#we’re not even getting the series remaster

[b-e-e-h-o-p]

Crazy how they saw people getting mad that we didn’t get the big solas army we saw in the art book and thought the best excuse for it was

“Oh yeah he just no no wanna anymore :)”

[oneforthemunny]

yayo (remastered) |older!dilf!eddie munson x reader|

prompt: when your younger sister calls you to pick her and her friend up, it leads you to meeting her friend's dad.

this is the first chapter of the older!eddie remaster! title stays the same, i'm just revamping it :) you can read the original series here!

contains: age gap (eddie is early forties, reader is late twenties early thirties, all consensual), language, teenage stupidity of younger siblings (and their friends) lol, slightly mean eddie but not really.

word count: 3.5k+

“Hello?” A groggy, croak of an answer fell from your lip. Eyelids pulled together, weights of sleep held them closed, pressing the cool screen of your phone to your ear. 

There was a pause, nearly timid in response. “Hey.” The familiar tone ridded whatever sleepiness you still felt, kickstarted every instinct of panic, flooding through your veins, right down to your core. 

“It’s me.” You pulled the phone away to check anyways, Madeline’s name flashing across the screen, still decorated with a flurry of bright, smiley emojis from when she added them years ago. 

“What’s wrong?” Call it older sister instinct, maybe dread, but you knew by the tightness in her tone something was wrong. 

“Will you do me a favor?” Madeline sucked in a breath from the other line. “A big favor, like a huge one. Please, I’ll owe you one back forever, and-” 

“-What do you need?” You muttered, too groggy to be fully annoyed, legs swinging out of the warmth of your covers to the frigid wood of the apartment’s floor. Using the soft, purple glow of Roku Village on the TV, you stumbled around towards the light switch. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I am. Well, I mean- like physically, I’m fine.” Madeline paused, hesitation filling the line. “Look, you can’t tell Mom or Dad. Do you swear?” 

“What did you do?” There was the irritation, falling with a huff of pure annoyance, one only a younger sibling could bring- affection and annoyance, blended together and pouring from your tongue. 

“No, you gotta swear. Swear on your life you won’t tell.” Madeline’s voice was fiercer now, that hushed tone that you were too familiar with. 

“Ok, I swear. What do you need? Why the hell are you calling me at,” You pulled your phone back, blearily blinking to clear the clouded sleep in your vision. “Christ, at two in the morning?-”

“-Don’t start.” Madeline rolled her eyes. “C-Can you come get me and my friend?”

“From where?” You frowned, stopping in the middle of the room. 

“We’re in Chestnut Square, you know the neighborhood that the Henson’s live in? It’s, like, two streets over. I can drop you a pin.” Madeline danced around the request. 

“Why are you there?” You knew. Of course you knew. It wasn’t all that long ago you were in Chestnut Square or near the Quarry by Lover’s Lake, sipping on wine coolers and shitty beers that someone got from the gas station by the high school that never carded. 

“Why do you think I’m here?” Madeline clipped in annoyance, a huff of staticed annoyance falling from the other line. “I’m at a party-” 

“-On a Wednesday?” You scoffed. “You couldn’t even wait until Friday or Saturday like a normal delinquent? On a weekday, Madeline, seriously-” 

“-Look, can you come pick me up or not?” Madeline snapped, and you could practically see her eyes roll through the phone. “I didn’t drive. Brielle and I got picked up and the guy who brought us, he’s… he’s not doing great right now, and we just need to get home. Can you please come pick us up?” 

The streets were a ghost town as you cruised towards the neighborhood, opposite from your downtown apartment. You had work tomorrow, an early shift. Madeline couldn’t have done this yesterday on your off day, or even Friday when you closed. Your jaw set at the thought, a burst of sleep deprived, inconveniencing annoyance bursting in your chest, burning with bother. 

Still, Madeline was your baby sister, difficult as she was, you were glad she called you. 

You followed the automated voice towards the end of the neighborhood, the house bright with lights and lined with cars. Madeline was on the curb, arm wrapped tightly around the girl beside her, steadying her sway. 

“Hey,” Madeline muttered, pulling the door open. “Thank you so much. Seriously, you’re the best.” 

“The best.” Brielle slid in before Madeline. Well, slid was generous, more like fell into your back seat. 

Brielle Munson had been Madeline’s best friend for years. A staple in her childhood, and therefore a figure in your own life. Countless sleepovers, birthday parties, you’d even carpooled them to school your senior year when they started middle school. 

As well as you knew her, you never took her as the black out on a Wednesday type, but your mother had often made passing, hushed tone comments about Brielle’s own mother. “She’s a little different. Kinda a wild card.” Your mother muttered to you one day, brows raising in a pointed look. You didn’t know much about Brielle’s family, never met them. Brielle always came over to your family’s house- you figured that was why. 

“Is she good?” You muttered, pulling the rearview mirror down, angling it towards Brielle. Her head pressed in slopped defeat against the cool window, forehead rolling over the cold glass. 

Madeline turned. “Brie, you good?” 

“‘M good, ‘m good. Are we gonna get Cook Out?”  Brielle slurred, cheek pressed to the window. 

You huffed, another thing to add to the mental list of Madeline’s inconveniences- cleaning your windows of the foundation Brielle left behind tomorrow. 

“Is she gonna puke?” You huffed, shoving the gear into place, rolling away from the front of the house. 

“No, she’s not gonna puke-” 

“-Madeline, if she fuckin’ pukes, I swear to God, you will be cleaning it tonight.” You sneer, eyes flickering towards the rearview to see Brielle. “I can’t handle puke, I will not handle puke-” 

“-She won’t puke.” Madeline huffed, arms crossing over her chest in annoyance. “Brie, don’t puke.” 

“I won’t.” Brielle muttered, slouching down the window. 

“She’s almost asleep. She’s good.” Madeline shook her head. “We gotta take Brielle home first. Take a right up here.” She pointed out the window. 

“Great, I’m the fucking Uber tonight, too? Madeline, I have to work in the morning-” 

“-It’s literally two minutes away.” Madeline rolled her eyes. “She’s at her dad’s tonight. It won’t take that long. I just have to get her back in her room- shit.” Madeline turned in her seat, tapping Brielle’s knee. “Brie, you gotta wake up, ok? You have to get back to your room.” 

“Nice.” You threw your hands up, irritation bubbling to a raging boil in your chest. “You’ve got to sneak her back in? How are you gonna do that?” 

“She snuck out through her window, chill.” Madeline rolled her eyes. “Turn right at the light.” 

“So, you’re going to do what? Shove her back in? I’m not helping you. I said I’d come pick you up, and that’s it-” 

“-Did I ask you to help? No.” Madeline snarled. “Brielle, wake up, seriously.” 

“I’m literally awake.” Brielle groaned, though her eyes stayed shut. 

“Where am I going?” You threw a hand out lightly. 

“Keep going straight.” Madeline muttered, body still twisted towards the back. “Brie, do you have your phone?” 

“I think so.” Brielle muttered, lazily patting herself before turning towards the seat. “Oh, ‘s right here.” 

“Turn left into this neighborhood. Then at the stop sign take a right, her house is on the corner.” Madeline turned back towards you. 

You flicked the turn signal on with dramatic irritation, gliding into the neighborhood to the small house on the corner of the street, the edge of the cul de sac. Bloomington Lane, the street sign stood proudly above the stop sign at the edge of the road. 

“Cut your lights.” Madeline muttered, climbing over the center console towards the back of the car. You felt like you were in high school again, flooding of your own memories, sneaking your friends back inside, coming through the unlocked window in the guest room. Watching Madeline help Brielle, crouched over her trying to get her sober enough to walk, it felt like a lifetime and yesterday all at once. 

Your reminiscent memories were cut short when the porch light flicked on, a blinding cast of warm light cutting through the calm, dark of the street. 

“Shit,” Madeline hissed, wide eyed and caught, looking out the window. “Shit, shit, shit, Brie, you gotta get up. You gotta get up for real, your dad is here, Brie.” 

“No, he’s asleep.” Brielle muttered, head lolling back against the seat drunkenly. 

“Madeline.” You hissed, eyes cutting towards the porch, a silhouette of a man stalking furiously towards you. You weren’t sure if you should look, turn away, drive away, a sweaty, knuckled grip on the steering wheel. 

“Fuck, that’s Brielle’s dad.” Madeline whispered. 

“Madeline,” You growled through gritted teeth. “What the fuck-” You jumped, bare knuckles rapping furiously on your window. Through the glare of the radio on your window, you could see him on the other side. 

“Hi,” You squeaked, rolling down the window. “Sorry, I-I’m just-” 

“-Who the fuck are you?” His voice boomed, sharp and cutting as the look on his face. You flinched under the tone. 

“I-I,-” 

“-Hi, Mr. Munson.” Madeline peeked timidly around your seat. His dark eyes flicked towards her, still narrowed in intimidating challenge. “We’re just, we’re bringing Brielle home.” Madeline’s voice shook, though she tried to swallow it, steady it. “This is my sister.” 

You waved, tongue too thick and swollen to say anything. Now you really felt like you were in high school again, scared shitless, caught like a deer in blinding headlights by a furious parent. 

“She came and got Brielle and I.” Madeline didn’t offer any more explanation, instead nodding towards Brielle. 

“The fuck is wrong with her?” The spitting venom in his tone made you jump. 

“She-She just had too much to drink.” You stammered, hands still gripping the wheel. 

He tore open the backseat door, Madeline holding Brielle to keep her from falling limply out onto the concrete. “What is wrong with her? Did someone drug her?” He snapped, holding Brielle carefully. 

“No, no, n-no, I was there with her all night. We brought our own-” Madeline cringed at the glare Mr. Munson gave her. You cringed for her. “She didn’t get drugged. I-I made sure. I watched her, she just… she had too much to drink, Mr. Munson, I’m so sorry.” 

“Where’d you get it from?” He sneered, pulling his daughter out of the car with a gritted grunt. “You buy it for them?” His eyes were back on you, so harsh it had you jumping. 

“No.” You and Madeline squeaked in unison. 

“I just came and-and got them-” 

“-I called her to make sure she’d get us home safe.” Madeline added, head bobbing furiously in a nervous nod. 

“Yeah.” You looked at Madeline, then back at the fuming man. Brielle sliding in his arms, limp in his hold. “Here, I-I can help you get her in-” 

“-No.” He sneered, pulling Brielle up, ignoring her muttered huffs of protest. “I don’t need your help. You’ve done enough tonight.” You felt small under his glare, biting tone that had you shrinking into your seat. 

“I-I’m really sorry.” You muttered nervously, heart drumming with adrenaline, with fear. You didn’t know why you were apologizing, if anything, you’d made the one smart decision of the night. You thought Mr. Munson might appreciate that you’d gone to bring his daughter home safe. 

The narrowed eye glare he tossed you before he was dragging Brielle towards the house, told you he did not appreciate your vigilant efforts. Your face drained, a flush of heat and icy fear sinking in the pit of your stomach. He slammed the door so hard, you were surprised the glass swinging door didn’t shatter to pieces right there on the porch. 

You turned to Madeline, fists still clenched around the steering wheel. “You owe me. You owe me so much more now, like forever. For the rest of your life.” You sneered, shoving the gear shift into drive, peeling off the curb. You couldn’t get away from Bloomington Lane fast enough. 

“You alright?” Lydia’s brows furrow at your third- fourth yawn of the shift. A shift that had just begun, your teeth ground tight in annoyance. 

“Yeah.” You nodded, snapping the receipt cover down. “Is there any way I could get off register? I’m just super tired. My brain’s not really wanting to work this morning.” 

“Yeah, for sure. You sure you’re alright?” Lydia’s head tilted to the side, snapping the plastic lid to the latte expertly. You and Lydia Allcott had practically grown up together, been in school since Kindergarten. It was lucky, you guessed, that she was your manager. Perks of a small town like Hawkins. 

“Yeah, I’m just exhausted. I was up all night because Madeline is a moron. Snuck out and I had to drive her and her friend home, and then her friend’s dad was waiting outside when she got  home- it’s just been a night, honestly.” You rubbed the base of your neck, working out a knot that was already beginning to form from your restless night. 

Lydia sucked in a breath. “Oh,” She shook her head. “I forget you have a younger sister.” 

You snort lightly, pouring the steaming dark roast into the cup. “Yeah, me too. Until she does something stupid like that.” 

Lydia smirked, sliding the drink down the bar. “Brooke just got here. Tell her to hop on register, and you can go clean the tables.” 

You had never been so happy to be carrying the soapy, black bucket out on the floor, sudsy rag dragging slowly across the empty tables. It was slow for a Thursday, the morning school and work rush dwindled down to a ghost town. Not that you were complaining. 

The bell trilled over the door behind you, Brooke’s cheery, fake greeting echoing through the store. You didn’t turn, pushing the rag over the table, dunking it back in the bucket, wringing it out, and repeating. A rhythmic task that had your mind numbed, zoned in brainlessly from table to table. 

“Hi.” You jumped slightly, soapy water spilling over the lip of the bucket onto the table.

Your posture straightened, turning with the expectancy of a customer wanting some specific table cleaned that you hadn’t yet got to. Instead, you were met with a familiar pair of dark eyes, not as furious as they’d been last night but burning even in the low light of the cafe. 

“Hi.” You squeaked, gripping the rag in your hand, the water dripping between your fingers. “Um, wha-what can I help you with, Mr. Munson?” Fuck, he’d come back to scream some more. And at your work? How did he even know? You didn’t even have it on Facebook. 

You were shocked when his lips twitched, a faint pull of smirk on his lips. “I don’t mean to bother you.” He started, hand wrapped around the small cup in his hand. “I’m not here to- I’m here to apologize.” 

You couldn’t speak, tongue stupidly thick in your mouth again. Instead you nodded, a soft bob of your head. “And I wanted to thank you for bringing Brielle home last night. For making sure she got home alright. She could have…” He shook his head, looking over at the window. 

“She could have done something stupid, and I’m glad you were there so she didn’t.” Your heart leapt when his eyes met yours again, a pounding in your ears that rang through your whole body. 

“I-It’s really no problem.” You stuttered, voice wavering on embarrassingly unsure. 

“No, it means a lot, and I was a complete ass to you last night, and I’m here to say I’m sorry for that.” Your eyes lingered over the patch on his coveralls, a cursive, embroidered ‘Eddie’ over the faded blue patch. 

“I shouldn’t’ve been such a dick, but you go to say goodnight to your kid, and there’s a pile of pillows instead, and- I know you don’t get it. You’re too young.” He motioned at you casually. Your cheeks burned, looking down at your bucket, hand still stupidly gripping the rag under the water. 

“But y’know, if you have kids of your own, you’ll get it.” Eddie continued, his own ramblings a little rushed. Was he nervous? 

“Yeah- I mean, i-it really was no issue. I’m glad she got home safe.” You smiled softly at him. 

A pause fell between the two of you, both of you shifting a little uncomfortably at it. “I hope this isn’t weird.” You looked at him. “Me coming here. I asked Brielle where you worked so I could apologize.” 

“No, it’s- thank you. You didn’t need to apologize, I mean. I get why you were mad, I do.” You cringed inwardly at your own nervous rambling. “But, um, I appreciate it. You apologizing, I mean. I’m glad she got home safe.” 

Eddie nodded, fingers curling around his drink. “Me too.” He nodded. “Glad she has Madeline too, to look after her. That they’re friends. I mean, Brie’s always been good at makin’ friends. She’s really talkative.” Your heart swelled lightly at the way he lit up when he talked about Brielle, boasting with pride and joy. It tugged on your own heart strings. 

“Yeah, Madeline is too. She loves Brie, though. Brielle sees her more than me.” You giggled lightly. 

Eddie snorted softly, lips curling in a grin. “Yeah, you too? Thought it was just me.” He shook his head, curls bouncing lightly. You tried not to stare. “Makes me feel a little better, then. At least I know it’s not all me.” 

You weren’t sure what to say, offering a nervous smile and soft giggle, adjusting the bucket on your hip. That familiar pause of silence flooded back between the two of you, not as uncomfortable as before but still hinting at discomfort. 

“So, I wanted to say thank you, and sorry for being such an asshole.” Eddie nodded, foot tapping lightly against the floor. “But, uh, I’d really like to make it up to you.” Your eyes lifted, snapping towards his own gaze carefully. 

“I'd like to treat you to dinner if you're free. Just to show my appreciation for keeping my girl safe.” Eddie started, eyes watching yours carefully. 

Your heart hammered, breath caught- strangled in your throat. “Oh,” You managed to squeak out. “That would be f-fine.” Your head was still spinning before you could register what you were even saying. 

Saying yes to Brielle’s dad? Her father, much older than you, certainly than the type of man you usually let take you to dinner. Still, he wasn’t unattractive. Coverall sleeves rolled enough to see his inked arms, chest broad under the thick material. He didn’t look old, not shriveled and gross. He was nice to look at, even. You certainly didn’t mind looking at him. 

“I-I have to close tomorrow, but I’m free Saturday night.” Your heart jumped, shocked at your own boldness. Eddie’s brows lifted slightly, lips curling on the edge of a grin. “If you’re available, of course. Sorry, I- when works best for you?” 

“Saturday night is perfect.” Eddie’s voice was calm, a steady tone that had your rattled nerves soothing, at least to a low roar in your chest. 

“Great.” You smiled, a little too eager, far less cool than you would have liked. Why were you so nervous? Maybe excited?

“Um, let me give you my phone number?” It sounded more like a question, setting the bucket on the table, wiping your wet, dripping hand on your black apron. You fished a pen out of the pocket, hoping Eddie couldn’t see the way your hands trembled lightly, buzzing with giddy excitement. 

“And you can just text me a-and let me know where to meet you.” You pulled a napkin out of the dispenser, chin dunking to write your digits on the thin paper. 

“I’ll pick you up.” Eddie nodded. Your gaze lifted to him, the finality in his tone, firm but oddly not pushy? It was foreign to you, sent bolts of exhilaration trickling through your spine. 

You started to protest, lips pulling in a slight frown. Eddie shook his head. “I’m old school, sweetheart. I’ll come and get you.” He smiled, eyes much warmer than you’d seen them, the hinting of dimples creasing underneath his stubble. 

Your knees tensed, swallowing down a bubbling of nervous giggles, giving a wide smile instead. Your fingertips brushed when you handed him the napkin, a featherlight touch that had your body roaring with fever. 

“I’ll see you Saturday.” Eddie smiled, so effortlessly cool it made your stomach flip-flop. “You don’t work too hard now, y’hear?” He teased, tossing you a wink that did pull out the nervous giggles you couldn’t swallow down this time. 

"Bye." You waved, the rag in your hand flopping against your wrist, cringing when the droplets hit your face. Eddie waved back, tucking the napkin in his pocket before he disappeared out the double doors. 

The drag in your feet was replaced with a springing pep in your step. Greeting customers with a cheery smile, much less dreadful than your usually forced one. Even the huffy soccer moms ordering with the usual demanding entitlement that would have you gritting your teeth. It didn’t bother you, chest light and airy with excitement, mind racing with giddy excitement about your date.

[abyssalchronicles]

Tales of Graces f Remastered has just been announced for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One/Series X and for PC via STEAM!

The game will be released for the West on January 17, 2025, a day after the Japanese release. Check more here! The remaster features enhanced visuals and gameplay, including the ability to switch enemy encounters on and off, a skip button, an auto-save feature, early unlocking of the Grade Shop, inclusion of the original DLCs from the original games, as well as the Lineage and Legacies after story. The official announcement also mentions "and newly localised scenes that will be available in English for the very first time". A Digital Deluxe Edition and pre-orders have been announced. According to the Japanese announcement, the game is but a part of the "various initiatives" planned for the Tales of Series 30th Anniversary. A message from Tales of Series General Producer Yusuke Tomizawa was also released. This hopefully means we're getting even more remasters, or possibly a new game, for this anniversary! We've yet to see anything on the previously allegedly leaked Tales of Xillia Remastered from online stores.

