#who knows there's nothing big in the MC world that can do that kind of damage right?

[karlobears]

There is a more mature version I would love nothing more than to post but you know, community filters :)

Not a character, just felt like doodling something after binging both the Live Action One Piece and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

It has been a nice day to let my mind melt and enjoy a little bit of, well. Violence :D

Reblogs are appreciated more than likes <3

[peanutpinet]

BABE!!!! We absolutely need a second part to Little Things, we need to know how their relationship develops and see Sylus fall in lover with reader's soul. PLEASE BABE PLEASE!!!

Welcome to My World - Sylus x Fem Reader (Sequel to Little Things)

Request: Craving for a sequel to this w/ reader actually going back to her world and sylus just defying all odds shshshshs these kinds of fics are so interesting love em <3

A/N: Just a lil something for those who wanted to see what would Sylus be like if he were to actually come out of the screen and into our world (still having his evol but is not addressed). Also if anyone is a Kpop fan, I just want to say, do have a listen to Aespa’s Welcome to My World. It embodies this fic so much and am putting some of the lyrics into the story! I hope you guys enjoy!!

Disclaimer: I do not own the images nor the characters or you (the MC). All images were taken from Pinterest.

Also, if you haven't read Little Things, the "first part" of the story, do have a read. Will be link here. But you don't have to read it and can just read each of these fics seperately

Warnings: Fluff but mainly ANGST, Isekai Theme, Will be Going back and Forth between LADS universe and our universe, slow burn because Sylus is tryna find you :))

Funfact: I remembered the TV Show: Westworld and how the characters of the game gain conciousness when writing this fic

Songs to listen to: NCT Dream - Broken Melodies, Aespa - Welcome to My World, NCT Dream - Like We Just Met

N109 Zone - 01:48 AM

It was in the middle of the night. When all are asleep, people in the N109 zone, those in the shadows have only started to wake up and get on about their day, including Sylus. Slowly awakening from his slumber, Sylus saw the girl that was beside him, fast asleep. Her chest was rising and falling in a steady motion; indicating that she was in a deep sleep.

Smiling to himself, Sylus decided to scootch a bit closer and caressed the girl’s cheek. But as he did, the girl immediately grabbed his wrist tightly and jerked awake. “Who the fuck…w-where am I?!”

Hearing the girl’s words, Sylus knew. “You’re not her…”

Real World - 09:28 AM

You woke up with a pounding headache but slowly regained your consciousness, you noticed how the bed wasn’t as big nor was it as warm as when you were used to. Jerking up, you took in the room you were in. The bright white ceiling was the first thing you see, the smell of alcohol and blood was faint but you could smell it, and then you heard a beeping noise which made you turn and saw that your hand was hooked onto a monitor and an IV drip.

Whipping your head around, you search for your phone until you find it and immediately look at the date when you suddenly get a notification from both Instagram and Twitter mentioning the new update for Love and Deepspace.

“I’m back…” you sobbed yet your fingers glided across the screen of your phone, pressing the game that you swore you were in

As the game loads, you see the cutscenes of all of the characters and can’t help but feel emotionally overwhelmed whenever you see Sylus’ cutscenes.

Once the game loaded and you could hear that cafe jingle along with those familiar red eyes, you tried to see whether or not anything had changed in the game other than the new updates but when you clicked on his tall figure, the lines he said were nothing out of the ordinary. Even in the text message icon, you couldn’t text him like you did when you were in the game.

“Was it all just a dream?”

“Y-you’re awake!!” you heard someone talk and as your eyes looked at the doorframe, it was the nurse

You soon found out that you had been in a coma for a little over 2 weeks yet it felt like you were in the game for 2 months, maybe even more. Your best friends came to visit you every day and now that you’re awake, they were bombarding you with food, life updates, and all.

For once, you actually didn’t feel as lonely as you were when you appeared in the game.

Maybe it truly was all just a dream…

From a distance, a black crow was watching your interaction with your friends from a tree that was just outside of your window. After some time, the crow eventually fled and flew away from the tree.

N109 Zone - 04:18 AM

Sylus was beyond pissed. He took MC to where he took you in the beginning to get your evol and aether core checked but additionally, he wanted to know if you were truly not in the MC’s body. Sylus’ worker questioned as to why he brought MC again to check her evol and aether core, confusing the Onychinus’ leader.

Even when the two came home, the twins didn’t notice any difference from MC. What’s wrong with everyone? You’re not MC and it goes the other way as well. Why were the twins pestering MC who to Sylus, was not you.

“But boss, Miss Hunter and you have known each other for over 2 months now. What do you mean she’s not her?” Luke questioned, genuinely confused at his boss’ attitude

“She’s not. Have you forgotten who taught you both how to cook the simplest meal? The one that bought you those bulletproof vests?” Sylus demanded, something, anything about your sudden disappearance or at the very least, anyone other than him remembering your existence

“It’s Miss Hunter, though?” Kieran replied, making Sylus groan. “Just, leave me alone for the next few days” Sylus left the room and walked past MC who grabbed his wrist, making his brow arch in confusion.

Sighing, Sylus turned to see MC. “What is it that you want?”

“Where are you going? I went through all the trouble to get the N109 zone and I want answers regarding the aether core” MC demanded but Sylus just chuckled and used his evol to remove MC’s hand from his wrist

“You already have the aether core you’re looking for. Why don’t you go back and ask your doctor about that? I have other matters to attend to. Like why are you here instead of her” Sylus mentioned, walking away until MC talked to him

“You’re always mentioning her but you never mentioned her name. Who are you exactly talking about and what does it have to do with me?” MC questioned and this time, Sylus grabbed her by her neck and pinned her to the nearest wall

“Don’t tempt my patience. I only have so much left ever since your attitude shows up instead of something else I want. From here on out, I could care less about your little quest. You can even have that brooch you’re wearing to get in and out of the N109 zone without getting harmed. But I want you to leave. Go back to your doctor, that fish man of an artist, or fake hunter for all I care. When I come back to this place, I hope that you’re not here anymore. Or you’ll hurt even more” Sylus warned, releasing MC as he went who knows where.

Sylus went into his car, the car that you love to drive in. Though you were just a soul in MC’s body, he could immediately tell the two of you apart. What scent do you like, the small trinkets that you would buy to keep his things more organized, some small keychain plushies that he would put on his keys which is in contrast to his scary look.

You might just be a soul that just so happens to be in MC’s body, the body of a person he should’ve been interacting with, the one he should’ve been bound to. But why does his heart feel incomplete? Why does his soul long for your own.

Gripping onto the steering wheel, Sylus looked at the plushie you put in this car. It was a koala, one of your favourite plushies, because you told him that you looked like a koala when Sylus carried you around. “I swore to you that if this were to happen, I would find you. Regardless what happens, I will find a way to get back to you. Our stories’ unfinished, sweetie. Wait for me. I’ll do anything to get back to you”

Real World

It’s been several months since you woke up. You still played the game but not as often anymore. You got a job at your friend’s office as a secretary. It pays well, you and your friend are roommates, life has been going fairly well that you barely played the game that provided you comfort.

One day, however, there was a bouquet of red Carnations mixed with pink Camillas on your desk with a note attached to it. “I hope this gets to you. If this ever reaches you, it means that I’m another step closer to seeing you again. There’s this uneasy feeling I’ve been feeling since you were gone. I promise I won’t stop finding you”

Confused, you asked everyone, including the delivery man who delivered the flowers to you but no one knew where it came from. It didn’t even mention your name and only a description of you.

Brushing it off, you thought it must’ve been some kind of prank until several more flowers reached you. One after another, there were notes along with the flowers which all made your heart clench because whoever this person was, it seemed that either you left a very deep impression on them or this was some sort of stalker.

“Did the first one reach you? I’m getting closer”

“I hope that you’re eating well. Wait for me”

“It seems that you’ve forgotten about me once more. No matter, I’ll be sure to jog your memory once we meet again”

Another year has finally passed and the bouquet and notes kept on coming until you saw the flowers and notes that came in. Instead of the usual red Carnation or pink Camillas or even sometimes Forget me nots, this time it was a bouquet of black and red roses with a note of a familiar handwriting and scent.

“I’ve finally found you. You said that you were worried about me finding the real you but to me, you’re just as perfect as your soul. Your face, your body, it matches your soul perfectly. And even though you might’ve forgotten about me, I assure you that my love for you is still the same like we just met. Perhaps in the game, I would allow you to go live your life without me because it’s safer for you. But here, looking at you, I can feel myself coming alive once more. Whether you try to move on, I know that there’s a lingering feeling behind your pretty head thinking of the possibility. And you would be correct, sweetie. I’m fulfilling my promise to you. For there is no love greater than mine.

P.S: we should thank Mephisto for always managing to find you when I couldn’t

-Sylus”

You were in shock. Sure, there was a small voice, hidden behind all your to-dos, your schedules, your wants, likes, needs. A faint voice telling you of the possibility that perhaps Sylus was the one to send you all those flowers and notes but you were in your world, the real world. You would lock that faint voice and never think about it again. You were realistic. There was no way that a fictional 3D man would send you all of that.

And Mephisto? He’s a bird. A mechanical bird that is tied with Sylus. Everything seemed ridiculous. You couldn’t think straight for the rest of the day until your boss called you for a sudden meeting outside of the office and at a restaurant.

The restaurant was filled with high-class people, some were doing business with another while others were simply finding ways to spend their money. Suddenly, it reminded you of the time when you were in MC’s body and Sylus would take the two of you out to dinner.

Remembering Sylus, the flowers, and the note, you decided to excuse yourself to the restroom but in reality, you decided to log into the very game you downloaded to seek comfort. The nostalgia was coming back. They made a new update and introduced a new male character. Once your game loads, Sylus is still in the game and when you poke him, thinking that he’ll respond like how he would when a player hasn’t logged in for so long, he surprises you.

“You’re probably wondering why am I not responding to you in a way that you expect. Well, why don’t you check my messages on the message feature, sweetie?” Sylus mentioned and immediately, you went to open the message feature in the game and once again, you were shocked with what you read on the screen that you had to cover your mouth.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it, kitten? I’m sad that you’ve forgotten about me but I’m genuinely happy with how you’re living your life so far”

“But if I were to tell you that I want to be apart of your life here, would you accept me?”

You were given the chance to answer him, to reply to this sudden message but your boss had already called you back and unfortunately, you had to go back to the table and sit beside your boss.

As you were about to sit down, you heard that familiar soothing voice that always calms your nerves; especially when you’re in the N109 zone. “Is this your secretary that we’ve been waiting for?”

Immediately, you looked up and met with those soft bright red eyes behind small glasses. The white hair you’ve gone through with your fingers was styled like how you first met him. The figure sitting in front of you was wearing a soft grey sweater and black jeans.

And that smile, that smile that you’re so used to seeing everyday is now showing in front of you again. “Pleased to meet you, sweetheart. Shall we begin the meeting?”

Throughout the meeting, you tried your best to pay attention and jot down all the notes you needed. You struggled for a moment and even towards the end, you stutter your thank you and goodbyes until the white-hair man called you.

“Waiting for someone, sweetie?” you heard that damn voice as you could feel all hairs on your skin stand up

Turning around, you finally got a good look at him. All of his 190cm height was towering over your figure. Your actual real-life self and not the MC you created in the game.

On one side, you wanted to talk, to question him if all of this was just another one of those visions you used to have. On the other, you wanted to jump at the man in front of you. To cry in his arms as he holds you close. But nothing. You were frozen in your spot as this Sylus look-alike smirked at you and held his index out which suddenly a black crow rest on.

“Is, is that…” you managed to utter, making the man in front of you chuckle

“Mephisto. An actual crow this time” he said, extending his hand out so the black crow was within your reach

Extending your own index out, the black crow, Mephisto went onto your index and you instinctively stroke its head. “We never stop looking for you, you know”

You look up to see those eyes that once were filled with rage now filled with sadness. Sighing, you tried to remind yourself that this is the real world, not your game.

“I'm sorry, sir. You must've gotten the wrong person. I don't think we’ve met before this meeting today. Your bird must be very friendly to have gone on another person’s hand” you mentioned, intending to return the black crow, still not believing that the man and bird in front of you are who you think they are

But instead, the man in front of you turned and took something from his pocket. “Is that so? Well then either you don’t want to remember what we’ve been through or Mephisto might’ve gotten the wrong person. Then how about we reintroduce ourselves to one another?”

“I’m Sylus, this is Mephisto. We were from a faraway land called the N109 zone. For the past year, I've been building my multimillion security tech company” Sylus mentioned, extending his hand out, revealing the brooch that you once wore as a promise to Sylus to stay by him

Shocked to see the brooch, you stutter at your words but Sylus noticed this and gently took one of your hands which you didn’t deny. “I meant what I said and I’m keeping my promise. My only regret is I couldn’t come find you sooner”

“H-how? This has got to be a joke. You’re not real. You’re not actually here. I must be dreaming again. I’m going mad” you started to lose your mind but Sylus pulled you into a hug

“Tell me this isn’t real then. Tell me that you don’t see me. Tell me that you don’t feel this warmth we both have wanted for a long time. Tell me you don’t want this and I’ll gladly walk away from you so that you can continue to live your life as is but don’t expect me not to want to be a part of your life. Don’t think that even if I walk away today, I won’t try my best to still keep an eye on you” Sylus stated, whispering into your ear, kissing right below your ear

Taking in his calming leather scent, you slowly sob in Sylus’ chest as he strokes your head, calming you. “You’re such a stubborn crow” you finally hug Sylus, indirectly accepting him back into your life

“I know. But it’s worth it. I finally get back to you. Though I can’t offer you as much as I would when we were in the N109 zone, I do promise you that I will be here this time. I’m not letting you go that easily. So, you’re willing to let me back?” Sylus asked, making you chuckle

“Welcome to the real world, my world, Sylus” you said, getting on your tiptoe to give his cheek a kiss but instead, Sylus turned his head, held your neck and leaned for an actual kiss

A/N: Ngl, I was simping over my own writing of this. Where can we find an irl Sylus T^T

[yoongihan]

You Left A Mark - LYB - OneShot

pairing: felix x female reader

genre: smut, angst, fluff

romantic trope: soulmates (inspiration from this reel)

word count: 10k

rating: M for smut, a little language

warnings: cursing, penetrative sex (unprotected), kissing, cuddling, so much touching but it's FELIX, an excessive amount of felix admiration, mc is a reporter and i make up all of that because i know nothing, ages are never mentioned but felix is a few years younger than mc, mc is shorter than felix, silly use of skz song titles for the names of venues. i can't think of anything else that might need a headsup, please let me know if i've missed something.

a/n: fic #2 in skz as romantic tropes collab with @jl-micasea-fics. the soulmate trope i use is one i encountered here (it's a great fic and i'd highly recommend it) and i have no idea if it originated anywhere else. don't click if you don't want to be spoiled, my fic explains how it works about half way through.

--

It was, in appearance, just another work day like any other. 

In truth, just another work day tended to be not like any other work day as your job entailed reporting the news, which means you could be anywhere in the city in any kind of situation. Your job probably seems exciting to the regular person, but more often than not, it’s dealing with the news anchors’ larger than life egos and your producer not allowing you to cover much more than fluff pieces. 

You like fluff pieces, you do. The world is a big hot mess of negativity and darkness and reporting on a child who saved a hamster is definitely a small bright light in that void. But you also care about the dark things, the horrors big and small that need to be announced so that maybe someone can do something about them. 

But you aren’t there yet. According to your boss and her boss. You are still growing as a reporter, as a television personality (wtf?), and the latest showdown at the courthouse is to be covered by seasoned professionals.

Not little you and your four years of effort and hard work (not even counting the internship). 

But you digress. 

You’re in front of the newest coffeehouse in one of the smaller neighborhoods. Taste is the simple name and it looks more like a sleek, modern cocktail bar than a cozy coffee shop. Austere and intimidating if you aren’t someone who can look put together (which you often aren’t).

“So for those interested in a new type of caffeine experience,” You start to close your segment after speaking with the owner and manager. “This place is definitely for you. The coffee mocktails themselves would require multiple visits before you try them all. So come by and have a ‘Taste.’” You smile as brightly as you can despite the cringe-worthy pun, but before your cameraman (one of your favorite humans on the planet, Chan) can call cut, you are bowled into by someone running past. 

Part of your professional attire sometimes includes heels and as it is a particularly nice day that doesn’t require too much traversing, you wear heels. Which give no stability when being bumped by someone careening down the street. 

“Hey!” you hear Chan say but you can only concentrate on trying to keep upright (a losing battle) and you hold onto the microphone because compared to your body, the mic will cost more to replace.

But you don’t fall. You don’t feel the hard smack of the concrete against your skin. 

Hands are wrapped around your upper arms, grip firm and steady.

“You okay?” 

You try to regain your balance, find your footing in these insensible but pretty heels. “I’m okay, I'm fine.” You turn your head to see your would-be rescuer and have to blink a few times. 

Okay, freckles.

He smiles. This guy of probably mid-twenties, warm russet eyes, with black hair is smiling at you once you’re standing on your own merit. He releases you, but not without a quick pat as though to say ‘there you go, you got it’. 

“Thank you.”

His cheeks redden. “Oh, um, you’re welcome.” There’s an accent to his words, but you’re still rather gobsmacked by the entire exchange to place it.

“You alright?” Chan has moved to the both of you, eyes quickly inspecting you as though you might hide any injuries even though you didn’t fall. “It was some kid.”

There’s a deep sigh from your rescuer. “Yeah, he stole some of the chocolates we keep by the POS.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I…well, it’s just chocolate.” His smile is less brilliant and more sheepish. “He probably needed it.”

“Chocolate is not a necessity,” you reply immediately, but then pause and rethink your words.

“It might be.” He smiles again. “It’s pretty good chocolate.”

You shrug. “That’s fair…wait, we caught a crime on camera?” you ask Chan. “Amazing.” You brush yourself off even though you really aren’t covered in debris because again, you didn’t actually fall. But this guy’s attention is throwing you off just a bit.  

“I caught you nearly falling on your face,” Chan says before laughing at your glare. “I’ll edit it out.”

“Whatever,” You aren’t really annoyed because it’s Chan and you did nearly fall on your face. “Thank you, again, Mr….”

“I’m Felix,” your rescuer says. “I work here.” He reaches out to move a wayward piece of your hair out of your eyes, his finger brushing along your cheekbone. It makes you pause in your attempt at gratitude because you’re not really bothered. Like he’s a stranger and is touching you and you don’t mind? Because he has a nice, sweet face? “Sorry, you had some hair…”

You can sense Chan moving away, packing up the camera, leaving you relatively alone with this person. 

“It’s okay, it’s fine,” You stutter a little because you’re off your game. “Felix. At some point, I owe you a drink.” 

“Oh no, it’s not a–”

“I owe you a drink.” You smile, though it’s your television smile because you need to be professional even if you feel the least professional. “Even if it’s just a coffee.” You gesture to Taste. “If you want.”

The smile returns in full. “Yeah, okay. I’m here most days.” His lips part like he might say more, but he doesn’t. Nor do you. 

It’s nice just looking at him. The sun-warmed skin that contrasts with the inky black of his hair and eyebrows. He’s taller than you, but there’s no intimidation factor in the difference. He feels like someone you could meet anywhere and approach without worry.

You bet he gets great tips as a barista. Imagine walking in to get a coffee and that luminescent smile. 

You hear Chan call your name in an attempt to get you to head back to the studio. It shakes you out of the strange reverie this stunning, deep-voiced person has you in. 

“Well, I guess I’ll see you.”

He waves as you walk away before tucking his hands into his back pockets, rocking on the balls of his feet. It’s now that you notice that he wears the half-apron other employees were wearing, black pants and emerald shirt (a t-shirt, but like a really nice one). You glance back once you’re in the news van with Chan who chuckles.

“Isn’t he a bit young for you?”

You look back at the road and huff. “Aren’t you a little too interested?” You grab a granola bar out of your bag and take a bite, sighing happily. 

“Not at all. I haven’t seen you look at anyone like that though.”

“God, he’s cute, alright. And saved my job because I doubt I could keep reporting with a broken face.” 

“Methinks the lady doth protest too–”

“I can murder you, you know,” you interrupt. “No one would suspect because I know things. I’ve watched a lot of Criminal Minds.”

He presses his lips together, but is grinning. “Ooooo, scary.”

“Exactly.” You roll your eyes, your mind briefly leaving the cute barista and returning to all that is work. 

–

When you get home that night, he pops into your brain again. The pretty, voice as deep as the ocean, Felix. 

But not for the normal reasons one would ponder a good-looking acquaintance. 

