#why nobody likes my mo ran

[dramatic-mice]

different mo rans

[cowboy-robooty]

i go on novel updates i find something that fucking sucks i read 300 chapters of it and i quit before the ending that i read the entire thing for (it ends at chapter 304) then repeat. sisyphus grindset

[rainybubbles]

How do you accidentally confess to COD men ?

Soap, Ghost, Alejandro, Gaz, König, Alex, Price

(Sorry in advance for my mistakes, English is not my mother tongue. So sorry if it's badly written)

S O A P :

-"I can't lose you, Soap. Shit, you're important to me," you say while crying.

-"...I'm flattered, but can you focus on fixing my leg first?" he says.

-You blinked awkwardly.

-Let's start over and try to understand this, shall we?

-Well, you were a nurse working on a military base.

-When all the doctors asked you to wake up at 3 AM, you knew something had happened. You ran to the infirmary and saw Soap.

-He was heavily injured.

-Your heart skipped a beat.

-You and Soap had known each other since his enlistment.

- You were just an apprentice nurse, and he was a cadet. He always burnt something, and you were there to look after him, even when he accidentally burnt the ass of his sergeant.

-You had a crush on him since that time, but you decided a long time ago not to act on it.

- Soap was clearly not interested in you, and he had gone out with a lot of people.

-You can definitely say you're not his type at all, and you like your bond the way it is.

-But now, seeing him like this, it was different. Your heart was overwhelmed, and your mouth spoke before you could filter what you said.

-"I can't lose you, Soap. Shit, you're important to me," you say while crying.

-"...I'm flattered, but can you focus on fixing my leg first?" he says.

-You blinked awkwardly.

-"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm not ethical at all. You need help, and I'm talking nonsense."

-You helped the doctors and quickly went outside when you finished, in order to think about what had just happened.

-"Shit, it was so awkward. I really thought we were in a movie or something," you said, angry at yourself.

-"Well, honestly, it was fun to see you like that. I mean, it could have been the climax of a movie if Ghost had started to play the violin, and a slow-mo started on your face," a voice joked.

-You turned around and saw Soap.

-"You're supposed to lay down. You can't walk."

-"What can I say? Seeing you make miracles," he says with a smirk.

-You sighed and walked towards him, offering your arms to lead him to a bed. He smiled.

-"I'm sorry for what happened. I shouldn't have said that," you said.

-"But you mean it?"

-"That's not the point. It was not the moment, and I know the answer. It was just cringe."

-"...damn, loving me is cringe?" Soap said teasing you.

-"That's- you know that's not what I mean."

-"Yes, I know. I feel the same, by the way."

-"But you..."

-"It's been three months, I realize. I know it's longer for you."

-"You noticed," you realized, all these years thinking you were good at hiding it were in fact obvious to him.

-"Yes, but you decided not to tell anything, so I never acted on it. But I...I feel the same now, and you almost confessed, so can you give me a chance?"

-"You mean when you can take me on a date and not bleed to death?" you said, looking at his injuries.

-"Yes," he chuckled.

-"Okay," you whispered, scared that it was a dream.

-"Okay," he repeated with a smile.

G H O S T :

-"WHAT DO I DO NOW ?!" you screamed and looked at your friend.

-"Just...explain to him."

-"Oh yeah and how do you explain why I send him a fucking eggplant emoji at 4 AM without anything ?" you screamed panicked

-"Tell him the truth." your friend casually says.

-"He won't believe me. Like 'hey I sent you this emoji not because I want to fuck you, but because my brother sent me a lot of memes with eggplant so every night we sent this emoji to each other laughing. And I made a mistake and sent this to you, not him. Nobody does that. He won't believe me." you sigh."Oh fuck, he rode the text."

-"Well...he's your crush no ? I mean you talk about him often so if anything happens it could be good."

-"Yes he is, but I don't want to confess, not now. Fuck, I only met him like three times and only thanks to Soap. We're just acquaintance. I only have his number because I'm Soap's emergency contact."

-"And now he thinks you want to fuck him." your friends resumes

-"Thanks for your help." you say sarcastically."Shit he's writing, what would he say ?"

-"Well I bet on a peach emoji."

-You looked at your friend and showed them your middle finger.

-"What if I make things awkward and-"

-"You are always awkward."your friend interrupts you.

-"...thanks for your support." you said ironically.

-"I mean the worst is that he says no and when you'll meet again the only thing he remembers will be this fucking emoji. That's fine."your friend says.

-"No. I don't want to be the eggplant emoji in his mind."

-"It's too late."

-A ring interrupted your conversation.

-"It's him." you said looking at your notification.

-"And ?"

-"He sent a comma."

-"A comma?" your friend asks lost

-"Yes."

-"what does it mean ?"

-"I DON'T KNOW ! Does it mean he stops to breathe, or I should breathe or-"

-"Or he made a mistake and typed wrong."

-"No, he's good with his hands."

-"I don't want to know how you know that." your friend says looking at you

-"...I wasn't implying anything weird. He's a fucking military." you answered.

-"Ok. So what do you do ?"

-"I could send a comma too ?"

-"Yay revise your punctuations with Y/N and Ghost." your friend says ironically.

-"I...oh fuck, he sent another text."

-"And ?" your friend asks

-"Does the eggplant be used to convey a desire to meet me or is it some weird shit like Soap does usually,"you read out loud his text

-"he texts like a grandpa." your friend comments

-"Fuck you." you say.

-"Calm down, I'm just saying the truth. You should answer it's because you want him."

-"No way, I told you we're acquaintances. I have a crush yes, but we don't know each other well and I-"

-Ting.

-Another text from him.

-"Because it's okay in both cases." he texted you.

-"Oh fuck." you say with your eyes widen.

-"You can say that again !" your friend laughs.

A L E J A N D R O :

-Being a soldier means living in a community. And even if sometimes you're lucky and have your own little room, it's obviously not a hotel.

-So when Alejandro was doing a patrol to check everyone was asleep, he didn't expect to overhear you.

- But it was normal, the walls were thin and he could hear Rudy's snore from here.

-So yes, he heard you talking in your sleep.

-Except it was a fever dream you were having, and it was his name you were whispering.

-He froze.

-He didn't want to intrude, so he stepped back, but it was too late.

- He heard you clearly because of those thin walls.

-The next morning, when all his soldiers were eating together and you were present he couldn't stop looking at you. He didn't know what to do.

-He was not a moron, and he didn't want to confront you about that, but keeping this silent was also horrible.

-"Everything is good, Ale?" Rudy asks.

-"...I overheard something."

-"Let me guess, two soldiers making out? It's like the fourth time this week. Are they rabbits or what?" Rudy sighs at the new cadets.

-"No, it was not two soldiers," Alejandro answers.

-"Oh." Rudy realizes, "oh. Well...it's also common to do it solo. Why are you making this a big deal?"

-"Because they say my name."

-Rudy chokes on his bread and starts laughing.

-"Why do you find this funny?" Alejandro whispers angrily.

-"Because you seem all flustered. You're usually a smooth talker, but you seem so shy about it. It's not the first time a soldier has a crush on you, Alejandro."

-"I know, but it's different."

-"And why is it different?"

-"It's them."

-Rudy smirks.

-"I see."

-"But I can't say I overheard them, but I want to tell them I feel the same. How do I do this when all I could think when I see them is this memory?"

-"Be honest, you don't know how to lie. You're an honest man, Alejandro."

-"You're right, I have to tell them," Alejandro says. He's brave, he can do that.

-"They're coming, good luck," Rudy says and winks.

-You sit at your usual place, greeting everyone, and look at Alejandro.

-"Is everything okay?" you ask him when you notice his expression.

-"I overheard you," he says blankly out of nowhere.

"...can you be more clear, because I have no idea what you're talking about?" you say lost.

-"Last night, I was checking if everyone was asleep and I overheard you saying my name in a feverish dream."

-You raise your eyebrows and smirk.

-"Is that so?"

-He notices the smirk.

-"Why are you smirking?"

-"Because I was on cleaning duty this night; it's Mina who was in my room."

-"Oh."

-"Yes. I guess you have to talk to her," you say.

-"You're right. Sorry, I didn't know."

-"That's okay, but if I may ask, what were you planning to do after telling me this?" you tease him.

He notices your playful tone and smirks back.

-"That you don't need to dream, you can have me in real life."

-"Smooth, really smooth, Alejandro."

He smiles.

-"So it's a yes?"

-"Yes, but you still have to talk to Mina. I wasn't joking; it was her in my room last night."

G A Z :

-It was a night mission.

-You were waiting with the 141 for the order to go.

-It's been hours since you were waiting, and you knew after this mission you probably couldn't see the 141 again.

-Because you were in a different unit, and your collaboration was only for this mission.

-So you knew it was probably the moment to shoot your shot with Gaz.

-You inhale and go to his figure lying in the dark.

- "Gaz, I know we get along with each other. I can't count how many nights we spent just talking to each other on the base or even how many times we laugh together.I...I'm interested in you in more of a friend way. I know it's horrible to say that now, but afterward, it will be too late. So yeah." You say.

-Silence.

-You only hear silence as the figure doesn't move.

-You feel your heart aching.

-Shit, is he rejecting you in silence without saying anything?

-You look at the ground.

-"I think you should activate your vision nocturne, soldier. Gaz is at your right."

-Shit.

-Shit, shit, shit.

- You open your eyes wide.

-You...you just confessed to Price thinking it was fucking Gaz.

-"Shit, I'm so so so sorry. I didn't mean that obviously. I-"

-"Calm down, soldier. And go talk to him. We still have time here, but look at who you're talking to." Price teases you.

-You nod and walk towards Gaz ashamed.

- "Are you okay?" Gaz asks.

-"I just made the worst mistake of my life."

-"What did you say? Did you say to Price he had a nice ass or what?" Gaz jokes to light up the mood.

- You stay silent.

-Gaz opens his mouth. "No, you-"

-"It wasn't his ass. But yeah, I basically confessed to him, because I mistook him for someone else. ?Because obviously in the dark without night vision you can't see anything."

-Gaz laughs.

-"Stop laughing, it's horrible. I'm the worst, he probably will report me."

-"No, he knew it wasn't for him, didn't he ?"

- "Yes, but it...I'm feeling so ashamed."

-"With who do you think mistake him for?" Gaz asks.

-"I don't answer that question. I have made enough confessions for today."

-"Come on, tell me."

-"Nope."

-"Let me guess then."

-"We're only five here, I don't want to let you guess."

-"Soap?"

-"Gaz, I said no."

-"Because if it's him, I don't think he-"

-"You. It was you." You say to shut him up. "Happy, now?"

-He stays silent. You look at him.

-"Yes," he says, smiling. "Even though I'm jealous that Price got the whole speech, it felt like I'm only having the crumbs." He teases you.

-"Shut up," you smile.

-"But I'm happy, I feel the same."

-"Good, because I have enough rejection for today."

-"Ohhhh, Price's rejection is not a good experience?" He jokes.

-"I could never again look at him in the eyes," you say.

K Ö N I G :

-"I thought you were just getting to know him," Soap says.

-"Yes. And that's why I was doing."

-"So could you explain how König ended up with his vest burnt if you were just talking ?" Gaz says skeptical.

-"I...well I was lighting the vanilla candle and he was here, with his eyes and I-"

-"You were checking him out and didn't pay attention to the matchstick, isn't it ?" Soap asks.

-"I was absorbed by his eyes ! They're like so beautiful and he was so close, I-"

-"You burnt his vest." Gaz says.

-"Thanks for the reminder, Gaz. I know now my chances are ruined with him. Shit. The worst is that I can't tell him why I accidentally burnt his vest, so now he thinks I hate him."

-"Well you could find an excuse." Soap says.

-"What excuse could explain a burnt vest, Mr. explosion ?" you asked.

-"You wanted to test if his vest was fireproof." Soap tried

-"..." you said.

-"..." Gaz said.

-Soap sighed.

-"Ok it's not a good one. But I'm trying to help, okay ?"

-"I have to tell him the truth. I don't want him to think I hate him. He's so gentle with us."

-"He's here. Go !" Gaz said as he pushed you.

-You opened your eyes wide. You didn't expect you would have to do that so soon.

-You walked anxiously towards him.

-When he saw you, he stepped back a little.

-It hurt you, but it was fair after the incident.

-"Hey, König, I- I wanted to explain what happened."

-He looked at you and just nodded, waiting for your explanation.

-"In fact I burnt your vest because I was admiring your eyes.I was gazing at you. And I didn't concentrate at all on the candle and I let the matchstick fall. I'm sorry."

-He opened his mouth. He didn't know what to say.

-"I- you were gazing at me ?"

-"Yes, I find you beautiful. But it's not an excuse for what happened. I should have paid more attention to the candle" you said honestly.

-"Thanks for the compliment and the apology"

-"I hope that you don't have any grudges, or you don't think I hate you. I wanted to make it clear."

-"Oh no, well, I know it was an accident. You seem..." he stopped himself to find the right word to described how much you were screaming and scared "terrified ?"

-"Yes." you confirmed.

-"So I knew it was not intentional, but I didn't understand why. But now I know."

-"Cool, so we're okay ?" you asked.

-"You don't want to know ?"

-"Know what ?"

-"If I find you beautiful too ? If I'm gazing at you sometimes ?"

-"Oh, no. I mean I didn't expect anything, so don't feel pressured or anything and-"

-"Because I do." he interrupts you.

-"Oh."

-"Yes."

-"So if I ask you on a date ?"

-"Yes."

-"Cool, cool, cool," you said anxiously but happy

-"Tonight ?" he asked.

-"YES ! I mean, yes of course."

-He smiled under his mask and left. You walked back to Soap and Gaz.

-"So ?" Gaz asked.

-"I have a date."

-"WHAT ?" Gaz said.

-" WHY DID Y/N HAVE A DATE WHEN THEY PUT HIM ON A FIRE AND I CAN'T EVEN HAVE ONE ?!" Soap whined

-You laughed. You didn't know why, but you definitely knew you were lucky he said yes.

A L E X :

-You were a barista at a coffee shop. You were taking Alex's order as usual, since he was a regular when your colleague interrupted you.

-"I prepared the order of the regular hottie you were talking about."

-You looked up at Alex.

-You looked at your colleague.

-He opened his eyes wide.

-"Oh shit" your colleague said.

-"I'm sorry Alex." You said, "This one is on the house and the next time my colleague will serve you. Sorry again." You gave him his coffee and left in the backs now not only your chances were ruined, but you could be possibly fired.

-Shit, it was unprofessional to talk with your colleagues about your crushes on some clients.

-But this was worst because the said client knew that now.

-He knew he was the hottie.

-"Hey", your colleague said after few minutes "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

-"That's okay you couldn't guess he was here. In fact you could because it was his order, but yeah..."

-"But I'm happy."

-"Happy ?" you said a little angry by his remarks now.

-"He let you that." he said giving you a paper.

-"What..." you took the paper and saw a number :"glad to be called a hottie by a hottie, call me."

-"oh wow"

-"It's like a romantic movie !"

-"Absolutely not."

-"YESSSSSSSS" your colleague teased you.

-"I'm just glad to not be fired right now."

P R I C E :

-You were an interpreter. During a long, boring brief, you were chatting with Gaz.

-"Nikolai, Lasswell, Price. Kiss, marry, kill," he says.

-"Lasswell is married, Gaz." you answer.

-"Then Ghost."

-"I kill Nikolai."

-"You dare to kill him!" Gaz says shocked.

-"I mean, I like him. He's a good guy, but I don't know him well. So yes, kill him, kiss Ghost, and marry Price."

-"Your judgment is so biased," Gaz says laughing.

-"Biased?"

-"You only marry Price because you like him."

-"Yeah, that's the point of the game. It's based on preferences, Gaz," you say.

-He smiles.

-"You don't deny what I say."

-"It's because that's obvious, I have a thing for him. Plus, everybody knows Price is like the perfect husband material."

-"Hmm, thanks for your comment," a voice says.

-You and Gaz look at each other.

-The whole room is staring at you.

-Lasswell points the microphone at your right, which is still on.

-"Fuck," you say and your voice echoes throughout the room.

-"Sorry about that," Gaz says, and he switches off the microphone.

-"We are so dead," Gaz says.

-"I am so dead, you mean. I'm surprised if they don't replace me with another interpreter at the end of the day."

-The meeting ends, but as Gaz and you are leaving, you hear Price calling you.

-You hesitate but walk towards him.

