san is a really passionate actor, and before we performed the farewell scene between Desnarak VIII and Jeramie in episode 26, Seike-san encouraged me with, "Come at me with everything you've got!" In the beginning, I wasn't used to acting with Suit Actors, but thanks to Seike-san and the others, I was able to act naturally, which made me very happy.

Watanabe: Shiokara and the others are a good group of friends who react to every single thing Yanma does. On our days off, Chiwata Yuhei-kun, who plays the role of Shiokara, takes the initiative in arranging dinner parties for the N'Kosopa team. I'm very grateful that communication is connected through Chiwata-kun, and I'm also happy that just like in the show, Shiokara plays the role of connecting me with our citizens.

Sakai: Episodes between Douga and Gira haven't really been depicted, but it seems like a strong relationship was formed over the 2 years between episodes 26 and 27. They must have thought of ways to ensure that food would reach the children, and how to run the country while coming up with ideas together on how to better serve the people.

"Did the staff tell you about any changes that occurred during the span of those 2 years?"

Sakai: I haven't been told the specifics, but Director Kazuya Kamihoriuchi told me that he wanted Gira to be the same as before, but to show a casual composure when performing final attacks.

Ikeda: Although Jeramie's 2,000 years old, on the inside, he's as innocent as a child and is inspired by every single thing that happens to him. So, I think he's taken in alot during those 2 years. Especially in the new chapter, we can see his growth as he tries to express his feelings to the other kings in a straightforward manner. The biggest change was that Jeramie became king, so he must've been busy building a nation for the past 2 years, right? That's what I think atleast. Personally, I'm happy that my country is finally being projected on the LED wall.

Kaku: Kaguragi was arrested for using an underground cultivator called "Arijigoku," which could also be used as a weapon, but he was probably conscious of the fight against Racules, so was making agricultural machines that could be converted into weapons. However, even after 2 years, I still don't know what he's thinking. I wonder what forms of communication he'll start to use……Now that Racules is gone, it seems easy to deceive anyone, so I'm looking forward to seeing what he'll do (laughs).

Watanabe: Not only Kaguragi, but Yanma was also arrested for monopolizing electricity to create the Ultra PC called, "Under Heaven and Earth, I'm the only one." This just shows that even 2 years later, the kings can't sit still.

"The imprisonment of the kings was a surprise, but at the same time, the new chapter has brought changes in hairstyles and costumes."

Watanabe: I was told that the visuals would change when we started depicting what was happening 2 years later. So, I suggested a more mature haircut, thinking it’ll help Yanma settle down, but Director Kamihoriuchi immediately rejected it. Then came the blonde pompadour, and I thought that he was far from settling down, and that his "peak" was yet to come. I actually had the opportunity to suggest a new visual to the Director, and as it was also one of the choices for Yanma's original costume, the short gakuran was chosen

Kaku: Kaguragi has black hair, but I thought it would've been better if he had brown hair….but, that didn't work out (laughs). I'm looking forward to letting my hair down and seeing how the viewers react.

Ikeda: Jeramie now wears a cloak, which makes him look more dignified as a king. Also, the fact that he can now proudly show his Bugnarak hand is a sign that humans and Bugnarak have become closer over the past 2 years, and that the world has become more peaceful. This also seems to have had a significant change in his personality.

Sakai: My changes were left up to the make up artists (laughs). My hair is longer and parted down the middle, and I'm wearing the same clothes as Racules…..I've made a bunch of suggestions myself, but nothing's been approved (laughs). I wonder, will the reason for why he's wearing Racules's clothes and his hairstyle change be revealed in future episodes…..? That's what I imagine.

"By the way, when was everyone made aware of the new chapter?"

Kaku: I think it was right after the dubbing for "Adventure Heaven." The costumes were going to change from episode 27, and there were discussions of, "What are we going to do about it?"

Watanabe: It was about 2 weeks before we started filming, so we didn't have alot of time.

Ikeda: When they said it took place 2 years later, I had the image of a new development in an anime, so it made me very motivated.

"Episode 28 featured a difficult episode of switching roles. Gira and Jeramie, Yanma and Rita, Kaguragi and Hymeno switched, how did you like each of the roles you played?"

Watanabe: I tried to play the role in my own way without asking Yuzuki-chan too many questions. I tried to exaggerate Rita's image by keeping my distance from them except for the physical part, and I wonder, did it come out good? On the other hand, Yuzuki-chan asked me various questions, but since we didn't have many scenes where we talked to each other, I didn't know what was going on until I watched the broadcast.

Kaku: I was also looking forward to seeing how Marie (Erika-san) would play Kaguragi. In my case, I discussed this with Marie, and we began to imitate each other, starting with our finger movements one by one. However, at the start of filming, Director Kamioriuchi told me that it, "Wasn't interesting." I panicked when I heard his comments. The Director wanted her to play the role as if she were an exaggerated imitation of "Hollywood Zakoshisyoh,*" and from there, he expanded on the image he had for Hymeno. But, was I really becoming Hymeno? I was worried at first. Marie's performance as Kaguragi was so far out there, that it was almost too much. She would say, "Ro~Yal~Arms~!!" and I would respond with, "I've never said it like that!," and so she had to try again (laughs). (*Japanese comedian)

Sakai: It’s really difficult for one person to come up with a performance that took about six months to create. Ikeda-kun taught me in detail about Jeramie's gestures, the way he walked, and even the tone of his voice, and I studied and consulted with him alot during filming.

Ikeda: I could tell that we were thinking about the various elements of each other. I kept in mind that we should try to respect each other and exaggerate the other person's character to make it just right.

"We'd also like to ask you about the "Kingdom Dance Competition" that became a hot topic when it was released over the summer. What’s the story behind that video of you dancing "Zenryoku King" in a decisive competition?”

Kaku: It was difficult in many ways! (laughs). I thought I only had to do the scenes where I appeared, but then I realized that I had to dance to all of them. It was very hard, partly because we were filming the movie at the same time.

Sakai: But, that was the first time all the cast members got together for filming. King-Ohger had alot of filming done in the different countries, so it was rare for everyone to gather together, including the entourage. That's why filming it was lively and fun.

Ikeda: I personally have something to say about the distributed video! I was told that since it was being done in one take, even if we made a mistake, it would still be used. However, the other members mistakes weren't included, and only my mistakes were picked up......(laughs). This is to the staff! Couldn't you have just changed the order of the shots?!

Watanabe: But, the Bugnarak team's dancing was wonderful.

Ikeda: That's because Seike-san gathered the team's Suit Actors and even held a strategy meeting.

Kaku: The sexy poses of Rita and Morfonia in Gokkan were ordered by Director Kamihoriuchi. It was interesting to see that Morfonia didn't seem too happy about it (laughs).

"Finally, can you tell us about the development of the new chapter and its highlights?"

Kaku: I think that the pasts of Kaguragi and Suzume will be further explored, which will deepen your love for the characters. I'm looking forward to the future of this story, not only as an actor, but also as a viewer.

Ikeda: I think that not only the pasts of each king and their retainers, but also the mysteries of the world of King-Ohger will continue to be revealed. I want to know the ending as soon as possible, so I can't wait to receive the next script!

Watanabe: Not just Yanma, but past stories related to N'Kosopa will also be depicted, so I hope you'll continue to watch King-Ohger every week!

Sakai: Gira is especially mysterious. He was born into a royal family, and yet he ended up in an orphanage, and we don't know why he knows about the Wrath of God. Even I don't know the truth behind it, but I've been imagining alot of different things as I play the role. I hope that from now on, you'll continue to support King-Ohger! _

Murakami Erika x Yuzuki Hirakawa Interview

Following the male cast members, we asked Murakami Erika, who plays the role of Hymeno Ran, and Yuzuki Hirakawa, who plays the role of Rita Kaniska, to talk to us. The two of them will talk about everything, from the changes they went through during the six months of filming, the costume changes that accompanied the start of the second chapter, and even the untold story of the body swapping episode depicted in episode 28.

"With episode 26, the battle against the Earth Empire, Bugnarak, has come to an end. Having played Hymeno and Rita for six months since the first episode, how do you feel your characters have changed?"

Murakami: Hymeno was the type of queen who wasn't suited for collective actions, having led people according to her own selfishness. But, when the Bugnarak attacked, she decided to join forces with the other kings to save Chikyu. In episode 7, there's a scene where Hymeno couldn't respond immediately to Gira saying the words, "Let's be friends!" After that, I think she gradually developed a mutual relationship with Gira and the others, and was able to grow toward her goal of saving Chikyu.

Hirakawa: Rita has slowly begun to depend on others. I think that they're gradually becoming able to express their honest feelings. In the beginning, Rita was building walls against others on their own, but as the story progressed, their barrier against the other kings gradually grew smaller. As a result, their self control to suppress their feelings have weakened, which is why they've started to sometimes scream in front of others.

"Hymeno has her retainer Sebastian, and Rita has their retainer Morfonia. As Hymeno and Rita, were there many scenes where you interacted with those two characters?"

Murakami: Sebastian is the one who listens to Hymeno's every request and spoils her. But, when taking God King-Ohger into battle in episode 25, although she was afraid that she might get them killed in battle, she asked Sebastian and the others, "It's incredibly selfish, but will you hear me out?," as if begging them to fight with her. It really was a lovely moment where I felt the relationship of trust between the king of Ishabana and her entourage.

Hirakawa: Originally, Rita and Morfonia had a professional relationship only. Then, during episode 10, Morfonia approached Rita, and the distance between them changed. In episode 25, Rita asked Morfonia for a favor outside of work, and I think this showed that the relationship between the two of them has grown even deeper.

"How is your relationship with Hiroto Yoshimitsu-san, who plays Sebastian, and Kasumi Hasegawa-san, who plays Morfonia?"

Murakami: Yoshimitsu-san is really sweet to me (laughs). He's always buying me something tasty.

Hirakawa: It was daifuku the other day (laughs).

Murakami: It was delicious~ (laughs). Also, when I would raise my voice during a scene, (Mizushima) Marina-san, who plays Elegance Moun, would become worried and give me throat lozenges…..Since the members of Ishabana's entourage are all older than me, they spoil me as if I were their daughter.

Hirakawa: Kasumin (Hasegawa-san) is like a kind big sister who's always looking out for me. Possibly due to both of us being from Kyushu, we became good friends the more we started hanging out in our private lives. Recently, we've been doing live streams together, and have become closer than ever.

"Looking back up to episode 26, what were the most memorable scenes?"

Hirakawa: Rita's past being portrayed in episode 16 was the most memorable for me. Rita's past was hard to imagine and rather mysterious. Although not everything was explained, I think that episode 16, which explained why they became king and what happened to them in the past, was the episode that impacted me the most in the past six months.

Murakami: We've been filming for six months, but the most memorable was episode 3. Hymeno's selfish, but she's also a king, so she has her beliefs. I'm most attached to episode 3 in the sense that it depicts Hymeno's inner self. But, after learning in episode 7 that her parents deaths were caused by scorpion poison, she can no longer hold back her feelings…..This development was also important for Hymeno. Although she expresses her own strength, she also feels resentment toward the unsolved case, and I acted while thinking about Hymeno's inner thoughts.

"Has anything changed in the relationship between the cast members?"

Murakami: After about four or five months, everyone would laugh at me no matter what I said. I can now speak my mind without worrying (laughs). I'm not really good at expressing my opinions in front of other people, but I've become able to do so with confidence. My mother, who watched "King-chan" (TTFC talk show), even said to me, "I think you've become more comfortable with the other cast members, and your sense of humor has improved, hasn't it?"

Hirakawa: You really make us laugh over trivial things. I was surprised at first, because Marie's wasn't the comedic type. Now, I'm also in the mood to play along.

Murakami: Recently, Kaku-san, Aoto-kun and I went out for dinner, and we ended up going to 4 different places. We were having so much fun, that I didn't realize we were moving from one restaurant to another. I've come to trust them both with all my heart, and I even surprised myself at how well I could get along with people.

Hirakawa: I may not have changed in any way, but……What do you think? Have you noticed anything?

Murakami: In the beginning, Yuzuki didn't complain at all, right? But lately, she's started mumbling things like, "It's painful," and, "I'm tired."

Hirakawa: I'm not good at telling people that I'm having a hard time. I'm mindful of not saying anything because I'm concerned about worrying or bothering others. But, I think I've gotten too close to Marie and the others, so it comes out unconsciously. Because we're together every day, I feel like I don't have to care anymore, as we share the same physically and mentally demanding times.

Murakami: That being said, the stage greeting held in Fukuoka for "Adventure Heaven" was like a field trip. Even though it was work, everyone was having fun and it felt like being on vacation.

Hirakawa: Marie joined us on a different plane, but she was wearing big sunglasses and looked like a celebrity going overseas. I took a bunch of pictures of Marie and sent them in the group chat…..

Murakami: I suddenly noticed that there were alot of hidden photos taken of me in the group chat (laughs). As revenge, next time, I'll take lots of cool photos of everyone…..It was really fun. The cast of King-Ohger is friendly regardless of gender, so it really makes you feel like you're back in high school. Until now, I haven't had the opportunity to work with so many colleagues who are aiming for the same goal, so it's very refreshing,

"Episode 27 onward will be the second chapter, and will depict the battle against the Uchu Five Jesters in the world 2 years later. What was your impression when you first heard about the new chapter?"

Murakami: We know what happens next when we receive the scripts, so I was really surprised when I read the scripts for episodes 27-29. It's 2 years later, but worst of all, we're out of the picture (laughs). As I read on, I realized that we were imprisoned! I thought that was an interesting angle.

Hirakawa: I've never heard of time skips in the middle of a story within the Super Sentai series, have you? I was also told that the visuals would be changing. I felt very honored to be able to participate in a production that provided such a rare experience.

Murakami: I'm really happy because there are so many new things happening within King-Ohger, including filming with an LED wall.

"We'd like to hear more about when you learned about the new costumes."

Murakami: If I'm remembering right, I was having a review meeting with Director Kamihoriuchi at a yakiniku restaurant, when he casually said to me, "Think about what kind of visuals you want." At the time, I thought it would be for a one time episode, so I thought, "Gira with a shaved head?" or something…..I was thinking things like that, but then I heard that they were asking about new visuals to be used from episode 27 onward. In Hymeno's case, up until now it's always been about cute things, but I talked about how it'd be cooler to express herself with natural elements, rather than to dress her up. As a result, I ended up with a costume like that of a female knight. The hairstyle, which used to change each episode, was shifted to include more hair extensions and different colors

Hirakawa: Rita's costume has changed only in that the length of their jacket has become shorter, but their hairstyle has changed alot. Actually, I've been saying that I wanted to cut my hair since the beginning of filming. However, this wasn't allowed in the beginning, and filming proceeded with my long hair. Director Kamihoriuchi remembered this and suggested that, "Rita should cut their hair after two years." Rita was given a short hair cut and was able to turn their visuals in a cooler direction.

"Does this mean that the costumes were made lighter to accommodate the summer shoot?"

Murakami: I don't think so. It was still hot (laughs).

Hirakawa: It was hot……(laughs).

"2 years later, Hymeno was charged with arson, and Rita was imprisoned in Gokkan for violating the Labor Standards Law. How have Hymeno and Rita changed during the span of 2 years, and how will you interpret these changes through your performance?"

Murakami: I felt that we were able to fight while being aware of our respective roles. In the beginning, the kings weren't well organized, but over the past 2 years, they seem to have developed a sense of camaraderie.

Hirakawa: Their resolve as a king has become stronger, and I think it shows in their visuals. However, Rita has grown in their ability to talk with the others as friends, while also taking their feelings into consideration.

"Episode 28, the most recently aired episode, depicted the body swapping of the kings. Murakami-san plays Kaguragi and Hirakawa-san plays Yanma. How was the filming for that?"