He pops into your brain when you undress in your bathroom in order to take a much desired shower. In the corner of your eye, you see your reflection when you remove your shirt. There, in marked contrast to your skin, is the beginnings of the darkest bruise you’ve ever seen. 

“What the–” You turn to examine it better, spooked by it when you had no memory of bumping into anything that hard. Your other arm shows a similar discoloration, in a similar area. 

In fact, it almost looks like something left by a tight hand grip.

You roll your eyes at your own reflection. It hadn’t felt like he’d held you that hard, but you could bruise pretty easily, so of course, Felix, the fae-looking barista, grabbing you to keep from planting into the sidewalk would leave a mark. No big deal.

You pull your hair back as it is not hair-washing day, and then quickly use make-up remover on your face. You are stopped again by your reflection.

On your cheek, not as dark or as prominent, there is the slight darkening of another bruise.

You push a piece of your hair out of the way as you move closer to the mirror to see it clearer. As you do, it sparks the memory of Felix moving your hair and how you’d felt the brush of his finger keenly.

“But…like, a bruise?” Talking to your reflection isn’t a thing you do, but today really has been a weird day. You press it and wince. It does pinch a bit. Nothing worse than the time you ran into the sliding glass doors at your family’s home as a child. Nothing topped that fiasco and subsequent pain. 

Dismissing it as your body being more sensitive than usual, you hopped in the shower and soon went to bed after that. Your dreams are filled with a strange scenario of chasing after croissants and them being sucked into a hole in the sky. 

–

It’s two days later when you find yourself at Taste again. You aren’t sure if it’s just Felix who’s stuck in your brain, or the fact that the bruises you see when you wipe off your makeup and undress at night makes you remember meeting him; therefore, he’s just there, hanging around in your memory which is distracting. 

You tell yourself you just need some coffee that isn’t out of the ancient coffeemaker at the station. 

You can’t really buy him a drink unless you have his number or something after all.

The list of excuses and rationalizations you’re coming up with is concerning. 

You walk in and smile at the person behind the counter, trying to look for your rescuer without looking like you’re looking. The barista smiles at you as you place your order for a Fiery Redhead (salted caramel breve latte with a hint of cayenne) and you go to sit at an empty table by the window. You know you should ask if he’s working or coming in later, but you also just sort of want to not do much of anything for a few minutes. Work is very intense even on days you aren’t recording. News never stops whether it’s life-changing or just a cat stuck in a tree (life-changing for the cat), and you spend most of your off-work time catching up on stuff around your apartment or sleeping. 

You’re staring out the window, watching the cars pass, people drift by, and you aren’t sure where you go, but when you hear a slight noise, you jump and see a mug topped with curlicues of latte art. You look up the arm attached to see Felix smiling apologetically. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

You feel your skin heat at his attention on you. You’ve thought about him quite a bit in the last forty-eight hours, assuming that maybe your fascination is due to that imagination of yours. But no…he’s really that lovely to look at. 

The freckles are particularly still eye-catching. 

“I just zoned out.” 

He’s wearing the uniform, though no apron. 

“Are you on break?”

“Haven’t quite clocked in yet,” he swallows. “Saw you…kinda thought you might be here because of me.”

On anyone else that could sound arrogant, but his voice is incredibly gentle and the lilt up at the end of his words frames it hopeful; a tiny question. 

“I am. You thought right.” You gesture to the chair across from you. “Hard to buy you a drink when I don’t know how to get a hold of you, except show up creepily at your job.”

As he sits, he’s chuckling, tugging on the foodsafe opaque plastic gloves encasing his hands. You notice them and it triggers something in your brain, but before you can follow that path, he speaks:

“I figured with your connections being a reporter, you could find out everything about me in mere minutes.”

You smile. “I’m so flattered you think that I have really good connections.”

“You don’t?”

“I’m still kinda low in the newsroom hierarchy.” You rest your chin in your hand. “How long do you have before your shift?”

He glances up behind you, presumably at a clock. “Ten minutes.”

“Early.”

“I hate rushing if I can avoid it.” He looks back at you and you take a second to marvel at the rich brown of his eyes. 

He is stupid pretty. 

“So…” you begin, trying not to be too direct (hazards of the job). “Is barista-ing something you’ve done before here?”

He nods. “Yeah, though this is a lot fancier than where I was before.” He shrugs. “I'm in school, so it helps pay the bills. And I like serving people.”

“School? For what?” You thought he might be young, but how young?

“Culinary. Baking specifically.” He smiles, the warmth just lighting him up. 

“That’s so cool.” You lean closer. “I am a passable cook, like enough to follow a basic recipe and feed myself, maybe buy cookie batter on days I need a sweet, but that’s the extent. If a recipe says to fold in something, I run away in fear.” His answering chuckle warms you more than the latte (though it is very good), all the way to your toes. “Do you love it? Even though it’s school?”

The skin between his freckles turns pink. “Yeah…I enjoy it. Both learning the traditional rules, and getting to experiment.”

“Do you get to experiment here?” You point toward the shelves of pastries. You’d been tempted by at least three. Maybe you’ll give in before you leave. 

“A little. When he’s feeling generous and doesn’t think I’ll screw it up.”

That’s a story you want to hear, but you file it away for later. Maybe when you get him that drink. 

“What about you?” he asks, derailing your thoughts. “Always wanted to do the news?”

You straighten up and gesticulate aimlessly. “Kinda. I think I wanted to do more print journalism in the beginning. But you have to do both in school and I was good at speaking clearly and on the fly, so I stuck with broadcasting.”

“What do you like about it?” Now he rests his chin in his hand, winces before then straightening. The pained expression makes you want to reach out and check on him. You aren’t uncompassionate or anything, but the immediate concern for this near-stranger is unusual.

Maybe it’s because he looks like taking care of him would be nice. Like to curl up with him on the couch someday and watch a movie together. You bet his hair is soft and playing with it would be so nice. Maybe he’d look up at you with those big eyes and ask you for a kiss, his voice all rumbly and–

Uhhhh, maybe you should not fantasize like that. 

“It feels important. Even when perhaps it’s not. I get to meet people and learn things I wouldn’t in a ‘normal’ job or ‘normal’ life.” 

“Makes sense.” 

You watch him look back at the clock and then sigh.

“Work?”

“Work.” He opens his hand. “I’ll give you my number? If you still want to–”

“I do.” Maybe a little too eager. “I mean, you are under no obligation if you don’t want to.” You pull out your phone and unlock it before handing it over.

“I do.” He says it simply and you wonder if he’s mildly as fascinated by you as you are by him. “I do, too.” His nose scrunches up as he types in his number, and it’s adorable.

“Okay.” 

He hands you your phone back and smiles at you. “Okay then.” He starts to stand, pressing his hands on the table to aid him and he grimaces. “Ow.”

“You okay?” The concern, again, you feel is bigger than it should be, but that’s another thing you file away for the time being. “Did you hit your knee?”

“No, I…” He is looking at his hands then at you, and you feel like he’s searching for something as he gazes at you. “It’s nothing.”

You must come up short. 

“I better…” He jerks a thumb toward the coffee bar. “I’ll hear from you?”

“Yeah.” You are still intrigued and concerned and a whole lot of other things, so you just force a smile to your lips. “Have a good shift, Felix.”

“Thanks.” He walks over to the bar, grabbing an apron to tie around his hips (why does that emphasize his narrow frame so much and why does that affect you?) and greets the other barista. You look back out the window, taking another sip of your drink (it’s really very good, especially with the heat of the cayenne) and try not to look back at him. 

But you do. You watch him as he greets each customer, that smile bright like stars. You watch as he moves around with the other barista in the small space, like a choreographed dance for two; opening a cabinet for something, closing it with his hip or foot as he moves to the espresso machine, spinning the knob to steam the milk. 

He speaks with a customer as he makes their drink, laughing without slowing down his work. He sets the paper cup in front of them, showing off the latte art you think, before covering it with the plastic lid. The customer takes it, with a smile almost as brilliant as Felix’s. He waves goodbye before glancing over at you.

You smile, embarrassed at being caught staring, but his tiny grin is shy and cute, and he gets back to making the next drink. 

There’s a quick rush in the thirty minutes that you spend there. A queue of ten people, several who are in a hurry and speak with sharp, short words. 

One even berating the other barista for not inputting her order quickly enough.

Felix comes to the side of his coworker, speaking calmly to the customer; not smiling, but not frowning. 

You wish you could hear what he says, but the lowness of his voice makes that difficult. The perturbed customer doesn’t look too pleased, but does seem to back off. Felix makes her drink and sends her on her way. 

He walks back over to his colleague, eyes searching and you know, you just know that he’s checking in. Making sure. 

Caring.

You glance at the dregs of your latte, surprised at how much you feel you know this person. You don’t. You know you don’t, but there are things about him that feel familiar. That feel safe, like maybe instead you could curl up in his arms, he could play with your hair, you could ask to kiss him, taste those curved, pink lips and–

You stand up rather abruptly, taking your mug and setting it on the marked table for dishes.

“Bye!”

You turn to see him looking bewildered but bidding you a farewell. You think you smile, but you just nod and hurry away. 

Good thing there’s a bit of traffic on the way back to the station. You need a moment or ten to calm down. 

–

It’s a few days before you actually message Felix and make plans. Work is relentless as the local election is days away and both candidates for commissioner seem to believe that character attacks on the other is the best way to convince people to vote for you. 

There was almost a fist fight yesterday. You also forgot to eat, which you didn’t realize until breakfast the next day. Perhaps your stomach shrunk because you could only do a small yoghurt in wake of not eating for a day. Despite the printed expiration date, you think it might have been spoiling already. It tasted tangy.

As you get ready for your…you’re just gonna call it a date and not overthink about it…, you see the bruises and they seem darker which makes little sense to you. You’ve bumped them a few times and it hurt, but no more or less than a normal bruise.

The bruise on your face is darker too, but your foundation and concealer does a good job of lessening the contrast so most of the time it looks like an oddly placed shadow. 

But you feel like it’s a thing. Something you can’t quite figure out. And you will, once the election and campaign stuff is over and perhaps you’ll have a bit more free time. 

But tonight is a date. A something with Felix. Who you have texted a couple times beyond the mere matching of your schedules. His schooling is at night four times a week. You imagine working a shift then going to class must be exhausting. You spent your undergrad years in class and in the library for work study. Not on your feet for eight hours or more, serving person after person. 

Wow, you are creating a traumatic story for him. He might really love both. 

He is excessively positive in his messages. He diatribes one night about nailing baumkuchen (you have to google that to understand what it is and why it’s hard) finally in class. 

He’s really proud of that grade. And though you had nothing to do with it, you’re really proud of him too. 

Something about him is just inviting, the opening of a door and a wave to come in. 

You arrive at Back Door, a relatively less popular bar than Up All Night, which is where you would normally grab a drink after work with your colleagues if you were feeling social (which is about 50% of the time post-work). You’ve not been to Back Door yet, but just walking in makes you smile. Everything looks like a hotel lobby with big couches and large tables to stand at. The art on the walls is a mixture of traditional and modern. The red and black color scheme is daring.

Not a place to get cozy, but a place to make an impression. 

Do you want to make an impression on Felix? Maybe.

You walk to the bar, finding a spot in between well-dressed people. You wait your turn for one of the two bartenders to find you and as you often do, you watch people and imagine what their lives might be like. 

“Hey.”

You jump at his voice (how do you forget how freakin’ deep it is every time?) and then you get his laugh.

“I keep scaring you. Sorry.” He squeezes in next to you and you get a new image of him. Dressed in ripped black jeans and a pale pink button-down shirt with black tie loosened. 

He is…delectable.

You shake your head to his comment as well as the path your thoughts are going. 

“I just zone out a lot.”

He moves closer, his ear toward you so he can hear better. You repeat yourself and he nods before turning back so his eyes can look into yours. 

Damn, that’s powerful. 

“Where do you go?” he asks. “When you zone out?” 

Do you admit that you regularly think about people you don’t know and make up backstories for them? You think that maybe he won’t judge you too harshly.

“I–” You cut yourself off when he lifts his hand to try and get the bartender’s attention. He’d had on gloves the last time you saw him, but he doesn’t now.

And the insides of his hand is dark. Like a bruise covering the length of his index finger across the palm to his thumb. 

As though he’d grabbed something (someone) and bruised himself. 

You don’t think to check for consent, but grab his hand, peering at the marks then you take his other. It doesn’t register that he just lets you, not even saying a word about your impoliteness. 

“Felix,” you say slowly. “You…” You look up and he’s looking at your arms which are covered by three-quarter length sleeves. You’ve been intentional about not highlighting that you look like you’ve gone through a round with a MMA fighter. You nod at the question in his eyes. 

What’s the point of lying? And to lie to Felix feels beyond wrong.

“Let’s get that drink and talk, huh?” he offers, tugging away from your hold to wave down the bartender. Your brain feels like it’s frozen, like a computer that has glitched so badly no matter what key you press, it’s unresponsive.

“What do you like?” Felix asks you softly, which helps your brain function just a bit. The bartender is there as well, waiting.

“Whatever you’re having.”

He nods, seeming to know that you are processing intensely at the moment. A few seconds pass, you trying to logic why bruises on him and you mean something, but you’ve got nothing when he nudges you with his elbow and lifts his chin to indicate you both should find somewhere to sit. 

You follow him, blindly, as he weaves through the weekend crowd, finding a small table in a far corner where the music and talk is muted. He sits, laying the two wine glasses on the table. You scoot in across from him, staring at the wine wine ripple in the glass before settling. 

“Can I see?”

You meet his gaze and shrug a yes, knowing what he’s asking. You shove up one of your sleeves, inadvertently pressing the bruise which makes you inhale sharply. He leans forward, hand reaching out to hold your arm carefully. 

“Fuck. That’s dark.” He lightly rubs his thumb over it, gentle. “I’m sorry.”

“I wouldn’t have thought much about it,” you begin, feeling content with him touching you, even though he’s the one who left bruises. He’s warm, not just in temperature, but it’s like he emits a toasty energy that flows into you. It’s odd, but you like it. “Because I bruise pretty easily, and you did keep me from busting my face. But…” You touch the bruise on your cheek. “You barely touched me here.” 

He follows your motion and peers closer. You actually stare back into his eyes, sparkly as they are with the bar’s array of lights. 

“Fuck.”

His second cursing makes you smile even if you don’t understand why. Maybe it’s because his freckles and generally soft demeanor make him seem innocent; i.e. not someone going around using the f-word so easily. 

You’re also really enjoying the skin to skin contact. You weren’t even cold, but his touch feels secure, sheltering. Like you’re in an oversized armchair with a cup of tea, reading on a thunderstorm night. 

“Do you know what it is?” His demeanor makes you think that he knows more than you, and you have to admit, you’re bothered that you’re so clueless right now. You’re used to being the smarter person on a date. 

Which explains why you don’t date much and have been single for nearly two years now. 

“I…no. I didn’t realize you had them too.” You sigh, and trace the marks on his hand that isn’t holding you. You don’t question the intimacy as you’re pretty sure whatever is going on is not a normal interaction with a man you only barely know, even if he is pretty. “Work has been slammed…I was going to go to the doctor if they didn’t fade soon.”

“They won’t. I mean, not on their own.” He stares at the mark on your arm. “Not without me.”

It’s like he’s talking in riddles. “Felix. What do you know?”

He lets go and you shiver as though a cold front blew through the bar, at you specifically. He takes the wine glass and sips it, closing his eyes as though he’s savoring it. 

He must like wine because it seems like minutes upon minutes that he keeps his eyes closed.

“Look…” He opens his eyes and you are floored by how much pain echoes there. The same eyes that sparkled seconds ago. “You have questions and I think, think, I know the answers, but…fuck…this means–” He breaks off, dropping his head. 

Is he crying?

“Felix….” You reach out, burdened, and place your hand over his. He jolts at your touch, but doesn’t pull away. He slots his fingers in between yours. “Please tell me what’s wrong? Can I help?” 

“I need to go. I knew what it was. I just wanted it not to be true.” His voice cracks and he looks up, eyes welling. There’s a quiver in his lips, like maybe he wants to smile or maybe he wants to cry, or maybe it’s both. “I just need some time?” He stands up, leaving his glass and leaving your touch. 

“But…?” What the fuck is going on?

He’s next to you, leaning down so your faces are close. You catch your breath. 

“Soulmates. Look up soulmates.” He presses his mouth to your cheek before tearing away and disappearing in the ever-growing crowd. You stand up, to do something; call him back, chase after him…something. But he’s gone and you sit down again, staring at the two wine glasses. You take a sip of yours and grimace.

It just doesn’t taste quite right.

–

You take a cab home because you drink your wine, his, and order two cocktails (they all taste odd, but honestly it doesn’t matter by the time you get the first cocktail, you are such a lightweight). It’s dumb but you spend two hours at a bar, using Google on your phone. 

At a bar. On a Friday night.

You get approached at least three times by someone either intent on chatting you up, or getting your coveted spot at the table. You basically ignore these approaches because you are intent. 

Soulmates.

That’s what he’d said and though normally you would laugh derisively at the mere use of that term in anything other than some cliched romantic film, you find that the moment he said it, your heart felt like it was being squeezed in a tight grip.

So you search ‘soulmates’ which yields more links and pieces of information than you are willing to wade through. 

You type in ‘bruises soulmates’ and that narrows it way down.

When you touch the first time, it leaves a mark; something similar to a bruise, but far more distinct. This is your soulmate. 

“I met mine, because we ran into each other on the train. Literally. My hip is black and blue. How do I find them?”

The marks take hours to show up, so you have to retrace your steps to find them. Chances are they’re looking for you too. 

“I can’t eat any more. It tastes like licking the inside of a dumpster.”

Food and drink will lose its pleasurable taste. It’ll become disgusting, revolting. 

“I’ve sent out messages on all SNS. It’s been a week. The hospital keeps pumping fluids, but it’s not working. Someone please help me!”

The only way to survive is to be with your soulmate. Skin to skin contact for hours if you are sick or hurting. Not as long if it’s just daily need. You will no longer need food or drink. Water will be the only thing palatable.

You stumble out of the bar, Uber app open on your phone. The air outside is heavy from late summer humidity and it’s like you can’t catch your breath.

If you don’t find your soulmate, you will starve to death.

You can starve to death. You’re not even thirty years old yet, and death is now something more likely than ever.

You look at your arm, the sleeve still pushed up from earlier. 

He doesn’t have very big hands, you muse. The mark is actually lighter and you realize that the little amount of contact you had with him has already started to heal. 

Holy fuck.

Your Uber shows up and you practically throw yourself into the backseat as though someone nefarious is chasing you. 

“You alright?” the driver asks, glancing back. “You run here?”

You are panting, your breath short from the magnitude of what you’ve just found out. Part of your brain denies it all. Surely this is bullshit. Soulmates, touch, inevitable death for those who lose their person.

It can’t be true. 

But what you thought was just hormones when he touched you tonight; the warmth, the comfort, the irresistible draw…

You’ve dated. You’ve fucked. You’ve had men who looked great and those who looked less so. No one affects you the way the quiet-eyed, deep-voiced barista has in three encounters. 

You give the driver your address and force yourself to stop looking at your phone before you get more nauseated, and look out the window. 

You need to sleep before you can tackle whatever the fuck this is. 

– 

It strikes you two days later. You go through the weekend researching everything you can, or pointedly turning off your phone and your laptop in order to clean your apartment and reorganize your kitchen. 

You look at the set of pots that you got two years ago because you wanted nicer, matching ones and now, you aren’t going to need them.

You’d been able to stomach one egg this morning, the desire for food already waning. You wonder if going to get your favorite donuts would be good, if life-changing information warranted donuts.

It hits you then. 

Felix wants to be a baker. 

And he’s going to lose his sense of taste. 

You sink down to the floor of your kitchen with the weight of that revelation. You lean back against the lower cabinets and let that take hold.

By meeting you, Felix can’t pursue his dream. 

You barely know him, but you know enough to understand perhaps a tenth of the loss he must be feeling knowing that he’s going to lose what he wanted to do with his life. 

You did this. By nearly falling over, you have changed the direction of his life. 

You enjoy food, and the loss of it isn’t something you’re looking forward to, but it doesn’t change your job or your life. 

You cover your face when you realize that you’re crying. 

It’s your fault. 

You cry for longer than one would for a near-stranger before you force yourself back to your feet. You trudge toward your bedroom, seeking your phone that you’ve put on silent and plugged in. There are notifications for work, for social platforms, from your mom. 

You don’t check them, but you search out the chat between you and your…

Soulmate. 

<<I am so sorry. 

What else can you say? There is nothing you can do because unless every source you’ve found online about this phenomenon is wrong and lying, the ball is rolling and nothing can stop it. 