[earlysunshines]

i get misty the moment you’re near

kindergarden teacher!sana x fem!reader (remastered) ; part one ; fluff

summary: it’s normal to get all bittersweet watching the girl you’ve helped raise step into her first day of kindergarten, but is it normal to find her teacher so captivating at first sight? is it normal for her teacher to find you just as cute?

wc: 2.8k

warnings: none!

a/n: rewrite of the series that started it all :P, enjoy!!!

opening the door, you watch your little one unbuckle her seatbelt. the smile on her face is everything to you and more, shining even brighter than the sun even with that missing canine of hers.

she slips herself out of the car and onto the concrete of the parking lot, eager to get out there and into the world (it's a bittersweet moment, watching her grow up before your eyes, tumbling away from your grasp so soon at the ripe age of five). yet, her small gesture of grabbing your pointer and middle finger instead of holding your hand in the traditional way brings a smile to your face. it's a unique quirk of hers, a subtle reminder that she’s still your little girl no matter what.

as you and your niece hana make your way into her elementary school, she’s much better at navigating this foreign territory than you are, leading the way confidently and pulling you with every step. you follow closely behind, admiring her determination and poise, the smile on your face growing with each hall you pass. 

as you approach her classroom, you notice parents bidding their goodbyes and waving to their children inside the cheery, chat-filled room. it's a heartwarming scene, filled with families sending their little ones off to the place that’ll start it all.

when you look down at hana, it seems as if her excitement had been erased in a matter of seconds. she stands there, peering into the classroom door nervously, looking hesitant to even enter.

you crease your brows, looking at her with concern. “is everything okay?”

“y/n,” she begins, almost frowning. “what if no one wants to be my friend?” 

her words catch you off guard, and a look of surprise crosses your face. she avoids your gaze, her eyes fixated on her beige velcro sneakers. you squat down to her eye level, sensing her discomfort.

your features soften. “hana… why would you think that?”

“i don’t know… i’m just scared, i don’t want to be the only one alone.” she says, her frown deepening.

“hana, sweetheart,” you start, holding both her hands in between your palms. “trust me, at least one person will talk to you. even if it isn’t today, someone amazing like you will make a friend, i mean, who wouldn’t want to be your friend? i made a lot of friends when i was your age.” you pause, putting your hands on her shoulders as you make eye contact. 

she looks at you with a slight pout, your heart cracks a bit.

“you and i, we’re alike, your dad and grandma think so too.” you begin, hands moving over to fix the white shirt under her denim overalls. “and be glad that we’re alike.” a mischievous smirk tugs at your lips. “your dad isn’t as cool as me, as us – trust me. be glad you got some of your auntie’s genes, you’ll be the coolest in the room since you’re like me.”

“you sure?” 

“of course i am. one hundred percent, no questions asked.” you assure her, standing up. “now, come on, let’s go inside, your dad said your teacher was nice!” you beam, smiling at the little girl. “now , you lead me, to be honest i’m starting to get a little scared… i might get lost– i mean, this isn’t my classroom.”

hana’s worried expression is replaced by a grin after hearing your last remark, and then she teases you with that cheeky, high-pitched voice of hers, “you’re so silly y/n, you’re old and scared? i thought you said you were the coolest!” 

“hey! i am the coolest! and i'm not old! you should see your dad! so many wrinkles on his head when he snores…”

hana's laughter rings out, her newfound confidence sparked by the playful banter between the two of you. without hesitation, she seizes your hand and practically pulls you into the classroom, her excitement palpable as if she were alice venturing into wonderland.

(they grow up too fast)

as you step into the classroom, a pleasant aroma envelops you, carrying hints of vanilla intermingled with subtle undertones of peaches and pears. the scent isn’t overpowering, you think it’s perfect and adds to the ambiance of the slightly chaotic yet meticulously arranged classroom. in an oddly comforting way, it reminds you of the cozy atmosphere of the café where you work.

as you scan the classroom, you observe children engrossed in various activities—some coloring at their desks, others darting around with more energy than you have after four shots of espresso, and a few kids posing for pictures taken by their parents. 

hana excitedly tugs at your hand, leading you to the vibrant cubbies where students store their completed work and lunchboxes. with a proud grin, she points out the sticker adorning her cubby: a little shark sticker, hammerhead. the sight of the sticker brings a warm smile to your face, knowing how much hana and her dad adore these creatures.

"hana, sweetie, stand next to your cubby. i want to take a picture to show your dad," you suggest, gesturing towards the spot where you'd like her to pose. hana eagerly complies, flashing a wide smile that lights up her face and reveals her adorable gums. her infectious grin brings a smile to your own lips as you swiftly capture the moment with a quick snapshot. without hesitation, you send the picture to the group chat shared with your brother, mom, and dad before taking a little selfie with her yourself.

as you and hana make your way towards the area where the backpacks are hung, your gaze runs wanders around the room, taking in the environment. amidst the flurry of activity, your attention is drawn to a striking woman across the room, her warm smile immediately catching your attention. 

you watch as she interacts with another parent, her friendly demeanor evident as she crouches down to the level of a young boy, pointing to – which you assume – his seat before returning to her full height. a moment later, her eyes meet yours, catching you off guard.

she’s unreal, she’s so unbelievably beautiful.

her flowing dark brown hair cascades gracefully around her, framing her face elegantly. you're struck by the perfection of her nose, it’s perfect. its gentle angle and graceful slope draws your admiration and it surprises you how much you appreciate such a seemingly small detail, but there's an undeniable allure to it, how could a nose be so perfect? was it weird to think that? 

your gaze then drifts downward, drawn to her peach-colored lips, which appear soft and lush and  inviting, and wow, impossibly alluring; in fact, they look really kissable and–

you stop your thoughts there because this is a woman you’ve just seen for the first time, you shouldn’t be thinking this – you can’t be (one part of your brain is telling you to stop, the other continues to daydream in the back of your mind).

her outfit is almost as cute and pretty as she is. the beige cardigan and loose white skirt she has on compliment her slender figure beautifully, emanating effortless grace. the delicate silver necklace sitting on her fair skin catches your eye a little more than small bracelet adorning her wrist and the tiny gold earrings that glint softly in the light.

hana feels your hand loosen up around hers, and then she looks up at you to see you staring across the room at the familiar woman she had met a week ago, ears tinted a shade of light pink. feeling hana's gentle tug on your sleeve, you snap out of your trance and return your attention to her with a soft smile. 

“that’s my teacher, she’s really nice,” hana says, smiling, “last time, she gave me an extra sticker! dad says she reminds him of you.”

“me?”

“he says that she’s… warm like you? no, something about you and her having the same warmth or something,” hana explains, trying to recollect her memory. “i don’t know how people can be warm in the same way, i think dad is just saying things. that doesn’t make any sense, same warmth– oh! he also said the way she talks to me reminds him of you.” hana adds. 

without warning, your niece walks you over to the woman and she smiles at your niece. you try to regain your composure during those few steps taken.

“this is ms. minatozaki.” hana introduces her to you shyly, tugging at your hand. 

"hello, hana. it’s lovely to see you again." the woman greets, gently patting her head. her voice is sweet like honey, soft like a breeze, and the way she speaks is welcoming, easing you immediately. it even makes your cheeks warm up a bit.

her smile nearly knocks you off balance, as if you were a sturdy tree getting hit by a sudden gust of wind. the genuine joy reflected in the curve of her lips as she greeted your niece made your knees go weak. meeting her gaze, you find yourself captivated by her eyes—those big, beautiful, brown eyes. she's a few inches shorter, so her head tilts up ever so slightly, and you struggle to resist falling into another trance as you take in her alluring features up close.

you try to compose yourself as you put your hand out to greet the beautiful woman.

“hello ms, i’m y/n.”

with that voice, gosh, her wonderful voice, she responds, “it’s nice to meet you, y/n.” 

sana is stunned by the woman in front of her, taking a moment to take in your presence. your face is almost intimidating with its sharp features, but there’s those subtle similarities – dimples, faint beauty mark in the corner of your eyes, and akin smile – that you have with hana. she's trying not to swoon over you in the moment, especially since you're in the middle of introducing yourselves, and it would be a bit (very) unprofessional to do that in front of the kids’ mother.

her smaller hand fits perfectly in yours as she shakes it. the world seems to pause for a moment as you realize this beautiful woman is shaking your hand – yours. it feels like you're in a romance drama of some sort with everything seeming to slow down around you. she puts another hand on the outside of yours, welcoming you into her precious workplace with both hands.

hana looks between the two women, a small smile tugging at her lips. she senses the spark that forms from the small interaction, and observes how her aunt's usually stoic and confident facade disappears in that moment.

so much for having the “cool” genes, you seem like putty in hana’s eyes.

you notice that your hands are still connected, her soft skin still touching, ms. minatozaki is still holding your hand. 

in an attempt to hide your nerves, to conceal the fact that you’re still thinking of her smooth skin on yours – you pull away to run a hand through your hair.

(hana sees right through you.)

“well,” you begin, shifting your gaze to your niece as you squat down to meet her eye level. a loose strand of hair that escaped her braided locks is gently tucked behind her ear with your slender finger. placing a thumb on her cheek, you rub it lightly. "i'll let you be off on your own now. go have fun and be good, okay? i'll be here in the afternoon."

the corners of sana's lips curl upwards as she witnesses the tender interaction between you and hana, her smile growing wider at the evident care and love in your voice.

“okay!” hana gives you a toothy grin. you laugh out softly and give her an almost identical grin back, squishing one of her cheeks in between two knuckles. 

in your heart, a faint trace of worry lingers, subtly etching a furrow in your brow despite your smile. you genuinely hope for the best for your niece; she's your only niece, and your deepest desire is for her to simply be happy. 

“if ms. minatozaki says you were being good today, we can go to the cafe and i can make you your favorite hot chocolate, how about that? ms. dahyun also said she made a special croissant for you~”

“please! please! i’ll be good, i promise.” hana almost shouts, practically jumping up and down.

laughing at her enthusiasm, you then respond, “alright, be good to ms. minatozaki lovely, i’ll see you later.” 

the two of you exchange a nice, warm hug, your head burying in the small of her neck and staying there for a few seconds more. after you pull away, you push away her bangs and press one last kiss to her forehead, lingering for a little longer. 

“you’re growing up too fast for me, i don’t know how i’ll catch up.” you mutter under your breath, quiet enough for only you to hear.

you stand back up and watch the little girl run off on her own to an empty desk, so eager to get out there and pick up some coloring pages – she’s already aching to get to work.

“she’s very enthusiastic,” sana begins. you turn her head back to meet her gaze, humming in agreement. “she’s a wonderful little girl from what i’ve observed so far. she’s seriously adorable!” 

“yeah, she’s a curious little girl – very bright.” you agree, “i just hope she doesn’t too much trouble. she’s pretty shy with new people, but she’s very energetic when she warms up and, well- you know how kids are.”

ms. minatozaki giggles and the little scrunch of her nose catches you off guard, prompting a spontaneous laugh to escape your own lips. your neck tingles and there’s a flutter in your stomach, the moment overwhelms you, and you find yourself smiling and giggling along with her, your ears undoubtedly turning a shade of pink that you don't even bother to acknowledge in the moment. 

there’s really nothing else you can acknowledge other than the wonderful woman in front of you, all attention deserves to be on her, especially when she’s so lovely to the eyes and her voice is like a gentle melody with each word uttered.

“i’ll be going now ms-”

“it’s sana, you can call me sana.” she cuts you off, “i mean, you’re not my student.” she adds, giggling again.

"definitely not," you quip, savoring the opportunity to keep the banter light and the laughter flowing. the thought of stalling this moment, making her smile and witnessing the way her face lights up with each shared joke makes your heart warm. you want to joke and joke forever if it means hearing and seeing her like this.

sana watches you adjust your dark brown jacket, a little cue that you have to depart soon (much to her dismay).

a hue of pink dusts her cheeks as you flash that charming smile of yours, she probably won’t get over the sight or the feeling she gets when you do so – ever. 

you seem entirely unaware of the effect you have on her, she mentally punches herself for feeling a flutter in her chest over – who she assumes is ��� her student's mother. the young teacher wonders how she'll manage to get through the year if she finds herself encountering you more often.

“well,” you check your watch, “ i have to get going now. please let me know if anything happens with hana.”

sana nods. “of course, i’ll make sure hana has a great day.” 

as you and sana exchange sweet smiles once more, a familiar warmth spreads through the two of you as you say your last goodbyes.

before heading out the door, you wave to your niece again, both of you grinning sweetly at each other. you also sneak one last glance at your niece's beautiful teacher before you head out and navigate your way back to the car.

leaving the building, the sun seemed to shine a little brighter, and there was a new warmth in your chest knowing that hana is in the caring hands of such a beautiful, sweet, and charming teacher: ms. minatozaki.

as you get into the car, you lean back into the seat and sigh, closing your eyes like a stupid idiot in love (that’s what you are, honestly).

you were definitely going to convince your brother to let you take hana to school more often, and even pick her up regularly too. it works pretty well with your schedule anyway, considering how flexible it is.

and little did you know, sana would secretly hope to see you more often as well. the image of you, your captivating smile, and the memory of your sweet tone of voice would linger in her mind throughout the entire school day.

[eddiesghxst]

PRICE OF FAME (PART 10/12)

helloooo, here are these two messy cuties once again, i hope you enjoyyy

18+ — MINORS DNI

pairing: rockstar!eddie x journalist!reader

summary: time is almost up but who could deny a good karaoke session?

contains: enemies to lovers trope, alcohol consumption, mentions of drug use, sexual themes, slight angst, those awkward/cringey scenes where they're singing (i apologize in advance), and lots of mixed feelings <3

word count: 3.9k

| previous part | next part |

| series masterlist | -main masterlist- |

song inspo for this chappy hehe:

Steve and Robin love karaoke. 

Nancy had warned you that the friendly pair practically fiend for a good karaoke sesh, but you hadn’t expected them to be as enthusiastic as they turned out to be.

For some odd reason, the city seems less busy today, so you, Eddie, and Eddie's friends can take up as much room as you’d like on the sidewalk. 

In front of you, Robin and Steve are seriously debating what the first song on the queue will be. Walking just a few paces behind them is Nancy, who’s quietly taking in the city's bright lights; and next to you, palm burning a hole through your hand with his addicting touch, is Eddie.

It’s stupid, you think. The way Eddie has seen you stripped down and bare, whining and quivering for him at what could arguably be your most vulnerable state, yet you still find your heart racing 100 miles a minute with this soft gesture of holding hands.

Sure, you’ve held his hand before, but not for this long. Not in public when it’s not the heat of the moment and you’re simply walking around. It’s weird and new, and it makes your stomach twist in a good way, but fuck— you chicken out when Robin and Steve turn to face you, Nancy, and Eddie.

“Steve wants to start karaoke with Queen— like any karaoke amateur would.” Robin huffs as Steve rolls his eyes. You slip your hand from Eddie’s hold before either of them can clock the gesture, and you avoid looking at Eddie when he clears his throat.

“Because it’s the perfect opener!” Steve stresses. “Everybody always does, Queen, Steve! Plus, I’m not even sure I can physically pull through with how long their songs are.” Robin argues. 

Steve’s jaw dropped as if Robin had just said the most foul thing he’d ever heard, “Their songs are not that long. And even if they are, they’re fucking amazing, so what’s your point.” “My point is we’re not starting the night with Queen.”

They’re an interesting group of friends, you’ll admit. Interesting in the sense that you swear they could be a part of some sitcom with how funny and unpredictable their conversations and interactions are.

By the time you reach the karaoke bar, Steve and Robin have an entire list of songs mentally queued up, and they make a beeline to the DJ operating the music as you and Nancy snag a table towards the middle of the room. The bar is to one side of the room while the stage is at the front, and the DJ booth is at the back; the rest of the room is full of tables where people chatter, laugh over drinks, and sing along with whoever is currently doing their performance. Eddie had split off to get drinks the second you entered the bar, so it’s just you and Nancy as you settle at the wooden table.

“Are you going to sing?” Nancy questions from the other side of the table. You pull a face, shrugging your shoulders up to your ears, “I’m not sure, maybe once I get a few drinks in me. How about you?” Nancy softly laughs with a playful roll of her eyes, “Unfortunately, I doubt Robin will let me escape this one.”

As if summoned, Robin slides into the seat right next to Nancy. “I put you down together, but there’s a few people ahead, so start thinking of the song you’ll sing.” She gestures between you and Nancy. You shrug, accepting defeat, and before you can pitch an idea for a song to Nancy, Robin is leaning her elbows against the table and blinking at you, “So, let’s cut to the chase. What’s going on between you and Eddie?” She asks.

Nancy’s eyes widen as she instinctively jabs her elbow into Robin’s ribs, “Ow!” “Rob, you can’t just ask people that— god.” You softly laugh as Robin rubs at her sore side. “Sorry if I’m interested in keeping tabs on my friend!” Robin sarcastically argued.

Nancy rolls her eyes and sends you an apologetic look. “Look, I’m just guessing— based on the fact that you two were in the back of a fancy restaurant— that something is going on. Oh— unless this is, like, a business thing, then you can totally ignore me.” Robin rambles.

“Robin,” Nancy stresses. Your cheeks seem to ache from the amused expression on your face as Nancy turns to you, “You don’t have to answer either way since it’s none of our business.” She says, voice raising near the end as she glares at Robin. Robin rolls her eyes, and you laugh with a shake of your head as you shift in your seat. “No, it’s fine, I understand, but um,” You shrug, “It’s just a business thing.” You finally answer.

And, technically, you’re not wrong. There is a business transaction going on between you and Eddie… and the rest of the band, which is primarily the basis of your relationship, but you’re not sure how appropriate it would be to say, ‘Yeah, I mean, Eddie hated me, but now he doesn’t, so then we fucked yesterday but then his manager basically told us to squash whatever that was, so now we’re kind of in a weird spot because we don’t hate each other but we can’t like each other. Oh yeah, and here’s the kicker, Eddie’s been a total asshole this entire time, and it’s fucked with my head a bit. But apparently, he wants to change!’

It’s a colorful mess of loopholes and twists and turns that probably nobody will fully understand aside from you and Eddie, so…. business thing it is. 

Robin seems to take that as an answer, but Nancy is now intrigued by your tone, “That didn’t sound very sure.” She playfully raises a suggestive eyebrow. Robin hums, “What happened to it being none of our business?” She points out, to which Nancy just waves a dismissive hand in response. “It’s a business thing, but…” Nancy prods. Your face warms as you lift your shoulders in a shrug, “I mean, it’s… it’s complicated.” 

Nancy nods with a shrug as she shifts in her seat, “So, how did you two meet?” 

You take a deep breath as you lean to rest your elbows on the table, “Well, I’m a writer for Rolling Stone magazine—” Robin gasps, grabbing your attention, “No shit? Nancy’s a journalist too— ow!” She turns to look at Nancy with a disgruntled look as she rubs her thigh, “Would you stop bullying me?” She frowns.

Before either of them can get far into bickering, Eddie and Steve come waltzing back to the table with drinks in their hands. Eddie snags a seat beside you and passes a drink to you; you smile as you gratefully take the glass and softly thank him. Steve plops down next to Robin, sliding her and Nancy their drinks as he says, “Alright, I hope everyone has their songs picked out because I plan on battling each and every one of you.”

Although the weather outside is on the more chilly side of summer days, you find your body warm with liquor and laughter as you, Nancy, and Eddie watch a tipsy pair of Steve and Robin sing a surprisingly good rendition of Huey Lewis’ Heart and Soul. You’ve shrugged off your sweater and tossed it over the back of your chair— and you’re thankful to have thrown on a tank top underneath because, most of the time, you hardly bother to wear anything beneath sweaters.

It’s their fourth song of the night, Eddie and Nancy have both gone up at least once, but you’ve been on the observant side mostly, enjoying the ongoing conversations you’ve had with Nancy. There’s a bowl of chips and salsa in the middle of the table, and Eddie’s arm is draped across the back of your chair, heat pouring from him and seeping all around to wrap you up in an Eddie-scented bubble— it’s nicer than you’d care or like to admit.