Murakami: I'm so tired! In all my time in the entertainment industry, I've never acted in such a disorganized manner, so I'm worried that everyone will be turned off by my performance. Kaku-san is very kind, so he said, "It was fun!," but I was still worried about it! (laughs). I think the most obvious way to express Kaguragi's performance is through his eyes, so I tried my best to open my eyes while spreading my legs, but I overdid it and we had to reshoot. However, the reason I was able to do such a disorganized performance may be because I get along so well with everyone and am able to tell jokes and make funny faces.

Hirakawa: I didn't really prepare for the role of Yanma that much. That's because I'm abit like Yanma in some aspects of my everyday life (laughs). I studied yankii like postures, but other than that, I tried not to think about anything other than playing a passionate guy named Yanma. More than that, when I was playing the role of Yanma, I was showing my entire face, so I was very conscious of that. I've been performing with my face hidden for more than half a year, so I was surprised at how embarrassed I felt showing my face (laughs). While checking the monitor, I thought to myself, "This is what I look like……"

"What did you think of Hymeno being played by Kaku-san, and Rita being played by Watanabe-san?"

Murakami: I was surprised to realize that this is what Hymeno looks like from other people's perspective. When Hymeno couldn't accept Kaguragi's body, I think I would've wanted to say, "I can't take it!," and run away. However, Kaku acting all depressed was very cute. I was very happy that he opened up a side of Hymeno that I didn't have.

Hirakawa: Aoto just did whatever he wanted (laughs). Even though I thought to myself, "They wouldn't open their eyes that wide, would they?," I felt that Yuzuki Hirakawa's performance broadened the range of Rita's character. Due to the stress of having their body swapped, Rita's emotions are more tense than usual. It made me realize that I could show these kinds of facial expressions. It made it easier for me to do my future performances.

Murakami: Now that I think about it, during filming for episode 27, Director Kamihoriuchi was laughing while watching the monitor the whole time (laughs).

Hirakawa: Before I knew it, I became more determined to make the Director laugh.

"It was because of that determination that it turned into such an outrageous episode. Now, we're anxious to see what'll happen next, but what would you two like the fans to pay attention to when watching the show?"

Murakami: The foreshadowing from previous episodes are gradually being revealed, and there are episodes in which each character's pasts are explored in depth. For example, Sebastian's real name, which hasn't currently been revealed, may be mentioned, and even if you haven't watched it up to this point, I'd like you to watch King-Ohger, even if you start from the new chapter!

Hirakawa: Also, there's an all out action episode by Director Sakamoto Hiroshi. Although filming hasn't started yet (at the time of this interview), I've heard that there'll be lots of action, so I'm really looking forward to doing the performance. It'd make me happy if you could continue to watch every week!

_

Shinichiro Miki (Kamejim Voice Actor)

Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger has entered its second chapter, but there's only one enemy leader that's survived from the first chapter. His name, is Kamejim Unka! He was the one behind the 2,000 year battle between humans and Bugnarak, and is one of the Uchu Five Jesters who serve under the Uchu King, Dagded Dujardin. The voice is provided by veteran voice actor Shinichiro Miki, making this his first performance in the Super Sentai series. Miki is a big fan of King-Ohger himself, so how does he approach the role of Kamejim Unka?

"Miki-san is also known for his role as Sieg in "Kamen Rider Den-O," but this is his first performance in the Super Sentai series. What are your impressions of the series?"

Miki: I love tokusatsu productions, and have been watching them since "Himitsu Sentai Goranger," which is from my generation. But, after I started working as a voice actor, whenever I heard the voice of someone I knew who was appearing in those shows, I stopped watching them out of jealousy (laughs). It was only after I started working on Den-O that those feelings toned down abit, and I was able to watch them again. These days, I listen to the voices of my juniors and think to myself, "(Yuki) Kaji-kun is really doing his best~." Even so, I still get jealous (laughs).

"What was your impression when you first heard about the setting of King-Ohger, and the role of Kamejim that Miki-san plays?"

Miki: I felt that there were alot of new elements, and thought, "This is interesting and different from previous Super Sentai!" When I first saw Kamejim's design, my impression was, "It's really cool!" I was told that he was a, "Sharp intellectual, and a faithful subordinate of King Desnarak VIII," although, I expected him to have something happening behind the scenes (laughs). I got the impression that he was polite with his words, but I couldn't understand his true feelings, and during the audition, I was conscious of trying to convey the nuances of that part well.

"There seems to have been various decisions made as recording progressed, so were there any changes in the way you created the role compared to the beginning?"

Miki: As the story progresses, we're learning more about his character, and there are alot more parts of him that, "Dare to say the opposite of what he means, but still holds true." Along with this, the range of my speaking style has expanded, and I try to be aware of the thought behind the dialogue as I go into recording.

"You said that you expected, "Something to be happening behind the scenes," and we have the impression that Kamejim evolved into a character with one or two quirks as a result of Miki-san's performance."

Miki: Thank you so much. Well, things just turned out that way (laughs). That being said, I think the result is from a good mix of not only my voice acting, but the performance of Suit Actor (Masato) Tsutamune-san acting out my character. Even though the meaning of the dialogue doesn't change, we're recording while focusing on the way he speaks during the action scenes. For this reason, during dubbing scenes, I try to pick up on the movements of Tsutamune-san's hands and fingers as much as possible from the footage.

"Capturing the theatrical elements from a Suit Actor's performance requires a different skill set from that of an anime."

Miki: In the sense that Tsutamune-san plays the role and adds his voice to the finished video, it's more similar to dubbing a foreign film than to an anime. However, being able to go and observe filming and talk with Tsutamune-san, and being able to work with the actors to create the show, is what makes it different from foreign films. I believe that communicating in this way is one of the most important aspects of perfecting a character.

"What kinds of conversations did you have at the recording studio with Shimura Tomoyuki-san, Desnarak VIII's voice actor, who Kamejim served until episode 26?"

Miki: I call him "Shimu-nii," as we've known each other for over 20 years. So, from the first recording session, we said to each other, "This is reassuring!" However, Shimu-nii is a "doer." When the Director asks him to do something on set, he does so many things that it becomes too much. Because of his personality, he brings smiles to everyone on set. The true character of Desnarak VIII……Although he's not a person, I think the kindness towards his fellow comrades is linked to Shimu-nii's kindness.

"Also, speaking of characters played by actors rather than voice actors, don't you have alot of interactions with Jeramie?"

Miki: We've never done the recording together. Kamejim doesn't have much to do with Jeramie, so there weren't many scenes where we had direct conversations. It's like we just talked to ourselves…..Jeramie has lived for 2,000 years, but he has a more child like side to him compared to Gira. From Kamejim's point of view, I think he thought that part of him is adorable.

"From episode 27, the story enters the second chapter, where the King-Ohgers confront Kamejim Unka and those from the Uchu Five Jesters. When did Miki-san learn of these developments?"

Miki: I had heard beforehand that, "There's an even more powerful enemy in the universe, and that Kamejim was a spy sent by that enemy," but when he was defeated by God King-Ohger and exploded in episode 26, I was worried that he wouldn't be coming back (laughs). In order to prepare for the role, I was given alittle more information than the viewers, and was shocked by the scripts around episode 27. After receiving a new script at the office, I often look them over while having a drink, and there were many moving developments, including the scene where Desnarak VIII defends Jeramie. I cry every time I read it. If I hadn't been able to participate after episode 27 though, I might've cried in a different way. I survived, so at that time, my tears were that of relief (laughs). The storytelling in King-Ohger has a wonderful way of creating a story that can also resonate with the hearts of adults.

"Now that Kamejim Unka has been revealed as one of the Uchu Five Jesters, how did you react to his change in position?"

Miki: I think he's most comfortable in a position like that, as a second in command. I think he's the type of person who leaves the big things to someone else and enjoys doing what he wants to do. The way he reappears in episode 27 is also typical of him. Objectively, I think of him with, "He always looks like he's having fun," and, "I wish I could live like that."

"Since your position changed, did your role change in any way?"

Miki: There were basically no changes. There's a change when the person he supports is nearby and when they’re not, but up until episode 26 and from episode 27 onwards, there's no change in personality, just a change in the person he serves. However, since his comrades of the Uchu Five Jesters have appeared and are in the same position as him, I think there’ll be new aspects in the interactions with them that have never been seen before.

"Characters in the same position consist of Goma Rosalia, Hilbil Leech, and Minongan Moth. What kind of conversations did you have with the cast members who play them?"

Miki: The Uchu Five Jesters cast has a great lineup, with (Kazuhiro) Yamaji-san and (Miyuki) Sawashiro-san. I don't have much of an opportunity to talk with them, but I talked to Tomokazu Seki the other day, and he said, "It seems like they picked me since Minongan Moth is a character who doesn't talk much" (laughs). Then I remember telling (Ishida) Akira-kun, "I'm happy we're working on the same program again."

"On the other hand, you were in charge of the narration for “The Secret of King Racules,” which is available on the Toei's Tokusatsu Official YouTube Channel."

Miki: In the main show, Jeramie narrates the story, but since "The Secret of King Racules" is the story of the "Worst King," it was decided that since I'm on the evil side, I would be in charge of the narration. However, if I did it as Kamejim, it would be too obvious, so I tried to do it in a calm manner, keeping the narration style in mind.

"What do you think about the story in "The Secret of King Racules?"

Miki: I cried. It's alittle more mature than the main story, and the final scene was especially emotional. I also liked the screen composition, where the faces of King Racules and Vedalia are alternately shown in close ups in the background. It was also very emotional that Kofuki, who appeared in that work, rode the 20 person combined God King-Ohger in episode 25 of the main story.

"Miki-san said he cries as he reads the script, but which scenes in the episodes that have aired so far have been most memorable?"

Miki: There's too many! Like the scene in episode 16 where Rita says, "Thank you," in a small voice after receiving the Moffun from Hymeno, or the scene in episode 25, where the retainers of each country expressing their feelings towards the kings is depicted…..There are really too many to choose from. I watch the broadcasts 3 times every Sunday. First, I watch the reactions on SNS in real time, saying things like, "I can see why people would react this way here," and, "I see!" (laughs). Then, while drinking, I would do it a second and then third time. Afterwards, while reading the script for the next episode, which had already been dubbed, I'd think, "This is what happens after this, huh," and then start to cry (laughs). Even though I didn't appear in it, I went to the theater to see "Adventure Heaven" as a fan.

"You're looking at this from a genuine fan's perspective, rather than from a performer's perspective."

Miki: Of course, there are things I can reflect on about myself, but that's something I can make use of in my next job. While I want to reflect, I also want to have fun with the fans. In all my years as a voice actor, this may be the first work that makes me feel this way.

"Why are you so enthusiastic about King-Ohger?"

Miki: There's one reason for participating in it, but I think there's also many other reasons, such as the story, the wonderful character designs, and the fact that the filming method is different from what we've seen before. Maybe it's the excitement and sense of being with everyone in an era and worldview that's different from usual.

"King-Ohger continues to have unpredictable developments, Miki-san, please tell us what you think we should focus on going forward."

Miki: The development of Gira's involvement with the Kyoryuger's has become an even newer development within the new developments of the second chapter. I'm sure that these developments will continue to go beyond the expectations of the fans who have been watching the show. Although I know the story alittle earlier than you readers, I'd like to look forward to the future developments with a passionate attitude. When I see words related to King-Ohger trending on SNS every Sunday morning, I feel happy as if they were my own, and this show has taught me how to enjoy watching it with the fans. I hope you'll continue to enjoy your time with me!

[dumbkiri]

𝓓𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱 𝓦𝓲𝓵𝓵 𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓕𝓸𝓻 𝓨𝓸𝓾 2

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴏ: ᴘʜᴏɴᴇ ᴄᴀʟʟ

ɢᴏᴊᴏ ꜱᴀᴛᴏʀᴜ x ꜰᴇᴍ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

[Name] is forced in a shitty situation to once again transform Kaiser, but this time in his prime age. Riko misses important messages and phone calls from her sister. She's soooo dead.

You were growing concerned. Riko wasn’t answering her phone and neither was Kuroi. Your leg was bouncing up and down from the nerves and you were picking at your nails trying to calm yourself down. You had called Riko 6 times and you messaged her 27 times! Riko couldn’t be ignoring you, she knows that she has to check in with you periodically. 

You had sent her a picture of the concert tickets to go see Ado with a message saying, I hope you’re ready to party this weekend. You never really listened to the artist and only got the tickets because Riko never stopped talking about Ado this and Ado that. You saved up your money from the missions to get tickets and now that you finally got them, you were hoping for an excited response. 

Riko, if you don’t respond to me in the next hour. I will send Kaiser to hunt your ass down. 

The hour was coming up and you sat on the half wall near a river with a bottle of water next to you. It had been half empty for the past half hour and you clenched your hands to control your anger. Kaiser was swimming in the water like a serpent then he would dive in and breach the water like a dolphin. 

You couldn’t relax. Questions regarding Riko’s health and her whereabouts were filtering in your head. She should be in school by now. Was it her choir class? It was possible that she didn’t have her phone because of her classes. That still left you with Kuroi ignoring your messages. 

You couldn’t think more about it because the person to your right appeared out of nowhere with a sentence that sent chills down your spine.  

“You have an interesting cursed technique.” 

Swiftly, you created a safe distance from the voice that spoke to you in peculiar interest. You wasted no time to put up your barrier and Kaiser jumped to your aid. His eyes glowing an orange color matching your own. 

The man that spoke was definitely older than you and physically stronger. Yet he exuded no curse energy. How was it that he could see Kaiser? He was extremely fast as well. It was no doubt a Heavenly Pact and you had no way to counter him if he fought you. 

Kaiser’s growl caught your attention and you saw the baby dragon getting into a defensive position. You could tell that this man was extremely dangerous to your guy's wellbeing. 

“Who the hell are you?” You demanded glaring at the unusually attractive man. 

The man smirked and a gross purple worm curse appeared wrapping around his body. “Well I’m going to be the dragon slayer now,” He chuckled and pulled out a sword from the worm’s mouth, “Toji Fushiguro.” 

“Blue.” You strategically used a Commandment and a mix of orange and blue swirled in your eyes. This was going to be a hard fought battle that you needed to get out of. Your phone buzzed in your pocket and the man gestured to it, keeping that smirk on his handsome face. 

“You should get that. It could be your little sister.”

“What?” You asked perturbed. 

His fingers flexed on the handle of the sword and he spoke again, “Come on, you have to know about the money. Headline reads: Amanai Sisters Wanted Dead for 60 million yen. 30 for each of you, it’s a nice prize. Although it seems I’m the first one to challenge you.” You didn’t let his information make you falter. Riko must have been the one to be calling you. 

Yet she hadn’t been answering your calls for a while. It could be possible that she was captured already and her captors were calling to negotiate something with you. You cleared your head and focused back on your situation. You had no faith that Riko was alright, so you had two choices. End this fight quickly or run away. 

Kaiser could be transformed into an adult again, yet the amount of cursed energy it would take would burn across your body like wildfire. You had to come out of this situation alive. You didn’t need to be healthy, you only needed to be breathing. It didn’t matter the pain you would suffer through as long as you aged up Kaiser. 

“Because it’s a stupid mistake to challenge the Shinigami,” You sneered and a puff of black smoke covered Kaiser's body. There was a searing pain starting from your chest that began to spread out towards your body. It burned so much yet you continued on with your task. Your hands formed a diamond shape in front of your mouth and you casted out a technique. 

“Red.” 

You blew into the diamond and fire spewed out towards Toji Fushiguro. He smirked at the powerful attack and dodged it with insane speed. This created a huge distance between you and him. 

This attack allowed time for Kaiser to emerge from the smoke in his final form. His pearlescent wings had spread out wide about 150 feet and his neck slipped out of the smoke with a terrifying, bloodthirsty look in his rainbow colored eyes. His long snout dipped low as he analyzed Toji Fushiguro; the enemy to his master. 