-"You know what I'm about to say."

-"Yes, Sir, it was inappropriate, and we should have paid attention to the brief. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. As you can guess, my goal was not to let this slip," you answer.

-Price nods.

-"Good. You can leave."

-You leave the room.

-You thought it was the end, Price clearly rejects you.

-Yet a few weeks later, when the mission ended, Price approached you.

-You were sitting at the bar with the 141 celebrating the success.

-"So you're not working with us anymore," he said.

-"Yeah, that's the end of my mission." You answered, smiling.

-"So it's not inappropriate if I ask you on a date?"

-"A date? Wait, you-"

-"I keep my work and personal life separated."

-"Shit, so if you didn't say anything, it was because we were colleagues."

-"And because it was fun to see you defeated," he chuckles.

-"You're mean." You laugh. "But that's a yes."

If you want more my Call of Duty masterlist : here

My masterlist : here

[soft-mafia]

Can we have where the S/O was sketching Captain Buggy in secret, because she has a thing for him and she didn't want him and the crew to know about it. Until she lost it until the crew took a glimpse while laughing; they figured that she had a crush on the captain. She hid in the Crow's Nest in shame until Buggy finds her, after hearing what she's been doing in secret

Crush [Buggy x Reader]

warning: fem reader, nude drawing descriptions

a/n: this is such a cute idea😭😭 also this is me coded bc I low key draw Buggy half naked sometimes

part 2

Y/n was sitting in one of the crow’s nests on the Big Top, hunched over her sketchbook, scribbling out another fantasy she had of Buggy.

Yeah, it was weird drawing her own captain half naked with a visible happy trail but— was she hurting anybody? No, of course not, besides nobody had to see these drawings except her. Y/n was beginning to get a little flustered sketching out the muscles, defining them.

She had a little smile on her face, but it was all interrupted by Buggy calling everybody down to the deck. Y/n left her sketchbook up there without thinking and quickly climbed down.

A while later after they had to make a pit stop somewhere to stock up on food, Y/n was carrying crates of meat when she heard some other crew mates snickering and giggling. She wondered what the hell was so funny, so she glanced over— but then a look of horror washed over her face.

“What a pervert!!” One of the men said, flipping through the pages, “Do you think she joined the crew just to get a piece of Captain Buggy?” Another man laughed. “Awww she has a little crush on him.” Another one said before they all burst into laughter.

Oh my god?! Is that my sketch book?! She nearly dropped the crate, so she quickly set it down and ran back onto the ship, panicking and feeling humiliated. Oh god.. this was awful, what if they show the captain?! He’s gonna kick me out of the crew!! This is so embarrassing I’m gonna throw myself off the ship, I can’t do this!!

Y/n hid in the crows nest, curled up in a ball, crying into her knees from embarrassment.

“Hey Captain!! Take a look at this!!”

Buggy’s attention was directed over to the group of men with Y/n’s sketch book, “Huh? What is it?” Buggy grunted and snatched it out of the man’s hands. His eyes went wide and nearly popped out of his skull when he saw the sketches.

Why was he such a hunk?! Damn he wish he looked like this, is this how people saw him? If it was then this was an absolute win. “WHO DID THIS?!” Buggy shouted, “WHO’S SICK JOKE WAS THIS?!” There were so many pages!! Who even had time to do all of this?!

“That girl, Y/n. I think she has a little crush on you, captain.” One of the pirates jokingly cooed, which made Buggy’s face go even redder.

Y/n could hear Buggy screaming from where she was, it made her curl up and want to die even more, “Ugghh!! Why did I have to leave that fucking book up here?!” She cried to herself. “Y/N!!! WHAT IS THIS?!” Buggy said once he got back onto the ship. Y/n sniffled, peeking over the side of the crow’s nest as she looked down at Buggy, “I’m sorry captain! I-I didn’t mean to..” oh god how could this situation get any worse.

“DIDN’T MEAN TO?!” Buggy took another look at the drawings. Damn he was hot, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘DIDN’T MEAN TO’?!”

Y/n hid in the crow’s nest again, crying harder. He was going to kick her off the crew.. she knew it.

Upon her cries, Buggy sighed and decided to climb up to where she was. “Cmon-.. don’t- don’t cry.” He kneeled down and gently patted her head, he looked back at the sketchbook, still amazed with how handsome he was.. “These are really good..!” He flipped to another page which was just him.. completely naked, his eyes went wide again. That fucking penis was bigger than his, why was it was so vascular!! He cleared his throat and closed the book, handing it back to Y/n, “You really captured my likeness.” He giggled, his cheeks redder than a tomato, “Maybe you can.. draw me.. maybe a bit more buffer, taller? Just a suggestion..” he coughed again.

Y/n took her book back and sniffled, “Y-You’re not gonna kick me off the crew? You’re not mad?” She couldn’t even look up at him.

“What? Why would I do that? It’s kind of a stupid reason to kick someone off..” Buggy laughed and sat beside of her, “Of course I’m not mad. But.. am I really that hot?” He chuckled softly, making Y/n even more flustered. “Maybe I can model for you sometime eh?” He joked, but then kind of regretted it.. no way did he look as hunky as those drawings.

Y/n hid her face into her sketch book, “This is so embarrassing..” she whined, “They’re never gonna let me live this down.” She could still hear the sounds of those crew mates laughing.. it made her internally recoil.

“Yeah.. not a chance.” Buggy laughed, then patted her back, “But hey, if you ever want the real thing, you can come to me whenever you want.” He grinned, winking at her.

Her face went red again and she hid it further into her book.

[thegreymoon]

i'm not an anti 😭😭😭 it's funny that you're absolutely missing my point. there are plenty of works about noncon fantasies. it's rare to see an author single out her shou's sexuaI abuse and depict it as erotic while in the SAME story speak about the horrors of sexuaI abuse/sIavery when it comes to other characters. i dont think this is an unfair criticism and definitely not anti nonsense. just because you disagree with me doesn't make me an anti but i digress. my point wasn't call out noncon fantasies in fiction.

You literally said, and I quote:

lmfao?? erotic novels can be written without ertoticizing sexuaI abuse. she couldve done the same with consensual scenes.

This is typical anti nonsense. Sure, we can write erotic novels without eroticizing sexual abuse, but how is that relevant? You cannot write non-con kink into it without it and Meatbun is not being shy at all about what kinks she's into. This is a book she wrote, first and foremost, for herself, and then for the rest of us who share her proclivities. People who would like to read something else - for example, vampire fic, a comedy of manners or a zombie apocalypse - are free to go and find such a book because, in theory, Meatbun could have written any of these things instead of erotic fiction of the non-con variety, but she didn't because she didn't want to, and if she had, non-con enjoyers probably wouldn't be reading it to begin with.

If you don't want to be mistaken for an anti, you should not come into someone's inbox with their rhetoric and expect them not to see you as one.

I sat on this ask for a couple of days and decided to give you the benefit of the doubt and answer in good faith. I did not miss your point, I just thought you were an anti, and in my opinion, dead wrong, so I didn't feel like typing out a proper reply. There is nothing contradictory about the way Meatbun treats non-con vs. rape within the context of this particular subgenre. It is, in fact, a very common trope, where whatever is happening between the main couple is not seen as something that cannot be overcome (or even enjoyed) because the fantasy itself is about relinquishing responsibility for your own sexuality with someone you want all this to happen with. The point is that Chu Wanning enjoyed it because it was Mo Ran, and Mo Ran did it because he loved Chu Wanning. It is the foundation of this kink.

Now, I don't know if you don't typically read fics like these, but contrasting it with actual rape that is not a part of the fantasy is actually extremely common because it reaffirms that the main relationship is an exception, therefore special and safe in spite of the fundamental violation. With actual rape, nobody wants that to happen, not the characters and not the readers, and it is treated as horrific (which is why in fic, we typically use non-con and dub-con warnings for the erotic variety and the rape warning for actual unwanted rape, even though non-con and dub-con don't exist IRL, where it is ALL rape). Yes, there is a contradiction here, but it is something that is super common within this subgenre and something that the readers definitely want to see, in part to validate that what happened between the main couple is the exception to the rule.

Chu Wanning is not going to enjoy being raped just by anyone (though there certainly are books/erotica out there that play with this idea too and 2ha is actually on the very mild end of the spectrum here, which is why I find it hilarious that so many antis get their panties in a twist over it), which we see when he is assaulted by Shi Mei. Just like Chu Wanning, we are supposed to feel visceral disgust (though I do not deny that there are people out there who are into this too, which is totally cool, you do you) because it is happening outside the main pairing, which is treated as special. Mo Ran is supposed to rescue him from the bigger villain because the readers find his possessiveness reassuring and the fact that his relationship with Chu Wanning (consensual or not) is the exception. The encounter ends with Chu Wanning's chastity preserved and Shi Mei defeated and humiliated, which makes the readers feel good.

The rape of the girl that led to Mo Ran burning down the brothel is supposed to be horrific, and it is supposed to give us insight into Mo Ran's actual personality, where we see that when he is not under the influence of mind-altering magic, he finds the act horrifying. He is not a habitual rapist and if it had not been for the extraordinary circumstances (i.e. the mind-bending magic and the fact that he actually loved and wanted Chu Wanning more than he needed to breathe), the violation would never have happened. It is the exception because he loved, just like Chu Wanning wanting and even eventually enjoying it is the exception because he also loved him in return. It is not narratively contradictory, because, within this subgenre, it is actually very consistent, again, because this is an erotic non-con novel and not an actual commentary on the evils of rape.

Anyway, I apologise for calling you an anti if you really aren't one and I hope that me answering your question seriously this time around makes up for it.

All the best! :)

[duckymcdoorknob]

𝓣𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓵𝓮𝓽𝓸𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓭𝓪𝔂 18: 𝓜𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓬

ITS MY FAVORITE BOY AGAIN 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

NOBODY EVEN SPEAAAAAK OMG MY BABYYYY 😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I had to throw Lee Finral in there… Oopsies.

Oh no! Angst queen struck again and made it h/c! Whatever will you do?!

Anyways. Welcome back to tkcember. We’re about halfway through these fics. I’ve got 9 left after this.

—this do have some tickles below the cut ngl—

Tags: @chrimsss @giggly-squiggily @rachi-roo

It was no surprise that sometimes Asta got into a funk. He’s never once cried in front of his team, and he tries to stay as chipper as he can, but sometimes he just has his days.

This particular day had been absolutely horrid, with the young boy accidentally waking an hour later than he usually did. This threw his entire schedule off kilter.

He had to train twice as fast, which made his muscles sore and tender. He hobbled inside of the base, holding his sore shoulder. (2,000 swings really did a number on his dominant arms.

He missed breakfast and had to ask Charmy to cook something for him with his tail between his legs—Of course, the woman didn’t much mind, always happy to provide a meal.

He wordlessly ate his late breakfast and sighed. Maybe the rest of the day would be better?

To his dismay, it was very much not.

Asta ran his face through his hands as he took a bathroom breaks few hours later. It wasn’t fair. Why was the universe so against him? He had to hold in his anguish so he wouldn’t take out his frustrations on his teammates. He smacked his cheeks a few times and plastered on a smile.

“It’ll be okay! It’s just like a game of pretend. As long as I keep smiling, nobody will notice anything’s going wrong!” he chimed to himself in the mirror.

He finished washing his hands and exited the bathroom. His smile was painfully fake, but nobody who wasn’t focused on him would notice.

What he didn’t know is that his senior had heard his “affirmation” through the door as he passed by…

The whole squad sat down for lunch: rice, meat, and peas—courtesy of Charmy— with some almond sugar cookies for dessert—courtesy of Gordon.

Asta’s eyes lit up as he noticed the cookies; things were definitely making a turn for the better.

Anyone attentive would have easily noticed Asta’s off behavior. He was unusually quiet, and eating very carefully. (He did not want to risk dropping ANYTHING. Gods know that would likely be his last straw and he’d start crying right here and now.)

The anti-magic user finished his bowl of food and engaged in light conversation, only replying in short sentences. Finral watched his junior with a slight frown; Asta looked so uncomfortable, and had that stupid fake smile plastered on his face.

When it was time for the cookies to go around, the ash-blonde reached excitedly for one. As he brought it up to his mouth, it cracked in half and fell on the ground.

All eyes turned to look at him in confusion. Normally, he would’ve whined and reached for another one, but the boy’s chest was heaving a bit as his lip wobbled.

‘Not good’ Finral thought as he opened a tiny portal near his waist. The other end of the portal appeared at the same height on Asta’s side.

As tears pricked the corners of the anti-magic user’s eyes, they were quickly blinked away as a squeak left his lips. A pinch to his side had brought him back to reality. “Aaaaaa! I dropped it! Gimme another one! Please please pleeeeeease!!” He had tried acting like he normally did and made grabby hands at Noelle, who promptly scoffed and put one directly between his teeth. “fenk yew!”

The spatial mage smiled. Mission accomplished.

Asta ate the cookie happily, and Finral could tell that it instantly improved his mood a bit. Though, as his senior, he couldn’t help but be a bit mischievous… The brunette waited until the boy had finished chewing then opened another portal. He skittered his fingers across Asta’s stomach.

The ash-blonde giggled and slapped a hand over his mouth, glaring daggers at his senior. Finral smiled innocently at him, waving with the hand that was not currently tickling the boy.

“What are you doing?” he hissed, “this is so nohohot fahahair!”

Finral held a finger to his lips and grinned sweetly. He let two fingers pinch around the anti-magic user’s torso. Asta rested his head on the table as he giggled quietly.

Vanessa cocked an eyebrow at the resident feral child being uncharacteristically quiet. Her gaze shifted to Finral, whom she noticed had his hand through a hidden portal. She smiled in realization as she saw Asta’s shoulders heaving with laughter; Finral really was a really sweet guy.

The brunette snaked his hand under Asta’s grey tee shirt and traced his fingers up and down the swordsman’s sides and middle.

“Fihihihinrahahal.” The ash-blonde whined sotto voce, “Ihihihit tihihihickles!”

“What did you say, idiot?” Noelle quipped, turning her attention to him. It was at that point that she noticed the portal, and Asta’s giggling figure. Her face flushed as she went quiet. Asta looked… adorable like this!

“Fihihihinrahahal- plehehehease.”

Noelle looked at Finral until he caught her eye. She looked around the table to make sure all other parties were distracted before pointing to her own underarms.

The spatial mage smiled and shot her a wink of understanding. He mirrored the girl’s actions, taking notice of how many were watching. It seemed that Vanessa, Noelle, and Gordon had caught on and were spectating his little game.

Now, Finral was not an evil person; there wasn’t a lick of malice in his body. But he had to get Asta back for not respecting his authority all of those times… He had to find a way to get everyone to notice how giggly the ash-blonde had become.

It was time to go for the kill. He opened another portal and snaked his other hand under the boy’s shirt, bringing both up to tickle under his arms.

Asta squealed loudly and sank in his chair as he giggled helplessly. “Fihihihinrahahahal! Stahahahappihihihit!”

“Ey, Wheels, what’re you doin’ to the kid?” Yami asked, standing up and walking to the spatial mage.

“Nothing sir! I’m not sure what’s going on!” The brunette feigned innocence, trying to hide the portals he had made with the rest of his body.

“Ohhhh so that’s what’s happening?” Yami Cheshire grinned, “Let’s see if you can take what you can dish out.”

“Yami, no! Wait, hold on! Let’s have a civil, adult conversAHAHAHAHATIOHOHOHOHON! WAHAHAHAHAIT!”

The entire squad had definitely discovered the game, unfortunately at the expense of poor Finral’s dignity. The two mages laughed helplessly as the rest watched them with smiles.

After a few minutes, both parties were completely exhausted, with Asta lasting longer than Finral… as usual… In the spatial mage’s defense, Yami was absolutely ruthless, and went for his death spot immediately.

Everyone started to clear from the table, helping Charmy to clean up—or running away from duties in Luck and Magna’s case— and rinsing the dishes off.

Finral quickly grabbed four cookies from the platter, portaling them to his nightstand for later. He scribbled a note onto a napkin and portaled it into Asta’s lap, disappearing to his room shortly after.

When the ash-blonde had gone to stand up and take a break in his room, he noticed the small napkin and opened it as he walked the halls toward his bedroom.

‘My door is always open if you wanted to tell me what’s troubling you. Sorry about earlier… I couldn’t stand to see you fake smiling and not do something about it’

The boy’s threatening tears returned to prick the corners of his eyes as he turned on his heel toward his senior’s room.

