#why are names bolded and titles italicized

[fictionkinfessions]

Anonymous asked: I accidentally call my friend ��creator” and it’s embarrassing. -Biograft Zeta Unit #blogurl

the rules page https://fictionkinfessions.tumblr.com/rules

Special Text Formatting Please don’t use font colors, tumblr’s optional ‘quote’, ‘chat’, or ‘Lucille’ fonts, tumblr’s Header font style, or excessive bolding or italics, or generated text such as zalgo text or ‘fancy styled fonts’. Confessions in colored font, the above tumblr fonts, or excessive bolding or italics will be posted as unformatted text posts. Some colored text is alright, but full paragraphs will be posted as unformatted text posts. Confessions in generated text will not be posted. [EG Zalgo text] Confessions in typing quirks, such as homestuck typing quirks, are permitted. Please do not make the name(s) and source signatures text extra small, bolded, italicized, or colored. I cannot read small fonts very well.

the custom tags page https://fictionkinfessions.tumblr.com/customtags

Custom Tags Information

An abridged and easier to read version of this page can be found here: http://fictionkinfessions.tumblr.com/ct or on this blog post: https://fictionkinfessions.tumblr.com/post/190619898468/

#1 What is a custom tag?

Custom tags are meant for tracking a series of confessions, or checking if a confession has been posted yet. They are only for anonymous confessions. If you send a non anonymous confession with a custom tag, it will be private replied. Please feel free to resend it.

Custom tags will go in the third tag placement if you wish to track your tag in the search index.

Custom tags will also be used in a person’s Ask Response.

A custom tag can be almost anything, such as: 

a word or short sentence [eg #GreenCatMage]

a random jumble of characters and numbers [#EonGame99]

a single or multiple emoji [#⭐★⭐]

a mix of emojis in addition to words [#six⭐s]

Here is a few examples:

1) Anonymous asked: When I was a young baby, I went to the city to see a marching band. 🔥🐍🔥

2) Anonymous asked: But it’s just the price I pay. Kintypes are calling me, Open up my eager eyes. ‘Cause I’m Mr Brightsidekin -💚TwinkleStar💚 #custom-tag-1

3) Anonymous asked: Well the world starts kinning and it don’t stop kinning. I made like a AU and hit the ground kinsidering. Hey now, you’re an starkin, get your game on, go play. [#customtag-1 #suggested-tag1 #suggested-tag-2]

The first example has a signature and no custom tag. The second example has a signature and custom tag, which will go into the tag used for the kinfession. The third example has no signature, one custom tag, and two suggested tags which will be used for the kinfession. Suggested tags could be names, source titles, content warnings, or general search result tags such as shipping issue, seekin, etc

#2 How do I use a custom tag?

Please place a custom tag at the start or end of an ask message. A custom tag needs a #hashtag at the start of the custom tag so we know it’s meant to be a tag. 

Some words aren’t permitted for custom tags. Before using a custom tag, please check:

if a custom tag is not already taken by someone else

if it’s not a blog url

if it’s a fandom tag - eg character name, ship name, source name, etc

if it’s a slur or derogatory word or variations thereof

if it’s a common search term - blanket, full moon, landscapes, etc

These are not permitted to use in custom tags.

CUSTOM TAGS CANNOT BE BLOG URLS. EVER. NOT HOARDED SIDE BLOG URLS OR INACTIVE BLOGS OR IN USE AFTER A CUSTOM TAG HAS BEEN MADE OR ANY VARIATION THEREUPON. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS IN ANY CASE AT ALL EVER. IT DOES NOT MATTER IF THE BLOG URL IS OWNED BY AN ALTERHUMAN PERSON OR A SYSTEM.

#3 Why was my custom tag rejected?

Most commonly because it was someone’s blog url. Otherwise it could be something from the above list of prohibited words. 

If a custom tag is unusable, it will be posted as a Text Post and given the tag #customtag. If you don’t see your confession appear within 3 days, please check the #customtag tag. If you don’t see it in that tag, please send a message with the custom tag so we can try tracking it down.

Additionally, please only use only one custom tag per confession. You may use multiple custom tags for your kintypes or source, if your System members want their own custom tags, and so forth. Only the first tag in a series of tags will be used as a tag.

#4 Can I reserve custom tags?

No, sorry, we don’t allow reserving, hoarding, or earmarking custom tags. If you want to use a custom tag, please check if it’s available, and please go ahead and use it in a confession.

#5 What’s the difference between a signature and a custom tag and a suggested tag?

Both custom tags and signatures consist of a name, emoji, word, or combination thereof that is used to sign off a kinfession. The difference being a hashtag is used at the start of a custom tag to indicate it should be used as a tag. If there is no hashtag, but I won’t know to use it as a tag.

A suggested tag is a tag recommending the use of specific source, name, Content Warning, or other tags. 

Such suggested tags aren’t required, but are appreciated if it’s about an obscure source, or specific Content Warnings that may not be apparent. 

#6 What if I want to change my custom tag? Can you delete my customtag confessions?

I would suggest simply using a new custom tag. If you want to make sure anyone familiar with your custom tag, send in a few kinfessions with the new and the old tag, then start using only the new tag. Please do let us know if you’re switching a tag.

Sorry, I can’t. There’s no way for me to know if it’s actually you requesting it to be deleted, or someone pretending to be you. If you have sent something off anon and want it deleted, please message us from the blog that sent it.

#7 Wait, I forgot to add the hashtag to my custom tag! Can you add a custom tag to this confession?

If you do, or aren’t sure, please send a message in as soon as you can with keywords so we know which is your confession, and what custom tag to add. The follow up message will be added to the confession to indicate why a confession has a custom tag despite the lack of hash tag.

We don’t add custom tags to posted confessions that do not have the hashtag symbol. Both because we don’t have time to track down every confession, and because it people get confused how custom tags work, and why we didn’t put a custom tag on their confession that doesn’t contain a custom tag.

#8 Can you check if I can use this custom tag / signature / sign off?

No. We will never do that. There is no reason you are incapable of doing this. Other than checking to ensure it’s not someone’s blog url, we do not check if the custom tag / signature / sign off are free to use. Please personally check for yourself. We do not maintain a list of used custom tags / signatures / sign offs, either.

Changelog: page created 8/14/2018 by mod party cat! Updated 9/2/2018 by Mod Party Cat! to add in the amendment to #7 and introducing the use of the generic tag of ’#customtag’. Added #11 on 7/18/2020

Update: rewrote the entire page on 8/28/2020! update 8/31/2020 added the #s 7 and 8 questions update 7 16 2024 minor clarification edits.

[mindsafe]

headcanon: nicknames, petnames, endearments character: kurapika kurta

bold for something they're okay hearing; italicize for something they'd say

babe.  love. darling. sweetheart. sweetie. hun. baby. my love. dear. angel. sweetness. lovebug. soulmate. sunshine. handsome. beautiful. my heart. honey. sweet pea. my person. my favorite. mine. yours. cutie. pumpkin. dearest. queen. sexy bitch. lover. hot stuff. princess. precious. stud. good-looking. toots. snookums. husband. wife. hubby. wifey. brother. bro. bruv. sister. sis. pal. asshat. bitch boy. hero. king.  love of my life. starshine. muscle man. beloved. apple of my eye. master. mcdreamy. mcsteamy. nugget. her/his/their majesty. funny man. angel eyes. old sport. girly pop. missy. sir. mister. ma'am. champ. doc. dude. dudette. pal. buster. bruh. homie. smartass. dipshit. goof. silly. bae. boo. bestie. twin. friend. lovely. doll. fucker. soldier. lord. my liege.

character specific

based on the name: kurapika is shortened to 'pika affectionately, usually by family or close friends. it's not a nickname he hears often, nor is it one he is inclined to share. only one person discovered it, && he uses it somewhat liberally, but kurapika allows him this. . . those of the kurta clan do not have surnames; they have ONE. whether by blood or marriage, a kurta is a kurta. professional/educational titles: his progress as a HUNTER has earned him a number of formal && not so formal titles: to some, he is only known as the mysterious ❛ chain user ❜ or ❛ chain bastard ❜ ( canon ); in appropriate contexts, individuals may address him as ❛ boss ❜ or ❛ sir ❜ ( canon ), or even ❛ miss ❜ // ❛ ma'am ❜ when undercover; as a member of the zodiacs, he is known under his alias: ❛ rat ❜ ( canon ) family: his mother had been spirited, lively, && doting ― && to his ( then ) embarrassment, she would shower him with endearments that would make any young boy wrinkle his nose: ❛ baby ❜, ❛ sweetheart ❜, ❛ darling ❜. at the time, he thought it obnoxious; now, he misses it. his father was more mild-mannered && reserved, && in many ways a traditionalist. he had his own endearments for kurapika ― special words, born of a language that will live && die with him. misc: leorio took a liking to calling him ❛ sunshine ❜ ( canon ). he doesn't quite understand why. other than a crown of yellow-gold hair, nothing about him radiates warmth or light. but kurapika allows him this. . . if only to save himself the headache of arguing over something so silly ( && definitely not because the nickname makes his heart swell ).

template credit: @pontevoix

[buriedself]

"  we're  going  to  be  taking  a  lie  detector  test  today.  you  will  be  hooked  up  to  the  machine,  and  we  will  ask  you  a  series  of  questions  -  whether  you  tell  the  truth  or  lie  is  up  to  you,  but  the  test  wil  be  able  to  snitch  out  any  lies."

a wide smile, the type that leaves their eyes glittering.     "     right, yup, i've seen like so many of these.  i just can't believe i'm here on this side of it.  wow are the studio lights always this hot  ?     "

"  to  start,  what  is  your  first  name  and  what  city  are  we  in  ?  "

"     my dad named me abeke, but my mom gave me the name james.  they're both my first names.  most people call me james.  oh shoot, that's a lie.  most people actually call me jem, short for james, which is kinda silly because why shorten a name that's five letters long in the first place  ?  i digress.  we're in new york.     "

"  thank  you.  how  are  you  feeling  today  ?  "

"     nervous, oh god i'm so nervous.  i think i'm getting a stomach ache.  can i get some water  ?  you know what, it's fine, i can wait until we're done here.     "     clears their throat, squares off shoulders.  on top of the table, their fingers tap out a meaningless beat.     "     nervous.  final answer.     "

"  understandable.  how  about  an  easier  one  -  what's  your  favourite  colour  ?  "

"     how is this any easier  ?  i'm not good at making choices.  it took me more time to settle on the title for my latest release than it was to actually write the book.  um.  uh.     "     the interviewer is wearing floral.  that doesn't really help.  they  can't see past the interviewer anyway — are the lights always this blinding  ?     "     i don't... really have one.  rainbow  ?  is that a cop out  ?     "

"  and  your  favourite  film  genre ?  "

"     not a genre, but my favorite type of movies are adaptions of books.  doesn't matter what kind, i just love to see what made it in and what didn't.     "     cue nervous giggle.  they're not supposed to share the news they got about their book possibly getting an adaption for the big screen, and god is it hard to keep their mouth shut.

"  let's  see  -  what  is  one  thing  you  wouldn't  be  found  without ?  "

"     oh  !  that's a really easy one.     "     they dig into the pockets of their jacket and pull out a small notebook and a pen.     "     i feel like this is super obvious.  i'm a writer, i write, i always have something running through my mind.  actually, do you mind a second  ?  no one zoom into what i'm writing.     "     jem ducks their head and shields their journal with one arm as they scrawl onto a blank page for a minute.     "     okay, sorry, done  !  let's keep going.     "

"  keeping  it  light,  what's  your  drink  of  choice  ?  "

"     water  ?  i don't drink, honest.     "

"  that's  a lie.  "

"     redbull.  i'msorrymompleasedon'tkillme.     "

"  which  of  the  following  have  you  attended,  and  would  you  attend ?  "

bold  what's  been  attended,  italicize  what  would  attend  /  attend  again.

the  ballet.  the  met  gala.  the  horse  track.  the  race  track.  a  yacht  party.  the  opera.  the  orchestra.  a  broadway  show.  a  shakespeare  production.  a  concert.  a  comedian.  an  (  american  )  football  game.  a  soccer  /  football  game.  a  documentary  film.  a  film  premiere.  a  polo  game.  art  museum.  wine  tastings.  nyc  sightseeing  tour.  celebrity  sightseeing  tours.  haunted  tours.  charity  galas.  fashion  shows.  fashion  week.  disneyworld  /  disneyland.  a  basketball  game.  a  hockey  game.  a  baseball  game.  a  boxing  match.  a  cricket  match.  the  golf  course.  the  olympics.  

"  oooh,  we're  jumping  into  something  a  bit  heavier  now.  what  is  the  one  thing  you  want  to  achieve  in  life  ?  "

"     i'm already on the best sellers list, which is nuts on it's own, but if i'm allowed to dream a little... i'd love adaptions for my books.  and this one's definitely a stretch, but god, imagine me with a pulitzer.     "

"  who  knows  what  the  fates  have  in  store.  ​​​​​​​how  do  you  feel  about  reputation.com ?  it's  ​​​​​​​all  ​​​​​​​anyone  ​​​​​​​seems  ​​​​​​​to  be  ​​​​​​​talking  about  lately.  "

jem blinks.  tilts their head.     "     i've been on a little bit of a social media hiatus.     "

"  ...  "

"     fine.  sorry to my publisher.  i have definitely been on my phone.  but i still don't really know what reputation.com is  ?  i don't think i'm relevant enough to be on a gossip site...     "

"  everyone  is  entitled  to  their  own  opinion,  i  guess.  what's  the  weirdest  /  craziest  headline  you've  read  about  yourself  there  ?  "

"     booktok's giving me ulcers, okay  ?  saw something online about how i'm apparently writing a romance book last year  ?  i don't write romance.  any romantic vibes in any of my novels are completely unintentional but i support anyone who thinks lukas, zora, and jingyi should be a throuple.     "

"  what's  something  you  are  currently  working  on  ?  "

"     i think my publisher will have my head if i say anything specific.  i'm writing  !  i'm always writing.  right now i'm obviously working on the f&s sequel, but i also have two secret projects on the back burner that i'm really excited to share.     "

"  i'll  look  forward  to  it.  one  last  official  question  -  and  it's  an  easier  one.  cats  or  dogs ?  "

"     cats  !   i have one.  her name is cat the second.  i had a cat named cat when i was a kid.     "

"  personally,  i'm  a  dog  fan  anyday.  anything  else  you'd  like  to  add ?  "

"     yes  !  i'm still really nervous.  i don't know how actors and muscians do this all day.  seriously, good for you guys.  i'm not built for this, but i had a really good time, thank you for having me  !     "

"  well,  thank  you  so  much  for  joining  us  today  ​​​​​​​-  can't  ​​​​​​​wait  ​​​​​​​to  ​​​​​​​have  ​​​​​​​you  ​​​​​​​back  ​​​​​​​with  ​​​​​​​us  soon."

[mjmagics]

a note (k&t23)

Hey! This is a note for my book Kittens and Titus. It is simply a personal introduction on why I’m rewriting K&T, and my connection to the characters. I will not be offended if you chose not to read this! Also this is copied from googledocs and I’m too tired to format this how it is in there so please ignore titles of tv shows and comics not being bold or italicized.  

A Note from the Author 

Hello everyone! This is my Damian Wayne fanfic I wrote back in 2018/2017. I used an OC named Jade Constantine who was John’s adopted daughter and also Rachel Roth’s half-sister. She was a little Mary Sue if you ask me, and I honestly think Kittens and Titus (2018) was bad writing but it was crazy popular! 

I was introduced to comic books rather young, and the difference between a Tiny Titans comic and normal comics seemed to be ignored by the adults around me (I only remember getting in trouble for reading Red Hood and the Outlaws when I was 11. I started reading comics around the same age I learned how to read. I have a very specific memory of how I learned of Damian Wayne and his very fucked up story. 

I was between the ages of six and eight, and in the bathroom doing my thing. I liked reading my mom’s Calvin and Hobbes comics but there was only Garfield and I was not vibing with it. (As I’m thinking back on it ever since iPhones came to be I have never seen magazines or comics in a bathroom). Since I didn’t want to read the Garfield comics I picked up a Batman comic. It happened to be the 1987 Batman: Son of the Demon. I saw some crazy shit, but if you have seen Son of Batman which came out in 2014 you're pretty caught up as far as I can remember. 

I reread that comic over and over becoming obsessed with this son of batman. He legit is only shown as a baby in Talia’s arms once and also in a test tube when he was being created (I think. The last time my eyes were on this comic I was a child). I often liked to pretend I was Bruce Wayne's secret daughter and one day he and Dick Grayson would come to save me from my miserable life, so Damian was like my twin brother in my head for a while.

In 2009 or 2010 DC went through a new rebranding (I think) and Damian became Robin! I was ten at the time and a Robin my age was so EXCITING. All I could ever think about when playing pretend with friends is how I wanted to be Damian’s friend (or better yet, girlfriend). 

I spent most of my childhood in a dissociative state, and so most of my childhood memories are obscured by the ‘make-believe’ moments I spent in my head having a grand time helping protect Gotham. Although it may have not been the best for my future, it was a great coping skill for lil Mara.

My history with Jade Roth is very long, nearly as long as my love for Damian. I grew up watching Teen Titans and Young Justice (as previously stated) and my favorite character in TT was Raven. I spent a lot of sixth grade super dissociative due to problems in my life so at times when I felt scared I would pretend I was Raven. I even started talking in a raspy voice just like her. 

Summer after 6th grade (I think it would be 2012) I made a friend who also played make-believe with the DC characters and we decided to be friends. Our OCs lived in Gotham and were dating the batboys! 

She had used the storyline of Bruce Wayne’s long-lost daughter whose mom was rich and died so she had a bunch of money, and I came up with Rain, Raven’s little sister, who (simply for convenience) lived with an older Rachel and Garfield and moved to Gotham City to go to Gotham Academy from a scholarship given to her by Bruce Wayne (lol kinda sounds a bit like Artemis Crook). I named my character Jade at first, but as I had a Soul Eater OC named Jade I couldn’t keep using the same name (according to this friend). I was also obsessed with Avatar: The Last Airbender at the time and I wanted to be a water bender. In my head, I combined Raven and water bending and I came up with the Character Rain. I just decided on Rain since I was depressed and rain and storms were depressing just like me (oh god I was so cringy, no wonder I had no friends). 

I wasn’t very creative back then but I did write a short story on MissLiteratie (I think) and Qoutive called “set fire to the rain” like the Adelle song that was released in 2011. Rain was a hero with the team in Young Justice, so her love interest was between Dick and Conner. 

Rain and my friend’s OC were based on an image we saw once in a Nightcore video. It was two emo girls standing next to each other holding hands. If I find it on Youtube I’ll probably link it because it’s just so cringe but also so 2012. 

The final part of this story is my friend was kind of a bully, and she laid claim on Jason Todd and Tim Drake. (This may have been where my hatred for Tim came from as I found him to be the most attractive Robin [please remember I was 11]). Anyways, my friend said we could share Dick Grayson, and Damian Wayne was all mine. 

Of course I hyperfocused on Damian. 

The friendship between the two of us didn’t last long. We both ended up in foster care and if this friend ever reads this, I hope you’re doing well.

I wrote Kittens and Titus in 2018, but I started it in 2017 with a friend. I was 16 at the time and working through trauma my therapist suggested writing this story for the character I was desperately connected to. I did a whole revamp of Jade, making her have the ability to create crystal on her body, similar to how Kirishima Ejiro of My Hero Academia activated his hardening quirk. I changed her hero name to Crystal to try and erase my embarrassing past with Rain.

 I wanted it to be a whole series where Damian and Jade aged together, fell in love, hated each other, and eventually returned to one another in the end. I only got through book 1, and I haven’t reread the book since 2021, so I can’t recall if they had even dated expressed feelings or any of that other shit. 

I’ll also be taking out some personal headcanons of other characters that I had put in due to the young age I'm having the characters start at but eventually, they will probably be implemented again. 

I don’t know how far I’ll get in this, but I am definitely doing Kittens and Titus and probably finishing up the second book. 

I’m now 21, soon to be 22, and I know Damian grows up, but this story will stay when they are young. I did change Jade Roth up a lot, giving her a whole new backstory and life outlook. I think she makes a lot more sense, and the newer characters I’m adding in will help Jade Roth, now known as Jade Knutzvig, seem more real. 