His pointy mouth opened up slightly and liquid fire started to drip out to his chin down to the floor. The fire hissed when making contact with the floor displaying how hot it was. The two horns on top of his head curved towards his spiny back and his tail swished about high in the air. His chest and belly had rows and rows of hardened scales allowing him to be impenetrable from physical attacks. 

A rumble vibrated in Kaiser’s chest and he flapped his wings at Toji shooting a ball of fire at the crazy man. Quickly, you climbed onto Kaiser’s back and looked over his shoulder to see Toji adorning that psychotic smirk on his face. 

“You’re not so bad. I can tell you have a hold of your cursed technique.” 

“Is that so?” You patronizingly asked the man below you. 

Toji chuckled and replied back, “Your dragon was a baby seconds ago. My employer told me that you reverted him earlier today. That was the whole point as to why I decided to attack you now. I thought you would be drained from the amount of cursed energy you exhausted today. Yet here you are, perched on a big ass dragon like you own the world. I have a feeling you won’t disappoint me.” 

Your skin peeled back as the burning increased all around your body. You were lucky enough that the uniform you wore covered the freshly inflicted wounds. Unfortunately, the fabric was melting into your skin. That must have been the only reason why Toji Fushiguro was hesitant to attack you full on. His fangs were always pointed towards the strongest, but he knows all of your techniques. Your rainbow colored eyes matched that of your dragon meaning you both were attuned to one another. 

The fight would have been different if your eyes were just orange, blue and red. 

“Laika, Kaiser,” You commanded the fearsome dragon and he did as he was told. He turned to the side and his claws dug into the cement floor. Then he turned his back on the man and took a running start down the riverbank. 

In a last ditch effort, Toji jumped at you with his weapon of choice high in the air. “Where are you-” Toji began to ask you, not aware of how quick Kaiser could be. Despite his slow start of a run, his tail was swift in retaliation. Kaiser never left his master unguarded, especially with her back turned. His spiky tail flicked up and smacked the left side of Toji’s body. 

Toji’s body was slapped into the river with a huge splash. Hearing that sound made Kaiser let out a chuff of satisfaction. You looked down at the ripples of the water when Kaiser took flight into the clear blue sky. Your eyes relaxed and you commemorated your dragon on his attack, “You always had very good reflexes, Kai.” 

He let off a deep roar echo in the sky to show his authority. 

….

Riko was afraid. Her sister had called her so many times and messaged even more! The picture of the concert tickets were exciting, but the last message of a threat was pretty terrifying. One time Kaiser did pick her up without any notice…just straight into the air she went crying crocodile tears. 

Anyways, the young girl tried reaching her sister ten times, but it went to voicemail each time. This was all yesterday and she hadn’t received word back from her sister. Until the boys convinced her to go to the beach and have fun there. Riko was sitting down in the shade tired from playing in the water when her phone began ringing with the song “Usseewa” playing. 

‘This was the ringtone for [Name]!’ Riko cheered and scrambled to get her phone out of the bag. She answered so fast and tried explaining why she couldn’t answer yesterday. 

“Ah! [Name]! I am so sorry I didn’t answer you sooner! I just been-“ 

“Riko, is Kuroi with you?” You interrupted, using a reversed technique to heal the burns over your body. You probably shouldn’t have forced Kaiser to age up after reverting him. Yet desperate times call for desperate measures. 

Riko looked over at Kuroi who was conversing with Gojo and Geto. You didn’t sound too well and she ran over to her caretaker to put you on speaker. 

Kuroi, Geto and Gojo looked at her as she stuck her phone out so everyone could hear your voice. 

“Yeah, she’s with me now. Is everything okay, you don’t sound too good.” 

“There’s a bounty on our head. I need you to…to get somewhere safe.” You held in a bloody cough and fell deeper into Kaiser's warm body. You had finished peeling your clothes off your body with your teeth biting onto your tongue. Kaiser had helped out a lot with your jacket by tugging it off in one sweep earlier. 

You may have let out a string of curses when he did so.

Riko looked up at the trio with worry in her dark blue eyes. Something was wrong, you never sounded this weak before. 

“[Name], where are you? Is everything okay?” Riko asked again and she flinched when she heard you coughing over the phone and wheezing in pain. Your shout made her jump in fear. 

“Listen to me!” Your throat was hoarse from all the coughing, “You don’t…you don’t have a lot of time! I need you to get somewhere safe! Kaiser will protect me while I recover and when I do…I’m coming for you. So for now, just listen.” 

Riko subconsciously nodded her head and told you, “Alright, I’m here with-” 

Gojo slipped a hand over Riko’s mouth while Geto shook his head, mouthing the words, “Don’t mention us!”. Riko stared at them with her eyes furrowed and she pushed Gojo’s hand off her mouth. 

“Who else is with you? What does he look like?” You sat up and Kaiser purred at you. The dragon sniffed your hair as you stood up with a groan.  

“He?!” Riko shouted, she didn’t know you were that much of a psychic! Kuroi stepped up and calmly defused the situation, “Don’t worry, [Name]. I’m pretty sure Riko is in shock right now. You sound like you’re in terrible pain. It…it’s making us worry.” 

You had to be truthful to make them aware of the dire situation. “I was attacked by a man who had no cursed energy. His name is Toji Fushiguro and super attractive, you won’t miss a guy who looks like him. Furthermore, there is a bounty out for Riko like what I stated earlier. Every group in Jujutsu is coming after us and I’m in a pretty bad shape, so I’m going to call my friends to bring you to my school. From there, I will protect you and  figure out what I need to do next. If I have to kill everyone who gets in my way, I will do it.”

Riko was stumped. A man with no cursed energy had hurt you? “I don’t understand, big sister. You have Kaiser, why are you injured?” 

“Because my idiot principal and idiot friends convinced me to revert him to a baby.” You hissed while Kaiser licked your wounded back with his slimy tongue. His saliva had healing properties and it worked faster than your reversed technique. “I had to force Kaiser to transform into his final stage. His cursed energy burned all across my body, but we made it out alive.” 

Riko shook her head and shouted at the phone, “What kind of friends would make you become vulnerable?! Who are they?! When I meet them, I’m going to give them a piece of my mind!” 

Kuroi nervously looked over her shoulder at the teen boys and they both whistled with their hands stuffed into their pockets. The older woman knew your friends were these boys by the way they stopped Riko from mentioning them. 

“You are going to meet them soon because they are the ones that are going to escort you back to the school. One is a guy who can eat curses, pretty gross in my opinion and I’m sure he thinks the same way too. His hair would be in a bun or something and his name is Geto Suguru.” 

Riko looked up from the phone and at Suguru in complete shock.

“The next guy…he’s a pain in the ass, that’s all I got to say about him. His name is Gojo Satoru. Oh yeah, he wears round glasses. It’s easy to take notice of this duo.” 

“Big sister, do you trust these guys to keep me safe?” Riko asked with a tremor in her voice. Suguru and Satoru were astounded by the young girl’s question. She had trusted them to give her fun last days, but now she was looking at them with weary eyes. 

“Of course, I do.” You said with a soft smile, “They’re my best friends. They wouldn’t do anything to harm you.”

“I know they’re your friends, but they hurt you,” Riko said, “and now you’re putting me in their care. Why can’t you just send Kaiser my way and he can get Kuroi and I?” 

You hummed and looked at your body, it was mostly healed from the burns. But you were exhausted and hiding in an abandoned warehouse. “I’m sorry, Riko. I can’t do that now, sending Kaiser over to you will get me killed if another sorcerer finds me. I promise,  Suguru and Satoru will deliver you to me.”

Riko wiped her eyes and clenched the phone tighter in her hand. To the young Amanai, this conversation felt like the last one she would have with her big sister. There was a force that pushed her to say more on the phone. Yet she didn’t have the guts to do it. Instead, Riko sucked it in and said her goodbye, 

“I will see you soon, big sister.” 

“Of course. I love you, Riko.” 

“I love you too. Bye…” Riko stared at her screen and with a shaky thumb ended the call. Then she looked over at the duo telling them to listen to her last request, “Take me to the school.”

......................

.............

.......

[silvyslayer42]

saiki k headcannons (very very long post)

-kurumi + kuusuke have weird unnaturally sharp teeth that are lowkey scary if you look at them for too long. kusuo also has it but he hides it.

-if you think at kusuo, he can hear you no matter where you are. the psychickers (+ his family) know this and use it against him.

-kusuo is an unwilling empathy crier. if someone starts crying near him, he will at least start to tear up. he finds it an extreme inconvenience and does everything he can to hide it. this only really happens with people in his direct vicinity though, so no movie characters or random people in his telepathy radius.

-too many characters have similarly colored eyes, so here’s a lightning round with some eye color changes

akechi: periwinkle. it just makes sense to me ok?? a silly color for a silly goober. it grows on me more the more i think about it.

aren: dark magenta with a hint of red. i think it represents his personality better

toritsuka: dark grey. i like it and have no explanation for it. honorable mention goes to pink because it makes him match with saiki

also aiura has neon yellow eyes not green they are not green her eyes are not gre

-kusuo gets a pretty normal amount of sleep all things considered, in fact he probably gets maybe an hour or so more than average most nights because he just loves sleeping so much. kuusuke does not even go out of his way to get a bed for himself because the only sleep he gets is when he forgets to take his bi-hourly injection of whatever he’s using in place of caffeine and passes out on top of whatever he’s working on for ≈3 minutes before jolting himself awake and going back to work. if he really has to nap for whatever reason he claims the floor is plenty comfortable.

-kusuo has sedatephobia (fear of silence). while the peaceful tranquility of putting people’s thoughts on mute with the ring is nice, if he were to somehow be put into a situation with no noise at all or even just very little noise I think he’d be pretty freaked. he’s never had a truly quiet moment before, so it’s only a natural reaction to be uncomfortable with it. he would avidly deny it if asked though, even if he gets visibly anxious from it.

-kuusuke has never used bugs against kusuo directly because he thinks phobias are a cheap and uncreative tactic. the birthday card thing doesn’t count because that was only psychometry images.

-it’s not really a psychic power but all of the pk psychics have extremely strong intuitions. like they just Know things sometimes. this is basically canon for at least kusuo but that besides the point. the jury is still out on whether akechi also has the psixth sense or if he’s just weird but he is definitely on the same page as everyone else most of the time because of his near psychic analysis of his situation and surroundings

-kusuo can use transform on other people but it never comes up bc why would he do that when hypnosis is so much easier? something something genderbend episode

-kusuo had a very bad no good week like right before he got his limiters where his hair became uncuttable and he was forced to have a mullet until it culminated in kusuo willing himself into developing heat vision and cutting his hair with it to mixed results.

-each of the saiki’s think they’re the more normal one balancing out the rest of the family’s weirdness but no. all of you are weird there is no balance

-more of an opinion than a headcanon, but being average/“normal” was never really what saiki wanted. what he’s actually after is peace, and he just happens to associate those things with it. that’s why he changed the world to perceive his unusual attributes as normal when he was younger instead of changing himself to appear normal, what he truly wants is a world that he can be himself in and be at peace at the same time. the reason he refuses to admit this, even to himself, is because of his own lack of self-acceptance. you guys don’t understand he’s such an angsty and tragic character actually ! a poor little meow meow even ! listen to me !!

-kusuo and kuusuke NEED to have a “let’s take ibuprofen together” moment i will not be explaining further

-kuusuke works above board a lot, but he is definitely doing some “under the table” stuff when it comes to selling the shit he makes because he just does not care and wants money to fund his games. he is confident he will never get caught and even if he’s wrong kusuo is reversing that shit to avoid the trouble it would cause him.

-kuusuke does love robotics (specifically with making weapons but he does indulge in the gadget or two), and that is definitely his favorite to do stuff with and the thing he is most passionate about, but don’t be fooled, he does everything. any science under the sun and he is probably an expert on it. special mentions of things he knows a lot a lot about go to neuroscience, physics, biology, first aid/general medicine, pharmacology (technically canon because of that muscle relaxent from the cattank arc) and anything that you could realistically make a psi pun with.

-sometimes kuusuke randomly decides that a random ass guy is the person of the week he wants to piss off (to him it’s like being annoying to an animal, very amusing ^^). positive things about this: it’s normal a really bad person he decides to be a menace to like a rich guy or a corrupt politician. bad things about this: he has had to deal with hired hits on him before

-aiura can get a very accurate read on someone’s personality near instantly and has an encyclopedic knowledge on everyone. she knows your birthday and she knows what you want. teruhashi too but not because she’s psychic she’s just also weird.

-aiura has a very bad sleep schedule because she gets woken up in the middle of the night by visions of disaster. this is NOT THE SAME as kusuo’s visions !! kusuo is tormented in his sleep, she is kept awake. aiura also sometimes has visions of shit right before it happens and if it’s a bad thing she has to think quick on her feet to stop it.

-aiura does not stop helping people she just gets a little bit better at being discreet. eventually she goes freelance and owns her own shop for occult stuff good for her

ok that’s all i got for now. tune in whenever i decide to do this again for more bangers

[seiya-starsniper]

Rating: Teen || Chapters: 2/5 || Word Count 3.5k/??

Summary: The Dead Boy Detectives run into a familiar pub while out on a case, and Crystal has to contend with an unfortunate event from her past.

AO3 Tags: POV Multiple, Hob Gadling gives live advice to a bunch of teenagers, while helping them solve cases, that's it that's the fic, also he maybe plays matchmaker for his hot mess bestie

Chapter 1

Read Chapter 2 below, or using the link above on AO3!

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

Hob Gadling considers himself to be a rather open minded man. He's lived hundreds of years, and seen thousands of strange and unusual things in that same amount of time, so the chances of something catching him completely off guard are rather slim in the year 2024.

The last few days, however, have proven that there are still many, many things that can surprise him. 

One of those things being one Charles Rowland, who is currently waving at Hob from the entryway of the New Inn.

Hob normally doesn't like to get involved in anything having to do with the supernatural, and especially not anything related to the type of work that Edwin and Charles do. He'd met them purely by chance after some asshole with delusions of grandeur had tried to frame him for a series of murders. He’d sent Edwin and Charles on a wild goose chase in a poor attempt to cover his own tracks.

Hob thought that once they caught the real murderer together and cleared things up, that would be the end of things. But then, Hob kept getting involved in their cases over the years, all of them entirely on accident. Eventually, somewhere between the fourth and fifth poltergeist, Hob decided he might as well figure out how to defend himself against supernatural entities, and maybe make himself useful for these poor boys too. They certainly needed all the help they could get.

Hob had been glad to hear that Edwin and Charles had recently gotten some sort of amnesty in exchange for continuing to help ghosts and other souls move on. It was good work, what these boys did. Hob has seen ghosts that haunted the same places for centuries finally be to pass on into the afterlife thanks to them. And now, they not only had permission to keep going, but had gotten more help to do it too.

The addition of Crystal to their little crew had been a surprise, and Jenny an even bigger surprise, though the latter seems less interested in solving cases, and more in making sure Crystal doesn't get herself killed in the process.

Still, Hob's only ever seen the teens all together in some sort of group, never alone, and he's definitely never seen Charles without Edwin. From the moment Hob had first met the two ghost boys, they’d always been a singular unit in his mind. And yet here Charles was, alone and looking strangely expectant while trying to appear casual as he waits for Hob to close out the tabs on the last remaining lunch hour patrons.

“Everything all right?” Hob asks when Charles approaches him once his last customer leaves. 

“Of course!” Charles answers, his signature smile bright on display. “I was just in the neighborhood and wanted to say hello. And to thank you again for the assist the other day.”

As a ghost, Charles is technically always in the neighborhood, so Hob knows that that’s not all that there is to his visit. It also hasn't escaped Hob's notice that Charles specifically picked the one day Jenny wasn't working the kitchen this week to drop by the pub. He clearly doesn’t want anyone to know that he’s here.