When the ash-blonde arrived, the door opened to reveal a sympathetic-looking Finral, holding a cookie in his hand. The boy fell forward into the brunette’s chest, causing him to portal the cookie to safety. He knelt down and wrapped his arms around the boy, kicking the door shut with his foot.

“Don’t hold back,” he murmured, rubbing Asta’s back reassuringly, “Tell me what’s going on, Asta. It’s okay, just cry it out…”

So, he did.

—————♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎✞♡︎—————

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

@sasumimo

🏳️‍⚧️♨️🌌

Steam rose from the hot spring like a thin, white veil, winding upwards through the cold night air. Stars glimmered above, the sky clear, so clear that one could see the dim band of the Milky Way stretch over the horizon, a colorful gash of stardust and nebulae.

Wei Wuxian glanced up, mesmerized with the sight for a few moments before stepping into the hot water, skin prickling pleasantly at the warmth. Lan Wangji waited for him there already, eyes closed as he relaxed into the water, skin rosy with the heat. He didn't appear to have noticed Wei Wuxian about to join him, so he decided to maintain the advantage and sneak up on his husband and scare him a little.

However, though he waddled soundlessly into the water, he found himself hoisted into Lan Wangji's arms just before he pounced - all while Lan Wangji's eyes remained closed.

"I thought you fell asleep! Here I was trying to scare you, and you ruined it!"

Lan Wangji cracked an eye open. "I could pretend to be scared now."

Wei Wuxian leaned against his husband's chest, laughing. "We both know you're a terrible actor, Lan Zhan."

"Mn..."

A few moments of comfortable silence followed, the two sharing an embrace in the quiet space. Wei Wuxian's eyes drifted towards the sky again, taking in the multitude of stars.

"Lan Zhan."

"Hm?"

"When I was little, there was a legend I heard in Lotus Pier, about the stars in the night sky. It was said that the stars above are people that died but that did not want to leave their loved ones behind. So, the gods turned them into stars, so they could watch over the earth. And if you ever miss someone that's gone, you can talk to the stars and maybe your loved one is there and they'll hear you..."

Lan Zhan opened his eyes, looking to the stars himself. He had talked to them many times, but not in a tender way - he had raged to the heavens about his fate, about Wei Ying's, about A-Yuan's. He had asked why such a good man had to die in such a gruesome way, why nobody could see the truth the way he did.

He had been angry, resentful, grieving - never had it ever crossed his mind to try and seek Wei Ying among the stars. He should have, if anybody deserved to live on into the heavens, it was him. Still, Lan Zhan could only be glad he hadn't, returning instead on earth, to him.

"I've been thinking a lot about Mo Xuanyu recently... I've been having these dreams that I think were his, and it's... difficult."

Lan Zhan ran his fingers through the ends of Wei Ying's hair, watching the strands dance into the water as he let go. Then, cupping some of the warm water in his palm, he gently wet Wei Ying's back, warming up the drying skin.

"I think... based off these dreams and what I remember reading in the notes I found in that shack at the Mo manor, that Mo Xuanyu wasn't a man, or at least didn't feel like one. There was makeup on my face when I woke up, and I also found some tattered clothes that I didn't think much of at the time, but now I think they were parts of dresses...I keep dreaming about being made fun of, hiding something important, feeling out of place..."

There was a pause yet again, and Lan Zhan found himself wanting to leave a kiss on Wei Ying's forehead. "You are feeling troubled by this knowledge."

"Yeah, but it's not - I don't have any problem with that, you know, I just don't know how to refer to... him? her? Them? I'm one of the very few people that still remember Mo Xuanyu and probably the only one that tries to honor their memory. And I feel like I've been disrespectful of them in many ways, even just by referring to them as a man..."

"I think they would understand. They did not reveal that information to you right away, either." Lan Zhan replied, after a long moment. "They simply summoned you with a purpose, and allowed you to live in their body as you please after that purpose has been fulfilled. But, of course, we must be mindful to refer to them in a more respectful way now that we know of this facet of their identity."

"Yeah... I just hope they didn't get too upset about being referred to as someone they were not." Wei Wuxian's eyes flitted to the sky again. "Wherever they may be."

[fandomwe1rd0]

Wrote some angst about what happened after the after-credits scene in "Rattlestar Ricklatica"! Rick feels guilt!

TW IMPLIED/REFENCED CHILD ABUSE UNDER THE CUT

The drive home was silent. Normally they would both be talking or one of them would be sleeping while the other drove. But both of them were awake, neither of them knew what to say. Morty rubbed at his black eye. It hurt. His head was spinning. He saw Rick occasionally glance at him and then pretend like he wasn't. When they got home, they both sat in silence for a moment. Rick opened his mouth and said "M-" then Morty immediately scurried out of the car.

He stayed in his room then Beth called them for dinner. Morty tried to get some sunglasses to cover up the eye. Beth looked at Morty "Morty, we don't wear sunglasses indoors, or at the dinner table." Morty said "W-w-well uh mo-" Beth took them off, dropped the sunglasses and gasped when she saw his black eye. She put her hand on Morty's cheek "Sweetie, are you ok? How did you get that black eye?" Morty gulped and opened his mouth to speak, but then he saw Rick glare at him. "N-nothing Mom….just got it on one of my adventures with Rick…s-someone attacked me and Rick stopped them" Morty forced a chuckle "I-I'm glad that me getting a black eye is all that happened. I-it doesn't hurt that much." Morty lied through his teeth. It hurt like hell. His head was spinning, but Rick was right. There. Morty didn't know what Rick would do to him if he told the truth, he didn't want to know. Beth gaze softened "Ok sweetie…I'm pretty sure Dad has a device that can fix it, why don't you go with him to his garage and get it?" Morty shook his head. The last thing he wanted was to be alone with Rick. Beth asked "Is something wrong sweetie?" Morty shook his head "N-no Mom! I-it just doesn't hurt that much so…" Beth held Morty's hand "Ok…but you should still get something cold to put over your eye, ok?" She kissed Morty's forehead and smiled at Rick "Thanks for protecting him, Dad." Rick looked down "Mhm."

Morty went over to the freezer, he grabbed a bag of frozen pea, he jolted when he heard Rick's voice "Morty can we ta-" He rushed out, forgetting to close the freezer door, and told Beth "I'm not hungry, I'll be in my room if you need me bye Mom!" Although he said it so fast, he's sure Beth only half understood him. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Beth gave Rick a look that basically said "What's wrong with him?" and Rick shurgged. He knew exactly what was fucking wrong. Morty ran to his room and started to catch his breath. He knew going to his room wouldn't do much, Rick would just burst it whenever he wanted. "Privacy" was a forgin concept to him. He eventually fell asleep crying.

Rick sighed in his garage, running his hands through his hair. The thoughts of what happened today ran through his mind. Maybe he was a little too harsh on him. But it wasn't like he wanted to give him that fucking black eye! He had to! He sighed, he tried talking to the kid, but he always just ran away, not like he can blame him, but damn, as if he needed a reason to hate himself more, his favorite fucking person was terrified of him. Hell, he could barely be in the same room with him without freaking out. He went to Morty's room and knocked on the door, probably the first time he did that rather than just busting in. Nobody answered so he just came in anyway.

He saw Morty curled up under the covers, he always looked so peaceful. Eyes relaxed, mouth drooping slightly open, jaw slack, he winced when Morty turned. Showcasing his black eye. A physical reminder of how big of a piece of shit he was. That purple-blueish bruise was haunting him, basically screaming "You're a fucking monster, a stupid fucking piece of shit, you deserve to fucking die." Despite not having a voice. He hated that it was right. He took a device out of his labcoat and healed it, that was the least he could do. He took out his memory gun and toyed with the idea of erasing his memory. But a darker part of himself whispered "Keep it, at least he'll know not to fuck up again." SHUT UP! He sighed, he hated that voice, he hated even more that he agreed with it. He's a piece of shit, a fucing stupid piece of shit. He sighed and sat at the foot of the bed. He put his face in his hand, and only put it up to look at Morty. fuck, that kid was always fucking up, after so many adventures, he was still so naive, he did the quote-unquote "right thing" to a fault, it would be admirable if it didn't put them in danger. But seeing Morty right now, it really showed just how much of a kid he still was, he was definitely harsher than he should be at times. He was a shitty grandpa, but fuck. This was PRIME'S grandson! Why the fuck should he care!? Prime killed his baby! HE stopped himself and took a deep breath Fucking piece of shit. Judging Morty because of his grandpa, what the fuck is wrong with yo- He slapped himself. SHUT UP! He looked over to Morty again and gave a little smile as he patted Morty's head, probably the closest thing to affection that he could show Morty while being sober. He whispered something to Morty that he could never tell him, hell, tell anyone while they were awake "I'm sorry." He left the room, closing the door behind him.

[dangermousie]

We get the first proper flashback to the 0.5 storyline and what a doozy it is - TXJ’s coronation as he has CWN bleed slowly out on the steps.

1. I actually love how in this main timeline, Mo Ran gets to experience a lot of what he inflicted on CWN in 0.5 one - I keep thinking of how he actually volunteers for that blood cross to slowly bleed out instead of CWN (the moment where on my initial read where I went...but wait wait how did THIS guy ever became TXJ?!?!) and it feels like expiation and balance somehow even tho neither of them ever thinks of it this way for different reasons (CWN doesn’t have 0.5 memories yet and Mo Ran is not morally ready.) 

2. The way TXJ insists he’s never got a good word or a kind moment from CWN and it’s so tragic because he had plenty but the flower erased them all.

3. Mo Ran accepted the flower to save and protect CWN. He did such an enormous, selfless, incredible thing. And then the flower made him forget not just his sacrifice but his desire to protect and turned him into the monster who hurt CWN the most in that life. And that makes me want to howl. No wonder at the end TXJ sliver never fully integrates into Mo Ran - the trauma MR went through is horrific and TXJ is personification of it; and it allows Mo Ran 2.0 to maintain some distance from that part of him which helps healing (and also, this is the only way MR could ever truly believe CWN loves every part of him, even the most twisted and damaged - because TXJ in the end of the novel and extra is distillation of that and CWN loves him just as much.)

4. When CWN is about to die and Taxian Jun loses his mind and the novel says his hatred is so strong at the moment, he feels horrific pain. It’s not hatred, is it? Ooof. And how he can’t lose CWN because then he’d have nobody to hate and his life would be meaningless. The way the flower was able to twist and pervert his devotion but never destroy it is something else.

5. And the scene cuts away to our Mo Ran, Mo Ran 1.0, standing all night outside where CWN is kneeling after his punishment. And CWN does not know Mo Ran is doing it, and Mo Ran himself does not know why he’s doing it but just the mute unacknowledged devotion guts me.

[iwanttofuckereh69]

now reading 2ha vol 2

ch 55 - 71

… but the careless thought would fly through his mind and soon be lost, like the drizzle of rain falling into a deep pond.

Mo Ran’s entire existence put into words perfectly

1. now im sad 😭

Ahhh the way Shi Mei’s death is described is gut wrenching. I was so sad reading that. But yeah, at least there are more details to what happened. It seems like Chu Wanning couldn’t do anything to save him that day. Or rather, he had to choose. I feel like if he tried saving Shi Mei, he wouldn’t hold the barrier. So he chose, faithful to his principles. It ties to Chu Xun’s sacrifice that seems to be supposed to show how hard of a decision it must have been both on Chu Xun and Chu Wanning. My guess is Mo Ran either didn’t realize at the time that CWN had to choose one over the other or he couldn’t understand why he would sacrifice his disciple to protect all those people he himself doesn’t care about. 

But damn that description hurt. Mo Ran’s heart was truly aching. And that comparison to a snowflake, equally beautiful and equally unimportant. Ehh

@thegreymoon if this is "moderate and usual amount of suffering" then i dont know if i want to continue!!!!

(jk, i like when it hurts 🙂)

2. Chu Wanning is even more awkward than i was in high school which should be considered an achievement

Tbh I like moments of Mo Ran’s longing for Chu Wanning. And how he reacts when he sees Chu Wanning finally after all this time CWN spend “in seclusion”. Its lovely, but also hes so dumb for not realizing. This whole whatever was going on between them during New Years Eve celebration was just lovely but also so awkward. Chu Wanning deliberately giving him a copper coin dumpling? Absolutely cute. But also so awkward and just 😬 Instead of finding thousands of weird ways to flirt maybe just tell him? Idk its an outrageous idea, but idk give it a try maybe?? And omg that awkward moment when he wanted to invite mo ran to watch fireworks but… yeah. I felt it in my bones. 

3. Breaking news, Mo Ran, despite being 32 yo in 16 yo body mentally somehow ended up being 5

Sometimes it feels to me as if mo ran desired CWN not as a person but as an object. And he is even comparing him to an ugly box that nobody wanted with perfectly fine food inside. An ugly box only he himself dared to open to discover the treasure inside. And he is so childishly jealous when now that box is on display for everyone to look at. Its almost silly. But also yeah, its another time he treats CWN more like a thing he owns. And nobody else should see any worth in that thing, because its only his to consume. There is a fine expression in my native language for a person like that, and funny enough, its also dog related. But I couldn't find any translation that would convey all the nuisance. It’s for a person that won’t let anyone else enjoy a thing even if they themselves have no intention of enjoying that thing either. It reminded me of this quote:

Eventually, like a beast, he had known only one thing: that Chu Wanning was his. Even if he didn’t care for Chu Wanning, he was still his to sunder and to ruin. 

And like… Right now, Mo Ran seems to me like an annoying jealous kid that wants CWN for himself out of pure spite. Because CWN never gave MR attention he thought he was owed or that he deserved. I want to punch him just a bit.

4. Shi Mei is totally Chu Wanning’s wingman

Like he always tries to show Mo Ran that CWN isnt all that bad XD And I won’t believe he didn’t realize after all those completely awkward confessions and random hand holdings that Mo Ran has feelings for him. Like I won’t believe he wouldn’t see right through him especially on that boat. And I think he is smarter than MR and saw that CWN isn’t indifferent to Mo Ran after all. I want to say he would be happy if they’d get together but BASED ON COMMUNITY’S REACTIONS i feel like i will look like a clown lol. But oh well thats my very biased impression of Shi Mei. 

@rosemary-screams

Never back down never what? NEVER GIVE UP!

Also it dawned on me while reading that you’re totally right @02cm, Mo Ran totally is wasting his chances with Shi Mei. I mean it happened before but that boat scene striked me as so annoyingly obvious. Like, he knows Shi Mei dies after he gets back from that “summer camp” in peach blossom springs. Its not gonna be long till that day and he can’t be sure it won’t happen again. And he is waiting around, unable to express his feelings that he was supposed to be so sure of. Is it… perhaps… a live showcase of Mo Ran’s only two brain cells almost connecting? Almost! Not quite there yet, but we’re on the right path. 

5. This book makes me feel disdain towards the characters and then feel bad for them in the matter of chapters njnjgviuvnjuigi im not well

I'm so heartbroken with the story of how Mo Ran was punished when he tried to steal the haitang flower for Chu Wanning because he had a crush on him. And CWN never let him speak and explain himself and punished him instead. I mean it’s kinda understandable but it makes me sad knowing that MR had such pure intentions... Also, that bedtime story about ox… Mo Ran sees himself in that boy? Because it seems like he always took the beatings no matter if he deserved it and nobody was kind enough to actually listen? And it seems like it will happen again now that he's being framed for murder.

6. Me when MR gave Xia Sini butterfly hair clip and made his hair:

THIS HAS NO REASON TO BE SO CUTE. Also i'm actually enjoying that smol Chu Wanning arc despite being weirded out at first. It gave CWN opportunity to be more relaxed around MR and the rest. And just like he can enjoy sweets as much as he wants without having to worry about losing his face, he can also just chill a bit because oh boy, my guy needed it so much

7. Someone really dislikes Mo Ran and is actively plotting his demise (which im not even surprised with). It’s either someone he already managed to wrong after reincarnating or someone of those many, many people he offended in his past life that somehow also got reincarnated into the past. What are the odds?!

Also, if Chu Wanning and Chu Xun are related (rather closely given how they look alike) and Chu Xun died and Chu Lan died and it seemed like there wasn’t anyone left out of their bloodline… how. Also what’s the self sacrifice gene because it clearly runs in this family. 