I hope you enjoy the story, and for those who have already read kittens and titus, please bare with me while I continue this story I’m reconnecting with. I also want to clear up one last thing: DAMIAN AND JADE WILL GET TOGETHER BUT NOT RIGHT AWAY. THIS FIRST BOOK TAKES PLACE IN THE MATTER OF A FEW MONTHS AND I DONT SEE DAMIAN AS THE TYPE OF KID TO FALL IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE HE BARELY KNOWS. IF THIS BOTHERS YOU DO NOT READ. I UNDERSTAND IT CAN BE FRUSTRAITING, WHICH IS WHY I AM LETTING YOU KNOW. 

Enjoy. 

[callisthoe06]

Intro (so y'all know who I am lolz)

Hi! You can call me "Cal" (not my real name but I find it cute so why not? lol), I'm a 19y/o bisexual (I love men EVEN MORE though) writer and a bit of an artist from the Philippines (it's hot as hell here) I'm mostly an NSFW writer and artist (Twitter, Instagram, and Ao3 are the same as my Tumblr username but pls no harassment if my works offend your moral minds) I'm pretty friendly, especially if we're into the same fandom and as long as you don't write and draw shit of my favorite characters getting hurt, we'll get along fine as long as you can deal with my unhingedness (also me very horny) I'm pretty short IRL and I'm a pretty optimistic person (even though I'm trying to burn the last remaining bits of my optimism cuz of how traumatized I am right now). Just casually trying to hang on to that little sliver of hope and happiness inside me before I let my intrusive thoughts take over again. Fandoms I love: 1.) Tales of Arcadia 2.) Godzilla 3.) Gamera 4.) My Little Pony 5.) HTTYD 6.) My Little Pony 7.) Jurassic World 8.) Murder Drones My favorite character from each fandom: 1.) Douxie Casperan 2.) Mothra 3.) Iris 4.) Dirk Thistleweed 5.) Hiccup Haddock 6.) Dirk Thistleweed 7.) Kenji Kon 8.) N STUFF I LOVE: I love Douxie Casperan, Krel Tarron, Mothra films, Kaiju films, collecting Kaiju figures until I run out of money, Douxie being an Alpha Dom Top, Tales of Arcadia, HTTYD, Hazbin Hotel, Voltron, MLP, crop tops, butterflies, moths, dinosaurs, sunny skies, sunsets, BDSM, pop and R&B music, visualizing about crazy animatics in my head while listening to music, drawing...gay stuff (18+), and writing hardcore, unhinged kinky smut. Favorite Mothra film: Rebirth of Mothra Favorite Godzilla film: Godzilla vs. Biollante Favorite Animated series: Wizards: Tales of Arcadia Favorite Animated Film: HTTYD 2 Favorite Song: Rain on Me, Crayons, and Next to You Favorite Musical Artist/s: Ariana Grande, CupcakKe, Lady Gaga Favorite Kaiju: Mothra Favorite Color: I seem to side myself with blue as much as possible (though, I love Teal, Violet, Purple, and Vermillion as well) Favorite food: Pancakes, waffles, and BBQ fries lol STUFF I HATE: (If you wanna interact with me, PLS under any circumstances DO NOT talk about this shit especially the one italicized, bold, and in red text) Whump fics, angst fics, karens, homophobes, racism, drama, Zoe Ashildr, Colonel Kubritz, King Arthur, Fanfics where Douxie is a submissive bottom, being abused, or hurt (seriously though, WTF IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!), floods, mud, cheese, the color pink, the words "pterodactyl, brontosaurus, paradox, and gaslight", boring lectures, most of humanity, the military, unethical human experimentation, the government, politics, people who complain a lot, alcohol, darkness, Antis, the happy birthday song (because it offends me), interruptions, soldiers, most straight canon ships, cheese, haircuts, uninvited guests... ~ (have this cute lil' pic of me from last year with my Battra figure, hehe~)

Currently, I'm trying to write a crapsaccharine story about my OCs. Simply titled "Callisto", it's about a young demigod prince who must join forces with his friends to help control Earth's population and save their home from the multiple magical forces that threaten it. (so far I've barely progressed but I've got a few ideas that just need to be executed properly). Lastly, my birthday is on July 29

[humunanunga]

I did something completely unnecessary and looked up ages and timelines for dreamland/isekai protagonists and liminal spaces. What you do with the following information will be for you to deal with now. (Because I feverishly looked all of this up between the span of last night and this morning, despite math not being my strong suit, there is a chance I took a few wrong notes here and there. If you catch any I missed, I’ll edit the op.)

In late 2020, presumably mid-December after everyone’s birthdays passed, Eustace and Jill (the Final Battle) would be 87, Fran Bow would be 76, Milo (the Phantom Tollbooth) would be 69-72, Jesse Aarons (the Bridge to Terabithia) would be 52-60, Sarah Willians would be 50-55 (depending on when between 1980 and 1986 The Labyrinth is set in), cinema Bastian B. Bux would be 52 (book Bastian would be 46), the surviving Stranger Things cast would all be 37 years older, Sunny (OMORI) would be 40-44, Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes) would be 41, Helena Campbell (Mirrormask) would be 30-34, Misfortune R.H. would’ve been 27, Coraline would be 22-30, Madotsuki could’ve been anywhere between 26 and 45 if she survived, assuming this was set in the year of the release date, Max (the Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl) would be 25, and if the same assumption as for Yume Nikki applies, Ib would be 17 (quoting exact years in an abstract alternate dimension is not exactly reliable), making Garry presumably between 26 and 37.

Clara Silberhaus (the Nutcracker) was a senior by the time Alice fell into Wonderland.

Dorothy Gale was the same age as Digory and Polly (the Magician’s Nephew). They would have been in their twenties when Peter Pan and his shadow met Wendy, who would be in her mid-to-late twenties when Christopher Robin played in the Hundred-Acre Wood. Christopher would have been 24 when Fran Bow was taken to Ithersta. (And while it could be written off as an easter egg, a younger alternate Fran was friends with an alternate Alice. Being a younger alternate, they could have both been born later than in the timeline of the player’s Fran.)

Christopher Robin was 29 when Narnia was rebuilt from scratch, Wendy was in her mid-to-late 30′s, and Dorothy, Digory and Polly were ~69 (nice).

Milo (the Phantom Tollbooth) and Jesse Aarons are 9-20 years apart depending on when in the 70′s Jess and Leslie’s stories are supposed to take place.

The main events of Stranger Things mainly take place in Hawkins, Indiana, starting in 1983-- or 1979 if you count the first time a gate was opened even temporarily. Project Async’s known operations ran between the late 1980′s and late 1990′s, and is implicated by association with the Loma Prieta earthquake to be based in California. Their first prototype was run in May 1982, a year before the first sustained opening into the Upside-Down. The events of EverymanHYBRID concluded in 2010.

The City of Light and Land of Shadows, the Hundred-Acre Wood, the Lands Beyond, Neverland, Wonderland and the Looking Glass, the beldam (in the book wherein Coraline did not take place in Oregon) and much of Narnia’s invitations all made contact with our world (or at least one variation thereof) through England, especially London. Whether pagan practice was all that stood between Brits and an outbreak of dimensional rifts before the christianization of Europe remains unknown. If all these events happened in the same universe, well, maybe that just happened to be the arrival point of that escape route The Web was working on. I, of course, am entertained by the idea of Jon the Archivist becoming Jon the Hunger in this absolute crossover singularity I’ve just propositioned.

[hello-vampire-kitty]

Servamp chapter 106 "Isolated pawn"

READ HERE Man, this chapter was long and it took a while to translate because I also did another project and this chapter had some vague dialogue which I hope understood, hence why I make notes. I also wanna say thanks again for participating in the live stream I made for this chapter! I did say that in the live streams, I would be translating what I could understand from the first time seeing the chapter so you can get an idea of what goes on until I make the proper scanlations.

Okay, so here are the notes for this chapter:

Starting with the title, we have the chess term "Isolated pawn".

From the wiki, it says that "In chess, an isolated pawn is a pawn that has no friendly pawn on an adjacent file. Isolated pawns are usually a weakness because they cannot be protected by other pawns. The square in front of the pawn may become a good outpost or otherwise a good square for the opponent to anchor pieces. Isolated pawns most often become weaker in the endgame, as there are fewer pieces available to protect the pawn."

I don't know about chess so I can't make a good connection with the plot, but I do have a theory.

Nicco is used as a pawn by Mikuni and he became isolated because Mikuni caused the Gluttony pair to break up, leaving Nicco alone, isolated from his Servamp and his comrades. This is my opinion.

Page 1

Part of the dialogue is obscured here, that's why in the translation I wrote "that", because we don't know what Nicco was referring to. Page 5

I mentioned in my stream that when there are dots next to the words like you see in this panel, they are used for emphasis and I bold or italicize words, sometimes doing both in order to convey the emphasis. Page 11

Here it's about Ildio's dialogue in the last panel. ニコんとこ 「ここ」 The furigana reading is ここ which means "here" but the regular reading says ニコんとこ which is a short version of saying ニコのところ which would translate as "Nicco's place (in the context of "my place=my house/home)", and I believe this might be referring to the idea of Ildio being part of Nicco's group, being part of his "house", let's say. Maybe it's because Nicco doesn't like to use violence, unless if it was absolutely necessary, perhaps he didn't have Ildio engage in conflicts. Page 15

Hyde's dialogue was a bit difficult here...What I'm not sure about was his first line このどこかから because この means "this", どこかから means "from somewhere", I couldn't quite understand what he meant and I didn't find some references that used that phrase. I mean, I could understand as "finding someone somewhere", but what about "this"? It sounded vague, like, without it we just have "I know what it means to find that one person". By the way, ただ一人 means "one/single" person but I believe that saying "that one" person works here because he is talking about his experiences he had with the people that were his Eves. Page 17

We are introduced to a new character Toto Mori who is also a mafia family boss like Nicco ,and his family name seems to be in reference to the Latin phrase "Memento mori" (remember that you die), much like how Nicco's family name is "Carpe diem" (seize the day), also a Latin phrase. I for one think that this character's name ,Toto, came from repeating the last two letters from the word memento. (memenTO TO Mori). Another thing to explain here is the part where it says that the groups are "even." The term in Japanese 痛み分け means "match declared drawn due to injury", it can mean a "draw" and it can also be used in the context of saying "we are even". Page 18

I hope I managed to convey the meaning of what he says here... The word ケジメ from けじめを付ける means "to make a distinction" (between right and wrong, public and private), to draw a line, to make it clear where one stands, and it's from the latter meaning that I understood what he was saying and using a reference I found, the context was about settling a matter which is also the case here.

Page 30

Oh man, I was so happy to see Gil and Ray. Those who watched the livestream heard me saying "IT'S THEM! MY BOYS! Yeah, so on the livestream I thought that Iduna was saying about the mechanism in the shoes, was that it could harden the Jinn, but actually the word that she used here 固定 means "fixing (in place), secure, immobilize. That's quite the invention she made! In the second panel, the word that Gil uses (in my translation where I wrote "high spirits"), is "high" and I laughed, like 'what, he is saying about her that she's high?!" The context is that she was happy and I googled to see if there is something about this because it says that she stayed up late at night and you can also google if you are interested, about how sleep depravation can cause euphoria apparently.

For the last page, where it says ニコ (Nicco), and that's the furigana reading, for the regular reading it says "boss".

[mowu-moment]

The Trivia Contest Write-Up (AKA I Got Obsessed)

One of Unfinity's Attraction cards, Trivia Contest asks you to name a card (or plane, creature type, etc.) from a given starting letter that's in one of eighteen different categories. Naturally, as a trivia nerd, I had to be the one to bust it. Is the effect even worth all the effort? Who cares, we're here to have fun.

Before getting into the lists, there's a few base things to get out of the way.

There's a lot of overlap between names, since every card has to fall in at least two categories. For a fun side fact (of course there's fun side facts), Reaper King falls in the most as far as I can find, fitting eight categories (all five colors, legendary, artifact, creature) (and since it can be cast for colorless, you might fudge it into nine depending on your debate skills). A good few cards do share names with mechanics and sets, yet the only ones I feel are really notable are Conflux (which hits seven!), Future Sight, Hour of Devastation, Time Spiral, Channel, Fabricate, and Flash.

Some first letters appear much more often than others, namely those on basic lands, from here on being referred to as the FIMPS (Forest, Island, Mountain, Plains, Swamp). If there's anything to memorize from each category, it'd be FIMPS, since about a third of the cards you'd mill in limited are one of those. After that, I'd go for cards which are the only valid option (here on denoted with a * for the ones I can feasibly check) since they're harder to pull off the top of your head, and then the classic letter order (your RSTLNE's and such). Depending on how the set breaks down, you might not even need to worry about X's and Q's.

We'll be abusing the overlap considerably--all planeswalkers are legendary, after all, so why remember the same thing twice? Reused cards will be italicized, while new cards are bolded. Cards will be chosen generally off of EDHRec rank since Scryfall can tally that, although deviating based on name rememberability and number of overlapped categories. I opted to layer planeswalkers-legends-colors and colorless-artifact-creature, then take everything else as it stands. Acorn cards are included since Trivia Contest is acorn, but other types are not--sorry, Inzerva. Feel free to deviate from this for cards you remember better--I did opt for one-word names over more popular cards. Focus on titles for the legends--you need the full name to count. Onto the study guide!

PLANESWALKERS: Ajani Goldmane; Basri Ket; Chandra Nalaar; Dovin Baan; Elspeth Tirel; Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury*; Garruk Wildspeaker; Huatli, Sun's Champion; [NO I]; Jace Beleren; Karn Liberated; Liliana Vess; Mordenkainen; Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God; Oko, Thief of Crowns; Professor Onyx*; [NO Q]; Rowan Kenrith; Sarkhan Vol; Teferi, Time Raveler; Urza, Academy Headmaster; Vraska, Golgari Queen; Will Kenrith; Xenagos, the Reveler*; [NO Y]; Zariel, Archduke of Avernas*

LEGENDS: Ajani Goldmane; Basri Ket; Chandra Nalaar; Dovin Baan; Elspeth Tirel; Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury; Garruk Wildspeaker; Huatli, Sun's Champion; Iroas, God of Victory; Jace Beleren; Karn Liberated; Liliana Vess; Mordenkainen; Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God; Oko, Thief of Crowns; Professor Onyx; Queen Marchesa; Rowan Kenrith; Sarkhan Vol; Teferi, Time Raveler; Urza, Academy Headmaster; Vraska, Golgari Queen; Will Kenrith; Xenagos, the Reveler; Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow; Zariel, Archduke of Avernas

WHITE: Ajani Goldmane; Basri Ket; Cleansing Nova; Dovin Baan; Elspeth Tirel; Farewell; Generous Gift; Huatli, Sun's Champion; Iroas, God of Victory; Justice; Karma; Land Tax; Merciless Eviction; N; Open the Vaults; Path to Exile; Queen Marchesa; Rout; Swords to Plowshares; Teferi, Time Raveler; Urza, Academy Headmaster; Vindicate; Wrath of God; [NO X]; Yoked Ox; Zetalpa, Primal Dawn

BLUE: Archaeomancer; Brainstorm; Counterspell; Dovin Baan; Expropriate; Force of Will; Growth Spiral; High Tide; Intuition; Jace Beleren; Keep Watch; Laboratory Maniac; Mordenkainen; Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God; Oko, Thief of Crowns; Ponder; Quench; Rhystic Study; Swan Song; Teferi, Time Raveler; Urza, Academy Headmaster; Vivisection; Will Kenrith; Xenograft; Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow; Zephyr Charge

BLACK: Assasin's Trophy; Blood Artist; Crypt Ghast; Demonic Tutor; Exsanguinate; Feed the Swarm; Grim Tutor; Harvester of Souls; Infernal Grasp; Jumbo Imp; Killing Wave; Liliana Vess; Merciless Eviction; Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God; Opposition Agent; Professor Onyx; Queen Marchesa; Reanimate; Sign in Blood; Toxic Deluge; Urza, Academy Headmaster; Vraska, Golgari Queen; Waste Not; Xathrid Necromancer; Yuriko, the Tiger's Shadow; Zulaport Cutthroat

RED: Anger; Blasphemous Act; Chandra Nalaar; Dockside Extortionist; Earthquake; Faithless Looting; Gamble; Hostility; Iroas, God of Victory; Jeska's Will; Kaboom!; Lightning Bolt; Magmaquake; Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God; Obliterate; Pyroblast; Queen Marchesa; Rowan Kenrith; Sarkhan Vol; Thrill of Possibility; Urza, Academy Headmaster; Vandalblast; Wheel of Fortune; Xenagos, the Reveler; Young Pyromancer; Zariel, Archduke of Avernas

GREEN: Assassin's Trophy; Burgeoning; Channel; Doubling Season; Explore; Freyalise, Llanowar's Fury; Garruk Wildspeaker; Huatli, Sun's Champion; Incubation Druid; Jarad's Orders; Kodama's Reach; Lure; Masked Vandal; Naturalize; Oko, Thief of Crowns; Plummet; Quirion Ranger; Rampant Growth; Sarkhan Vol; Tireless Tracker; Urza, Academy Headmaster; Vraska, Golgari Queen; Wood Elves; Xenagos, the Reveler; Yavimaya Elder; Zendikar Resurgent

COLORLESS: Akroan Horse; Burnished Hart; Crashing Drawbridge; Duplicant; Etched Oracle; Foundry Inspector; Gingerbrute; Howling Golem; Iron Golem; Juggernaut; Kuldotha Forgemaster; Leveler; Meteor Golem; Night Market Guard; Ornithopter; Plague Myr; Quietus Spike; Rust Elemental; Solemn Simulacrum; Thopter Assembly; Universal Automaton; Viseling; Walking Ballista; Xanthic Statue; Yotian Soldier; Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp

ARTIFACT: Akroan Horse; Burnished Hart; Crashing Drawbridge; Duplicant; Etched Oracle; Foundry Inspector; Gingerbrute; Howling Golem; Iron Golem; Juggernaut; Kuldotha Forgemaster; Leveler; Meteor Golem; Night Market Guard; Ornithopter; Plague Myr; Quietus Spike; Rust Elemental; Solemn Simulacrum; Thopter Assembly; Universal Automaton; Viseling; Walking Ballista; Xanthic Statue; Yotian Soldier; Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp

CREATURE: Akroan Horse; Burnished Hart; Crashing Drawbridge; Duplicant; Etched Oracle; Foundry Inspector; Gingerbrute; Howling Golem; Iron Golem; Juggernaut; Kuldotha Forgemaster; Leveler; Meteor Golem; Night Market Guard; Ornithopter; Plague Myr; Quirion Ranger; Rust Elemental; Solemn Simulacrum; Thopter Assembly; Universal Automaton; Viseling; Walking Ballista; X; Yotian Soldier; Zabaz, the Glimmerwasp

ENCHANTMENT: Abundance; Burgeoning; Courser of Kruphix; Doubling Season; Exploration; Felidar Retreat; Ghostly Prison; Hardened Scales; Iroas, God of Victory; Jace's Sanctum; Kenrith's Transformation; Land Tax; Mystic Remora; Nyxbloom Ancient; Outpost Siege; Propaganda; Quest for the Goblin Lord; Rhystic Study; Sanguine Bond; Thopter Spy Network; Underworld Breach; Valakut Exploration; Waste Not; Xenograft; Yet Another Aether Vortex; Zendikar Resurgent

INSTANT: Assassin's Trophy; Brainstorm; Counterspell; Dark Ritual; Entomb; Force of Will; Generous Gift; High Tide; Intuition; Jump; Keep Watch; Lightning Bolt; Magmaquake; Naturalize; Opt; Path to Exile; Quench; Return to Nature; Swords to Plowshares; Thrill of Possibility; Utter End; Veil of Summer; Wear // Tear; [NO X]; You Are Already Dead; Zap

SORCERY: Approach of the Second Sun; Blasphemous Act; Cleansing Nova; Demonic Tutor; Exsanguinate; Farewell; Gamble; Harmonize; Idyllic Tutor; Jeska's Will; Kodama's Reach; Life from the Loam; Merciless Eviction; Nature's Lore; Obliterate; Ponder; Quasiduplicate; Reanimate; Sign in Blood; Toxic Deluge; Unearth; Vindicate; Wrath of God; Xander's Pact; Yawgmoth's Will; Zombie Apocalypse

LAND: Ancient Tomb; Breeding Pool; City of Brass; Desert; Endless Sands; Forest; Godless Shrine; Hallowed Fountain; Island; Jungle Hollow; Karoo; Lotus Vale; Mountain; Nimbus Maze; Overgrown Tomb; Plains; Quicksand; Rogue's Passage; Swamp; Temple Garden; Unknown Shores; Volcanic Island; Watery Grave; Xander's Lounge*; Yavimaya Coast; Zoetic Cavern

SET: Amonkhet; Battle for Zendikar; Conflux; Dominaria; Eldritch Moon; Fate Reforged; Gatecrash; Hour of Devastation; Ixalan; Jumpstart; Kaldheim; Lorwyn; Mirrodin; New Phyrexia; Oath of the Gatewatch; Planar Chaos; [NO Q]; Return to Ravnica; Shadowmoor; Theros; Unfinity; Visions*; War of the Spark; [NO X]; (Year of the Tiger 2022?); Zendikar

MECHANIC: Affinity; Banding; Channel; Double strike; Explore; Flying; Graft; Haste; Indestructible; Jump-start; Kicker; Lifelink; Menace; Ninjutsu; Overload; Prowess; [NO Q]; Reach; Shroud; Trample; Unearth; Vigilance; Ward; [NO X, Y, Z]

CREATURE TYPE: Angel; Brushwagg; Cat; Dragon; Elf; Fish; Goblin; Human; Insect; Juggernaut; Kraken; Leviathan; Mime; Ninja; Ooze; Phyrexian; [NO Q]; Robot; Shapeshifter; Thopter; Unicorn*; Vampire; Warrior; [NO X]; Yeti*; Zombie

PLANE: Amonkhet; Bablovia; Capenna; Dominaria; Eldraine; Fiora*; Gargantikar; [NO H]; Ixalan; [NO J]; Kaldheim; Lorwyn; Mirrodin; New Phyrexia; Obsidias*; Phyrexia; [NO Q]; Ravnica; Shadowmoor; Theros; Ulgrotha*; Vryn; Wildfire*; Xerex*; [NO Y]; Zendikar

Some final comments (and fun facts):

There's actually two planeswalkers with cards whose names start with Y--Yanling and Yanggu--but neither are printed as such (being Mu Yanling and Jiang Yanggu in all incarnations). Whether your opponent allows them to be named is up to them. Their homeplane is also the Plane of Mountains and Seas, which is the other major contender for the P Plane--if you count that sort of name as valid, anyhow.