But Hob knows by now how to deal with skittish teenagers. Even dead ones.

“Well I'm almost done here and then I'm gonna head upstairs for a cuppa,” Hob says. Mark’s going to be here soon to relieve me of duty. Happy to have some company if you have the time to spare for an old man.”

“Oh! Yeah sure, I'm not busy,” Charles says, and cute that he’s still trying to pretend that he hadn’t come here with a purpose, when his eagerness is so clearly written all over his face. “Don't need any food though, as you know.”

“Sure, sure,” Hob replies, waving his hand dismissively so Charles can head upstairs ahead of him. He's going to make a cup of tea for Charles anyways. The boy always seemed to love the steam that came out of the mugs, even though he’d never admit it out loud.

Mark comes in exactly at 2:00pm, and Hob chats with him for a few minutes, before he clocks out and heads upstairs to his flat above the pub. Charles is already waiting for him in the living room, and Hob immediately sets to the task of warming up some hot water in the kettle and grabbing some mugs for tea.

“So how are things at the agency?” Hob asks as he waits for the water to heat. “Busy as ever, or more so now that you’ve got yourselves a psychic?”

“Definitely busier,” Charles says. “Crystal’s been a massive help with our cases, we're solving them even faster than before.”

“Good,” Hob replies, just as the kettle clicks, letting him know the water is done. “I’m glad she’s using her powers for good nowadays,” he adds as he brings the two mugs over to the couch. Charles looks surprised by the extra mug, but accepts it without a word. Hob doesn’t expect him to drink any of the tea, of course, but as predicted, Charles seems to fall into a trance watching the steam rise out of the cup.

“Thanks for not giving her too much of a hard time,” Charles says when Hob sits down in the recliner across from him. “She’s been really down on herself lately for everything in her past.”

“I can only imagine,” Hob agrees. He knew a thing or two about wanting to reinvent oneself and burning away the past. He’s had hundreds of years to do so after all. In fact, it could even be argued that Crystal was far ahead of where Hob would’ve been had he been in her shoes. The girl he’d met a few nights ago was so different from the one he’d met a year ago in court that Hob would’ve thought she had a twin instead. 

“Seems like you two get along well,” Hob notes after a brief silence has passed. Charles perks up immediately, taking the opening in the conversation.

“We do,” Charles replies, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “She’s amazing.”

“Yeah? So are the two of you a thing then?” Hob asks, and would you look at that, turns out ghosts can blush after all. 

“I—maybe?” Charles says, his voice pitched higher with uncertainty. “I don’t know, actually. I mean, it's, well…complicated I guess?”

“How so?” Hob asks. He’d suspected there had been something going on between them, it was obvious in their body language, and how they gently teased one another throughout the night after the banshee had gone. Now Charles is talking like a man newly in love and completely besotted.

“Is she giving you mixed signals?” Hob follows up when Charles doesn't answer.

“No!” Charles exclaims, shaking his head. “It’s me really, I’m—I don’t know.” He sighs in frustration and runs a hand through his hair. “I thought for a while that’s what I wanted and then Edwin—” he suddenly cuts himself off, a small amount of panic now crossing his features.

Ah. Now the reason for Charles' visit suddenly makes itself clear. Crystal clear even, but Hob keeps that terrible pun to himself. 

“So Edwin finally told you how he felt about you?” Hob asks, deciding to rip the bandage off now and quell the strange awkwardness in the room. Charles’ head whips up so fast Hob feels his own neck start to cramp up in sympathy.

“You knew ?” Charles asks. “But Edwin said he’d only figured it out when we were in Port Townsend!”

Hob shrugs. “Sometimes, things are easier to spot when you’re not in the middle of them,” he replies. “But it was pretty clear that, at the very least, Edwin considered you the most important person to him. It's not surprising he fell in love with you too.”

“You really think so?” Charles asks. “Because I don't—I’d never really thought about it before, you know? He's my most important person too, but I never thought that we would be more than that. But now that he's said it, I can't stop thinking about it.”

“Yeah?” Hob asks. “Does it bother you that he feels that way?” A shake of the head. Good. “Do you ever think you could return those feelings?”

“I don’t know, and that’s the problem!” Charles cries, his voice pitching near to a whine. He stands and paces around Hob’s living room, and Hob has to try not to laugh into his tea. Teenage problems were always the same, whether a live or dead.

“To be honest, I’m still really into Crystal,” Charles starts, “...but then after everything with Edwin, and what happened to Niko, I started thinking, well, how long will that really last? Crystal’s alive, I’m not. She’s going to—she won’t—she’ll eventually—”

“Grow up?” Hob offers when the teen can’t find the right words. “Grow old, hopefully? Live a fulfilling life with someone else that’s flesh and blood?”

“I—yeah. Ideally yes,” Charles replies, though it's clear the thought bothers him by the way he scrunches his features. “But also, what if us being together puts her in too much danger? What if she—if what happened to Niko happens to her, I couldn't bear it, Mr. Gadling.”

“Hob,” Hob corrects the boy gently. “I've told you before that you don't need to call me Mister anything, makes me feel way older than I already feel,” he adds with a laugh. Charles gives him a half smile and just shrugs helplessly. Some habits were impossible to break, it seemed.

“And those are perfectly reasonable fears to have,” Hob continues. “Crystal is her own person though, and you need to take into account that she might find the risk worth it. And to be honest, I feel like the risk to her life is the same, whether you two are romantically involved or not.”

“Yeah, I suppose you're right,” Charles agrees, flopping back down onto Hob’s couch and staring back into the still steaming mug of tea. “So do you think we should give it a go, then?”

Hob shrugs. “I think you two like each other,” he replies, “but whether you think a relationship is worth it is up to you. Does Edwin know about you two?”

“He knows—some stuff yeah,” Charles replies sheepishly. “I had told him I liked her way before he, you know, confessed to me and all. And like, even afterwards, it seems like he’s fine, but I really don’t know if it’s all actually fine, or if he’s just trying to act like he’s fine just because I look fine but he’s not really fine and what if I’ve mucked everything up or—”

“Hey, slow down, Charles,” Hob interjects, and the boy’s mouth clicks shut immediately. “From what I can see, nothing has changed between you, so I wouldn't worry about it,” he adds, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. “Besides, you and Edwin have been together this long now, you've got more than enough time to sort things out, one way or the other.”

“Yeah,” Charles agrees, his voice now wistfully soft and clearly full of affection. “When we were in Hell, I said that to him,you know. That we have eternity to figure it all out.”

“Did you now?” Hob asks, now smiling himself. “Sounds like you two are on the same page then, as per usual. Now you just need to make a decision yourself and Crystal.”

“Yeah…yeah you're right,” Charles says, seeming to come to a decision. His back straightens and he sits up, his signature smile back on his face. “Edwin and I may have forever, but Crystal doesn't and it's rude to keep a lady waiting right?”

“Absolutely," Hob replies.

Charles leaves shortly after, promising not to overthink everything and let his feelings come naturally to him. Hob is fairly certain he knows where things will land eventually, and he's sure Charles does too. It doesn't make the journey to get there any less worthwhile.

[tripleglitchwriting]

Hello! And thank you!! I hope you have a FANTASTIC day/night.

I picked Starscream because I haven’t written him before and I thought it would be an interesting challenge.

Alone Together

CW: Reader is kind of depressed, mentions of injury (not human), pretty fluffy other than that

For a long time you felt alone. No matter where you were, be it in a crowd of people or sitting alone in your apartment. Nothing could match the feelings of isolation that you lived in. It felt damming, desolate, and depressing wherever you went.

And yet, despite everything you’d experienced, something changed.

You’d gone to Jasper for a variety of reasons. Mainly just for a change of scenery, but you’d also heard the small town atmosphere could be comforting. Maybe you could get to know some people, become part of a community, find a sense of purpose. Of course, about a month in you realized how wrong you were. Everybody already had their own lives. So there you were, the secondary character to their stories.

Being there was still suffocating.

On a day like any other you decided it would be a great time to venture out into the vast abyss of the desert. You took your clunky car and overpacked supplies out into the sands and just drove. The destination didn’t matter, all you wanted was something to do. That’s it, that’s all.

About an hour into your drive you saw a jet plane soar above you. It wasn’t unusual for the area, plenty of military bases around or at least an airport or two. This one was a bit strange though, you had to admit. It seemed to be… damaged. Actually it seemed to be falling. Fast.

A adrenaline hit you like a truck. With nothing else to lose you hit the gas on your car like lives were at stake, and for all you knew there were. There was a distinct lack of smoke coming from the thing but that wasn’t exactly what was going through your mind at the time, all you knew is someone could be hurt and you could help.

When you finally arrived at the site of the crash, near the side of a large rock formation, but something stood out to you. There was definitely a jet there, however there was no pilot, rather it was leaking a bright blue liquid. Cautiously you parked your car and stepped towards it, only for a shrill voice to cut through the air.

“DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!” It shouted, almost knocking you off balance from surprise. There was no one around to make such a sound, unless the pilot ejected from the jet without you noticing and was also carrying a megaphone.

“Are you alright? Do you need an ambulance?”

“I need no such thing! Leave here, human, before I wipe you off this miserable planet!” Well that was a weird thing to hear from what you assumed to be another human. Before you could ask anymore questions, though, another sound scraped through the air.

Mechanical whirring radiated from the now moving jet plane. It began to tear itself apart only to reassemble its parts elsewhere, eventually transforming itself into a thin, robotic figure high above your head. A sharp gasp escaped your mouth.

“What, scared? Well you should be! I, the superior- ACK!” The robot lurched forward in pain, holding a nasty looking tear in his side. While fear and confusion wracked your body, your legs pulled you forward anyway. “Hey! Did you not hear what I just said? I’ll destroy you and this entire mudball when I get the chance!”

“What are you?” Wonder and worry filled your voice.

“Wh- well, I, I am a Cybertronian, not that that means anything to you, fleshling.”

“You’re hurt.”

“Oh really? I didn’t notice.”

“What’s your name?”

“Star- Commander Starscream.”

“Um… ok, I’m-” You didn’t get to finish your introduction as you heard a mechanical hiss and Starscream fell to his knees. His metal face scrunched up into an unpleasant expression of what you would call pain and frustration.

“You really look like you need help.”

“No I don’t!” He growled, trying to grab at you but missing and snapping his clawed hand back to the gaping wound on his side. He obviously wasn’t going to let you anywhere near it, so you did the next best thing.

“So, Commander Starscream, where are you from?” Apparently that wasn’t the right thing to say. You saw him cringe, then he grit his teeth and gazed back at you with a writhing death stare.

“Is there something wrong with your processor? Can’t you see I’m infinitely more powerful that you? Why aren’t cowering? Why aren’t you afraid?” He snapped at you, fire in his eyes burning with an emotion you couldn’t describe. Yet you stood there, asking yourself the same question.

“I have… nothing else to lose.” By this Starscream was taken aback. He didn’t consider a human could feel like that. Could feel… similar to himself.

“Cybertron. Are you happy?”

“What?”

“That’s where I’m from.”

“Oh. Cool. Why are you here then?”

“Why you- augh! I’m here because of a war. Alright? Go. Away.”

“What, like a space war?” Starscream scoffed.

“‘A space war’,” He mocked your tone. “Yes, sure, if you want to put it into a language you can understand.”

“Well, sorry that’s happening.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I don’t know that much about war but… well I know it can get pretty bad. So I’m sorry that’s happening to you. Is that where you got your injury from?”

“Well… I… I- yes.” He tripped over his words, recovering just in time to come up with a great lie. “I was damaged in a great battle! I led my squadron to victory but was shot down by my ruthless enemies.” A newfound power entered his voice.

“That sounds intense.”

“It was! It was a dangerous, but I prevailed! I, courageous and powerful Commander Starscream, will always win! You would do well to remember that!”

“You really like the sound of your own name.”

“Wh- you worm, how dare you say that to the likes of-“

“Yes, yes, Commander Starscream. Look, I’m sorry all that happened and I’m glad you’re such a fantastic leader, but right now you’re looking pretty bad. Are you sure I can’t help?” He drew his lips into a thin line before narrowing his eyes at you.

“How could you help me?”

“Well, first I could at least wrap up that wound. I brought some blankets with me when I came out here.”

“How do I know you’re not just going to try and offline me?”

“How would a lowly human like me do that?”

“…fine.” He looked away, obviously annoyed but still in need of help. You got what you could out of you car and approached him once again.

“I’m going to need to get to the wound in order to patch it up.” Starscream grimaced, but ultimately kneeled down to your level. Carefully you wrapped a blanket around his waist, trying to avoid hurting him further. It took time, especially because you were afraid he was going to stab you with his razor sharp claws at any moment, but you got it done. When you finished he puffed out a long breath of air and sat down against the rock face behind him with a THUMP that shook your whole body.

Your ‘band-aid’ seemed to stop whatever blue liquid he kept bleeding, at least preventing it from leaking out more. Your hands were covered in the stuff now, you just hoped it wasn’t poisonous. When you looked up at Starscream you noticed a distinct lack of that narcissistic air about him, like he had given up an act.

“Hey, Commander, are you alright?”

He didn’t respond. And you didn’t try asking again. Instead you walked to the rock face he leaned on and sat next to him. Neither of you spoke. You both simply sat, gazing out into the vast desert. You were surprised when he was the one to break the silence.

“Why would you help me?”

“…’Cause you were hurt.

“That can’t be the reason, what do you gain from this? Do you think I’m going to help you now?”

“No, I helped because it was the right thing to do.”

“The right thing to- agh, that’s a load of scrap! Can’t you tell a dying mech the truth?”

“I’m not lying!”

“Yes you are!”

“Why can’t you just accept someone’s being nice to you? Has no one ever showed you kindness before?” You said it sarcastically, like he obviously would have been showed kindness at some point in his life, but your heart sank when he didn’t reply. “You… have been showed kindness before, right?”

“Kindness doesn’t get you very far in the Decepticons.” He whispered, bitter venom dripping from every word. You hesitated before speaking again, trying to wrap your head around the implications of his statement.

“It can go a long way on Earth.”

“I’m not from Earth.”

“But you’re here now.” Starscream paused.

“…I suppose I am.” Slowly, he turned his head to face you completely. “You really helped me just out of pure… generosity?”

“Yep.”

“What if I hurt you? What if I betray you, even after all you’ve done!?”

“Then you hurt me. And I was wrong.” His eyes flickered to the sky, faceplate bending into an emotion you couldn’t quite place.

“I wasn’t injured in battle.” This time you moved your head to look up at him. “I am nothing to the Decepticons. Not anymore. I am a traitor, a coward, a fraud, not a commander.”

“I figured.”

“Wh- what? How could you know?”

“You aren’t great at hiding it. Sorry if I come off rude, but… somebody would’ve come for you by now, right? You wouldn’t be here… alone. With me.”

“Well, at least you’re better company than Megatron.”

“I’m flattered. I’m sure you don’t just dish out compliments to any old fleshbag.”

“What can I say? You’ve impressed me, human. Maybe I was wrong about your species.”

“Thanks, Commander Starscream.”

“I told you, I’m not a commander. I’m a-“

“I know. But for what it’s worth, you don’t really seem all that terrible to me.” He looked at you, a new kind of feeling welling up in his spark. He didn’t respond, but you got the message. He closed his eyes, and for a second you swore you felt something change in the atmosphere.

“Why are you all alone out here?”

“What makes you ask that?”

“I don’t see many humans wandering around in a wasteland.”

“Good point. If you must know, I was just on a drive.”

“A drive? To where?”

“Anywhere. Or nowhere. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Don’t you have connections? Other humans to worry about you?”

“…No. Not really.”

“Oh. I’m… sorry, then. I suppose you’re very lonely.”