You set your phone back down, sitting on the edge of your bed. There’s a window across from you and the view is simply the brick building next to your apartment complex. There is nothing to really look at, but the simplicity of the brick, the gradient of burgundies and reds with beige caulk between is a lot easier to make sense of than anything else right now.

Your phone vibrates. 

>>It’s not your fault.

There’s hardly anything you can say. You can state that it is. It is your fault. Without touching you, he’d go on with his life, pursuing his dreams like everyone should get to.

&lt;<Regardless. I am. Very very sorry.

You don’t expect to hear from him. You set your phone aside, noticing that your hands are shaking. You feel exhausted, like the crying you’ve indulged in has drained you. Maybe you’re coming down with something. 

Or maybe it’s something else. Something soulmate.

>>Can I come by?

You type out yes before you think through it fully. You send him your address and close your phone before getting back up to go to the bathroom and look at yourself.

Maybe it’s silly to make sure you don’t look like someone who has fought dust bunnies and lost, but you think that showering wouldn’t be amiss. 

It’s a half hour later when there's a knock on your door. You’ve already buzzed him in, so it’s not that you’re unprepared to see him, but really, how would anyone be able to prepare for the groveling you want to do when you see him. 

He stands in your doorway, eyes wide and you chastise yourself for changing because he obviously had no qualms, dressed in sweatpants, and a creased t-shirt. He looks terribly soft with rumpled hair, light wrinkles on his cheek from sleeping. 

There are dark smudges of weariness under his eyes. 

“I’m so–” you begin because surely apologizing profusely will relieve a little of the guilt you feel. He doesn’t let you finish, but strides in and wraps his arms around you. He’s got several inches of height on you (lack of heels) and rests his chin on top of your head. He closes the door with his foot, falling back on it, his hold on you firm. 

“You don’t need to say you’re sorry,” he whispers. “It’s not your fault.”

“Kind of is. If we’d never touched…” The heat of him warms you through, as though you were icy but didn’t know it until touching him. 

It’s uncanny, how much better you feel just by being in his arms. Soulmate or not, you think that anyone would be better receiving a hug from him.

“I could have let you fall. So I’m just as responsible.”

You feel your eyes well up, your throat constrict with grief. “But you were just being nice. That’s all. And this is your reward.” You bury your face into his shoulder, noting how bony he is and how nice he smells, like cookies. “I’m so so fucking sorry.”

You’re crying into his shirt and it’s embarrassing, but you can’t seem to stop. You feel his hand stroke your back, soothing. 

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.”

There’s a rumble against you, he’s chuckling. You lift your head to look up at him. He smiles sadly, releasing his hold to wipe under your eyes. 

“You’re stubborn.”

“And you’re too nice. I would fix it, if I could. I would give you back–” He kisses you. 

Oh. My. God.

If touching him casually or even being in his arms is comforting, kissing him is that feeling amped up to eleven. You actually feel light-headed and dizzy like you’re back at the bar drinking too much wine. 

He presses one small kiss to the corner of your lips before drawing away. You whimper to lose that caress, but he keeps his arms around you like he knows you need it. He rests his head on the door, eyes fixed on you. 

“Wow,” you breathe. 

There’s a slight quirk of his lips, like he wants to laugh, but won’t at the moment. 

You realize both of you are still standing in your little foyer so you draw away, but his hands tighten. 

“I was just…just gonna invite you in.”

“That’s okay. I just…” He takes a deep breath. “Don’t let go?” You peer at him, seeing that the dark under his eyes has already lessened.

You nod, adjusting so your hand encloses around his. You lead him into your apartment, watch him as he looks around, eyes still wide, but seemingly less panicked now. You sit on your two person couch that is opposite your television. He sits next to you, looking at your bookshelves, covered in photo frames, books, knick-knacks from places you’ve gotten to go for work. 

“I have to ask,” you say, making him look over at you. “What are you thinking? Right now?”

“I…I feel a little out of place,” he replies, glancing down at your clasped hands. “You have a real job and a nice place and I’m just a barista, trying to get a certificate.” The mention of his schooling makes you tighten your grip and he squeezes back, still not looking at you. “Makes me wonder if the universe screwed up.”

“I don’t think that’s fair.”

He looks up then. 

“You are this beautiful, ridiculously kind human who smiles like the sun and because of me, lost your dream and you’re still here. You should hate me.”

He covers your mouth with his untethered hand. “I don’t. I couldn’t.” His hand drifts to cup your cheek. “I’m not mad at you.” He takes another deep breath. “I’m mad at the fallout. Like…it sucks.” He nods. “It really does. That’s why I just needed some time.”

“I’m sorry. I only gave you like two days.”

His thumb runs over your lower lip and you feel like you’re melting. 

“I wanted to see you. I can already tell that I need to…” He blushes. “I need to touch you.”

“You look less drained.” You touched his heated cheek. “I felt out of it, too.”

“Me too.” He leans in, face close, watching you. “I didn’t ask. About kissing you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Weird circumstances.” You hope your smile does half of what his smile does for you. “You’re stuck with me unless you want to starve to death.”

He half-grins, his hand still on your face, tracing along your nose. “It’s pretty dramatic, right?”

“It really is.” 

“You don’t mind?” 

“What?”

“Being stuck with me?”

“No.” You’re louder than you meant to be. He blinks at the emphasis. “I mean, I don’t know you all that well, but what I do know…” You take his hand from your face, holding it as tight as the other hand. “I like.”

He nods. “Can we…” He takes a breath. “Can we touch more?”

It is weird and you both laugh at the awkward and latent innuendo. 

“Like nothing…” He stops talking, expression helpless. You just nod.

He watches as you let go of his hand to get close. His dark eyes seem darker when you pause to figure out how exactly you plan to touch him. 

“Here.” He pulls you in, aligning you to his chest, your back resting against him, his arms around you, his chin coming to sit on your shoulder. “The longer we touch, those bruises will fade.”

You lift his hands so you can see that his marks are lighter since you saw them Friday night. He presses his face where your shoulder meets your neck. It tickles, but you don’t shy away.

“I feel like we’ve gone from acquaintances to whatever this is really quick.” It’s an obvious statement, a pointless one, but things are progressing at an exponential speed that you need to voice it, if only to remind yourself and him that it’s real. 

“It’s okay, though?” he asks softly. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but even beyond the need to touch you, I want to.” His chin rests on your shoulder again.

“You do?”

You can hear the smile in his voice, “I thought you were pretty when you came in for the interview. I think I would have tried to talk to you if you ever came back, even without the rest of it.” 

You’re still playing with his hands, absorbing his words. 

“This whole thing is weird.” 

“Yeah.”

“Did you know about soulmates before?”

You feel his chin as he nods. “My grandmother’s second husband and her. My grandfather died and at age sixty-three or something, my grandmother bumped into this man at her favorite bakery. Bruises and everything. She told me the story when I was about ten, when they decided to get married. No one believed her, but I did. It just made sense when you saw them together. But it’s rare. Like…there are accounts of it all over the world, but not a high percentage.” He noses your ear. “What did you find out? You researched, didn’t you?”

“If you call googling for too many hours, proper research.” Being in his arms is slowly making you feel less weary and calmer. You’re still sad and worried, but your body feels less like debilitated frozen tundra. “I guess we’re lucky that it wasn’t hard to know who it was. There are stories…of people…” You stop talking, overwhelmed by the fact that this could have gone so badly. “I’m glad I knew it was you immediately. Like I meet so many random people and I–”  

“Shhh, it’s okay.”

You’re both quiet for several minutes. You’ve stopped playing with his hands and he’s just wrapped around you even more snugly. 

“How do we do this?”

“Well, I’m going to quit school tomorrow. The semester is nearly over and I haven’t paid for next semester yet, so that’s money saved.”

“It sucks.”

“Yeah, it does.” His hand slips under your shirt and you tremble at the energy pulse that such a slight touch does to you. “Wow.”

“Yeah.” You ponder for a second. “Do we need to do this every day?”

“I think it’s encouraged, and necessary. Like to go too long not in contact is…well, I felt like a zombie until I held you.”

“I hope you don’t need alone time.”

He chuckles. “Not too much. You?”

“Some.” That’ll be an adjustment. Someone wanting to spend hours with you. More than just the occasional meet-up with a friend. “Do…you…god, this is gets more and more bizarre…should you move in with me?”

The gentle motion of his hand stills. “Would you…would that be okay?”

“I mean, we should probably find a place together, but I still have a few months left on my lease. You?”

He sits up and you move away, though you notice his hand stays on your skin, following as you adjust to face him. 

“I’m rooming with some guys. Month to month.” His eyes are wide. “Really?”

“I mean…will it make it easier?”

He chuckles. “I have a twin bed.”

“Mine’s a queen.”

“You really are so much more of an adult than me.”

You bat at his arm. “Stop saying that. You aren’t any less. You work and go…went to school.”

“Yeah.” He stares at you for a few seconds. “You’re willing to just let me move in?”

“I mean, we can have sleepovers if that’s easier.”

He laughs, covering his face with his hands for a second before making sure he’s still touching you with a hand on your knee. “I don’t have a lot of stuff. My baking stuff…that I guess I need to sell.” 

You lace your fingers with his. “I’m–”

“You don’t need to say it.” He shrugs. “It just is what it is. Anyway, clothes, not a lot. I have my computer and that’s kinda…” He looks around. “Do you have another bedroom?”

“Yeah. It’s kind of a makeshift office/storage unit right now.” You make a face. “I should probably get rid of some of it. Do you have a big computer?”

He shrugs again. “I built it. I game and fiddle with computers in my free time.”

You move closer. “How are you that interesting? It’s not fair. You’re ridiculously pretty, you bake, and you do computery things?”

His ears, cheeks and neck all flush. “It’s not that interesting…”

“It is to me,” You point at him with your connected hands. “I just do the news stuff.”

“And zone out.”

You laugh. “And zone out. Regularly.”

He brings you back to rest against his chest, a deep sigh releasing. “So…I guess…we’re moving in together?”

You aren’t horribly impulsive usually. In big things you try to think logically and rationally. But that seems to have been tossed aside currently. 

“Yeah. Let’s do it.”

You feel his lips on your cheek. 

–

It’s a month later, after you’ve emptied out the second bedroom with as much as you can let go off, Felix moves in with his stuff (the computer set-up reminds you of like the command bridge in Star Trek or something), and you’ve learned how to sleep in bed with a person you aren’t actually sleeping with (despite the touch thing, both of you seem to avoid talking about anything past necessary touch).

The progression the soulmate-ness has had is different for both of you. You lost your taste for food and drink well before he did. It’s nearly three weeks to the day you two met that he can’t eat one of his galettes because it tastes like the way wet dog smells.

He cries in your arms. 

You handled working over eight hours a day as well as you always have, but if it moved to twelve hours, you found Felix at the apartment, on the couch or bed, looking more fragile and delicate than normal. The toll your separation took on his body was far worse than the toll on your body. 

It took some adapting and adjusting; trial and error to see what worked for the both of you. If it was going to be a long day, Felix would leave work and come find you at the station, or you’d come to him just to sit and hold hands for a half hour before one of you had to go. It helped. 

For the first time since being on your own, you have to worry about someone else and yes, at times, it can be frustrating; overall, it’s nice. It’s nice to come home to someone. 

“I can’t do it,” Felix comes in late from the coffeehouse. You came home early and are spending your time trying to figure out what one does with a kitchen and all that cabinet space if one no longer eats. 

“Can’t do it?”

He doesn’t stop in his path, dropping his bag on the ground as he toes off his shoes. You barely can say much else before he’s wrapped around you in what has become a regular habit of his. In your arms the moment you’re both home. 

You can’t complain even if it thwarts your thought process about the kitchen. 

“The coffee smell is awful,” he mutters into your hair. “Like, I thought not tasting it would be okay, but the smell is just as bad. All day, every day…” he sighs. “I almost quit.”

“Maybe you should. I make enough for you to take a break for a little bit.”

“I’m not…” He sighs again. “I don’t like that. It’s your money.”

“And therefore I can help you out.” You rub up and down his back, soothing him. “You haven’t had much time to figure out a new plan.”

He moves so his face is in the crook of your neck, nuzzling. Normally you giggle because it tickles, but lately when his lips are anywhere near you, it’s like every nerve you have is on high alert. 

“I think I’m avoiding it.”

“That’s okay too.” You hurry to continue when you feel his body stiffen as though he wants to argue with you. “For now. It’s a lot.”

He lifts his head, but not before brushing a soft kiss on your neck which sends you down a path that you’ve tried to avoid thinking about with Felix in mind. A path that includes not only sleeping in your bed. 

“I…” He watches you for a few seconds and you can feel your face heating with his scrutiny. “I’m gonna game for a bit.” He then sees that you have all the plates and cups and paraphernalia on the counters. “Unless you need a hand?”

“Go shoot something digitally. I’m good.”

He smiles that soft smile of his. The one that makes you want to cozy up with him on the couch, his head in your lap and mindlessly watch a movie. 

“Sure?”

You nod, and start to move back to the kitchen problem when he drops another kiss, this time on your cheek. You should be getting used to this, and perhaps you are, but it still floors you. The feel of him, the subsequent burst of soulmate voltage that it emits. 

He doesn’t seem to notice that every time he kisses you, your brain pauses like a video buffering. Maybe he doesn’t. Maybe kissing you doesn’t do much more than just heal in the soulmate way. 

He hasn’t kissed you on the lips since that first time. You want him too. You’ve thought about it way too much, even when you’re supposed to be working. 

You should say something. You should kiss him, and often. But you hold back. You don’t know why. 

He’s had so much of his life uprooted because of you, you don’t want to add the burden of your sexual wants onto his plate. 

He shuffles off to the second bedroom and you eventually go back to working on the kitchen. 

He calls your name about an hour later, after you have given up on the dusting because it’s too much, and have ended up on the couch, looking through your SNS feed to find that there isn’t much new in the world.

“Hmm?”

“I think…I think I had an idea.”

You get up and wander over to that room, more Felix’s than yours now. You stand in the doorway, eyes adjusting to the darkness because there’s only a lamp that he keeps on by his set-up. 

He wheels around in his ergonomic chair. 

“What’s your idea?”

“One of my friends,” He waves toward his screen, “Asked me a question about what to add to his computer to boost its…” He chuckles immediately when you furrow your brow. “You don’t care about that.”

“I will attempt to understand it?”

“Nevermind.” He reaches out his hands toward you and you walk in, suspicious. He latches on and pulls you into his lap, which just makes you freeze even more than the nightly cuddles. “I gave him about three different options and he asked if I’d do it for him. He’d pay me.” He cradles your face in his hands. “He’d pay me.”

“Well, that’s nice.”

“I mean…maybe that’s it. I could fix or enhance, I guess, computers. I know too much about it for just fiddling with my own.” He trails his fingers down to your neck and you tremble. “Maybe this is what I should do.”

Even in the dim light, you can see how bright his eyes are. It reminds you of when you met him, before everything changed.

“If you want. I imagine you probably do know more than the average person. I’ve heard you ramble enough to your friends on that thing.” You smile even if the heat of his legs is burning you in the best way. “Will it make you happy?”

His infectious joy fades a little. “It might.” With his finger, he draws an amorphous shape on your skin. “I think it might.”

“Then you should do it.” You pat his shoulders, getting ready to remove yourself from him because being on his lap, facing him, being so close is making you want more than you think either of you are ready for. 

His hands slip to your waist to keep you from leaving. 

“Felix, what are you–?”

“You make me happy, you know that, right? Being here with you, coming home to you or vice versa makes me happy.” His gaze is zeroed in on you, and it’s a lot. Having his focus.

“You don’t have to say stuff like that.”

He adjusts you so you’re nearer, his hands clasped at the small of your back. “I’m not just saying that. I mean it.” His lips turn down in concern. “Aren’t you? Happy?”

“With you? God, yes.” Sometimes with him, you do this. You say things before thinking it through. “Even when you hog the covers.”

He looks a bit sheepish, but doesn’t apologize. 

“But my life didn’t derail because you entered it.”

He touches his nose to yours. “Mine didn’t either. It just changed direction. Maybe a little more dramatically than yours.” He purses his lips in thought. “I only worry about the job stuff because well…I want to work in something I like.”

“Of course you do.” You comb back his hair, longer than when you met him; shaggy and probably needs a cut, but you really like it. “If you want to do this, I think you should.”

“It might take a while for me to make much.”

You point at yourself. “Do I look worried?”

He smiles, teeth flashing, eye crinkles, and your heart flutters. 

“You’re so pretty,” you whisper, tracing the curves of his smile and cheeks. His lips part at the compliment, and your finger slides to his teeth. “I…uh, sorry.”

He kisses the tip of your finger to reassure you. You swallow your more lustful feelings and smile. 

“You better get back to your friends.” You try to stand up, but his arms tighten. “I should…go.”

“Why?” he asks softly. “Why can’t you stay right here? I want you to.”

“You do?”

He says your name in the same whisper and kisses you reverently. You dissolve into him, scooting closer so you can embrace him. There’s a soft groan, and it’s not from you.

“Am I too heavy?” you ask, breaking the kiss. He pouts at you and shakes his head. 

“It’s…it’s not that.” 

It takes you a second and your eyes widen before you look down. 

“Oh.”

He chuckles. “You haven’t noticed?”

“Well, I mean, in the morning, but that’s like…all guys.” His cheeks turn pink as you continue. “I…I wasn’t assuming that it had to do with me.”

“You can assume.”

You stare breathlessly at him. 

“If you want, I mean.” His eyes dart away from yours. “If I’m the only one turned on here, you can pretend I didn’t say anything.”

“Just because it’s not as obvious doesn’t mean I’m not.” 

You feel him raise his head and meet your gaze. If he can tell your face is hot in the shadowy room, he makes no mention of it.

“Yeah?”

You nod before hearing some tinny voices coming from his headset. “Your friends.” You nod again toward his computer screen. “Your game.” You don’t even try to move out of his hold, but his arm wraps around you so you’re nearly chest to chest.

“Don’t move.” He grabs his headset from around his neck and slips it on, pressing a button on the side. “Guys…something’s come up. Min…I’ll come by tomorrow with a better graphics card and install it for you.” He presses the same button amid all the protests you hear, and takes the headset off. He tosses it on his computer desk before returning to hold you, with one minor adjustment. 

One hand slides up the back of your top, searing. He watches your face, intent. You tug at the collar of his shirt, and he stands up gingerly, letting you slide down until your feet touch the floor. He pulls off his shirt before taking your hands in his to bring them to his chest and arms. 

“I didn’t know,” he says as you outline the planes and facets with your fingers. 

“Didn’t know?”

He dips his head so you have to look up into his eyes, away from his beautiful skin. “Didn’t know you thought about me like that.”

“How could I not?” You let your hands trail up his sides to his neck and then to his face. “You are beautiful, both inside and out, Lee Felix.”

He doesn’t answer but kisses you with none of the former softness or gentleness. His hands are gripping your arms, directing you backwards out of the room and toward the bedroom. All of your kisses have been chaste, as though the crossing into using tongue would mean something else.

Perhaps it did. Perhaps it’s not just about a mutual need to live, a mutual admiration, though that’s all true. Perhaps being soulmates is just the beginning of having a partner. In everything.

You feel the bed at the back of your legs, unaware that you’ve traveled that much of the apartment because Felix might be good at gaming, but he’s exceptionally good at kissing. It’s all you can do to hold on as he consumes you, tongue stroking yours, teeth nibbling. You fall back on the bed, and he follows, climbing on top of you, mouth still seeking yours. His hands have slid under your top, mapping out your shape with fervor. 

The calm and quiet of him has broken. 

He draws away to look down at you, panting. “Okay?”

“Yes, so much,” you answer breathlessly. He smirks and peels off your shirt before sitting and undoing his pants. “Hey.” 

He pauses and glances at you. You can see his hands trembling. 

“We don’t have to rush.”

“I know. I know, but I…” He leans to kiss your jaw. “I want you so much.” He slips a finger under your bra strap and slides it down your shoulder. “Sleeping next to you is both wonderful and fuckin’ torture.” 

His grin when you laugh only lasts a second before he pulls you close and on top of him. You work his pants off, trying not to get sidetracked by his undoing of your bra and ensuing caresses. It takes a few minutes, both of you distracting the other in the process, but eventually, gloriously, the clothing is gone and you’re both looking at each other in awe. 

Beautiful. Inside and out. 

“C’mere,” his voice drops to a decibel you aren’t sure anyone else can hear (you don’t want them too because he’s your soulmate and you are so damn grateful). He places soft kisses all over your face, making you giggle as he props up pillows at your back. “We’ve never talked about past relationships.”

“Oh. I mean…” You twist your lips thinking about your last date let alone last relationship. “I haven’t…work kinda replaced everything else, you know? I’m clean…it’s been at least a year.”