As for playing against Trivia Contest, it's ideal to name plane, mechanic, or set, as those have several gaps and fewer options overall (not to mention several one-ofs). Planeswalker may seem like a good choice, missing a FIMPS and having the most one-ofs, but it's likely far easier to name a planeswalker card with a more common letter. I'd still go for it if you were playing green or blue and if you felt like being risky, but otherwise land is probably a better choice. For the other two, just follow your gut.

H is a significant gap in planes--I count 3 'H' cards in Unfinity so far--yet there might be one in 'Hell'. It's listed as a plane in my source, being connected to Dominaria and Innistrad and having been visited in older parts of the story, but I don't think anybody will actually count it. Your mileage may vary.

Similarly, the only Y sets are the Chinese New Year promos--the cards themself are listed as 'PRM', yet Scryfall categorizes them under the 'year of the' names. There's no Y cards in Unfinity as of yet, so hopefully we're safe from that discussion.

This list doesn't account for the cards in Unfinity itself--maybe they'll add a mechanic that starts with Q, but more likely you'll remember the cards in your deck more than anything on this list. Do remember you can name Trivia Contest itself for a T artifact!

Correct me in the comments if I slipped somewhere--I spend three late-day hours on this, and I do not have the energy to do a full review.

[betweenlands]

jayren essay jayren essay jayren essay jayren essay jayren essay jayren essay j--

alright, let's do this thing. welcome to my essay on how datd!Ren accidentally parallels Jaylen Hotdogfingers just a little bit. maybe more than a little bit. apparently we're very good with spaghetti.

under the cut bc this is gonna get rambly; image descriptions provided when necessary. let's go in order of the plot beats as they occur in datd, just to keep things simple.

oh, and maybe we should explain who Jaylen is, to followers unfamiliar with Blaseball. we'll try to keep this as brief as possible.

Jaylen Hotdogfingers

...is a Blaseball player, a random array of stats given personality and backstory by the will of fanon. Jaylen's story goes like this: she's the star pitcher for the Seattle Garages, and then at the end of Season 1, fans vote to "Open the Forbidden Book" and several Bad Things happen, including Jaylen being incinerated by a Rogue Umpire. this is Blaseball's first death, and everyone's devastated.

a few seasons later, during Season 6, a new mechanic is introduced to Blaseball via the Idols leaderboard, which allows people to see which players have the most fans setting them as Idols. Jaylen, despite being dead, is up on the board, so fans coordinate; there's a blessing called Lottery Pick that allows the winning team to steal the #14 player on the Idol board and recruit them.

and it works! the Garages win Lottery Pick, and Jaylen (who was finagled into that slot) comes back with two shiny new Modifiers -- Debted and Returned. the very first time she steps up to the mound, however, she starts hitting people with pitches. anyone hit by a Jaylen pitch gains the modifier Unstable, which makes them much more likely to be incinerated during certain weather (Solar Eclipse) and also will chain from incinerated players to other players.

she hits a lot of people with pitches, causing a lot of deaths -- including 3 people in one game, an event that came to be called Ruby Tuesday. thankfully, her debt is eventually Refinanced, meaning she no longer sets people on fire. she's also done a lot of stuff since then, but it's not really as important to any datd parallels and also this section is really goddamn long so we're cutting it here. let's talk dog at the door now, shall we?

Number 14

it's July 22nd, and we're writing datd with Fluffy -- specifically, we're working on ch13, which is much later titled Unlucky. it's the end chapter for Arc 1 of dog at the door, which is more or less "Doc and RK adjust to each other," and i have been on my music bullshit at Fluffy before now (the fic's named dog at the door after all).

[ID: a screenshot of a series of Discord messages from me, dated 07/22/2021. The messages read: "12-13 chapters of hurt/comfort with doc and rk bonding and the general suggestion of OH FUCKING DAMNIT HANG ON. GODDAMNIT" + "NUMBER 14" (bolded and italicized) + "[a link to the song Number 14 on Spotify] hi. so this is a song about necromancy". End ID.]

this, as with so many other things, was a complete accident. a glorious, wonderful accident. but here's the thing -- the song Number 14 fits Ren very well. it's very much from his mindset, though not just his mindset during Arc 2 -- you could very easily argue it's him talking to a Certain Someone in upcoming things.

anyway, we lose our collective mind at Fluffy, because Number 14 is a song explicitly about the resurrection of Jaylen Hotdogfingers, a song about necromancy, and the number 14 in Blaseball is repeatedly associated with necromancy. and like accidental mad geniuses, the pacing we've gone with puts the first chapter Ren's back as ch14.

the text at the end of ch13/Unlucky -- FIRE AND SMOKE / AN EGG / HATCHING / RENDOG RETURNS / THE RED KING RETREATS TO THE SHADOWS -- is also the direct text for a necromancy, but we don't have all the context for why that's significant just yet.

Returned

when a player comes back from the dead in Blaseball via almost all necromancy methods (there's one exception, Roamin', but it's not relevant), they join the team in question with a modifier called Returned. you've seen the text for the modifier already -- At the end of each Season, this player has a chance of being called back to the Void. Mechanically speaking, this means that resurrected players have a chance of just... going back to the Hall of Flame, aka “the place where dead players go,” at the end of every season.

...and hey, doesn’t Ren go... back? twice, even -- once at the end of Returned, when he dramatically declares that he’s “borrowed time” before passing out, and once more at the end of Waning, where he even more dramatically declares that he’s “dead already” before also passing out. so that’s kinda neat.

“neat,” however, does not warrant the level of “solar goes ham” that we went in that screencap from July 22nd. that comes from a much more direct parallel to Jaylen.

Fire Warning

it’s July 14th -- okay, technically July 15th for us and July 14th for Fluffy, because this conversation was at a thoroughly unreasonable hour of night much like most of the other datd drafts -- and we’re talking about a scene i actually can’t spoil yet, because it’s still gonna be in the sequel. the important part is this: we describe Ren’s anger as a metaphorical heat, and Fluffy takes it delightfully literally, and oops, datd!Ren’s got pyrokinesis now.

so, remember FIRE AND SMOKE all the way back at the end of ch13? yeah. yeah, by then, both we and Fluffy knew Ren was going to have fire powers. that’s kind of why we went apeshit when we realized ch14 was going to be the Ren Is Back chapter -- he has fire powers.

everything from this point on is a little more intentional, which means there’s one last brief chain of parallels to follow.

Unstable

in ch21/Boiling Point, Ren attacks Doc with the Skizz Blade, messing up the carpet in the process. this is the point at which Ren becomes A Problem -- and, incidentally, we realized a few days in advance that this chapter went up on a Tuesday. so we started referring to the chapter in a couple different places a Ruby Tuesday, like the Blaseball event! and yeah, i know nobody died on this Ruby Tuesday, but. ehhh, it’s the same level of emotional gut-punch.

okay, here’s the fun part -- here’s where we go to me fully fucking leaning into this on purpose. during ch23/Lost, this brief exchange happens:

[ID: a screenshot of two sentences from Chapter 23 of dog at the door. They read: “Ren draws back his arm and throws the rock at it, full-tilt, a fastball special aimed directly at the god’s face. It seems to consider moving, briefly, and then the rock bounces off its face and into its hand, leaving a deep gash bleeding red down Doc’s forehead.” End ID.]

remember, at this point RK looks like Doc, so he’s effectively a proxy for Doc in this scenario. and this is a Hit By Pitch if i’ve ever seen one. so Ren has, more or less, marked Doc with Unstable.

when’s the next solar eclipse? functionally, always. something’s always crossing in front of something else in space, and the van could very much be considered eclipsing the sun they’re currently passing in front of.

so then ch25/Instability happens, and... yep. yep. Doc almost gets incinerated, because he’s Unstable. he narrowly avoids it, though -- this does have precedent as well, players can survive being Unstable in Solar Eclipse weather, and have done so (sometimes even multiple times).

anyway, then everything more or less sorts itself out -- and, heck, you could technically consider Ren’s discussion with RK the next day as a parallel to Jaylen’s Debt getting Refinanced.

insert stinger here :)

you’d be wrong, though. because Ren isn’t the one with the debt anymore, and also he very much still has those fire powers.

[amarimaryllis]

All The World Drops Dead (Oikawa x Reader)

Pairing: Oikawa/Reader, Slight!Iwaizumi/Reader (like very slight, microscopic kinda slight, almost as if it’s not there unless you read between the lines because it’s not explicitly stated kinda slight) Prompt/Summary: Loving Oikawa Tooru was a dream and maybe it was time to wake up. Alternatively, Oikawa leaves you behind to chase his dreams. Tags: Angst, Fluff Note: I used she/her pronouns for the reader, Bold Italicized sentences are excerpts from the poem “Mad Girl’s Love Song” by Sylvia Plath Warnings: Swearing, Crying (like, a lot), Kinda long (5.7k words),  Haikyuu Timeskip Spoilers

Part of A Sensitivity to Ephemera

Loving Oikawa Tooru was a dream. It was hard-earned. Years of pining and pursuing took place before he ever even saw you in a romantic light. Three years in junior high school and an additional two years in high school. It was hard, but in the end, it was all worth it.

On the journey to what seemingly looked like forever, the name L/N Y/N had been associated with many titles.

Dedicated.

Lovesick.

Brave.

And on occasion, heard in the hushed whispers that echoed through the halls of Aoba Johsai, desperate.

Some part of you gloated once you had proved them all wrong at the end of your second year. It was a quick confession filled with mumbled words and hasty movements. You couldn’t even look the setter straight in the eyes as you mumbled a small “I’ve been in love with you since junior high, and I just needed to get it off my chest since we’ve been friends for a long time, and I felt guilty keeping it a secret from you.”

Impressively, you were able to say all of that in a single breath.

“I know.”

A single breath taken away from you the moment Oikawa Tooru cupped your cheeks and pressed the softest of kisses against your lips.

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;

In that moment, as you lose yourself in the kiss of a boy you had once considered a distant dream, the world stops and there is nothing left but the warmth of his hands against your skin.

I lift my lids and all is born again. 

Suddenly the world was back in motion as Oikawa pulled away from the kiss. Your eyes flutter open and before you, you see chocolate eyes and a charming smile.

“Hello? Earth to Y/N-chan?” 

You’re pulled from your thoughts at the sound of Oikawa’s voice. You were brought to the present. Oikawa hugging you from behind as you sit between his legs, an alien movie of sorts playing on your laptop placed on the bed (You didn’t bother checking the title since it was Oikawa’s turn to choose anyway).

“Have the aliens taken my adorable girlfriend and replaced her with a clone?” You can practically see the pout on his face from his tone alone as he wraps his arms tighter around your waist.

Your face warms but you don’t fold as you answer in your most deadpan tone. “I can only wish.”

“How mean.” Oikawa rolls his eyes, but amusement is clearly written on his face. “Iwa-chan is rubbing off on you.”

“Probably cause I’ve known him for as long as I’ve known you.” You answered casually. “Although I’ll admit it’s probably cause I’ve been seeing him more than I’ve been seeing you.”

You were not meant to say that.

You did not mean to say that (out loud, at least).

Especially not with that bitter undertone laced in your words.

“Oh?” You can practically hear the smirk in Oikawa’s voice as he digs his fingers lightly into your sides. “Replacing me with Iwa-chan already? How mean~”

One part of you was thankful that Oikawa chose not to unpack the issue of his recent absences since you weren’t really ready to lay your feelings out in the open yet. However, another part of you realizes that you just dug your own grave, and Oikawa Tooru was probably going to be a little shit about what you just said.

“Maybe you need me to remind you who your boyfriend is?” Oikawa’s lips brush against the shell of your ear and you could feel the tiniest of shivers diffuse throughout your body.

He presses a kiss behind your ear. Your face warms. He follows the previous action with a tender kiss on your neck. You nearly combust.

But of course, for the sake of what’s left of your dignity, you bite back. “Maybe I do.”

You can feel Oikawa grin against your neck, as if he expected nothing less. “Perfect.”

Oikawa turns you around so that you’re straddling him, legs thrown over on both sides as you sit on his lap. He grabs you by your wrists and leads you to wrap your arms around his neck before his hands eventually find purchase on your hips. 

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed

And with that, he’s kissing you. It was almost as if he was trying to chase away any thoughts of Iwaizumi from your head with the way he was moving his lips against yours. Oikawa knew that he didn’t have to worry, but he can’t help it. He’d take any opportunity to kiss his girlfriend senseless.

And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.

Oikawa brings his hand to your nape, pulling you closer, deeper into the kiss, deeper into the dream created by the motion of his lips. There’s a desperation in his actions as if he was trying to make up for something.

And in that moment, you understood. This was his temporary apology. The way his hands trailed from your neck down your arms before it settled on your hips was his way of placating any possible hostility you may hold against him for his recent absence.

You didn’t really mind. You understood that he was busy, but you had the right to miss your boyfriend every now and then. The only thing you could do now was to take as much as you could of Oikawa Tooru before he’s once again pulled back to the whirlwind that is called his life.

Oikawa pulls away for a second before he’s back to pressing kisses on any expanse of skin that he can lay his lip upon without moving from the position you were both in. You were both so lost in your makeout-session--excuse the lack of a better term--that you weren’t able to hear the text notifications from Oikawa’s phone until someone was actually calling him.

“Babe, your phone’s ringing.” You managed to pull away from Oikawa to inform him, but he’s relentless, ignoring what you just said and the phone in favor of trailing kisses up and down your neck.

“Babe--” 

Oikawa pulls away for a second. “Ignore it, they’ll probably give up soon.”

You roll your eyes and go back to kissing your boyfriend. You guys were getting back to the groove of things until it was once again interrupted by the ringing of Oikawa’s phone.

A groan of frustration leaves Oikawa’s throat at the disturbance, and you attempt to hold in your amusement at the irritated look he had on his face as he reached to the side and answered the phone.

“What?” You nearly snorted at how frustrated Oikawa sounded.

However, as the other person answered, that look of frustration was replaced with a softer gaze which made you furrow your eyebrows in confusion. The stream of confusion only grew when Oikawa patted your thighs, an unspoken request for you to get off him.

“Oh Yuki-chan, what’s up?” A smile was on Oikawa’s face.

The stream of confusion had slowly turned into a murky ocean of several emotions that you had not encountered in a while.

Uncertainty.

Insecurity.

Fear.

You knew only one Yuki, and that was Fujimoto Yuki. The darling of the school, loved by all who meet her for her beauty and gentle nature. Oikawa’s friend.

Oikawa’s ex-girlfriend.

“Sure! Library on the second floor, and same time as always?” Oikawa talks animatedly for a second before freezing as if he was realizing where he was. When he speaks again, it’s softer, but there’s a hint of restraint in his tone as if he was trying not to show just how overjoyed he was.

Your heart sinks for a second before you mentally slap yourself. You felt guilty for feeling some dislike for the girl that Oikawa was talking to, but some part of you felt that you were justified in your dislike considering that this was your boyfriend’s ex. His ex who broke up with him because he was too invested in volleyball.

You felt sick.

A few moments pass and Oikawa ends the call. An awkward silence fills the room. Neither of you talk.

“I’ve been--”

“Was that--”

You both speak at the same time. You gesture for Oikawa to speak first and he does.

“I’ve been tutoring Yuki-chan recently.” Oikawa sounds uncertain.It was as if he was walking on eggshells with how cautious he was being. “If you’re wondering.”

“Fujimoto Yuki?” You sat against the wall that your bed was pressed to. “Your ex?”

“My friend.” Oikawa winces at the tone in your voice. 

You try to make sense of what’s going on, One part of you wanted to let out all the negative feelings that were bubbling in your chest, but the more logical part of you chose to tread carefully so that the conversation doesn’t end in an argument. “Is that why you haven’t been around these past few weeks?”

Oikawa’s breath hitches for a second. “Yeah.”

“Stop being so defensive then.” You mask the uncertainty that gripped at your chest with a teasing tone accompanied by a playful jab to Oikawa’s shoulder. “They’re just tutoring sessions, right?”

Oikawa takes the path of escape that you opened up for him as he gives you a small smile. “Yeah.”

For now, you were at ease. You crawled back into his arms and Oikawa doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around you before he presses a soft kiss onto your forehead.

“I love you.” You breathe out on his neck, heart racing with both love and fear racing through your veins.

Oikawa stills before he squeezes you tighter. “I know.”

 That moment in your bedroom was now a thing of the distant past. It was forgotten, buried under several layers of denial. Looking back, you realized that the turmoil you felt then was nothing compared to the pure, unadulterated agony that threatened to rip you open at the present.

“Argentina?” You mumbled to yourself, repeating it in hopes that you’ll be able to make sense of what Oikawa had just said. “You’re going to Argentina in a month, and you’re only telling me now?”

Oikawa reached out to you, regret painted all over his face. “Babe-“

“Don’t-“ You pushed his hand away, and you almost felt guilty as a glassy veil took over Oikawa’s eyes, “-touch me.”

“I’m sorry.” Oikawa looks down, clenching his fists so tightly that he almost broke through the skin. “I didn’t want to ruin the remaining time we had left.”

You frowned, extremely confused. “What do you mean remaining-“

Ah. A look of realization settles on your face, and suddenly the fight within you dies. I get it now.

“So you just planned on leaving me then?” For the first time since the start of this conversation, you look Oikawa dead in the eye. “Leave me behind, no closure or anything. I’ll be left wondering where I went wrong or why I wasn’t enough. Is that it?”

You could see the tear roll down Oikawa’s cheek before he hastily wipes it away. Your jaw clenched and your throat felt tight. He had no right to cry when you were the one being left behind.

“I didn’t want to hurt you-”

“And look where we are, Tooru.” You hissed venomously, the pain slowly transitioning into anger. “I would’ve understood you know? I’d be more than willing to make it work-“

The split-second widening of Oikawa’s eyes was enough of an answer to you.

“Oh.” Your mouth opens and closes, but no words leave your mouth. The next thing you know, you’re choking on your tears as you lean against the wall, sliding down to the floor as you gasp for air.

Oikawa’s eyes widen and he immediately rushes to kneel beside you. He pulls you into his arms, rubbing your back gently as he urges you to let it all out. “Fuck, Y/N. Just breathe, okay? Let it all out.”

An ugly sob wretches itself from your throat and you can only grip onto the sleeves of Tooru’s sweater to ground yourself to the world around you. Your head pounds, and a sharp pain repeatedly stabs at your chest as you hold onto Oikawa Tooru as if he was the only thing keeping you afloat in the ocean of your turmoil.

“I’m so sorry.” Oikawa murmurs against your hair, and it is followed by his tears as they drop onto your head. “God, I’m so sorry. I love you so much. I’m sorry.”