“Sure. I’ve been alone for a long time. By the sound of it, I assume you have too?”

“You could call it that.”

“Hey, Commander Starscream?”

“Yes?”

“How about we be alone… together?”

[eldritchlibertine]

Michael Langdon x Nameless FMC Words: 5,462

The apocalypse has come and gone, and 18 months have passed at Outpost 3. Life is a monotonous, bleak expanse of tedium - until the arrival of Michael Langdon shakes the very foundations of her existence and she realizes how little control of she has over her own life.

They were all gathered in the library, waiting for an ‘announcement’ from Ms. Venable. And she might have been imagining it, but the air in this horrible, underground bunker felt even more still and oppressive than usual. 

Maybe it was the silence. 

While they would usually spend their evenings in the library, spending time before and after dinner reminiscing about the times when the world wasn’t completely fucked, tonight was different.  

Tonight, there was a stranger in Venable’s office and live snakes had crawled out of their dinner bowls, despite being definitely not alive just moments before. No. Tonight was very different.

Even the radio was silent. Maureen McGovern had been singing about a morning after ceaselessly for the last 18 months. She thought back bitterly to those happier times, when they thought the song was a good omen - a sign that perhaps their stint in this terrible purgatory would soon come to an end. But no, as time had dragged on without change, the stupid song had morphed into nothing more than a mocking reminder of their stagnation. 

So this silence should have felt like a blessing - but it didn’t. It felt like a threat.

It loomed over them like a black cloud, heavy with foreboding. The only sounds that punctured the quiet were the soft rustles of clothing as the others shifted uncomfortably, each noise amplified in the unusual stillness that had taken hold.

Finally, Venable arrived, shadowed as always by Ms. Mead, her faithful specter. The rhythmic tap of her cane interrupted the horrible silence, but she didn’t speak once she’d reached her position in front of the fireplace - she just watched them - waiting. The atmosphere of the room seemed to pull taut, like a violin string about to snap. Now, no one was fidgeting. It didn’t even seem like anyone was breathing. Then, cutting through the suspense like a knife, the sound of deliberate footsteps echoed from the passage outside. 

This was obviously who Venable was waiting for; the mysterious visitor that had arrived the day before.

He entered with an unhurried gait, footsteps echoing methodically in the oppressive silence that followed him like a shroud as he took Venable’s place in front of the fire.

Her breath caught in her throat. Maybe it was because his was the first new face she’d seen in what felt like an eternity, but she found her mouth going dry at the sight of him. There was something ethereal about him - captivating, but unsettling. Perfection in the flesh.

His golden hair framed his face like the halo of a fallen angel, and his eyes seemed to flicker with shadows and flames. She found herself wanting to reach out and touch him. 

"Allow me to introduce myself," his voice cut through the thick tension in the room, breaking her from her reverie. "My name is Langdon, and I represent The Cooperative." He spoke with a theatrical flourish, and his lips curled into a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes; a facade of warmth unable to melt the ice there. 

Her mouth was dry again; this time, a primal instinct warning of danger. He exuded power and menace and his voice carried the intangible authority of someone who knows too much, who has seen things no one else has, and who wields that knowledge like a weapon.

He leaned forward slightly, hands clasped behind his back, savoring the moment. “I won’t sugarcoat the situation,” he says, the ghost of a smile hovering around the corner of his lips. “Humanity is on the brink of failure. The three other compounds have been overrun and destroyed.”

Timothy voiced the question that was on all of their minds. “What happened to the people inside?”

"Massacred," Langdon drawled, drawing out the syllables. They rolled off his tongue like he enjoyed the taste of them, and she couldn't help but feel there was a sort of relish behind his words. Her gaze flickered up to meet his, and for a moment she saw it—the glint in his eye that said he was enjoying telling them this. Her heart fluttered, and she told herself it was from fear.

"The same fate that will befall almost all of you. But," he continued with a casualness that belied the significance of his message, "there is a place beyond the reach of this devastation. The Sanctuary." 

A flicker of something indefinable sparked in his eyes as he leaned forward, the dim light catching his gaze and making it dance with something indefinable and sinister. 

“The Sanctuary is unique. It has certain security measures that will prevent overrun.” 

The next questions he fielded with a bland, “that’s classified,” before he said, “All that matters is that the sanctuary will survive, so the people populating it will survive, so humanity will survive.”

"The Cooperative has developed a particular and rigorous questioning technique we like to call Cooperating" he announced, the words dropping like weights into the silence of the room. "I will then use the information gained to find those who are—how shall I put it?—worthy and fit to join us."

The air seemed to thicken around her, charged with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. She watched as his lips curled into what could have been a smile, though there was nothing warm about it. 

"If you belong," he continued, his tone almost teasing, seeming to relish the power he held over them, "you'll be safe within the Sanctuary's embrace."

He seemed to take a sick pleasure in their uncertainty, in the hope he dangled before them like a lifeline that might just as easily turn into a noose.

The air seemed to grow colder, denser, as if every word from Langdon's lips added weight to the already suffocating atmosphere and she questioned silently whether survival was worth enduring more of this.

Her thoughts must have been louder than she realized, because suddenly, Michael's gaze captured hers. His eyes - icy, sharp and discerning - held her own for a moment and a shiver ran down her spine as she wondered whether he could feel her inner turmoil. But just as quickly as their eyes met, his attention swept past her, continuing his survey of the room.

She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn’t even hear Coco’s objection, but she felt the palpable tension settle over the room, as thick as the shadows that played across Michael's face. His eyes fixed on Coco with a disquieting calm.

“You don’t have to sit for questioning,” he said, each word dropping like a stone into the silence that followed Coco's outburst. Coco, her earlier confidence now shattered, shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his gaze. 

"What happens if we choose not to?" Andre asked, his voice scraping against the stillness of the room.

The question hung between them and Langdon’s lips curved with the hint of a smile; one that spoke of malice - a smile that knew too much, that held secrets and the power to unravel them at will.

"Then you stay here and die," he said, that cold smile leaking into his voice.

The declaration sliced through the tension like blade and the finality in his tone made it clear that this was not an idle threat. 

Without breaking eye contact, his hand delved into the pocket of his coat and emerged with a small glass bottle filled with white pills. The rattle of them as he held the vial was unnervingly loud in the quiet room. 

“But all is not lost,” he said. “If the worst should happen and feral cannibals come knocking, down one of these." His eyes seemed to glitter as he continued. "And one minute later, you fall asleep and never wake up."

The offer dangled before them, an alluring escape from the waking nightmare they found themselves trapped within. She could feel the pull of the promise—peaceful oblivion, an end to the fear and uncertainty that had burrowed deep into her bones. Her mind toyed with the idea, desperate for reprieve, Maybe she could skip the interview process altogether and just ask him for one of those pills. Anything had to be better than this.

Around her, the silence swelled, heavy with the unspoken thoughts of her companions, each person wrestling with their own demons, their own temptations. To her, the pills were a siren call, a way out that was both terrifying and tender in its cruelty. To the others, they seemed to be a threat - a warning.

Again, Michael’s eyes seemed to catch hers as her thoughts drifted to the darkness. For a fleeting moment, she felt exposed, vulnerable as if he had peeled back the layers of her resolve to glimpse at the turmoil swirling within. His eyes were sharp, piercing, and she couldn't shake off the sensation that he was sifting through her thoughts and was ill-pleased with what he found there.

"Once again," he said, his voice low and resonant, "I look forward to meeting each and every one of you." The words slithered through the room, wrapping around her like a shroud. His words were a threat, thinly veiled as a courtesy, and they hung in the air, ominous and foreboding.

He swept out of the room then, leaving them all reeling. At least Coco waited until Venable and Mead had also departed before she lay into Gallant for offering to take the first interview. Things snowballed from there, and she slipped out quietly while everyone continued to bicker, her presence dissolving into the shadows as if she had never been there at all.

—

She awoke groggily the next morning, dreading the idea of having to face another day in this interminable limbo. Venable’s rule echoed in her mind—no idle lounging in bedrooms during the ‘daylight’ hours. She scoffed. They hadn’t seen daylight in nearly two years.

The hallways were silent as she made her way through them towards the library - the heart of their little hell and the only place they could really spend their time when they weren’t just wandering the halls like ghosts as she sometimes did when she couldn’t bear another moment of banal chatter or Maureen McGovern. A wry smile touched her lips as she thought of Jane Austen's characters in their finery, forever seeking purposeful activity. "Miss Eliza Bennet, let me persuade you to follow my example, and take a turn about the room," she whispered to herself, channeling Miss Bingley's persuasion to break the monotony of inactivity.

Stepping into the library, she was greeted by the sight of the others already gathered, their nervous energy palpable even in their quiet chatter. She shifted from foot to foot, her arms crossed over her chest in a subconscious effort to ward off the discomfort that seeped into her bones. She tried to focus on the lyrics floating through the air, words about hope and moving on, but they felt hollow, an echo of optimism that seemed out of reach.

She couldn’t engage with anyone, though Coco tried to pull her into a conversation. At some point, Gallant drifted in, looking pale and shaken, but she couldn’t even focus on that. The tension coiled tighter within her, a physical presence that made her heart race and her stomach churn. It was like the very air was laden with trepidation, and with each inhale, she drew more of it inside herself.

Finally, the oppressive atmosphere became too much to bear and she had to escape. With a polite smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, she murmured an excuse about needing a moment alone.

The narrow passage was dim, the only light filtering in from the sconces that hung on the dark walls. When they built this horrible bunker underground, they probably should have used some brighter colors so that living there wouldn’t feel so much like living inside a tomb. And before this, it had been a school - she pitied the students who had to live and learn here. 

She walked swiftly, with no particular destination in mind, her thoughts a tangled mess. 

Without warning, her forward motion was abruptly halted and a firm grip encircled her upper arms, steadying her as she collided with a solid chest.

"Careful," Langdon's deep voice rumbled, resonating through the close quarters of the hallway.

She looked up, her breath catching at the intensity of his icy blue eyes. The contact sent a jolt of warmth flooding her cheeks, her skin tingling where his hands made contact. His touch was surprisingly gentle for a man who seemed to be the living, breathing embodiment of menace, and yet it did little to ease the tight coil of anxiety in her stomach.

"I was just coming to find you," he said, his voice low and even. There was something in his gaze that made her heart race.

Nervous energy buzzed through her, and she couldn't help but take a half-step back as he released her, though the echo of his touch lingered like a phantom sensation. The air around him seemed to thrum with intensity, and she swallowed hard against the lump forming in her throat.

As she regained her balance, she thought back to Gallant as he’d stumbled back into the library - his face a picture of unease, his shaky hands as he poured himself a drink. 

Now, standing before Langdon, poised for her own interview, apparently, she understood why.

And as she stood caught in his unwavering stare, she could only nod her acquiescence, motioning for him to lead the way. 

The click of their footsteps was the only sound as they made their way through the dimly lit corridor and she fought the urge to turn and run. Something inside her was screaming. 

A fire crackled in the hearth, casting dancing shadows across the room that played on the walls and as Langdon closed the doors behind them, she felt like she was stepping into another world - one that was intimate and somehow more daunting because of it.

He gestured for her to take a seat in one of the two armchairs positioned before the fireplace, then settled into the other without a word. The silence stretched between them, heavy and laden with an unspoken tension. She found herself acutely aware of the subtle sounds—the soft crackle of the fire, her own breath as it hitched in her throat.

Langdon’s eyes remained fixed on her and she felt exposed—like a specimen pinned under glass. There was something about being in his presence that magnified her every flaw, turned each fidget into a scream of nervousness. She crossed her legs, then uncrossed them, the leather of the chair creaking softly under her shifting weight.

She caught herself running her finger along the armrest, tracing patterns in the soft leather - anything to avoid meeting his gaze. But it was futile; his stare was almost palpable, a force that commanded attention even when she sought desperately to escape it. Her hands began to tremble slightly, betraying her composure, and she clasped them tightly in her lap in an effort to still them.

The twitching of her foot, a slight bounce of her knee; they became her body’s metronome of anxiety, counting down the moments

She could practically hear the snap as her voice broke the silence - like a stone shattering glass. "I don’t even know why I’m here," she blurted. Langdon remained as impassive as the walls, his gaze fixed on her with unsettling intensity. Not a single muscle moved in his face, no twitch, no flicker of emotion. It was as if he had expected her outburst, as if he had scripted this moment in his mind and was now watching it play out exactly as he planned.

"I brought you here," he said simply, the words falling from his lips with an unnerving calmness.

She faltered. 

“I meant here, at the Outpost. Not here in your office. I don’t know why I’m here.” She felt the weight of his eyes, holding her in place more firmly than any physical restraint ever could. “I’m not like the others,” she said, her voice taking on a shrill edge. 

“I didn’t pay my way in like Coco and Evie. I didn’t luck my way in like Gallant. I’m not even here because of something special in my blood, like Timothy and Emily. I don’t belong here.” The last part was almost a shout - a confession that kept bottled up these last long months. She didn’t belong here. She didn’t fit in. 

Her breathing was ragged, and her heart raced in her chest. She felt the weight of her confession, finally acknowledging the confusion that had plagued her since her arrival. 

His stillness was a stark contrast to the storm raging within her. There was something in his look that disarmed her, leaving her defenseless and exposed. "I told you - I brought you here." 

Her breath caught, her mind struggling to parse his meaning, her thoughts ensnared by the gravity of what he was saying.

Suddenly, the fire was no longer warming the room, and she felt a chill seep into her bones as she wrapped her arms around herself, a futile attempt at comfort in the face of his unsettling composure and his wild claim. 

Distantly, she noticed the firelight playing over his features, making him appear both present and distant, a spectral figure in a world that was becoming more surreal by the second.

"What do you mean," she finally asked, her voice steadier than she felt.

He leaned forward then, the motion deliberate - predatory even. "What’s unclear to you?" he asked, his eyes never leaving hers, a smile at the edges of his mouth. 

Her heart continued to hammer against her ribcage, a caged bird frantic for escape from the intensity of his scrutiny - the gravity of this exchange. Her eyes darted to the door for a fleeting moment before she anchored herself back in the room, back to him. 

"Wh-what do you mean you brought me here? Why?" The words tumbled out of her like a handful of coins slipping carelessly through the fingers of a clumsy child, laced with a confusion that was quickly morphing into alarm. She could feel a flush creeping up her neck, painting her skin with visible unease.

He remained still, a statue carved from darkness, his gaze locked onto hers with unnerving precision. "I watched you," he said, each word measured and deliberate, "before the world burned. I liked what I saw." His voice was low, dark and resonant, carrying with it an undeniable assertion of ownership.

She felt her breath hitch, his words settling over her like a funeral shroud. 

"I decided that I wanted you," he continued, the faintest trace of a smile playing at the corner of his mouth, "and I always get what I want." There was a finality in his tone that frightened her - and sent a thrill through a deeper part of her; one that she wasn’t ready to acknowledge. 

In that moment, it was as if she could feel the unseen threads he'd woven around her life, pulling her into an orbit she never would have chosen, and she swallowed hard, trying to steady herself against the dawning realization.

The color rose in her cheeks as his gaze held hers, a playful glint dancing in his eyes. Every nerve ending seemed to spark to life under the weight of his attention, leaving her tongue-tied and adrift in a sea of confusion. 

He leaned back slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. The soft sound of his chuckle sliced through the tension, mocking her inner turmoil.

 It was a sound that stirred something within her, a mixture of irritation and another inexplicable thrill.

Gathering the remnants of her composure, she squared her shoulders, attempting to project an assurance she was far from feeling. "And what if I don't want you?" The words came out steadier than she expected, even as her heart continued to beat a wardrum in her chest. 

The laughter spilled from him again, the silky sound wrapping around her like velvet chains. 

"But you do," he said, his confidence seemingly unshaken.