“Six months. Had to move away.” He eases in between your legs, hands rubbing your thighs almost carelessly. “Clean too.” He leans down, face inches away and those perfect freckles blurring together. 

“Was it serious?”

“I think it could have been,” he says honestly. “You?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been serious about someone till you. Even before I saw the bruises,” You run your hands up his arms, his muscles taut from holding himself up. “You stuck in my mind. Chan teased me about it.” 

He grins before slipping one hand down your chest, your stomach and farther down… “You weren’t kidding about being turned on, were you?”

You half-heartedly slap his shoulder because one, it’s more than obvious and two, his tender exploration of you is dizzying. The soulmate energy, with no clothing to bar skin to skin contact, feels like you’ve laid down in a meadow on a warm day; not too hot, no bugs, no pollen, nothing but heat and light and tranquility. 

Then his fingers lightly touch your clit and the tranquility liquifies into heat and lust and want. 

“There, huh?” The teasing, soft but dark, makes you want to say something snarky, but he’s kissing you, his fingers circling until you're gasping against his mouth. 

“Lix, please,” you whine. His lips leave yours before he pushes in. “Oh god.”

As with everything, the soulmate need for touch just amplifies everything; how he feels sliding in, each thrust, the grazing of your g-spot. It’s a million times more and when you break, and feel him break; it’s not surprising that for a few seconds you aren’t sure where you are. 

Then the puffs of his shortened breath on your skin, the length of his body covering yours, one hand trailing up and down your arm. 

“You back?” he asks, voice gruff. 

“I think so.”

He lifts his head, eyes at half-mast, smile sleepy and well-contented. “We should do that again…often.”

You roll your eyes, a grin twitching at the corner of your lips. He kisses you, open-mouthed, but delicate. 

“I am really really glad you caught me that day.”

He stares down at you, eyes fond. “I’m glad you caught me too.”

--

a/n #2 - the coffee drink, fiery redhead, is not mine, but created by a coffeehouse in my parents' town. i love it, and make it at home now.

--

(c) yoongihan 2024. please do not steal, translate, repost, or whatever. stray kids belong to themselves and all idols used in this piece are just the inspiration for characters and do not in any way reflect the actual humans.

[hiael]

Obey Me! Headcanons that the voices in my head created

The pact marks don't affect the MC in general, but when they are used, the color of the user's eyes tends to change to the color of sin (when Solomon sees the color of his eyes changing to the colors of his brothers, geez, jealousy boy), it happens more often than you think and in addition to the marks on the body, it's a reminder to everyone that you're connected with the lords of hell.

Human beings can speak very quickly and neither demons nor angels can keep up when this happens. Scientifically, we talk fast because of anxiety, nervousness, excitement or the communication conditions that the environment provides. Solomon and MC talking about something they thought was cool during the tea? For the others it becomes a RAP battle and all they can hear is "hum, nah, ha, hehe", the rest is indecipherable. More than once, during a presentation or debate in class, MC was told to shut the fuck up or slow down so that everyone could understand.

All material related to the history of the human world is more or less 100 to 200 years out of date in the library. Satan is slowly trying to update this, but they think that 200 years is almost nothing for humans to change, so unlike technology (which they think they created with magic) they just don't care. A new iPhone ok, now the human being landed on the moon during a bloodless war? Their lie, do you still believe what mortals say?

Humans sleep more than angels and demons, but even less than demons from the circle of laziness. MC, Solomon and Belphie (and sometimes Luke) usually sleep in some places at RAD during and between classes.

All exchange students have their own fan club. Luke's must be the quietest, everyone friendly and kind so as not to disappoint the little angel. Did you see him walking past you today, sad that he hadn't managed to buy a keyring at the RAD art fair? Bitch surprise, his fan club are still demons, the keyring will mysteriously appear on his desk in the classroom written "To Luke, a little big ray of sunshine in our lives" and the person who bought it has left the RAD, anyone know why?

Still on the subject of fan clubs, we're not talking about Solomon's. If the number of demons he has a pact with isn't enough of a warning, there are others walking around in capes and blouses as if they were cosplayers and sending letters to his house with phrases like 'roses are red, violets are blue, can we make a pact? Signed: Demon X' should be a better warning

And to end the fan clubs, MC's are trained in the art of being meticulous, a silent army that lives in the shadows - meaning they are in the devildom version of twitter. Lots of photos taken on the sly, fanart of all kinds, fanfics, merchandise and videos edits of (and when were they sheep? There are millions and millions of images circulating out there). Ever wondered why Miss Em sold so much? The MC fandom. They won't compete with anyone for their attention, the sweet human is simply appreciated the way they are (and they don't want to be on the brothers' list to "get away from the MC"). The Human Appreciation Club was not approved by the student council and they removed their devilpedia page, but that didn't erase these demons desire to idolize MCs. Live, love and laugh for MC, the way simps are.

At some point, the Real or Cake trend went crazy until Luke, who started making desserts that looked like everyday things, only stopped after surprising Simeon by cutting a cell phone-shaped cake (Simeon tried to break his with his hand after that, thinking it was cake. He spent 3 weeks without a phone)

Every time MC returns from a trip to the human world, they have to bring a suitcase just with souvenirs from there. Luckily, it can be anything they find fun, like a frog-shaped coaster, a jar of M&Ms with a pinwheel on top, a whole corn cake, a tie with a motivational quote, a children's book, or a coin of a specific year. Everyone just loves the fact that MC was thinking of them and they love using the gift they received. Barbatos's favorite tea set is now a completely transparent one with gold floral details.

Children's cartoons from 1940 still show on Devildom TV and Beel watches while eating or working out.

Lucifer has a family photo inside his wallet, Mammon once tried to steal his credit card, he was so shocked that he ended up screaming, he was caught and punish. Neither of them mention the photo.

[haydenigmatic]

You are the King’s third child, a Princess/Prince third in line to the throne of the eight kingdoms,Third in line to the throne, you have nothing to worry about , well of course you have your lessons but not as extensive as your brothers because your older brother is the heir and even if something happened to him, there is your other big brother.

Maybe you will be a pawn for your father in a marriage alliance, However, who knows what the future holds, something or someone could ensure that your dynasty will be nothing more than dust and you will have to fight for the throne as the heir apparent, or maybe you won’t have to fight at all…

DEMO ✸ MOODBOARDS ✸ ASK ME ANYTHING YOU WANT ✸ FORUM ✸ PLAYLISTS ✸

RO's intro post: ✸ Aurelia/n✸Damon✸Doria/n✸Hanniel✸

               ✸ Jasira✸ Nesrin ✸ Odette ✸ Sorin ✸ Verena ✸  

Play as a Princess/Prince of a powerful dynasty.

Variety of dialogue depending on your gender

Find love among nine characters of whom two are gender selectable

Manipulate, or genuinely care for your people

Bond with creatures that used to be extinct

Blurry the line between good and bad

Form alliances to win the crown

Do anything to survive at court

♢ Lady/Lord Aurelia/Aurelian Mezzei (She/her - He/him) 2 years older than MC

Aurelia/n is a proud and skilled adventurer with a free-spirited nature, always yearning for new experiences and the freedom of the open road. Beneath their composed exterior, they possess a kind heart and a rational mind, but can become a formidable force when provoked.

"The world is a tapestry, woven with threads of wonder and complexity. With each step, I strive to unravel its mysteries and add my own vibrant colors."

♢ Lady/Lord Doria/Dorian Muriel  (She/her - He/him) 3 years older than MC

Doria/n is a complex and enigmatic individual, shrouded in a veil of cynicism and guardedness. Their ruthless actions and lack of remorse paint them as a hardened figure, while their hidden heart of gold and capacity for loyalty reveal a deeper layer beneath the surface. They navigate life with a cautious scepticism, harbouring deep-seated wounds and a relentless desire for self-preservation.

"There's no room for sentimentality or second chances in my life. Once you cross me, there's no going back."

♢ Hanniel (Connell) Almlinger  (He/him) 4 years older than MC

Hanniel is a chivalrous and principled knight, driven by a strong sense of justice and an unwavering dedication to doing what is right. Despite the shame he feels as a bastard, he possesses a warm and compassionate heart, and his experiences have shaped him into a resilient and empathetic individual.

"The measure of a person's worth is not determined by their birthright, but by the content of their character."

♢ Lord Damon Lavone (He/him) 4 years older than MC

Damon is a charismatic and ambitious knight, driven by a relentless pursuit of glory and recognition. His privileged background as the heir to the second wealthiest man in The Eight Kingdoms, combined with his natural talent and captivating presence, has made him a captivating legend and a force to be reckoned with. Beneath his confident exterior lies a fiercely loyal and protective nature, willing to go to great lengths for the ones he loves.

"To be ordinary is a fate worse than death. I was destined for greatness, and I will leave my mark on this world. Remember my name, for it will be whispered in awe and reverence."

♢ Lady Jasira Oursbar (She/her) 2 years older than MC

Jasira is a fiercely independent and outspoken individual, unafraid to challenge societal expectations and fight for what she believes in. As the daughter of a northern duke, she defies the traditional role of a lady, embodying strength, determination, and a rebellious spirit. With a background rooted in nobility, Jasira carries a deep sense of loyalty and a strong connection to her heritage, guiding her actions and shaping her unwavering pursuit of justice.

"I'd rather live a life of freedom and danger than one of safety and confinement."

♢ Lady Nesrin Parovus (She/her) 1 year older than MC

Nesrin is a cunning and intelligent individual, skilled in the art of manipulation and strategic thinking. Born into nobility as the daughter of one of the seven dukes, she exudes grace and elegance while harbouring a hidden depth of ambition and determination. With her background of privilege and a mind shaped by political intrigue, Nesrin is a formidable force, always three steps ahead in the game of power.

"There's nothing more satisfying than outmaneuvering someone who thought they had the upper hand."

♢ Lady Odette Lavone (She/her) 1 year younger than MC

Odette is a compassionate and idealistic individual, driven by a strong sense of empathy and a desire for justice. With her noble background as the daughter of one of the seven dukes, she possesses elegance and grace, often regarded as the epitome of a court lady. Her genuine kindness and unwavering devotion make her a steadfast ally and a beacon of hope in a complex and sometimes treacherous world.

"Love is not just a fleeting emotion; it is a profound connection that binds us together. With each beat of my heart, I choose to love fiercely, fiercely enough to change the world."

♢ Sorin of Soirsa (She/her) 2 years older than MC

Sorin is a resilient and resourceful individual, shaped by a challenging past as an orphan and a former courtesan. With a guarded demeanour and an independent spirit, she navigates the world with a keen intellect and a knack for survival. Beneath her tough exterior lies a tender heart yearning for connection, a hidden vulnerability that only a select few are privileged to witness.

"Life may have dealt me a difficult hand, but I'll play it with audacious grace, turning adversity into art."

♢ Lady Verena Sarpe (She/her) Same age as MC

Verena is a captivating and ambitious noblewoman, known for her seductive allure and calculated strategies. Born into a distinguished family, she carries the weight of her tarnished reputation and navigates the intricate web of political power with cunning and determination. Behind her enchanting facade lies a complex soul yearning for genuine love, battling her own insecurities and the shadows of her past.

"Love is a delicate dance, and I have perfected the steps. But be warned, for the fire that burns within me is as treacherous as it is enchanting."

[rypnami]

boggart headcanons

this has been rotting my brain for a whiiiile. another completely unoriginal idea but this is my take on the HL npcs’ boggarts. spoilers if you haven’t finished the game!

sebastian: some say his boggart would take the shape of his uncle, or his uncle’s tombstone. in my opinion though, it would turn into a dementor. although what happened to him throughout his childhood was traumatic and horrible, his uncle can’t hurt him anymore. a dementor, however, certainly could. it’s a manifestation of his guilt over his actions and his fear of being sent to azkaban.

ominis: how does a boggart frighten someone who can’t see it? through sound. there are several things it might make itself sound like to scare ominis. perhaps his aunt before she died. the sound of the scriptorium door opening, mc/sebastian getting crucio’d, his father’s voice, his siblings’ voices… that poor boy has so much trauma that a boggart would have a hard time choosing.

imelda: this one seems very clear to me. the boggart would appear before her as the captain of the holyhead harpies, telling her she didn’t make the team. after all that work, after everything she tried to hard to achieve, she fell short of what she wanted more than anything. that’s scary. she fears failure above all, and that’s the epitome of failing for her.

garreth: i headcanon garreth as a very family-oriented person. we know he has at least 1 younger sister, however knowing the weasleys there are probably several more younger and older siblings. we also know that he loves potions experimenting and often has other people test them out. i think his boggart would appear as something awful happening to one of his family members as a result of trying one of his potions. two things he loves coming together and causing harm is probably the scariest thing to him.

leander: his boggart might he something kind of silly to everyone else. he definitely fears failure, loneliness, and being looked at as less-than. there’s a throwaway line he says about how his siblings are older, smarter, more competent etc so i think above all he fears being a disappointment. his boggart would most likely be his parents telling him he’s a failure, that he’s brought shame to his family, and things of that nature.

andrew: we don’t know much about andrew, but i think he’s the kind of person who has anxiety. i think he takes his house placement very seriously and fears letting down his friends/the people around him. his boggart would probably be his close friends or family members expressing that he had failed them in a big way and that they didn’t want anything to do with him anymore.

amit: through the game we see amit as someone who is somewhat timid but can be incredibly brave when he has to be- main example is the goblin mine quest. so i think in the aftermath his boggart would be a goblin, perhaps even ranrok himself, after the trauma he definitely sustained during that quest.

poppy: her boggart would either been one of/both of her parents, or something bad happening to highwing. we know she must have a lot of (likely unresolved) trauma from growing up in a poacher camp, especially with who her parents are, and after what happened with highwing in the high keep quest, she’s probably also incredibly worried about her closest (creature) friend being harmed again.

adelaide: no one talks much about her but i think she’s really sweet okay 🥺 anyway, if she were to see a boggart it would probably manifest as her uncle dying. she’s already lost her parents and, presumably, has no family left besides her uncle. save her she’s just so cute :((

also my mcs just for fun :D

jamie: a werewolf. after his mother’s death there is nothing in the world that will make him panic faster. a lot of his fear of werewolves also comes from the residual guilt that he was somewhat responsible for her death. perhaps the boggart would even switch into his mother’s werewolf form..

jack: definitely turns into his father. after everything he went through, especially as a child, nothing scares him more than his father. even tho he did kill him so there’s no true threat anymore. most of it is psychological torment now :D

ollie: when he was small, his boggart would have taken the shape of a spider. now, it takes the form of a dementor- he’s scared of them taking one of his dads away. although he’s still deathly terrified of spiders/acromantulas so perhaps it changes back and forth sometimes.

[daytaker]

Can I request a fic where MC is sort of a pathological liar? and they lie about stuff that ultimately doesn't matter, but they can't help it? Also, if it could be Mammon x mc centric that would be amazing, but it doesn't have to be. I love your writing!! bye bye

POV: You are cldhart08. You forgot you sent this to me. Two full months later, you get a notification that daytaker replied to your ask.

Pants on Fire

Ships: (Lowkey) Mammon/Reader, Beel & Reader Word Count: ~1.1k CW: lying (general), lying about medical conditions, bullying Mammon

So you're a bit of a liar.

"I was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck. I wasn't breathing or anything, and my dad actually fainted.

...Or a lot of a liar.

"Did you know my second cousin actually dated Selena Gomez for awhile?"

One might even go so far as to call your lying 'pathological'.

"I actually have a severe tree nut allergy, so I'll pass on that. Thanks though."

There was never any logic to it. The lies just came out. You never felt guilty about it, because no one got hurt. So there wasn't really anything to worry about, right?

Wrong.

You sit on the floor outside of Mammon's room, hugging your knees, when a big, hulking form slumps down the wall onto the floor beside you.

"Oh... Hey, Beel," you say. You're not even trying to pretend as if nothing's wrong.

"Hello." He looks at Mammon's door, then at you. "Did you knock?"

You sigh, then demonstrate to Beel what happens when you knock on Mammon's door. A muffled voice comes from inside.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," you reply.

"I already told you! If you're a scummy, lyin' human, you can go eat nuts for all I care! I'm never talkin' to you again so you might as well stop wastin' both our times!"

"He's talking to you now," Beel points out, and it's hard to argue with his logic.

"Who the hell was that? Beel? Fine, then I'll only talk to you to tell you to fluff off, how's that?"

You rub your eyes tiredly and Beel leans in a little, speaking lower so Mammon can't hear him. "If you just leave, he'll come looking for you in about ten or twenty minutes."

"If I leave, he's going to think I'm not sorry." Hugging your knees, you shake your head. "I am sorry."

"Is this about the thing at the student council meeting and the nuts?"

You shudder at the memory.

----

You hadn't even thought about it at the time.

You never particularly liked nuts. Almonds, cashews, walnuts, chestnuts... not even peanuts outside their butter form. So when Mammon asked you why you declined to try a rather nut-heavy dish prepared by Barbatos himself, you simply told him you were allergic. "If I even get a whiff of them, my body goes into anaphylactic shock."

"What the hell's that?"

"Basically, my immune system goes haywire, and if I don't get the right kind of shot in the first few minutes, I'm a goner."

At the time, Mammon had seemed impressed by how close you skated to death, risking your life by casually allowing tree nuts to continue existing around you. And you? You'd enjoyed the brief attention.

At the time.

-----

That was weeks ago, so it was far from your mind as you accepted some human world trail mix from Beel while you sat, bored out of your wits, through another student council meeting. You picked out most of the nuts, of course, but in the end, you swallowed the imperfectly sorted handful.

And Mammon lost it.

"THERE WERE NUTS IN THAT!"

Diavolo, who had been in the middle of speaking, stuttered to a halt as everyone looked over to Mammon, who was simultaneously cradling you and screaming obscenities at an utterly bewildered Beelzebub. In the moment, you'd sort of frozen up and said nothing. Mammon...

Mammon was crying.

He was crying and yelling ridiculous instructions to everyone in the room and getting extremely angry when the others didn't seem to see what the issue was.

"They're gonna go into analgesic shock and die if we don't do somethin' fast! Do none of you bird brains get that?!"

He begged you to tell him how to get that shot you needed, that... what was it, an Apple Pen?

...It was several minutes before you were able to get the truth out.

Force the truth out, more like. Telling that truth made you almost wish you really had gone into anaphylactic shock. That seemed like an easier way to go than looking Mammon in the eye, in front of all his brothers and Diavolo, and explain that you didn't actually have that allergy. That you'd lied.

And of course, of course, the onus fell on Mammon for believing it.

Satan and Asmo sighed at how someone so stupid could function. Levi posted on Devilgram about how you'd epically trolled Mammon. Lucifer scolded Mammon for his overreaction, and Belphie just glowered at Mammon for waking him up with all his shrieking.

And you, you sort of...said nothing.

-----

"Ah," Beel says, nodding. "You feel bad that you made him look stupid."

"No," you groaned, frustrated at your inability to articulate exactly what it was that felt so off. "It's... He really thought I was going to die. I scared him. And then everyone treated him like a gullible idiot. So...I guess I made him look stupid, but..."

Beel stares at you. His expression is blank, but in a soft sort of way. It's oddly comforting.

"He got made into a laughing stock because I told him a lie, and he reacted to it....the way someone would react if they thought someone they really cared about was in danger. I feel guilty for lying and worrying him, and I feel worse that I just let everyone tear into him like always, when all he did was try to take care of me."

The door you're leaning against swings open behind you and you fall flat on your back in Mammon's doorway. The demon stares down at you with a mixture of righteous contempt and a flustered embarrassment that was so painfully typical of Mammon.

"Yeah! And you should feel guilty! You're a real asshole, ya know that?"

You blink up at him and offer a weak smile. "...Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."

Mammon folds his arms. "You really think you can just come snivelin' up to me and beg for forgiveness, and I'll just hand it to ya?"

Beel looks between you and Mammon, watching the conversation unfold with the same mild interest he'd show while staring at a somewhat unimpressive exhibit at the zoo.

"...Well, today just so happens to be your lucky day," Mammon continues. "The Great Mammon, the big guy himself, has decided to forgive your tiny mortal soul for bein' a total jackass and liar. You're welcome. Don't expect it to happen again."

Still lying on your back, you grin at Mammon. "Thanks, Great Mammon."

The demon clears his throat and looks away. "Anyway. Our turn to make dinner tonight, so..." With that, he walked right past you and darted down the stairs.

Typical Mammon.

[sister-lucifer]

Hey I love your work you’re one of my favorite writers on tumblr!! If you want to I have an Idea! Could u do obey me headcanon or fic on an mc who is sick? I love Lucifer so anything with him is perfect! TYSM!!