[live-laugh-loverpool]

Guess who is back just after you posted my request lol

So, we all remember that Robbo kind of got himself hurt after somebody ran into him while they were celebrating Bobby's goal in the match against United.

So, what about Trent trying to help Robbo to get along with his swollen ankle? That would be very cute since they're besties.

Here we are! Sorry that it's late...

Note: this is also posted on my AO3 account.

Tags: @millythegoat, @alissonbecksfan234, @rubybecker-rb2, @moomin279, @liverpool-enjoyer

One Rotten Apple Won’t Spoil Your Barrel

Trent Alexander-Arnold hated losing with an utter passion. He especially hated when losses came at the wrong time.

That statement might have been a bit biased, since he hated losing in all forms. But this came at the utmost worst time, because March the eleventh also happened to be Robertson’s twenty-ninth birthday.

With the manner they’d lost in, Alexander-Arnold wouldn’t normally be in the mood for a celebration. But he’d been hellbent for weeks to give the Scotsman the celebration that he deserved.

He took extra long in the shower on purpose, fixing his hair and changing into something more festive. With a final tug of his shirt collar, he slipped into the empty locker room, inching towards Alisson’s locker—only to freeze upon seeing Alisson and Van Dijk embracing in front of the aforementioned locker.

“Trent!” Alisson brightened almost immediately upon seeing Alexander-Arnold. The Brazilian had seemed slightly melancholy, undoubtedly after missing the ball that led to the goal. “Is it time now?”

Alexander-Arnold hesitated upon seeing how red Alisson’s face was. “I feel like I missed something important.”

“Nothing, just a friendly embrace.” Van Dijk nodded towards the locker. “We’ve been guarding this forever, what took you so long?”

“You try washing dreadlocks after a day in Southeast England,” Alexander-Arnold grumbled. “Both of you get dressed now, it’ll be time soon enough.”

*

 “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. What an ironic song,” Robertson grunted, leaning against the lockers.

He unwrapped the wrapping around his ankle, wincing at how swollen it was. A pitch invader had crashed into him during the United routing; so now Robertson had to deal with the humiliation of losing versus Bournemouth along with a swollen ankle.

Nobody would be in the mood to have a party or celebrate after this. The goal had happened from the left wing and Robertson couldn’t do anything about it. His teammates were going to be furious…

“Why so down, mate?” Alexander-Arnold appeared out of nowhere and sat beside him. His best friend wore a button-down and a tie—a major step for him. Then Robertson identified the shirt as one he’d given Alexander-Arnold for Christmas.

“Thinking about the loss, who isn’t? Why do you look so dressed up now?”

“Why do you think? Don’t you remember what day it is?”

“It’s a funeral, innit?”

“A funeral?” Alexander-Arnold snorted, rolling his eyes. “Where do you get these ideas from?”

“A funeral for our pride,” Robertson answered simply. “We scored seven versus the Mancs, lost to the Cherries 1-0 and Mo missed a penalty. The goal came down the left wing and I couldn’t even stop it—”

Alexander-Arnold cut him off with a finger to his ever-moving lips. “Enough negative self-talk, Robbo. The boss always tells us that there are eleven players on the team, and things are rarely just one guys’ fault, okay? Forgive me; I’m terrible at these talks so I’m just treating you to my verbal logorrhea.”

This managed to crack a smile from Robertson. “Really?”

“Yeah, you're a good mate. Now let’s get you to the bus!” With that, Alexander-Arnold picked up Robertson bridal style.

“What are you doing, Trentski?” Robertson hissed as his ankle accidentally hit the doorframe. “You’re going to put me out of contention for the rest of the season.”

“Carrying you, because of your ankle. Now will you sit back and enjoy the ride?” Alexander-Arnold rolled his eyes at Robertson’s usual behavior. “You’re not exactly light, y’know.”

[mxtxfanatic]

My thing with Yu Wu/Remnants of Filth:

The novel feels too much like it attempts political intrigue mixed in with cultivation action, and it fails at the former while making the latter weaker as a result. Also, the action is undercut too much by Mo Xi’s quite frankly boring domestic issues, and his internal struggles get old real quick when it doesn’t feel like growth happens for a while. In 2ha, I only accepted this seemingly stagnant growth in Mo Ran because of the back-to-back missions that kept piling and all the never-ending action. Also, 2ha is twice as long, and my reading benefitted from me being able to skip to Mo Ran acting like he had sense, which was halfway through the story; 1,500 more pages of story was left to sit wit Mo Ran 2.0.

In Yu Wu, it’s split up by hundreds of pages of “let’s give Gu Mang chores!” “Let’s convince people I don’t want to protect Gu Mang by always trying to publicly protect him!” “Let’s cry about how amnesiac Gu Mang is so different from old Gu Mang!” “Oh look, more chores!” Mo Xi doesn’t feel like he starts acting with sense until the last 600 pages, of which we get another, what, 100 pages of domestic fluff? And then we pingpong back and forth between real shit and domestic fluff with amnesiac Gu Mang pt. 2 before the climax begins. There’s not enough time for me to sit with a Mo Xi putting clues together (for which he doesn’t, he’s just told things) and he and Gu Mang working as a team, or at least one of them competently trying to discover shit (which tbh would only be Gu Mang, but unfortunately the narration is mostly stuck to Mo Xi…).

I also can’t fully enjoy Mo Xi struggling with his morals, love for Gu Mang, and hatred of Gu Mang’s “treachery” when the only sure actions he takes makes him look like an idiot waiting to be slaughtered by the rest of the imperial court. I mean, grievously injuring yourself as if that’s something Gu Mang would want or that it would help his cause in any way, then waltzing into a torture session sanctioned by the emperor that was occurring while you were injuring yourself for no goddamn reason to rescue the most hated man in your country? I almost died of secondhand embarrassment, like??? Why would Meatbun make him do something so idiotic???? When Chu Wanning rescues Mo Ran from his execution in 2ha at the hands of the descendants of the gods who nobody in the cultivation world dared to go against, he took Mo Ran to hide, and they were both shunned by the greater cultivation world (but not by the people who knew them and their goodness). In Yu Wu, Meatbun was right to say that Mo Xi’s 3-day “house arrest” was a mind-boggling and anticlimactic conclusion to PUBLICLY GOING AGAINST THE EMPEROR, HOLY SHIT. Like, Meatbun obviously wanted to include political intrigue, but girl you cannot write political intrigue!!!

And on that note: I feel like we are given vital pieces of information entirely too late. Gu Mang having a mother figure he looked up to could have probably been mentioned at least once earlier than it was. In 2ha, we learn about Mo Ran’s background early on, but it’s how the story begins to change with more detail and color that we readers find out that, though we’ve known this story from the beginning, we didn’t actually know shit about Mo Ran’s story. In Yu Wu, we’re told Gu Mang is an orphan with only another similarly-aged slave as a friend; Aunt Li comes in way too late to really reap the satisfaction of foreshadowing. More hints about Princess Mengze’s true nature could have either 1) been dropped earlier or 2) been dropped better (having a servant say that a woman giving up on her feelings feels “too fake” sounds more like misogyny than a hint…). The treachery of the emperor, ugh… now for me, the “hints” that he was gonna be a bad guy looked exactly like the hints that Murong Lian was gonna be redeemed, and I didn’t like that one bit. Murong Lian does get redeemed, and the emperor dies a villain. The emperor being cruel and callous in public but a simpering mess in private felt like it should have been reversed, because him treating his court like entertainment did not give me the “I fear for their approval” vibe that was apparently the emperor’s whole hangup. And going back to Murong Lian: that wasn’t a redemption arc. “Mommy didn’t like me” is not a redemption arc to redeem a character WHO GLEEFULLY TORTURES SLAVES AND IS GLEEFULLY AN ENSLAVER, and Meatbun should know better because no character in 2ha that did anything comparable to Murong Lian got redeemed or forgiven by in-novel characters. So wtf happened here?

Also, the thing that was never fully redeemed for Murong Lian and also my biggest gripe of the book: Gu Mang. I absolutely love his character. Love how his hidden memories are hiding like actual layers of secrets upon secrets. Love finding out what he was truly thinking and going through, but I hate how OTHER PEOPLE have to put the pieces together for Mo Xi because he’s too much of an idiot blinded by his own emotions to think about anyone’s motivations and be proactive in discovering the truth. But the worst thing is how Gu Mang gets put into so many situations of torture by every character, including Mo Xi, for seemingly no reason other than us readers getting to watch him be tortured as an amnesiac who acts like a child. Most of the time I felt like that Simpsons meme where the kids are begging for someone to stop being beat cause “he’s already dead!” Anytime a new character showed up that Mo Xi didn’t already trust, I would think “oh great, another Gu-Mang-gets-tortured! arc…” That’s not enjoyable, for me. Especially given at the end, Gu Mang is actually revealed to be one of the smartest, most tenacious characters in the whole book. Mo Xi’s character feels weak next to that, and it makes the whole book feel weak as a result.

This would have likely been a better read if the narration followed Gu Mang instead of Mo Xi.

[pulpwriterx]

OUTLAWS

Ben Solo had a rough night.

He had made a lot of money, because people at the Mos Eisley Cantina who didn't know him bet on the Wookiee he fought.

In the light of day, sober and hung over, Ben was glad to have the money, but he had no idea what the fight had been about.

Speaking of the light of day?

Why the fark was he awake

BB-9E was zooming around his bedroom, bleeping and tootling so excitedly that Ben hardly knew what he was saying.

Something about somebody burying or dumping something in his sandy front yard.

Swearing, Ben got out of bed, and got his blaster rifle off the wall.

He opened the window, squinted at the figure squatting on the ground and fired a warning shot.

\*\*\*

Rey's solemn reverie and meditation on the death of the entire Skywalker family was interrupted by a blaster bolt smashing into the sand just in front of here.

"Kriff!" she exclaimed, and jumped up.

"I thought you said nobody had lived here for a long time!" Rey said to the elderlywoman.

"I wasn't done talking yet. I was about to say that the old Skywalker place is occupied again. And the man who lives there isn't fond of trespassers."

Another shot.

"Hey! You! Leave Mrs. Baker alone and get off my land! Dig that shit up and get the fark out of here! I'm setting the rifle to stun and I won't miss the next time!"

Rey knew that voice.

She smiled, in spite of herself.

"He's got a horrible temper. And he's moody, and self-absorbed. I hate myself for loving him. But? He's also the finest man in the whole damn Galaxy."

Mrs. Baker shrugged.

"He's a Skywalker, dear. They're all like that."

Rey turned toward the abandoned-looking farm house.

"How the hell are you still alive? What's it going to take to kill you?" She shouted

"A hell of a lot more than you and anybody in your farkled-up family can do, sweetheart!"

"I'm coming in!"

The rifle went back inside the window, and it shut.

As she and BB-8 got closer to the Skywalker farm, the door opened and Ben leaned in the doorway.

He had grown a beard, his hair was longer, and he was barefoot and dressed only in a bathrobe.

But he was smiling at her, again.

"I hate you, you miserable bastard!" Rey told him, as she walked under his arm, and through the door.

"I know. I have an interesting new scar where you ran me through with my own lightsaber. While you're on your knees, about to suck my dick? I'd like you to kiss my scar, first."

"Fark you, flyboy. You can eat my whole entire ass."

"Really? I'd love to. You were just never into butt stuff, before

Ben shut the door.

\*\*\*

He took off his robe and hung it up.

"Can you please put that robe back on? And stop saying filthy things to me in your black y-fronts!"

BB-8 and BB-9E we're having a happy reunion.

They both zoomed off to the kitchen.

Ben smirked at Rey.

"You're so cute when you're all angry and sweaty. What if I just get down on my knees and lick your pussy, right here in the foyer, and you can call me names and pull my hair and come on me. I love it when you do that."

"Ben, I..."

"See my new scar you gave me? I had it tattooed."

The tattoo was of a bleeding heart with an arrow through the scar.

The heart said "Rey" and "Always."

And?

Ben was having a special event in his y-fronts.

Rey didn't have a lot of experience with men, other than this horny, impossible fool.

Most of her sexual experience was with a dildo she had bought on Jakku from a Rodian peddler.

But?

Neither the one other man she'd been with or her toy ever made her feel like Ben did.

"Why are you so horny?" She insisted.

"You know me. I'm always angry and horny. I really do want you to kiss my scar. I don't know why."

Rey shoved him away.

"What about what I want?"

"Anything you want, sweetheart. Anything."

"I want a bath. And some food. And I need to sleep."

"Okay. I will make you food. And you can use the refresher. And my bed is yours? But first. You have to kiss my scar, and suck my dick, and let me lick every drop of sweat off your hot little body. Especially your dirty little pussy!"

“Ben. Why are you like this? I want a bath. And some food. And I need to sleep. And once I have had a bath and some food and we are in bed together? We’ll see.”

Now he was mad.

“We’ll see? We’ll see? We’re a Dyad in the Force, we’re in love, and I’m your first, last and only boyfriend,  back from the dead, and all I get is we’ll see?”

Rey got angry, too.

“Yeah! We’ll see, you selfish son of a bitch! I have been deeply in mourning for you for four months! Four months! Wandering around the Galaxy with BB-8, taking transport ships, and odd jobs as a scavenger and just drifting! Trying to get used to being alone, again, after everyone I came to love over the past year farkling died! And you’ve been here, all along? This place is really nice, inside! Look at that bantha leather furniture! It’s the middle of the day and you were asleep! Didn’t you ever even think about me? Once?”

Ben pointed his finger in her face.

“I farkling thought about you all the time! I figured you would be a Senator by now? It’s not exactly safe for me to wander around the Core Worlds, is it? I was trying to think of a way to contact you without calling attention to myself so the Republic Senate or whoever the fuck wouldn’t throw my ass in jail for the next hundred years!” he shouted.

Rey suddenly smelled food from the kitchen.

Eggs, and bacon.

“OK, Round One is over. Breakfast time.”

Rey knew that voice.

The color drained from her skin.

“Yeah. That’s right! I didn’t kill the Old Man! I ran him through the fleshy part of his side, guided him into the carbonite freezing chamber and kept him here, safe, until the war was over.”

Rey stalked into the kitchen.

“And you unfroze him, first thing? Han? Did Ben unfreeze you, first thing?”

“Almost. He went to the bar at Tosche Station and got smashed, and then he came back here and unfroze me. He was crying, drunk and confused. The kid has no farkling idea why he isn’t dead. Tell her, Junior.”

Ben sat at the table.

“I remember you crying. And then it was cold and dark, but as I fell asleep. I felt warm and happy. The next thing I knew? I woke up here, in my bed. I felt like a speeder bus hit me, but? All my wounds were healed and I had fresh scars. I went to Tosche Station, to the tavern, and I ate something, and got drunk, and I unfroze the Old Man. I had all this weird extra Force energy that wasn’t mine that I couldn’t absorb, so I used it to heal his minor wounds. I didn’t know what to do, Rey. I never made plans for the future. I didn’t think I would have one.”

Han brought the food to the table.

Rey stabbed at her eggs, and jammed bacon into her fist, taking bites from each.

Ben bent low over the table, crouching over his plate, and although he ate with utensils, he shovelled his food into his mouth.

"Cute couple. OK, kids. Some of us gotta get to work, today. Ben, I hafta go talk to that asshole Fett, make sure our agreements are still good, and give him his cut of your last bounty. I'm taking all your weapons and Rey's with me in the speeder. And Rey? The couch and chairs were Boba Fett's. The kid is his new favorite person. He bought some new shit, so he gave us the old shit."

"Niner! Help me do the dishes." Ben shouted for his droid.

He got up.

"After this? We'll hit the 'fresher and then get some sleep. Eventually."

TO BE CONTINUED 

[brightandlovelyakira]

"My obsessive lover"

Chapter 1

Its just a dream, but it feel so real.

All this day's I waited for him but I think I have mo move forward.

Akirashi Millier........Akirashi Millier......! PRESENT! i said when i heard my name called by our teacher.

I admit I'm always daydreaming at school I can't blame my self I'm pretty much a problematic person jk! I just like daydreaming actually, that feeling that you can make your own world and can control every thing there, not in the reaworld. The real world is Cruel, Unfair and full of greedy ness inside.

My only hope in this world is my Best friend and the world that i made. World i can control and do things that i never imagine i could do. And one of the things that help me escape from my miserable life.

December 20, 2018 Thursday

Christmas is near I should really think of a great gift for my best friend M.A.(short for Mark Arnold hehe.)