She clenched her fists at her sides, nails digging into her palms as if the pain could anchor her to her defiance. He was right - of course she was attracted to him - he was beautiful and new and she hadn’t been touched in years. She refused to acknowledge that secret, dark part of herself that thrilled at the thought of the power he must wield to have orchestrated her being here.

No. These last 18 months had been a horror - a slow march towards death, fraught with anxiety and fear. Just last night, she’d very seriously considered asking him for one of those little pills, so that she could finally escape this place. 

While she couldn’t deny that she was attracted to him, wanted him, she'd be damned if she let him see the full extent of his effect on her. 

Swallowing the knot of frustration in her throat, she straightened her spine and met his piercing gaze head-on. His smug assurance was a challenge she refused to lose. He didn’t have to know that behind the façade of indifference, she was like a sapling in a hurricane, bending under the force of his presence.

Her breath hitched again, a silent cue to the tempest brewing within her. With a swift surge of her will, she rose from the cushioned chair and pivoted on the balls of her feet, every muscle tensed for retreat.

But he was a shadow, a whisper of movement more felt than seen. His hand encircled her wrist with the sureness of a man accustomed to getting his way, his touch firm yet devoid of the malice she half-expected. The warmth of his fingers shocked her and her lips parted with a silent gasp.

"Let me go," she managed, her voice a whisper, fighting against the feelings his proximity stirred. Her pulse fluttered beneath his fingertips.

His fingers uncurled from her wrist, only to trace a path upward, reaching the side of her face with a tenderness that belied his assertive words. "No, I don't think I will," he murmured, his voice a low thrum that resonated in the charged air between them.

The brush of his thumb against her cheek was maddeningly soft. It was a caress meant to soothe, to seduce, and she hated the heat that blossomed beneath her skin in response.

"Come now,” he said, “it's silly to fight this. I know you want me." The arrogance in his words sparked a fire behind her eyes, even as an unwanted shiver trailed down her spine.

She did want him - how could she not - and the honesty of that admission clawed at her pride. Her eyelids fluttered shut for a fraction of a second. To lie would be futile; the intensity of his gaze seemed to pierce through all her defenses, laying her soul bare.

A silent battle raged within her, a war between desire she felt and the fear and how suddenly that desire had come. Yet, in that moment, with his hand cupping her face and the world shrinking to the space where their breaths mingled, she knew that resistance was futile. 

She didn’t even have to say anything. He already knew. All she could do was surrender to the warmth of his palm against her skin, fingers expertly weaving through the tresses at the base of her skull. His touch was a paradox—gentle yet commanding—as he pulled lightly, eliciting a shiver that ran down her spine and sent her eyelids fluttering. 

"I should have saved you for last, but I didn't want to wait anymore," he murmured, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through the quiet space between them. 

The admission hung in the air, charged with the electricity of anticipation and the gravity of his desire - a brief intermission in reality, as his lips claimed hers. The kiss was an unexpected storm, fierce and all-consuming. Her breath caught in her throat, heart still pounding. His hand, still entwined in her hair, anchored her to the moment, each gentle tug of the strands sending sparks of awareness cascading through her senses.

The world around them faded into a blur, leaving only the taste of him, the heat of him. With a fluid motion that spoke of a deep-seated need, he released her arm, his own sweeping around her waist possessively, pulling her snugly into him. 

Her trembling fingers curled around his arms - though whether to pull him closer or push him away; she didn’t know. 

The kiss was all-consuming - heated, and fierce and muddling her senses - but she came back to herself, just enough to yank herself backward, away from that burning kiss. 

"I shouldn’t be doing this," she whispered to herself, the words slipping from her in a breathy murmur. 

He only laughed again, his voice was low and smooth and laced with a dark humor. "Of course you should," he said. He leaned in, a mere whisper away, his hot breath fanning over her flushed cheeks. "I want you, you want me, why shouldn't we both take what we want?" 

The weight of his gaze felt tangible. 

"Chaos has won," he murmured, his voice a caress that sent shivers down her spine, her resolve splintering like sugar-glass. 

He seemed to sense the shift within her, and without a word, released her with a deliberate slowness. One step back, then another, he retreated to the leather armchair. She watched him reclaim his seat, the shadows playing over his features, enhancing the sharpness of his jawline and the depth of his stare. A predator at rest, yet every inch of him poised, ready—a coiled spring waiting for the slightest provocation to leap forth.

Chaos has won. 

The silence stretched between them for another moment and his gaze seemed to darken as he continued to watch her. “Take off your dress,” he said finally, relaxing into the chair as though he seemed to sense that all her resistance had finally fled.

But she wavered, muscles tense, heart finally ceasing its incessant hammering as it seemed to still completely. 

“What?”

His voice, still low and even, seemed to fray at the edges as he repeated: “Take. Off. Your dress.” 

Her dress, a relic of some bygone era, was a complex ensemble of layers and fastenings that required grace, patience and usually the assistance of a Gray to remove. But slowly, she began unfastening the tiny pearl buttons at the back, a task made more challenging by the limited reach of her own hands. 

Finally, with the buttons undone, the heavy fabric whispered against the floor as she let the gown slide down her body to pool at her feet, leaving her in only a simple shift. 

Her entire body was flushed, her limbs trembling and her breath coming in ragged gasps and she stood there, naked to his scrutiny despite the covering of her shift. “That too,” he murmured, his voice noticeably rougher. 

She couldn’t look at him as she lifted the shift above her head, leaving her completely exposed, but she heard his low growl as she finally stood completely naked before him.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, almost too low for her to hear, and she flushed again, her heart beating a staccato rhythm against her ribcage. 

Finally, she brought her eyes up to meet his, her whole body burning (with shame? With arousal?) and even in the dim light she could see that his pupils were blown wide, his whole body tense as though he was fighting for control. His eyes burned across her body as he took her in, his own breath seeming to come harder now.

“Come here,” he said, his voice low and commanding, holding out his hand to her. 

Slowly, nervously, she padded her way over to him, his gaze never leaving hers. She slipped her hand into his, a shocked gasp leaving her as she was pulled suddenly into his lap, her legs straddling him.

Then, his hands were all over her - a soft touch at her sides, his fingers caressing the skin of her back; reverrant - as though he was trying to touch all of her all at once. Once again, his fingers tangled in the hair at the back of her head, his fingers threading through the strands, and she was lost in the sensation of him - the heat of him, seeping into her skin in all the places they were touching, his fingers leaving burning trails. 

She didn’t resist when he pulled her in for a demanding kiss, giving back to him all the fervor he was pouring into her. His free hand drifted to her hip, and his fingers turned bruising as they pulled her further into him. His touch was hungry, possessive, and he moved from her lips to leaving a trail of desperate burning kisses along the column of her throat, eventually sinking his teeth into the soft flesh where her neck met her shoulder - almost hard enough to draw blood. The shock of it, the slight pain 

She gasped in earnest then, grinding against him looking for friction, and he let out a guttural sound that was part growl and part moan, and his hand fisted into her hair, pulling her just far enough away for their eyes to lock. His glacial blue eyes were almost black with hunger, his pupils blown wide as his gaze bored into hers. 

“You’re mine,” he growled, his fingers digging even harder into the flesh at her hip, the other hand still tangled in her hair. “Say it.” 

Barely thinking, eyes half glazed with lust, she just nodded, “I’m yours,” she murmured breathlessly.

Suddenly, the world turned on its axis and her back met the warm leather where he had been sitting less than a moment ago. Suddenly, he was kneeling before her, his hands pressed against the armrests and she was completely caged in by his presence, unable to move or escape his grasp. Her body was trembling, every nerve on edge as she whispered, “What are you doing?”

“I told you,” he said, pressing a kiss to her collarbone, his mouth working its way slowly down her body, punctuating each word with a kiss, or a graze of his teeth - “You’re mine, and I take care of what belongs to me.”

In stark contrast to the gentleness of his kisses, he grabbed the backs of her thighs roughly, pulling her down till she was almost flat, spreading her apart.

She held her breath, the anticipation making her heart race as he leaned forward. His lips were soft and warm against her inner thigh, sending shivers of pleasure through her body. 

His tongue traced a path from her knee to her hip, and she let out a gasp as his mouth finally reached her center and his tongue began to explore her.  Her back arched and her hands scrabbled for purchase on the armrests, eventually coming to rest on his shoulders. He growled against her as her hand found his hair.

His touch was like fire, igniting every nerve in her body, and as he continued to lap at her.

With each flick of his tongue, she arched her back and dug her fingers into his scalp. He knew exactly how to drive her wild, taking his time and savoring every inch of her. His lips and tongue worked in tandem, leaving her mewling.

All too quickly, that familiar pressure began to build, heat pooling low in her belly, like she would come apart at any moment. Her fingers like a vice on his shoulder, the other hand in his hair, she ground against his face, ready to drop off that peak into the oblivion of ecstasy.

But before she could, he pulled away, and a strangled moan left her throat as she blinked at him in confusion. He sat back, mouth glistening and eyes dancing with sadistic glee as he watched her, flushed and panting.

He kissed her knee again, his hands stroking her body gently, fingers dancing across her breasts and along her thighs until her body relaxed - and then his mouth was on her again. 

Again, he brought her to the edge, his skillful tongue and roving hands leaving her almost screaming and panting. Over and over again, he toyed with her, only to pull back at the last second. Her body was on fire, yearning for release.

She was frantic, bucking against him as he chuckled at her desperation, his warm breath tickling her skin.

"Go on, beg for it," he commanded in a low growl.

And she did.

[this-is-krikkit]

no more boops? have a fic instead!

rating: Mature relationships: Erwin Smith/Mike Zacharias, Levi Ackerman/Hange Zoë

summary: Teleworking at Erwin's place grants Mike a front row seat to his boss honoring a stupid dare. Let's be honest, though: it has other perks.

additional tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Office, slightly kinky, Light BDSM, very light actually most of it is only mentioned, Based on a Tumblr Post, i gave Nanaba a family name for the narrative, i also gave her a couple heart attacks. also for the narrative!, Tumblr Prompt, Mike and Hange both wearing their boyfriends' shirts Challenge: complete, Office Romance

inspired by:

enjoy!!

“To conclude this meeting and another productive week, I’d like to have everyone’s attention for a few of our most pressing matters.”

Oh, he’s going to do it now, Mike realizes.

For the hundredth time in the last hour and a half, he has to check that both his microphone and camera are offline. He’s not usually so easily spooked about these things, but it’s one thing to want your privacy during a meeting with twenty people and the company’s CEO himself making a presentation, and it’s another to have to hide the fact that you’re teleworking from said CEO’s penthouse apartment every Friday because you’ve been secretly —Mike’s decided that drunkenly confessing to Nanaba a few weeks back doesn’t count— fucking each other for months now against all company guidelines.

He almost feels sorry for not warning his friend Hange, the only one besides Erwin and a few less highly ranked colleagues who’s currently got their camera on —and who is probably unaware of that fact, seeing how their crumpled shirt is hanging open as far as he can see— for what’s about to happen, but he couldn’t do that without giving himself away.

“I’m going to need Business Development, Sales and Marketing to work together closely on the Titan project next quarter. Zoë, Ackerman and Zacharias, as respective heads of these divisions, I’ll require that you regularly meet and update me directly on this matter. It’s a great challenge, but I have no doubt your BDSM task force, as I’ve labeled it, will tackle it under the deadline I stipulated earlier.”

It’s probably unnoticeable to everyone else with his camera so high on his laptop’s screen, but Mike knows he didn’t imagine the way Erwin’s eyes just settled on him, all the way over where he’s lounging on the comfy couch in his boss’ home office, when he said the acronym Mike dared him to place. Knowing this was coming does little to stop Mike’s shock at hearing the awfully casual way he enunciated those letters, and it’s physically painful to have to contain his hilarity —Erwin’s microphone is definitely still on and it’s not that big a room— when he glances back down and sees Erwin actually put it into bold, huge characters onto an otherwise blank slide.

His eyes catch movement on his screen then, and he realizes that some screens that were previously showing faces have suddenly gone dark.

His friend Hange's, however, hasn’t. In fact, they’re currently losing their mind over what just happened, and they’re definitely unaware of their camera being on if the image of them picking up their laptop and running into another room before settling it down in front of Levi as they hurriedly gesture at —Mike’s guessing since their microphone is still thankfully muted— Erwin’s scandalous slide is anything to go by.

It’s not unusual for Hange and Levi, two of the most important people in this company and annoyingly close friends —who, in Mike’s opinion, are two close idiots who really are in love with each other and should get together already— to be spending teleworking days together.

But something is… off in this picture.

Then Mike realizes, now that he’s seen them standing, that Hange’s shirt’s probably been hanging open because it’s obviously several sizes too small. And, before Levi’s eyes comically widen and he extends his arm towards their camera to turn their tiny window black as well, it finally clicks in Mike’s brain.

That wasn’t just Levi.

That was Levi and his naked torso, sculpted by the endless hours he spends in the same gym Mike trains at, and covered in hickeys.

Mike steals a glance at Erwin, but his boss is now calmly calling the end of the meeting, his usual poker face on although there’s no way in hell he didn’t notice what just transpired.

Before he can think of addressing it out loud as Erwin turns his computer off and stands from his chair, Mike’s phone chimes with Nanaba’s special ringtone. He sighs and picks up, knowing making his best friend wait after these very interesting last few minutes isn’t the best idea.

“Mike, what the fuck?” She starts, and Mike rolls his eyes as he rethinks of the countless times she’s threatened him with days long HR seminars about his swearing. “You and Eyebrows did this on purpose, didn’t you? Hange’s freaking out so bad right now!”

She’s being so loud the sound of her voice carries way further than Mike’s phone speaker, and Erwin mouthes the nickname back at him with obvious amusement, now close enough to sit with him on the couch.

“Well, first of all, I didn’t know their camera would be on,” he says, trying not to sound as defensive as the guilt he feels about his other friend’s distress wants him to. “And besides, it serves them right for not telling me they're finally hooking up with Levi! Did you know and forget to tell me by any chance?"

Mike shares a glance with Erwin at that, who shakes his head condescendingly at his outrage —and if Mike wasn’t almost sure his boss had figured his two friends out before they all just got accidental proof of their relationship, now he is— and extends one arm over the back of the couch to scoot even closer to Mike’s lap, before casually starting to leave feather light kisses along his neck.

“You do not have a fucking leg to stand on here, Mister Secret CEO Boyfriend,” Nanaba scolds over the phone, making Mike freeze at the unexpected title, even as the pressure of Erwin’s lips only increases against his sensitive skin. “Which, by the way, I know this was his idea and not yours, you’re not twisted enough to come up with something like this. And I know I said I wanted to make friends with the big boss now that you two are doing the horizontal tango, but I’m not so sure it’s a good idea after—

“That’s alright, Miss Fischer,” Erwin interrupts, taking advantage of the speechless state his hickeys have left Mike into, sounding way too unbothered for their current predicament. “I’m not here to make friends anyway.”

There’s a sudden squeal followed by the muffled sound of Nanaba possibly trying to catch her phone before it falls from her grip.

“Erw— Mister Smith? Oh my God. Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Sir, Mike never said… I mean, had no idea you could overhear—”

“It’s alright,” Erwin says again, pausing to nibble at the skin over Mike’s collarbone, who’s trying to glare at him even though he knows it’s a lost cause. “I’ll see you Monday, Miss Fischer. Have a restful weekend.”

“Yes, Sir. Sorry again. I’ll see you on Monday, Sir.”

Erwin takes the phone away before she’s even done and throws it behind him on the cushions, not bothering to check that the call effectively cut —although Mike’s sure it did, because Nanaba sounded absolutely terrified.

“You just terrorized your HR Director,” he tries, still panting from Erwin’s most recent attention to his neck.

“I know,” Erwin singsongs like he just got praised instead of scolded, nipping along Mike’s jaw playfully now.