Oikawa’s sobs are beginning to match your own as he tightens his hold around you. 

All you can focus on is the fact that he said “I love you”.

It took a few minutes for both of you to calm down. Numerous tears had to be shed and endless sobs had to be released, and now, you both sit in the aftermath of your confrontation.

Oikawa still held you in his arms as he sat on the floor. His arms were still tight around your waist, and your arms were still locked around his neck. The perfect picture depicting two inseparable lovers if only one were willing to ignore tear-stained cheeks and the creases of sadness that seem to have etched itself onto their skin.

“I’m gonna come back.” Oikawa mumbles against your neck before he presses a soft kiss onto it. “I promise you. I will come back.”

“Go chase your dream, Tooru.” You mumble back as you bury your head deeper into his shoulder, lip trembling, fingers shaking. “I don’t want to be the one to stop you.”

“When I come back, I’ll win.” Oikawa tightens his hold as the tears threaten to fall from his eyes once more. “I’ll make you proud. I promise.”

You smile sadly, resignation settling into your veins. “I’ll be watching so you better win.”

Oikawa smiles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He’s too guilty. Too conflicted. Too absorbed in his self-deprecation to fully smile. Regardless, he answers. “I promise.”

 A month passes by. You don’t send Oikawa off. Only his friends and family were there, and you were nowhere to be found. Some part of him died at your absence, but another part of him was thankful because he probably wouldn’t have mustered the courage to get on that plane if he had to watch you slowly slip away from his grasp

You had both agreed that you’d enjoy the last month together. Oikawa thought it was best that you broke it off when he left for Argentina. He said it would be easier for you. You wondered if he was right. You wondered if you should’ve agreed. Oikawa was smart on and off the court, but emotions weren’t volleyballs that he could just toss around. Relationships weren’t game plans.

But it’s all in the past. From here on, you could only move forward. So you took up all you had, and you moved to Tokyo after you were accepted to a university in the capital.

The only connection you had left from your high school days was Iwaizumi. On occasion you’d talk to Matsukawa and Hanamaki, but it was Iwaizumi who had a more prominent role in your life. You had a strange bond, which was partially strengthened by the fact that you two were the people closest to Oikawa Tooru, and you were both left behind. The only difference between the two of you was that Iwaizumi still had contact with the setter while you had completely cut off all ties.

Aside from one tie, at least. From time to time, you’d find yourself looking through Oikawa’s social media profile. Just checking to see how he was doing.

If he was doing as badly as you were or if he had moved on.

It was what you were doing right now as you sat in a cafe waiting for Iwaizumi to show up to your usual “friendly” dates. The dates he liked to call “get Y/N’s dumb ass to move on from the dumbass called Shittykawa”. You were just about to click on Oikawa’s profile before someone suddenly took your phone.

It was Iwaizumi.

“Damn, what’s your problem?” You raised a brow as the former Seijoh ace took a sip from your coffee as he scrolled through your account, sitting down on the chair across from you. In all honesty, calling it a sip was an understatement, the man practically drank half of the cup’s content. Your eyebrow twitched in irritation.

“It’s unhealthy.” Iwaizumi answered once he had set the cup of coffee down, still scrolling through your phone.

“How is social media unhealthy?” You rolled your eyes, grumbling as you sipped what’s left of your coffee. “I’m just scrolling.”

“Makes you less productive.” Iwaizumi shrugs as he leans back on his chair, pointing an accusatory glace towards you. “Especially when you’re checking your ex’s Instagram.”

“I was not--”

Iwaizumi snorted. “Yes you were.”

“Yes I was.” You admitted, giving up since you knew that Iwaizumi was probably more stubborn than you.

“Y/N, you have to stop.” Iwaizumi tears his eyes from your phone for a second to emphasize his words. A look of concern along with something unreadable flashing through his eyes. “What’s the point of not communicating with him if you’re still gonna look at his profile every night.”

“Not every night.” You grumbled.

Iwaizumi scoffed and continued to scroll through your phone. Some part of him was also curious about Oikawa’s current life, and while he got updates from the setter through the calls, he hasn’t really seen his best friend’s profile in a while. “When’s the last time you checked—“

Iwaizumi stops himself as his eyes land on Oikawa’s most recent post and the caption attached to it.

‘Guess who I bumped into today’

When Oikawa Tooru left for Argentina, he had already accepted that it would be a fresh start. No one knew him there, and no one he knew was there. There were no expectations, and there was no image to uphold. And while that thought made him ecstatic beyond words, there’s always that melancholic undertone to the situation as he realizes that he’s completely alone. Sure, he had friends that he could play volleyball with, but Oikawa’s connection with them wasn’t as deep as the ones he formed in his own country. He chalked it up to his subpar Spanish-speaking skills. Perhaps the heavens knew that Oikawa Tooru, born with a silver-tongue and the face and body of a god, would be unstoppable if he knew how to speak Spanish fluently.

Which is why he was so shocked to see a familiar face holding a tray of food and asking if she could sit with him. The place was empty and the girl could literally sit anywhere, but Oikawa paid it no mind. All he knew was that before him was a reminder of home. Not home home, but Miyagi kind of home.

He never truly felt at home since her, but he didn’t want to dwell on that.

“So Yuki-chan,” Oikawa starts as he notes how the girl in front of him has changed since high school, “What brings you to Argentina?”

“School.” Yuki replies, an eager grin on her face as she looks at the man in front of her. “I needed a change of scenery.”

“Why Argentina?” Oikawa raises a brow. It was a harmless question on his end. He never really liked small talk, but he didn’t really have a choice. The woman across from him was practically a stranger. That’s what it felt like, at least.

Red floods Yuki’s cheeks and Oikawa realizes the implication.

His heart stops, and he wishes he had never asked. He didn’t need this. He didn’t want this. He genuinely hoped he was wrong, but the fidgety way Yuki moved and the way she bit down on her lip out of habit was enough to answer his question. Oikawa was familiar with that look. It was a look he had always put an effort to bring about when they were still together. 

Yuki smiles, practically wearing her heart on her sleeve as she answers the setter. “Because you’re here.”

He didn’t like the sound of that at all.

Oikawa Tooru’s life was in Argentina, and you decided that maybe it was time to start accepting that. He had the path all ready for him, and all he had to do was walk through it. He’s earning decent money, living in a decent apartment, doing what he loves most—probably in more ways than one, you thought bitterly as you remembered the post Iwaizumi had shown you earlier in the cafe—and it’s all just working out for him. 

So yes, maybe it was time to move on. It would be easy. If loving Oikawa Tooru was a dream, then so be it. Dreams were fleeting. Dreams were insignificant. All you needed to do was treat the memory of him the way you should be treating it. An unreachable reality. A product of the subconscious.

And with his absence, it has never been easier.

If only.

(I think I made you up inside my head.)

“Hajime.”

Iwaizumi cleared his throat to speak, mildly unsettled by your choice to call him by his name. You guys were walking down a dimly-lit alley, and he wouldn’t be surprised if that would be the last alley he ever sees considering the tone you used. “Yes?”

“I guess I have to wake up now, huh?”

Iwaizumi is baffled. Confused. Discombobulated. Genuinely wondering what you meant because maybe the heartbreak finally drove you insane. “The fuck?”

“Damn I was trying to be poetic too.” You gave an exaggerated sigh, a small amused smile tugging at the corner of your lips. “Way to kill the mood.”

“Do I look like I care?” Iwaizumi’s eye twitched.

“You’ll never get girls to like you if you’re so harsh, Iwa-chan~” You teased, attempting to lighten the mood. “It’s a miracle that Fuyumi-chan still likes you.”

“Shut up.”

He didn’t need other girls to like him. He didn’t need Sato Fuyumi’s one-sided affection. This. This moment was enough.

Years pass and you find yourself in the locker room of Japan’s Olympic Volleyball Team, supporting their trainer the way bridesmaids support the bride on her wedding day. You knew how much the match meant to Iwaizumi, and you knew that win or lose, he’d still be happy with whatever happens. However, Iwaizumi still has a competitive streak, and you knew that hell would have to freeze over before Iwaizumi Hajime stopped chasing victory.

“You nervous?” You asked, eyes trailing after Iwaizumi’s pacing form. His eyebrows were pinched together, and his lips were pulled into a straight line. “The match is in 30 minutes.”

“Don’t remind me.” Iwaizumi groans as he plops down on the bench beside you. 

“They’ll be fine.” You smiled. “You’ve trained them well, and they’ve been giving their all.”

“What if we lose?” Iwaizumi asks, uncertainty lacing his voice.

You scoffed. “You’re probably used to it considering your old rivalry with Ushijima-san-“

Iwaizumi punches your arm.

“Hey that hurt!” You glared at the trainer while you attempted to soothe the point of impact.

“Good, it was meant to.” Iwaizumi smirks before it fades into a soft smile. A distant look glazes over his eyes before he continues speaking. “He’ll be there, you know.”

I fancied you’d return the way you said

“I know.” You shrugged. After so many years, the pain had become a dull ache. It may have been dull, but it was an ache nonetheless. “He did promise.”

Silence fills the room.

“Are you ready to face him?” Iwaizumi turns to look at you, attempting to gauge your reaction only to be met with a blank expression painted onto your face.

“Honestly,” You almost scoff as you start your lie with that word, “I think I’ll be better off not seeing him.”

Silence takes over.

You didn’t want to admit that you never truly moved on. You didn’t want to admit that all those years apart only made you better at hiding how devastated you were. While it’s true that the pain has dulled out, it seemed to be chronic. It’s manageable most of the time, but there are days where it flares up when you’re alone in your room and no one’s there to call you stupid for holding on. It always hits you as hard as it did in the past, sometimes it gets even worse. You were afraid that saying it out loud would solidify itself into your waking reality, not that it hasn’t, but you’d take whatever chance of denial you could get.

Loving Oikawa Tooru was no dream. It was a nightmare on repeat and you showed no signs of waking up.

The nightmare just got worse the moment he stepped onto the court and on your hopes of ever moving on. It grew out of control when he stepped off, victory smiling down on his figure, and his eyes were set on you. 

So you did what you deemed to be the best course of action.

You ran away.

Kind of stupid now that you think about it, considering that your were quite literally running away from an Olympic athlete.

But I grow old and I forget your name

“Oikawa-san.” You bowed slightly before straightening up. You didn’t have a choice other than to act civil considering that the athlete cornered you in the corner of an empty hallway. “Congratulations on your victory.”

When you look up at Oikawa, you’re shocked to see the pain written on his face. His lips were parted, eyebrows were furrowed, and there was a glassy sheen glazing over his eyes. “Oikawa-san?”

Hearing his voice almost made you want to burst into tears, but you didn’t fold, choosing to clench your fists and grit your teeth in hopes that you’ll be able to keep your composure. “That’s your name, isn’t it?”

Oikawa’s mouth falls open fully, and unlike you, he’s not putting any effort into masking any emotion. He looked like he didn’t know what to say. It seemed that he wasn’t expecting the situation before him. “I’m sorry.”

You could feel the tears pricking at your eyes. You avert your gaze from his, turning it to the floor and hoping that he wouldn’t be able to see the tears that began to form. For a second, it felt like you were reliving your third year in high school. “You kept your promise. You have nothing to be sorry for.” 

Oikawa reaches out towards you. “I’m sorry for leaving-”

“Don’t.” You hissed as you moved away, the last shreds of civility escaping your body. “If you didn’t leave you wouldn’t be here today, so don’t.”

“It was hard without you.” Oikawa sounds defeated as speaks. If he had a goal in mind when he cornered you, it seemed that the said goal was now out of reach. The flame in his eyes when he approached you was slowly dwindling. “Sometimes I wonder if I should’ve listened to you and made it work-”

You could feel your head starting to pound. “Oikawa, don’t-”

Oikawa continues speaking, fim, determined. “Sometimes I wonder what it would’ve been like if I still had you by my side even if you were halfway across the world-”

You could feel your throat constricting as the tears began to fall from your eyes.

“Sometimes I wonder what it would’ve been like if I had asked you to come with me-”

Yuki’s face flashes through your mind, and you break. “Can you just stop?!”

Oikawa looked like he expected that from you because he was unfazed at your tone. “I’ve been away from you for almost seven years, and every night was hell.”

“Every night was hell, as if.” You hissed through your tears, stepping away from Oikawa as you gave him the darkest glare you could muster. “You had Fujimoto at your side. You didn’t need me.”

For some reason, instead of the guilt that you were looking to find, you saw a rekindled flame slowly starting to blaze through his eyes. “I only met Fujimoto once.”

“I’m not your girlfriend. I don’t need your explanation.” You replied sharply as you turned your gaze to his shoes. 

You don’t pull away when Oikawa pulls you to his chest to surround you with his embrace. You allowed yourself to enjoy this moment, just this one moment before you decided that it was time to let go.

You grip at his shirt as you speak, lip trembling, fingers shaking. “Just… I’m trying to move on, and you’re just making it harder for me.”

“What if I don't want you to move on?” Oikawa tightens his grip as he feels you attempt to pull away. 

“Then you’re a selfish asshole.” You managed to hiss out, continuing to struggle in his hold. You knew that the longer you were in his arms, the less you would be willing to put up a fight.

“I love you.” Oikawa whispers, and all the fight within you dies. 

“Don’t.” You choke out as your vision turns blurry from tears. “You don’t mean that.”

“I mean it. God, if it means that I have to tell you everyday, every hour, every minute just to convince you I will.” Oikawa is firm as he pulls away and looks you straight in the eyes. “I love you. I didn’t say it enough back then. Looking back, I never really did enough to let you know just how much I loved you. I understand if you want nothing to do with me, but please--”

Oikawa stops to close his eyes, taking a deep breath as he attempts to calm his racing heart, hands trembling as he holds you by the curve of your biceps. “Please, give me another chance.”

Silence engulfs the two of you. 

You can feel the blood rushing to your head, throbbing, pulsing as you take in the words that had left Oikawa’s lips. Your throat goes dry, your limbs feel weightless, and for once in your life, you don’t know what to do. You didn’t have the guts to push Oikawa Tooru away. You loved him too much to ever truly get over him, and here he was presenting you a reason to not move on from his unyielding presence--even if he was physically absent--that had such a great influence over your life. On the other hand, you’ve had to endure years of heartbreak caused by his departure, and you weren’t sure if you could handle any more. It would be too difficult. 

But you didn’t really give a shit anymore.

Oikawa's eyes blow wide open as your lips meet his. In that moment, he felt everything and nothing all at once. The world around him fades, and all he can focus on is the warmth of your hands that bleeds into his cheeks, the movement of your lips against his, and the feeling of your skin underneath his fingers as he kisses you back desperately.

When you pull away to catch your breath, Oikawa gives you a second before he presses you to the wall, wraps one arm around your waist, and rests his weight on one palm beside your head. He kisses you once more, desperation, regret, apology, and the promise of a better future bleeding through his kisses as he pulls you closer to his body, chest to chest, with only bone, muscle, and cloth to separate the hearts that--in the beginning of days--may have once belonged to the same body.

The waves calm and Oikawa speaks. He doesn’t ask--no--he says it with his whole chest, unwavering as conviction settles itself into his dark eyes.

“Come to Argentina with me.”

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;

At least when spring comes back they roar again.

Iwaizumi is leaning against the wall, smiling sadly to himself as he begins to stand up straight, preparing to walk away, whether it was from the venue or from the reason there’s a slight pang in his chest, he didn’t know. 

His phone buzzes in his pocket, and a familiar name is shown along with a message that he deemed was the sender’s attempt to comfort him on his team’s loss.

Sato Fuyumi

I watched the game [5:31 PM]

You guys fought well so don’t be too down in the dumps, okay? [5:32 PM]

Iwaizumi smiles a little as he pockets the phone. Sato was right, they fought well, he fought well. Two years in middle school, three years in high school, and nearly seven years after, all he did was fight and hold on. 

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead

For a second, Iwaizumi closes his eyes and through them he sees flashes of countless memories: locks of hair, teary eyes, and the saddest face that looked a little out of place for someone who gave him a reason to smile.

Iwaizumi almost didn’t want to open his eyes. Maybe if he shut them a little longer then the images of an impossible future would become the reality of his waking world, but he knew it would never play out like that. Deep in his mind, in the darker corners of his head that was covered by layers of denial, the distant memory of a dimly-lit alley plays in his head. Iwaizumi scoffs as he realizes that he wasn’t the only one who still had their eyes shut.

(I think I made you up inside my head)

A lifeless chuckle escapes Iwaizumi’s lips as he tries to shut his eyes tighter, pain and frustration pooling underneath his lids. The realization hits him, and he resists the urge to cry because he had seen this happening before it even did, but he was too stubborn to admit it, too caught up in a dream that he’d eventually be violently ripped awake from.

Oikawa Tooru defeated him twice that day. 

And the second loss was more painful.

A/N: I finally posted this one AHHHHH. I like to think that the writing style I used in this one was better than my previous ones in terms of imagery, but I don’t know, I’m still trying to find a solid writing style and PHEW it is difficult. Anyways, I hope you guys liked this one!

[kaialone]

Kirby Planet Robobot Translation Comparison: Pause Screens (Part 1)

This will be a comparison of the original Japanese version and the US English localized version.

Specifically, this will cover the pause screen descriptions of all bosses faced during the main story of the game.

While I’m mainly comparing the US English version to the Japanese one, I’ll bring up differences in the EU English version that I find notable, too.

For the comparisons, the usual points apply:

Bolded is the original Japanese text, for the reference.

Bolded and italicized is my translation.

Italicized is the official NOA translation.

A (number) indicates that I have a specific comment to make on that part in the translation notes.

As you read this, please keep in mind that with translations like these, it’s important not to focus on the exact literal wordings, since there is no single “correct answer” when it comes to translations.

Rather than that, consider the actual information that is being conveyed, in which way, and why.

--

To start off, I will use a slightly different format for the pause screen descriptions than the one I used for the cutscenes.

I’m going through each description individually, listing the respective translation notes, notable differences, as well as some of my own thoughts.

Naturally, some of the pause screens will end up having far longer notes from me than others, though.

This also seems like a good opportunity to talk about names that have been changed between versions, whenever those come up.

Some general changes you will typically see with these pause screen descriptions include the text being rewritten to be shorter, omitting some information that isn’t quite necessary. The kind of details that can provide some neat flavor, but you can also afford cutting if needed.

And such text cuts have to be made with the pause descriptions in this game because the space on the screen is quite limited, I’m sure.

If you take a look at the pause screens in-game, you will find that even with the shortened text, the English ones are close to filling out the entire text space that’s available.

With that, onto the descriptions themselves.

--

鉄巨兵ギガヴォルト

ナゾの しんりゃく者たちが 作りあげた 巨大なロボット兵器。その巨大さから、 かれらのテクノロジーの すごさを うかがう ことができる。はたしてこの 巨大ロボに 弱点など あるのだろうか?

Iron Giant Soldier Gigavolt

A giant robot weapon, created by the mysterious invaders. Its huge size gives an idea of their technology's might. One really has to wonder if this gigantic robot has any weak point at all.

Gigavolt

An impressive machine built by the mysterious invaders. It's chock full of advanced technology. It is unknown if this giant robot has any weak spots.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

Gigavolt retains its name in the English version, but its title “Iron Giant Soldier” is omitted, most likely due to limited screen space.

The actual description is mostly the same.

--

ウィスピーボーグ

この星に 住む、ウィスピーウッズ とよばれる 植物が 改ぞうされた すがた。 ドリルの足により自由に 走り回ることが できる他、巨大なネジを かどう させ�� とてつもないパワーも 手に入れた。

Whispy Borg

The remodeled form of a plant called Whispy Woods, which resides on this planet. Aside from its drills functioning as legs, enabling it to move about freely, it has also obtained tremendous power, allowing it to operate gigantic screws.

Clanky Woods

Whispy Woods has been mechanized and modified to run around freely using drills as legs. It's also been outfitted with a giant, powerful screw.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

“Whispy Borg” is renamed to “Clanky Woods”, maybe to avoid potential copyright issues with Star Trek?

But it could easily just be that they thought it sounded better.

In the English localizations of Kirby games, the Whispy Woods variants are usually named “(something) Woods”, whereas in Japanese, both “(something) Woods” and “Whispy (something)” are used at times.

-

Clanky Woods’ description itself has been rewritten to be slightly shorter, like omitting the mention that Whispy Woods is a plant who lives on Pop Star, for example.

That detail adds some atmosphere to the narration style, and can help first-time players understand who Whispy is, but it’s expendable compared to other information here.

-

It seems like a small error slipped in when the description was rewritten.