Demon Brothers With a Sick MC 

The Brothers x Gender Neutral Reader 

Genre: Fluff, could be read as platonic or romantic depending on your mood 

Content/Warnings: He/She Asmodeus, no warnings, just tooth rotting fluff 

Like my writing? I take requests! NSFW or SFW for any fandoms in my bio! 

Also, please reblog! it’s free, takes two seconds, and really helps me out 

Feedback is encouraged and appreciated:)

Not fully proofread! Let me know if you see any errors!

Lucifer 

Being the dad of the house, he’s definitely the most prepared 

And he’s able to keep calm when the others are overreacting 

It’s just a little flu, it happens to humans all the time! 

It’s not like you’re dying or anything! 

…You’re not dying, right? 

No, no! Of course not, that’s a silly worry 

But he’ll keep a close eye on you just in case 

While simultaneously having to keep his terrified brothers at bay so they don’t disturb your much needed rest

He’s already ordered plenty of human world things for you as well since demon sickness and human sickness are incredibly different 

Nothing in the Devildom would work for you 

He’s keeping track of all your meds and when you have to take them 

He’s got a whole schedule and he will make you adhere strictly to it 

But it’s for your own good 

Overall the most responsible caretaker, even if he can be a bit rigid 

It’s only because he cares about you and wants you to get better 

Mammon 

Wait 

You’re sick?! 

This can’t be happening! 

His precious human has fallen ill! It’s the end of days! Its— 

Oh wait it’s just the common flu? 

…Oh 

But what if that flu gets WORSE?! 

And you DIE?! 

WAAAAH—

(Yeah he’s freaking out) 

He tries to hide it at first but soon his worry completely takes over 

He’s practically SOBBING at your bedside as if you have days left when in reality you’re just a little sniffly and have a kind of fever 

He accompanies Lucifer on EVERY trip to your room and has to practically be dragged away from you

He knows you need rest but he needs to watch over you just in case! 

And you better not throw up or anything because that will have him convinced you’re at death’s door 

He’s gonna be an absolute mess until you’re 100% recovered, and maybe even a while after 

And he’ll definitely be camping out on the floor of your room to make sure you’re okay and to get you anything you need 

And that means ANYTHING 

Mammon can swindle his way into just about anything 

If Lucifer somehow hasn’t gotten you what you need already, Mammon has it 

And it was totally worth the debt it put him in

Leviathan 

He’s the second most worried 

But instead of outwardly freaking out the way Mammon does he lays in his bed worrying about you 

Logically he knows it’s not that big of a deal, and in a few days to a week you’ll be all better 

But his anxiety keeps reminding him of that slim chance that you won’t ever get better 

And the thought is just too much to bear! 

He’ll be visiting you a lot too 

And he’ll probably sleep on the floor once or twice too 

He cant do it as often as Mammon since the hard floor is too uncomfortable for him to actually get any sleep 

But it’s the fact that he tried that matters 

He’ll be supplying you with warm blankets and plenty of little puzzles or games to keep you entertained while you’re stuck in bed (Lucifer’s orders)

He’s simply nice to have around and great gaming partner 

After a bit of reassurance he’ll stop being so worried 

And he strikes the perfect balance of being fun company while also knowing when you need your rest 

Satan 

Genuinely the least worried 

Obviously that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care, but he thinks his brothers are overreacting a wee bit 

It almost makes him a bit jealous to see them doting on you the way they do 

Even Lucifer! 

Like, what?! 

But that’s okay, because he can out do them all 

When he finally gets a moment alone with you, he makes sure to bring some books 

He’ll read to you for as long as you’d like 

He likes the way you smile up at him as he reads, he can really tell that you’re enjoying not only the story but just his presence itself 

And he gets to share his favorite stories with you! 

It’s a big fat win-win 

He especially likes to read to you at night before you go to bed 

He loves how peaceful you look as you slowly drift off to his words 

Sometimes even the other brothers will join in to hear the stories 

Of course they all leave once you’ve fallen asleep for good, bickering on the way out about something or other concerning your health 

But when he’s sure no one is looking, Satan sneaks back in to your room to give you a kiss on the forehead and a goodnight before heading off 

Oh, and he always leaves a few books on your bedside table in case you want to read them 

They always make him feel better, after all

Asmodeus 

Lucifer has the medicine covered, but Asmodeus takes care of you in a more glamorous way 

Bubble baths are his go to remedy! 

The right mixture of salts and scents can clear your sinuses, soothe your body aches, and even help bring down your fever 

Self care is always important, but it’s especially essential when you’re feeling under the weather! 

She puts together the most amazing bubble baths too; bath bombs, essential oils, candles, all the fixings 

And with a bit of well done magic she can ensure the water never gets cold 

So you can enjoy the serenity of the dimly lit bathroom without a time limit or getting chilly 

And he’ll even write you little notes on the fogged up mirror 

Of course, though, he’s going to ask to join you 

And if you say yes he’ll absolutely spoil you 

She’ll insist on washing your hair for you since you’re so sickly and weak 

You shouldn’t have to lift a finger 

Just relax and let the rose petals in the water drift through your mind 

She’ll take care of you 

For the avatar of lust, he actually manages to be surprisingly sweet 

There are even times when you can tell he’s genuinely worried 

But she knows you’ll pull through 

After the bubble bath it’s right into the comfiest pajamas a Devilgram brand deal can buy 

And then some beauty rest for the both of you 

Beelzebub 

This sweet boy is so kind but so clueless 

He doesn’t even totally realize what’s going on until you tell him yourself 

Of course, he’s handling your meals 

At first Lucifer has to monitor him to make sure he doesn’t eat it all before it gets to your room 

But Beel really does want to take care of you 

Everyone else is doing their part, so should he! 

And that is enough to give him the willpower to make you three meals a day without eating a single bite! 

(Okay well— Maybe he did have a tiny bite, but it was so small even Lucifer didn’t notice! That’s pretty impressive for him!) 

Plus, he always makes double so he can eat with you 

Please remember to tell him how good his food is 

It’ll make his heart skip a beat 

He’s not well thought out like Lucifer or comforting like Asmodeus or even as sneaky as Mammon 

But he cares for you just as much as any of his brothers, and he needs to pitch in and get you back to full health 

He’ll even feed you if you’d like 

Rest is important, right? 

So just lay back and let him do all the work 

Don’t worry, he’ll blow on it to make sure it’s not too hot 

And he’s cut it all up to make sure the bites aren’t too big 

He won’t leave until he’s 100% sure that’s your tummy has been adequately filled 

And if you give him permission he’ll gladly take care of your left overs 

Belphegor 

Belphie is the absolute best cuddle buddy on a normal day, but it’s especially great when you’re not feeling well 

Demons can’t catch human sicknesses, which means he can cuddle up on you all he wants! 

And he will 

Every chance he gets 

Lucifer will try to keep him out of your room, but once he sneaks in there’s no getting him out 

All it takes is one minuscule slip up and he’s taken up permanent residency in your bed 

He’s so warm and soft, just what you need when your sickness is making you too uncomfortable to properly rest 

He’ll rub your back and whisper softly to you, telling you stories about the Celestial Realm and the beautiful things he’s seen there 

You’ll have the best naps of your life with Belphie 

Hell, I’d even go so far as to say the naps were so good theyd probably speed up youre recovery process! 

Although, once he’s in the habit of waking up by your side it’ll be hard for him to stop 

You’ll have to humor him for a little longer 

Maybe even forever if he has it his way 

[konohokelly]

LEECH - Sejanus Plinth (2/2)

Leeches are segmented parasitic or predatory worms that comprise the subclass Hirudinea.

Summary: Hirudinea Snow is going to baby-trap Sejanus Plinth to get her hands on the Plinth fortune. Warnings: Sex, manipulation, sexual assault (baby-trapping), toxicity, OC is a bitch, Sejanus is too good for her, OC is a bad person through and through, OC is a Capitol supremacist, Coriolanus is a weirdo Dead Dove Do Not Eat. Minors DNI Slight Hilarius Heavensbee x MC MC is fem and named but her appearance is never explicitly described.

Borders by @saradika on tumblr

"Don't worry about what I'm doing. Snow lands on top."

Coriolanus wondered what his cousin meant by that. He guessed at what petty schemes she could have been up to, but he didn’t expect it to lead him here:

Standing against the living room wall, fuming as Hirudinea presented the family with the gifts showered upon her by her official boyfriend of a month now, Sejanus Plinth.

"And this is for you, Grandma'am, isn't it stunning?" Hirudinea said as she wrapped the mink scarf around her grandmother's neck.

"Oh, my sweet girl, it's beautiful," Grandma'am beamed in front of the tall mirror. The air of pride she had been without for so long felt like it had returned.

"I just knew you would love it."

Grandma'am turned to Hirudinea, planting a kiss on her cheek.

"So thoughtful of you, my darling. You must thank the Heavensbees. Their son is such a good, generous boy."

Hirudinea hadn't told Grandma'am about the breakup or Sejanus yet. She knew the woman would be upset that her granddaughter wasn't with her own kind and she would force Hirudinea to cut off the Plinth heir before her goal was reached.

"I'll pass the message along..." she lied.

Tigris smiled at her grandmother's merriment.

She was glad Hirudinea had found a boy who was so taken with her, even though her sister couldn't tell Grandma'am who the boy really was.

Sejanus treated her sister well and made sure to be just as giving to the rest of the Snow family.

Tigris herself held a length of luxurious fabric on her lap, a gift from Sejanus.

Hirudinea was over the moon; she couldn't have picked a better mark.

Even without a baby, dating Sejanus came with perks. He was nothing if not giving, and my, how Hirudinea would take.

All she had to do was mention something she wanted in passing, and it didn't take long before it showed up to her apartment with love notes attached, singing her highest praise.

Of course, she hardly ever read them.

"You know you don't have to get me all this stuff; I'm not with you for your money," she would say to him, lying to his face.

"I know, but I want to do this for you. You're my girl, and I want to make sure you know how special you are to me. Besides, it's not like I use my allowance to do much anyways."

It sickened her that his allowance could afford such luxury while she had to scrounge together pennies for her life's savings.

Most of the gifts she received from him ended up pawned off to pay for upkeep and taxes.

Hirudinea had Sejanus completely whipped, and it was obvious. The curly-haired boy was never a big spender but would buy her the world if he could.

'Sejanus can't afford the world on his allowance yet, but maybe Strabo Plinth can; that's where my baby will come in handy.'

"Corio," Hirudinea called across the room from where she and Grandma'am inspected their new clothes, "A basket came with the rest of my things. Be a dear and check what's inside?"

He huffed but checked the basket anyways. It was full to the brim with homemade cookies.

"Baked goods from Mrs. Plinth," he informed gloomily.

Hirudinea turned from the mirror with a large fur coat adorning her shoulders and walked over.

The girl picked up one cookie, biting into it without a second thought.

"Blagh," she grimaced, spitting out the treat, "Raisins! Disgusting. Leave it to the Plinths to ruin a perfectly good cookie with nasty, cheap raisins."

She spoke as if her family could even afford that.

"It was a kind gesture, Dinea. I'm sure Mrs. Plinth meant no harm by it," Tigris reasoned.

"Whatever," Hirudinea scoffed, moving on to try on more clothes.

This was the Hirudinea that Coriolanus knew; condescending and cruel.

If Sejanus didn't see it, then he was either more stupid than Coriolanus thought or Hirudinea was more cunning than she had let on all these years.

Or maybe it was a mixture of both.

Hilarius Heavensbee was understandably upset by the news of the latest relationship in the Academy. He had tried in vain to win Hirudinea back, but nothing worked.

Her friends had been in shock at the news too. After all, Hirudinea had always been just as unsettled by Sejanus' presence among them as Arachne and Livia had been.

The two, along with Hilarius, assumed the couple wouldn't last long, and eventually, Hirudinea would remember where she belongs.

But by the third month of their apparent relationship, Hirudinea and Sejanus were still a constant fixture at each other's sides.

He followed her around like a lost puppy, and she happily fell into his open arms.

School was usually Coriolanus's safe haven from his cousin, but being Sejanus's only friend, he was forced to be around her much more than he liked. He had to watch them kiss and hold hands throughout the day.

Watching Hirudinea act like a changed woman in front of Sejanus made Coriolanus's head hurt.

He even began to fondly recall the days she had been with Hilarius, when the pair would argue incessantly about anything and everything.

At least then, she allowed her venom to flow freely.

Hirudinea pushed Sejanus against the wall of the janitors closet. They were in his father's office building and things were heating up.

It was the weekend, and he was supposed to be observing how his father runs the business, but when his beautiful girlfriend had showed up and whispered dirty things in his ear, he couldn't help but wander away after her.

He ended up moving from the wall to a nearby chair, trousers and boxers around his ankles as she knelt before him.

"Fuck" he cursed under his breath when she wrapped her fingers around his base of his veiny cock.

Hirudinea flattened her tongue against his tip, massaging his slit as he let out a soft grunt.

She raised her head, gathering saliva in her mouth, before leaning over him and letting it all fall onto his member.

With the hand on his base, she stroked his slowly but firmly, coating his entire cock with the liquid. Eventually adding another hand.

She twisted her wrists, wringing his cock hard.

Occasionally, she would wrap her lips around the tip and suck.

He bit into his hand in an attempt to muffle his sounds, but it didn't do much to conceal the throaty groans escaping him.

"Please, baby" he whimpered pathetically.

She chuckled darkly.

With her lips around him, she sank down, opening her throat to take him as deep as possible, making sure he hit the back of her throat.

Sejanus moaned deeply. His hips thrusting up against his will due to the sensations of her fingers and mouth.

He clenched his fists to prevent them from coming to the back of her head and keeping her there.

He was losing it, and it was making her wetness grow.

"So good, baby" he moaned with half lidded eyes.

He was close and she could tell.

But she didn't want his spend in her mouth. She needed it inside her.

Hirudinea let him go, making him whine at the loss of stimulation.

She sat on his lap, grinding her cunt against his manhood.

"I wish I could feel you without anything between us" she whispered.

It would be good for her pregnancy timeline to fuck him raw a few times, but she would be okay with it if he still wanted to use a condom.

She'd prepared so many and still had three left.

Glancing at the front pocket of her bag, she could see one, two, thre-

Wait, there were only two, that couldn't be right.

"I want to feel you too, baby. Can I? I'll pull out, I swear. I just need you so bad" he promised, holding her face in his hands.

She could work with this.

"Do you care about me?" She asked with intensity behind her voice

"Of course, Dinea. I lo-I care about you so much"

"Then don't pull out"

His eyes glistened. It felt like he was dreaming.

All he'd wanted to do since she gave him permission to touch her was cum deep inside her.

Arms wrapped around his neck, she raised her hips and to circle her entrance with his tip before slipping onto his cock.

She struggled a little, but her spit and wetness provided extra lubrication. Although they had slept together many times, she still wasn't fully used to taking his large cock.

She sank all the way down, pressing her ass against his heavy balls.

The groan that erupted from Sejanus's throat was so deep it became a growl.

Finally losing all semblance of control, he gripped her hips and began bouncing her on his cock, thrusting his hips upwards to meet hers.

The friction from his hair and happy trail against her clit was incredible. She threw her head back and moaned.

Sejanus drew her head forward and kissed her deeply. Grunting and groaning against her mouth and swallowing her moans.

He reached a hand down, swiping at her clit and forcing her towards an orgasm.

He was already close before, so when she felt his cock twitch, she knew to push him over the edge.

"You wanna cum in me, baby -oh!" she jumped when he gave her a particularly harsh thrust.

"Ugh, fuck yes, sweetheart. I want to fill your pussy up with my cum" his voice slurred, he was drunk on the feeling of her pussy squeezing him hard.

"Gonna put my fucking load in this tight, wet pussy"

His fingers moved faster against her pleasure button.

"I need your cum, Sej" There was an ominous reality to her words he didn't realize, "Are you going to give it to me?"

"I'm going to give it to you, baby. You take my cock so well, makes me want to fill you up so bad - oh shit-"

Fuck, he was coming.

His pace became erratic, and he chanted her name over and over.

His fingers swiped at her clit one last time, and she clenched hard as she came, head thrown back in ecstasy.

He held her tight as he pumped his cum into her for the first time. Cock pulsing as he released everything he had into her womb.

They sat there for a few minutes, breathing heavily as they regained their bearings.

Once they caught their breaths, he gently raised her off his softening cock, holding her firmly as he stood and giving her a passionate kiss.

They quietly got dressed.

A calm had settled in the air, and he enjoyed the time they had until they had to leave the sanctuary of the closet.

Unfortunately, it didn't last as long as he wanted.

An Avox walked into the janitors closet, clearly searching for something.

The mute man stared with wide eyes at the scene before him.

Sejanus felt like he had been caught doing something wrong.

Hirudinea scoffed at the intruder,

"And what are you looking at? Huh? It's not like you're going to tell someone. Leave! Before I decide to have you punished."

The Avox rushed out, bowing in apology.

Sejanus held her elbow gently, guiding her to look at him. "Sweetheart, there was no need for that."

'Shit.'

After playing the repentant bully for so long, her mask had slipped.

"I'm sorry. You know how I get sometimes," she looked down in mock shame.

"I'm trying to be better, but it's hard to unlearn the things that have been drilled into me for so long. This isn't who I am. Please don't be upset, Sej," Hirudinea began to cry.

It was her usual "get out of revealing your true self" card with him.

Sejanus' eyes softened; he couldn't stand to see his girlfriend cry, and he hated the fact that she thought he was angry with her.

"It's okay; you're trying to be better, that's more than most people ever do. I know that's not you anymore, Dinea."

She quickly kissed him, feeling any leftover worry melt away from him.

In reality, Hirudinea didn't care about some tongueless traitor to Panem, and it disgusted her that he did. Even now, with a purebred Capitol girlfriend, he still found camaraderie with rebels.

'You can take the boy out of the Districts, but you really can't take the Districts out of the boy.'

'It's not a big deal,' she told herself later that day after failing to find the missing condom anywhere.

But it was a big deal; it could mean a huge wrench had been thrown in her plans.

Hirudinea had allowed herself to be weak a few months ago,

The day after sleeping with Sejanus for the first time, the heaviness of what she had just initiated fully hit her.

In need of familiarity, she had found herself bent over a desk in an empty classroom while Hilarius thrust into her from behind.

But had he used one of her sabotaged condoms? He knew the front pocket of her bag was where she kept the contraceptives; she had done it when they were dating, and they would have been easy for him to reach.

How did she get herself into this mess?

The sun rose over the Plinth house as Sejanus was awoken from his slumber by his alarm clock.

He stretched an arm over Hirudinea's sleeping form to turn off the device.

She hadn’t heard it.

She was a deep sleeper and with the combination of Sejanus's plush mattress with 1000 thread count sheets and the rigorous 'physical activity' they were up to the night before, she was absolutely knocked out.

Sejanus leaned over Hirudinea, pressing a kiss to her forehead before gently shaking her awake.

"Time to get up, sweetheart" he whispered.

He was reluctant to leave the little domestic sphere they had created in his bedroom, but he knew they needed to prepare for school.

She sluggishly rose, standing and stretching her arms over her head.

"I'll start the shower" she told him "Before you join me, darling, could you please make sure the servants prepare my breakfast exactly the way I like it? Yesterday's service was absolutely sub-par"

"I-" Sejanus didn’t even finish his sentence before Hirudinea shut the bathroom door behind her.

Her morning showers at the Plinth house were usually her was bliss.

Hirudinea had made a habit of staying the night with Sejanus. She adored getting to wake up on a luxurious bed, bathe with high-end products and sit down to an elegant breakfast.

It as a preview of what was to come, the life she would soon be living.

But this morning, she found herself under the steam of hot water, pre-occupied by thoughts of impending doom.

Her doctor’s appointment was scheduled for the evening.

Today was the day she would find out if she was pregnant and if she was, she had no idea who the father could be.

Mrs Plinth smiled lightly as she watched her son walk hand-in-hand with his girlfriend to the car.

The two weren’t aware she knew the girl had been spending the night, but it brought the woman much delight to stand by her window, overlooking the front yard, and know in her heart she raised a good and sweet boy as she saw Sejanus open the door for Hirudinea and guide her inside.

Sejanus had never been so happy for so long since they came to the Capitol, and it was all due to the Snow girl that stole his heart.

When Hirudinea was at their house, she didn’t do much (or any) kitchen work with her boyfriends mother, like a district girl would.

She would stand uncomfortably in a corner of the kitchen, occasionally commenting on the progress being made with the baking until Sejanus would come in and drag Hirudinea away, informing his mother that Hirudinea isn’t used to doing housework.

Mrs Plinth liked the girl regardless, after all, she filled Sejanus with such joy that the boy would constantly gush to his mother about love and soul mates and weddings.