“Did you do it because of the nickname, or because I told you she had a crush on me back when we started at the company?”

Erwin chuckles, his breath fanning over Mike’s overheated skin in the process, and draws back far enough to look him in the eyes.

“Come on, I don’t hold such childish grudges,” he says smoothly, predatory smile firmly in place.

Mike bites back his own smile, and tries to keep his face neutral.

“You know I’m aware that you’re lying, right?”

Erwin only grins wider and lets his hand travel along his torso, down his abdomen, and finally cups him briefly over his pants, tearing a hiss out of him that effectively ruins his attempt to appear unimpressed.

“And you know I’m aware of how much that turns you on, right?” he asks in his ear.

"Fuck. Kiss me,” Mike orders.

He doesn’t often use this tone of voice, but you'd need to be blind not to notice the surprising effect it has on such an authoritative figure as Erwin Smith.

But his boss still isn’t one to give up control that easily, as assure the previous times they’ve been together in bed —or this couch, his kitchen, his bathroom... even under his on site desk one memorable time— combined with the way their lips fight for dominance the second they connect and the rough hands that immediately begin tearing at his clothes —well, at Erwin’s shirt that he borrowed today, actually, so Mike really couldn’t care less about the buttons sent flying around the room right now.

Mike lets out a gasp as Erwin pushes him firmly onto his back and trails his hands over the skin he’s just uncovered. His fingers find Mike’s nipples and pinch them, reaching that perfect line between pain and pleasure right away as Mike curses as much as he blesses how well Erwin’s come to know his body in only a few months of casual —is it still casual? Erwin didn’t exactly react to Nanaba calling him Mike’s boyfriend earlier— sex encounters.

The edges of his mind are already getting fuzzy, but Mike doesn’t let himself completely fall under Erwin’s spell yet.

One of his hands cups the back of Erwin’s head and adjusts the angle with enough force to bury his face in his neck, tickling his skin with the facial hair he knows Erwin finds irresistible and unexpectedly biting down, hard. It’s definitely going to leave a bruise; but for one, it’s low enough that Erwin will be able to hide whatever faded mark is left after the weekend under a high collar shirt; and this move is one of Erwin’s weaknesses that’s never failed before.

It doesn’t disappoint now, either, and Erwin moans loudly and goes slack enough at the sudden teeth impact to let Mike switch their position and land on top of him instead.

“You really shouldn’t lie to me, Mister Smith,” he growls as he settles on top of him, rotating his hips so his ass rubs against the hardening erection in Erwin’s pants even as he brings one hand to wrap his around his throat. 

He spreads his fingers around his airway, teasing gently before he starts squeezing.

“Wait,” Erwin chokes out suddenly.

Mike lets go of his neck at once, dropping the act and cupping his cheek instead.

“Red?” he asks, searching Erwin’s eyes for signs of pain.

He tried to erase the surprise from his voice but knows he only partially succeeded —choking is certainly not where they’ve ever drawn the line before. Then again, if that’s what Erwin needs right now, of course he’ll stop.

“No, of course not,” Erwin says, dismissing his concerns with a scoff. “But don’t you want your assignment first?”

“Oh. Well, sure, but why… I mean, what is it, do you think I’m going to fuck your brains out so hard you won’t remember when I’m done with you?” he teases, grinding against him again.

“Actually, yes,” Erwin breathes through a tender smile.

There’s no trace of humor in his tone or on his face now, and Mike is split between a surge of white hot arousal at knowing his lover genuinely thinks that highly of him, and near-overwhelming affection for the sometimes disarmingly honest, always unpredictable, and forever complicated man he’s currently pinning down on expensive leather they’re about to ruin.

“Alright,” he concedes, putting both hands on each side of Erwin’s head and stilling his movements. “What inappropriate word do you charge me to use in workplace conversation next week, Sir?”

Erwin curls his index to coax Mike closer. He follows the order and leans over him until Erwin’s able to take his lower lip between his teeth and suck on it, and Mike’s groan lingers even after he’s let go with a loud pop.

“C.B.T,” Erwin enunciates.

Mike closes his mouth and swallows. Hard.

Erwin smirks up at him, his clever hands using the distraction to unbutton and unzip Mike’s pants in one fluid movement.

[ryuichirou]

OruVil HCs

Anonymous asked:

i know you don't play the game, but have you watched the new years event (the with vil)? i've recently been into your oruvil stuff and the way he dotes on and so clearly favors ortho made me think of that hehe. do you have any hcs for them? fluffy, spicy, or otherwise? (hope you're having a good day) :D

Anonymous asked:

Any thoughts on human Ortho with Vil?

Sorry for the wait, Anons, it took me some time to reply…

First of all! That New Year’s Event Vil card lives in my head not only rent-free, I pay it with my mental currency so it stays there forever. We haven’t watched this New Year’s Event (only the one with Kalim and Deuce), but we’re definitely going to do it one day. This year’s lineup is bonkers, and Sebek’s design was also great… But of course Vil is the queen lol

The fact that Vil keeps favouring Ortho and doting on him!! Thank you for lettins us know, Anon, this is the best. It makes me happy…

Alight, headcanons! Two versions, although the first bunch could work with either version of Ortho, to be honest. Maybe there was no reason to separate these two lists…

Regular Ortho

Vil really helps Ortho with his emotional development, both with the way he expresses himself and with his feelings in general. They talk about Ortho’s feelings a lot, sometimes it’s almost like Vil is both Ortho’s mentor and therapist lol But whenever Ortho suddenly starts talking about how much he likes spending time with Vil and how he wants to be closer to him, it’s always very unexpected and makes Vil’s heart beat faster.

It’s very unusual for Ortho to watch movies at the cinema and watch theatre performances, and he experienced both of these things with Vil. And while he can’t really feel pinpoint what makes the atmosphere so different and special (to him it’s all the same – just the environment is different), he has a lot of tropes in his head that he borrowed from the movies. So he’ll definitely at some point try holding Vil’s hand or even get clingy with him while watching a movie.

When Ortho got his own room, he was so excited that he invited Vil over to see it, which felt at the same time very childish and very sus of him: “let me show you my room” could have very conflicting connotations… Vil just wanted to treat him, so of course he agreed. Needless to say, the nerd den that is Ignihyde was shook to the core that day, because no one expected to see a gorgeous looking and amazingly smelling Pomefiore housewarden so up-close... the virgin igni boys got so STRESSED over the fact that Ortho brought him over, the theories ran wild for at least a week after that. Did they fuck? Did SOMEONE FUCK in THEIR DORM? The Virgin den?! Ortho, you’re such a fuckboy..!

Ortho blocks Mira sometimes. Vil doesn’t use her when Ortho is around anyway, but Ortho still doesn’t really like Mira lol Sometimes it’s almost like they have this weird rivalry.

Human Ortho

Ortho loves it when Vil styles him: wardrobe really transformed with Vil’s influence. They talk about clothes and shoes a lot, and spend a lot of time shopping together. A lot of times Vil spoils Ortho by buying him cool sneakers and jackets, but Ortho surprised Vil with designer clothes too: he’s kind of much richer than Vil anyway, so it’s only fair… and it made Vil happy…

Ortho is very clingy. Compared to the regular robot!Ortho, human!Ortho hugs Vil all the time. And it pisses everyone off, because Ortho could just sneak in, hug Vil from behind, rest his chin on Vil’s shoulder and stand like this while Vil’s explaining something to rest of the film research club. Even when Vil pushes Ortho away, he always does it in a weirdly gentle way: he scratches his head a little and then pushes him like a cat would do. While still explaining stuff to the rest of the film research club…

Ortho adores roleplay. Not only in a sexy way, but even just regularly: the moment he learned what improv was, he started to do it all the time with Vil. Of course, Vil doesn’t play along all the time, because there is time and place for everything, but he actually enjoys Ortho’s spontaneous nature when it comes to acting. Whenever Vil feels playful and gives him a “yes, and…”, Ortho gets very excited. They could play for hours… well, could’ve, but Vil is too busy for that :(

Ortho was lucky enough to receive a blowjob from Vil once, it was his birthday present (well, one of, there is no way Vil wouldn’t gifted him something else). And despite being “the hornier of two Shrouds”, it never even occurred to him how Vil would look with a dick in his mouth before. He was so happy… and way too smug afterwards lol

Despite the fact that Vil is more experienced, Ortho kind of overwhelms him when it comes to sex. He is a very fast learner, very enthusiastic, energetic and eager. Vil has a good stamina, but Ortho still leaves him absolutely exhausted after sex.

[blackgoldaster]

Gaster concept: "Benevolent" Eldritch Horror Gaster

Imagine this: Gaster as an absolutely horrifiying eldritch abomination whose mysteryman form is simply what we comprehend him as....but he's also a genuinly nice man and kind person whose just lonely, yet who shows said kindness in warped ways.

As he's completely eldritch, his sense of affection is a bit warped. He has a tendency to surround and even absorb beings into his goopy body as his definition of a hug, and his body happens to be the void itself, and within the void he tends to experiment on beings as his love language. These experiments are usually painless tho and can even feel pleasurable, its just that people who arent used to it get scared shitless by it.

he does other stuff too of course (also all painless ), such as puppeteering people to help them on their (hero's) journey, tell people they live in a fictional world so they dont have to worry about real world stuff, create stories for the beings to inhabit so they can have a fun time (by his definition), melt beings into amalgamates so they wont be lonely, shapeshift beings into blasters so they can be cool werewolf dragons, and overal, lots of stuff that would be disturbing to us, but gaster just sees as the most polite and kind thing ever.

Sans and Papyrus are used to it, of course, as they are fragments of him that sorta split of from him (or perhaps were created by him?), and see him as their weird higher self who loves them very much, and is just unusual in showing it. They have been subject to many of his experiments (cuz he loves them!) yet they strangely manage a healthy balance between the sanity of the mortal world and the insanity that is gaster. If a person wants to turn back to normal from being amalgafied, blasterfied or experimented on, Sans and Papyrus are usually there to suprevise Gaster and convince him to undo the worst of the "damage" on them so they can still function in society. Suprisingly tho, there are some that decide to stay with Gaster, who people call his "followers".

As Sans and Papyrus are parts of him (its unclear if they consider him their father or their higher self), they too, have inherited several of his powers, such as willingly transforming themselves into werewolf dragon blasters, summoning their own void goop or glitch or spacetime powers, taking on gasters mysteryman scars or reaper-like forms etc. They also love to roleplay with Gaster by making several personas using their eldritch void powers and then making stories. Strangely enough, these stories, as well as all the nasty rumours that have been spread about Gaster, seem to have impacted universes outside their own, as Gaster reported seeing other skeletons doing similar "roleplays" as themselves.

They are also protective of each other. Usually, everyone is too scared to do anything bad but if someone dares do something they really dont like, things may not be so painless anymore. (Altho they wont be killed, and if the person regrets it (which they will after enough punishment has past), they will be let go or even be put through therapy).

[sillyromance]

Hello!!!! I read the pred hcs you made for some transformers and I really loved them…I was wondering if you had more? I’d love to hear more about TFP Ratch or TFE Bee…but honestly I’ll take any character you’d like to elaborate on. Those were SO cute 🥺

Good day, dear anonymous!

I'm really happy you like my post - thank you very much for your kind words!!! Unfortunately, I don't have any more ideas about Ratchet and Bee for now... But as soon as I get some, I will definitely post them!

And at this time, here I have predcanons for other transformers from different universes. Hope you will enjoy!

P. S: I'm really sorry for my long silence - sometimes school takes too much of my time...

TFP

Wheeljack

Always confident and calm ninja seems to be quite easy-going at the first glance, but the more you watch him the better you see that in reality he prefers being all by himself, and it demands time to earn his respect and affection. So, like Ultra Magnus, he would be very picky about who he would let inside of his fueltank. However, as far as he warms up to someone, he gets unbelievably chilly about swallowing his beloved team pal down. Need a place to rest? Feel scared or upset? Lonely? Just get in. He doesn't see any point in long ceremonies; his movements are slow and gentle, however it doesn't take much time for Jacky to push you down his throat with a satisfied hum. At the same moment, the part of the process he would adore is tasting; unusual, exotic human flavours would make his processor just buzz in bliss! Sometimes he would take his time a little, carefully, methodically licking a person in his mouth from head to toe, rolling and tickling them with a tip of his tongue, optics closed and lips smiling joyfully. Only when there is no dry spot on the human's body, he would title his helm back and let them slide further into his core. Wheeljack would never be shy to speak to his friends after they got in his fueltank; often he is watched by puzzled eyes of comrades while he's running around his business and talking to someone they can't actually see or hear. But he doesn't pay much attention on their reaction anyways...

As an addition: Wheeljack finds vore a perfect chance to take Mico with him and Bulkhead on missions without Ultra Magnus noticing anything. And he always manages to set her free right at the time when no one is able to see it. So, Magnus is repeatedly driven mad by this small, innocent tricks, although he admits human child's help is quite useful from time to time.

TFE (Earthspark)

Starscream

This mech with difficult, sarcastic, but secretly soft character would be a shy and nervous kind. He would be quite concerned about his tiny friend's safety; when it comes to gulping them down, the 'con is too afraid that he can accidentally hurt them if something goes wrong. And he is sure it will go wrong because he is too used to failings... Moreover: it's really hard to win his trust because of everything he has been through. That way, it would be not a simple task to convince this ex-decepticon that vore is actually a good thing. However, if you manage to go over with all the obstacles, he will be the most careful and wholesome pred ever. And once he completely understands there is no danger - an obsessively willing one. He wants to keep his human companion as close as possible, warm and protected from everything and everyone (especially Megatron). He can get a little teasy in attempt to see how you blush and smile - recognition of his human's pleasure makes his spark sing of happiness; but usually he would just coo at you softly, give you a light kiss in the forehead and then his smooth lips would slowly, but demandingly pull you into his salivating mouth. As a person with PTSD he always needs to have absolute control over the situation, something unexpected (abrupt movements, screams, loud laugh, sudden rough squeezing of his insides) extremely freaks him out; so, you better let Starscream take the lead and stay still. After his darling reached their destination, he would try to move less, not wishing to cause any problems to them. He would curl up in a tight ball, hugging his middle with both arms and stroking it happily, and speak to them softly until he and his prey both fall asleep.

As an addition: sometimes he have panic attacks and feel deep enxiety, so some reassuring weight inside of him would be required.

TF RID

Drift

This autobot is a tough guy which is quite strict to others as well as to himself. So, you shouldn't expect him being a sweetheart. Although the alien samurai never forgets about humans' fragility, his tiny friends are barely treated softly most of the time because they are members of their team like others; they have responsibilities and have to work on their best without excuses or privileges. He doesn't accept extreme sensitivity in anyone; in order to that, he can often hurt his little partner's feelings. I think in this case, vore for him would be a way to apologize for being rude and to show that his friend can trust him; putting them deep inside of his body, close to his spark would mean that whatever offensive things he says sometimes, he is always there for his precious comrades. Of course, his is a QUITE protective pred; if Drift understands that his companion isn't able to defend themselves, he will simply grab little one in a second and shove them into his mouth - such straight forward actions committed without any explanation can be shocking for a prey, but, unfortunately, they should just live with it; he won't change anyways. If you're his close friend or a lover, then perhaps he will go slightly easier on you; at least, he will be definitely more gentle and caring every time he is bound to send you down his fueltank.

However good control Drift has over his emotions, he isn't able to deny that he likes the entire process. When there is an opportunity, he loves examining his sensations; presence of a small life hiding in his very core has a comforting and relaxing influence on him, especially because of his protective instincts. These are the points why he wouldn't hurry to set his human friend free (not like they would be unhappy about it though). The samurai wouldn't tell anyone about where his partner is once they got tucked into his "stomach" (even to the minicons) because in Drift's opinion it could be shameful for both included; that way, when he is around others you can imagine that he has forgotten about you at all. It's not true. And the fact that even during the hardest battles he will keep you fine inside no matter the cost perfectly proves it. But he would pay attention on you openly only in private, far away from the team. Then he would lay one servo on his waist, caressing it delicately, and finally ask softly if you are OK in there. Afterwards, perhaps there would be a long philosophical discussion till the evening, when he would let you out to look at a beautiful sunset from his shoulder.