In the original Japanese version, it’s said that Clanky Woods is now powerful enough to operate gigantic screws, while the English version mistakenly says that he has been outfitted with an actual giant screw.

When you see his boss battle, it’s clear Clanky Woods doesn’t have a screw directly on him, but as usual it’s likely the localizers had to work with just the text itself, no additional context.

--

ンギュア基地

巨大な歯車で こうせいされた、 このルートを 防衛する 砲台基地。 歯車の動きにあわせて 砲台が動き、 ターゲットを ねらう。この基地を はかい しないかぎり、ここから先には進めない。

N'Gyuar Base

An armed base comprised of huge gears, which defends this route. The batteries turn alongside the movements of the gears, aiming for targets. Unless this base is destroyed, there is no way to proceed.

C.O.G.S.

A geared-up base made of gigantic cogs defends this route. Batteries turn along with the gear movement to aim at targets. Unless this base is destroyed, there is no way forward.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

The “N'Gyuar Base“ has been renamed to “C.O.G.S.”

This is a clever bit of localization, I think, because “N’Gyuar” appears to be an intentionally strange-sounding corruption of the word “gear”.

So, the English name follows a similar idea, while probably sounding a bit better to an English-speaking audience.

The actual description is essentially the same.

--

ホログラフ防衛システムズ

しんにゅう者から このエリアを 防衛する 戦とう型 セキュリティマシン。 かつて くり広げられてきた 戦いの データを ぶんせきし、ホログラフの セキュリティシステムを 次つぎと 生み出す。

Holographic Defense Systems

A combat-type security machine, which defends this area from intruders. It analyzes data of battles that have transpired previously, and creates one holographic security system after another.

Holo Defense API

The holographic security system that defends this area from intruders. It analyzes past battle data and produces one holographic security guard after another.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

The “Holographic Defense Systems“ have been renamed to “Holo Defense API”.

This was probably done for space again, and to sound a bit more natural.

But, I don’t know enough about programming to be able to tell if “API” is an accurate term to use for this boss.

The actual description only features some slight rephrasing.

-

In the Japanese version, there is a different distinction between the actual machine and the holograms it creates, making it more clear that the machine itself is not holographic.

--

ホロ・クラッコ

この星の空に 古くから住むという、 雲のモンスターの データを ぶんせきし、 作り出された ホログラフ。 大気の エネルギーを 味方につけ、 電力を 活かした こうげきを とくいとする。

Holo-Kracko

A hologram created by analyzing the data of a cloud monster that is said to have inhabited the sky of this planet since ancient times. With energy from the atmosphere at its disposal, it excels at attacks that make use of electricity.

Holo-Kracko

This hologram was created by analyzing data of the cloud monster who is believed to have inhabited the sky of this planet since ancient times. It excels at electrical attacks charged by the atmosphere.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This description is essentially the same.

--

ホロ・ローパーズ

エナジースフィアという 球体が 好物な、 異空間に すくう モンスターの ホログラフ。 もとは、赤色と青色の こたい であった もよう。 このモンスター自体よりも、スフィアの持つ 異しつな テクノロジーの方が ナゾが多い。

Holo-Lopers

Holograms of monsters that are nested in another dimension, (1) and love to consume orbs called Energy Spheres. It appears that originally, there were both red and blue specimens. Far more mysterious than the monsters themselves is the alien (2) technology that the spheres possess.

Holo-Doomers

A hologram of monsters nested in another dimension. The original Doomers were red and blue. They love to eat energy spheres, which contain an ancient technology.

Translation Notes:

What I translated as “another dimension” here is the same 異空間/Ikūkan term I mentioned in the previous part.

Note that the word I translated as “alien” here doesn’t specifically mean “alien” in the sense of “extraterrestrial”, but rather in the sense of “different”, “foreign”, and the like.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

The “Holo-Lopers” are renamed to “Holo-Doomers” in English.

Of course, this is because the actual “Sphere Doomers” from Return to Dream Land were originally called “Sphere Lopers” in Japanese.

Keep in mind though that the etymology of their Japanese name isn’t clear, so romanizations may vary.

-

As mentioned in the translation notes above, this pause screen brings up the 異空間/Ikūkan term, which I’ve gone over a bit in the previous part.

Because of the reasons I mentioned there, I chose to translate it as “another dimension”.

But, I left it uncapitalized here, because the Japanese text uses the Japanese reading for it in this case, rather than the English reading like in Star Allies.

Interestingly, while the US English version translated this term in the same way, the EU English version actually translated it as “an extra dimension” instead.

This is similar to how the English versions adapted “Another Dimension Road” as “Extra-dimensional road” in Meta Knightmare Returns.

Just like that time, I believe this was also an attempt to have a reference to Return to Dream Land in some form, since the original Japanese term was first used in the Japanese version of that game.

By now “another dimension” seems to be the term the English versions have settled on as well, so these “extra dimension” phrasings feel like early localization oddities in hindsight.

-

Also, it’s a small detail, but the technology of the spheres is called “alien” in Japanese, but that’s changed to “ancient” in English.

--

ホロ・アイスドラゴン

ドラゴンと よばれる、まぼろしの 生き物の ホログラフ。いく年月もの 時間を生きてきた 古代の生命体。炎を はくタイプも 存在する ようだが、この青いドラゴンは 体内で氷を せいせいし、こうげきする タイプのようだ。

Holo-Ice Dragon

A hologram of a fantasy creature called a dragon. It is an ancient organic life form, which has lived for countless years. Apparently, there also exist types that breathe fire, but this blue dragon appears to be a type that produces ice within its body, with which it attacks.

Holo-Ice Dragon

A hologram of a spectral dragon -- an ancient life-form that has lived through a number of ages. Most dragons breathe fire, but this blue dragon attacks with ice that it produces internally.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

In the English version, Ice Dragon is described as a “spectral dragon”, but the Japanese phrasing would translate closer to something like “fantasy creature” in this context.

Because, of course, dragons are generally considered mythical creatures from fantasy stories.

-

The English version’s phrasing also implies that fire-breathing dragons are the most common ones, as you might expect, but the Japanese version only mentions that those also happen to exist.

Ironically, so far there are no fire-type variants of the Ice Dragon enemy in the series.

--

ホロ・ガラーガ

天空の国に まつられていた、ぐうぞうの ホログラフ。頭のデータに 弱点を かくにん。 強いエネルギーを そそがれた ことで 動き出した、ヘビの人形に すぎないが、 神として あがめられていた もよう。

Holo-Garāga

A hologram of an idol that was enshrined in a land of the sky. A weak point within the data of its head has been confirmed. While it is only a snake puppet that started to move by being infused with powerful energy, it was apparently worshipped as a god.

Holo-Coily Rattler

The hologram of the icon enshrined by the People of the Sky. Its weak spot is the data on its head. It was only a snake puppet filled with powerful energy, but it used to be worshipped as a deity.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

“Holo-Garāga“ is renamed to “Holo-Coily Rattler“ in English.

Naturally, they’re both named after the actual “Coily Rattler” from Triple Deluxe, which was called “Togu Ro Garāga” in Japanese.

For some reason, the English version includes the full name of the real thing, when they could have easily shortened it to “Holo-Rattler”?

Speaking of its name, in Japanese, the “Holo-” part goes well with the original name’s “Togu Ro” part, so I wonder if maybe Coily Rattler was picked as a holo-boss in order to make that pun?

That would be funny.

-

In the Japanese version, the description says that the Coily Rattler was enshrined in a “land of the sky”, which refers to Floralia, but without actually naming it.

The English version is more specific, clarifying that it was enshrined by the People of the Sky.

That’s technically true, so no real problem with that - but I do think the Japanese version was being intentionally vague here, since the pause screen “narrator” doesn’t seem to be an omniscient narrator.

--

秘書スージー

宇宙企業「ハルトマンワークスカンパニー」の 社長秘書。秘書でありながらも、今回の しんりゃくプロジェクトの しきを とるエリート。 幹部せん用インベードアーマー、 「リレインバー」を あやつり、戦う。

Secretary Susie

Secretary to the president of the "Haltmann Works Company", an interstellar enterprise. (1) While she is a secretary, she is also an elite-worker in command of the current invasion project. She fights while operating the "Rereinver", an Invader Armor reserved for executives. (2)

Susie

Executive assistant to the president of the Haltmann Works Company. While her job title is "secretary," she is the stakeholder of the ongoing invasion project.

Translation Notes:

The term I adapted as “interstellar enterprise” would more literally translate to “universe enterprise”. But since this is supposed to mean “an enterprise active across the universe”, I adapted it the way I did.

The etymology of the “Rereinver” isn’t clear, so this romanization is just my guess.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

Just like for the dialogue boxes, “Secretary Susie” is shortened to just “Susie” in English.

-

In Japanese, Susie’s full job title is 社長秘書/shachōhisho which can be translated as “secretary to the president” as I did, or “executive assistant” as the English version usually does.

But, in this pause screen they kinda double it up and call her “executive assistant to the president”.

The part “while her job title is secretary” also ends up making slightly less sense in English, since she hasn’t actually been called a “secretary” in English here.

-

In the Japanese version, Susie is said to be in command of the current invasion project, which the US English version changed to calling her a “stakeholder” of it, which is something different.

This is something the EU English version fixed, saying “she leads the ongoing invasion project”.

-

The English version omits the description of Susie’s mech.

Just for the reference, while it doesn’t come up here, the “Rereinver” was renamed to “Business Suit” in English.

Because they removed the mention of its name here, the English name was actually only first revealed in the second Planet Robobot Ask-a-thon on Miiverse, as far as I can tell.

The details about her mech are arguably expendable in the description here, but this specific machine is occasionally described as being adored by Susie, and has gone on to accompany her in future titles as well.

So, the fact that it continues to be somewhat important makes me feel it would have been nice if the English version had included its formal introduction and name in the game itself.

-

Regarding the name change of Susie’s mech, like I mentioned above, the etymology of “Rereinver” isn’t clear, but I’ve seen different speculations that it might be derived from words like “screwdriver”, “remember”, and the like.

In any case, it’s definitely a name that “sounds” English in Japanese, so that goes along with the Western vibe that the Haltmann Works Company is supposed to have.

The name “Business Suit” might be adapting this idea in some form, by giving it a stronger connection to the company’s M.O. of treating their horrific invasion like mundane business ventures.

In that sense, I think it’s pretty neat, but it might be a bit too generic for what is also Susie’s own personal battle mech that she still uses today.

--

コア・カブーラー

おどろきの 飛行砲台が あらわれた。 この 研究しせつの 動力コア として 組みこまれて いたのは、なんとあの カブーラーであった。空飛ぶセキュリティ マシンとの 空中戦が はじまる。

Core-Kabula

A startling flying fortress has appeared. To think that, of all things, Kabula had been built into this research facility to act as its power core. Now begins an aerial battle with the flying security machine.

Core Kabula

The flying internal weapon has been revealed. Who would've thought that the Kabula was acting as the power core for the research facility? Take out this flying security machine!

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This description is mostly the same.

-

The English version’s phrasing of “the Kabula” seems a bit strange.

The Japanese version uses the phrasing あの カブーラー/ano Kabula, which can roughly translate to “that Kabula” - but it seems more like that one was used since Kabula hadn’t had an appearance in years at that point.

The general feeling of that whole line is supposed to be expressing surprise that Kabula has shown up, after all.

Perhaps the English version’s phrasing would work better if you were to emphasize it as “THE Kabula” instead?

--

メタナイトボーグ

たんしん、ハルトマンワークスカンパニーに 戦いを いどんだ ポップスターの剣士。 だが、もろくも やぶれ、かめんにナゾの そうちを 取りつけられた サイボーグ兵士と なって、むじひに カー��ィにおそいかかる。

Meta Knight Borg

A sword fighter from Popstar who challenged the Haltmann Works Company all by himself. However, he was defeated with little difficulty, and mysterious devices were attached to his mask. Having been turned into a cyborg soldier, he now attacks Kirby without mercy.

Mecha Knight

The sword fighter from Popstar who single-handedly took on the army of Haltmann Works Co. He was defeated and turned into a cyborg soldier who's been programmed to attack Kirby.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

Meta Knight Borg is renamed to Mecha Knight, probably for the same reason as Whispy Borg.

“Mecha Knight” also just ends up sounding more sleek in English.

-

The actual description is mostly the same, but the Japanese version is more direct about how futile Meta Knight’s attempt at taking on the company was.

--

クローンデデデ

この星で かなり強い 生命体として、あの デデデ大王の さいぼうを スージーが ひそかに さいしゅ。そこから生まれた クローンモンスター。 声も すがたも、そして強さも まるで本人… いや、強さはそれいじょう かもしれない。

Clone Dedede

Susie has secretly collected cells from none other than King Dedede the Great, an especially powerful organic lifeform of this planet. From those cells, a clone monster was created. Its voice, appearance, and strength are just like the original... No, its strength might be even greater.

Dedede Clone

Susie somehow managed to acquire DNA from King Dedede, one of the strongest life-forms on the planet, in order to create this clone. It has the voice and look of the original Dedede...and it may be even more powerful.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This description is mostly the same, just rephrased to be a bit shorter.

The switch from “Clone Dedede” to “Dedede Clone” is probably just to sound a bit more natural in English.

--

クローンデデデ&D3砲

このクローンに 足りなかったもの…それは 最強のウェポン。そう考えたスージーは、 3体の クローンデデデで そうじゅうする 立体砲台 D3砲を あたえた。カービィへの 強い とうそう心を むき出しに、発進する。

Clone Dedede & D3 Cannon

The most powerful weapon... that is what the Clone Dedede was missing. With that thought in mind, Susie has brought in the D3 Cannon, a three-dimensional artillery controlled by three Clone Dededes. As they start it up, their powerful desire to battle with Kirby is blatantly obvious.

Dedede Clones & D3

Something was missing from Dedede's clone -- a weapon of immense power. When Susie realized this, she introduced the D3 Cannon, a tridimensional cannon controlled by three Dedede Clones.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This description is mostly the same, just rephrased to be shorter.

-

The English version doesn’t mention the Dedede Clones’ desire to battle with Kirby, but the fact that these clones have seemingly inherited those feelings from Dedede was already established in the cutscene before the battle.

So that’s not a huge omission.

--

鉄巨兵ギガヴォルト2

ハルトマンワークスカンパニーが、キカイ化 しんりゃくプロジェクトの 第2段階で 地上へ 送り出す しんりゃくロボット。じゃまする 存在を いっそう すべく 開発された おそろしい兵器。 価格は ギガヴォルトの2倍の 86億ハルトマニー。

Iron Giant Soldier Gigavolt 2

An invasion robot that the Haltmann Works company dispatches to the ground during the 2nd phase of their Mechanization Invasion Project. A terrifying weapon, developed for the purpose of wiping out any obstacles. At 8.6 billion Haltmoney, its price is twice as that of a Gigavolt.

Gigavolt II

The second edition of the Gigavolt was developed for the express purpose of eradicating all obstacles. Priced at 8,600 million Haltmanns, it's twice the cost of a first-generation Gigavolt.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

Like with the original Gigavolt, the subtitle “Iron Giant Soldier” was likely removed for space.

-

The Japanese version goes into more detail about the Gigavolt II, explaining that it’s specifically used for the 2nd phases of invasions, which is a nice story tidbit, and also adds some urgency, since it implies that said 2nd phase has now been reached.

It’s a bit of a shame that this isn’t in the English version, but it was probably too hard to make it fit the screen.

-

The company’s own currency is called “Haltmoney” in Japanese, which was renamed to “Haltmanns” in English.

Personally, I love the sound of “Haltmoney” and I wish they would have kept it, but maybe it was considered too goofy?

-

In case you don’t know, “8,6 billion” is actually the same amount as “8,600 million”, so the price wasn’t changed between versions.

I don’t know if there are any rules over which you should use for prices, I just thought “billion” sounded nicer?

--

メタナイトボーグ改

スクラップと 化した メタナイトボーグに、 カンパニーの えいちが そそがれ、大がた アップデートされた 最新のサイボーグ兵士。 もはや、かれを 正気にもどす 手立ては 残されていないの だろうか…?

Meta Knight Borg Mark II

After the Meta Knight Borg had been turned to scrap, the company focused its vast intelligence on providing him with a major upgrade, turning him into a cutting-edge cyborg soldier. Is there no way to make him come back to his senses at this point...?

Mecha Knight+

After being turned into scrap metal, Mecha Knight has received a major upgrade. Is there any way to restore him to his former glory?

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

I already went over it in a previous part, but in Japanese, the improved Mecha Knight Borg has the suffix 改/kai added to its name. I chose to adapt it as “Mark II”, but using “+” like the official localization did works just as well.

So I don’t really consider that “+” detail a name change per se.

“Meta Knight Borg” is again changed to “Mecha Knight”, of course.

-

The actual description is shortened more than usual, but most of the omitted details were not all too important, either.

The cutscene before the battle covered a great deal of them, after all.

-

The Japanese version ends with the question of whether there is any way left to make Meta Knight “come back to his senses”, which seems to foreshadow that Kirby breaking his mask ends up doing the trick.

The US English version adapts this as “restore him to his former glory” for some reason, either by mistake or to sound nicer, I presume.

In any case, the EU English version went and changed it to “restore him to his old self”, which is closer to the Japanese.

--

プレジデント・ハルトマン

―「銀河に名立たるハルトマン」― おお いだいな ハルトマン 永遠に 果てなく 栄えよ おお われらが ハルトマン 銀河に 名立たる 王者よ 星々を 手おり たばねて 全て ささげてしまえば みなを 約束の地へと みちびく 銀河の父よ

President Haltmann

- Haltmann, Famed Across the Galaxy - Oh, great Haltmann, may you prosper, unending, for all eternity Oh, our Haltmann, the sovereign, famed across the galaxy Once we twine the stars, and offer it all Lead everyone of us to the promised land, o galactic Father

Pres. Haltmann

- The Noble Haltmann - Noble Haltmann, we adore him. Kingly lord of time and space! Every day we wish him glory, Gazing on his noble face!

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

Just like for the dialogue boxes, “President Haltmann” is shortened to “Pres. Haltmann” in English.

-

This pause description features lyrics from the company’s theme song, and like I mentioned in a previous part, there are some issues with the English version here.

In the Japanese version of the game, Susie sings the first verse of the song during her second appearance, and then the next verse during her third appearance.

Now, this pause screen shows us the complete first strophe for the first time.

And finally, the music video one unlocks by getting 100% completion shows the full first strophe - as well as a previously unseen second strophe.

So, one ends up gradually uncovering more parts of the song over the course of the game.

In the English version, the lyrics shown in this pause screen do match up with the lyrics used in the music video, but it’s not the complete first strophe, only the first half. Probably due to space.

The problem is, these lyrics don’t exactly match the lyrics Susie sings during the story cutscenes.

To make things worse, the lyrics Susie sings during the story cutscenes seem to go with the melody better than the alternate lyrics from this pause screen and the eventual music video.

So the whole song and it’s slow unveiling end up being potentially confusing and less focused in English.

-

There are also some differences between the contents of the lyrics themselves in each version, even when you consider that lyrics can’t be translated directly in the first place.

In the context of just this pause description, one detail that sticks out to me is the line “o galactic Father” from the Japanese version.

The whole song is basically worshipping Haltmann, so that line is probably symbolic rather than literal, but it’s also likely meant as foreshadowing for the upcoming story revelations.

Thus the English version ends up lacking that clue.

--

星の夢 (First Phase)

ハルトマンの せいしんと ゆうごうし、 宇宙最高のコン��ューターが じが を持つ。 永遠なる はん栄という、かつての あるじの ねがいのために、自ら下した はんだん… それは、全ての生命体を ほろぼすことだった!

Star Dream (First Phase)

Fused with Haltmann's spirit, the greatest computer in the universe possesses a self. For the sake of eternal prosperity, the wish of its former master, it has personally decided... All organic life forms must be destroyed!

Star Dream (First Phase)

Fusing together with Haltmann, the most advanced computer in the galaxy has become self-aware. To realize its old master's wish of eternal prosperity... it's decided to eradicate all life-forms in existence!

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This description is fairly close, but I think the small changes are still worth mentioning.

-

In the Japanese version, it’s specifically mentioned that Star Dream has fused with Haltmann’s “spirit”.

This is a minor detail right now, but will come up again in the next phase.

-

The idea of Star Dream now having a sense of self comes up in both versions, but the Japanese version reinforces this point again by saying that it has “personally” made a decision.

The implication is still there in English, but I like the extra emphasis in Japanese, to kinda let the weight of it settle.