Hirudinea was good for her son.

"What is it?" Strabo asked behind her, getting ready to leave for the office.

"Nothing" Mrs Plinth said softly, closing the curtain as the car pulled away.

It was official.

Hirudinea Snow was pregnant at eighteen.

She paid for the test with one of the watches Sejanus bought her.

When she thought of this moment months ago, she imagined there would be a feeling of fear at the knowledge that she was with child.

But no, all her dread came from the fact that she couldn't be sure who the father of her baby was.

She was supposed to have Sejanus Plinth's baby— the child that would be her family's ticket to a better life.

But if it was Hilarius's baby, then had she ruined her reputation for nothing? Had she just created another mouth for the Snows to feed?

No.

She decided it didn't matter.

Regardless of who the father of this child was, she would claim it was Sejanus.

Sejanus Plinth would be saddled with the responsibility, and his family would be her cash cows.

His name would be on the birth certificate.

Sejanus had been confused when his girlfriend cancelled their date only to tell him to meet her at a park near the Corso.

He knew enough that when a girl says she needs to talk, it's not a good sign.

"Hi," he said softly as he approached, a nervous smile on his face.

He took a seat right next to her on the bench, handing her the flowers he had gotten—red roses, her favorites.

"Hi," she replied, barely looking at him.

"What's wrong, Dinea?" He was too anxious to beat around the bush.

"Nothing, it's just..." she paused, letting a single tear fall. She had practiced that trick all night. "...It's just that if I tell you this...you may not want to be with me anymore."

This filled him with sadness. How could she think there was anything that would make him leave her?

Was she sick? Was she in trouble? Had she taken a liking to someone else? He would work through anything to be with her.

"Whatever it is, we can get through it."

"Do you promise, Sej?"

"I promise," he took her hands in his own, a comforting gesture.

She took a deep breath for believability, giving it a beat of silence before spilling,

"I'm pregnant."

Sejanus blanched.

He didn't say anything; he didn't know what to say.

He was going to be a dad. HE WAS GOING TO BE A DAD.

He didn't feel ready; he hadn't done anything to make his kid proud yet. He hadn't helped to make the world a better place.

But then he thought of the fact that she was going to make him a dad, and suddenly everything was alright.

Hirudinea was the light of his life, the reason he felt anything was possible.

He had every intention to marry and have children with her one day. So what if the order of things got mixed up?

"I-I'm going to be a dad," he thought out loud, a smile cracking onto his face. "We're having a kid."

"You're happy?"

She expected him to take responsibility and be naively glad, but she didn't expect him to be over the moon about it.

"Of course I am," he holds her face in both hands. "There's nobody I would rather be doing this with than you."

He looked to her for permission before pressing his hand to her stomach.

"I love you, Dinea," he admitted.

She definitely wasn't expecting that.

Hirudinea kissed him hard, hoping it would suffice as a reply.

When Hirudinea told her family they were invited to dinner at the Plinth residence, none of them knew what to think.

Coriolanus and Tigris weren't anticipating 'dinner at the in-laws house' so soon, and Grandma'am couldn't imagine for the life of her what business Hirudinea had with the Plinths.

As far as Grandma'am knew, the girl had always been smart enough to keep her distance from them and their unruly son.

The meal went smoothly, and the conversation was agreeable.

It was obvious to everyone that Hirudinea and Sejanus were excited about something. The pair giggled like children every time one looked at the other.

The whole table was curious.

It wasn't until the end of the meal, when the dishes had been cleared, that, holding hands, the couple stood to make an announcement.

Grandma'am gasped at the display.

Hirudinea began, "I'm sure you're all wondering the reason we called you here tonight, and it's because we have some very important news."

Sejanus gave her hand a gentle squeeze and continued, "We wanted our families to be the first to know that... we're having a baby."

Sejanus and Hirudinea waited eagerly for a reaction, but the silence at the table was palpable.

Scandalized, Grandma'am's hand rested on her chest.

It was Strabo who broke the silence first when he pushed his chair back loudly and walked out of the room.

Sejanus sent his girlfriend a look of apology, guiding her to sit down before following his father out.

Mrs. Plinth stood next, apologizing profusely before leaving.

"Of all the irresponsible things you have done!" Strabo shouted at a rattling volume.

He was standing behind the desk in his study, glaring daggers at his son on the other side of the room.

"What's irresponsible about having a baby with the girl I love?! But you, how could you just leave like that when she's so vulnerable. Go out there and apologize now!" Sejanus wasn't having any of it.

He wouldn’t allow his father make Hirudinea feel small.

"Apologize? You just barely turned 18, Sejanus. You haven't even graduated yet. What do you two know about anything? About raising a child? About being a father?"

Sejanus took a step towards his father. "Don't talk to me about raising a child! You know, there's more to being a father than throwing money around."

Mrs. Plinth gasped. "Sejanus!"

"No, Ma. Dinea and I are going to raise our baby a different way. If he doesn't want to be involved in the baby's life, he doesn't have to be. We'll go somewhere else."

Strabo scoffed. "And where is that?"

"Back to 2. I'll work as a medic in the quarries. We'll have each other, and that's the only thing that matters. We'll go somewhere we can be together like a family." Sejanus said naively but with the best of intentions.

If Hirudinea was in the room, she would have wrung Sejanus's neck out by now.

Mrs. Plinth grabbed onto her son's shoulders. "Sejanus please, don't say that. You have school and-"

"None of it matters if we're not in a home where Dinea and the baby are loved."

"But you’re loved here"

"Not by him!"

Sejanus smiled softly. "It's okay, Ma, I love her and she loves me. It's all we need. We'll be fine."

Mrs. Plinth turned to her husband. "Strabo, I'm begging you. It doesn't have to be like this."

Though he tried to look tough, Strabo didn't want his son to leave. He loved Sejanus, even if he didn't always show it the right way.

He realized reluctantly that he would have to find a way to deal with this.

It wasn't so bad after all; his grandchild was to be mothered by a Snow, one of the oldest, most respectable families in Panem.

It wasn't like Hirudinea was some random girl.

He thought long and hard and decided this wasn't bad at all.

It was amazing!

It was the start of a new era for the Plinth family, where they would receive more respect from the people of the Capitol.

This could work.

Back in the dining room, the extremely muffled voices of father and son could be heard engaged in an intense argument. The only other sound in the room was Grandma'am's wails of despair. Tigris held the old woman, who dramatically sought to sink to the floor.

Hirudinea rolled her eyes at the display.

"How long have you known?!" Coriolanus asked; the anger was evident in his voice.

"A few days," Hirudinea shrugged.

She knew her family would make a big deal out of it.

"You've known for days, and you didn't tell anyone? You didn't tell me?" Tigris gasped sadly.

Tigris had been there for Hirudinea since she was a baby; she held her sister's hand when the younger girl took her first steps, taught her sister how to read, ushered her through the scare of her first period.

Hirudinea shrugged, swirling the drink in her glass with a bored expression, "We're telling you now."

Coriolanus rose and slammed his hands down on the table. He had been annoyed with Hirudinea before, and he had disliked her actions before, but he never thought he'd come to be disgusted by her.

"How dare you, Dinea! How could you do this with him?" Coriolanus whispered the last part through gritted teeth. Hirudinea Snow, the most arrogant and stuck-up bitch he knew, knocked up by a boy from District 2 and proud?

"Do you even know how this reflects on all of us, you stupid fucking slut?!" Coriolanus yelled.

Tigris, on the other hand, wasn't angry, just disappointed. Raising kids wasn't easy; she would know, she raised two. The disappointment only grew when she remembered—

"We're finished!" Grandma'am cried. "Oh, you've ruined us, Hirudinea."

"Grandma'am, please," Tigris tried to console her grandmother to no avail.

"We'll never be able to show our faces again. The whole Capitol will know that my Hirudinea spread her legs for some filthy District boy!"

Tigris tried to shush the old woman, not wanting to offend their hosts.

"How could you do this to poor Hilarius? After all he's done for us," Grandma'am wept.

Hirudinea laughed. "Hilarius? I might as well tell you now, Hilarius and I haven't been together for ages. I've been lying for months."

Grandma'am nearly keeled over at the news.

Hirudinea continued, "All those pretty gifts were courtesy of Sejanus Plinth and how much he loves fucking me—"

Grandma'am rose and pointed a harsh finger. "Bite your tongue, you dirty little whore."

Hirudinea shook her head in exasperation, "Oh, please," she brushed off the insult.

Coriolanus wished he had the presence of mind to be happy his cousin was finally being reprimanded by the matriarch, but he was just sooo mad.

What was Dinea thinking?

As much as he tried not to, he could imagine it, Hirudinea under Sejanus, begging for his cum.

He wanted to throw up.

"This is too far, even for you," he seethed "I always knew you were a cheap skank but if-"

The door opened, and the dining room fell back to silence as the Plinths returned.

The Snows composed themselves as to not show weakness in front of their lessers.

As everyone took their seats, Sejanus brought Hirudinea's hand to his lips and placed a reassuring kiss there.

"My apologies for the way I left the room," Strabo said. "My shock outweighed my judgment. I should have been more thoughtful at this trying time."

"It's quite alright, sir." Hirudinea said.

The rest of her family maintained tight faces, adding to the tense environment in the room.

It was obvious they were displeased with the situation they had found themselves.

"Have you two discussed things yet?" Mrs. Plinth asked trying to lighten the mood. "What doctor you'll be seeing? Your prenatal vitamins?"

Hirudinea gave an innocent smile. "Oh, I already take vitamins. Vitamin C in the morning and vitamin D at night."

All the adults and Coriolanus stared in disbelief.

This was not someone ready to have a baby.

Tigris buried her head in her hands and let out a quiet sob.

Hirudinea knew how stupid she sounded but needed to look incompetent for her plan to work.

Mrs. Plinth and Strabo shared a look.

He nodded to his wife before speaking, "We understand that pregnancy isn't easy and things don't get easier when the baby comes, so to alleviate the burden on your family, why don't you come live here with us, Hirudinea?" Strabo offered.

Sejanus smiled hopefully, "We'll take care of you, sweetheart. I'll be here the whole time, and we'll go to doctor's visits together and make the nursery." He was already dreaming of what came next.

Hirudinea knew she wouldn't be caught dead covered in paint, building a nursery. That's what Avoxes are for. But she kissed him softly, playing up the love-dumb-girl act for his family.

Mrs. Plinth clasped her hands at the loving display.

Hirudinea wouldn’t mind living with the Plinths, although they irritated her with their strange mannerisms, their home had become a welcome getaway from her problems.

And by now, the servants along with Mrs Plinth and Sejanus were used to serving her hand and foot.

It would also help with keeping her hidden away before she announced the pregnancy to her classmates. She didn’t doubt that when she stopped showing up to school, her next floor neighbour, Arachne, would be at the penthouse door searching for answers.

Hirudinea looked at her lap like she was thinking before releasing a sigh and responding, "Thank you for your offer, Mr. Plinth. I would love to stay with your family and be close to Sejanus, but there's so much I'm needed for at home. Business has been going well, but there are still so many expenses and taxes. We're keeping up, but we all need to pull our weight."

The other Snows exchanged looks. Business wasn't going well, in fact, there was no business at all, and they definitely weren't keeping up with expenses.

"We would be happy to provide a stipend to make this period easier on you," Strabo said. "And also to sincerely apologize to the Snow family for this entire situation"

He was ecstatic to get his moment to show the Snows that his family would be more than adequate in caring for Hirudinea's needs. And since she was a girl of such good breeding, he would go all out.

He pulled out a small notepad and began jotting down some numbers. When he finished, he slid the page across to the pregnant girl.

"Will this amount suffice for each month?" He asked.

She took it and positioned the paper between herself and Coriolanus. 

The blonde boy had to stop himself from choking when he saw the number of zeros on the page. Hirudinea was taken aback too; this was way more than she was expecting. Not only would they be able to pay off the penthouse in a couple of months, but they could also afford new furniture and still have enough to send Coriolanus to university.

Grandma'am spoke first, "No amount-"

Tigris reacted quickly, taking the old woman's hands and gently but forcefully leading her out of the room.

"Yes" Coriolanus spoke up, "It will be sufficient"

Hirudinea almost laughed. It was funny how quick Coriolanus was to sell her body out for the right price.

"You're really willing to do this for Sej and I, Mr. and Mrs. Plinth?" The girl asked, excited.

"We're all going to be family soon, Dinea. It's what we do," Mrs. Plinth gave a warm smile.

"Thank you so much! Sej and I will be eternally grateful for this." She hugged Sejanus, who gladly received her.

Mrs. Plinth continued, "And call me Ma; your little one will be calling you that soon, too."

Hirudinea's smile falters for a millisecond, and only Coriolanus seems to take notice of it.

It was then that the reality of what had just happened hit him.

He would go to university, Grandma'am would be taken care of, the apartment and taxes wouldn't be a drain, and Tigris would get to focus on herself for once.

By becoming pregnant with Sejanus's child, Hirudinea had saved her family from further ruin.

Coriolanus's anger faded and was replaced by something else,

Respect, maybe?

"Everything will be okay, baby. We're going to be a family," Sejanus whispered to Hirudinea, placing a hand on her stomach.

Strabo lifts his glass,

"A toast, to the expecting parents and to future collaborations between the Snow and Plinth families,…and maybe even to a wedding someday soon?"

Coriolanus hadn't said much before leaving.

He congratulated Hirudinea and Sejanus and gave his cousin one last knowing nod, which she returned.

He stalked off to the car that was called for them; escorting Grandma'am away before she could disown her youngest granddaughter, who, unknown to her, was the family's saving grace.

Tigris lingered, conflicted with her emotions.

"Dinea," she called to her little sister who stood at her side near the car, "You know... I saw you a few months ago with the needle and the you-know-whats"

'Shit, how didn't I notice her? That fucking door!"

Hirudinea looked around, making sure the Plinths were far away.

"I don't know what you're talking about, sis," Hirudinea denied.

"I just don't understand why you did this."

The mother-to-be didn't like that one bit; how could her sister be confused about her motives?

"Isn't it obvious, Tigris? I wanted to do what you and Corio do. I wanted to help the family for once instead of always just taking."

"By attaching yourself to these nice people and using them? This isn't the way to do it—"

"So it's okay when you open your legs for a loaf of bread, but it's wrong when I do it to ensure our future?"

Hirudinea never liked hurting Tigris, but she was cornered.

She was always a bad sport.

"That's not— I just—Is it at least his baby?"

Tigris felt the need to ask. If her little sister could force a baby onto Sejanus, then what else could she do?

"Whatever baby I have will be Sejanus's child," Hirudinea stated.

That told Tigris everything she needed to know.

Her sister was fully content to use the poor boy to any end.

"Dinea," Sejanus said, walking up to them.

Hirudinea gave Tigris a look that said 'keep what you know to yourself,' before turning to smile at her boyfriend lovingly.

"It's been a long night; you should get some rest," Sejanus said with a big smile.

He'd been overjoyed since his father brought up marriage and she had to hold herself back from rolling her eyes.

She had no intention of tying herself to the Plinth's any further than with the baby.

"Yes, you're right, darling. I do feel a bit worn out. It must be the baby."

Sejanus placed a kiss on her lips. It was gentle and reminded Hirudinea of the one they shared when he'd walked her home that night, not so long ago.

Tigris sadly said her goodbyes and rushed to the vehicle.

As the car drove away, Tigris looked back one more time as Sejanus and Hirudinea walked past the doorway of the house.

The scene before her was of a boy head-over-heels in love with his pregnant girlfriend and the leech that would drain him without a second thought.

"I love you" Sejanus told his girlfriend tenderly as they headed for his bedroom, she was familiar with the route at this point.

A room had been prepared for her, but it was just out of courtesy, as Mr and Mrs Plinth knew the couple would be sleeping in the same bed. It didn’t matter anyhow, their son had already gotten her pregnant.

Hirudinea looked around at the gaudy splendour of the Plinth home and all the things she would enjoy from now on; all the things her child may one day inherit if she plays her cards right.

She would have to redecorate eventually, but for now she was content.

Feeling euphoric, as she had accomplished her goals, for the first time Hirudinea said words she never in her life thought she would:

"I love you too, Sejanus"

Please send asks about your thoughts on this relationship. I would love to know what you guys think about this whole dynamic, including their families.

Please like and reblog, if you feel like. Your feedback and interactions keeps me motivated XO

Taglist: @snowsgames @euphemiaamillais @darktrashsoulbear @buckleyverse

[misc-obeyme]

I just saw the rock band au and that was amazing! I got a request, The brothers visiting MC in the human realm possessing a human soul could this be MC own reaction

Oh, anon, I'm so glad you liked that rock band story! It gave me a little trouble, but I think it turned out pretty good despite that!

Okay, okay. So I feel I must apologize because this ended up being kind of... ridiculous? I don't know if you wanted something more serious and dramatic, but for some reason I found the idea of the brothers possessing people in the human world just to see MC rather humorous. So I'm afraid that's the direction this one went in! But if you were wanting something more serious, please let me know as I have ideas for this request that would result in a lot of angst instead.

Thank you for the request!

GN!MC reacts to finding the brothers have possessed a human in the human world in order to visit them

Warnings: possession which necessarily means that the random humans don't have control over their own bodies, but this is pretty lighthearted and they would mostly be unaffected by it

Lucifer

You're sitting in a public place somewhere - like the park or a cafe - when a good looking man randomly sits beside you. He's dressed like some big shot - a fancy suit, an expensive watch. You don't know him, but he smiles at you and says hello, using your name to address you.

How confusing? Who is this guy? You're pretty sure you don't know him. You can't just say that, though, can you? What if you do know him and you just forgot his name? You settle for a general greeting and completely forgo using his name, since you don't actually know it at all.

He chuckles. Don't worry, MC. You didn't forget his name. This is actually Lucifer possessing a human so he could come visit you in the human world. And that's when you notice the ruby eyes. You're amazed. He must have something important to say to you. Normally, he'd just show up in his own body, right?

But wait, how did you not realize that demons can possess humans like this? What's going to happen to that nice person he's invaded like that? Express your concern and Lucifer will calm you by telling you that the man he's possessed will be none the wiser. So there's no need to worry about him. He'll forget this ever even happened. Now hurry up and return to the Devildom, please. There's quite a stack of student council paperwork that needs your attention.

Mammon

It's an unusual circumstance, but you're at the bank. Maybe you needed to get a new debit card or you're thinking about taking out a loan. You've been waiting in line, but now you are finally called up to the teller. It appears to be a nice young woman with bright blue eyes. You're about to start telling her about what you need when she reaches across the counter and grasps your hand.

You look up in surprise and see that her eyes are practically sparkling. Is it just you or do they seem to have a little glint of gold in them…? She leans across the counter and whispers at you. MC! Don't ya recognize your first man?

Well you certainly do now! You demand to know what Mammon is doing in the body of this bank teller! He better not be up to something shady… He's going to attempt to reassure you. It's nothing like that! He just wanted to come visit you! It was a surprise, that's all!

You're suspicious. You ask him directly if he's planning on stealing money from the bank. He pretends to be offended. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to exchange human world money for Grimm? If he was to steal money here, he'd have to spend it here, too. Now that he's thinking about it though, that doesn't sound too bad… Tell him to get out of here before you banish him yourself. (You don't know how to do this, but he doesn't know that.) He agrees reluctantly, but only if you promise to come back to the Devildom quickly.

Leviathan

You're just going about your day, walking down the sidewalk, when you come upon a line unlike anything you've seen in a while. You don't know where the end of it is, but it appears that all of these people are waiting to get inside a store for something. A video game maybe? You're afraid to ask. You go on your way, walking next to the line, looking at your phone, when someone grabs your arm.

You whirl, about to whack them over the head, but they fling up their hands. MC! Please don't hurt him, he just didn't want you to walk past! You stop because of the fact that this stranger knows your name. When he lowers his hands, you see a pair of orange eyes and instantly know this has to be Levi. But his body belongs to some rando? What is going on?

He possessed someone to visit you, but saw this line on his way to where you are and got sidetracked. He's embarrassed to admit that he doesn't even know what the line is for. He just assumed it was something limited edition and that he likely needed to get one for himself before he lost his chance.

You're not surprised by this, but you are surprised by the possession. Was that really necessary? Couldn't he have just called you or something? That just isn't the same as seeing you in person. And since you wouldn't summon him yourself, he had to do something else to get to the human realm. Tell him that he had better go home once he's had his fill of waiting in line. He'll go, but he's going to get whatever this line is for. Gets you one, too.

Satan

You're taking your precious pet to the vet for a check up when it happens. You encounter the usual vet tech, someone you've seen plenty of times before. But something seems a little off about them. They sound different, they're more casual with you, and their eyes seem really really green? Have their eyes always been green? You honestly can't remember.