Hhhhmmm...What should i give to him this Christmas???? He has so much great gifts to me ever since and i only give him thankyou. gosh what a good friend i am:))

Well he's parents are pretty rich so it's nothing to him, but for me it's so precious. He's been my friend since grade school until now. He's handsome too and also kind and very smart no wonder all of our classmates admired him. Ughhhhhh!!!!!! I irritably said.I can't think of anything special.

I guess I just gave him a thankyou this year again then I don't have money namn din eh haysss:(( but i think he'll understand it. I never said to him to give gift to me after all he just want to give it.

Rich kid be like.

December 21, 2018 Friday

Umaga na namn T-T , I said with a sigh....

New Day, new hell for me.

I just wanted to sleep forever without waking up again.

Early in the morning i heard mom and dad shouting like cat and dog Every morning nalng hayssss.......

Pa! Ma! ano bang pinag aawayan nyo dyan it's still early in the morning your acting like a two kids fighting over a toy! I shouted that stop them from fighting.

Just don't listen to us and cook some food!! hurry up!! she said that make me more upset to them. They just fucking ignore me like I'm just nobody ughhhhh!!!!! i said with an irritated sound.

I usually the one who cook food for us cause my mom can't do it cause she's tired na daw? Such a lier she's just here in the house doing nothing! How the hell you'll be tired?

While my dad is the one supporting us for our daily expenses, My dad work at a restaurant he's the assistant chief there, I learn my cooking skills from him.

My dad is a good father actually if he's not drunk. He's probably at the bar drinking in weekends and come home late and instantly throw some utensils and plates. He's pretty crazy when he's drunk but I still love him though

I went to school late because of so much work in our house I'm the one who's preparing everything kase. That's why. Luckily all guards in my school are kind and know me so their making an exception for me. Lucky right?

Mark! I shouted but i guess he doesn't hear me... MARK ARNOLD MENDEZ! I shouted again and finally he look to me.

He ran towards me then I slap his arms,

Are you deaf? I said with a sarcastic look to him then he just laugh at me.

No of course not, I'm just talking to someone on the phone Aki. He said with a calm voice then smile at me.

After that conversation we decided to go to he's house for our project in our English subject. But before that we first go to the mall and get some supplies, dahil rich kid sya mall talaga ang na isip nyang bilhan:) SANAOLL T-T.

Our project is by two and dahil were best friend we chose each other.

Are you ok Aki? you look worried? Is something bothering you? Are you worried about our project??? He asked. I'm not worried about the project I'm worried about home mapapagalitan na naman ako pag uwi neto.... I sigh.

Don't worry sasamahan kita mamaya pag uwi para dika pagalitan ni mom mo he said., I just smile when he said that, but still mapapagalitan parin ako neto, i tell to my self.

After namin ma tapos in our project i head home na and he insists to drive me home, with thier driver of course i just agree and hope that mom is not mad at me.

When I enter the house its so quite,

Mom??? Dad??? are you guys home? I said

Maybe you're mom is asleep?? M.A said

So I check their room and I see dad full of blood all over him and mom is nowhere to be found.

I was shocked and I can't bearly move I went blank after seeing this horrible situation.

Then M.A. come to me....

Akira, What's goi.............. he pulled me and hug me Then I start crying I can't believe this is happening mm..my.. dad is swimming with his own blood....

Aki! Aki! He said but I'm still in shock. I'm trembling and shaking like crazy!

Hello 911? Help us there's been a murder incident here! M.A. said with a shaking voice I know that His been shock too.

The Pulis arrived and questioned both of us, I'm still shaking and crying, then M.A. hug me and said....

It's ok Aki..... Every thing will be fine..........

Then suddenly my mom arrived.

She's confuse what is happening and then the Pulis officer explain it to her. Then suddenly she comes towards me and slap me in the face. Ahh! i said... What was that for? M.A. said.

This is all your fault! She shouted, it's all your fault!!!!!! You fucking bitch you killed him you're the one should be dead!!! she shouted again right to my face.

Why? i didn't killed dad what are you talking about mom? I said while crying....... I feel like my heart's going to explode after hearing all those things mom said to me. Why it has to be me? Why it is always my fault??? I....I didn't do anything wrong why it's always me you blame. You all blame??? I feel so empty and the one I can only run to is my best friend. My one truly friend.......

December 22, 2018 Saturday

I'm at Mark's house he's parents let me stay after knowing about what happened to my dad

I heard a knock at my door and then.......

Aki.... open the door please..... He said it with a pleasing voice.

I open the door and he hug me then i started crying again.

Mark......... Sss.she said it's m..mmmmyyy fault mark its all my fault but I didn't do anything! I said while crying and he's still hugging me. How could she accuse me like that like I'm not her daughter!?

Shhhhhssss... Don't cry i think she's just shock thats why she said that to you. It's not your fault Aki... he said

I hope that he's right i really hope.....

December 23, 2018

One of the Pulis officer come to Mark's house where i temporarily stay. And they want to talk to me so i agreed.

Miss Akirashi Millier can you tell to me the whole story about what happened??? The officer said.

I was at Mark's house cause we are making our project in English but before that we go to the mall to buy things we need. Then pumunta na kmi dito sa bahay ni mark, then after doing our project I quickly go home and mark insists na ihatid nako sa bahay and para mag explain din kong bakit gabi nako naka uwi, then i open the door of our house and I called mom if they were already home but no one answers me then mark said that maybe they just asleep so i go to their room and i found dad with blood all over him i don't know what I'm going to do and i just went blank when i see his dead body laying on the ground.. Then i cry when saying those words it's like bumalik lahat yun sa isipan ko and its so traumatizing and scary.,.......

Then after that the officer thank me then say his goodbye to us then I go back to my room.

December 24 2018 Sunday

I wake up 9 in the morning I can't sleep last night its hunting me.

I go out to my room and M.A's house is full of Christmas decorations and there's so much presents under the Christmas tree it's so mesmerizing and huge.

Good morning sleepy head, M.A. said

Good morning too...... I said with a low voice

Did you sleep well last night??he asked

No, i answered I can't even sleep well even in my dreams i can see it. I see my self killing dad Mark! I said with a shaking voice (I'm about to cry....)

Then Mark slowly walk towards me and hug me gently, we're only 12 years old but it seems that he really understand what's happening to me and understanding the situation I have right now. I'm so grateful to have him. Or so I thought?

10........9......8...7.....6......5...4..3..2....1 MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Merry Christmas Aki!!, M.A. said with a cheering voice and a big smile to his face that makes me smile. We both go outside and look at the beautiful fireworks display.

At that moment i forgot about anything and just feel happy while watching all those fireworks. Its beautiful.....

After watching the fireworks display, I suddenly remember mom. Is she doing alright right now? Safe ba sya? Whats going on in our house kaya? Is she watching fireworks too??

Go to sleep na Markie & Aki

Tita Meicy said, Yes mom. Mark response

Aki! Can we sleep together?? M.A. asked

Sure! But why? I want to protect you. For now on I'll be your knight and shining Armor You're protector! he said, That makes my heart fluttered.

And I'll be always there for you if you need me, You're my Queen and I'm your knight. Then after saying those words he bow to me like a knight giving respect to his Queen.

Promise?? I asked, Promise crossed my heart. he said, then put his right hand to his chest.

I smile then hug him.

Thankyou Knight Mark. I said

It's my pleasure you're highness he said, that makes me feel the most luckiest girl in the whole world.

We sleep together and for us it's nothing cause we are still 12 year old and I really need someone by my side and his the one I have right now that understand me better than anyone else.

December 26 2018 Monday

Tita Meicy c.can I go home??? I asked her

Sure thing honey. but first you should say bye to markie ok he'll miss you. she said.

Of course po thankyou po tita.!

Uhh..hmmm.. Mark. I said with a low voice

Yes Aki? I just want to say goodbye cause I'm going back home na I miss mom na kase thankyou pala sa lahat M.A. you're my best best friend talaga!.

Welcome always you're highness

Mag ingat ka pauwi ha, he said

Opo naman thankyou ulit M.A. see you nalng ulit! I said then wave to him

He wave back to me and I see the smile on his face. Such a great friend I have there.

Mom I'm home!?

Oh.....Aki you're home come here now. She said with a tone on her voice,

I was confused but do I have a choice?

I slowly come to her then........

Why did you come back you little bitch??? Then Hitting me with a huge plywood

Stop it mom! I shouted but she didn't stop.

It's all your fault now you're going to suffer! You should be dead you bitch! And hitting me again² then she stop I was thankful but she suddenly grab a knife in the Kitchen and when I saw her I quickly run outside the house I was so scared and I'm running as fast as I could I'm afraid to look back that she might be behind me. I ran and ran until I was in the Police Station then I called for help.

Help me! Help me! my mom is trying to killed me!!! I shouted to the office who is busy and facing the other side, then he face me and I was shock when I see the face of the man it's..... Its my dad's face! Pa?! Then he quickly grab me and trying to choke me then he get a knife and he..hhhee... He stab me! Ahhhhhh!!!! i shouted and I look at dad's face and I see my face i see my self...

Created by:BrightAndLovelyAkira❤️

[mechazushi]

Okay, so, Fun story. My mind took this and ran with it while I was at work and now I have some vague lore bits and some over-developed excerpts of a story that I really shouldn't be focusing on right now because if I do, then its gonna turn into a personal odyssey and I can't be having that right now.

I am well aware that you clearly have your own lore, but I really needed get this written down so my mind can drop it so I can focus on other things, hope you don't mind.

So I'm gonna have a small bit of lore dump, then the excerpts, then the last of the lore so I can have people follow along, have my emotional impact, then explain why my mind went the way that it did.

Got it? Good. (Feel free to tell me to take this down If you hate it. Apologies in advance for the shit-ton of words before you)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lore Part 1} So the idea is that dragons come in different flavors. Kafka, of which, is a wish dragon. To a certain extent, Kafka can't just grant wishes willy-nilly. There are some rules. 1)Kafka can't grant personal wishes (i.e. wishes he wants for himself) 2)Only one wish per person. 3) The wishes don't follow Genie / monkey's paw ruling because the magic that grants the wish reads the person's intent behind the wish. (You can wish for something vague like "I want to survive" and the wish will alter circumstances that will help with that.) 4) The dragon can only grant wishes if the dragon trusts you. <- this is where things gets a little quirky. If it was up to Kafka, he would immediately say "I trust you" to everyone and grant their wish, but that's not possible. Nobody knows the exact requirements needed to trigger a wish, but I see it as a mix of exposure and genuine trust. You could know a wish dragon for years, but if you treat them like shit, they won't do anything. If you've only known a dragon for a week, but have already made a / several sacrifices with genuine good natured intent behind them then the chances of you getting a wish granted is higher, but you might still need to be with them a little longer for it to work.

Also, most dragons live from about 100 to 500 years. Kafka's been alive for 15,000. (It'll get explained how that's possible in a min.) And there is a difference between Dragons and Wyverns.

Wyverns are small and fairly non magical/ can't cast magic. Can talk but it comes out like Gollum

Dragons have two sizes (small and Normal, I.e. which is giant) with the sizes being proportional to how powerful the dragon is, can cast magic, and have human level intelligence. Can talk and can have intellectual/philosophical debates with humans.

And only Reno is an elf (so far)

Okay, I think that's about as much as I can reveal for now. Onto the story's excerpts!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"I think he's being a big baby." Narumi commented as the three of them strolled down the bricked street, flanked on either side by the castle's guards.

"I'm sure Sir has a very good reason not to see him again. Don't you think it would be good not to have more potential reasons as to why Lord Isao would deny our request to pass?" Reno haughtily quipped. His elvish demeanor showed no signs of the same nervousness that seemed to plague the other two members of the party.

"I've only known him for less than a month, and I bet that, whatever their problem is, could just be a simple misunderstanding and Kafka should just eat his words." Narumi grumbled.

"Can we please refrain from name-dropping our ace in the hole. This visit is already politically treacherous enough as is. If there is, or isn't a problem, it's best not to discuss it around the escorts at the very least." Hoshina said as he led the group while in the center of the company they were traveling with. The guards eyes them down suspiciously as Hoshina returned the visual sentiment to the grouping around them.

Hoshina and his platoon of hunters had set themselves on a mission to the Upper Arctic Plains to deal with an emerging problem. For months, the Upper Arctic had been dealing with an invasion of particularly vicious invasions from a foreign nation. This nation had access to ancient wyvern taming techniques and was attempting to lay waste to Lower Arctica. The great city of Ariaka was the only nation standing between the border of the Upper and Lower lands of The Arctic. Many countries knew of the situation and had sent offers of aid, seeing as Ariaka was the last and only stronghold before the rest of the continent, but all offers were sent back. With some being violently refused and sent away as a message for seemingly no reason at all. This had caused the city to restrict access to and through its borders. Any and all hunting parties seeking passage past the city's great wall had to make a personal appearance before the King. Leading to most, if not all parties, being turned away under the wrongly suspected guise of mistrust.

Hoshina had no intention to mess with the battle taking place up further North, but the mission his party was sent on would lead to a small chain of dominos that could possibly alter the outcome of the events further up. But to get there, they had to gain permission to pass through Ariaka. If Hoshina wasn't a virtuous and outstanding member of society, he'd rather take a chance with a band of unscrupulous smugglers. However, due to the size of his party, and (as far as he knew) no one in the group having enough knowledge of how to deal with said smugglers, there really wasn't a choice as to what had to be done. Still, he had hoped to have gained a bit of an edge thanks to the presence of Kafka Hibino, their rare, shape shifting, wish granting dragon friend. Unfortunately, Kafka seemed to have a bit of a history with the King of Ariaka.

They had come up with a plan before this one. One invoking an ancient ritual that would allow Hoshina to bond with Kafka in a contracted fashion. It was supposed to come across as a sign of strength, a power move to show the King of Wyverns they were strong enough to carry out their mission and potentially showcase the group as equals to the King. No one had any idea as to why Lord Isao kept preventing parties from crossing over, but Hoshina had a feeling that as a long as they clearly state that they had no intention of getting close to the conflict going on in Upper Arctic and could prove not to be a potential nuisance, they might have a chance to pass. That plan was soon shoved to the back burner as Kafka quickly protested to the idea. Not to the thought of bonding to a man that had previously tried to kill him, but to entering the King of Wyvern's domain. He didn't go into detail, but had mentioned in passing that they had met before Isao was King and had left a terrible impression on the what-would-have-been prince then. This left the group to resort to a new Plan A- Flattery, intense charisma, and a clear understanding of Non-engagement on what was clearly Kingdom matters.

The party made it to the broad, reinforced metal doors of the castle. The castle itself was built into the far wall that surrounded the city. Sitting on a hill, it looked to be split down the middle with the wall becoming the castle's wings, cascading down its sides. The loud clanks and low hisses of steam coming from impressive machinery echoed out from around the doors, opening them and replacing the work of what would have been a hundred men. Not waiting for them to be fully opened, the guards around them pushed the group forward into the main chamber of the castle. Sent down hallways big enough for Kafka's true form to walk down comfortably, the journey through the castle's interior led them to the throne room at what seemed to be the back of the fortress.

Viewing inside, it became clear why Lord Isao was called The King of Wyverns. The throne room felt impossibly expanse with the clearest paneled windows stretching floor to ceiling as it domed outward to reveal the widest view of the open lands that lay beyond the castle. The walls from the borders of the window to the back wall of the throne room were alive with the wing beats of what could only have been a million wyverns. They were the colors of the rainbow and all about the size of lap dogs, scuttling about as they swished and swam through the air, fighting for seats along the walls. The whole room felt more like an extravagant bird cage than a place to receive visitors. And there in the back of the room, sitting in his golden throne nestled close to the domed window on its own podium, was the Golden King of Ariaka.

Looking... a little less golden than what the namesake brought to mind. Outfit pressed neatly and regal, the colors looked dull however. The blond hair on the king's head and face appears more washed out and gray when compared to the vibrancy of the room. While still broad and imposing, the light streaming in from the windows made the sight before the crew feel like they had walked in on a faded memorial for a great man, rather than a terrifying introduction to a still present iron ruler. As they got closer, they could even see the skin on the cheeks were gaunt and pale. Was the Golden Ruler of Ariaka sick?

"Lord Isao, King of the Wyverns. These leaders of the Tachikawa Hunting party have come forth seeking permission to pass beyond the walls." The guard's voice rang out clear over the buzz of wyverns in the room. It was the highest decorated guard that had been in the front leading the group and as he dropped to his knee and bowed his head while addressing the king, the others, including Hoshina's crew, had taken the same hint.