Nancy has turned around to watch and cheer on the performance; she’s become more animated and loose after a few drinks, and you laugh as Robin practically serenades her from the stage. You lean back in your chair, softly giggling as you slightly lean into Eddie, “So,” you grab your drink and glance at the boy on your side, “What’s the dynamic here?” You ask with a jut of your chin towards his friends.

Eddie hums, leaning further into his chair, and in turn, pressing himself closer to you. His breath is warm against your ear and cheek, curly strands brushing against your skin as he speaks, “So basically,” He dramatically sighs, and you smile at his dramatics as he gestures between his friends, “Nancy and Steve are exes from high school and Robin and Steve are best friends.” You nod, gaze darting between the friends as you connect the dots. “But,” He raises a finger over his glass, “Robin and Nancy are dating now.” Your eyebrows raise at the full circle of events, but you nod as your suspicions are finally confirmed. 

Eddie leans closer, voice dropping to a lower volume, “But at this rate, it’s safe to say Nancy’s playing third wheel for Steve and Rob since they practically share one brain cell.” You tilt your head, “Okay, I see it now.”

Nancy glances over her shoulder to glare at you and Eddie from her seat, “I heard that, assholes… you’re not wrong.” She grumbles. You and Eddie laugh as she turns back to face you both now that Steve and Robin are hopping off the stage.

“Steve’s actually seeing a girl now; she’s in nursing school.” Nancy pipes up, grabs a chip, and pops it into her mouth. Eddie leans forward at that, keeping his arm on your chair as he uses the other to grab a chip for himself,  “Nursing school?”

Nancy nods as she sips her drink, “He goes down to see her like every other weekend. And they run our phone bill up like hell.” 

Robin plops down into her seat, “What are we talking about? Steve’s hot nurse babe?” She asks, humming when Nancy nods. Robin scoffs as she turns to Eddie, “Can you believe they’ve been dating for, like, four months, and we have yet to even see a picture of her? They see each other every week!”

Eddie snorts, “Then who’s he talking to on the phone?” Robin shrugs, “Who knows at this point.”

Steve returns as if on cue, sitting down with a sigh as he glances at the table, “What’d I miss?”

“Nothing, just talking about your imaginary girlfriend.” Robin teases.

Steve groans, eyes rolling before glaring at his giggling friends— your cheeks hurt from smiling. “She’s real, okay? She’s real, and her name is Cassie, and the only reason you haven’t met her yet is because she’s literally in nursing school— she has a busy schedule!”

And although you wish Eddie and you had been able to finish your discussion without the abrupt interruption, you find yourself growing fond of this shade of Eddie— sure, you’ve seen him having fun and being unapologetically himself with Gareth and Jeff and even on stage, but this side of Eddie is softer— kinder, brighter— homey. 

You realize as you watch him singing his heart out to some mainstream pop song that Steve somehow talked him into doing. You’re more surprised that Eddie knows the lyrics, but you’re too tipsy to dwell on it because Nancy’s scooting onto the chair beside you and asking what song you two should sing because, “We have to outsing them, obviously.”

And, well, you hardly have the time to stop your lips before you lean in and tell her the song you’d like to sing. Nancy snickers, giggling at the obvious undertone of the chosen song, and she eagerly agrees because “He’s gonna shit his pants.”

You go back and forth on who will take which role— who will sing Tom Petty’s key, and who will sing Stevie Nicks's key— but then you eventually land on just singing together for the entirety of the song. When the boys finish their song, Nancy drags you up to the DJ to request the song and magically persuades him to let you skip the queue of people to go next. She’s a good flirt, that’s indisputable.

You should probably thank Nancy at some point for agreeing to this song regardless of how little information she has about your situationship with Eddie, but before you even get the chance to, you and Nancy are already singing the first line of the song— Baby, you'll come knocking on my front door. Same old line you used to use before— and well, Eddie’s head has never turned his head faster, but you avoid his gaze for as long as you can.

And you’re doing good; you’re doing so good, and then you get to the second chorus and lock eyes with Eddie as you sing along to the track with Nancy— Baby, you could never look me in the eye. Yeah, you buckle with the weight of the world. Stop draggin' my, stop draggin' my, stop draggin' my heart around— and, well… you think you made your point clear.

You and Nancy have a blast singing to Nicks and Petty, and when the song ends, the bar claps and cheers as they do after every performance, and you’re all smiles as you waltz back to the table, sitting next to the fidgeting boy you’d just indirectly serenaded. Steve and Robin are telling you and Nancy how well you did and teasing each other over specific parts of the performance, and they’re all so caught up in one another that they hardly notice as Eddie leans into your space, voice low and gravely as he speaks, “That was cruel, princess.”

You look at him, eyes falling to the ghost of a smirk that dances across his lips before you reach forward to grab your drink, wrapping your lips around the thin, black straw, maintaining eye contact as you shrug, “Did you get the hint?” You tease.

Eddie huffs around a laugh, shifting in his seat, left arm back to barricading the back of your chair, and you don’t fail to notice the tent in the crotch of his jeans. He rolls his tongue over his teeth, snickering when you raise an eyebrow, “Yeah… Yeah, I got the hint.” He nods, and you think you might see a pink tint dusting across his cheeks.

You smile, liquor making you bold as you blink up at him, “Good.”

It’s a long trip to the hotel with a pair of drunk best friends.

They ramble a lot— Steve and Robin— you come to find out, and Nancy and Eddie have become experts at handling them with ease. You realize this as you watch them get their friends tucked into bed. Nancy is tipsy, but Eddie informed you that she has a weird thing with tequila where she becomes highly functioning, so she’s moving about the room with grace and precision.

When the drunk pair is finally tucked into bed, Nancy walks you and Eddie to the door of the hotel room, thanking you for taking the time to make sure they got in safe. “I would say see you at breakfast, but I doubt these two will have crawled from the grave by then.” Nancy gestures back to Robin and Steve. 

You don’t blame them; they’re basically on holiday, and you would do the same.

Your and Eddie’s rooms are on a different floor, and it’s a long ride up to the top, especially with the burning desire for one of you to say something— what, you’re not sure.

“I like your friends.”

That was you talking, you realize when Eddie turns to you with a smirk, “Yeah? They didn’t scare you off with their incessant shithead behavior?” He jokingly questions. You hum with a laugh, “I’ve dealt with worse.” You tease.

Eddie walks you to your room, his intoxicating smell and presence hovering around you as you unlock the door before stepping in. You turn around, hand resting on the edge of the door as you look at the curly-haired boy, “Good night, Eddie.”

Eddie hums, leaning against the door frame, eyes flickering to the twist of your mouth before reaching your eyes again, “Not gonna finish our conversation?”

You scoff, rolling your eyes, “I hardly believe you’d be doing much talking if I let you in right now.” And you don’t think you’re ready to travel down that path again. Not so soon when you have the events of tonight to digest, not to mention the gift sitting in your bag.

Eddie shrugs with a small smirk, “I can multitask.”

His gentle smile is beautiful. Alluring and unique, and his eyes are taking you with such an intensity that you think you might melt if you stay a minute longer. “I didn’t choose that song for the hell of it, you know?” You ask. “Stevie’s got a mean fucking range. Lord knows if I’ll be covering her again.” You grumble. And really, how high can the woman go with her rasp?

Eddie laughs, turning his head and glancing at the empty hallway before looking back to you, “Yeah, I know,” He softly replies.

You nod and he takes a deep breath, nodding towards your bag slung over your shoulder, “Listen to the tape.” He reminds you.

You tilt your head, clenching the strap of your bag before speaking, “Are you under the impression that this would make up for everything?” You ask.

And you don’t mean for it to sound harsh or hurt his feelings, but you have to let him know that if that’s what he’s hoping, then he’s wrong. This doesn’t fix everything. This doesn’t fix the confused feelings and the harsh words. It’s a start, but it’s not a finish as well.

And although Eddie’s expression falters, he shakes his head, “No. But I still want you to listen.”

You nod quietly, gazing at each other and wishing you could start on a different foot. You clear your throat, straighten your stance, and step back. “Good night, Eddie.” You softly say.

By the time you finish showering and getting ready for bed, the only thing running on your mind is the pending need to sleep. The maids had changed out the seats so they’re not doused with the ghost of Eddie’s cologne and shampoo— but you don’t go long with Eddie out of your mind because there’s a hard object that pokes into your arm when you settle into the bed.

You groan, twisting your arm around your frame to dig out the small object from below you, and when your fingers wrap around the plastic case, you immediately remember the task you’d had for tonight— listen to the tape.

The sleep that weighed down on your body is suddenly gone as you sit up to grab your walkman and headphones before settling back into the comfy sheets.

You try your best to ignore the swirling feeling of nerves and excitement in your gut as you put on your headphones and slip the tape in, but you find yourself nipping at the skin of your nails as the tape winds either way.

It’s silent for a moment, the sound of shuffling and the soft thud of what you think might be someone setting a glass down. There’s a clearing of a throat— it’s Eddie, you can tell— and your stomach twists in anticipation at the first ring of a piano chord. 

The beginning chords are soft and slow, gentle enough to lull you to sleep if you sink into it, and the recording is so vivid that you can hear the dull thud of each key beneath the press of his fingers.

Your heart races when Eddie’s voice seeps into the melody. It’s a ballad, something Corroded Coffin doesn’t have much of, and you wonder why because the softness of Eddie’s voice is arguably one of the most heavenly sounds to have ever touched your ears.

I'm feeling a way, off some kinda drug

Maybe it's lust, maybe it's love

I know I said I'd straighten out a week ago

I'm fiending though, 'bout to reach my peak, you know

The city's got me falling now

It’s… fuck, it’s fucking good, and you haven’t even gotten to the chorus, but god, your heart skips a beat at the following line because it’s a direct callout to you.

I'm fading away, I'm losing my head

I know you said leave, but fuck what you said

As much as you wish you could say you hate it… you don’t.

Even though the song is about you and your twisted relationship with Eddie— which definitely aids to your feelings towards the track— it’s genuinely a good song. Which, okay, is slightly annoying, but you can’t find it in yourself to care as the song carries on.

The future's never looked so bright, it's blinding me

It's hard to see, I'm swimming through dopamine

Your body looks like heaven and

I wanna give up, I just wanna leave

I'm floating away, I'm caught in the breeze

The outro of the song comes and slows down, a softer sound than before filling your ears, and shit— you’re at the edge of your seat now because Eddie is singing so gently, and it has your mind swirling. 

I can't believe this is happening

What did I do? What did she do to me?

…

Mending my brain again

Please don't give up on me

This hurts tremendously

How will this end for me?

When the song dies off, you can hear shuffling again before the track ends, and you’re left with spinning thoughts as you take your headphones off and let the silent and dark room envelope you.

You have to take a moment, yanking the string of the bedside lamp to light up the room so you can see your thoughts more clearly because— how do you feel? You’re not sure, honestly, and the thud of your heart beating in your chest only clouds your judgment even more because— isn’t this what you asked for? For Eddie to be open and honest with you, to tell you his true feelings and where he’s at when it comes to you. And is it enough?

Would it ever be enough for Eddie to give you one simple, stripped-down track to allow him the chance to mend what he’d ruined? 

Your heart wants it to be enough, but realistically, it’s not. Eddie has only just begun his journey to forgiveness, and you have to remind yourself that it’s not wrong to be hesitant to let him in, neither is it bad for you to want him as badly as you do. You’re both learning, and you’re both trying to fix the damage that’s been done, and it might take time, but if you both want it— if Eddie really wants you— then the time and work it takes to fix things won’t be a bother.

You listen to the song two more times, maybe more than twice, and you let the words sink into your bones until you practically have it engraved into your mind, lulling yourself to sleep with the haunting echo of Eddie’s voice and words bouncing in the walls of your skull.

And in your dreams, you meet Eddie, and for the split second you have with him there, everything is perfect— and by the time you wake up, the ticking time bomb to make your choice is now louder than it’s ever been before.

————

part eleven

————

a/n: OMG HIII, you made it to the end again !!! i would just like to specify that the song eddie has written and sang for birdie in this chappy (23 x chase atlantic) is not entirely a nod towards their relationship! reader is not specifically 23 years old nor is she struggling with any type of substance abuse, the lines that were used in this chapter are the lines that actually adhere to them imo, OKAY I THINK U GET IT I'LL SHUT UP NOW.

also, this is not the last of the songs that eddie has written abt birdie btw🫣

i hope u enjoyed and i love love love reading any and all feedback as well as ur silly thots <3 AND AS ALWAYS, TY FOR READING, I LOVE U SO BIG MWAH <3

————

cutie lil taglist: @mastermindmiko @whataboutbibi @ryanmxrie @ihatepeanutss @tlclick73 @motherfckerrr @emxxblog @ye0nvibezzn @eddiesguitarskills @bibieddiesgf @chloe-6123 @micheledawn1975 @demxnicprxncess @emma77645 @sidthedollface2

@daddyhetfield @s-u-t @hereforshmut @mmunson86 @welcometohellsock @lma1986 @birdsinmywalls @animechick555 @sheneedsrocknroll92 @spideydreams00 @lorosette @prestinalove @sirensleepingsoundly @nabiiturner @catherinnn @mossiswriting

[lunajay33]

Enjoy the Silence🌪️Part.3

Summary: Things in your past has driven you to be silent but will someone be able to break that shell, will someone finally listen to you(might make this into a series!)

Part.2<-

•Masterlist•

After poring my heart out to Daryl, which was about a week ago, he’s been slowly helping me let go and move forward, he would stay with me some nights to help with the night mares or he’d hear me scream at night and come over from his room to settle me, comfort me

I woke up seeing him laid on the couch by my bed still deep in sleep, he was so handsome, I don’t know what it is about him but he was breath taking to look at, as I looked at him that tingly feeling in my chest happened, still not knowing what that was I decided to maybe talk to Michonne about it later when I got the chance

I decided to let Daryl sleep more knowing he barely ever got a full nights rest, I placed another blanket over him and went to get ready in the bathroom, then going upstairs seeing them eating breakfast as usual

“Morning y/n!” Rick said smiling

“Morning” I said quietly as I sat down and started nibbling in a piece of toast, over this week I’ve been able to open up more with the people in the house I felt safe here

“Where’s Daryl?”

“Still asleep, I woke him up again” I said as I felt my cheeks heat up

Everyone went back to eating when Daryl came up rubbing his eyes groaning as he sat next to me

“Why didn’ ya wake me?”

“I wanted you to sleep” I said smiling feeling that overwhelming joy just being around him

He squeezed my shoulder before he dug into his plate of food

“Well we gotta head out on our run soon so when your done Daryl meet me outside” Rick said as he got up and left outside after he kissed Michonne

Daryl finished, got his crossbow

“Be careful” I said and he returned it with a little smile before he left

“I’m gonna go out with Enid so I’ll see you guys later” Carl said leaving just me Michonne and Judith

“Sooo how’s things going with Daryl?” Michonne asked as soon as everyone was gone, with a wide smile

“Umm good, I was meaning to ask you something” I said picking at my nails feeling those nervous bubbles in my stomach

“What is it sweetie?” She asked as she bounced a giggling Judith

“When I’m with Daryl, I get this feeling in my chest, like my heart starts beating faster and my stomach feels weird, even thinking about him I feel it……..but I don’t know what it is, what does it mean?” I asked feeling stupid

“Oh honey, you like him”

“Ya I know that I like all of you”

“No this is different you wanna spend all your time with him, be his girlfriend, share private moments together, you love him y/n, like how I love Rick” I was shocked

Is this what love feels like cause if it is I never wanted it to go away, he made me feel so special, so important, he never made me feel like I was doing something wrong or that I was a burden he made me feel…….feel loved

“Love….i love him?” I felt like I was floating but I quickly came back down at the realization that he might not feel the same

“But what if he doesn’t love me? I’ve never had that before so why would he?”

She gave me a sad look but her eyes were happy

“I know Daryl, he’s hard to read but I can tell by the way he looks at you, the way he gets you things because it reminded him of you, take your chance and tell him because we never know what’s gonna happen tomorrow” she said getting up patting my shoulder before she went to get ready with Judith for the day

As I worked in the gardens all day I kept thinking about Daryl, how do I tell him I’m not the greatest with words obviously, or how I’m feeling but then again when I’m with him it’s easy to talk to him about things

Michonne is right though, I don’t know what going to happen and if something happened to him or me and I never got to tell him, I’d regret it so I’ve decided next time we’re alone I’m telling him what’s the worst that’ll happen he doesn’t love me? Then atleast I have a friend still…..hopefully

The sun was starting to set and usually they would be back by now maybe they just got more supplies this time, I went back home bringing back some fresh tomato’s for Rick like he asked and placed them in the fridge, Michonne poured me a glass of wine and we sat on the couch waiting for them

“It’s been a while do you like they’re okay” I asked biting on my lip

“It’s Daryl and Rick I’m sure they just had to stay some where but I’m sure they’re fine, probably will be back by morning” she said as she took a sip of her wine

“So how are things with Rick?” I asked trying to make the subject not as gloomy

“Good, great even, I was able to calm him down a bit but I kinda like his crazy side, specially in bed” she said making me choke on the wine as my cheeks turned red

I never really talked or even thought much about that kinda stuff atleast I tried not to so I wasn’t sure even how to respond

“Sorry, do you not think of that stuff about Daryl? Nothing about him turns you all gooey” Of course I saw him as beyond handsome with his strong arms and the way he turned golden in the sun, or the way his voice would get deep in the morning made me feel a certain way but I didn’t know that was a turn on thing

“I mean I guess thinking about it everything about him makes me tingle and my head all fuzzy”

“Y/n you think he’s hot, that’s what being attracted to someone is”

“I’m learning so much I feel so far behind” I said embarrassed

“Don’t push yourself if this is all new take it at your own pace”

After we finished drinking and eating we said our goodnights and went to bed, I laid up thinking about Daryl missing his presence on the couch, I decided to sleep on the couch and when I laid down his smell was there making me feel comforted

I woke up early from another nightmare and without Daryl I couldn’t go back to sleep so I walked out the front door and sat on the porch steps enjoying to cool morning breeze as the sky was bright orange and pink from the sunrise that’s when I heard the rumbling of a car pull up in front of the house and out came Rick and Daryl

Before I could even think I got up and ran into his arms holding him tight as I felt his arms wrap around my waist

“I was so worried are you okay?” I asked as I pulled back to look at him, he was a little dirty but that was normal other than that he seemed fine

“ ‘m okay, got blocked by walkers couldn’ risk it” he said squeezing my hips

“I have to talk to you……alone” I said as I saw Rick watching us smiling

“I’ll just go seeing Michonne and the kids” he said as he threw a bag over his shoulder and going inside after he patted Daryl shoulder

“So what goin on?” Daryl asked as we sat on the porch steps

“I was talking to Michonne…….i needed to ask her what this feeling was when I’m around you and she told me I should tell you because this world is never guaranteed so I’m just gonna say it and if you don’t feel the same it’s okay so here goes…….Daryl I love you, a lot” his eyed became squinted and he didn’t say anything making these nerves even worse

Before he said anything Carol came walking up the sidewalk interrupting us

“Hey Daryl you’re back how was it?” She asked, I was so embarrassed I wanted to shut myself off again so I got up and went inside leaving them alone to chat, Rick and Michonne were standing there smiling which only made the tears build up more as I ran downstairs to my room closing the door

I knew it, this was a mistake

Taglist: @deansapplepie @in-this-minute @pollito-chicken

Part.4

[satoshi-mochida]

Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster Collection - wide retail release for PS4, Switch launches October 8 in the west - Gematsu

Square Enix will release Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster Collection—which includes the Pixel Remaster versions of Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy V, and Final Fantasy VI—as a wide retail release for PlayStation 4 and Switch on October 8 in North America and Europe, the company announced. It will be available via Square Enix Store and retailers for $74.99.

Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster Collection was previously a limited-only release in the west, selling out almost immediately following its announcement.

Here is an overview of the collection, via Square Enix:

What is the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Series?