-

Lastly, just a small thing, but the Japanese version calls Star Dream the “greatest computer in the universe”, while the English version calls it the “most advanced computer in the galaxy”.

Both are probably hyperbole either way, but the Japanese one is consistent with how Haltmann referred to Star Dream just earlier in the game, whereas the English one is not.

--

星の夢 (Second & Third Phase)

ハルトマンの せいしんは、いまや 消えつつある。 超巨大母艦「アクシス アークス」とマージし、 星の夢は、じが を持つ 新たな星 そのものとなる。 あるじを うしない、もくてきを 見うしなった 悲しきキカイを…止めるんだ、星のカービィ!

Star Dream (Second & Third Phase)

Haltmann's spirit is now gradually fading away. Merging with the Supersized Mothership "Acciss Arcs", Star Dream becomes an actual new star that possesses a self. This pitiful machine that has lost its master, and lost sight of its purpose... Put a stop to it, Kirby of the Stars!

Star Dream (Second & Third Phase)

Haltmann's mind is being absorbed by Star Dream. Merging with the giant ship Access Ark, Star Dream has turned into a sentient planet. The machine has lost its master and purpose. It must be stopped!

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

First of all, the “Access Ark” is called “Acciss Arcs” in Japanese, as you can see.

This name was probably just altered to work better in English.

-

Similar to the previous one, the description itself is fairly close.

But there’s a difference I find pretty notable, even if it’s small.

-

In the Japanese version, it’s stated that “Haltmann’s spirit is now gradually fading away”, which is a follow-up to the previous phase mentioning that Star Dream had fused with his spirit.

The line still leaves room for interpretation, but the wording of “fading away”, in combination with saying that Star Dream is a “pitiful machine that has lost its master” makes me think that this is not referring to Haltmann’s spirit being drawn in further by Star Dream, but rather that his spirit is slipping away from Star Dream.

I think this would also go along with the title of the track that plays during this phase, which is “Intermezzo Without a Leader”.

But that’s just the impression I get - the main line in question is still vague enough that you could read it either way, of course.

In the English version, it’s stated that “Haltmann’s mind is being absorbed by Star Dream”, which leaves no room for interpretation other than, well, Haltmann’s mind being absorbed by Star Dream.

In this version, this line also comes without any prior set-up in the previous phase.

-

More of a minor detail, but while the Japanese version calls Star Dream “pitiful”, the English version does not.

The Japanese version also features another dramatic drop of Kirby’s full “Kirby of the Stars” title, which the English version lacks, as usual.

That’s a detail they can’t really get around in English, nothing to be done about that.

-

It’s a bit hard for me to describe, but looking at both this and the previous phase, I think the English version has less of a flow between the phases of this boss battle.

In Japanese, it’s kinda like the boss battle itself is a series of more story developments, with the situation escalating further as it goes on.

Haltmann essentially being out of the picture completely by the time of the second phase, regardless of the specifics, has more of an impact in Japanese because of the details surrounding it, like the set-up from the first phase.

And the final line of the second pause screen expressing pity for Star Dream in Japanese just adds a little bit more to it, in my opinion.

--

星の夢 (Final Phase)

ワタシガ 作リ出シタ、戦トウ能力 シエンマシン インベードアーマーの セイ能ヲ ハルかに コエる エネルギーヲ カクニン。コノ生命体ガ 持ツ、ムゲンの パワーは キョウイニ アタイ。…ワタシが コノ…キョウイ ヲ…ハイジョ…デ…キル…カクリツ…は……?

Star Dream (Final Phase)

CONFIRMING ENERGY THAT by FAR EXCEEDS THE abilities of THE INVADER ARMOR, the comBAT power SUPPORT MACHINES THAT I HAVE created. The INFINITE POWER that THIS organic life form possESSES POSES A THREAT. ...THE PROBABILITY of ME... BEING... AB... LE TO... ELIMINATE... THIS THREAT... is...?

Star Dream (Final Phase)

Its energy signature far exceeds that of the Invader Armor, our combat mech. The nearly infinite power within this life-form is astounding. Calculating probability of survival... It doesn't look good.

-

Comparisons & Thoughts:

This last description has some minor alterations, plus one possible error, but is close otherwise.

-

In both versions, this description is narrated in-character by Star Dream itself, which is a nice detail.

In the Japanese version, Star Dream’s speaking style is unmistakable, so it’s more obvious right away, but the English version manages to make it clear that it’s Star Dream speaking, too.

I’ve gone over Star Dream’s manner of speaking before, and what I said there still applies here, for the most part.

Star Dream’s speaking style in English ends up being a bit less distinct sounding once it drops the robot noises, but what can you do.

-

In the Japanese version, Star Dream specifically says “THAT I HAVE created“ in regards to the Invader Armor.

First, the usage of “I” here also clarifies that the Invader Armor was in fact designed by Star Dream alone, it seems - if that’s a detail you’re interested in.

Also, Star Dream referring to itself in first person there once again emphasizes the fact that it has a sense of self.

Notably, it refers to itself in first person one more time during its final line.

Both of those instances are phrased differently in English to not be first person.

You can see it as a small thing, but considering Star Dream’s whole thing is being a self-aware machine, I think it’s not unimportant.

Plus, you may recall that the Star Dream from the events of Meta Knightmare Returns never referred to itself in first person like that, so there’s some contrast between the different stories.

-

In the English version, Star Dream calls Kirby’s power “astounding”, which might be a translation error, because in Japanese, Star Dream calls it “a threat”.

The exact wording in Japanese is キョウイ/kyōi, which could be interpreted as both 驚異/kyōi (”marvel”) or 脅威/kyōi (”threat”).

The English version seems to have gone for the former, but Star Dream’s final line makes it clear it’s supposed to be the latter.

Also, the English version has Star Dream call Kirby’s power “nigh” infinite, whereas in Japanese it just flat out calls it infinite.

-

And lastly, in the Japanese version, Star Dream does not finish its final line, seemingly showing some hesitation, confusion, or perhaps even fear as it calculates the probability.

The English version goes for a different approach, with Star Dream vaguely concluding: “It doesn’t look good“.

It’s a bit dry, but in a way where you can still imagine for yourself how Star Dream may or may not be feeling.

Either approach works with how Star Dream has both machine-like and person-like aspects, I think.

--

And that’s it for the main story pause screen descriptions!

Of course, I plan to cover the bosses exclusively fought in Meta Knightmare Returns and The True Arena as well, so feel free to check those out in the next part!

--

< Previous Part | Start | Next Part >

--

[khoicesbyk]

A Knight’s Return.

Rated: Explicit. | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual from me. 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: Kayden Vescovi (LI) and Queen Kassidy Rosario (MC)

A/N: this VERY SPECIAL one shot is a birthday fic/present for one of the most amazing women I have ever come to know! @shewillreadyou has pretty much become somewhat of a mom/mother figure to me. And God knows I need her. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIM! I LOVE YOU! *in my Lennie Williams voice*

Tag List (my Nanny girls): @shewillreadyou @secretaryunpaid @lucy-268 @txemrn @pixie88 @shannonsaid @shannonwrote @sfb123 @thefrenchiemama @chemist-ana @aussieez @choicesficwriterscreations

Many MANY thanks to @secretaryunpaid for the preread! Since I couldn’t show the birthday girl. I enlisted the help of one of my biggest cheerleaders. And she did NOT disappoint! 😁😁😁😁😁😁

This one shot is rated Explicit. It is NOT reading material that is safe for those under 18. Reader discretion is STRONGLY advised!

TW: Sexual Violence. Again Reader discretion is STRONGLY ADVISED!

Current Word Count: 5,080 words. (more or less. I stop counting after editing and re-editing. 🤷🏾‍♀️) 

Being the Queen of Cordonia was not an easy task. Most women would crumble underneath the pressures of the title and crown. But not Queen Kassidy Rosario-Rhys. She ruled faithfully alongside her husband King Fabian Rhys.

When they married almost 12 years ago, they married based on politics and a shared ideal of peace and prosperity amongst their people and kingdom. Although both cared for one another, neither was in love with the other. Living in separate wings of the palace proved that point.

While Fabian had his mistress named Natalia, Kassidy had the love of her life. She had Kayden Vescovi. Her faithful lover and the dutiful Crown Shield. When she ascended to the throne, it was revealed that he could do magic. Something that hadn’t been seen in Cordonia in at least 500 years. He used his magical powers to save her from an assassination attempt at the Conclave.

Her majesty is madly in love with her fiercest protector. And he is madly in love with her. The only problem was his powers. As the years went on, he found out that he had no true control over them. So to learn how to control them, he had to leave. Something that broke Kassidy’s heart but she also understood that this was something that he had to do. He hated to leave his home and especially her bed but his mind was made up.

She missed him every day that he wasn’t there. During the day she was able to keep a brave facade of the faithful queen and wife but at night, she longed to feel her lovers' strong arms around her again. To feel his lips on her skin and hear his voice in her ear. But he was gone and she had to go on. Her kingdom needed her and she needed something to distract from her broken heart.

She cared for Fabian and always wanted him to be happy. And she was elated that he had found true love but, she couldn’t help but feel jealous, slightly resentful, and lonely. His love was with him constantly, while hers was gone. Until the day he returned.

It had been 3 years since Kayden left to truly harness his powers. And when he returned the news traveled fast.

His majesty was in a meeting with advisors when a young page came running in.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Come quick!”

“What is it?”

“The Crown Shield has returned!”

Fabian exhaled in relief.

“Finally!”

A crowd gathered at the palace around the returning Sorcerer. Fabian was delighted to greet him.

“Greetings Crown Shield! It is good to see you.”

Kayden kneeled with his head bowed to his king.

“Thank you, my King. It is good to be home. I come with news.”

“Wonderful! Simply wonderful! Let us enter my chambers and we will discuss what you have learned in your travels.”

Kayden nodded and followed his king into the palace.

After showing Fabian and his trusted Advisor Lord Hunter Fierro how he’d mastered his powers, Kayden was informed of the impending war with Gemmora. A kingdom to their southeastern border.

“Surely you’re joking.”

Fabian sighed.

“I wish but King Gerard is dead set on waging war against us.”

“What would you have me do, your majesty?”

“Take your position as The Crown Shield and lead us to victory.”

Kayden bowed with his head with a fist over his heart.

“As you wish my king.”

Fabian smiled.

“Thank you, Kayden. And please no formalities my friend. We’ve known one another for years now.”

Kayden smiled at Fabian as they shook hands.

“I will get started recruiting soldiers immediately.”

Fabian nodded.

Before he left Fabian's chambers, Kayden had to ask about her.

“If you don’t mind my asking…is…is she here?”

“No. She is visiting her House’s lands but will return tomorrow. I’m sure when she hears the news of your return, she will be elated to see you.”

Kayden smiled wistfully.

“Yes, I’m sure she will. I am eager to see her.”

“I know you are. You both have much to catch up on.”

Kayden left the palace and spent the next day reuniting with his crew and recruiting soldiers. When the next night came, he was eager to see his queen. It had been a long time since he’d seen her. Since he touched her. Since he tasted her. And he knew she’d be angry with him. He left her alone for 3 years. She would be a fool to not resent him. But still, he had to see her.

When he got to the palace that night, he was immediately escorted to her private chambers. His chest was tight with anticipation and excitement. When he stepped onto her balcony with the servant he was escorted by, there she stood. She was looking up at the stars, silently praying that he would come back to her. His heart was doing flips at the sight of her.

“My queen…” the servant spoke up.

When Kassidy turned around, she was frozen in shock. Her true love. Her Knight. The man of her every waking dream was home.

“Thank you.”

The servant nodded to her and him before leaving them alone.

“My love…”

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

“So the rumors are true? You are home.”

“Yes, I am. I have missed you.”

“How was your training?”

“It went well. I have mastered my powers. I have so much to show you.”

She stood there with her arms crossed and her emotions warring within her. She missed him terribly but she was also furious with him.

“You are not happy to see me?”

He stepped closer to her. Wanting to feel her in his arms again.

“It’s been 3 years Kayden. What am I supposed to be?”

“Not this.”

“And what do you think this is?”

“Resentful.”

She chuckled dryly.

“Again, I have not seen or felt you in 3 long years! And you just expect me to jump into your arms the minute you decide to finally return to me?”

“My love…”

She holds a hand up.

“No. You don’t get to call me that. Not after all this time.”

“Please…I have missed you so! I lo—“

She cut him off. She did want to hear him say that he loved her. Not now.

“This conversation is over!”

She moved to walk around him but he grabbed her by the arm and kissed her. He wanted to taste her lips on his. Feeling her this close to him, after all, this time apart, made the magic within him swirl to life and made her knees weak. When their kiss broke both were breathless.

“My…love…”

Kassidy kept her eyes closed and when she opened them, she remembered where she was and where he’d been. When he went to kiss her again, she slapped him.

“Don’t you dare touch me!”

Holding his jaw he chuckled.

“At least you remembered what I taught you.”

Her eyes blazed with fury.

“You don’t get to kiss me! Not now! Not ever!”

“You don’t mean that.”

“After not being able to so much as look at you…yes, I do!”

She went to stomp past him but he caught her wrist.

“Do not walk away from me, Kassidy!”

She stiffened before turning to face him.

“Your majesty.”

He stared at her in disbelief.

“Don’t do this Kassidy.”

“It’s your majesty. And you will address me as such!” She hissed at him before jerking her wrist away and going inside to her chambers.

Kayden didn’t blame her for being angry. He’d left her alone. She was hurt. But he was not about to give up that easily. With a sigh and a snap of his fingers, his powers came to life. He heard her gasp and when he walked into her bedroom, she was frozen in place struggling to get free.

“I told you not to walk away from me.”

“Kayden! Let me go this instant!”

He cocked his head to the side with a smile slowly spreading across his lips.

“Of course…your majesty. But first I feel you need an attitude adjustment.”

She was beyond furious at this point.

“LET! ME! GO!”

He just stood behind her watching her struggle. With a wave of his hand, the doors behind him closed and locked. As did her bedroom door. He didn’t want an audience for what he planned to do with her. He could hear her heart pounding in her chest as he got closer to her. Using his powers he turned her around so that she faced him. The scowl she had on her face both broke his heart and turned him on.

“My queen…my love…you have no idea how much I have missed you. How long I have yearned to touch you. To taste you. To take you. It has been 3 long years that I’ve been away, and this is how you greet me?!”

She looked at him with pain and rage behind her eyes.

“You! Left! Me! For 3 years I have been here. Missing you! Wanting you! Needing you! And where were you? Hmmm? You were gone! That’s where you were! Leaving me to lie in this bed alone! To yearn for your touch and especially your kiss! While you were gone, I had to watch him fall in love with her. He got to go to bed with her in his arms! I watched him be happy! While I…I…I was alone! In the very bed, I was supposed to share with you!”

“You know why I left Kassidy!”

“Yes, I know. You were harnessing your powers as you put it!”

“And I could not do that around you! I was afraid that I would hurt you. So I left. It was safer for the kingdom.”

“It was safer to leave me alone while you went galavanting all over Cordonia?!”

She struggled against her restraints to no avail.

“My love…struggling will do you no good.”

“KAYDEN LET ME GO!”

She was frustrated and angry beyond belief. He just stood there watching her with a smirk on his lips.

“Have I told you how gorgeous you are when you’re upset?”

“WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS I WILL HAVE YOU HANGED!”

He merely tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

“No, you won’t.”

That is when he kissed her passionately. He wanted to taste her anger while letting his hands trail along her dress. And try as she might, she couldn’t physically stop or resist him. But she wasn’t going to just give in to him so easily. And she proved it by biting his bottom lip.

“I wouldn’t have done that my love…”

She stared him down.

“Don’t you EVER forget that I AM YOUR QUEEN! You will kneel before me!”

He smiled wickedly at her.

“Let me show you something, my love.”

He walked behind her and draped his right arm over her shoulder while resting his chin on her left shoulder. When he opened his hand, magic swirled in it.

“Beautiful isn’t it?”

She stared at the swirling above his hand.

“Impossible.”

“Not really. It’s still the magic that I’ve casted before.”

“But you could only make barriers!”

“I still do my love but now I can do so much more.”

“But how? Your magic is controlled by your thoughts.”

“Mere concentration and practice. I went from feeling the magic within to projecting it. My powers are endless. For instance, your very beautiful dress. Although it is exquisite, I prefer you without clothes.”

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

He chuckled and shook his head.

“My love…I don’t need you to do anything but feel.”

“What are you—“

Her words were swallowed when he grabbed her chin and brought her mouth to his. She was powerless to stop him. The more she fought against his restraints, the tighter he made them. He broke their kiss to look into her eyes.

“Why do you insist on resisting me?”

“Because you have not earned the right to touch me!” She hissed.

He ran a finger down the right side of her neck as his lips grazed just below her left ear. His warm breath left her feeling heady.

“You! Are! MINE! I will do with you however I please!”

He felt her heart pound as his finger trailed down her chest then he abruptly stopped and stepped away from her. With him away from her, Kassidy was able to regulate her heartbeat and breathing despite still being restrained. Kayden was impressed with his love.

“Good, very good. You’ve remembered what I taught you about self-control and discipline.”

She glared at the door to her balcony not saying anything to him.

“The silent treatment does not work on me, my love. You know that.”

She continued to stare without saying a word to him.

“So you want to be defiant, hmmm?”

He spun her around so that she was facing him.

“Very well. Since you will not give me what is mine, I shall take it from you. Starting with…”

He trailed off as he swirled his finger. Doing so, sent ribbons of magic swirling. He watched as she thrashed about as swirls of magic took her dress and undergarments off. When his magic finally dissipated she was completely naked before him.

“Much better. This is how I always preferred you to be in my presence.”

He walked towards her, never taking his eyes off of her. She could feel her body heat rising with each step he took towards her. He circled her like a wolf stalking its prey. The sound of his boots going across the polished floor of her bed-chamber was making her lightheaded.

“Look at you, my love. The most beautiful creature under the stars. Baring herself to me.”

She bristled as one of his gloved hands touched the bare skin of her stomach.

“Are you cold?”

He loved watching her shiver at his touch.

“Let me go!”

“I don’t think so. I’m not quite done with you. I have waited years to touch you, my love. I’m going to thoroughly enjoy this moment.”

“I! Am! Your! Queen! You WILL obey me!”

Kayden shrugged.

“Yes, you are my queen. And normally I would kneel before you and carry out whatever it is you wish of me. But tonight I have a mission. It’s quite simple.”

He leaned in close to whisper in her ear.

“I…am…going…to…tear…you…apart!”

His words made her shudder. He stood behind her with his hands firmly on her hips. He left a trail of heated kisses from her right shoulder to her neck.

“Now comes the fun my love.”

Kassidy closed her eyes and steeled herself for what was to come. He took his hands off her body and whispered harshly in her ear.

“Kneel.”

Hearing those words was when she decided she’d heard enough.

“I will NEVER kneel!”

“My love…you don’t have a choice in the matter!”

With a finger pointed downward, he forced her to her knees. She was under his control. He walked in front of her and looked down at the woman he calls his queen.

“Never have I seen a more beautiful sight. My love on her knees.”

“I…am…YOUR…QUEEN!”

“Still defiant. Still fighting. Just the way I like you.”

“I bow to NO ONE!”

“You’re right my love. You don’t. But then again I’m not just anyone. I’m the one who will drive you insane!”

At the snap of his fingers, magic swirled around her legs. It slowly traveled up her calves eventually resting at her thighs.

“Look at me, my queen.”

She refused to look up at him.

“Have it your way…”

With a simple pullback of his left hand, he forced her to look at him. When he looked into her eyes, he saw the lust, the rage, the want, and the need behind them.

“I want to watch the look on your face as I make you submit!”

She had to close her eyes and exhale slowly to keep herself from giving him satisfaction. The magic traveled up her thighs and as it got closer to her core, it started to feel warm. And when it split into tendrils, she had to suppress the moan she felt creeping up from her chest.

“You can try to fight my love but I know you and your body better than anyone. You will submit to me!”

“I submit to NO MAN!”

“Not yet you don’t.”

She watched as he opened his balled-up right fist and began flexing his fingers. It felt like his hands were everywhere at once. Her breasts and especially her most sensitive lips between her legs felt like they were on fire. Begging to be touched and kissed. Kayden watched as Kassidy tried to fight him and his powers but she was quickly losing.

“Is this not what you desired?”

She screwed her eyes shut and bit down on her bottom lip to suppress the moans of pleasure that were rising in her throat.

“Don’t fight it, my love. Let it consume you.”

It felt so good. Her resolve was crumbling rapidly.