They take you into one of the vet rooms. Then they turn to you and there's a light shining in their eyes unlike anything you've ever seen. MC, it's him. It's Satan. Do you have any idea how many cats he's had the pleasure of petting today? So many. He came here like this just to say hello to you, but now he never wants to go home.

You're in shock. Does he know enough about being a vet to stay here for any real amount of time? He's offended at your question. Of course he has extensive knowledge on the medical treatment of animals. And anyway, all he really does is weigh them before handing them off to the vet. Okay, but what about that poor soul he's possessed? Please give him more credit, won't you? They won't remember a thing once he's gone.

Tell him that if he goes back to the Devildom, you'll go to all the cat cafes with him when you come back. He's a little annoyed at you for trying to bribe him like that, but he can tell that you're stressed about your vet tech being possessed. Very well, he'll go. But don't think he won't remind you of this promise when you finally come back.

Asmodeus

You are at home, minding your own business, when your doorbell rings. You open it to find someone in a big floppy hat and a pair of dark sunglasses. There's a swarm of paparazzi behind them. They push their way into your house and close the door, locking it behind them. When you finally get a good look at this person, you are in shock to see that it's a famous pop star. She's trying to look as unobtrusive as possible, but there's no mistaking her.

Oh, MC! You've saved him by letting him into your house! He had no idea this person was going to be hounded by paparazzi like that! Not that he's not used to it, of course. But he really came here to see you! Takes off the sunglasses and suddenly you realize you're actually talking to Asmo.

He must be insane. He has possessed a pop star in order to come see you in the human world. Why in the world would he do that? He explains that he just wanted to see what it was like to be this famous person! It really didn't measure up to being himself - he's far more beautiful of course - but it was certainly an interesting experience! If he's going to possess someone to visit you, might as well make it worth the effort.

Tell him that he has to return that pop star where he found her before he goes home. He can't just leave her, dazed and confused, in your house. He waves you off, it's no problem. He's going to take care of her, the poor thing. He's going to do her makeup and nails before he goes, though. She'll be thankful when she comes to. He's also going to insist on staying with you for a little while. You can't get rid of him so quickly!

Beelzebub

You're sitting in the park, maybe reading, maybe feeding some ducks, when someone sits on the bench beside you. You turn to look and see a beautiful woman dressed in athletic gear like she just sat down from a jog. There is a pile of churros in her hands, which she clearly got from a nearby vendor. She smiles and offers you one.

You find this very unusual and you're not sure about taking food from strangers. You're about to decline, but she seems to be able to tell. Don't worry, MC. These churros are really good. He's already tried ten of them. And then you get a better look at the eyes - purple and pink - and everything clicks into place.

You can't believe Beel has possessed some poor jogger and stuffed her body full of churros. Doesn't he realize what a problem that is? This body isn't his! She's going to be insanely sick later! He's really sorry, but he couldn't resist the smell of those churros. He only possessed someone near you so he could see you. The food just sidetracked him.

Take all the remaining churros from him because he will eat them if you don't and this unfortunate jogger will be the one dealing with it later. Tell him that you'll bring him all the human world food he wants when you come back. He accepts this offer. Promises to be patient and wait for you.

Belphegor

You walk out your front door and nearly trip over something curled up on your doorstep. You look down to find… a person? What is this random guy doing here? He looks normal enough, but he's sleeping in front of your door? You can't just leave him there, right? Should you call the police? You opt for shaking him awake. As soon as the eyes are opened and blinking up at you, you know something isn't right.

Sorry, MC. He was coming to see you, but he fell asleep before he could ring your doorbell. Yes, that's right, this unsuspecting human has been possessed by Belphie. You pull him to his feet and brush off the person's clothes, which are only slightly dirty from him being on the ground.

You ask him who he's possessed and he tells you that he has no idea. It was just someone who seemed close enough for him to reach you. He just really missed you. You're his best napping partner, you know. How is he supposed to get any decent sleep when you're always gone?

Tell him he can't go around possessing random humans just because he wants to nap with you. He'll have to nap with Beel for now until you return to the Devildom. He won't be happy about it, but he'll listen to you. Fine, but you had better come back soon. Everybody is losing their minds without you, it isn't just him. So hurry up, will you?

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[deadend-if]

This is just to give you guys a better idea about the game!

Where is this taking place?

The MC, A, and S will start in the city they live in together. M will also be there, but you won't meet K until Chapter One starts (sorry). Once Chapter One starts the rest of the game will be in the underworld!

The underworld? Which one?

Great question!!! All of them!!! I have taken my inspiration from... so many things. I'm sure there is a depiction out there similar to mine, nothing is original or something? It will get explained in the game but it can't hurt to give a little summary of it! The underworld is surprisingly easy to reach if you know where to look. The old doors are deep within catacombs and cave systems, but in the modern world, it becomes a problem to bring massive amounts of souls down twisting tunnels and tight passageways. So, when the subway system was implemented in big cities around the world, the denizens of the dead decided it worked for them, too. The underworld became the city of the dead, built with skyscrapers that reach toward no sky, and streetlights that have no stars to outshine. At the lowest level, souls are in turmoil, writhing in memories of people and tasks they left behind. The highest point is occupied by misty, formless wisps who have left behind everything they knew and loved to seek an audience with the Council of Rot. It's a crooked city of souls that linger on the cusp of something new, or something old. Hardly anyone knows what happens after the dead are done being, well, dead.

What kind of customization will the MC have?

You'll be able to choose your name, pronouns, gender identity (trans or not), hair color and length, eye color, height, college major, room/apartment decoration/general style, and smaller details like tattoos, freckles, glasses, etc. MC will also have different job options, though limited, along with some choices on their backstory, mostly focused on death and family dynamics. You can choose why S has a rivalry with MC, one-sided or not. I am also adding a childhood pet choice! And if you ever have an idea on something small to add to the customization feel free to let me know! I'll do my best to accommodate it, but I'm still not great with twine lol...

What are the non-customizable features of MC?

There will be limited choices for your background, job, and rivalry, but I'm hoping to leave a lot of options on the table for your MCs. That being said, your MC will always have a neutral-to-good relationship with A and a neutral-to-bad relationship with S at the beginning of the story. You will also have a set age (27) for various reasons. There might be more later, but I want to keep a lot of options on the table for you guys. The ending may seem a bit rail-roady (I don't know 100% yet) so I want to leave a lot of wiggle room for other things.

Personality Stats? Skill checks?

Yeah, so there won't really be "skill checks" in the typical sense, whoops. This story will have personality choices and some other variables that will change the game, but there won't be any failing/passing checks or rolling dice. MC's personality stats will affect flavor text and it will be the classic types like stoic, cheerful, shy, bold, etc. Your most game-changing stats are going to be MC's feelings on death and attachment to living. You determine A's fate, and maybe everyone else's, too. Who knows? :)

On the topic of NSFW and RO asks

The main reason I'm not including NSFW in this IF is because I genuinely don't think it would fit well in the plot at any point. That plus the fact that I, myself, am asexual... I don't think I could even begin to do it justice lol. It would be just... cringe guys, you wouldn't even want it. I can't really say anything though, I'm writing romance while also aromantic :/ I intend to keep this blog and the story away from anything NSFW. While I, personally, don't care about those asks, I want to create a space without NSFW topics. I'm also wary of people asking NSFW questions about asexual characters (Mortimer/A). Romance/SFW asks/scenarios/prompts about worldbuilding or ROs are totally fine, and I will be sososo happy to answer them.

Updates and Timeframe

Guys... I hate to break it to you... but I may be slow on the updates (shocking, I know). I want to write as much as I can, but I am also a college student writing this on a whim. I love this story, I've been thinking about it and scribbling ideas for it for about 2 years now. I don't want to abandon it, but there may be long stretches of silence sometimes. I WILL say something if it goes on hiatus or goes dark completely, I won't leave you hanging! This story will go through a lot of changes, I change my mind about things all the time, so you may be getting a lot of random updates of me changing (seemingly) unimportant things, sorry in advance. Lowkey might take years to write this :)

This will update with time! :D

[project-sekai-facts]

Sorry if this spoils you um... TSUKASA FOCUS!! What are your thoughts on what might happen? Based on the event description and then bunny plush being w tsukasa in the untrained.. im inclined to think because he's been cast as a minor role, he's kind of. like. What if i cant cause many smiles because of where i am.. and then meikos like you silly goose. you're the brightest star in someones universe and the bunny is there to remind him . AUGHH. AUGH

dw daichan already spoiled it on the stream last month lmao. Oh this event looks so interesting and frankly!! it's perfect for tsukasa's character arc!!! sorry about the excess of exclamation marks i'm excited about the possibility that people might finally understand him after this event and finally free me from writing analysis posts about him haha.

him being a minor part is literally what he needs to improve his acting. he's always either the lead or a major character, taking a step back is like another slap of realism for him and honestly, it might even be better for him than the challenges he's faced before when he struggled with lead roles. because he can't always be the lead, that just isn't a possibility. no matter how good an actor is they will not be the lead in everything they star in. he's pushed his limits to get lead roles before (Torpe, Rio, also the secondary lead Bartlett), so i think approaching a minor role is going to be a whole new experience for him.

I'm especially interested in the fact he's tasked with making the character feel real because we all know what that means: some good old fashioned Tsukasa unpacking his emotions. we don't know yet exactly what this minor character is doing, so i can't really make any guesses as to what is meant to feel real about it since we don't know their motivations and conflicts yet, but i get the feeling it will play into the fact that Tsukasa got the minor role, like how Rio played into his weaknesses and Torpe connected to his younger self.

As I said, Tsukasa is pretty much always the lead or some significant role. In this scenario as well when what he’s trying to do is improve his acting, such a minor role could feel like nothing. I think those feelings (be it annoyance or disappointment or whatever it may be in the story) are somehow going to play a part in how he has to make such a minor character feel real.

Also I think one of the aspects Tsukasa struggles with most is understanding the characters he plays. With Torpe he couldn’t relate to him and therefore struggled to play the role because he couldn’t get his head around how the character should act. With Rio he struggled too, and tried to replicate some of the character’s struggles in real life to help him try and get into the mindset of the character. But those two were MCs, a minor character with three lines is a whole different story because they don’t have an arc. However, all characters in a good story will have some sort of motive and you will be able to tell what that is from only a few lines. Good dialogue should be able to tell you a lot about a character. I think that’s what Tsukasa is going to learn in this event. Minor characters are not irrelevant even if they don’t contribute to any major plot points. All the characters in the world of that story are real people with individual lives and thoughts and feelings.

And to steer this away from me talking too much about screenwriting I think a minor role as you pointed out could be a hit to his desire to make people smile. Because who cares about a character with three lines? The hero makes people smile, not a forgettable background guy. The forgettable background guy won’t mean anything to anyone, he won’t make anyone smile, and he’s not a star.

Also the preview and title I think will play into these insecurities and lessons. He can’t be the lead every time, he can’t always be the big star of the show. However he can make a small role into a highlight, and even if he isn’t the frontman, there will always be people who will view him as the star of the show regardless, like Saki (Usa-chan) and WxS, and he can at least make them smile.

[hxhhasmysoul]

Hello, hello, have you seen the newest update of JJK? I'm so proud of my best boy, Yuuji....

Can, I ask, why do you think Yuuji is one of the character that is so underated in JJK? He is the mc, but many people (in fandom) treat him like a side character? At first, I don't think so, but I love many shounen, and somehow Yuuji is one of the mc that is underated in their own story....

Sorry if I'm wrong, just I love Yuuji and want him to get the spotlight he deserve....

Sorry it took me so fucking long to reply to this.

If you think that the story doesn’t focus on him enough then I don’t really agree with that but I don’t think it’s wrong of you to feel like that. But I’m not sure this is even what you meant, I just wanted to move this out of the way. And the following paragraphs will explain that a bit. That will be the nice part of this reply.

JJK isn’t a story that mainly follows one character and the plot happens only where that character is. For example, as much as I watched of Demon Slayer (I think up to season 3 and I have no interest in picking it up again ) or read of the Chainsaw Man (first part, I got bored a few chapters into the second), made me think that those stories are too focused on one character. Villains did villain things on the side but the story always came back to the main character and focused on him in the end and plot usually happened where he happened to be, and he was the one to kill the bosses. In JJK even if the story lines feed into each other, they have much more independence and it doesn’t feel that Yuuji is the centre of the universe and the story just waits for him to move. And my personal preference is for the JJK kind of story, as I said CSM and Demon Slayer didn’t manage to hold my interest. 

It’s just a matter of preference. And If you’d like the story to be more streamlined around him there’s nothing wrong with that.

That being said, I think that the JJK story still strongly centres around Yuuji. 

He’s connected to all the most memorable and important villains of his time (aka those that didn’t die before he became a sorcerer). He’s one of the linchpins of Kenjaku’s plan and the only one of their experiments that they seem attached to, he’s Mahito’s obsession, he’s Sukuna’s nightmare and now also obsession. 

Yuuji is also strongly connected to all the major JJK themes: weakness vs strength, human connection vs loneliness, the value of life, bodily autonomy, humanity vs dehumanisation, oppressive systems of power, tradition, gender stereotypes, drive and agency, jujutsu world vs the normie world, family, love and friendship, new vs old. 

I think only Kenjaku also really connects to all of these to the same degree as Yuuji does, though some of the other characters are close like Sukuna, Maki or Megumi. Gojou or Nobara aren’t that strongly connected to some of them. And characters like Getou or Yuuta are even more tangentially connected to some of them or not at all. Yuuji really is the one who brings it all together. 

Here ends the nice part of this answer. Everything that follows will be rather bitter and unkind towards the JJK fandom. Because I’m really fed up with it as a larger group.

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So why does the fandom treat Yuuji like shit? There are a few reasons that can be pointed to and they apply to varying degrees to the behaviour of individual fans.

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Part 1 - This fandom is the fucking pits

The fandom in itself is absolute fucking garbage. Like interacting with it will make you lose faith in humanity and give you brain damage.

Casual fans 

JJK is a fairly popular title in the west and the fandom is quite big and loud. It’s an ongoing title with a hype anime and there are a lot of casual fans. It’s full of:

People who also like many other things and don’t really follow the story closely and don’t really know the lore. 

People who read/watched JJK once and haven’t really taken the time to understand the story and its world. 

People who as @/cursedvibes says have issues with object permanence and don’t remember what happened a few chapters earlier, and who feel that if the character isn’t in the frame that means that they are dead and/or forgotten and/or were always irrelevant. 

People who don’t really like stories like JJK but have never understood the idea of saying “this is not for me” and moving on. Instead they take it as a personal offence that this popular title doesn’t cater to their specific tastes. And they often have the delusion that their personal taste is the mark of objective quality. 

People who only want flashy fights and/or power scaling. 

A lot of these people feel that they need to shit out content about JJK on social media because that’ll get them into the trending tags. And since they don’t really have any opinions of their own apart from not being satisfied with JJK they find some cold take that sounds clever to them and regurgitate it over and over again until a new clever-sounding cold take becomes popular, rinse repeat. 

Those people should be ignored, blocked or muted. They’re just riding some pathetic bandwagon and clout chasing.

___

Righteous Haters 

The cold takes the casual fans regurgitate usually come from people who just thrive on criticising popular things. Those divide into:

The “Intellectuals” who think they are better than the plebs who like popular things. In their mind popular things can do nothing right and are by default shallow and stupid.

The “Enlightened” who will jump at any opportunity to call something problematic and emerge as the morally pure person.

It’s hard to tell whether these people actually read the story and know it well. Their takes are usually very divorced from the text and I’m always on the fence whether it’s due to genuine lack of reading comprehension or willful misinterpretation. 

If you engage with these people they will argue with fucking manga panels, like they will not accept the text even if it’s presented to them. They are honestly a joke. But a lot of them will die on the hill of discrediting Yuuji and spread that opinion around wrapped in pseudointellectual language. Some of them will even put on the airs of academia without knowing how to academia a text in any of the many possible academic analysis ways. Or how to academia about social issues. It’s an intimidation tactic that makes me disrespect them.

Among the JJK enlightened you will find a lot of terfy pseudo feminism. It will be very conservative flavoured and really misogynistic, usually not overtly queerphobic but the vibe will be there, and it will aggressively bring up the general fandom opinion that Gege is a man (which may even be true but Gege doesn’t officially gender themself) to attack and discredit Gege and their work, according to the terfy belief that all men are dangerous and evil. There will also be a lot of intellectualised transphobia especially in relation to Kenjaku, but also Uraume, Tengen and Kirara. And all so funny homophobia about how in their opinion Gege is attracted to their male characters.

___

The thirsters

JJK surprisingly aggressively caters to the female and queer gaze in ways that most shounen just don’t. I once wanted to make a joke post titled “The Masculine Forearm, the true main character of JJK” just consisting of panel after panel that is angled in such a way to put the skillfully drawn male hands and strong forearms front and centre. (The masculine hand and forearm are often mentioned in relation to the female gaze.)

I gave up, there’s just too many of those, simply look at the covers. It’s really funny because Gege does not hide the forearms of Yuuji or Megumi, but at least in the earlier manga that I analysed from that perspective, the forearm angles of those two are much tamer than for example when Sukuna or Nanami are shown. It almost feels like Gege knows or subconsciously senses that the forearm is thirst, is fanservice, and Gege is very consistent about not sexualising the teenage girls and likely also the boys. 

The forearm is of course the tip of the fanservice iceberg. Everything about the JJK men is very that to the point that JJK is widely known for its sexymen. There are people, including fan creators, in the fandom who have never read or watched JJK, they just learned of the sexymen thirsted hard enough to join the fandom.

These are the people who usually won’t actively attack Yuuji, they will just flood the fandom with the posts about their favs and make it seem that few people care for Yuuji. 

There are also Yuuji thirsters but there aren't that many of them. 

Yuuji is 15 years old in canon and some people just draw a line at thirsting over a character that is underage in canon. And as long as they don’t insult or harass others about that I don’t give a shit what they do. 

But also even if Yuuji was of age, Yuuji is not a prime thirst object. He’s for a slightly more refined palette. And he becomes more desirable if you understand his character better. 

On the surface Yuuji is a himbo, a dumb jock with a heart of gold and a cute face. There’s no mystique to him, no edge. This view of him is very widespread. For some thirsters that is enough but it’s not a popular thirst worthy type.

There are some thirsters who actually know the source material and know who Yuuji is but those are people who are in the JJK fandom for more than just thirst. 

Generally I don’t have a problem with thirsters but the more ignorant ones contribute to the general fandom idea that there’s nothing interesting to Yuuji.

___

Gojou and SatoSugu fans

I ranted about those people a lot and everything I’ve written about them holds up. A large and loud subset of them will spam all the tags, will create posts that boil down to “JJK is about Gojou (and Getou) actually and everything that happens in JJK is about him (them), regardless if it happens to other characters”. If you don’t actually block them on sight, wading through the main JJK tags is nigh impossible. 

Gojou really won the internets and is truly the “strongest” of the JJK sexymen. 

The overabundance of content about him exposes a lot of people to the “meta” his fans produce in droves. I put it in quotation marks because fuck, so many of these people are allergic to canon and what they write is deranged fanfiction tagged as meta or discourse. Gojou exists in the western fandom more as headcanon than canon. And to people who aren’t really invested in JJK, he seems like the main and most important character. 

There are both shippers, thirsters, casual fans and righteous haters (they hate everything about JJK but Gojou (and Getou) in this group.

And of course they influence the perception of what JJK is, including the perception of Yuuji. 

___

Sukuna fans

There are some of them who will spread takes that reduce Yuuji to Sukuna’s skin suit and will generally treat Yuuji as a function of Sukuna, not a separate character. Interestingly enough, Kusakabe is one of them but he pretends to be a Sukuna hater.

___

People who think Kusakabe speaks the truth straight from Gege’s brain

Because the reading comprehension in the fandom is very poor, there are people who take whatever Kusakabe says at face value and will ignore everything else that has happened in the manga thus far. They also haven’t picked up on the fact that Kusakabe has always been deeply biassed against Yuuji. 

Why is Kusakabe still alive? 

And honestly not only Kusakabe, to them any character that discredits Yuuji is always correct and spot on.

___

Megumi and ItaFushi, SukuFushi fans

There is a subset of those fans that despise Yuuji with a passion. They think that Megumi either should be or is the main character of JJK. They think that Sukuna has been obsessed with Megumi from the start because Megumi is special and has incredible potential. They will pretend that the main JJK storyline revolves around Megumi, they will often ignore Kenjaku completely and pretend they are not the main driver of the story. Because admitting that Kenjaku, not Sukuna was the main villain of the story, would just by itself completely discredit Megumi as the main character, because Megumi barely any connection to Kenjaku, only through Tsumiki and Yorozu, and has only a weak, practical, plot related and not thematic connection to Sukuna. He became Sukuna’s escape plan and a tool to kill Gojou.