The first six Final Fantasy games have been updated with beautiful new 2D pixel graphics designed to look great on high-definition displays, rearranged soundtracks overseen by original composer Nobuo Uematsu and improved gameplay features, including modernized user interface, auto-battle options and more. The games are available on PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam now digitally, either separately or as a collection comprising Final Fantasy I to VI. As mentioned, a new physical edition has also been announced: the Final Fantasy I-VI Collection Anniversary Edition! It’s coming to PlayStation 4 and Switch October 8, 2024, and includes a sticker sheet featuring some familiar Final Fantasy figures!

What features are included in the games?

The pixel remaster versions of these classic games have some awesome features that make them even more enjoyable to play than before. These include the option to:

Change Soundtracks – The Pixel Remaster series features utterly superb new orchestral arrangements of Final Fantasy I to VI‘s soundtracks. However, we know some of you may want to recreate the original experience of playing these games, so you’ll be able to switch between the original and rearranged soundtracks.

Change Fonts – The console release of Final Fantasy I to VI gives you the option to switch between two different fonts: the default font and a new pixel-based font that recreates the feel of the original games.

Turn Off Random Encounters – Sometimes you just want to explore in peace, so a feature in the Pixel Remaster games lets you turn off random encounters completely. This means you can roam the world without being harassed by monsters. That also means you won’t get stronger, so be careful how you use it…

Adjust Experience – Speaking of getting stronger, want to speed things up a little? Boost features let you adjust the experience gained by up to four times. Perfect if you want an easier run through the games.

Auto-Battle – With a press of a button, you can make characters automatically perform their last action. It makes battles fly by!

View Extras – Get a closer look at the many monsters you’ll face in the bestiary, marvel at the beautiful illustrations in a gallery, and enjoy the incredible soundtracks in a music player.

All these features are, of course, optional, but they mean that players of all types—from those who played the originals to those who have never played a classic Final Fantasy game before—can have a great time with these six awesome adventures.

What games are part of Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series?

For those who haven’t experienced these incredible games on PC and mobile, the FINAL FANTASY Pixel Remaster series comprises Final Fantasy I through Final Fantasy VI, giving fans a chance to relive some of the most beloved RPGs of all time in a way that perfectly captures the spirit of those original games. But if anything, we’re even more excited for new fans who’ll get to experience them for the very first time. These games are true masterpieces, and the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series offers the best way to play them yet!

Let’s take a closer look at the games in the series.

Final Fantasy – This is the ironically named game that started it all. You take control of the Warriors of Light, off on a journey to defeat four fiends and restore peace to the world. So many of the elements of the series that we’ve come to know and love make their debut right here in this very first entry: a massive world full of mystery, some iconic monster designs and that incredible music.

Final Fantasy II – The second game in the series introduces a new world, new characters and something that would become a trademark of the series: innovation. The story focuses on the conflict between the hostile Empire of Palamecia and the rebel resistance. A small group of heroes is all that stands between the world and ruin. Final Fantasy II demonstrates the developers’ willingness to push their boundaries and try new things. For example, rather than sticking to the predictable, the game features a proficiency system in which characters skill with weapons and abilities increase the more they used them. Fun fact: this is the Final Fantasy game that introduced the world to chocobos! Now that’s a legacy.

Final Fantasy III – When darkness falls and the land is robbed of light, four young heroes are chosen by the crystals to head off an exciting journey across a vast and hostile land. This critically-acclaimed entry in the series innovated with a flexible job system, which lets characters change their roles in combat at any time. Many of the most famous elements of Final Fantasy started here too—for example, it was the first to introduce summons, including series mainstays Bahamut and Shiva!

Final Fantasy IV – Final Fantasy IV delivers one of the richest and most powerful stories in the series. It’s filled with characters and scenarios that fans continue to love to this day. It focuses on the dark knight Cecil, who finds himself stripped of his position and rank when he questions his king’s increasingly troubling orders. When he’s sent on a simple delivery mission with his friend Kain, the shocking events that follow send him and a group of allies on an incredible journey of betrayal, love and redemption. This is the first game to feature the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, which combines turn-based and real-time elements to create fast-paced and strategic combat.

Final Fantasy V – The world of Final Fantasy V is on the verge of destruction because the elemental crystals that bring life and prosperity to the lands have lost their power. The only hope lies in four heroes: Bartz, Princess Lenna of Castle Tycoon, pirate Faris and the mysterious Galuf. Driven together by fate, they set off on a quest that to save the planet itself. As well as refining the ATB system, Final Fantasy V expands your strategic options massively through a greatly expanded job system, which let you customize your characters with 22 different jobs.

Final Fantasy VI – Final Fantasy VI is a game that’s beloved by fans and critics alike. That’s partly thanks to its incredible setting and story. It’s set in a land where magic has disappeared, and humanity has instead turned to iron, gunpowder, steam and other technology. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that magic is mostly gone – a young woman enslaved by the evil Empire still has the power. When she encounters a powerful ancient being called an Esper, she sets off a chain of events that will have epic and terrible consequences.

[alexmeeksmartin]

red right hand

pairing: (kinda) ghostface ethan landry x gn reader, slight chad meeks-martin x gn reader

synopsis: the one where an oblivious y/n receives a call from ghostface. of course, chaos, fighting, and bloodshed ensues.

a/n: this one is obviously very inspired by casey becker, cici cooper, and tara carpenter’s various phone call sequences with ghostface throughout the franchise. does involve a good bit of violence and also the reader kinda being an idiot !

wc: 2.2k

it’s late and you’re in your new york city apartment, getting ready for a chill night in while your roommate, anika, is at her girlfriend, mindy’s apartment for date night. you had tried to make plans with your friend, ethan, but to nobody’s surprise he was spending the night studying. chad, like ethan, was also busy but instead with football practice, but he said he’d call you later. tara and sam were making dinner just the two of them. so, there you were, left all on your own, and bored out of your mind.

you’re about to settle onto the sofa for the night, thinking you could probably fit in a movie before chad calls, when the landline rings in the kitchen. you contemplate answering it, finding it odd that someone would be calling at this hour, but curiosity bests your doubts and you pick it up anyway.

“hello, y/n speaking.” you answer with a neutral tone.

“hello.” a raspy voice whispers back from the other end of the line. sounds kinda sexy, you think to yourself.

“who is this?” you ask.

“who’s this?” the voice repeats back to you.

“you called me.” you say with a slight laugh.

“i suppose so. what are you doing currently?” the voice questions, still at a whisper. you debate on whether or not to answer, but think to yourself that you’ve got nothing else to entertain you. could it hurt? no.

“i was just about to watch a movie. you?”

“me too. i was about to watch a scary movie. do you like scary movies?” the voice asks.

“yes, i do! in fact, i was about to do the same. it’s like we’re all synced up.” you laugh.

“what’s your favourite scary movie?”

“well, certainly not stab. the first few were good, but the series went to shit after stab 4. i quite like the halloween franchise. big fan of the strangers as well. how about you, mystery man?” you answer, an inquisitive tone in your voice.

“more of a friday the 13th man, myself. although, i do quite enjoy the stab movies. i guess they hit close to home.” he responds.

“oh, are you from woodsboro? that’s cool, i’ve got a couple of friends from there.”

“not woodsboro, but near enough. what scary movie are you about to watch?”

“i was thinking a classic. maybe texas chainsaw massacre or the original halloween. something along those lines.” you explain.

“laurie strode always made a great final girl, it’s a shame her friends had to die first.” something was starting to feel off, but you couldn’t put your finger on it just yet. so, like any stupid person would, you stayed on the phone. “what about you? do you think you can make it to the finale, or are you a victim of the villain? a traumatised hero or a body in the third act bloodbath?”

“i think i’m survivor material. i’ve got enough brains on me, i feel. either that or i’d be the iconic killer.” you laugh.

“hmm, interesting. i pinned you more as the cici cooper type.”

“cici cooper?”

“stab 2. she answers the phone while home alone, only to become a victim of ghostface.”

you let out a light laugh, starting to feel slightly uncomfortable.

“only joking, of course. i think you’ve got the guts and bravado to be a leading character, a nancy thompson, sally hardesty. maybe even a sidney prescott.”

“aw, are you flirting with me, mystery man?” you tease.

“maybe, maybe not. would you like it if i was flirting with you?”

“i mean, i don’t think i’d mind. if your looks match up with the appeal of your voice then i’d be more than interested.” you say boldly, the confidence of not being face-to-face egging you on.

the voice chuckles. “so, you’re a fan of my voice?”

“yeah. got a sexy aura to it, totally my thing.” you continue, playing with a knife from your block while standing in the kitchen.

“do you happen to be in a relationship?”

you debate how to respond. you weren’t, but you’d also be lying if you didn’t acknowledge that you and chad had some sort of thing going. but you guys weren’t officially together, and probably wouldn’t ever be. again, could it really hurt?

“nope. never too late to change that, though.”

“sounds interesting. maybe we should plan a date.” the voice replies.

“ooh, that’d be fun. i always wanted to do blind dating.” you say, a smirk crawling across your face.

“what about tonight?”

“bit late, is it not? it’s like, 9:30.”

“well, you look stunning tonight, though i’d maybe have worn some more red. thought i might as well ask.”

“oh, thank you-“ you cut yourself off, having processed what was just said to you. “wait, how do you know what i’m wearing?”

“what was your name again?” the voice asks you.

“why?” you ask, fear starting to creep into your voice.

“i wanna know who’s apartment i’m in.”

you feel your skin crawl and a cold shiver shoot up your spine as soon as those words enter your ear.

“that’s not fucking funny. i’m hanging up now-“ you say, your voice trembling with fright at this stage.

“hang up and i’ll carve you like a fucking pumpkin!” the voice says, still in a whisper-like yell.

“good one, with halloween coming up and all. screw you.” you say, feigning confidence.

“nice comeback, y/n. maybe i’ll spare you and wait for anika to come home, and gut her in the middle of your living room. maybe i’ll find chad on his way home from practice and make a spectacle of him on the football field.” you pull out your phone and start messaging your group chat with tara, chad, ethan, mindy, and anika, warning them that someone is making threats. “maybe i’ll make a surprise appearance for tara and sam. or maybe i’ll crash ethan’s night in.”

“if you hurt them i’ll-“

“you’ll what, y/n? hurt me? punish me? kill me? you won’t do any of that, because you’re in my scary movie now, y/n.”

“you’re a fucking psycho. i don’t know if this is some sick fucking joke of yours, but either way you are disgusting.”

“the only disgusting thing tonight will be when anika returns home to find your intestines spilled across the floor and your blood splattered on the walls, y/n.”

“fuck you!” you yell through the phone at this lunatic.

“no, fuck you, y/n! it’s people like you who deserve to die. ready to whore yourself out to some stranger on a whim all because you were bored on a night in.”

“you piece of shit. go fuck yourself.” you say before finally hanging up. that was it, you were leaving. whether it was some stupid fucker joking around or an actual murderer, you weren’t going to stick around and find out. you stormed into the kitchen and grabbed a knife before making your way to the front door.

as soon as you turn the corner to the hallway, you see a shadowy figure standing there. you let out a gasp, notifying the figure of your presence. he turns around, showing you his ghostface mask, and you let out a scream. he tilts his head at you.

you’re frozen with fear until your instincts kick in. you hold up your knife, “stay the fuck back!”

“come on, y/n. i thought we were going on a date.” ghostface says, beginning to eerily step towards you.

“i’m serious! i will use this fucking knife!” you yell at the masked intruder.

“why don’t you put the knife down and come give me a kiss.”

he charges at you and before you can use your knife, he grabs your wrist and stabs you in the shoulder. you let out a blood-curdling screech before using your other arm to punch him across the face.

you start to run, but ghostface isn’t far behind at all. he stalks you, knife in hand. he lunges at you, but you duck out of the way and go behind the dinner table. you were truly fucked now, stuck between the table and the wall.

“i knew you would look good with a little more red.” ghostface says as you look on, petrified.

“fuck you.” you respond.

you make a run for the side of the table, but ghostface makes it before you do and slashes you across your arm. you retreat back behind the table, but now use all of your remaining strength to shove the table into ghostface, knocking him to the floor. you take your chance and sprint to the bathroom, locking yourself in.

you lean against the door, sliding down it until you reach the floor, letting out sobs of agony and fear. you were losing blood. a lot of it. what once was a white t-shirt was now almost all stained is a deep red, and your arm was covered in streaks of blood too. how long had he been in your apartment? had he been watching you all night? you frantically send messages to your friends, knowing that mindy’s place and where chad was doing practice are only five minutes away from you and anika’s place. just as your plead for help is delivered to your friends, your phone rings.

unknown number.

you pick up.

“leave me alone!” you desperately scream into your phone. you were an innocent. you’re not from woodsboro, you just happen to be friends with some people who are.

“not just yet, y/n. our date night isn’t quite finished.” ghostface replies.

“why are you doing this?!”

“your woodsboro friends deserve punishment.”

“i didn’t do anything! leave me out of whatever sick vendetta you have, you motherfucker!”

that’s when your neighbour knocked on your door.

“hey, i heard screaming, everything alright in there?” you hear his voice, muffled through the walls, shouting out for you.

“maybe i’ll send my message through him instead.” ghostface threatens.

“no, no, don’t hurt him! you don’t need to hurt him!” you plead with the killer, not wanting any more blood to be spilled.

“too late. i’ve already made my mind up.”

you quickly unlock the bathroom door and sprint out, reaching the hallway to your front door. ghostface opens it and drags your neighbour inside, slamming the door behind him.

ghostface covers your neighbour’s mouth before slitting his throat and throwing him the floor.

you let out a mixture of a sob and a scream before ghostface runs at you, tackling you into the armchair behind you and sending you both to the hardwood floor.

you get to your feet as quick as possible, but so does ghostface. he grabs you and then chucks you onto your glass coffee table, making you crash into it. you lay in the shattered and jagged glass around you as ghostface looms over you. ghostface stabs you in your calf, but your instinct comes in as you utilise your other leg to kick his arm away and then send another boot to his stomach.

you haphazardly pull yourself to your feet and pick up a vase, chucking it at ghostface before standing in front of your dining table. the vase seems to barely do anything, and ghostface just sprints up to your couch and uses it as a launch point to jump on you.

however, at the last possible moment, you throw yourself to the ground, allowing ghostface to smash through the table. ghostface lie: there lifeless down the middle of the split wooden table, and you know the best thing to do now is run.

the adrenaline is starting to wear off as you once more drag yourself to your feet, in constant agony from the pain induced by the stab wounds in your leg, shoulder, arm, and all the shards of glass stuck in your back. you stumble down the hallway, but trip over your neighbours body. again, you struggle to get back up. but you do so, feeling your calf sear with pain, pushing through it and getting to the door. you unlock it, and take a step outside, seeing anika, mindy, and chad turning at the end of your hall, relief filling you. your nightmare was over.

but suddenly you’re dragged back into the apartment.

the door is locked again.

and you’re being pinned against the wall.

you shriek as the knife enters your stomach, trying to shove ghostface off, but he slams you against the wall again and then chucks you to the floor. you hear your friends slamming against your door, and frantic shouting between them about anika finding her keys.

all this while ghostface gets on top of you, and begins stabbing again. brutal stabs to your midsection, the only noise your mind can focus on being the knife entering and exiting you and the squelch of blood. you let out ferocious and terrifying screeches, but to no avail.

then it all stops. you can’t feel anymore of the pain as ghostface stands and wipes the blood from his knife, giving himself a red right hand before he makes a beeline for the window, heading out the fire escape.

the door crashes down, and your friends rush straight to you. you can see their worried facial expressions and hear their rushed words, but none of it is registering.

chad begins to carry you out as you feel the blood starting to reach your mouth, coughing it up. you think anika is on the phone to the 911, but you’re not sure. she’s in tears, screaming about needing help while mindy runs ahead. the last thing you see before it all goes black is chad’s face, hearing him trail off with reassurance, “it’s all gonna be fine, we’re gonna get you help. you’re fine, we’re fine…”

and then it’s over.

a/n: i really enjoyed writing this and i hope you enjoyed reading it too! thinking of maybe making a part two to this where the reader survives, but i also think it does well as a stand-alone where the reader dies. the violence was so much fun to write, i can’t wait to write ghostface again !

[batfam-rewrites]

Batfam During Quarantine: First Patrol (Remastered)

Batfam During Quarantine: First Patrol

Hey, quick heads up, this is a slightly reworked version of the second post I made for this series. My continuity on this series got really messed up for a bit and I have so many drafts that I still yet to publish so I'm going through all of my old stuff to fix the chronology of the stories and also put a bit more pressure on me to finish this series. Please keep in mind that my writing skills kinda improve throughout the series, so this is not my best but just somewhat reworked, and there is a good chance this will be reworked again in the future.

Dick: Unfortunately there was a homicide down in crime ally a few hours ago...

Jason: Ooooooh! What are we talking about? Was he shot, strangled, mangled, stabbed?

Dick: He was cut open and the killer dug around in his organs. Only the lungs were missing.

Jason: So mangled, got it! I will give you $50 for the case!

Dick: It’s not a bid, I’m going to assign the

Damian: $100 for the case!

Stephanie: $125!

Duke: $200!

Jason: $210 and I won’t use any fire arms!

Dick: Interesting, who thinks they can top that?

Tim: $225 and I’ll give you my secret stash of Keurig coffee cups!

Cassandra: $250 and I’ll let you take my mini fridge!

Jason: $350 and I would exchange my lethal rounds for rubber bullets and I won’t cause property damage or kill anyone!

Dick: SOLD!

Cassandra: DAMMIT!!!

Dick: Okay, so cases will be assigned as normal with the exception of Jason’s. Now because we’re in the middle of a strict city wide lock down crime has reached a low meaning some of you will have shorter nights on patrol. Each sector has been divided between all of us so make sure to stay in your sector. There’s been a little bit of activity caused by Scarecrow in sector 1, Babs I’m putting you in charge of putting a stop to it. Kate you have 2. There isn’t much going on there but there has been a reports that bags of heroine and cocaine are being left against some windows. It could be nothing but just take a look to see if anything is going on. Tim and Steph you have 5....

Tim: Woah, I thought we weren’t partnering up!

Dick: You’ll partner up for an hour, but mostly on calm nights you and Steph will patrol for 3 hours by yourselves. You’ll get half of the shift and Steph will get the other half. Anyway, Selina you have 3. Cass, 4. Harper, 8. There’s not much going on in those sectors but just patrol for a little bit. Duke, last night there were some gun shots heard in sector 9, go investigate. Jason you’re in sector 6. Julia and Alfred, you’re going to be here updating us on anything that happens. And Damian you’re going with me in sector 7.

Damian: Because you don’t trust me!

Dick: No, because you’re Robin. It would be weird for Batman not to be with Robin while you’re in Gotham.

Damian: Oh, yeah that makes sense.

Dick: We’ll be dealing with Two-Face. There’s been chatter that he’s going to make a move on the Falcone crime family. I’ll take sanitation duty tonight. Keep your radios on and contact someone if you needs help. Now, move out!

Batgirl

Batgirl: *she flies over the civilians in sector 1 in the bat-jet and sprays an antidote for the fear toxin until noticing Scarecrow, then drops down beside him and kicks his side*

Scarecrow: *falls to the side* Ah! Batgirl! *he gets up and tries to run away*

Batgirl: Oh no you don't! *chases after Scarecrow*

Scarecrow: *turns a corner and hides along the side*

Batgirl: *turns the corner too and is immediately stabbed in the arm with a syringe, she is then standing in her apartment and hears a knock at her door* No, no, no, no, no! *she then moves forward towards the door and places her hands on the door knob*

Scarecrow: Oh yes Batgirl! Not even you, let alone Batman, could stand this new batch that I made specially for you lot. *moves closer to Batgirl and kicks her side*

Batgirl: *she opens the door and is shot in the stomach, then falls to her side, she sees the Joker standing in the door frame, staring at her limp body, as he begins to start kicking her* Ouch!