“That’s it, my love! I know you want it.”

He was right. She wanted it and him but to submit? She was too strong and stubborn for all of that. She held out for as long as she could but, when the magic swirling around her intensified, she nearly lost her mind. Especially when her body began to tremble. The pleasure was beginning to overtake her.

“Good. Very good. I know that it feels good. Doesn’t it my love?”

She couldn’t hide it anymore.

“YES! YES! YES! YES!”

She was going insane and he was loving every minute of it.

“I knew you would never be able to resist me. You love me too much to do so. And now that your attitude has been corrected, I can truly have my fun with you.”

She glared at him.

“Let! Me! Go! NOW!”

He smirked at her.

“Not yet. There’s one thing I want from you.”

He released her from her bonds and Kassidy found herself face first with his VERY throbbing member. She takes her right thumb, sticks it in her mouth for a split second, and begins to circle the tip with it causing him to shudder.

He groaned, desperately wanting to feel her lips on him. But instead, she was going to take her time, the same way he did with and to her. She continued to just circle the tip earning groans and moans of both pleasure and torture.

“My queen…don’t…you…dare…tease…me!” He says between ragged breaths.

She could feel the magic swirl around them.

“So you can torture me all you like, but the minute I give you a small taste of your own medicine…you can’t handle it?” she teased him.

Before he could even utter a word in response, her mouth descended onto him. All he could do was feel her moving against him. She felt so good. Her mouth was warm, wet, and totally in control of him.

At that moment, he would do anything just to keep her mouth on him. She started slow because she wanted to savor this, and wanted him to know what it felt like to be slowly tortured. She wanted him to beg for it, to plead for it, to crave it. She wants him to feel for her what she feels for him.

Up and down and up and down and up and down, she went. Never allowing him a reprieve. Never letting him fall over. She was determined to give it to him, the same way that he gave it to her. She always made sure to swirl her tongue around him just enough from time to time, to turn him from the Crown Shield to a man possessed.

She had him right where she wanted him. At her mercy. His mind racing, his heart pounding, his toes curling, struggling to stay upright, his breaths coming in pants. That’s what she wanted and she was getting it. His hips started to move in time with her mouth, as his hands found their way into her hair as she worked him over.

She used her hands to stroke him real good while her lips stayed on his tip. Just like he loved doing to her, she loved hearing him moan and groan. Every so often she’d glance up to watch the look of pleasure on his face.

“My Knight…I want you to make love to me…”

“Yes, your majesty.”

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. She watched as the rest of his clothes disappeared. He was still as beautiful as ever to her. He grabbed her chin and brought her to her feet. He rested his forehead against hers.

“My queen…”

He knelt before her, his head bowed.

“I am yours.”

“Yes, you are.”

She draped her arms around his broad shoulders and kissed him deeply.

“My Knight. My heart is so full now that you’ve come back to me. Now let me show you how much I’ve missed you.”

He picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist and carried her to the large canopy bed she always shared with him.

She loved feeling his muscles flex as he laid her down. He pinned her beneath him as he kissed her. He broke their kiss to let his eyes roam her body.

“See something that you like?”

“Only the most beautiful woman in all the lands.”

“And what is it you plan to do with me?”

He chuckled softly.

“Whatever I please…”

With a wink, he used his powers to reposition her so that she hung slightly off the edge of their bed. When he was ready, he threw her legs over his shoulders and went to town feasting on her treasure.

“YESSSSSSSSSSS!”

Her body was on fire. His mouth felt like magic. She grabbed the bedding and squirmed as he ate her out like he was starving. Her moans, her shrieks, and especially her screams were delicious and music to his ears. Every time he either licked, nipped, or sucked on her clit, it drove her further and further to her edge. It throbbed from the repeated friction of his mouth and his fingers. And her vaginal muscles clenched and released every time he circled her entrance.

Whether Kassidy wanted to admit it or not, she loved watching his head move in between her legs. Her legs started to spasm so she tried to back away, long enough to calm them. But her lover was NOT having that.

“Ohhh no, my love! You DO NOT move! Not until I say you can!” He growled.

The tone in his voice was so low, it nearly scared her.  He was relentless and animalistic when it came to feasting on her. Her back arched and her toes curled every time he dragged his tongue up and down.

She wasn’t going to last much longer.

She felt him alternate between his mouth on her clit and fingering her. She didn’t think it could get any better than this. But, Kayden was about to prove her wrong. Just as she was about to go over her edge, he stopped cold. She cried out in a mix of shock, disbelief, and anger. But he just chuckled at her.

“My queen, you do not need to worry. You’ll get what you want from me.”

She couldn’t believe it. She was seconds away from seeing the stars and he stopped.

She was having a hard time believing him at the moment. But he was right, he would make sure that she would indeed get what she wanted. He came upon the bed, gathered her in his arms, and covered her lips with his. Letting her savor the taste of her wetness on his lips.

With her distracted by the kiss, Kayden snapped his fingers. Their kiss was broken when she felt her wrists pin above her head. With a wicked look in his eyes, he winked before he plunged his tongue into her mouth then placed the fingers of his right hand that tingled with his powers between her legs.

The sensation from the fingers made her nearly jump out of her skin. She squirmed as he pleased her without really touching her. He nursed on her right breast while pinching her left. She white-knuckled the bedding under her and screamed bloody murder.

“That’s it! Tell me how you like it, my queen.” He told her.

She could barely think, let alone form a coherent sentence. He was torturing her in the most delicious way. He was determined to drive her over the edge and into a sweet oblivion.

“YES! YES! YES! YES! YESSSSSSSSSSS!”

She squirmed underneath him as he continued to move his very magic fingers. She was quickly coming undone at the seams. Her body was tingly and on fire. He listened as her breathing became more and more erratic. He was determined to break her in half.

“Let me hear you scream!” He growled in her ear as he closed his fist and sent magic coursing through her.

That was it. That was all she needed. Her back arched, her voice tangled in her throat, her toes curled, her eyes rolled back and her body convulsed as wave after wave of pleasure crashed over her.

She laid there trying to recover from what he just did to her. All she could see was his face just centimeters above hers. He was a sight to behold. He had a very smug look on his face.

With a wicked grin on his face, Kayden settled himself in between her thighs. He circled her entrance, causing her to cry out in anticipation and need. Her cry was all he needed to hear from her. He spread her legs, lined himself up with her entrance, closed his eyes then plunged himself inside her.

It had been 3 long years since he’d made love to her. He was determined to enjoy every second together.

“KAYDEN!”

Hearing her scream his name as she took him spurred him on. So there they were. Together in bed with her feet to the ceiling and him going deep inside her. His Queen. The love of his life. She belonged to him. And he confirmed it with every thrust of his hips into her.

Hearing her moans drove him insane. He wanted to please her. He wanted to feel her vaginal muscles clench around him as he slammed into her again and again. He wanted her cries of pleasure. And he wanted to stake his claim to his queen. He watched her body flush and tremble under his touch. Feeling her unleashed his powers.

He went from bracing himself against her headboard to snaking his left into her hair and pulling her head back. Doing so, exposed her neck to him. He couldn’t keep his lips off her skin. He HAD TO taste her. And to be honest, she loved it even more than he did. He dragged his tongue across her neck which caused the fire inside her to burn hotter. Every stroke made her dizzy yet always left her craving more. She needed him. She wanted him. She craved him.

Kayden had turned her out and didn’t even realize it.

He was incensed by her. Her skin. Her scent. With both of his hands on the headboard behind her, he continued to go deep into her. Relentlessly pounding her, giving her everything he had to give. He would bury himself to the hilt, deep inside her just to pull almost all the way out, then thrust himself back inside her. Again and again and again. And with her unable to move her hands, she was powerless to stop him.

“KAYDEN! TAKE! ME!” She screamed as he pushed her further and further towards her climax.

She needed him. She wanted her release. She teetered on the edge. As much as he wanted to hold out, he too was close to his own climax. And there was only one way that he’d achieve his goal of breaking her.

He pulled out of her, despite her cry of protest just to flip her over onto her stomach. With her wrists restrained by his magic binds, she was at his mercy. He tapped the side of her left ankle before spreading and keeping her legs apart.

He leaned down to slowly leave a blazing trail of kisses up her spine. The kisses raised goosebumps on her skin, made her shiver and bite her bottom lip. He was deliciously wicked and she loved every second of it.

“My queen…this is how I break you…”

She was about to find out that those words were more than a wicked promise. Especially when he mounted her.

“Don’t blink my love.”

When he grabbed her hips and slid inside her, her body went still. He robbed her of her voice and took her right then and there. All she could was whimper. Feeling her clenching around him, caused a low growl to reverberate in his chest. She felt like he was going to rip her apart.

“Tell me you love it!”

“I—“

She stopped as he thrust himself into her.

“TELL! ME!”

“I! LOVE! IT!”

She felt drunk off him.

“Tell me you want it!”

“I! Want! It!”

“Tell me you want me!”

”I! Want! You!”

“Tell me you need me!”

“I! Need! You!”

He let out a satisfactory growl.

“That’s right my queen! You will always need me! You will always want me!”

The truth was that he needed and wanted her just as much. When she was at her most vulnerable, is when she was the most beautiful to him.

She belonged to him. And he belonged to her. When her muscles clenched around him one last time, that was it for both of them. She screamed to the heavens above and he buried his face in the crook of her neck and shuddered as he let go inside her. When it all was said and done, they were extremely exhausted and thoroughly satisfied.

He pulled out and curled up with her in his arms. He covered them both to keep them warm.

“I love you my queen. Never forget that.”

“I love you too my knight. There will never be another man for me. My heart belongs to you.”

He held her close as they drifted off to sleep.

[lambourngb]

WIP Meme

I was tagged by @aewriting - which I don’t know, do I thank you for that or curse you?? 😂😂

Additional tags by @foramomentonly, @adiwriting, @skinsharpenedteeth and @buckleymanes! thank you!

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and i’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.   I have asks for everything now!! Thank you guys for playing

I have too many WIPs, I don’t know enough people to tag for them...anyway, I did this a few months ago- lots of fun, some of those stories haven’t progressed much more, so I’m only going to list stories that have had edits in this first fiscal quarter. Jan-March 2021. I bolded the fills I have done so far on this meme with links to them. I italicized the ones I have asks on that I am going to fill as I write more, as all of them were just a few lines, and you guys deserve at least 500 words 😂

for richer and for poorer

piece by piece

now that we’ve fallen (I want to follow you down)

why can’t i change

good enough

this hard cure

come what may

if i woke up next to you

me and you, setting in a honeymoon

bulletproof loneliness

new face of failure

prettier and younger (but not any better off)

to make it through (with hearts and wrists intact)

[steveng-rogers]

Gymcandy fic

Title: A favor 

Pairings: GymCandy Mike Weiss x Lance Tucker 

Summary: Mike wanted to gain something else from Lance after. Will Lance give it to him? 

Word Count: 1,327

Warning: Explicit 18+. Use of alcohol and drugs. Badly written mythological relatable shit. Bad words. A small daddy kink. Cum play. angst. Degradation kink, rough sex. Choking. (If theres anything else that I should add let me know)

A/N: This was a challenge to write, but this is also for @happygowriting’s The Hat Draw Challenge. The prompt given to me will be italicized and in bold. Happy 1k sweetheart <3

Mike won a lot of cases. Cases that he won are worth the fight. That’s every single one of them. The price is not just money, but a good reputation too. He’s a great lawyer and he knows it. He takes a lot of pride in it because there’s barely anything in his life that he can take pride in. Which is fine, too many things can distract him. 

Then walk in Lance Tucker. He has never seen someone so into themselves to the point of thinking they’re deity. To Mike, that suits Lance. He was a bright streak of red and blue in his grey life. 

So that was his goal, to earn the deity’s favor and hopefully keep him in his life. Lance is Zeus and Mike, well that would something he can determine for himself at the end. 

The case that was with Lance was a thing of absolute disaster. Like a huge, unbearable headache in Lance’s head and all Mike wants to do is be the wedge that can get the headache out. He was hopeful that something can come out of that headache. 

And somewhat, something did happen between them. 

It was the night after they won the case. He was at Lance’s house, overlooking the city. The party was rowdy and elegant at the same time. Athletes, agents, coaches, Lance’s personal pr team, and of course the god of gymnastic himself. 

Lance celebrated like they were all in mount Olympus like they’ve won a major battle and in actuality they did. There is booze, drugs, men, and women and gold, everything gold. There’s even a bathtub in the middle of the living room filled with ice and fuck ton of champagne bottles. 

Mike has never seen anything like it. Party so over the top, but also not tacky. It was so Lance. 

The night ends with him on top of Lance. He gained that favor like he’s been promising himself from the start. 

Lance was hard and beautiful. God did a great job carving Lance. 

Mike licks his lips as he watches Lance lined the coke down his happy trail, cutting the tatted ribbon up with the white powder. 

Mike snorts those snows up like it was his last breath. He hooks his fingers on the Lance’s red Klein and pulls them down, revealing the actual gold he’d been wanting. 

The way it bounces up proudly, the clear precum trickled down from the slit to mix with the remaining coke on Lance’s skin. By the fucking gods, those are things men go to battle for. 

Mike lick those up, hungrily. He even gets his mouth wrapped around the crown of Lance’s cock. “Fuck, Mike.” Lance moaned for the first time and it was perfect. His name at the end sounds like sirens calling him out to meet his doom in the sweetest ways imaginable. 

He handles Lance as if he owns him and by the end of the night, he would, or would he?

Lance is in all fours, his back arched so beautifully that Mike found his calloused hand follows its curve. Once he reached his ass, Mike gave him a nice hard spank. 

“Mike..” Lance whimpered, but his ass rocked back as if he wants him to give him more. 

Oh, and he did. 

His lubed-up fingers found their way inside Lance, making the man a moaning mess. Lance didn’t hold back, especially when it comes to pleasure. Mike loves that. 

He curls up his fingers as he opened him up some more. “How does that feel? Your favorite lawyer is about to have his dick up this spoiled ass.”

Lance pulls his head up and turns his head to side-eye Mike. “Bold of you to think you’re my favorite of anything,” Lance said with a smug smile painted across his bitten, red lips. 

Mike groaned, deep in his throat. “I’m gonna wipe that fucking grin off your face Tucker and you’re gonna lay there and take it like a champ.” With that, he shoved Lance’s head to the pillows earning a muffled laugh from Lance. 

Lance likes it really rough and Mike is checking all of the boxes for him. 

He felt the warm tip of Mike’s cock, lubed and ready with a condom. Mike didn’t warn him but the fucking stretch did. It made Lance feels every piece of him, stretching his ass in all of the right ways. 

“Shit.. holy shit Mike.” Mike grinned and slaps Lance’s ass as he bottoms out, the man cursed into the pillow. His hands balled into a fist, his cock throbs at how easily Mike handles his ass.

Before Lance barked another order at Mike, the man on top moves his hips down and goes in deeper. His hips bucks and Lance moaned obscenely, Mike already shoots for his prostrate and he got it. 

“You’re an easy slut, Tucker.” He pulls out a little, hands tucking on Lance’s hips, bending his ass up. “Your fucking gold worth nothing if you’re this easy to please. Fuck your ass does feel good, might make you sit on my lap and work for your orgasm.”

Mike starts to move his hips, it’s long and hard strokes. Lance gave out a choked-out moan as Mike keeps fucking him into the mattress. The satin sheet rubs nicely against Lance’s cock and he starts to meet Mike’s trust to earn more friction. 

“I don’t think so Lancey.” Mike bends Lance’s back, face pressed on the pillow his cock hanging heavily between him. “Mike, fuck let me cum, so fuckin hard. I can’t.” 

“Oh, yes you can babyboy. You’re gonna take a hard fucking from me and you’re gonna cum when I say so.” Lance’s body is on fire, those words sending him elsewhere. Makes his head swims with arousal and his cock leaks with more precum. “Y-yes daddy.” Lance uttered those words and Mike’s insides did an exciting jump. 

“Can’t hear you brat. Say it louder.” Mike gave Lance’s hips a bruising grip to encourage the man. “Yes daddy, my god fuck!”

Mike is close to coming and his hips never once stop moving, fucking Lance like his very own toy. He pulls Lance so now his back pressed against Mike’s chest. He wraps his hand around Lance’s throat and squeezes. 

“F..Fuck Mike-ah daddy.” Lance can’t even find the words to show how turn on he is by Mike choking him. “Say you love me baby, say it and I’ll let you cum.” 

“Fuck Mike, yes yes please I love you. Please let me cum.” Mike’s hand that was on Lance’s cock starts to move up and down. Lance’s body tensed up and then he came so hard, the ribbons of white cum made it all to the sheet and some on his chest. 

Mike moaned throatily in Lance’s ear as he shoved his dick deep inside him as he came hard at the sight that was in front of him. Lance all wrecked and sated, that was all because of him. 

After cleaning up all the mess, Mike sits on the bed as he runs his hand on Lance’s cheek. “Was this an elaborate plan to get me to sleep with you?” Lance scoffed softly. “Shut up Mike, you enjoyed it.” Mike grinned, the gods already favored him it seems. 

“So we used each other?” Mike wasn’t sure why he asked that question, was he fishing for reassurance that this was more than a celebratory hook-up? Maybe. “We used each other and that’s okay.” Lance’s tone was emotionless, the weariness of the night got to him. “Will I.. ever see you again?” Mike was reaching now, so fucking high into the mountain. “I have your number and you have mine, I’ll call you. Goodnight Mike.” 

Maybe Mike imagined it, but he hears a slightly softer tone when Lance said goodnight. When he got home, he fell asleep sober not wanting to forget what happened.

friends tags: @happygowriting​ @nix-akimbo @uncafeavec-chubbybucky​ @eurynome827​ @daddyandybarber​

[umikawa]

Strawberries and Cigarettes

Aha, ignore the title that doesn’t really apply, I was just listening to the song the entire time I wrote this. Akiteru brainrot day seven.Yeah, i dunno how to write that kind of stuff so i just did the basic lines i always hear yk k bye. Also, italicized is where the scene changes or its that stuff.

Akiteru Tsukishima x Gn Reader, college au-ish. wc: 1.8k 

Warnings: Suggestive content. Mentions sex, drinking, cigarettes, and cliffs. Explicit language, not a lot I think, possibly only one word.

This is 16+ content, borderline 17+! Please don’t read it if your below the age. It doesn’t progress to smut just so you know, it’s only implied three times.

Drunken bodies sway around you, grinding down on each other to the beat of the music and the flash of the lights. Hands trail across bodies at the snack table, someone slamming a body onto the chips, laughs ringing out from the girl as they continued to make out in the ranch dip. An arm wraps around your shoulder, a warm blow of air skimming across your ear.

Akiteru Tsukishima. You didn’t know him well, he was just another guy in your class, always running late nearly every day. He seemed like a nice guy, appearance-wise, but you always felt he had different intentions. 

“Got a light?” He asks, holding a cigarette between his lips. 

You hold the flame up to the end, looking up at him with parted lips as he inhales, his larger hand coming up to the side of your face, blowing the smoke between your lips. 

“Tsukishima.” You mutter, looking up at him through your lashes. 

“Let’s go for a drive, (Name).” He says, waiting for your response. With a single nod, his hand wraps around your waist, leading you out of the house and to his car. “Sorry about the cig smell in here, there should be a can of air freshener in the glove box.” He apologizes, climbing into the front seat. 

You perk a brow at him, how did a can of air freshener fit in a glove box. Staring at the five-inch bottle you blink, turning it between your hand. 

“Strawberry?” 

He laughs sheepishly, pulling out of the driveway. “Covers up the smell pretty good. Plus my brother bought it for me.” 

You nod, spraying it in the backseat, staring at the white stain on the carpet. “Bold of you to hook up in here, one hit and this car falls.” 

He rolls his eyes, holding his cigarette between his fingers. “It’s not what you think it is. I had to buy a cake for my brother's birthday and the whipped cream melted.” You shrug, spraying the freshener towards him. “Hey! And don’t think I missed that comment about my car, this baby has kept me going since high school.” 

“Okay, geezer.” He scoffed, flicking the spent ashes into the tray in his cup holder. “Where are we going anyway?” You ask, leaning back against the seat. 

He glanced at you, “Don’t know, just driving. Have a place?” 

“I want food.” 

He laughs at your response, putting out his cigarette, resting one hand on the shift knob, and the other on the steering wheel. “As you wish.” He jokes, laughing again at the roll of your eyes.

“That’ll be seventeen dollars and fifty-two cents please.”

Before you could take out money, he waved his hand at you and slipped his card into the reader, smiling when you looked up at him. 