"How many do I need to send back before it is realized that there will be no trespassers venturing past these walls?" The man on the throne spoke in a deep, slow, and measured tone. No sign of illness dampened his words, but Hoshina had felt uneasy hearing the cadence all the same.

"They claim that their journey takes them directly to the northwest, closer to the territory of Kanazawa. There have been rumors of an outbreak of trolls terrorizing the traveling camps of hunters stationed there." The guard continued to speak for them. They watched as Lord Isao became lost in thought as he searched for a response. Before he spoke however, a shadowy figure slithered its way up and over the back of the throne.

A sickly looking dragon shaped closely to an eel appeared in its smaller, reserved form as it poked its head over the throne's back to tickle its tongue into the king's ear. From what the group could see, it was mostly a dirty tan color, with streaks and spots of a grayer brown patterning its hide. A small stringy beard adorned its chin and two circular, protruding plates flared out from the back of its skull and ringed completely around its head. It had no eyes and its claws had dug noticable grip-holes into the top of the chair, indicating that there was some weight to the beast. Hoshina calculated from the size of the dragon's head that its body was about the size of an extremely large hunting dog, all hiding behind the chair.

After hearing what the dragon itself had to say, the king leaned back and spoke again, seemingly having his mind changed.

"They are hunters, are they not? This group in distress? If they cannot handle the problem themselves, then they are not hunters." Lord Isao spoke, his voice now sounding slower than earlier to Hoshina.

What a cold and cruel response! Especially from a man that led the best pack of hunters not too long ago. Hunters may consider themselves self-sufficient when in groups, but all good hunters know when to take a hint and ask for outside help.

"Guard, may I be granted permission to speak?" Hoshina whispered to the man in front of him. The officer turned to evaluate him for a moment before shifting off to the side so Hoshina could stand and speak for himself.

" Lord Isao, Golden King of Ariaka. We hear of your decrees for non-engagement, a telling sign of how you hold yourself after your years in the hunters." Hoshina began. He could see that after the dragon had stopped whispering, the king's eyes gained an even duller, more lifeless appearance to them. He began to hope that this wasn't a sign of how difficult this conversation was going to become.

"But to ignore a call of aid from a hunter, is to ignore the first rule of what we stand by. You have ardently refused help from other members of the hierarchy and we have no choice but to take that in stride and pride. We beg you, allow us to aid only our brothers and sisters in the west and help bring a swift end to their troubles. We are prepared and equipped well enough to ensure swift ends for all that cause chaos to them and them alone. We can and will provide updates as we venture, you will know our every move from departure from here and from there. If it would please you, we could even negotiate their return to the other side of the wall, preventing them from considering the browning of noses in places where your majesty has clear domain and jurisdiction over." Hoshina had been keeping steady eye contact with the panel of glass over the top of the king's head.

While it was considered rude to look a king in the eyes, and in some places it was a death sentence, Hoshina was hoping it kept up an air of confidence and resilience. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up however. His internal pool of flowery language to draw from was beginning to dry. The king made no move at all. Did not shift in his seat or made any other sign that he had heard his words in the slightest. A wyvern flew out from the shifting mass on the far wall and flew down to the dragon behind the throne. The king made no mention of it as it flittered down and began to converse quietly with the King's... pet? Honestly, no one in the group was sure what that slick and nasty mass of meat was doing, sitting in place of privilege behind the throne. The crew watched on in muffled horror as the dragon finished talking to the wyvern, and as the wyvern bowed its head, the dragon bit into its neck and proceeded to swallow it whole. After it had finished, it began to resume whispering into the king's ear. Hoshina could hear Reno behind him, trying his best not to openly gag at the sight.

"Well prepared to prevent chaos, you say? How well will you admit to?" Lord Isao spoke, breaking the tense silence that was caused from his inaction.

"Less than a hundred men. All trained to completion and taught to carry and maintain their own equipment to beyond acceptable standards." Hoshina replied quickly, hoping to mask any potential cracks in his voice after seeing the grotesque display.

"Any magical creatures under your employ?" The king questioned. Hoshina felt taken aback by how direct the statement was.

"We... are here to hunt them. It... would be counter productive to... employ one to harm others, wouldn't it?" Hoshina immediately began to regret his phrasing, wincing at his most definite blunder.

"And yet... you're scheming to pass one through the borders of my wall." Lord Isao continued to speak in even tones as he raised his hand.

The gesture summoned the opening of the door behind them and with it came the chorus of shouting and the rattling of chains. The wyverns around them burst into a flurry as a burly man was tossed down and slid to a stop in view of the crew.

"Shit." Hoshina cursed under his breath as he saw who was next to them.

Kafka Hibino. The exact same man who swore that it would become a problem should he ever enter the walls of the city, now laid low at the feet of the king. The same man that everyone had noticed was nowhere to be found this morning when the three of them came together to game plan.

"Where the fuck were you this morning?" Narumi hissed.

"Why didn't you run?" Reno called out.

"You think I didn't try? Kinda hard to do when you're drugged." Kafka only responded to Reno as he clumsily shuffled himself to his feet.

His hands were bound together, with a chain connecting them to a collar to his neck. A set of cuffs bound his feet as well, but had enough slack in them to allow him to get back on his feet. It took him a second to reorient, and when he did, he was greeted with a drastically unpleasant sight.

"You!" Hosina had never heard Kafka take that tone of voice before. One so close to how he sounded in his dragon form, a word so small yet dripped with wrath and bile. He had only ever known Kafka to be friendly to everyone, even to those that didn't deserve it.

"Hachi..." The dragon behind the chair hissed out the title with an equal amount of vitriol while climbing down the arm of the king. The king still did not move or react, even as the room exploded into frenzied action.

"Life Waster!"

"Wish Stealer!"

"Tricky Dragon!"

The squeaked cries of the disturbed wyverns around them were hard to miss with them crying out insults one after another. The group all turned to look at Kafka, seeing as all these insults only started flying after he entered the room. He saw as Kafka held his head high, defiant to the slander. Hoshina saw something else, however. Was that sadness in the lines around his eyes? Answers and questions all started to fly around in Hoshina's head, his mind felt like it was swimming in a whirlpool of information.

Another dragon gave Kafka a name. The only dragons that have names that can be spoken aloud are those of the Ranked. Was Kafka a member of the draconic hierarchy? And what was with all these declarations of stealing and wasting? Kafka had never killed a person the entire time they knew each other. Albeit, they hadn't known each other long, but Reno could sing praises about Kafka's nonviolent nature well into the night if you let him, and they had known each other for over four decades. And how could Kafka waste a wish? He might be a shit judge of character, but those that didn't deserve a wish never stuck around long enough to earn one from him in the first place.

"Still having fun toying with the human filth?" The brown eel dragon made sounds as if it was spitting out each letter as it spoke. It had continued to crawl until it was braced across each armrest, almost blocking the lap of the king in what was a defensive manner.

"Still devouring everything around you to fill the void in your putrid soul, Kyu?" Kafka spat back.

"Thanks for spoiling my fun. Now I'll have to take you up on that suggestion. Not that I'm complaining... I hear the flesh of the beloved is the sweetest when consumed in front of those closest to them."

This had all gotten so far out of hand. Kafka is supposedly a Ranked dragon with a shady past and is now antagonizing a fellow Ranked. The Ranked one in league with the King appears to really hate humans and might be evil. And to top it off, the King could very well be a flesh puppet for the really evil dragon. Hoshina had no plans, fancy words being useless now, and was now stuck in a room with most likely evil guards, two pissy Great Dragons, and probably a million wyverns in league with the sketchy one. Great, just great.

"Anyone else getting the distinct feeling we should leave?" Narumi spoke up as he shifted to a more defensive pose.

"Couldn't agree more." Reno said as he mirrored Narumi's stance.

"Who says I want you to leave? Not while Dear Hachi is my guest." The dragon named Kyu let his words slither out his mouth with clear ill intent.

"Hey. Hoshina?" Kafka called out with a dash of nervousness.

"Yeah, buddy?" Hoshina responded, lips snapping around the word.

"You remember Plan B, right?" Kafka turned to look him in the eye, his were filled with somber determination. Hoshina took a brief look at his surroundings, trying to calculate any other outcome. He turned to nod back at Kafka, not sure in what he was planning, but if it offered a chance at survival...

"Seize them." Kyu commanded.

"Cover me!" Hoshina commanded as well, voice reaching above the cacophony of wings in the room.

The two behind him immediately made moves to distract and block the guards around them while Hoshina took care of the two next to him. He could hear Kafka grunting with effort as he took care of the two that brought him in, the sound of a dragon's tail slamming against metal and flesh now unmistakable. He took his opening and dashed toward Kafka, seeing him break his feet's binding in the altercation. As he lunged forward, his arm outstretched, he saw Kafka's mouth morph into a more fanged appearance. Kafka grabbed his arm as best he could and shoved it into his mouth, biting down hard enough to draw a serious amount of blood. As Hoshina fell forward and screamed in pain, Kafka caught him in his arms, letting him cradle his injured forearm.

"Stop!" Kyu called out. The guards stopped suddenly in their pursuit and assault all at once while the dragon contemplated the scene before him.

"And what good do you think having a bond will do?" Kyu chuckled as he look on at the touching display before him.

"Bonds don't just symbolize a show of trust and camaraderie. It also speeds up the process for one to earn a wish." Kafka was kneeling as he leaned back, still cradling Hoshina. He saw as the blood caught in his mouth seemed to move on its own, making trails down his chin and jaw to settle under the metal collar.

Hoshina looked up at him and shook his head in bewilderment. Kafka could only wink down at him briefly before he returned back a mutinous look to their captor. Hoshina could only feel his heart sink at the thought that Kafka was the one trying to save them from the situation. He started to pay close attention to what was being said so he could find a way to salvage the situation.

"And you think you have one to spare now, don't you?" Kyu hummed out in amusement

"If you want the truth, he has access to a hundred." Reno chimed in, shifting his gaze from the dragon on the throne to the guards still standing at attention.

"Don't try to fool me, speck. Making a wish in your favor now will only work if the caller is in earshot." Kyu responded with his words having a clicking tap under the cadence.

"Then ain't it just the sweetest that I've got three of the closest companions I've had in years in the same room." Kafka stated.

"Are you claiming to have three wishes?" Kyu asked as he tilted his head at them.

"You let us go and you won't have to find out." Kafka managed to keep his tone serious, but with being up close, Hoshina could see bullets of sweat start to form on his temple.

'This is one hell of a bluff, Kafka.' Hoshina thought to himself, finding himself at an inconvenient loss of words.

Kyu chuckled lowly as he slid his body out of the defensive position and aimed himself more bodily at the panicking crew. A sense of deadly curiosity emanated from the tube of wrinkly skin with dark power.

"Oh? And why not use it now." it hissed, words coated in sense of superiority as it detected a kink in the plan.

"Fuck." Kafka imperceptibly hisses under his breath. He started taking too long to come up with a response to keep the bluff up.

"Yeah, Kafka! I can totally wish for us to not be here right now!" Narumi shouted in a clearly sarcastic tone.

Funny thing about the magic behind wishes. If you want it hard enough, it just might give you exactly what you ask for. A greyish-green colored mist began to swirl around the four of them, encasing them in a charged, protective cloud. They could hear the shouts of the dragon demanding the guards to grab them and the sound of chaos that came with, but it faded quickly into obscurity as it blended with the quiet rush of wind and the swish of tall wild grass. The four of them snapped their heads around, taking in the new environment they found themselves in. Off in the middle distance was a patch of multi-colored huts dotted with the living bodies of soldiers and the wispy smoke of several campfires. They had found themselves transported to the edges of the hunter's encampment they were traveling with.

"That worked?" Reno called out in befuddlement.

"Kafka?" It was the only word Hoshina could find himself to say.

"Narumi?" Kafka called out, care and worry etched the borders of his voice.

They all turned to look at the state of their fellow hunter, watching him as he began to hyperventilate and his eyes widened in shock and anger.

"I... had a wish?" Narumi screamed, "I had a bloody, fucking wish?"

He let out a primal scream as he fell to his knees. Not stopping for breath, he started to punch then claw at the ground. No one knew why he did this, maybe attempting to dig his ill-stolen and unrecognized reward back into his clutches.

"Is he... gonna be okay?" Kafka asked as he propped Hoshina up to his feet.

"He'll be fine. We'll wait till he passes out from exhaustion and drag him back to bed. I'm more concerned as to what you started." Hoshina said as he cradled his arm and stared daggers at Kafka. Kafka did everything he could to not answer back as he focused on breaking apart his restraints with his hands. He let the sound of creaking metal echo in the air as Kafka finished snapping the last band around his neck. He could see now that the trails of blood had settled into a band of its own. Intricate runes wrapped around his neck like a ribbon and had faded to the color of, well, dried blood.

"Not going to say a word?" Hoshina continued to interrogate, sounding miffed at his choice to remain silent.

"Oh, he better be saying something!", Reno exclaimed as he whipped around to their one sided confrontation, "When were you going to tell me you're one of the Ranked?"

"I'm... not. Not anymore." Kafka said. Solemn, but sturdy. He turned and walked toward the encampment as the two others followed him.

"Not being one of the Ranked isn't something you just stop being! It is a title bestowed onto a dragon when it is discovered to be a reincarnation of the previous Ranked! And last I checked, you look alive to me!" Reno continued to yell.

"I'll give you that for now, but that thing definitely isn't ." Kafka responded.

"Don't try to move this conversation off of yourself." Hoshina chimed in.

"Guys, we now have bigger problems than my past. That thing in the throne room is going to come after us, probably right now and we need to move." Kafka said firmly as he began to search for something.

"If it's that important, can you tell us what it is first so we can make that decision as a group." Hoshina commanded as he sped up to stand in front of Kafka. This seemed to shake him out of his panicked mindset as Hoshina saw him jump at the sudden intervention. Kafka slowed down, closed his eyes, and breathed before he told them a rundown of what went down in the throne room.

"That dragon was Kyu. Once the Ninth Dragon, Keeper of the Swarm. Now he's what we call in the Ranked a MoriWyvrm."

"I've never heard that before." Hoshina said. He was a hunter that prided himself on knowledge, but had to admit there were gaps. Still, even he thought this was something he would have heard about before.

"Does it have anything to do with the cannibalizing of his fellow dragonkind?" Reno asked.

"Yes it does and there's a reason you don't." Kafka said as he answered each in turn, "We try our best not to let outsiders know about this because it's really a Ranked specific problem. Unless a dragon is in that much danger and needs to trust a mortal with this, we try to deal with it ourselves. A MoriWyvrm is a dragon that ate another dragon. Whether on accident or on purpose, it fundamentally changes a dragon's internal magic and corrupts it beyond recognition. They become mad with wanting more power and continue to eat other dragons for it. Kyu did it on purpose 6,000 years ago, growing tired of his place in the hierarchy. He's been beaten down, but never defeated completely and has always slinked away in the end to various locations to disappear, only to reappear to gain more power again." Kafka ended the conversation to move around Hoshina and continued his search.

"We know each other and hate each other with a passion. As much as I want to go back in there and wallop him, I can't do that with everyone's lives outside now being on the line. We need to get everyone here gone and to a safer location. But I will tell you this now, Kyu will need to be dealt with soon. Whatever he's doing on that throne is probably related to why the king won't let anyone pass the borders. And in case it wasn't clear by now, the king isn't in his right mind."

"A MoriWyvrn can control a human?" Reno asked.

"No, Kyu can. He's definitely powerful enough for that now. What I do know about his powers is that he can't control more than one type of conscious thought. What I mean is he can't control both human and wyvrn basically. So that legion of wyvrns back there, he's manipulated them. Brainwashed them into believing that dying as his meal is some sort of greater purpose or a form of salvation. We can't fight that right now, so if you'll excuse me..." Kafka finished his search when he found a large brass bell on a wooden handle. It was used to let the hunting party be called to action or to notify them of an emergency. Hoshina caught Kafka's arm mid-raise and leveled him with a stern look.

"We can't just up and go somewhere, we need a plan."

"We don't have time for a plan." Kafka countered.

"Then where do you suggest we go?" Hoshina returned.

"Probably the woods to the west. We needed to go in that direction anyway, right? The trees will add sky cover and help us take down potential wyvrn spies." Reno interjected as he looked from face to face. The two stared back at him in shock and confusion.