Scarecrow: *he keeps kicking Batgirl as she is lying on her side in the street*

Batgirl: NO!!! *she tries to fight the feeling of paralysis, she begins to bring her knees to her chest*

Scarecrow: *he kicks her again and this time Batgirl rolls to her knees with the last kick* Stop fighting Batgirl. There is no use in doing so! *he moves closer and winds up for another kick*

Batgirl: *she rolls backward and gets back to her knees and sees the Joker shoot the floor of her apartment but the recoil makes him stumble a little bit, which allows her enough time to stand back up and she squares up*

Scarecrow: I anticipated this much resistance, but I know that you are still seeing the boogeyman that lives in your head. *he walks closer to Batgirl*

Batgirl: Rent fucking free. *she throws her punch but the Joker dodges it*

Scarecrow: You're slow.

Batgirl: *kicks in the direction that the Joker was standing in but he dodges*

Scarecrow: Weak. *he begins to reach forward to inject Batgirl with more fear toxin*

Batgirl: *grabs Jokers arms as he tries to grab her, but he pushes her against a wall*

Scarecrow: Stop resisting, you can't fight me and the toxin at the same time.

Batgirl: *continues to try and push his arms away, then kicks up at his balls*

Scarecrow: Ah! *he hunches over only to get kneed in the face which causes him to fall back* Fucking Bat-bitch!

Batgirl: *she reaches for her utility belt and reaches for the antidote, and stabs it into the inside of her thigh and leans against the wall*

Scarecrow: *he gets up and lunges over*

Batgirl: *dodges Joker and kicks him again, she reaches for a sleeping agent*

Scarecrow: *stands back up*

Batgirl: *stabs Joker with the sleeping agent and continues to punch and kick him until Joker falls to the floor unconscious, she looks around and notices that her soundings have changed, she then sits down for a minute and collects her thoughts* Batgirl to Bat-cave.

Julia: Go ahead.

Batgirl: Scarecrow is down.

Julia: Copy, go ahead and tie him up then survey the area and continue to help spread the antidote.

Batgirl: Got it.

Red Hood

Red Hood: *looks at the the crime scene and finds a pair of bloody latex gloves from behind a trash bin* Penny-two.

Julia: Yes, Red Hood?

Red Hood: I’m going to stop by to run some finger prints and a blood sample. 

Julia: Alright, I’ll set it up.

Red Hood: *he rushes over to his motorcycle and rides off to the Bat-cave*

Batwoman

Batwoman: *spots a girl in a sky blue hoodie and a dude in a yellow hoodie, and drops down into the alley as they place drugs against the windows*

Girl and Dude: *turn and look at Batwoman* Run! *they begin to run*

Batwoman: *She kicks the boy into the wall, grabs the girl by the shit and pins her against the opposite wall* Why are you doing this?

Girl: You know exactly why! Not all of us could run around the city playing dress up, taking down criminals and claim to protect this city! Some of us need this just to get by!

Batwoman: Where’s your boss?

Girl: Don’t have one. We make it ourselves.

Batwoman: *she grabs her grappling hook and fires at the top of the of the building and reels her up, then lifts the girl over the edge* Where’s your boss?

Girl: I’m telling you, we don’t have one!!! Don’t drop me, please!!!!

Batwoman: Who's we?

Girl: Me and my boyfriend!!!

Batwoman: Leave, take your drugs! If I see you or your boyfriend again I won’t hesitate to drop you from a rooftop! *they lower down to the ally*

Girl: *grabs her boyfriend and they run*

Batwoman: *she reaches for her utility belt and places the card of a local rehab center in between the windows, then continues to patrol the area to make sure there is no more drug activity*

Red Hood and Julia

Julia: The blood definitively belongs to the victim.

Red Hood: Run the prints then.

Julia: Already done. They belong to a man named Doug McGrath. He’s a crook arrested several times for drug trafficking, drug possession, and suspected for robbery but was not convicted. He is also has 3 accounts on a HENCH.

Red Hood So this could be the work of one of Bruce’s rogues.

Julia: Indeed.

Red Hood: Can you send me his location?

Julia: I’ll get on that now. Done, his coordinates

Red Hood: Got it, if you could, hack into his HENCH account and see what offers he has recently received. *he begins walking back to his motorcycle*

Julia: It’s insulting that you even asked.

The Signal

Signal: *he drops to the street and walks around where the shooting occurred and notices the two bullet holes in the buildings, but witnesses have said they heard three. He walks down the ally and searches for anything but can’t find the bullet, but finds blood on a few trash bags. He opens the backs and looks inside and finds a pair of lungs and a few other organs*

Thug: Hey kid!

Signal: *turns and runs towards the thug, throwing a few punches*

Thug: *pulls out a gun and shoots far over Signal's shoulder*

Signal: Nice shot, I heard the Empire is hiring. *he sweeps the thugs legs from underneath him* Maybe you should get a job as a Stormtrooper. *he throws a few more punches knocking the thug out. then examines the body and notices on his phone that there was a notification from HENCH*

Red Robin and Spoiler

Red Robin: I don’t get it! I could patrol the entire time and still help Bruce. It’s called never going to sleep.

Spoiler: You realize you're the only person I know that has ever made me worry about their health, right? Why can’t you be normal?

Red Robin: Ask my parents.

Spoiler: Dick.

Red Robin: No, I’m Tim. You’re getting your Robin’s mixed up.

Spoiler: HA!. Don’t you think you’re spending too much time with Nightwing if you’re making jokes like that?

Red Robin:  Eh, maybe.

Red Hood: Hey, Red Robin, I need you to patrol 6 for a bit. I’m following a lead. I got the okay from Batman.

Red Robin: Got it. *he then takes off, jumping from roof to roof off to the other side of the city*

Batman and Robin

Batman: Got it Red Hood. Robin, Red Hood is on his way.

Robin: I hate Red Hood!

Batman: You realize you’re quite a bit like him, right?

Robin: NO I’M......

Batman: SHHHH! We don’t want to attract too much attention.

Robin: I am nothing like Red Hood.

Batman: *looks out at the site and sees Bane and Two-Face then grabs Robin's head and turns it towards the direction of where the two are standing, then watch as a black SUV drives in and Carmine Falcone steps out*

Falcone: I see you brought your muscle. Where’s my drugs?

Two-Face: I have it where it should be. 

Falcone: I'm not playing games, Dent! Give me my drugs or there will be consequences.

Two-Face: Hit me with your best shot!

Batman: Signal, Spoiler, Red Robin I’m sending you the coordinates to our location. Somethings about to go down. Red Hood, where are you?

Red Hood: Not too far.

Batman: Everyone else stand by, in case this goes south.

Falcone: Release the beast.

Batman and Robin: *jump in between the few crooks and start throwing punches and kicks, when they hear a gun click from the behind them*

KGBeast: I've been waiting for a while to put down "The man who killed Batman" on my list. *aims right for Batman*

Robin: *turns and looks at KGBeast* You ASSHOLE!!!! *rushes towards KGBeast*

Batman: ROBIN! NO! 

Bane: *rushes towards Batman*

Batman: *attempts to evade Bane’s each strike, eventually diving towards Two-Face, knocking him down*

Bane: *punches towards the two*

Batman: *rolls out of the way, causing Bane to punch Two-Face in the head*

KGBeast: *fires towards Robin*

Robin: *dodges each bullet then jumps on KGBeast's back, he then reaches for a batarang and slashes at KGBeast's back*

KGBeast: *tries to get Damian off of his back*

Red Hood: *shows up and starts shooting at KGBeast*

Robin: *jumps off of KGBeast's back, throwing a few explosive batarangs at KGBeast's feet*

KGBeast: *flys back a few feet*

Robin: *rolls forward landing next to Red Hood* You could have shot me!

Red Hood: I would have enjoyed that! *lifts up his arm and shoots Falcone a few times*

Falcone: *falls to the floor*

Bane: *throws Batman into a wall*

Signal: *arrives and runs right for Bane* Red Hood, boost me!

Red Hood: *squats down and gets ready to launch Signal towards Bane*

Batman: *throws a few batarangs at Bane's face causing Bane to look away*

Signal: *throws an uppercut to Bane's face*

Batman: *runs up at Bane and punches him in the face*

Red Hood: *jumps on Bane's back and puts him in a choke hold, hanging from his neck*

Bane: *tries to swing Red Hood off but falls to the floor*

Dick: *huff* Anyone else feeling the aster? *huff*

Jason: AHG!!!! NO MORE WORDS FROM YOU!!

Dick: Come on.............

Jason: NO!

[peemanne]

Yakuza 3 Review: Shining "Black Sheep"

Hey, it's Pee again. I actually finished writing the first draft of this AND my Yakuza 4 review months ago on my notebook, but I didn't get around to transcribing it digitally until now. Ended up rewriting a lot more than I was expecting haha

Also I still need to finish my 0 review but I'm a little caught up on making my 6 review first, since I'm kind of just dying to talk about it. Anyways, here's Yakuza 3. It's so cool.

This review contains MAJOR SPOILERS.

Reviewed on April 10, 2024. Last completed on March 5, 2023

Completed on PC (Remastered)

Rating: 8/10 (4 Stars)

Yakuza 3’s become something of a black sheep within the community. It might be because of the jump from Kiwami 2 or the lack of a proper port of the original 2, but a part of the community seems to be so adamant about bashing 3, usually because of the combat, the story, or some mix of both. That being said, I’ve noticed that we’re kind of backtracking from that, as more and more people come to praise and appreciate 3, some even calling it one of the best. Personally, I do find myself liking Yakuza 3 quite a bit, though there are definitely a few missteps that hold it back from really sitting there with the other greats in RGG’s catalogue. 

I just want to get one thing immediately out of the way as I get into the game’s combat: “Blockuza” is an overblown exaggeration. Kiryu has a lot of tools to get past something like that. With that being said though, Yakuza 3’s early game combat can feel a little miserable at times, especially with some egregiously bad boss fights like Tamashiro 1 and Rikiya. Once you grab the Komaki abilities though, it all really starts to open up for the player. Wall bounding with Kiryu’s moveset is fun, counterattacks like the Komaki Parry and Tiger Drop feel especially beefy in this entry, and 3’s engine allows for some neat off-the-ground tech if you know what you’re doing. While I don’t think it’s quite as satisfying as its predecessor Yakuza 2, Yakuza 3’s hits still feel hefty and impactful, with the aforementioned counterattacks being the big winners here. The sound design in the combat is still really solid, and I believe is something that usually goes underappreciated during discussions of this game’s combat (and in general, really). I also just wanna bring up the weird messed-up faces that appear after you use heat actions on the generic street goons. It’s very funny just how absolutely horrible they look after a fight, and it’s even funnier that this carries over to 4. One aspect that I do feel is a little lacking though is Kiryu’s damage in this entry. It’s weirdly lacking? And it’s not like bosses take too long, that’s not really my problem, but it makes heat actions feel oddly weightless despite the good animation work. Getting everything right for a heat action only for it to barely dent the poor soul you’re beating the snot out of just doesn’t feel the same. For comparison, Y4’s Kiryu feels like he does way more damage with his heat actions, and I think they feel better there because of it, which is interesting when you remember Y4 Kiryu is almost identical to his depiction in 3. Yakuza 3’s combat overall is pretty solid save for the early game. It’s far from the strongest this series has seen, but Kiryu’s moveset feels strong and is just pretty fun to mess around with. Props to Richardson for being the only actually enjoyable gun boss fight in the series. With that being said, please keep Lau Ka Long away from me. 

Yakuza 3’s story arguably has Kiryu at his best. He finally gets to breathe in between constant Tojo feuds with some dad slice-of-life stuff at the orphanage, and all of it is just so, so cute. It’s a little slow, sure, and that might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I found myself so charmed by it all. My heart melts seeing Kiryu, who’s gone through so much, get to be happy with his little scamps. The characters really come through here, the stars of course being the Ryudo family. Rikiya’s the brightest one, a fun companion throughout who both contrasts and bounces off of Kiryu well. Then there’s Nakahara and Saki, a sweet encapsulation of the game’s themes of fatherhood. And there’s the kids themselves, all distinct and fun to simply watch run around with their Uncle Kaz. My favorite one is Taichi because he’s awesome. 

The rest of the plot though, I’m a little mixed on. There are some genuinely great stuff here: Mine’s an amazing antagonist despite his small amount of screentime, seeing the Tojo so broken down after Kiryu’s shenanigans in 1&2 was interesting (the Nishikiyama family having KANDA as its patriarch is my favorite example of this), Majima’s characterized shockingly well, this game marking the start of him being taken more seriously, and Joji’s honestly a cool ass character despite being an asspull and a half. Unfortunately, Yakuza 3 has a few egregious mistakes that impede it from being an all-timer story for this series. For one, 3 falls victim to a lot of early writing habits that this series eventually broke out of over time. A lot of characters unjustly die for no good reason, Mine and Kashiwagi being the biggest offenders. It also has the big ol’ “Kiryu forgets to disarm the bad guy and said bad guy kills a valued ally” schtick, and it’s as infuriating as ever. Then there’s the “giant exposition dump” chapter, with Yakuza 3 having by far the worst case of it ever with Chapter 9: The Plot, which is almost entirely dedicated to Kiryu and Date sitting down and listening to some politician explain what the hell is even going on. Despite all of this, Yakuza 3’s story is still very enjoyable, and I think it’s very much worth it to endure all of its little shortcomings to appreciate its amazing characters, both new and returning faces. 

Side content is decently well-rounded for the most part in Y3. It introduced the series to Karaoke, for which we are all eternally grateful, of course. I really like the hostess songs in this entry, and it’s a shame that most of them don’t return for later games. 3 also has the hitman missions, which is a cool side-activity throughout. Additionally I hate Yakuza 3’s golf and everything it stands for Yakuza 3’s substories consist of a lot of filler substories where not much really happens, but the ones that stand out REALLY stand out. You have a really unique substory that spans from Chapter 9 until the finale in Murder at Cafe Alps, you have some silly gag substories like Kiryu having to cross the street with 2 massive ice-cream cones. You have substories that flesh out characters from the main story, like the amazing Dotting the Eye with Rikiya, and the sweet Date’s Pride substory. You can also have Kiryu say “H e y ,  s w e e t c h e e k s” in English, if you so please. I love it! 1-4 all have substories that occasionally use full-on cutscenes, and you can tell how much care they put into them. Yeah, it still has that annoying thing from other early games where you can flat-out fail a substory and lock you out of them, but still. Quality selection of substories. 

Lastly, 3’s soundtrack. I’m absolutely a sucker for this series’ soundtrack, so I’m not even going to pretend that I’m not biased. Yakuza 3’s music bridges the gap between the roughness and raw power of the original Yakuza 1 & 2’s almost grungelike style with the cleaner compositions of the later games, and I think it works out pretty well! You have your badass tracks like FM-Sound’s Storm, Bruise, and Hear this in the game. You have your intense, climactic songs like the fan-favorite Fly, the beautiful Lyricism Without Tears (which, as a bonus, gets one of the coolest track names this series has ever been graced with), and the underrated End Point. I find Yakuza 3’s OST isn’t really talked about all that much outside of the justified praise of Fly, which is a real shame, because there are some real quality tracks on display here. 

Yakuza 3 stands as a very solid game in its own right, even with a few annoyances bogging it down. I don’t think it deserved all of the unending slander it seems to receive. I love my dad Kiryu, I love seeing him hang out with his kids, and, despite all the bad, I still love this game. Also, Albert Wesker’s in it, and I think that’s pretty funny.

[carnelianwings]

Finished Mobile Suit Gundam: the Witch from Mercury and oh my god that series finale. One of the best I’ve seen in a while, probably the only one where I feel satisfied by the ending for the main ship.

(Spoilers behind the cut, plus some rambling as a casual Gundam fan - mostly of Wing/SEED/00 for comparison)

First off - explicit confirmation that SuleMio got married during the time skip? Can’t believe Bamco really said “Finale airs close enough to the end of June, let’s not only have both of them survive, but we’ll have them get married.”

I know there’s some people who think it wasn’t overt enough but if you ask me, this is the sort of ending Gundam does for their main ships. Like yeah Kira/Flay got pretty explicit but she wasn’t the End Game girl for him, that was Lacus and Kira/Lacus is super chaste in comparison (and we’re not going to get into the potential Unfortunate Implications of that here). But even then, in the SEED Destiny remaster finale all we get is a Big Damn Hug for them. The most we ever got for Heero/Relena was the moment where Heero tells her he’ll take out the leaders of both the Earth and Space Colony factions to lay the world at Relena’s feet for her to lead into a new era of peace. (There’s a reason the BL ships are way more popular in Wing fic than the canonical one! 😂) And as for 00’s Setsuna? He merged with an alien consciousness and essentially gets Put On A Bus for 50 years and reunites with his Princess when she’s 81 and blind.

Which brings me to my next point - because the lead writer for G Witch worked on Valvrave (trigger warning for sexual assault if you want to watch Valvrave - it was a late night anime and it showed), I was worried they’d either kill off Miorine in the series finale or put Suletta in a coma (highly possible with how Gundam technology works in universe, plus all the warning signs around Calibarn) to keep things “nebulous” between them and give the writers an out for not having a F/F ship final couple. And it’s not like Gundam doesn’t have precedent for that either - see the Zeta Gundam finale and what happened with Kamille (not sure if that ending got changed with the movies).

But no, we get an “and they lived happily ever after, making their dreams a reality one step at a time” for both girls. I couldn’t believe my ears when Eri referred to herself as Miorine’s sister in law. I started crying when I saw the rings, not just because that was Suletta’s dream, but also the fact that it meant they got married, and that they’ve just been put on a level above most other (Straight) canonical Gundam ships. (Seriously I can’t name another canonical Gundam ship where the characters met, dated, and got married in the course of their own series.) It also meant all the times Miorine reached out to Prospera by saying they’ll be family wasn’t just lip service but had some very real weight behind it. That the Ship Tease moments were meant to be real romantic relationship development beyond the sort of “fake engagement” set up they had in the beginning. And somehow just by doing that it also means they had a much stronger and better fleshed out relationship than what I’m used to for on screen main Gundam ships.

So there you have it. My (not so) hot take on the G Witch finale.

Final rating: 🌈/10, thank you for not Fridging/Coma-ing either Suletta nor Miorine, would watch again, would definitely buy and play their Super Robot Taisen debut game (assuming I have a platform to play it on). Second season could’ve been better with an extra ep in there especially with all the rapid fire politics and side switching, but at the same time I feel like it might’ve slowed things down a bit much so I’m happy with what we got. Also, Super Robot Taisen debut when, Bamco?

[hardwon]

tag game: (9) people you'd like to get to know better

tagged by @hereticshadowhand

1. last song: Hold My Life by The Replacements! Specifically the 2023 remaster

2. currently watching: d20 burrow’s end. also the bridgerton premiere announcement on loop

3. three ships: kanej, perc’ahlia, and hardshine (shoutout to @hereticshadowhand and @matchaado for reminding me because it turns out I have no idea what ships I like even tho I never shut up about them) honorable mention goes to lizzy bennet and mr darcy

4. favourite colour: pink!!!!

5. currently consuming: momofuku sweet and spicy noodles with a fried egg and everything but the bagel seasoning on top. lazy girl meal of the gods

6. first ship: percabeth if we’re talking first thing I ever shipped, olicity if we’re talking first thing I ever like. consumed fandom stuff for

7. relationship status: i’m like cassandra for my friends’ shitty tinder dates. this is not an answer but also it is

8. last movie: saltburn!