“I’ll pay you back.” You tell him while walking back to his car. 

“No need.” He says, nearly dropping the bag in his hands when he looks through his window. “The keys are in the car.” You look from your side, staring at the keys still in the ignition. “And the doors are locked.”

“You don’t have a spare with someone?” 

He shakes his head.

Liar. 

He sat on the hood, patting the spot next to him. It’s quiet while you eat, stifled laughter when the other chews slowly in the silence, pained pats to the back when a fry goes down the wrong way. You feel his stare on you, turning your head only for him to be near inches from you, eyes trained on your lips. 

“Tsukishima, we just met.” 

He blinks, face flushing as he backs away. “Sorry.” 

He becomes a part of your daily life, beginning to sit next to you during lectures since he was “the best at convincing people” more like his wallet did most of the convincing. He started to worm himself through to your heart like he wanted, wrapping himself around it. 

He’s sprawled out on your bed while you’re at your desk, his eyes boring into the back of your head as he continues to sigh loudly.

“What do you want, Akiteru.” 

“Let’s go out for a drive.” He whines, flinging a pillow at you blindly, apologizing loudly when something clatters to the ground. 

You pick up the can of pencils, placing them back onto your desk. “You couldn’t have asked like a normal person? Instead of sounding like a girl who’s faking their orgasm?” 

“Wait, they fake it?” 

“Who knows.” You said, closing your textbook. “Come on, I wanna be home before midnight this time.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” He muttered, pushing you out of the door. “Mind if we stop by my house?” 

“Long as you don’t plan on telling your mom I’m you’re s/o.” You mumbled, rubbing the side of your head. “Not that it’d be a bad thing, just don’t want her to get any ideas.” 

“Oh? So what I��m hearing is that you wouldn’t mind me being your boyfriend?” 

“Don’t push your luck.” 

The drive is quiet for the most part, his terrible singing filling your ears whenever a song he knew came on the radio. He laughed when you flicked his arm, holding the spot where you hit him. 

“Alright, this is it.” You looked out the window, staring at his place. “A little cautious advice, my brother can be a little closed-off. And slightly rude.” 

“Everything you’re not?” You try, laughing when he shoved your shoulder. “I’ll be fine don’t worry, I’ve dealt with drunk you after all.”

He shivered, remembering that he made out without blindly at another party he went with you to, shitty bathroom lights making it hard to tell it was you. But you had to have enjoyed it yourself right? You don’t make out with your best friend for ten minutes without feeling anything right? 

“I’m home!” He called out, holding the door open for you. 

“Akiteru! Oh, you’ve brought a friend!” 

He pushes you forward, hand on the small of your back. “This is (Name), my best friend.” He says, ignoring the strain of his voice when he uttered the words. “Where’s Kei?” 

At the sound of his name, the latter groaned, peeking from his door. “Who’s that.”

“I’m (Name), nice to meet you.” You say, waving at him. He narrows his eyes at you, nodding his head once. “Wow, seems like a happy guy.” You blurt, turning your head when the door whips open, Akiteru hiding his laughter, mother shaking her head with a smile before leaving the room.

“What was that?” 

“Said you seem like a happy guy, correct me if I’m wrong though.” You smile, holding your hands behind your back.

 He narrows his eyes at you again, pushing his glasses up. “I suppose you’re okay.” He muttered, shutting his room door. 

The next month is final exam time, students rushing to their dorms, partygoers slowly declining in numbers since some did want to graduate still. Akiteru sat beside you, chin resting on your shoulder as you took notes, finger looping around the band of your sweats. 

“If you’re horny there’s a bathroom in the other room.” You mumble, crossing out a vocabulary word. “Otherwise, wait.” He whined, lips dragging across your neck and down to your collarbones before he bit down. “Ow.” 

“Sorry babe.” He muttered, licking the bruising skin. “Can I leave a few?” 

“Fine. But if you make me mess up I’m not going to relieve you.” He huffs, moving under your arm for better access. “Jesus Chr- Akiteru what did I just say?” You say, rubbing your head when it came out a little too loud. “Sorry, sorry I didn’t mean to raise my voice it’s just these stupid exam preps.” You mumble. 

“Babe.” He says, cupping your cheek. “Take a break.” 

“Aki.” 

“It’ll make you feel better come on.” He says, dragging you to the bed before flopping down on it. “Come on.” He smiles when you lay on top of him, tucking your face into his neck, shivers going down his spine as he feels your breath against his neck. He flinches when you bite down, fingers digging into your hips, holding back the groan when your tongue pressed against it. “(Name) right there.” 

“I know Aki.” You whisper, kissing under his chin. 

“There’s no way I can cover all of these up Akiteru.” You say, pulling his shirt down in the mirror. 

“Like I’m any better (Name), you leech.” He muttered, staring at the dozens of hickies littering his body, wincing when you flick his forehead. “Well, do you feel better now?” 

You look up at him, his hand resting on top of your head. “I do. Thank you for reminding me to take a 

break, Aki.” You say, lifting your head to kiss him. “wanna go for a drive?” 

“One hit and this car falls.” 

“Don’t stop.” 

“You feel so good.” 

The sun still shining from the edge of the cliff, the blue sky turned dark, cold air breezing past you. 

“The keys aren’t in the car, are they?” You ask, leaning against his chest. A laugh rang out, his hand coming up to his pockets, panicking when they weren’t in there. You raise your hand, swinging the keys around your finger. “You left them in the ignition, saw it when we were, you know.”

 He flushes, turning his head the other way with a ‘hmph!’ “Why don’t you drive this time, huh, maybe then we won’t lock ourselves out.” 

“We’re on a mountain with a lot of wide turns is that a good idea?” He contemplates for a moment, remembering when he let you drive once and raced another car with his shabby 86 and won, only because you drifted the last corner. 

He snatched keys from you, shaking his head. “I choose life.” Laughing, you bump your shoulder against his, standing up from the car. “Come on, I told my mom I’d bring you for dinner.” 

“We need to shower first.” 

“I know, we’ll go to your place and get ready before we leave.” He says, opening his door. 

“Slow down.” 

“Sorry, sorry you feel- god, you feel so good.” 

“That’s the third time this week, horndog.” You mutter, stretching your legs. 

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, laying his head on your arm. “I couldn’t help myself.” He rubs your waist, pressing small kisses to your arm. “Thanks for giving me a chance, (Name).” 

You hum, turning your head to peck his crown. “Thanks for bothering me at that party.” He laughs at your words, pulling you to rest on top of his chest, legs on either side of his waist. “We were just in this position, give me a break.” 

“Bear with me for a minute babe.” He says, holding the sides of your face, thumbs resting on your bottom lip. “I love you.” Eyes widening, you gape at him, tears pricking in the corner of your eyes. He sits up abruptly at the sight of your tears, wiping them away with his palms. “Hey, why are you crying? Should I not have said it?” He panicked. 

“No no, I’m glad you said it, happy I’m happy.” You mumble, laughing at yourself. “It just caught me off guard.” You lean down to kiss him, tasting the cigarette he had earlier, paired with the familiar strawberry chapstick he wore. “I love you too.” 

[pinknerdpanda]

Sunset

Word Count: 2,649

Characters: Bucky x Reader

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Language, feelings of abandonment and hopelessness (but it gets better!!)

SSB Square Filled: “The man on the bridge, who Was he?” (bolded and italicized below)

A/N: This was written for my beautiful Name Twin - @amanda-teaches​ Writer + Reader Challenge (prompt bolded below) and also @captain-rogers-beard​ Flex Your Writing Muscles Challenge (photo prompt in the title graphic is from 6/4). It also fulfills a square on my @star-spangled-bingo​ card. This began as something rather therapeutic for me, and it became a whole lot fuffier than I expected. So...yay?

Beta’d by: @shy-violet-soul​ who always encourages me and showers me with love, and @princessmisery666​ who has helped me with this fic in more ways than I can even describe. Everytime I hit a wall, she was there with help, support, love and ideas and I am so thankful for her. 

It felt wrong.

The sunset was spectacular - fiery hues of crimson and amber evening kissing the brilliant blue of the fading day; ashen shades of violet and lavender the only evidence of their embrace. The last remnants of sunlight danced across the rippling surface of the water, painting the gentle waves in warmth as they lapped against the shoreline.

Salt hung heavy in the air as it whipped loose strands of hair around your face. The taste lingered on your tongue like a lovers’ kiss as you tried in vain to brush the wayward locks from your eyes. 

So wrong.

Soft laughter punctuated every dull crash of the tide upon the sand. You watched the dwindling groups of people hold onto what little remained of their peaceful beach day. Though as the warmth of the day vanished, so did the people.

Being here was supposed to be a homecoming; a celebration of the person you were and the life you’d lived. It should have been a gasp of oxygen after surfacing from a deep dive; sustaining, energizing and life-giving.

Instead, the tranquility of the scene before you only seemed to underscore the pain boiling deep behind your ribs. Even as the sky turned to ink and the stars blinked down at their reflection in the water, the anguish seared your lungs and stole your breath.

It was unsettlingly unexpected. 

A fresh wave of tears prickled the corners of your eyes and you clenched them shut in an attempt to keep them at bay. It might have worked, if you hadn't been immediately met with the vision of him behind your eyelids.

It wasn't his fault. Not really. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. Seeing him today - even from a distance - was like pouring salt on a wound. The elation on his face as he'd grinned up at the little girl perched on his shoulders felt like a dagger straight to the chest. 

The soft sound of bare feet on sand caught your attention. You sniffed, shifting to pull your knees up to your chest as the footsteps stopped beside you. 

"You want some company?"

The gruff voice was soft and despite wanting to hate your new companion for lacing his words with such obvious pity, you couldn't. Your pain had been dealt by hands less sure than his, so you shrugged instead. There was something warm and comforting in his presence and your soul cried out for more. The feeling multiplied exponentially as he dropped to the ground beside you, his knee grazing your thigh as he folded his legs underneath him. 

"'S'pretty here."

You nodded once, weakly. Even a broken heart couldn't make you think otherwise. Once upon a time this spot had been your own, personal oasis. Well, as much of one as a public beach could provide. But you didn't need much. Life had been simple, then. Now? Now, 'simple' sounded like a fairytale. Another on a long list of things you dreamt about, but didn't dare hope for.

“The man on the bridge,” Bucky began, his voice gentle. “Who was he?”

Brass tacks. It was one of the things you admired most about him; his ability to cut straight to the heart of the matter without poetry or pretense. It wasn’t a question borne out of irritation or obligation; instead patience and comfort reigned in his words. He could read body language and facial expressions better than 99% of the planet, but you knew even the other 1% could have plainly seen the pain in the heart so cruelly branded onto your sleeve. 

“This was,” you cleared your throat as best you could with your heart taking up space there. “I used to live here. I always wanted to live by the ocean, so when I lost my job due to budget cuts, I decided ‘what the hell?’. Packed up, cashed out my savings and started driving. As soon as I hit the city limits, it felt like home. Had a hell of a time finding a job, but I did eventually. I met him there.”

You sniffed, stretching out your legs and leaning back with your palms in the sand behind you. Without having to look you knew he was watching you; waiting until you were ready to continue. 

“I never believed in love at first sight; still don’t, because that’s not what it was. He was sweet, funny,” you smiled despite yourself. “Kind to a fault. The type of kindness that infuriates you because it makes you realize how selfish you actually are. But he loved me. I don’t know why, but he did. He loved me fiercely; even when I couldn’t return it and sure as hell didn’t deserve it.”

Bucky’s breaths matched the roll of the tide; calm and gentle and unwavering. You felt him shift, his shoulder grazing yours as he matched your position.

“What happened?”

The air between you vibrated with the low timbre of his words. Not that you noticed - not really. Remembering was always the worst part; remembering just how easily you’d been forgotten. 

“The blip.” Your voice was so faint it barely registered in your own ears, but you knew he heard it. You knew from the way he inhaled deeply as he shifted; from the feel of vibranium fingers sliding gracefully across your own.

“I don’t blame him. He couldn’t know we’d all come back. I couldn’t expect him to live out the rest of his days mourning my ashes.”

The tightening in your throat and the tingling at the corners of your eyes cut off any other words you might have said. If the roles had been reversed, you wouldn’t have known what to say to yourself. But true to form, Bucky did. Brass tacks and all.

“Still hurts.” Not a question, because he knew. His words were meant every bit for himself as they were for you. 

A humorless chuckle broke from your lungs and you nodded. 

“It still fuckin’ hurts,” you agreed.

"So that's why you wanted to come here." Not a question, but an acknowledgement.

Biting your lip, you narrowed your gaze at the calm waves. "I guess I just wanted closure. I missed this place. Missed the memories I made here. I knew seeing him was a possibility, but I'd hoped.." you trailed off. 

Bucky hummed in understanding of words you couldn't find. 

You looked at him then, the sliver of moonlight above casting him in a sort of macabre splendor. Chestnut waves rendered a dozen shades of grey and gaze focused on the heavens. Trying to ease some of your burden while still obviously saddled with plenty of his own, he looked peaceful; tranquil in a way that felt contagious.

You sucked in a breath, hoping to provide him the same respite he offered you, willingly or otherwise.

“Coming back from that place - that state of nothingness - was jarring enough. But then having to face the five years worth of reality you left behind? It’s a wonder any of us are still alive today to mourn it.” Shifting again, you crossed your legs and turned to face him, his hand enveloped in both of yours. “But we are. You, me, Sam...all of us. Finding the love of my life had become a husband and father without me; it was the hardest thing I’ve ever faced. But I did - face it, I mean. And in some fucked up way, it led me to you.”

Bucky tilted his head toward you, his gaze narrowed and his eyebrow raised.

“You’ve been watching too many Lifetime movies, sweetheart,” he deadpanned, though his eyes sparkled with affection.

You shrugged. “S’true.”

Even if you’d had a second to process the mischief in his expression, you still would have been startled by the quick tug of your hands as Bucky pulled you into him. You squeaked, landing with a muted thud beside him. He caught your hands just as you tried to flick sand at him, and held you close instead. 

“You’re getting sappy, ya know that?” He sighed, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head.

You rose enough to see his face, blinking sweetly down at him.

"I’m sorry, what were you saying?” You purred, in feigned innocence. “I keep getting lost in your eyes.”

Bucky grumbled, his grip on you tightening as he lifted you both off the ground. “You’ve done it now.”

You giggled as you twisted away from the ticklish prodding of his fingers, though it was no use.

“Put me down, you neanderthal.” You shouted in mock protest, trying and failing to wriggle free.

“Oh you don’t have to worry about that, doll,” Bucky crooned seconds before tossing you - rather ungracefully - into the shallow water. 

Scrambling to your feet, you couldn't help the giggle that escaped your lips. You kicked at the water, aiming for Bucky's face, but he anticipated it. Of course he did. He dodged deftly out of the way before grabbing your waist and pulling you both into the waves.

Coughing and sputtering, you shoved half-heartedly at his shoulder as a genuine smile bloomed on your lips. Neither of you seemed bothered by the water that lapped over your still entangled bodies.

"Thank you, Bucky."

"For what?" He scoffed, an incredulous but warm look moulding his features. 

"For this," you waved a hand in the air. "You didn't even ask why I wanted to be here, you just offered to come with me. Never asked for details or tried to pry. You could be off saving the world...again." Bucky rolled his eyes. "But you're here saving me, instead."

Bucky's eyes dipped to your lips as the air began to crackle with unspent energy.

"You say that like it's two different things, doll."

The heat you felt under his careful gaze only intensified as the weight of his words settled on you.

Bucky stood before you could respond, holding his hand out to help you to your feet. He didn't let go as you strolled away from the water, instead he laced vibranium fingers with your flesh ones. Just as you reached the boardwalk that would take you back to the hotel you’d rented, Bucky glanced sideways at you before redirecting his steps. Smiling, you allowed him to lead you further down the beach, unwilling to let go of the bubble of peace you’d found just yet.

“Ya know,” Bucky murmured, his thumb stroking your knuckles gently. “It took a long time for me to reconcile my past with my expectation of the future.” He paused, noticing your questioning look before continuing. “What I mean is, my past is so…” Bucky shook his head and stopped walking. 

You wrapped your free hand around his bicep reassuringly, encouraging him to continue but you waited patiently until he was ready to go on. 

Bucky cleared his throat. “For a long time, I believed my past dictated my future. It’s full of so much pain and regret and things I can never undo. I always figured my future would be more of the same; a kind of comeuppance for everything I’d done.”

“Bucky…”

His lips curled into a half smile as he squeezed your hand gently. “I know. It’s taken a lot of therapy and literal reprogramming, but I know. It wasn’t me. Not really. Even accepting that though, I still always wondered how it would frame my life going forward.”

“Your past is just that, Bucky. It’s in the past,” you cocked your head to one side. “Your future is what you make of it.”

Bucky’s smile grew and he reached out to brush the damp hair from your face. “Yours is too, ya know.”

There he was, cutting straight to the heart of the matter, with as few words as possible. Again.

As your steps resumed, you kept your grip on his arm, snuggling in close as the temperature dipped slightly without the sun to warm the air.

“When I first met you, I had no idea what to make of you,” Bucky chuckled. “Honestly, you were a little intimidating.”

You scoffed. “You were intimidated by me?”

“Well, yeah,” Bucky sighed. “I was so irritated that Sam signed me up to be part of that support group - without telling me, mind you - but then you were there. You were funny, gorgeous and kind. You were so quiet, but there was this fire behind your eyes, and I wanted to know why you kept it locked up.”

The memory of that first meeting made your stomach twist. The plan had been to bide your time in silence so you could at least tell your therapist you’d gone. You’d wanted to be anywhere but there, until he walked in. The whole room had recognized him - if the quiet gasps and whispers were anything to go by - and it had been painfully obvious how uncomfortable that had made him. 

Bucky laughed. “I’ll never forget the way you plopped down in the seat beside me, threw a bottle of water at me and glared at Frank and Donna until they stopped staring.”

“They were being rude.” You shrugged.

“They’re nice.” Bucky countered.

You shrugged again. “They are, but that night they were being rude. Nothing screams ‘Welcome to our blip support group’ like oogling the new guy.”

“Alright, well my point is,” Bucky stopped again, this time turning to face you, his hands gripping your shoulders gently. “I knew from the moment you shot icy death glares at them, that whatever my future held, I wanted you to be a part of it.”

Blinking, you opened and closed your mouth a few times before frowning. 

“Remind me again who’s been watching too many Lifetime movies, Buck?”

“I’m serious,” Bucky chuckled lightly. “But, I get it. The wounds are still fresh, and I don’t expect anything, but I just want you to know that I’m here. And I’ll continue to be - in whatever way you’ll let me - until you send me away. This place?” Bucky waved a hand. “This is your past. But just remember that it doesn’t get to decide your future. You do.”

You bit your lip, allowing his words to envelop you with peace and warmth and - for the first time in a long time - hope.

“I think,” you paused, furrowing your brow, “Sometimes our wounds stay fresh because we keep picking at them. I think I’m ready to leave the past where it belongs.”

Bucky hummed, thumbs rubbing circles against the balls of your shoulder.

“And for the record, Barnes? I don’t plan on sending you away any time soon. So it looks like you’re stuck with me.”

Throwing his head back, Bucky barked a laugh before sliding his arm around your shoulders and pulling you close. You felt him press his lips to the top of your head as you snaked your arm around his waist, relishing his warmth.

“Well, lucky for both of us, doll. There’s no place I’d rather be.”

As you continued walking down the beach you’d once considered home, wrapped in the arms of the man who wanted to be your future, it struck you. The beauty of the setting sun had felt wrong because you’d been looking at it through the warped lens of your pain. The resplendence of the day drawing to a close wasn’t a mockery of the life you’d lost, it was a crimson and amber colored reminder that every day draws to a close and there will always be beauty to be found in the ending.

But the hope of the morning - when the sun will begin it’s reign once again, overpowering the darkness with it’s warmth and light - is where the true splendor is found. 

You glanced up at Bucky - the man offering you the same promise of the rising sun, and for the first time in a long time everything felt right.

Like what you see? Want more? My SPN Masterlist is here, and MCU is here. Thanks for reading! :)

A/N 2: I am using my new and improved taglist. If you want to be added, see this post.

Weirdos: 

@hannahindie​ @amanda-teaches​ @ellen-reincarnated1967​ @feelmyroarrrr​ @masksandtruths​ @princessmisery666​  @jamielea81​ @foxyjwls007​ @becs-bunker​ @super100012​ @shy-violet-soul​ @emoryhemsworth​ @impandagrl​

Heroes:

@arrowsandmixtapes​ @bethbabybaby​