[writingbolt]

Two Men At a Lake

Two men go camping at a lake and undergo a transformative experience that leads them to become rescuers of various strange anthropomorphic animals they keep encountering on their journeys.

A parody of Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team.

---

Chapter 1: That was good work!

Two men at a lake, roaming, sweating, camping. Two men at a lake, resting, sleeping, dreaming. Two men that now no longer were just men, having undergone a mysterious transformation. Matt and David.

Matt had already woken up with sunrise, taken two steps to the shore to dance with the fishies in the lake again, when the slowly rolling water surface told him of his changes, showing him that his face had overnight gained unusually much fuzz. Annoyance at how much work shaving all this would be quickly disappeared when he realized that a razor wouldn't suffice to return him to the man he was last night, though, and he stormed back to the sleeping bags he had spent the night in to shout at his still silently snoozing man:

"Bro!"

--"Hmm" David tried to appear unbothered, but his brow furrowing gave away how much he would have enjoyed getting more time to prepare before being dragged into more weird ideas.

But his companion had never been one to pick up on signs. So he had to make it clearer: "I would have enjoyed getting more time to prepare before being dragged into more weird ideas."

Like this hike to a lake no one knew.

"Like this hike to a lake no one knew." he added.

Matt came closer, now towering over his "best friend".

"This lake is amazing! Look at me!" he said, raising both his arms into the air to show off the miraculous effect he believed the lake and fresh air here had had on his body.

"Hmm?" Reluctantly, David opened his eyes and was about to get up when he noticed that his friend really had changed overnight. Or been taken hostage and replaced by someone … who had stolen his orange shorts and could imitate his voice perfectly. Someone with a lot of brown hair covering all of his body like fur, almost pitch-black feet with webbed toes and long nails that resembled claws more than anything, a mouth that extended like a cute little snout with silly little whiskers on both sides of a black dog nose, and barely visible rounded ears on a flat head that definitely stared back at him, still beaming, with eyes that were definitely Matt's bright brown ones. And there was also that long brown tail hanging out from over the waistband of his shorts, reaching towards the ground.

"Um." David paused for a moment. "Uh, that's- that's true. It's amazing to see such a huge specimen of a river otter, the size of a giant! T-Truly a marvel of nature." Matt snickered in return and then let him continue. "But where did they get such a terrible sense of fashion? Or really any sense of fashion at all."

Laughter.

Normally this would have put him at ease, but David still felt tense, even if he tried to suppress it. Even something as bizarre as this surely shouldn't be reason for concern, right? It would be annoying if he let this get between him and enjoying their vacation as much as Matt seemed to be able to even now. But the tension he felt clearly wasn't just nervousness, as he sensed it all over his body, and his behind even seemed to ache, as if he had slept very awkwardly the entire night, he couldn't even make himself stretch to calm down. On top of that, there was still one question burning in his mind:

"And… they speak English, too?"

-- "Bro, you do, too!" Matt said, pointing a hand, or maybe paw, in David's direction. He was still grinning.

"Hey, my fashion sense is just fine!" he blurted out in return.

-- "Sure, man. Just look at yourself. Nice new haircut, by the way!"

David looked down on himself, the tension in his stomach turning to dread as he encountered the same kind of brown fur all over his body below his white t-shirt and black shorts, too. And the pain turned out to have him having laid uncomfortably on his tail. Now he was certain he was really talking to the same Matt he had known for years.

"Oh, come on! What did you do to me this time? Do you realize how much I will have to spend on shampoo now?" he exclaimed.

-- "Hey, I have no clue what happened either!" Matt looked just a tiny bit hurt for a second before his giggle returned. "If I had… I would have come here much sooner! Come on, let's go for a swim. You need to cool down anyway!"

David knew there was no point in protesting, and in fact barely a moment later already heard a loud splash in the water. Matt never waited for anyone. Whereas many of their friends were scaredy cats (well, not literally, at least not last time he saw them) who were perpetually insecure about their decisions and could also have trouble standing up for themselves, Matt instead was the kind of otterly… utterly unswayable man that either ends up the one to cause trouble for everyone or the protagonist in an action movie. And, well, that's kind of what had attracted David to him in the first place. Matt was the one to get David out of the house and on this trip, too, but could the man not slow down one day at least? David could only admire the unstoppable energy. But that even waking up as a different species altogether was something Matt could take in stride just like that was almost too much.

He finally jumped in as well and was disturbed to find out that he had never found any water as enjoyable as the same lake that just last afternoon he had vowed to never set foot in again. Even though it was still early in the morning, it just no longer was as horribly cold, the water didn't get into his ears anymore, and swimming never felt this effortless before. He flowed gracefully with the waves, thoughts melted like ice in the summer sun, until he was tackled from behind by Matt.

It wasn't long before they had invented water wrestling, and when they started training as if preparing to become otterkind's first Olympic athletes, they noticed they had gotten far away from the shore they had come from, now being almost at the opposite side of the lake. And neither of them felt like they had the energy to go back all the way anymore, so they gathered their last energy and swam to the closer shore.

Barely out of the water they heard shouts in the distance, coming out of the forest, faint but impossible to ignore.

After a minute of walking amid the firs and spruces growing tall they encountered strange creature, though no stranger than they themselves were. A human-sized purple butterfly with two pairs of white wings with black lines was turning towards them, standing on two legs and gesticulating with two arms. Aside from their purple color, the limbs looked very human. The butterfly looked at them with two large red compound eyes on a strangely oversized head and shouted again:

"Somebody! Please help me! My poor baby caterpillar fell down a crevice and I'm not good at climbing!"

"Yo" Matt said to David, "looks like someone needs our help!"

-- "What are we, a rescue team?" David replied, though he knew the answer he would get already.

"Sure we are!"

Matt walked up to Mother or Father Butterfly and announced: "Ma'am! Or Sir. We, the Rescue Team Otter Know, how we can help you…"

--"Oh thank goodness! Yes, a rescue team like you ought to know how they can help me. The crevice is just a few minutes in the direction of the creek. Please look for a green caterpillar with red antenna." The butterfly pointed away from the lake with its arm.

They followed the creek and after a while David said: "You know, your English teacher would have probably wanted to fail you for that pun alone."

--"What pun?"

The silence of the next few minutes was pregnant, probably with triplets. Eventually, it was broken by a smaller caterpillar-human appearing from a bush a bit further away, and running towards Matt, who started running towards them. David could only watch in horror as they collided some seconds later and both falling to the ground, Matt cursing and the child crying. David dashed towards them and embraced the child, attempting to comfort it. It didn't seem injured at least.

Then, he asked Matt:

"Are you okay? Do I have to worry about encountering the demon that just possessed you next in this forest? Wouldn't surprise me the way this day is going…"

--"I did feel strangely compelled to just attack everything that moves in front of me…"

"Wait, really? Come to think of it, the butterfly baby here seemed to as well…"

--"I'm not a baby! I'm old enough to be alone in the forest!" the caterpillar protested. David looked at the boy, still sitting in his arms, wearing an overall that was cream-colored in the front, red at the back with many bumps. A tall red spike was on the head seemed dangerously sharp. The head itself of the boy was also red, with large yellow eyes with black pupils located on either side of it and a smaller yellow spike in between both.

"Does this boy not look a bit like a demon already…" Matt muttered, and David wished he hadn't heard it. "In any case he isn't who we are looking for." he continued, louder. "Let him go, he's probably big and strong enough to find his way back alone. And sorry for the headbutt, man!"

With the big and strong caterpillar boy now smiling again, things seemed patched up enough for David to move on, and so they bid him goodbye and continued their path down the creek.

Over the next half an hour or so David had to stop Matt from running into other young animal-humans in the most literal sense again and again, while evading their attacks. More red caterpillars, small brown humanoid doves, and perhaps the weirdest, child-sized yellow-black germinated seeds with stubby legs hopping around. There were also strange large eggs rolling around for seemingly no reason. This forest evidently was nothing short of being extraordinarily cursed.

Finally, they come across a crevice and find the green caterpillar-boy the giant butterfly had wanted to be reunited with. He was teary-eyed, huddled together against the ground and entirely lacking in spikes, unlike the ones they had encountered before, and was the only one that did not aggressively charge, simply looking at them from large yellow eyes, his red antennae hanging low.

They brought brought him back to his parent, cried all tears of joy and waved goodbye after getting a bag filled with various strange berries neither of them had ever seen before.

"That was good work" Matt said to David.

--"Thanks. It's always harder when you have to do it all alone." David replied, grinning for the first time that day.

"How about some fish for lunch? It would go well with the berries."

Continued in part 2 here.

[welcomingdisaster]

18 and 24 for the russingon asks??

hi hi hi!

18: Share an unusual headcanon.

HMMMM I've been blanking on this one. Not sure exactly how unusual these are.

Fingon has, more or less, two modes--"sure, whatever you say" and "stubborn as fuck." Maedhros is a total control freak much prefers the former mode, haha. Usually Fingon (who is quite used to navigating around control freaks--see. Fingolfin & Turgon) plays into this, and will go along with Maedhros' tendencies to commandeer a situation. Until a certain point, when he'll just quietly break off and do his own thing -- no warning. He doesn't want to a fight (the fact that the fight will happen anyways must be pointed out here). That communication breakdown is one of the sources of conflict in the relationship.

HMMM another unusual headcanon--I definitely favor a Fingon that dabbles occasionally in pretty femme presentation. Not something anyone really politically wants to advertise for him, though, considering Noldor gender biases.

24: What’s a Russingon AU you often daydream about?

Well! Currently it's my TRSB, lol, but I'll say-- the one I've been thinking about for ages without writing is a modern/urban fantasy with a magical museum and many werewolf transformations :0 also an ill-fated trip to the arctic for Mr. Maedhros Feanorian

[kay-elle-cee]

@jilytoberfest 31 Prompts: Day 2 || 1252 Words || Read on Ao3 —

“Come on, Pete, just a few more.”

James is splayed on the floor of the gym next to the blonde man, watching and counting encouragingly as his friend sits up once, twice, three times in an effort to finish this cycle of reps. It was their third day this week coming to the gym—ever since Peter’s girlfriend had dumped him the prior week, the man was determined to throw himself into a total transformation, a “revenge body” if you will. (And James, being the sympathetic and athletic friend that he was, had volunteered to help. Besides, it was nice to spend some time with Pete, just the two of them.)

As Peter falls back against the unique texture of the gym floor, James sits up and pats his knee in triumph. “You did it, mate! One whole week in the books. That’s something to be proud of.”

“I feel like I’m going to die.”

“That goes away with time.”

“That’s what you said about Paula, too.”

James sighs, running a hand through his sweaty curls. Being the optimist he is, he and their other friends had plied Peter with the traditional post-breakup platitudes (that they did fully mean): It’s her loss, mate; you’ll forget all about her in time; we know you thought she was the one but really how much did you know about her? Peter and Paula had been together for half a year, and while she was a lovely girl (before breaking his friend’s heart) James hadn’t really gotten it. She had never meshed with their group—which, James supposes, isn’t a mandatory requirement for a romantic partner—but it seemed getting along with your boyfriend’s friends would be some sort of minimum requirement before one finds themself ‘in love’.

In short, he had never assumed Pete and Paula would go the distance. Just like James and Arya hadn’t, or Remus and Alfred. Sirius hadn’t brought any partners around the group, but seemed to share in James’ theory all the same.

“And I mean it,” James replies, standing and offering a hand to Peter, pulling him up off the floor. “It’ll hurt worse right at the start, but your muscles will get used to it.” He turns and leads the way to the treadmills for their cooldown—something quick and easy that Pete can take at his own pace. With a heavy sigh, Peter starts at a brisk walk at the machine next to him, and James presses the buttons on his until he’s at a light jog.

Running, even stationarily, gives James a time to just retreat into his own mind. His eyes glance up to the television sets that are affixed to the ceiling in front of the row of cardio machines, flicking in between news, sports, reruns, and more news. A flash of something from his left catches his attention and he finds his attention drawn to a woman rounding the corner of the front desk, beautiful red waves pulled atop her head and cascading down, bouncing as she walks through the machines. He finds his eyes transfixed, feeling unusually breathless so early in his run as he struggles to refocus his attention to anything other than the woman—his feet, the news, the bloody rerun of Friends he’d seen a dozen times.

He almost succeeds, until someone in a matching polo shirt walks by her and says something that causes her to throw her head back in utter delight, her laughter wafting over to where he is trying to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, and he misses.

Well, he doesn’t technically miss. His foot just steps halfway off the belt of the treadmill, meaning in a split second he’s crashing to the ground and causing a scene, Peter gaping above him. James lies there for a few seconds—in a bit of a daze and ego more bruised than any actual physical part of him—when red hair and the most vibrant green eyes he’s even seen in his life come into view next to Peter, looking down at him with a mix of concern and held back amusement.

“Are you alright?”

Her voice, wry and definitely laced with unshed laughter, kicks him out of his daze and he scrambles up. “Fine. Just better learn to walk in a straight line, I suppose.”

“Yes, they’ve gotten rid of all the twists and turns in the newest model,” she agrees sagely, nodding her head towards his still-running machine. She walks between it and Peter’s machine, hitting the stop button and motioning at his elbow. “Looks like you scraped yourself up pretty nicely. If you follow me, I can show you where we keep all the first aid.”

James has to blink a few times before realizing that no this was not a dream and yes she was looking at him expectantly to answer. Clearing his throat he casts a glance at Peter’s machine, and—seeing that he still has seven minutes—claps his shoulder in encouragement with a hasty mumble about being right back and trails after the red-haired woman.

In less than a minute they’re entering a small room marked Employees Only next to the front desk and she gestures for him to sit down.

“You know, I’ve seen you in here before,” she says, shuffling through some supplies on the eye-level shelf next to her. “Wouldn’t have pegged you for a klutz.”

She’s seen him here before. She’s noticed him before. James feels his brain short-circuit at her words, remembering to wipe any sort of dumb, awe-struck expression from his face just as she turns around with a small package of antiseptic wipes and hands it to him.

“I’m usually not,” he confesses, shooting her what he hopes is a suave smile as he takes a wipe and cleans the scrapes on his elbow. Looking up and meeting her eyes, his brows raise. “Got distracted by someone.” 

To his delight, a small flush colors her cheeks, and she doesn’t immediately look away. Instead, she seems to contemplate something before reaching for a pen and a spiral of paper and writing something down. 

“You know, it’s silly,” she says, still scribbling, “but after an injury the gym insists those patrons have someone supervise them on the machines.”

“Oh, do they?” James asks with a smile.

She makes a noise of assent, ripping the paper from its binding and hands it over to him. “Unfortunately, yeah. A bit overkill if you ask me, but what can you do?” Her eyes flicker from his to the paper in his hand. “I’ve written my schedule down there for convenience—you know, as someone familiar with the incident. Could save you some time when you come in, having to explain it and all.”

James nods solemnly, fighting back the grin that threatens to split wide his face. Instead, his brow knits in a show of confusion as he points to the top of the paper. “And this number here?”

“Oh, well, that’s my mobile number.”

“Ah yes, I see that now.”

“For any, you know, outdoor running supervision you may require. When a treadmill doesn’t really do the trick.” Her brow unfurrows, all fake-seriousness wiping away as she shrugs, leaning back against the wall with her arms crossed. “Or if you fancy a drink.”He loses the fight against the grin, his lips pulling up into a wide smile as his eyes glance down at the paper in his hands and trace over the name Lily that’s been written above the phone number.