9. currently working on: making mun @naaicha read the saint of steel series. mun if ur listening please read the saint of steel series. please. it’s got complex mole people society. grace has a pet civette. there’s even nuns

tagging @naaicha @can-a-robot-learn-to-love @knifegnome @safin @hamilbug

[ridley-was-a-cat]

What I Watched This Week – 12/3 – 12/9

Heavenly Delusion – I started watching this while it was airing, but put it on hold after the twist in episode three re-contextualized a scene from earlier in the show, and left me with the impression that the author was not going to handle the stuff I knew was coming later with the proper care. After pushing through to finish it, my feeling was absolutely proven true, and what a shame that was. The good stuff in this show is great. The post-apocalyptic setting is intriguing, it has a number of unique and fresh story ideas that shift back and forth between timelines, and the production is fantastic. Unfortunately, the author couldn’t stay in his lane, and the story includes several weighty topics that it treats with very little care. The unserious treatment of gender identity makes me wonder why the hell he even wanted to go there, and its attitude towards bodily autonomy was thoughtless at best, full-throated rape culture at worst. And don’t even get me started on the nonsense in episodes 12 and 13. Absolutely gratuitous, and the aftermath was just disrespectful. 5/10

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket – Someone on Twitter, or whatever we’re calling it these days, said that this series in the Universal Century timeline was a Christmas series, so I figured I’d put it on. I was a little nervous to see that our main character this time was a 10-year-old boy, as I was worried he was going to end up flying a mecha around and fighting. Thankfully, he remains an onlooker instead of a combatant, although he still gets himself plenty involved in a situation involving a Zeon special forces squad who has come to his colony to destroy a Gundam at the hidden Federation base there. It does a lot in just six episodes, with some remarkably good animation that looks fantastic remastered for HD, and the final episode in particular was some excellent tragedy writing that hit me where it hurt. 8/10

Reborn! Ep. 51-75 – I have some of the most mixed feelings on this series. The Varia arc wrapped up here, and I found myself enjoying the fights and the story towards the end of it, when Tsuna is forced to get serious and he and his friends start to work together. I still think the author could have cooled it a bit on the introducing more and more twists and complications as the sole way of adding tension, but it was satisfying to see Tsuna stand up for his guys. After that arc, there were several one-off episodes of daily life which still aren’t super funny for me, and then the next long arc begins. I’m interested to see how this arc plays out, as the ten-year time difference is intriguing, but I have to admit that I rolled my eyes a bit at the new weapon contraptions it introduced. We’ll see.

[jcmarchi]

Beyond Good & Evil - 20th Anniversary Edition Arrives Early Next Year

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/beyond-good-evil-20th-anniversary-edition-arrives-early-next-year/

Beyond Good & Evil - 20th Anniversary Edition Arrives Early Next Year

Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition arriving early next year. The news was accidentally posted early to the Xbox store and was even briefly available to play (albeit in unfinished form) on Ubisoft Plus. 

According to its now-deleted Xbox Store page (which was shared by Wario64 on X), the 2003 adventure will now feature 4K graphics and 60 FPS with improvements to controls and audio. It will also feature auto-save and cross-save functionality. Here’s the full blurb:

Swoop into the marvelous world of Hillys as action-reporter Jade to investigate the mysterious DomZ alien attacks alongside colorful characters, like her adoptive uncle Pey’j or the valiant Double H.

Embark on this epic adventure in up to 4K, 60 fps with improved graphics, controls, and audio, along with brand-new autosave and cross-save features.

Enjoy exclusive new rewards as you explore the planet and discover more about Jade’s past in a new treasure hunt throughout Hillys.

Put your skills to the test thanks to the new speedrun mode and updated achievements, and learn more about the game’s development and secrets in the anniversary gallery!

Armed with her daï-jo and faithful camera, Jade’s adventure will get you to freely explore Hillys, combat creatures large and small, infiltrate dangerous areas, solve enigmatic puzzles, play addictive mini-games, race the best hovercraft pilots, and take pictures of the whole experience.

Be ready to dive into a trailblazing blend of action gameplay and thrilling emotional cutscenes!

This game leverages Smart Delivery allowing access to both the Xbox One title and the Xbox Series X|S title.

The store page also included a big batch of screenshots of the remaster, which can view in the gallery below.

According to Ubisoft’s statement to IGN. , the store listing went up early due to a “technical error” 

“As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Beyond Good & Evil, we’re excited to share that the official launch is set for early 2024, and we look forward to sharing more with you in the new year,” says Ubisoft in the statement. 

Beyond Good & Evil originally launched for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC in 2003. It stars Jade, a reporter and fighter who joins a resistance movement to uncover a conspiracy on an alien planet. Gameplay involves taking on enemies in martial arts melee combat while using Jade’s camera to take photos of clues and evidence while solving puzzles. While the cult classic received its first big remaster in 2011 in the form of an HD upgrade, while its long-lost sequel, Beyond Good and Evil 2, has seemingly been in development limbo since its formal reveal at E3 2017. 

Beyond Good & Evil – 20th Anniversary Edition is expected to launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. 

[eighteenoheight]

Chances are we’re probably going to see re5 remake before or if we ever see a code Veronica remake. And honestly that’s dumb to me. Chronologically, thematically, logically, anything else that comes to mind later. It didn’t make a lot of sense to remake 4 first either but we got what we got. Code Veronica was released 24 years ago, most younger players probably never played it because it’s old and not a numbered title. Yet it’s a very important game in the series.

And if we think about this properly, there was clearly some stuff going down to prime players for the remakes. We got remasters of 0 and 1 in 2015/16 which were bundled into the origins collection, then we got the RE2 remake in 2019. Clearly there’s been an effort to keep new fans in the loop. Again, Code Veronica is important for the precious precious lore. The game that reveals Wesker is actually alive after getting his flat ass handed to him by a tyrant. The big bad in the fifth game??? Also establishing the intense rivalry between Wesker and Chris? The losing battle that results in Chris deciding to bulk up for a future fight? Plus the sciencey stuff with the T-Veronicas virus that leads into 6? Lest we forget the sweet reunion of two siblings. That’s the good shit right there.

This point is more for the next flop multiplayer title, but bear with me. A Code Veronica remake is the opportunity to give us Chris as he was in 1998. We’ve only seen him in the RE Engine as a 48 year old and as an imposter. REverse had most the core characters in their 98 incarnations, then old man Chris. It was kind of odd to look at. I’m a little shocked at this point that the poster boy of Resident Evil hasn’t been shown in his “prime” with the new graphics. Also confused why the return of Albert main villain Wesker was relegated to a few cutscenes in a DLC campaign and mercenaries. Bitches who are new to the series and maybe don’t have the time or interest to investigate the full lore of the franchise may have been shook seeing him again when last they saw he was dead, and even if they saw him dead again in RE5 they might be like ummm how did he survive the first time what happened? Why is he just chilling in RE4 now?

Fans have been begging for a CV remake, and I hope to God it’s coming. Either the next announced game, after 9 or even Revelations 3/another spinoff title. If we don’t and then 5 remake is announced then I’d sincerely doubt we’ll ever see it come to happen. Staying positive because I can’t imagine why Capcom would want to throw that opportunity away. They wouldn’t need to write a full story, the groundwork is already there.

[legacy-by-darkryuu]

Remaster: Step Toward the Future, Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Birthday

Rating: M/Adult

Author’s Note: Woot, woot, another update. This, by and large, is one of the bigger departures from the previous version. Not the BIGGEST, as some chapters I’m pretty much writing from scratch right now. But it stays mostly true to the subject matter. Additionally, I threw in some concepts that distribute across the series as a whole.

Also available on Archive of Our Own

Happy Reading!

______________________________________________________________

 Yagami Jill groaned, stretching when she noticed for some reason she was asleep on her couch. A little mystified by the thigh her head was rested on, she sat up and found Kai Thompson also fast asleep. Oh yea, they were watching a movie.

 Looking at the clock, she was relieved it was just a little after midnight, meaning she could get at least six more hours of sleep.  She shook Kai’s shoulder and he mumbled something before slumping some more. “Kai.” He bolted when he heard her voice, seeming startled. “What the—oh. Oh, damn, Jill.” “C’mon, let’s go to bed” she yawned, grabbing his arm. “Uh, wha?” “Just to sleep, perv. C’mon.” Kai gave her a look before wandering behind her to her room. “Jill, I probably ought to go home.” She sulked at him, taking off her shirt. Kai looked flabbergasted, “…Why am I getting so much more potential now that we’re just friends?” “Shut up” she leered, starting for the bathroom, “It’s too late for you to be walking around these parts in the darkness, especially considering your ‘reputation’. There’s nothing wrong with you sleeping over.” Finding her brother’s System of a Down t-shirt, she put it on, brushed her teeth, and started back into the room. Kai was stretched across her bed with his arms behind his head, half naked and a cocky smile on his face. “…You know, we could always be friends with…benefits?” Jill smirked at him, walking over to lie down, “You know, there are at least two separate beds in this room.” “When I can be your little spoon instead?” With a laugh, she elbowed him, “Your side of the bed, little spoon. Good night.” Kai just sighed and pulled the blankets over him, closing his eyes again. He was just going to be flirtatious forever, she had to realize. While she recognized she should be wary of that, she didn’t get the idea he didn’t know boundaries. A tiny place in the back of her mind was kind of tempted to give it a try, he was pretty hot.

 …But some part of her also wanted to understand what she wanted with Cliff. And…what he wanted from her. Especially after that almost kiss…

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  Cliff walked to Jill’s farm, his heart racing for whatever reason. Lately, it was doing that whenever he went to see her.

 Taking a deep breath, he walked through the arched entry of the farm and looked around. Usually, she was out watering her crops about now. He jumped a little when he heard her laughter. Smiling, he followed the sound…and instantly sulked.

 Kai was picking oranges off of one of her trees, apparently talking as she weeded around her plants. According to her, they were just ‘friends’ now but Cliff found it strange that he saw the guy over here more now since they became ‘just friends’. Disgruntled, he walked over. Yea, Kai was still up to something.

 “--So my sister was like, ‘Kai, dad says you need a job. He makes jewelry for a living so you might as well just go around to different islands and serve pizza like you want’.”

 Jill smirked, “You and your siblings are really a bunch of hippies. ‘Do what makes you happy, dude’.” He groaned, “We did have a pretty boho lifestyle growing up. Kind of why dad getting all stern and mainstream was a shock. It’s too late, dad, we’re a bunch of beach bums.” “I guess it’s lucky my brothers are ambitious. I’m probably the ‘beach bum’ considering even my younger brother came out of high school with a plan” Jill grumbled, gently tugging tomatoes from the vine. ...Well, sounded innocent enough. Cliff lightly cleared his throat. Jill looked up and gasped, “Oh, hi, Cliff! Oh my God, it’s lunch time already?” Cliff nodded as she got to her feet, dusting off her hands. “I’m starving. It’s about time for you to open shop too, right, Kai?” Glancing to his wrist, Kai nodded, “Yea, I better run. Dinner tonight or terrible nineties movies?” “Terrible nineties movies. I’m having dinner with Popuri and her family” Jill nodded back. Kai raised a brow, handing her the basket of oranges. “…Yea, be careful around that guy, babe. I mean, granted, no one likes me here but he always rubbed me the wrong way the most.” “Rick?” Jill echoed, confused, “I don’t…get any bad vibes, just weird ones.” Unfortunately, Cliff sort of had to agree with Kai. Yamachi Rick, Popuri’s older brother, was kind of mysterious. Not that that instantly made anyone suspicious, just something about him personally. He just didn’t seem to…

 Words were imprecise. To say he didn’t fit or he didn’t belong was making someone an outcast and that wasn’t good. Rick and Popuri’s father left when she was around eight or nine to find a cure for their sick mother. The man had yet to come back fifteen years later so it made Rick the ‘man of the house’. It just…made him into a very strange person. Which, again, wasn’t a crime. Just…something.

 Cliff quickly smiled when Jill popped up in front of him, interrupting his thoughts. “Come wait inside while I wash up. It’s blazing out here.” “A-Ah, okay.” He wandered in behind her, taking a seat on her couch at her behest. She’d turned on the television before she rushed to her bedroom. Resting his chin in his hand, he watched the talk show for a moment before glancing to a shirt on the floor. Granted, she wore shirts that apparently belonged to her older brothers but this one seemed a little different. It looked like something Kai had been wearing once. She told him the day following her running off to Hondo, the mainland, that she and Kai had decided they’d just be ‘friends’, that he admitted to what he told Cliff at the Tomato Festival, and that he wasn’t really going to be able to present exactly what Jill wanted. It sounded a little too good to be true for that playboy.

 Cliff glowered, tapping his temple. And perhaps it was. He’d been shocked when he came over one morning to surprise Jill with breakfast to find the guy here. It was quite clear he stayed the night too. The thing was, it wasn’t Cliff’s business but what were they…doing? How’d they go from making out to deciding not to make out to Kai staying the night?

 He’d grumbled to Popuri after and she just shrugged. “Maybe they’re open.” Open…to what? Now that the pretense of them sleeping together was over they could sleep together? It…it aggravated him.

 Emerging from her room, Jill tugged at the white Nirvana shirt she had on with the jean capris. Her family seemed to be music fans, he noted. He also noted the way the shirt hugged her body before grimacing. Yea. He was jealous. “Man, my brothers were talking about coming to visit but then all five of them got distracted” she grumbled, locking the door behind them when they walked out, “I swear, they all go a damn mile a minute in nonsense. What’s the just about to be eighteen-year-old kid got to do?” Cliff chuckled, “As a recent just about to be eighteen-year-old young man myself, I can tell you that it’s nothing good.” She groaned at that as they walked up the dirt roads. “Yea, Shaun is a little…spirited.” Cliff knew…a lot of bit, really. His patriarch had always been rather impressed with them. “Uh, so, tell me about your brothers again. I mean, five? That’s nuts.” “Well, there’s Shin, the oldest. Shin joined the army and works for the police when he’s not on active duty. He’s the responsible one. Then there’s the twins. Koji is the oldest and Nerimaru—Nelly—he’s the youngest twin. They’re both like, absolute frat boys but without the actual frat? Like, they really just want the party part? Then there’s my brother, Tony. Tony is going to school for laboratory science or something like that, it involves a ton of chemistry. And Shaun, the baby, he’s going to school in August for some sort of engineering.” Huh. Five whole brothers, that was…pretty insane. Jill looked up at him as they walked by the blacksmith, “Do you have siblings, Cliff?” Oh. “Um, yea. I’m the oldest but I have two younger sisters. Nyoko is the middle child and Kyoko is the baby.” “How’d you get ‘Cliff’ and your sisters are rhyming?” she teased. He grinned, “I dunno. Your parents were all over the charts too though.” “I do wonder” Jill mused thoughtfully, thanking him as he held the door to the inn slash restaurant open for her, “I would guess it’s because my dad’s half-American but, I mean, he was born and raised here. He does a lot of American things for not having been born there.” Well, they also had that in common. He took a seat and was relieved when it was another waitress that took their order. Something about Ann lately made him kind of frustrated. Maybe because this whole Kai predicament started at the Goddess Festival where she interjected only to run off with Mary later. … Clearing his throat after they made their order, he twiddled his fingers, “…Can I…ask you something super invasive?” “Wha?” she echoed, “…How invasive?” “Like…what’s going on with you and Kai?” With a groan, Jill rolled her eyes around, leaning back. “Look, I don’t actually know. The night I was like, ‘look, you’re looking for a lay and I’m not’, everything seemed fine. Then, well…I don’t know. It felt like when all the pretext was out the window, I didn’t feel weird about making out with him.” Bingo. Cliff sighed deeply, “So you’re a couple.” “I’d feel better that way but Kai won’t hear it.” What? “He’s an idiot then! Why won’t he?” She shrugged as if it was very inconsequential. “I think he truly agreed that it wasn’t appropriate for us. Honestly, even he’s the one that will kind of pump the brakes if we’re getting in too deep. I’m grateful though. I’m more like my brothers than I would have ever even wanted to be.” “Oh?” “Hell, I’m all by myself out here without my guards and all these hot guys. I could be making up for lost time” she huffed.

 Somehow, he had to smirk at that. “So, you have your eyes on other guys aside from Kai?” Cliff’s eyes widened as she gazed at him solemnly. His eyes were a darker blue than hers. Hers were absolutely piercing and…and he wanted to know badly what it was she was thinking. “I mean, Gray’s kind of hot too, y’know?” He snickered, breaking from the stare, rolling his eyes, “That’s what all the girls say…” “But, oddly, Kai is the hated one.” Eh? Cliff raised a brow at her and she gave him a look back. What? “Well, Kai will actually act on it. I don’t know what his game is, Jill, or whatever you guys are doing but just be careful, okay?”

She waved a hand and changed the subject but he was irritated. It didn’t make sense to him. It was like she was uncomfortable being Kai’s girlfriend but was now more comfortable ‘open’ and actually trying to engage Kai in a relationship. And Kai was refusing? What the hell? …He had a lot to figure out.

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  “Let’s ditch this dump and go have some fun elsewhere.” Yagami Jill flustered as she walked beside Kai, awkwardly looking up to see if anyone would recognize her. They were in the forbidden area of Wasaba. Wasaba was where her father was born, essentially the slums, and while the man had been very lenient with his children, he strictly forbid them going to Wasaba for any reason.

 Basically, every last one of his sons tap danced all over that mandate, going to Wasaba like it was their second or third home. Shaun constantly went there to see his best friend, Annaliese. Hell, Shin even went to live there for a while. But her? She listened mostly, only having gone to visit her oldest brother once. And now? Now, she was walking into East Wasaba and felt terrible. “M-Maybe we should go back to Mineral Town, Kai.” “Why?” he questioned, smoothing his Calvin Klein black shirt, “You’re not scared, are you?” Pouting, she glanced around again. Honestly, it didn’t look that bad. Sure, there were some empty creepy looking buildings but that could happen everywhere. No, it looked like the average city. Just… “…My papa told us not to come to Wasaba.” “I mean, you couldn’t pay me to go to West or South Wasaba, but North and East are awesome. But we can go back if you don’t want to stay. Just it’s a shame since you got all dressed up.” Her brothers would have a conniption, she was wearing just a black spaghetti strap dress that stopped high above her legs, a birthday gift from her high school friend, Daisy, and a pair of strappy heels. She’d even curled her hair. It was just the first time she got to really go to a club-club not for a concert. Grumbling, she crossed her arms. “No, I’ll-I’ll stay but not for long.” Kai grinned and held her hand, “Let’s make it a fun ‘not for long’ then.” Jill grasped his hand a little tighter as the bouncer gave them sort of a ‘look’ but allowed them in. Perhaps they could smell her fear. It was crowded. And smoky. And it smelled like liquor which she knew well from her older brothers. This…did not look like her scene. Kai smirked at her knowingly, leading her to the bar. “C’mon, let’s get a drink to get you a little less tense!” “That doesn’t sound like a good thing!” she called back, sulking. “I’m here and I promise I won’t let anything happen to you!” Sure. He sat her at the barstool as she signaled for the bartender. He ordered cognac and ordered her coconut rum with juice. She frowned as the busy tender quickly composed the drinks before rushing back to the other end to other patrons, advising she’d open their tab later. Tab? Jill picked up the drink and sniffed it before taking a sip… “…Oh! That’s actually good!” “It’s the weakest liquor I know!” he teased, pinching her side. She stuck out her tongue and took another sip. While she knew this was very much not what her brothers were drinking, this was kind of tasty so maybe all their beverages made sense. “Kai! Have you ever had Everclear?” “You mean have I ever wanted to wake up in another country, naked, on the street? No!” he smirked. “My brothers, the twins, they drink it all the time!” Kai just cringed and shook his head, “Your brothers are hard then, that shit is almost a hundred percent alcohol!” Oh. Well, those two were crazy. Finishing her drink, she requested a sip of Kai’s. He smiled at her coyly, “Henny may be a little strong for you too!” “Oh, just a sip” she huffed, taking it. …It was interesting. Not tasty like the rum but it was kind of sweet and a little spicy. “I want that!” Kai laughed and waved for the bartender again, “You’re just more and more my kind of person every day, Jill.” Hmm? He ordered two more cups and handed his credit card over this time. She poked his arm, “Let me get next round!” “Next round?” he echoed, “I thought you were a lightweight!” She had nipped at a bit of Koji’s Smirnoff once but it was unflavored and absolutely awful. It had made her sick and throw up for hours. However, she was only thirteen, fourteen at the time. The experience hadn’t made her want to try anything else since but maybe she was actually better off this time.