"I mean... you said it's a swarm keeper, right? That... sounds like something it could do." Reno shifted slightly as he looked on nervously. The two looked back at each other and shrugged in unison, appearing in agreement to the plan. Hoshina let go of Kafka's arm and watched as he rang the bell loudly and clearly.

"Don't think that just because we're running, that it means that we're not returning to your side of the conversation." Hoshina warned. Kafka looked him up and down, swallowing a lump in his throat at the thought of revealing everything held close to the chest up until this point. He accepted his fate as he continued to ring the bell in a familiar pattern, causing all the hunters to jump into action and start demolishing their tents.

Later in the day, the group made it in the woods to the west. Everyone managed to escape the clutches of the Ariaka guardsmen and had set up their encampment in the dark, opting to avoid lighting campfires as to not make its location to obvious to any potential incoming spies sent their way. A brief meeting was called to order after the tents had been set and Hoshina gave a short rundown as to what had happened in the castle of Ariaka. He promised to return the next day with more information and an idea of a move they would make next. He had also caught Kafka trying to slink off into the dark to the edges of the camp with the guise of helping Reno stalk the perimeter for threats. Hoshina made it clear there was information he wanted to collect before any of them became too tired to talk before he marched Kafka to his rather large tent at the back of the camp.

Large enough for a cot, a calf-high writing table, and a shockingly long and tall wooden chest, Hoshina shoved Kafka inside forcefully before moving around him to sit sidelong at the writing table. He gestured at Kafka to make himself comfortable as he lit an bright lantern and prepped a book for note-keeping.

"For starters, how 'bout you begin with what you know about MoriWyvrns and your history with this Kyu." Hoshina stated as he sat facing Kafka. He took to half-sitting on the tall chest and took a deep breath before he started, seeming relieved at the chance to start with what felt like an easier topic of discussion.

"Well, I already gave you the most pertinent information earlier. Need me to repeat it?" Kafka asked.

"No, I remember it well. I was hoping for some more information on its weaknesses, to be honest." Hoshina said as he scribbled down what he remembered from their previous conversation.

"Well, that's kinda difficult to describe." Kafka started, scratching his neck, "Since it's a MoriWyvrn now, it's pretty weak to most normal attacks. It doesn't help that Keepers of the Swarm don't tend to develop normal dragon skin in the first place. Thin skin forces a deeper bond between a Keeper and their flock, leaning on them for protection."

"So without their flock, one might consider them defenseless?" Hoshina interrupted, directing Kafka to possible avenues of neutralization.

"Well... yes. The problem now is that Kyu being a MoriWyvrn covers that weak point pretty well." Kafka crossed his arms as he became lost in thought, "Not only does consuming wyvrns make a MoriWyvrn stronger in power, they also absorb the life span of their meals and it adds to their own. Should a MoriWyvern suffer injury, the soul from its meal rises up to fix the damage. They need to eat the wyvrns to continue to live, yes, but all those souls don't really go anywhere. They just get stored in the corrupted, bottomless pit that is their soul's new state and just... swirl around in there. Keeping them alive by any means necessary." Kafka looked disheartendly at Hoshina as he saw him rub his forehead in frustration.

"So even if we managed to knock it out and tie it down, we would just be standing there for days on end, stabbing something that would just heal the damage we deal it?" Hoshina questioned, wanting to confirm.

"With as big as it looked back there, it would be more than a century before you made a serious dent in its reserve of souls." Kafka replied solemnly.

"So there's no efficient way to hurt or incapacitate this thing." Hoshina said back. All he heard was a questioning whine out of Kafka.

"If you know something, out with it." Hoshina shot at him.

"I mean... it is a theory?" Kafka shrugged at him. Hoshina gestured pointedly at him to continue. Kafka looked away for a moment before letting his idea slip.

"You have another dragon... eat the MoriWyvrn." he finally said aloud.

"But I thought eating a dragon is what causes a MoriWyvrn to happen in the first place?" Hoshina shook his head quizzically as he stared at the tent wall.

"Technically, there should be a brief window of time as the dragon is being digested where the first dragon is dead, but the two souls haven't corrupted each other yet. If you can kill the dragon that ate the first one, you should have a chance to kill both before the powers that come with a corrupted soul take effect." Kafka explained. Hoshina gave a harsh puff of a scoff as he wrote an abridged retelling in his notes.

"Wonderful. Now we just need to find a dragon willing to trust another human, willingly fight and eat a MoriWyvrn, and lay down its life for the greater good." Hoshina could feel the energy change in the room as he said this out loud. He felt sympathetic daggers being drilled into the side of his head. He turned to see Kafka staring him down with a knowingly pointed expression. It took him far too long to read the signal he was being presented with.

"I'm not even going to entertain that idea."Hoshina refuted.

"Hoshina-"

"No." he commanded simply, "If I have to kill you, Reno will want to kill me too, and then I have to kill him as well. It will be a giant, inconvenient, mess. So, no." Hoshina turned to his desk again and flipped to a fresh page in his notebook.

"Speaking of you, mind telling me if there's any more benefits to being bonded to a wish dragon?" Hoshina turned back and glared directly at Kafka, making it clear he had said the final word on his future living arrangement. Kafka just sighed and let the matter rest for now.

"Outside of what was said in the throne room? We can read each other's minds." Kafka dropped casually.

"Aaand... when does that start?" Hoshina asked, unsure and confused as to why that was a thing, but ultimately took it in stride.

"Happened when I bit you." Kafka projected. His lips only twitched into a playful smirk as he watched Hoshina flinch at his own shadow.

"Haha, very funny." Hoshina responded sarcastically, "How do you make it work?"

"Simply wish for it." Kafka answered with a nonchalant wave of his hand. Hoshina scowled disapprovingly before preparing his mind to try. Kafka wan't one to speak in riddles, so something he said made him think he should take the advice at face value. Hoshina readied his face into a more cautious expression as he gave it a go.

"Is... is it working?" Hoshina sent.

"Loud and clear." Kafka returned the message with a thumbs up."

"Alright, good to know." Hoshina continued to scribble down words as he questioned Kafka again, "Anything else I should know about?"

"Well, this doesn't necessarily come with the pact per say, buuut-" Kafka started as he got up and walked over to where Hoshina sat. He held out his hand as he asked for Hoshina's.

"No, the injured one." Kafka started as Hoshina handed over his unbitten one. He took the bandage off of it before he placed the palm of the hand onto his forehead. Kafka closed his eyes as fluffy green clouds of energy and sparks of light began to swirl around Hoshina's wrist and traveled down his arm, almost looking like it was sweeping away the lesion. He felt no pain, only a ticklish wisp of a breeze as he marveled at the injury fading away, as not even a scar was left behind.

"Wow." Hoshina said breathily, twisting his arm left and right in disbelief.

"Don't expect me to be powerful enough to bring you back from the dead, but it should make things a little easier for you." Kafka smiled warmly before making his way back to the spot he was in earlier on the chest.

"Is that everything?" Hoshina questioned, sounding a little shocked at the discovery. He hadn't expected to get this much of a bonus from something Kafka had made out as something frivolous and superficial.

"Yep." Kafka almost looked a little proud as he looked on at Hoshina, his Captain's reserved sense of wonderment not lost on him.

"Then in that case, that just brings us to the last order of business." Hoshina idly flipped to a fresh page, denoting a change in topic warranting a separate entry.

"Mind telling me a little bit about who exactly I'm bonded to?" Hoshina had managed to spring his clever little trap as perfectly as possible. Kafka really had no choice but to come clean about his past now, whether he wanted to keep it buried or not. He could see Kafka's eyes widen in fear, even in the dim light from across the tent. He looked away, hiding the shame and sadness that began to creep into the laugh lines in his face. Hoshina waited patiently while Kafka spent forever debating on if he should run... or accept that this was needed of him now. He had to tell someone who he was, now with the potential of a fight with a fellow Ranked.

"I... I will always have my preferred title be Kafka Hibino. That will never change, no matter what I tell you tonight. But yes, I am one among the Ranked and I have a name." Kafka stated, clear and unhurried. Not savoring or taking his time with his reveal. Just... letting this moment hang in the air. Hoshina got the impression that this wasn't something Kafka talked about lightly, if he's ever talked about this at all. Since even Reno had no idea this man was one of the Ranked. Kafka turned back and stared defiantly into the tent's wall on the other side as he braced himself to speak.

"Among the Ranked, I am Hachi. Hachi of The Eighth Line, Servant of Wishes, Supporter of the Mortal Indomitable Will, Last Known..." Hoshina could see a sparkling of a tear forming in his eye, his throat bobbed as he fought himself to continue, "Last Known Protector of the Halls of Tachikawa." he sniffed harshly, almost being swept away by the force of an unseen memory.

"Do... do dragons really use such long and flamboyant titles?" Hoshina asked. Not much was known about the Ranked. Only bits and snippets that that Ranked allowed others to know about. It was Kafka's turn to scoff as he shook his head, almost seemed to be in embarrassment.

"Only in large gatherings. It's supposed to let others get an idea about what to expect coming out of other mouths and why they say what they do. Personally, I think it just gives others an excuse to disregard things of note from those they don't like." Kafka practically sneered as he spoke. It was clear he's been to one before and didn't enjoy the experience.

"It should also be of note..." Kafka began, looking like he was about to be sick as he tried to talk again, "That I am... over... fifteen thousand years old."

Hoshina stopped writing in his notebook as he processed what Kafka had said. As far as Hoshina was aware, for a dragon to live that long was completely impossible. No dragon in recorded history had ever made it past six hundred, let alone a thousand. Having heard that Kyu lived past six thousand was odd, sure, but that was clearly chalked up to being a MoriWyvrn. Last he checked, there wasn't anything different or special about Kafka that separated him from other dragons. Outside of being one of the Ranked, that is. Which only left Hoshina with one last question.

How?

"T-that is... you're... huh?" Hoshina couldn't begin to fathom just how old that made Kafka. And if he was only the Eighth, how long had the dragons been around? It didn't escape Hoshina just how quiet it had gotten after Kafka had spoken. It was obvious that this wasn't something he took comfort in revealing about himself.

"Kafka... How?" Hoshina reorganized the flurry of thoughts in his head just enough to let out a clear question, desperate for an answer. Kafka had become readably depressed as he sat there on the chest. Hoshina began to wonder if he even heard him ask, noticing how still the human shaped dragon had become in that moment. He opened his mouth again, only to get interrupted as Kafka finally spoke up.

"Do you know... how 'I wish you well' got started?" He said, not bothering to look away from the patch on the ground he picked out to stare unblinking onto. Hoshina just silently shook his head in response.

"I do." Kafka said, tapping his temple as he did.

"A dragon never forgets. It gets even worse when you find out you're one of the Ranked, because now you have the memories of all of your predecessors floating around up there." a heavy pause hung in the air after he had finished. Hoshina made no move to fill it.

"It started when a Wish dragon, the third actually, made friends with the first human that could speak the first words of language. The dragon was dying at the same rate as its friend, both curled up together in a cold cave, now gone. The sentiment was spoken in a long dead language now, but the intent was clear as day when it was declared. 'I wish you well onto another lifetime.' is what the greeting started out as. Even back then, humanity believed in reincarnation, because of the influence of the Ranked. Little did that human know, it had spoken its only wish with its last breath, and let the dragon live another five hundred years." Kafka was unmoved, unshaken, as he regaled apathetically. Hoshina wondered if he was even breathing.

" 'I wish you well onto another lifetime' got shortened down to "I wish you well' and in some countries, it started turning into 'Wish Well'." Kafka's hands came unglued from his sides and went up to his face, hiding the emotions welling up in his expressive eyes.

"That greeting has become my curse. A curse that comes with gifts." The words were muted, but Hoshina heard them just fine.

He began to piece together how Kafka lived for as long as he had. Kafka was a man you couldn't help but like. Friendly, mostly helpful, and had an uncanny ability to brighten up a group's attitude. It wasn't too far of a stretch to believe that some people that he's met across his fifteen thousand years would genuinely wish him a good life. Even if he told them he was a wish dragon or not, it didn't matter if neither one could tell if one had the capability to blow a wish. As long as pure intent was behind the words, anything was a wish. Including a goodbye. A hard sniff echoed behind Kafka's clasped hands before he drew them off his face. Tenting them in front of his nose and lips, he began to talk again.

"I have no need to eat or drink. Anytime I sleep, it's deep and dreamless, no matter if I sleep for a minute or centuries. I've been wished good health for so many times that I can apply the effect to others now." Watery eyes peered over the shaking fingers as he looked deep into Hoshina's. Hoshina could feel the muscles in his face slacken as he realized what he meant earlier about the healing not being a part of the pact.

"Even this form was a gift." Kafka added. One of his hands returned to his face, masking his eyes again as the other fell limply to his side.

Hoshina had seen tired men before. Tired from exertion, tired from inaction, tired from monotony. It was his first time seeing a man be tired from existing. Hoshina slowly got up from his spot on the floor, giving his legs a grace period to become accustomed to having blood flow in them again. Kafka made no move to acknowledge his shift in position as he walked over to the chest. Kafka looked up indifferently as he stood next to him. Hoshina tilted his head, indicating Kafka to stand up as well. He opened the lid and rooted around inside for a moment, before pulling out a dried calabash wrapped with purple cord and a cork in the top. He set the lid back down and seated himself fully on the top of it and waved his hand, silently telling Kafka to join him.

"What, no glasses?" Kafka said, playfully mocking as he sat down as well. Hoshina's heart was lightened as he saw that he managed to illicit a small smile at least.

"You're fifteen thousand years old. You're allowed to be tactless in private." Hoshina responded as he popped the cork off the naturally made bottle. Kafka contemplated the bottle as it was handed to him, before throwing it back and taking three deep guzzles from it. It brought some color to his cheeks and at least appeared to settle his nerves for the time being. Hoshina took a little sip for his own and was about to take more before he heard Kafka open his mouth again.

"Can I... tell you a tale?" Kafka asked. He still didn't look at Hoshina as he spoke.

"It's one you've no doubt heard before, being where you're from. A tale told to children with big dreams, intending to act as fuel for them. But one thing I've always noticed throughout the years is how wrong and twisted they've gotten the ending." He laced his fingers together in front of him as he waited for Hoshina to respond. He felt the warmth of his commander's hand resting on his forearm gently and took that as his answer.

"I'm sure you didn't miss the part in my title that said I was the last known defender of the Halls of Tachikawa. That name is ancient history to everyone else, but I can't help but feel like it was yesterday. Gods, I even remember a time before it was even considered a fiefdom." Kafka's words were laid heavily with the weight of memories, making him sound like an old, world-worn traveler. Which, in a sense, he kind of was.

It did actually slip past Hoshina's attention that he had said that earlier, being more distracted by the revelation of dragons having long titles. It did now put it into perspective of just how old Kafka really was. Hoshina fought his reeling mind as he tried to be polite and focus on his tale.

"I was a family friend on the mother's side of the royal family, being with them previously due to wanting to repay a life debt for her family. She married a wonderful man and had a beautiful and lively child. I spent long days basking in the sun on the castle walls when they were built. It got to the point where they had to come up with new wooden walkways around me so the guards paths wouldn't be interrupted." Kafka let out a little chuckle as he felt the memory soften his weary heart. It was difficult for Hoshina to picture Kafka being stuck in his full form, but he had no doubt that sunbathing would be a lovingly kept past time for him.

"I got to watch that child grow up from an excitable handful, to a strapping and capable warrior. It worried her parents to death, her wanting to join the ranks with the soldiers, but she wouldn't hear of it. She trained dutifully with the rest day after day. Her parents put me in charge of her, asking me to make sure she didn't overdue herself or spread herself too thin. I grew up with her as well. From a Godfather like figure, to practically her brother-in-arms. One just couldn't help but be swept up in her light." Kafka began to look very wistful as he continued to speak. Hoshina went back to sipping from his wine jug again, wondering if this story should be familiar to him.

"Nothing prepared our city for that war that came onto us out of nowhere." Kafka's voice dropped with his expression as he continued.

"A slow procession of wrath and blood approached the doorstep. The King and Queen made every attempt to slow or persuade the East's Might from entering the grounds. I remember them considering sacrificing their morals if it meant their people would be spared. Mina convinced them to let her lead one last defiant volly." Any light that was in Kafka's eyes disappeared when he dropped the revelation.