He has no connection to any other major villains or antagonists in current day JJK. He’s only connected to Touji and Naoya, but it can be argued that Yuuji had more dealings with Naoya than Megumi. 

Yuuji’s connections to Sukuna are:

Practical - being Sukuna’s vessel and cage.

Plot related - he is Kenjaku’s way of controlling Sukuna and being Sukuna’s vessel influences everything about how Yuuji functions in the story and how he relates to other characters.

Emotional - they both harbour strong negative feelings for each other, Sukuna even more than Yuuji. 

Familial - they are related. Yuuji doesn’t know and would just likely compartmentalise it. Sukuna pretends he doesn’t care but it’s clear he cares very much actually.

Philosophical - Yuuji by merely being himself challenges Sukuna’s whole worldview. 

Thematic - strength vs weakness, sorcerer vs normie, humanity, value of human life, family, love, connection and loneliness, tradition, new vs old, bodily autonomy.

If those Megumi fans are shippers they will often push the dumb himbo stereotype on Yuuji. There are a lot of fics in the ItaFushi and FushiIta tags that will treat Yuuji as the necessary evil but you can really feel that the authors dislike him. Finding fics there from his POV or at least exploring him is a fucking chore. And that is or at least used to be the most popular ship tag for Yuuji. Pages upon pages of stereotyping or downright character assassination working hard to replace the canon Yuuji with the fanon one in the general fandom consciousness. 

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Part 2 - People say one thing and do/think another

Basically a lot of people are not really self aware or are hypocrites or just repeat things they read and never put any thought into them.

You will see a lot of people criticising shounen tropes. That shounen is formulaic, that the shounen main characters are all the same, that shounen battles are all the same, that shounen main characters are overpowered… and so on and so forth. 

Those same people will latch onto Gojou and crown him the main character. 

Because faced with Yuuji … they have no fucking clue what to do with Yuuji. They finally got a shounen main character that at first glance might seem like the same old shounen main but very quickly it becomes clear he absolutely isn’t that. 

So there are three reactions to that.

Denial

No, Yuuji actually is a stereotypical shounen main. He’s got colourful hair, he’s strong, he fights with his fist, he’s super dumb and kind of a pervert but nice and everyone instantly loves him. He gets power ups and learns everything too easily and too quickly, fights the bosses and breaks the story. And of course he has a sob story and is related to the villain. And his mum has a braid.. She doesn’t, well she does have a ponytail, kinda, in two of her bodies anyway…

And that’s it, there’s all there is to him, there’s nothing more to see. 

Faced with canon they will reject all arguments or block you.

___

Rage

Yuuji is so fucking weak, why is he so weak? Why are there other characters in this story that get focus? Why is everyone more powerful than him? Why doesn’t he power up and destroy all the bosses, what kind of fucking shit is this? Well at least there’s Gojou the fucking GOAT, let’s go the strongest!!! 

Gojou died? Why? Didn’t he say he was the strongest? Why the fuck is Yuuji there? What can he even do? He wasn’t powering up and bodying opponents so we didn’t really pay attention to whatever was happening with him. This is some fucking ass pull.

They also can’t accept that the final battle isn’t a one vs one, that there’s actually a plan with many aspects and contingencies. That the characters are trying to be rational about this thing, they aren’t driven by their egos and desire for glory, well apart from two, and they just want to do everything they can to get rid of Sukuna and stop Kenjaku.

This is not acceptable. If it’s not hard hits and energy flashes but plans and strategy then it’s not a real shounen fight. Gojou vs Sukuna was kinda a fight like that, of course Sukuna was not doing it right because he was scheming too much. But it should’ve ended there, Gojou’s energy balls should’ve concluded the manga.

If you try to suggest to them that he’s just a different kind of character and JJK isn’t that kind of shounen and that it's actually okay for it to take a different route, the rage will spill. They will not accept that shounen can be many things but they will complain that all shounens are the same and predictable. 

___

Condescension 

Yuuji isn’t what they want him to be and that’s “objectively” bad writing. That’s it. They will actually list how Yuuji should’ve been written but more importantly how everything should’ve been written and generally Yuuji should’ve never been put forward as the main character because he really doesn’t make sense as one. Gege is just a bad writer and it’s all mid and doesn’t make sense. 

What’s even the point? Is there even a story in JJK, what is it even about? The magic system surely doesn’t make any sense, who even understands that? Everyone who says they understand is lying.

Sure, there were some interesting parts in it, so people got hyped, like the Hidden Inventory arc and Shibuya but only until Gojou got sealed, everything after that is just boring and awful and did I mention bad writing? 

And all those deaths of fandom sweethearts, pointless. Either they are just for shock value because there was nothing absolutely nothing in the writing that suggested that they might die, od Gege just being mean to the fandom and hating their own characters and Gege should honestly *insert violent ideation*. Or the deaths are too predictable, generally everything is so predictable in JJK, and stereotypical. 

Why do people even care or like it, they are objectively wrong if they do. Because hello the writing is so fucking bad, people have no fucking taste honestly. Who even reads that shit anymore?

Why are those people still in the fandom? Fuck knows.. They will spam the tags though, incessantly. The world must know how much they are better than JJK, Gege and those losers who have anything positive to say about JJK.

___

Honestly there is no winning with any of these people. What they claim they want is not what they are ready to embrace or even tolerate. They can’t also accept that maybe JJK just isn’t for them. There must be something wrong with JJK and with Gege because their tastes are universal and objective. 

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Part 3 - JJK may be a shounen but Yuuji is a shoujo main character

I’ve written about it before (some of it is a bit outdated now due to what was revealed in the manga) but I will always stand by this. Because it really explains everything. 

Yuuji isn’t a typical shounen protagonist but if you look at shoujo protagonists you’ll see his type of protagonist. He is of course a mix of both and in the recent chapters he’s leaning a little more shounen but not too much.

He’s not indulging Sukuna, look how little he even speaks in this fight. He’s not revelling in this fight like Gojou had because he’s not fighting for himself. The outcome, not the fight matters. He’s still not ego driven, still two of his win conditions apart from his fighting abilities are his personality and strength of convictions that so deeply unsettle and upset Sukuna. 

Recently everyone in the story, apart from Chousou, Higuruma and Toudou puts Yuuji down, discredits all his accomplishments. He even is starting to believe it. Sukuna is continuing to take everyone away from him. And yet Yuuji is still fighting because this is not about his ego. This is about removing the threat that is Sukuna and hopefully saving Megumi. He really puts himself last and isn’t even given the space to feel bad. All of this will just be there to crush him later.

And the fandom just takes every single insult hurled at Yuuji by the other characters at face value, as if the jujutsu world hasn’t always been hostile to him, treated him as less than human. As if those characters were impartial and haven’t been showing their bias towards Yuuji. They don't pick up on the fact that the jujutsu world is rotten to its core and Gege has consistently used the story to question the values of that world.

So lastly the fandom can’t stomach that Yuuji isn’t 100% stereotypically masculine, that his arc isn’t an alpha male power fantasy. That he isn’t written to perfectly embody the conservative gender norms. This is what the weakness accusation is all about, even if the people hurling it would swear up and down that they aren’t misogynists. Because Yuuji isn’t only accused of losing but also of crying, of breaking down, of being scared. This slight proximity to what is considered stereotypically feminine is a vice. One that for many discredits him completely, makes him not worthy of being the main character. 

And if you think that I’m reaching with this… It’s a pattern that repeats itself in the fandom. You will see criticism of the JJK girls for not being soft enough, girly enough. Any proximity for masculinity will be zeroed in on and criticised under the guise of “feminism” with the terfy sentiment that female characters can’t be girly anymore. But girly characters like Hana or Yorozu will be hated for their proximity to stereotypical femininity because that’s considered feeble and shallow and unworthy. And just look how the fandom reacted to Megumi having an ugly and hysterical mental breakdown. To him showing weakness and not manning up. To him showing his emotions in such a visceral way. 

____

These are the three main reasons why I think Yuuji is so underrated and why so many people will go to great lengths to just shit on him.

[kimiko-dear]

Obey Me Nightbringer Time Paradox

Solomon’s card, Down Memory Lane, from the 2024 HDD event, has made it clear that the developers have once again decided to muck up time. When Nightbringer first came out, and we were thrust into “the past,” I anticipated that we were going to have another one of these paradoxes, the question being, are we going to go back to our Original Game timeline, where none of the NB events have happened, or are we going to go to the “present” in the NB timeline, in which nothing in OG has happened.

Solomon transports us to a replica of Serenity Manor, and tells us that he can’t return us to our original timeline. I have a number of big problems with this.

NB MC is going to have had a completely different experience from everything OG MC did. Diavolo and Lucifer won’t have randomly picked MC for the exchange program. The exchange program would have been timed to coincide with NB MC’s “coming of age” (as it were,) because everyone’s waiting for MC to come back.

NB MC is going to be thrust into an unknown world filled with demons who seem to know them already, somehow, and adore them. No Belphie protesting the program because he hates humans - oh, no. He’s been anticipating MC’s return as much as everyone. The whole mystery of who’s in the attic, making MC form pacts to get him out…heck, all of season 1 is gone. It’s not the best way to erase the Lesson 16 mess.

MC is going to be blown away by all the brothers stumbling over each other to make pacts with them, too, and that has to be a pretty intimidating situation. There’s no reason that NB MC would have to do ANYTHING to persuade the brothers to make pacts. Kind of takes away from the point of pacts being difficult to obtain, and MC’s magical nature, relation to Lilith, and spunky personality are irrelevant and unnecessary.

NB Solomon is kind of out of his element here, too. He doesn’t remember any of the things that happened in NB seasons 1 and 2, because it was OG Solomon who was there. He’s going to hear that MC ends up as his apprentice, and all about MC’s amazing powers, and I wonder how he’s going to feel about being told what to do. (I headcanon that NB Solomon was off on an extended vacation in South America, just because it’s a fun explanation of why he might not have been there for that whole time.)

Now, of course, all the NB characters know that OG MC has the Ring of Light. Michael might have taken a bit of persuasion from Lucifer, but he would have eventually handed it over. Simeon can give it to NB MC right away.

There goes season 2. No disasters caused by MC’s growing power blurring the lines among the worlds, no Lucifer memory loss, all the most important elements of why MC is special to the brothers and the Devildom erased. Why is NB MC there, anyway? Everything gets handed to them on the basis of OG MC’s trip to the past.

Season 3 is gone, too. OG Solomon recreated a magical replica of Serenity Manor in this card, saying it doesn’t exist except in his and OG MC’s memories, so no Butcher, no death karaoke, no train trip, no amusement park, no bogeyman…no trials at all to gain a sorcerer’s license. I mean, I guess they can go and make up a new set of trials, since NB Solomon has been put on the spot to make NB MC a sorcerer. This season was about that and about Diavolo forming closer bonds with the brothers…is that going to go away, too? After all, their shared mission to bring NB MC to RAD might have been enough to make them all friends. The devs can’t possibly come up with a way that any of the brothers still have resentment towards or grudges against Diavolo, since they have now spent all this time working on realizing a common goal.

I’m not terribly sad about the loss of season 4, so I’m going to skip ahead to the worst part.

OG Solomon and OG MC are going to a different timeline. (Most likely the NB timeline, unless the devs have come up with some even worse idea.) This means that NB Solomon and NB MC suddenly find themselves whisked out of existence the moment OG Solomon and OG MC arrive. Where do they go? Will we ever know? Is it any less bad than what happened in Lesson 16?

Once the NB present picks up with OG Solomon and OG MC, there are several years of events they weren’t part of and won’t remember. Maybe the demons and angels will be happy for the return of OG MC, who is much less bland than NB MC, who had everything handed to them without the same trials and struggles, but it’s going to be rough dealing with two characters who are NOT THE SAME ONES they just spent all that time with. 

Will they miss NB MC? Will they wonder where NB MC and NB Solomon went, or what happened to them? Will they be able to love OG MC knowing that they are responsible for the obliteration of NB MC? Barbatos merging the timelines again is going to be the lamest deus ex machina possible, so I hope they come up with something better than that.

However, they’ve really written themselves into a corner here, and I’m far from certain that they’ll be able to write themselves out of it in a satisfactory manner. If NB season 3 repeats OG season 3 or pulls a “and then I woke up” scenario, it’s going to be awful. If the discrepancies I wrote about here aren’t addressed, it’s a huge injustice to fans who devoted so much time, energy, love and money to the first game.

We have to wait and see. For who knows how long. I’m hoping for a pleasant surprise, but worried that I may get something that makes me just drop the game out of frustration. Fingers crossed for the former.

[wolvie-peanut]

Mc: You're naive! Wade is a cheater no matter how you spin this! He's always on the constant hunt for the 'next best thing'. He has absolutely zero respect for boundaries or personal privacy. His commitment level is about on par with that of a goldfish. He's constantly making excuses for his infidelities, and blaming them on others. In Wade's mind, his constant infidelities aren't his fault. He blames it on his charming persona and magnetic personality, claiming that everyone is just so drawn to him that they have no choice but to flirt back. He'll make up excuses like "it's just in my nature" or "it's just who I am, nothing I can do about it." Basically, he deflects any responsibility for his disloyal actions and instead tries to make it seem like everyone else is to blame for his infidelities. It's behind your back, Logan! He is cheating you just won't acknowledge it!

You don't know a damn thing about Wade if you think he's just the same shallow playboy you know from gossip. You think you've got him all figured out, but you ain't come within a mile of the real him. Yeah, he flirts. Yeah maybe he pushes some boundaries. But that don't mean he's cheating on me, and it certainly don't give you the right to judge his capacity for love.

He ain't just some careless cheater who doesn't care to be loyal. You wanna talk about boundaries? He knows damn well where mine are and he respects every single one. And he ain't some charmer who gets off on manipulating people into having an affair. Just because he's open about his sexuality doesn't make him a traitor or a whore.

You've got this image of him as some kind of callous, opportunistic player. But the truth is, Wade's got a heart as big as they come. He gives himself fully, to me and everyone he considers a friend. He may not be perfect, but he's a helluva lot more complicated than whatever picture you've painted in your head.

And yeah, maybe he's got a hard time with boundaries sometimes. But that's his baggage, and I ain't gonna hold that against him. What kind of partner would I be if I couldn't understand that everybody's got their issues, and Wade maybe more than most?

You say he's blaming others for his cheating, but you just don't get it. That ain't what's going on here. He's not making excuses or deflecting. He's just trying to be honest about who he is, warts and all. He trusts me enough to lay it all out, and he ain't ashamed to admit that he likes attention. And I respect that, because it's all a part of the man I love.

You wanna talk about commitment? I don't need some perfect, saintly boyfriend who never looks at another person. I need someone who's real, who's honest with me and themself. Wade may not be the best at staying faithful, but he's the most loyal partner I've ever had. Because loyalty isn't just about being monogamous. It's about standing by each other through thick and thin.

Yeah, he flirts. He's charming. He makes people feel desired. And that's okay. Because I know he's come home to me every night. I know he's given me his heart completely, even if it's a bit battered and banged up. You can call that naive all you want, but that's my truth. And nothing you say is gonna change how I feel about him.

You can talk about his lack of commitment or his supposed betrayals all you want. But the bottom line is, you ain't seen the real Wade. You ain't seen the way he loves me, with his whole being. And until you have, until you see the way he'll go to the end of the world for the people he cares about, you don’t know the first damn thing about him.

You wanna gossip about his infidelities and his tendency to flirt, go ahead. It's not gonna make a damn bit of difference to me, because I know the truth. Wade's not some heartless cheater who can't commit. He's the person who keeps me going when the world gets dark. He's the one who's got my back, no matter what. And no amount of small-minded gossip is gonna change that.

So if you want to spend your days talking smack about my Wade's love life, go ahead. But just know this: you ain't got any idea what you're talking about. There's a depth to him you can't begin to understand, a loyalty that runs deeper than anything you've seen before. And I ain't giving that up for anything, especially not for your damn rumors and innuendos.

[strawberry-cowmilk]

I was so happy when I saw that your requests were opened and now I have an idea !

How would each brother and/or datesble react to an MC that used to party like crazy in the human world, I am talking about your perfect teenage party life in those movies ,making out with friends ,funny pictures of you and your girlies chilling in the bathroom ,passing out and all that stuff (the brothers maybe fond out through the MC showing some pictures and explaining tge backstop behind each picture for example)

Omy goodness I hope this request is the slightest bit clear to understand, I am sorry ,and pls don't feel pressured your writings are awesome

Hello! it's clear to me, don't worry. I hope you like it!

the obey me cast with a former party enjoyer mc

mc's gender is not mentioned, not proof read

important note: I feel like this has to be said as somebody who sometimes attends parties and bars, when you attend a party please stay safe and be responsible. Have plans for what to do in case something bad happens and don't do anything that could get you into (legal) trouble. Of course don't touch alcohol if you cannot drink in your country and when you can, be responsible about it. A party is not like it is in a movie.

content warnings: (wild) party stuff (I kept it vague), casinos, implied alcohol use (???), me having no idea how to write for barbatos and belphie and solomon kind of

-----

Lucifer

you and lucifer were at dinner and the topic of you and your early college days just came up

when you showed lucifer the pictures his first thought was he's glad you've evolved (for the better in his eyes)

lucifer also warns you to never go to parties with mammon and/or asmo if you're over that kind of stuff

part of him wonders what it was like though

Mammon

mammon frequents 'wild' parties, especially after winning big amounts of grimm at the casino

he always wondered how you got so much good advice on certain situations related to said parties, now that you told him you're a former seasoned party attendee it makes sense

mammon wants to take you to a party but maybe you're over them

Leviathan

levi never would have guessed, and now he's a little afraid of you because he doesn't like party animals

but you're close so he forgets about the shock soon enough

when you tell him stories about your average campus party at 3 in the morning he says stuff like 'this is why I hate normies'

followed by '...not you, mc' (he's embarrassed)

Satan

he was reading you a book and the main character went to a party so you just told satan about your own party phase

at first he was like 'yeah we all had our phases' but when you showed him pictures from the parties he wonders how you and your friends got a rolls royce in a lecture hall (he wants to know so he can get cars in lucifer's office)

overall, satan doesn't really have a strong opinion on your party phase, as long as you stayed safe

Asmodeus

asmo himself has seen, heard and lived through stuff so nothing you tell him and nothing in your pictures can surprise him

not even the picture of the car in the middle of the lecture hall

he thinks this information is amazing, he's lowkey upset you didn't tell him sooner

if you're up for it he'll take you to one more party

Beelzebub

he's worried for past you when he hears the stories, but luckily you were fine

and he's both scared and lowkey impressed at some of the pictures you show him, how did you get some stuff to happen?

also pictures of the food hurt to look at, your average college party buffet is not a five star place (he still wants to eat it though)

beel is kind of relieved when you confirm you're over this phase in your life

Belphegor

every time diavolo holds a party lucifer basically has to drag him over there so he has no idea why some people actually enjoy parties

the pictures don't surprise him either honestly, he's seen the pictures asmo posts on devilgram during the parties it can't get crazier than that

he does wonder how it was, but he'd never actually want to experience it

Diavolo

when you said you used to love parties he thought you meant ballroom dances and fancy dinners

not 21st birthday celebration-like scenarios

he is impressed though, he goes like 'splendid, so this is how you party in the human world'

but honestly seeing the pictures did make him feel a bit worried

Barbatos

he has been dragged to the fall too many times to his liking by solomon and/or asmo and he kind of hated it every time

so when you tell him you're over the phase he's relieved for you

when he looks at the pictures you show him, his expression remains calm and peaceful

but if you look closely into his eyes there's confusion, worry and a hint of judgement

Simeon

he's happy for you because well you had fun and you were safe, even when he might not completely approve of your former behavior

when you show him the picture he chuckles and tells you to never show these images to luke, he'll shamelessly judge and roast you

he'd like to hear more of your stories sometime, he can laugh along with you to some of them (others are too surprising or worrying)

Luke

you were talking about this to somebody else about the lecture hall car and he overheard

so now luke has gone full chihuahua mode because of your story

'why is there a car in the classroom? the classroom is for learning! I expected this from demons but you?!'

he calms down when you tell him you think it's not very smart too and you've outgrown all of this

Solomon

he just laughs, he thinks it's the funniest thing he's heard and seen all week

but on a serious note, he's super glad things never went extremely wrong

at some point he's actually crying on the floor because of the story from when you attended a beach party where everyone had to be dressed like a shark

and honestly that's a rare sight