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Kai Thompson stared, flabbergasted and horrified, as maybe an hour later, Jill and the club pretty much went insane. Three, six, nine, damn, girl fine. Hopin’ she can sock it to me one more time. Get low, get low, get low, get low, get low, get low, get low. He smiled awkwardly as she straddled his waist where he had been sitting with her, grinding and sloshing maybe her fifth drink around, screaming with the other clubgoers. “To the window, to the wall!” Yea, this was probably not going to go well. Trying to find a way to grab her without grabbing somewhere inappropriate, he settled on wrapping his arms around her. “Uh, hey, Jill! Maybe we should go!” “Why?! Just a couple more drinks!” “Oh, no, no, a couple more of those and you’re going to hate my guts tomorrow!” Kai laughed nervously. She gave him this sexy sultry moue, hugging his neck, “I don’t hate you like the others, Kai. I like that you’re honest and open with me.” “Huh?” He was a little puzzled by the sentiment but jolted when she kissed him hard, her tongue darting between his lips. Oh hell. Turning his head, his mind in shambles, he quickly raised a finger to signal the bartender to cut them off, “Y-Yea, an-and honestly, we need to go! Check, please!”

Swallowing when she kissed his neck, her legs still grappling his hips, he frantically signed the receipt before standing up and reaching out to stabilize her. She almost fell over, giggling. “C’mon, Kai, let’s go to a hotel.” “No, no, let’s not do that” he smiled, holding her waist as they exited. “L-Let’s go home and I’ll tuck you in.” At the time, she didn’t argue, staggering and almost falling over a number of times. He would have carried her but…well, that’d just look suspicious of anyone at this current junction but especially for him. The ferry was vicious for this type of outing, Jill’s high coming down when seasickness battled drunkenness. She turned green and rested her head in his lap, queasy. Kai awkwardly rubbed her back, swallowing at how silky her skin was. Yea, this… When they arrived to stable ground, it was late enough he felt comfortable in Mineral Town to physically lift her back to her farm. Jill held him tight, mumbling to him that maybe the Henny was a bad idea. After getting her keys to enter the abode, he carried her back to her room and settled her in bed. After all that, he was ready to go settle on her couch. They’d find him on the sand outside of his beach house if he tried. While he assumed Jill had fallen asleep, she roused to wrap her arms around his neck again. “K-Kai, I w-want to try it. M-My brothers get girls all thuh time…” “Huh?” he said, confused. “I wanna try it. Le-Let’s have sex. I-I wanna know w-wha’ the big deal is.” Oops. “Yea, Jill, that’s a big no-no when we’re drunk, okay? That aside, we already decided we’re just friends, right?” “But I know you better now…we can try it again…” …Mm. “What about Cliff, Jill? Don’t you still want to try with him?” That made her look mad. “He doesn’t wanna try with me. He only tried to kiss me once and now I don’t know what he wants. At least you were consistently interested…” …That dummy. “Maybe, lady. But we’ll revisit this tomorrow, okay? I’m sleepy.” He kissed her forehead and pulled the covers over her. Somehow, he half expected her to come crawl onto the couch with him but when he went to check on her ten minutes later, she was fast asleep. Kai stared and his brow twitched. …His third and pretty much last girlfriend had gone with him to that same bar one fateful night. He suggested she try the cognac and she told him in what had to have been the worst breakup line of all time that ‘brown was trouble in more ways than one’. …Cliff needed to get his damn act together.

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 Yamachi Popuri smiled as she wandered into Jill’s bedroom with a tray of broth and water. Jill, on the other hand, was moaning and sobbing. “My brothers are monsters. There is nothing worth this sort of agony…” With a snicker, Popuri sat down on the bed with her, “Two, three drinks is my maximum standard, girl. You went two over.” Sitting up, her hair tousled all over her head, Jill wearily sipped the broth. “Yea, Kai said I should stop after I bought the third round but I was raring to go at that point…” Popuri raised a brow, “You two didn’t drunk shack up, did you?” Jill flustered, groaning again, “No…he was very decent and respectful. I mean, I put it out there but he did the right thing.” Popuri rested her legs across the bed, blinking knowingly, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you sound a little disappointed.” “Oh no!” she gasped, “I-I mean, I’m glad he kept anything from happening! Just…I guess I wouldn’t have exactly regretted it. I-I will admit I know the meaning of ‘liquid courage’ now. I dunno if I have the guts to be that forward sober.” “If you’re comfortable with the person, it’s easier” Popuri assured, glancing at Jill’s nightstand.

 Oh. Popuri picked up a picture in a frame, “Oh, are these your brothers?” “E-Eh? O-Oh yea, t-that’s them. We took that when I went back to visit after the Tomato Festival debacle” Jill blurted. Tilting her head, she looked them all over. “Well, not to sound skeevy, but I can tell why they might have had a harem. You have a gorgeous family. Point them out to me.” “Oh, uh, that’s…Shin. Shaun. Tony. Nelly. And uh, that’s Koji.” …Koji. Popuri frowned, looking up, “…You know, I think when I was younger, I remember playing with a ‘Koji’.” Jill looked alarmed. What? Before Popuri could question, there was a knock at the front door. She stood, smirking, “Maybe one of your quickly developing harem.” “Oh my God, I am drinking and flirting with multiple men. I am my brothers” Jill gawked. Popuri laughed, heading to answer, “From what you’ve told me, not even close.” Indeed, on the other side was one of Jill’s ‘multiple’ men, Cliff. He frowned, “Hey, Pu. Is Jill okay? I called her for lunch and she sounded awful.” “She’s nursing a bit of a hangover but she’s okay” Popuri explained, waving him inside.

 Cliff looked aggravated, taking off his shoes at the small entry, “I take it Kai got her drunk, huh?” Giving him a look, she huffed, “You need to stop being like that before you mess up, baka. Just go talk to her.” Popuri peeked back into Jill’s room and smiled, “Hey Jill, I’m gonna go check on your animals, okay? Be right back.” “Thank you, Popuri, you’re the best!” Cliff shuffled in around her and Popuri gave him one last warning look. As was, if this kept up, Kai was about to be the lucky one. Cliff had yet to realize that Jill was waiting for his affirmation. While yes, Cliff never specifically told Jill that he was infatuated with Ann, him not turning down her advances at the Goddess Festival while on a date with Jill? It would give a lot of people a skewed perception. There was some reason Kai kept turning Jill down but Popuri had observed it was probably hinging on Cliff. If that door kept dragging, it was going to get replaced.

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 “Hey, buddy. Rough night?” Jill looked up at Cliff, miserable. “Yea…well, a lot of drinking.” He raised a brow, sitting beside her, “Oh? Where’d you go?” “Mm, Shinju in East Wasaba.” Cliff looked quite startled. “Eh? You’d…you’d actually go into Wasaba? I mean, it’s a little sketchy.” “Ha-a-a, yea…” she groaned, leaning back against her pillow, “I actually was thinking when we first got there how my dad expressly forbid it. He’s from there so I figure he’s got good reason but it wasn’t that bad. If we hadn’t gotten drunk beforehand, I probably would have liked to dance and look around.” He tapped his knee and nodded some. “…Yea, it’s a…different sort of place, Wasaba. But, uh, how many drinks did you have?” “Five. It was pretty crazy.” “Oh…that’s all?” “‘That’s all’? Any more and I’d probably die” she sulked. Cliff smiled, rolling his eyes around some, “Nah, it wouldn’t be that serious.” “You sound like my brothers” she sighed gravely. He waved a hand, offering to get her some more broth if she wanted. She nodded, glad that she was able to hold this down. Once he returned, she shyly asked if he wanted to lie around and watch a movie with her. “Yea, I’d like that.” Finishing her food, she curled up on her side and they watched Pirates of the Caribbean. She was pretty involved until she fully realized it was two p.m. There was no actual significance to that time except she realized that most people would be at work. Kai had called and said he’d be over after the shop closed to check on her. She had SOMEHOW managed to get up and water her crops this morning and brush her animals. Popuri came after she fed her family farm’s chickens and collected the eggs. What…did Cliff do? “I can’t believe you’d actually want to come back after last time.” Yagami Jill smiled as they walked through the streets of East Wasaba, much more comfortable this time. “It was fun aside from the drunk part!” Kai snickered, “That was the only part aside from my surprise lap dance.” Smacking his arm, she pouted, “Well, that won’t be happening tonight.” “Dang, not on my birthday though?” After a rather easy day of chores, she decided she was going to go to the beach to actually…beach. When she actually walked the miles of white sand, she was astonished how vacant it was. It was so beautiful! The only people out were a few fishermen and those that did come to frequent Kai’s mini-restaurant. She’d asked if it was private or something and everyone said ‘no’. She got out her black string bikini and went swimming close to where Kai was. He’d grinned lazily when she ran from the surf to get a drink from him. “You seriously are the breath of life this terrible place needed, lady.” “Why do you even come here if you hate it so much?” “One of the few places that’ll let me.” Some of it—some, Jill understood. Due to her rather American attributes, she was characterized as the wild party girl that slept around and drank too much. Granted, she felt lately she was answering that forced calling but did it actually mean anything to what she was? For Kai, it always seemed a little deeper than that though. Around three in the afternoon, she was prepared to order a pizza from him when she overheard him taking a call, apparently from his mom. Jill was able to hear ‘Happy Birthday, baby!’. That jerk had failed to mention it was his birthday today! He had groaned when she demanded what the deal was. ‘It’s not THAT big a deal. I don’t really do anything’.

 Naturally, she wasn’t going to allow that and proclaimed she’d take him to dinner. He’d accepted with some seeming reluctance. Well, it was a little annoying to go to Doug’s since so many people around them whispered. Thus, she decided she’d take him back to East Wasaba for sushi. “I called around to some of my old school pals and asked them where the best place for sushi is and even their bourgeois tastes said this place is awesome!” she tugged Kai as they got close to Umi. He snickered, allowing her to pull him, “If Wensi-kids will go to Wasaba, it must be godly.” Jill stuck out her tongue, “You’re a Wensi-kid. I’m a Subami-ite.” The Yagami Mansion where she was raised almost the entirety of her life was settled in Subami which was labeled the ‘new money’ section of the rich neighborhood. Wensington was the ‘old money’ or the families that had had it for generations. It was all silly stuff. Kai rolled his eyes and smirked, “Oh yes, how ever will I forget that your family had the white limo and we had the 1920s Batman Rolls Royce which Alfred drove us around in?” With a laugh, she was pleased it wasn’t too busy on a Friday. “Hey, we didn’t have limos at all. We’re very picky about our driving, y’know?” The hostess raised a brow at them when Jill asked for a table for two. What? The woman didn’t say much…except did they want a translated menu? Jill frowned, puzzled, “No…we read Japanese.” “Oh. Apologies.” What the hell? Jill made a face as they were seated and Kai opened the menu, “So what car did you drive around then?” “Huh? Oh, my dad got me a red Chevy Camaro convertible. I had always asked for one.” Kai looked shocked, “You mean you weren’t like every other girl I knew in school that would deign to drive that wanted a Benz?” She stuck out her tongue, “No, I did not want a Benz. I wanted my Camaro. But wasn’t that weird?” “You wanting an American muscle car and not a Euro-machine? Very” he smirked. Swatting at him, she pouted, “Not that. The hostess trying to give us a translated menu.” “Babe, nothing like that is ever going to be weird around me.” What? He ordered them a few rolls and some sake. She cringed when she took a drink, “…That is disgusting.” “I forgot you were a Henny girl” he joked, sipping his. Jill frowned, picking up a maki roll and sticking it in her mouth. “…You know, I was talking to Cliff about that night we went out a few weeks ago and told him five drinks were way overboard but he was just like, ‘what? That’s all?’. Maybe I am a lightweight.” Kai gave her a look above the menu he was looking at, “Babe…five drinks? Of like, five full drinks? That is more than enough. Now, if he thought you were just sitting their downing Fuzzy Navels and Malibu with eighty percent orange juice all night, he’d be right, but you had three solid cups of cognac. That is not lightweight shit.” “Maybe I’ll just have one cup of Hennessey and stick to Malibu then” she mused. Kai winked, “Now, now, I haven’t introduced you to Crown Royal yet either.” While she was prepared to pay for dinner, Kai insisted he pick up the tab, joking he was expecting some birthday drinks. It…it was a comfortable relationship. Just some of the nuances he kept mentioning that she didn’t quite…get were troubling.

 The club was a little more packed this time, the heat of the room incredible. Jill fanned herself when she once again sat at the barstool, handing over her card before Kai got any ideas, and asked for two ‘Crown Royal’. Kai smiled and sipped his beverage after the bartender poured the drinks skillfully whilst making three other drinks. “Thanks, babe. You’re pretty awesome, y’know?” “Because I bought you a drink?” she joked. “Nah, not just that.” She blinked at him as he swirled his cup, seeming to be in thought. “You know, we should dance this time.” “O-Oh, I might not be good at it.” “I’ll show you” he grinned, taking her hand. The night was perfect. She never got to dance with any guys. Sure, her two sort of prior boyfriends attended concerts with her, but she doubted either of them would dance. Kai was pretty good at it too. “I didn’t get the dancing gene! My brothers are great at it though!” Kai laughed, “Man, your brothers sound like a weird crowd! I did hear about their parties though!” Ah yes, Koji and Nelly’s house parties were apparently something of legend in the valley of Subami, Wensington, and surrounding areas. She glanced at her watch and groaned, “Hey, if we want to make the last ferry, we have to go soon!” He nodded in agreement and she went to close her tab out, pleased they only finished four drinks between them this time. The drinks were ‘fun’ but not necessary. Holding his hand as they exited the club, out of the corner of her eye she saw two guys smoking cigarettes give them hard looks. What? Her heart sped up a bit as they appeared to start to follow them. “Oi, what’s a doujin doing around here?” What? Doujin? Kai groaned. Jill was confused, wasn’t that a fan manga? She yelped when one of the guys managed to get in front of Kai and grab his shirt. Kai looked aggravated, “Bro, we’re leaving. I’d like to ask that you stand a doujin’s presence for the next five seconds as we’re getting out of here.” Wait…dou meant ‘dirty’ and jin meant ‘man’ but…that would mean… Jill slapped the bastard’s hands away from Kai’s shirt, angry. “Get away from him! We’re minding our business so learn to mind yours, you piece of shit!” “Jill-l-l” Kai sang nervously. “And you’re just the slut fucking hanging around him!” spat the guy, starting on her. Kai quickly pushed her behind him and she squealed when he got whacked hard in the face, knocking him to the ground. “Kai!” Once. Just once she had swung on and punched someone in high school. She was not an expert by any means but, ugh, she guessed she knew a little bit as a certain someone’s sister. It hurt like hell but she punched the guy in the nose.

 Hissing and holding her hand, unsure how Koji did that on a daily basis now, she was horrified when the guy looked absolutely livid. Oh no. She’d…she’d put them in more danger.

 “W-Wait, Taki!” Jill glanced over her shoulder, trembling as the other guy…suddenly looked petrified. “Dude, dude, I knew I recognized her! That’s Yagami Koji’s sister!” What? Like night and day, the assaulter suddenly looked like she had run up and stabbed him. “W-What?” Without warning, they both started bowing and spitting out apologies, “P-Please don’t tell your brother, w-we won’t ever bother you or your friend again!” Jill silently watched the two bolt off like Koji was going to emerge from a corner and destroy them. She found herself looking over her shoulder to actually make sure he wouldn’t. Kai staggered to his feet, holding his jaw. “…Man, that was crazy. Your brother must be pretty tough shit.” “I…I guess…” It was still insane his violent reputation preceded him this much. She supposed this was what he always wanted though. She bit her lip, finding Kai’s face was already swelling, “I-I’m sorry. When I realized what he meant, I-I got angry.” “Well…that’s nice” he said softly, rubbing his cheek, “I lost that somewhere.” Grimacing, she slipped her hand in his and pulled him toward the ferry station. “Let’s get you home to an ice pack and some cake. A-And maybe that lap dance since I almost got your ass kicked.” Kai laughed, shaking his head, “Not even close to necessary, Jill. Like I told you…nothing is abnormal around me.” …That was not a nuance she wanted to understand.

 _____________________________________________________________________

Izumi Cliff made a face as he wandered across the beach, looking around. This was unusual and unwanted: Kai summoned him. Doug had given him the note requesting that he come meet Kai at noon when Cliff woke up at around ten. Okay. Doug told him to be wary, that this wasn’t normal. No, it wasn’t. But he’d answer the call because the only thing he and Kai had to talk about, as far as Cliff was concerned? Jill.

 Walking up to the little beach shop, he found Kai turned toward a counter, chopping what smelled, from afar, like pineapple. Cliff cleared his throat, sitting at the counter. “I got your message.” Kai looked over his shoulder, raising a brow. “…Dude, what do you do? I wish I could wake up at eleven o’clock.” Cliff’s eyes narrowed, “Kai--” “Sorry, of course you could have been doing something else” Kai waved a hand, wiping his hands as he turned around, “Look, I’m going to be straightforward because I don’t want to mince words with you: what the hell are you doing?” “I beg your pardon?” Kai scowled, “Jill. Jill is waiting for you and you’re taking your sweet ass time.” What…? “Waiting for me?” he echoed, “Waiting for me to do what?” “So you don’t have feelings for her?” He flustered, twiddling his fingers. “W-Why? Did she put you up to this?” “No. I put myself up to this and I really don’t want to.” Cliff raised a brow as Kai started tossing dough, drawling, “This might strike you as surprising, given how you and the local cronies look down on my kind—” “Wait, wait, what? ‘Your kind’?” Cliff demanded, leaning back.

“Yea, ‘my kind’. You know, doujin.” To say he was flabbergasted would be an understatement, Cliff was so shocked. “You think I’m racist?” Kai blinked languidly at him to denote that yes, he very much did. “Dude! I-I’m not racist. I’m mixed too!” “Oh, oh, yes, like a quarter American and primarily Japanese. Tell me, does that mixture cause an existential difference in your skintone?” Kai scoffed. …Well… “Fine, it doesn’t but I’m not racist just because I don’t like you!” Kai was steadily working through this awkward conversation while Cliff was entirely unnerved. The man pinched the dough to form the crust, not looking up. “So why don’t you like me then? I mean, prior to Jill.” Cliff’s mind went into overload, prepared to list off reasons. ‘Doug said you slept with so-and-so’s wife’ and ‘Jeff said that Sasha said you were flirting with her’.

 …But that was all hearsay. He literally pulled a stupid prank with Jill to switch innocent flags from one place to another just because he knew how these people loved to accumulate rumors and loved the fodder. Just…

 Nervous, he felt his reasoning falter. “I…I guess I…was influenced by other people.” “Good insight, Sherlock, I’m almost impressed” Kai snorted, mixing sauce in a bowl, “So, let’s break it down. There have been plenty of men that came in here and have actually committed the acts charged against me and there was not nearly the uproar. In fact, it was confirmed that Basil and Sasha had a brief affair and he’s absolute gold! So, suddenly, this rather strange complexioned man comes in and smiles politely at a woman and I’m instantly fucking the whole town. Suddenly, they don’t like ‘my kind’ around here.” Kai smiled, taking a sip of juice and tilting the cup at him in a gesture, “But, business is good because of those ladies I’m supposedly banging.” Cliff stared as Kai started sprinkling cheese, humming. Oh.

“…I…I don’t want to think it’s anything like that, Kai--” “Of course not. It makes you uncomfortable to think you’re in a town of racists since you’re not racist.” Cliff groaned, rubbing his face. “Kai, I promise and swear to you that I not once looked at your complexion and thought ‘you can’t trust that guy’ because of that. However, I am going to apologize because I was taking the word of biased guys to judge you. Since you seem so aware of my ‘fractions’, you may be aware of why adultery and promiscuity may irk me the wrong way.” Kai’s eyebrows furrowed, picking up a stack of pepperoni, “…Well, I’ve heard things, definitely.” Yea. “Either way, Cliff, I will accept your apology if you’ll grow a pair and tell Jill you like her.” Back to this. Cliff rolled his eyes, tapping the counter, “…I do like Jill, Kai, but I get this growing suspicion she’s starting to like you more.” Sliding the pizza into an oven behind him, Kai snorted, “Cliff, she still thinks you like Ann so she’s distancing herself out of respect for you and what you want. However, she very much wants you to tell her you like her more.” Cliff bit his lip and folded his hands, “I-I do like Jill a lot. Like-like she’s unlike anyone I’ve met before and-and I guess I do notice she seems interested in me.” “So?” … “Still though, she’s kissing you, she’s going on dates with you—look, I know you guys decided to be friends but she seems just as likely to choose you too.” The man fell quiet for a long few moments and Cliff expected he wasn’t going to answer. Why? Honestly, if Cliff was in competition with someone over a girl’s affections and he was where Kai was in standing, he would never just walk away. It didn’t make sense. Kai rubbed his hands together and leaned against the refrigerator in the open kitchenette in the beachside shop. Finally, he cleared his throat, almost like he’d gotten choked up on silence. “She’d suffer with me.” “What? What do you mean?” “I mean that I just told you that these guys just looked at me and decided I was bad news. That’s not just here, Cliff—it’s everywhere. Jill and I went out for my birthday and almost got jumped by two guys questioning why a ‘doujin’ was hanging around. I didn’t even know them. I can’t--…I can’t do that to her, okay?” …Shit. “Kai, you can’t deny your feelings for a bunch of ignorant morons like that” Cliff insisted, shocked how this shifted. Not ten minutes ago, he was ready to sock Kai in the eye and now he was encouraging him to like the girl he liked. “Jill…was literally the first person unrelated to me that, when she saw me, it wasn’t confusion or judgment for what I am. She doesn’t care and she even got angry for me that night, busted that guy in the face, fought for me—she wants to do things with me in the open, she wants to hang out with me at all. She’s comfortable and I am becoming too comfortable with her. I’ve started to think ‘but what if’ and that’s a mistake.” Cliff frowned as Kai pursed his lips, glancing off, “…We can move somewhere where we’d be accepted but you hear the way she talks about her family—she’d fall apart and I won’t be the cause of that. But we can’t be together here.” “Kai-” “That shit being said, that’s not to say with a hundred percent certainty I wouldn’t.” Eh? Kai glared, “If I watch you mess around any longer and act the way you’re acting with her—all wishy-washy and like you’re not gonna cherish the hell out of her—I will gladly come back to this crap island and convince her to come with me. She should only have the best and if you think you can’t provide, it might just be worth it for me to get over my anxiety and take that plunge. But I’m giving you the opportunity because I think life might treat her better with…your kind.” “…You really sure about that?” Cliff muttered. Laughing darkly, Kai gestured for a ‘time out’, “Now, if you’ve got some messy shit I don’t know anything about then you leave her alone too. I’ve noticed some things and know of some things, like I said, but you can get your act together.” …Right. “Kai, I’ll be honest, man, I don’t really like this reason you’re not actively pursuing Jill but I’ll be more honest and tell you I-I think I do want the chance.” “Only a fool wouldn’t” Kai nodded. Yea. “Well, this was a very insightful talk. I feel like garbage but I probably should” Cliff grimaced. Kai just blinked at him languidly. Right, what was he looking for there? ‘It’s okay’? It wasn’t. Two years of judgment was based on Cliff taking the words of people he always took with a grain of salt. A little part of him should ask why but…he knew. He guessed he had dad to thank for that. He frowned, looking up when Nakajima Karen and Yamachi Rick wandered onto the beach. Karen was wearing a bikini but Rick was still wearing a green turtleneck and slacks. It was boiling out here. Karen wandered over after setting up the towel and nodded at him before ordering French fries. Kai nodded, “Coming right up.” Cliff felt obligated to buy something too, perhaps out of guilt. About to ask what was good, his eyes widened when Rick pretty much ran to and grabbed Karen to jerk her away. “What did I tell you about buying from this guy?” “That you don’t want me buying from this guy and it’s your stupid ass fault for thinking I care” Karen snorted, snatching her arm from him, “Pull yourself together, Rick.” Rick weirdly had almost orange hair, kind of like Ann’s. Cliff had asked Popuri if they were related and she shrugged that they might have been related somewhere on their dad’s side. By most accounts, Rick would have been classified as a ‘nerd’-type in fiction. Somehow, he managed to get Karen interested enough to date him and they’d been going steady ever since Cliff moved here permanently. Just he wouldn’t figure he’d put his hands on her like that. Now allied, both he and Kai gave Rick a hard look. Rick visibly swallowed before backing off, marching completely off the beach. Karen rolled her eyes and shook her head. Kai gave her a look, “I think you ought have knocked him ten ways to Sunday like I know you can.” “I should have” she agreed softly, “I don’t know what his problem is lately. He’s been getting really grabby and commanding.” Cliff glowered, “Meaning you break up with his ass. Maybe the real habits are just starting to surface but you don’t need to be there for that.” Kai nodded simply and Karen sighed, taking the basket of fries and adding a bit of ketchup. “I can. But it’d be the absolute talk of the town and I don’t feel like it.” “You killing him would be the talk of the town too” Kai smirked. Her brows rose at that but in apparent agreement before cutting her eyes toward Cliff… “You two don’t usually hang out, what is this?” “Hopefully a resolution” Cliff groaned. “Apparently I have made a bad impression of myself.” Kai snorted again. “Yea, something like that. And we’re talking about Jill.” Karen nodded, eating her food quietly before muttering, “…She’s going to change a lot around here, y’know? Really shake this crap town up. I hope she can make it.” What? Cliff frowned at that and Kai cleaned a glass, tilting his head. Well, she was definitely the most different person to come here since he’d moved in. Just…that was a lot to ask of her, wasn’t it? And…and now he had to let her know he was interested and convince her that Ann was growing to be this fleeting idea in comparison.

 Time to try to amend another impression.

 _____________________________________________________________________

  Izumi Cliff stuffed his hands in his pockets as he shuffled to the front door of the old farmhouse. Here goes.

 He’d come by earlier, heart racing and his palms slick with sweat. She had apparently just finished her farm work when she answered, her hair still damp from her shower. She looked distraught. “Cliff, oh my God, I almost got Kai beat up. It was awful.” “Yea, he told me. It’s a brave thing you did and I don’t think he minds a bit.”

 “Brave? I don’t think so at all.” His dad said that when he was growing up, due to his social status, people would talk about his mixed heritage behind his back. And Cliff did get looks but that…was about it. He had very few issues in regard to that. So, for Jill to hit a bigot in the face when they seemed to have had similar experiences? He found it incredibly brave. Jill just grimaced, “Brave makes me sound like a hero; I just was angry.”

 “…I guess I didn’t really think about it. I mean, I never really thought about what it may mean for others not to like him.” “I didn’t exactly either but I did find it suspicious. I…I mean, my brothers mentioned they got a lot of backhanded comments about ‘race’ but, well, y’know what chased the guys off last night? One of them realized who my brother was and it was a wonder they didn’t pee themselves. My brothers probably beat the hell out of those guys. I’ve been…protected.” Yea, he wouldn’t have necessarily considered that a bad thing. Once. “Well, hey, uh, we missed our birthdays so maybe all four of us can go out to celebrate and make it better.” That was how the whole conversation got sidetracked. She seemed confused, asking when his birthday was. July 7th. It was already a month later. Jill had been aghast, “Why didn’t you say anything?!” “Uh, I…I just usually don’t make a big deal of it.” Jill kicked him out and told him to come back at eight. Now, suddenly, he was having a dinner prepared for him. This…this could be a good moment.

 Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door to the house. Here goes. “Door’s open! Come in!” Cliff turned the doorknob to enter and was surprised to find her in the kitchen, wearing a rather ruffly pink apron over a red corset top and black hip huggers. He raised an eyebrow and walked over to her. Flour was on her nose and he smiled some.

 “Hey. Uh, how’s dinner going?”

 “I just put your cake in the fridge” she said proudly.

 “Oh? You made me a cake? You didn’t have to go through all that trouble…”

 “It was fun” she admitted happily, “I didn’t get to bake a whole lot, that was my brother’s domain.” Somehow, based simply on what she’d told him, that seemed a little surprising. “Your brothers, the hardcore drinking, brawling twins, bakers?” Jill laughed, taking off her apron, “Koji, Nelly, and Shin are great cooks! They had to take care of us younger kids so much, they had to get good at it.” Cliff followed her to the living room, nodding, “Yea, I know the feeling. Where’s Pu?”

 “I invited her but she said she had something to do tonight. And I had made an invitation to Kai but he said his mom was coming to visit.”

 Yea, those were all very convenient excuses. “So guess it’ll just be us then.” “Seems so” Jill smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll try to be good company by myself.” Eep. “O-Oh, I-I didn’t mean it to sound like that--”

 She giggled, seeming unbothered, “I know, it’s just weird to have a one on one birthday party, I’m sure.”

If you weren’t dating, probably so. She sat him down at the table, going back into the kitchen and returning with curry rice, his absolute favorite. “Aww, Jill, this…this is nice, thanks. I haven’t had any homemade since I left home.” He tasted it and it…it was perfect. Jill looked pleased, “I’m glad. I did have to call Koji a few times on that one, he is the curry master but he talked me through it.” Cliff spooned a bit into his mouth, blissful. “I love it.”

 She looked happy as he finished about two servings, nibbling at her small plate of the recipe. He questioned if she made it and hadn’t liked it. He’d feel terrible if she made it just for him. “Oh, I like curry but, funny thing is, we had so much of it growing up, I just got a teeny bit sick of it. Koji teased me about even asking how to make it.” “Ah” he smiled, wiping his lips, “Well, I appreciate it then. That was the perfect birthday treat.” She gasped, “Oh yea, your cake!”

 Running off, she returned with the round, slightly misshapen cake with chocolate frosting. He stared at it as she cut it and grinned. “You sure this won’t kill me?”

 She gasped, “Cliff! I worked a long time on this cake!”

 He smiled, “I’m kidding, Jill, I’m sure it’s delicious.”

 She pouted and took a bite from her slice before squealing and covering her mouth. He stared at her, surprised.

 “What’s wrong?”

 “It’s SO sweet!” she sobbed, “My teeth are going to rot out!”

 “Did you follow the recipe?”

 “Y-yes…sorta.”

 “Sorta…?” he questioned slowly.

 “Well, I thought that one cup of sugar wasn’t enough—”

 He couldn’t help but laugh and took a bite himself. He almost instantly felt his blood sugar rise. “Well, it’s still good.”

 “Don’t eat that, your teeth are going to rot out” she pouted, taking it from him.

 Making a face, he scooped it off the plate and crammed it into his mouth to her very poignant horror. What? Cake was supposed to be sweet. He chomped and gave her a smile as she looked very sulky. “You’re a dork.” “I’z muh birthday cake.”

 “You must be a sugar fiend” she smirked, putting her slice back. “So not only are you gonna get cavities, your gift is late.”

 “Meh, why on Earth are you getting a gift shipped for me? Silly…” he scoffed.

 “Because!”

 Cliff stared down at her, her face bright and sultry. She was really cute and…and he didn’t want to mess this up again. He had a penchant for that. He smiled when she offered to pour them a glass of wine. “Sounds awesome. But first…”

 He wandered over and knelt in front of her stereo. She looked up from popping the cork on what looked like a bottle from Aja Winery, blinking. “What are you doing?”

 “Mm, looking for a song.”

 He frowned before smiling and putting a CD in. She raised an eyebrow and he stood, waving her over. A soft guitar solo came on as she walked over, looking puzzled. She gasped a little when he wrapped his arms around her waist.

 “What are--”

 “Mm, well, our last dance was interrupted…and this…this would make my night” he murmured gently.

 She swallowed and blushed before slowly nodding and wrapping her arms around his neck, closing her eyes as she relaxed against him.

 She seems dressed in all of me; Stretched across my shame. All the torment and the pain

leaked through and covered me. I’d do anything to have her to myself; just to have her for myself. Now I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do…when she makes me sad. She is everything to me: The unrequited dream; The song that no one sings; The unattainable. She’s a myth that I have to believe in. All I need to make it real is one more reason. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do…when she makes me sad…

 But I won’t let this build up inside of me. I won’t let this build up inside of me.

 He bit his lip, words getting caught on the tip of his tongue. C’mon, Cliff, a really valid contender had given you this opportunity.

 A catch in my throat, choke; Torn into pieces. I won’t, no, I don’t want to be this. But I won’t let this build up inside of me…

 Cliff felt their hearts flutter as she looked up at him. She pushed herself flush against his chest, timidly kissing his lips. He returned the kiss perhaps confidently because underneath he was a nervous wreck, full of question. Did…did this mean she chose him? She…she did kiss Kai as well.

 He trembled as she nipped at his neck, getting a little excited about the possibility. No, no, Cliff, first thing’s first. “U-Uh, Jill?” “Hmm?” “What…what do you think of me—or, I should say…us?”

She pulled away, a startled look on her face. “What? Us?” It…was a very sickening feeling but something had developed that would make him feel remiss not to mention it at all. “I-I would be interested in there being an ‘us’, Jill. I-I know I faltered with Ann at the festival but I’m much more interested in you. You’re…you’re already special to me. It’s different.” “O-Oh” she whispered, her cheeks pinkening. Ugh, but… “But I…I spoke with Kai today, Jill, and I-I genuinely believe he likes you too, okay? I can…I can very much tell you’re special to him too. And he’s been a lot more forward than I have with you. He just…has some hang ups and I don’t think any person should feel like they need to lose out because of some of the issues he has. I-I want to be with you but, if I can be so selfish, I’d like to ask that you think of us both.” Jill stared before swallowing, nodding, “T-That’s a fair request. I’d…I’d probably have asked the same.”

He smiled but he didn’t feel it whatsoever. As far as he knew, he might have just lost what may possibly be the best thing to happen to him by ‘submission’. Just…he didn’t want Jill to see him as the only option because Kai was rightfully concerned. It was an odd sentiment but he just wanted to be sure for multiple people’s sake.

 “Well, I should be getting home…” he replied.

 “Al-all right…I’ll see you tomorrow?” she murmured.

 He nodded and she opened the door for him before closing it behind him He lingered to lean against it, his mind spinning. What had he done? Had he done the right thing? Why was this a game of selflessness?

 ‘Here goes’, Cliff thought weakly, wandering back to the inn and hoping Doug had one more drink in him...

 _____________________________________________________________________

  Yagami Jill walked toward the beach house, hugging herself against a cooler breeze. Summer was ending soon, surprisingly. It’d…been an interesting season. Knocking on the door of the white rental Kai maintained while he was here, she took a deep breath. Okay, here goes.

 Her first adult…something answered, his curly hair tousled over his bandana, wearing his shorts and a t-shirt. “Hey, girly.” “Hey…you busy?” “For you? Nah. Come in. Don’t mind the mess, I’m starting to pack.” Eh? Jill’s eyes widened as, indeed, duffel bags and suitcases were strewn across the floor and stacks of folded clothing where on the small wicker couch. “E-Eh? You’re leaving?” “Yep, when Summer ends here, I go to another Summer place and open up shop there” Kai explained, dropping some sneakers into a black bag. Oh…oh yea, he did mention something like that once. “O-Oh. Y-You’re leaving tonight?” “Two days. The 28th so I can get back to Wensi for my dad’s birthday then head to Nassau. Oh man, I think you’d love it there though. Have you been?” She shook her head to the negative and Kai gushed, “Oh, you have to check it out some time. The Bahamas are just so comfy.” “…Is that an invite?” Kai paused, having been zipping the shoe bag. He slowly looked up at her from where he was crouching before he smiled. “…Could be. How was dinner with you and pretty boy?” “…Informative” she drawled, sitting on the couch as he resumed sorting, “He told me he wanted us to be a thing, if I’m okay with that.”

Kai nodded, not looking at her, “Figured it’d go that direction. What did you tell him?” “Well, it’s more so what he told me.” “Hmm?” Crossing her arms, she gave him a look. She…was torn, really. Just honest to God torn. Cliff had been such a good friend and confidant in the beginning of this new trial. Kai just…he felt comfortable and friendly too. It…it was very complicated. Suddenly, he groaned, “Did he tell you to consider me too?” “Yea.” “Idiot!” Kai scoffed, his nose wrinkling, “Give a guy the chance and now he wants to be chivalrous! Gets on my damn nerves.” Jill pouted as Kai threw the flap over a bag before staring off into space. He was silent for several long moments before standing up and settling beside her. “I think we’d be good together, Jill. I think you’d be everything I’m looking for. Just, it wouldn’t be good for you.” “Because you’re mixed” she glowered, irritated. “That’s one reason, Jill. I mean, it’s not even slightly a good reason. It’s worked for my mom and dad really well, people got over the bias of them specifically. That could be the same thing for us, I know. Just…there’s other things.” “Like?” she hedged, leaning over to look into his face. “I’m not looking to settle down just yet, Jill. I’m not looking for…structure. I don’t want a house just yet or-or foundation. I just want to do my thing for now.” What? Jill pursed her lips, “Kai, I told you, I had no plans. That’s how I ended up here in the first place. Your plan is more of a plan than I have. I could be down for traveling.” Kai smiled at her, “Jill, I’m talking thousands of miles. Miles and miles of water, miles and miles of land—different time zones. And every day we’ve spoken while I’ve been here, you’ve never not once talked about your brothers.” …Oh. She gaped softly as Kai shrugged, “I love my family too, Jill, but the bond I sense from you and yours? It’s different. You may be able to put up with it for a little while but imagine being twelve hours or a day or two away? I think maybe one day you’ll be cool with it but right now? I think you’d regret losing that closeness.” Biting her lip, she rubbed her arm. Right, all…they had were each other, she’d felt that her whole life. “I-I never quite considered that.” “That’s why I did for you” he grinned before appearing somber, “…Date Cliff. That’s the way it was heading before I became a distraction anyway. He’s not a bad guy.” “No…” Kai kissed her temple, murmuring against her skin, “And hey, if it doesn’t work out with him, I’ll be back. We can always revisit.” Jill smirked, tapping him, “You’ll meet a girl out in your travels that’s perfect for you. I’ll just be a distant memory and a stranger by the time you come back.” He smiled warmly at her, his honey brown eyes full of affection, “Nah, never that.” She frowned as he stood, stretching, “Who knows though? You might have a few kids by the time I get back.” “That will not occur” Jill assured, standing as well, “…I do really like Cliff. Like, a lot.” “Your kids would be the super blond” Kai teased. Swatting at him, she smiled and shook her head. “We’ll see. For now, take a walk with me down the beach?” “Of course.” She hugged his waist as they shuffled down the cooling sands, feeling bittersweet that this was coming to an end. She spoke with Popuri earlier and she advised that the Fireworks Festival was at the end of the month. Jill would ask Cliff to that and make damn sure. If Ann popped up there, she’d be pissed.

 Some small part of her was nervous that Ann may be the least of her concerns.

 Kai suddenly squeezed her a little tighter, interrupting her thoughts. She looked up briefly in confusion before following his eyes. A little ways off, near the entrance, was…Rick? He was somewhat looking in their direction and there was not one sign of Karen or anyone he’d usually be with.

“…Jill, seriously, babe, just be careful around him, okay?” “…Of course.” Sounded paranoid but sure. Kai looked in Rick’s direction for a moment before pursing his lips. “…I’m second guessing.” “Hmm?” “…No, no, never mind. I know you’ll be safe” he murmured more to himself than her. Okay, what? She never got the chance to ask him as he requested they go get one last bourbon before he left. They ordered a couple rounds at Doug’s who was side-eying them but didn’t say anything. This was the sort of town she was in, huh? Full of suspicious people filled with false mistrust. If she wasn’t to look out for Duke, she was to look out for Ann. If not Ann, beware of Zach. Also, keep a strong eye on Rick.

 She’d been here for half a year and now, more than ever, she wasn’t sure what she got herself into.

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End Notes: Spoilers and mostly for anyone that’s read the old version or any of the series: So, let me just say, this could have been a disaster. Because, as I was writing for Kai, I really started to like the idea of Kai and Jill together. As I mused over it, the idea became more and more palpable and I was wondering how I could reformulate the entire damn series. The very idea would make every edge of everything I wrote change. But I sure as hell considered it. ‘Three, six, nine’ is the iconic numbers of a childhood classic we had no business listening to. “Get Low” by Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz with the Ying Yang Twins. Lol, good times.

 ‘She seems dressed in all of me’ is Vermillion, Part 2 by the rock group Slipknot. Yasss, Slipknot.