'Oh. Oh Gods.' Was Hoshina's only thought as he heard the woman's name. 'So that means he's... He's the green dragon from the stories?'

"She had the might of over six thousand strong with her. And it was almost meant for nothing. Everyone likes to tell the tale that she gave the winning command with her final breath, directing her second in command to victory from her grave. That's not what happened." Hoshina could see Kafka start to withdraw into himself. He wondered if his travel mate had the strength to finish the story. He wouldn't blame Kafka if he couldn't. Some war stories could be just too difficult to tell. Hoshina saw as his frame shook, Kafka now looking determined to finish, even if it would tear him apart at the seams.

"We were both mortally wounded. They had come prepared to fight a dragon, it seemed. I had spent the whole of the fight by her side, fearing for her life should I leave it for any reason. It only took a second. I looked away for a second." Tears began to fall now, down in thick rivulets. Kafka made no move to wipe them off his face as they dripped and stained his shirt's hem and pant legs.

"We always had this fight. She always told me that I could spend a million years with humans, I would never truly figure them out. I liked to argue otherwise, mainly because I found her to be cute when she was mad." he laughed breathily and smiled spitefully. Hoshina was pretty sure it was to himself.

"The cannon balls, nor the arrows that poisoned my skin kept me from rushing to her side. I wrapped myself around her, protected her from the world, if only for a moment. I felt more lances and arrows pierce me as I held her. This whole time, she hadn't blown a wish. She knew what I was and was very careful with how she said her words. I begged her, pleaded with her to use it, to save herself, to turn the tide of this war. Anything! Anything that could save her!" Kafka collapsed fully into tears now, the hands on his face making no dent in muffling his wails.

"She didn't even have the strength to speak her wish aloud! She made sure she had that last laugh when I heard her voice in my head wish for me to be well... as a human!" Hoshina's heart sank in time with Kafka falling onto his knees. He watched as the dragon-man rocked himself while in the throws of tears, mourning the long past death of a loved one. Hoshina felt immobilized by the display, not sure how he could comfort someone so distraught and attached to someone long dead.

"Hoshina, Soshiro, please. I need you to promise me something." Kafka seemed to regain enough of his senses to claw his way over to where Hoshina stayed sitting and grabbed the seams of his pants in desperation. For the first time tonight, Kafka not only looked deep into his eyes, but looked so deep into his soul, he felt like it was flayed open and exposed from the intensity of his gaze.

"For the love of everything you find holy and pure and good, be selfish with your wish. Waste it on yourself, waste it on others, I don't care. But for the love of all the Gods, don't waste it on me!" Kafka cried, burying his face into Hoshina's lap.

"I can't take it. Not again. Not ever again." His body rattled from the force of his sobs. He was sure he could be heard from across the encampment, but he didn't care. He had to hear Hoshina promise not to wish for anything for him.

Hoshina came to find himself not to be an emotional man. Didn't hug, always happy nonetheless, but not expressing much else. He made it a point not to let himself get too attached to the others in his hunting party. Emotions were messy things in his line of work, and by proxy, just didn't find himself to be physically expressive. That was the case... until Kafka.

As he leaned forward to sandwich the distressed man in comforting warmth and soothed his shaking with a gentle rubbing from his free hand, he made one final note about how Kafka seemed to me more than a wish dragon...

He was a miracle worker. Whether he liked it or not.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"He doesn't have a wish." Kafka stated nervously as he sat in his usual spot on Hoshina's wooden chest.

"Give me a minute to walk inside, thank you. Now what's this about?" Hoshina said as he walked inside his tent.

A week had passed since Hoshina had managed to lead everyone over the walls to aid their Hunting Brothers and Sisters stuck in the North West. They had swiftly fixed the groups dire situation and had waited for both sides to recover from the ordeal before asking them for aid in return. Once the new group had been informed about the state of affairs in the Castle of Ariaka, their leader, who apparently was Hoshina's older brother, had readily agreed. It was agreed that they needed to intervene in this secret national emergency as soon as possible, but that they weren't going in without a plan. One had just been settled upon minutes ago.

Most of both of the Hoshina's teams would be drawing out and away the castle's forces and wyvrns army with Kafka being the one who would have to fight Kyu on his own. The plan was simple, Kafka would endeavor to mortally wound and (hopefully) eat as much of the MoriWyvrn in its entirety. Reno would be close by to help however he can, and when the time was right, blow his wish and ask for Kafka to be well. The idea was that since the MoriWyvrn was dead and digested, Reno could wish for Kafka to be fine and thus let him survive the ordeal and not have to be killed or become transformed in the end.

However, there already seemed to be a wrench in the plan.

"You better not be referring to Reno, now are you?" Hoshina asked once he pieced together what Kafka could be talking about.

"Unfortunately, yes." He answered.

"And why haven't you told him of this before now?" Hoshina felt a migraine coming on and tried to prevent it by pinching the bridge of his nose. For a jolly and forward thinking man, he was starting to think Kafka wasn't as open with others as he should have been. He understood why Kafka was like this, sure, but you would think he would get the memo at this point.

"Because... that wish might have... indirectly killed his whole family." Kafka's foot was tapping into a blur now and continued to stare determindily into the tent's far wall.

Gods, this man can't leave anything simple, could he?"

"Why would he wish for his family dead?" Hoshina found himself asking exasperatedly.

"Ha- He didn't wish his family dead, he-" Kafka sighed again as he collected himself. Hoshina felt the beginnings of another story coming on.

"I had followed rumors of a town in the south needing aid after a natural disaster. There is where I met Reno and his family. We didn't get off on the right foot, so to speak, when we first met. Eventually, I ended up saving his life quite a few times in short succession to which afterwards, he felt the need to repay with a life debt, as Elves are prone to do." Kafka seemed to become calmer as he continued to tell the story. Hoshina wondered if it was because he had already confessed to his darker secrets to him beforehand.

"He began to stick to my side like glue for a while, waiting for a chance to save me back so he could go about his life like usual. I knew he didn't like me, but I changed his mind somehow because soon neither one of us could see us walking down a path without the other by our side." For as lighthearted as the sentiment was, Kafka's face didn't seem to reflect it. His eyes were downcast and the tips of his lips seemed to sour as he continued.

"Less than a month later, Reno's father had begun to make plans to leave and head eastward. There was a choice I wanted to make; I wanted to leave with his family, but their plans took them to a town that I had already spent too much time in too recently."

"Been there for so long, people would have begun to notice you hadn't aged?" Hoshina chimed in, indicating he was still following along. Kafka nodded briefly before continuing.

"It was just supposed to be a drink and a talk. One long goodbye where I hoped he wouldn't wish me for anything. I never could have thought it could go so wrong." His words were muffled as he rubbed his hands up and down his face.

"He said "If circumstances were different, I would wish to stay by your side.". We had known each other for less than a month so I never thought it would mean anything. I blew off the feeling I get when I feel a wish being blown as the wind chilling my skin. All that wish did was give him the confidence to speak his mind to his father. It apparently pissed his father off so much that he left him in the town and marched the family out a week early. They had gotten caught in a fatal rock slide in the mountains. Reno couldn't be notified of their death until six months later. That was two years ago now." Kafka had finished his somber reminiscing looking as tired as he usually did when he talked about his past. It never ceased to amaze Hoshina how much it seemed to take it out of the man when he did.

"I thought it was nearly impossible to earn a wish in under a month?" Hoshina asked as he mirrored Kafka's earlier gesture of rubbing his face as he faced the far tent wall.

"That's the one consistent thing I've noticed when it comes to the magic of wishes. It never hurts to try." Kafka responded cryptically.

"You know what this means, right? I have no choice but to kill you now." Hoshina turned to look back at Kafka, only to see the man smiling.

"You don't have to kill me. Narumi can do it just as well as you. Hells, I think even that colorful, foreign trio of weirdos that you have could do it." Kafka said, almost looking like he was reveling in the idea of finally dying.

"Oooh, no! I had marked you as my quarry for over a year before I met you. If you think that I'm just going to hand over the honor of taking your head to anyone else, you are sorely mistaken." Hoshina said as he stalked over to Kafka to playfully spit the remark into his face. He couldn't stop himself as he felt the corners of his lips turn upwards as he ruefully thought about Kafka's blood spilling onto another man's blade.

"Well, if that doesn't happen, then you can take comfort in knowing that I died with the Huntsman Honor of going out in a useful blaze of glory." Kafka teasingly returned with a similar grin.

"You consider yourself a hunter?" Hoshina jibbed back.

"I call you my commander, don't I?", Kafka said as a hand came up to the faded runes on his neck, a thumb playing with the edges of the patch that crossed over his Adam's apple, "I already consider my life to be yours to use as you wish." His smile never faded, only spread wider as he turned to leave the tent.

Hoshina felt thankful for that as he felt an embarrassing heat flush over his cheeks. He was sure Kafka knew what he was doing when he phrased his words like that.

'It should never be that normal for a man to take that much comfort in his own death.' he thought.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Two hours.

It took two hours for Kafka to finally beat Kyu down far enough to begin the process of devouring it. Hoshina didn't really get a good, long look at the fight, seeing as he was in the middle of fighting for his life at the time. He could certainly hear it though. Loud roars, the ripping of flesh, echoing crashes as they each made serious attempts to destroy the other. It wasn't a stretch to say Hoshina was worried for Kafka at the start. When everyone saw Kyu reveal his full size and found out it was at least three times as large as Kafka's was, he was tempted to give in to the belief that no one was going to win this fight. He was thankful for Kafka asking him to take time out of his day to teach him tips on how to use size to someone's advantage.

Hoshina kept to the edges of the battle as best he could. He had to be able to make a quick getaway by the time Kafka could send the signal to... finish him off. It was a thought he found himself at odds with the whole time before the battle even started. Fighting for survival helped keep his mind off of what he was about to do, but even the fight was beginning to peter out, now that Kyu wasn't in the right head space to keep his control over his human army. It was a difficult thought, wondering what life would be like without Kafka's warm smile by the campfire. He knew Reno wasn't going to take the news well after he commits to the act. That was going to be a mess and a half, he was well aware... but what about the others?

Narumi would act stoic, of course. Hells, he'd probably crack a few jokes over his dead body probably. He would come to miss him eventually when it came time to chop wood for the camp. Kafka always chopped extra so that the others were free to do other things. Iharu would comfort Reno as best he could. Everyone would, now that he thought about it, but Hoshina couldn't shake the feeling that there would be a permanent shift in the mood, an inescapable void in the hearts of everyone, should Kafka be successful and get his wish of shedding his practically immortal coil fulfilled. That didn't matter now. Everyone had made their bed and everyone was going to have to make their peace with it. A shame Reno just happens to be in the crossfire of it all.

Using a spare lance, he stabbed it through a chink in the armor of the man he was fighting and leveraged it to make his opponent fall to the ground. Shoving and twisting it, it sliced through to the other side and anchored the guard to the ground. He took a risk to spare a glance and watch the end of the fight between Kafka and Kyu. Kafka was looking worse for wear but surprisingly intact for as loud and boisterous as it sounded. He appeared to be halfway out of his dragon transformation, scales protruding and tail long and strong as he was currently wrangling the smaller form of Kyu. They rolled and rumbled all around in the grass, with Kyu biting back and Kafka tearing whole chunks of flesh and trying his best to swallow. Kafka already looked a little green because of the transformation, but Hoshina could swear that he looked a little more green than usual in the face. It was a happy, but dreadful sight to see that the more chunks of meat that he tore out, the less it was growing back. Reno was helping as well, firing well places shots into the rancid dragon in attempts to wound and immobilize it long enough for Kafka to tear out more chunks.

Sensing the time to act was nearing, Hoshina called out to Narumi to get ready, for he had a part to play as well. He had to intervene and drag Reno as far away from Kafka as fast as possible before Hoshina could get close. They couldn't tell Reno he didn't have a wish. They all tried, but with the timing of the fight being too close for comfort, they couldn't. Not without letting Reno have time to grieve or not try to find a way to postpone the fight until they could come up with a better plan. It was heartbreaking to say the least, but Hoshina knew Kafka was more than ready to let go. Especially if it meant saving them.

Seconds turned into hours and minutes turned into centuries as Hoshina counted everyone of them until the signal was called. He turned back to look at the fight again just in time to see Reno release one more arrow into the last remains of Kyu. Kafka fell to his knees as he bit the last disgusting morsel off the arrow's head and swallowed roughly. It scared Hoshina just how fast the final act was changing Kafka's appearance. His dragon form became more prominent, but it wasn't the vibrant jade green it was before. The scales became darker and started to fall off of his skin in sheets. A dark mist dripped from his body as he keeled over onto his hands and began to cough violently. He could almost hear screams of agony between the racking of Kafka's lungs throughout the roars of the continuing fight behind him. Hoshina could see Reno mouth the words of his wish to his friend as he writhed in the grass. He became more and more distressed as he witnessed as his pleas were not taking effect like he thought. As Reno fell to his knees as well, shaking the the shoulders and crying in terror over his closest friend and long time companion, is about when Hoshina heard the signal.

"SOSHIROOOOO!" Kafka's roar thundered across the battlefield and rattled in his head. Hoshina had never heard a sound as painful and as pleading, as agonized and as desperate as he heard in that moment. And after today, he hoped to never hear one again.

Both Hoshina and Narumi took off like a shot into a good headwind and booked to where they were. Reno looked confused as he saw them approach, which made it easy for Kafka to rock back onto his knees and grab Reno by the back of his shirt. He somehow had enough willpower in his to launch Reno like a skipping stone toward Narumi's direction. All Hoshina heard as the bodies made contact was Narumi letting out a clipped "Shit!" as both of them whipped behind him. Hoshina turned to focus on his target as he drew out both of his swords and ran faster towards Kafka.

At least... he thought he was moving faster. To him, it felt like he was suddenly wading through a bog and felt just as cold and wet. Time felt like it was slowing even farther with each step he took.

'Now's not the time to be second guessing yourself!' Hoshina screamed in his head.

But he was. He was second guessing everything. He told everyone he could do it. That he was going to kill Kafka. He had to, to save everyone, including Kafka. But he found out in that moment that he couldn't. For all of his bravado and for all of his promises, he couldn't. He couldn't snuff out that brilliant light. That shining, bright beacon of hope and trust that had flown his way into his life. He had no choice, though. There was no other choice.

Wasn't there?

A flicker of a memory flashed briefly in his mind's eye. A small conversation they had weeks prior. A quick mention about wishes.

'When it comes to the magic of wishes', he said, 'It never hurts to try.'

No one could ever be sure when they had a chance to wish, but he'd rather be damned before he didn't give it a shot. Best case scenario, Kafka lives to hate him until he passes, and he found himself to be at peace with that already. Worst case scenario.... Gods should start praying that it doesn't come to that.

Closing the distance quickly, now that his mind was made up, Hoshina leapt into the air and planted his foot onto Kafka's shoulder, the momentum causing him to lay flat on his back. With his hand not occupied with holding himself up, they began to claw and scratch away at his neck and chest. Scraps and slivers of papery skin sloughed off to reveal more of the sickly darker scale. Hoshina's blade tips pierced the ground on either side of Kafka's neck, forming a threatening cross over it. His body shook with the force of him holding back the urge to cough as his hands made their way to the blades. Kafka's hands started bleeding from how hard he was gripping them and Hoshina began to hear the whispers of his final words.

"Soshiro...please..." He cried, teardrops driped from the corners of his eyes. Hoshina could feel his fall off his cheeks and watched as they mixed with Kafka's. The metal blades clinked as Hoshina's hands shook, fear and doubt making him hesitate. With a harsh blink and a tighter grip, Hoshina cried out with the full force of his lungs.

"I WISH YOU WELL ONTO ANOTHER LIFE TIME! I WISH FOR NOTHING TO CHANGE THE WONDERFUL BEING I'VE COME TO KNOW! I WISH FOR ALL THE DAYS THAT I HAVE LEFT WITH YOU TO BE FILLED WITH NOTHING BUT TRUST AND LOVE! KAFKA HIBINO, DRAGON OF THE EIGHTH LINE, SERVANT OF WISHES!" Hoshina's voice cracked as he screamed, the force of his emotions making him feel broken but free.

As he pulled his swords back, resolving not to make the finishing cut, he watched as he saw the runes around Kafka's neck flash and brightened into a brilliant green light. Hoshina fell backwards as he felt Kafka rise up from under him and place a hand on his chest. The whole of his body began to swirl in now familiar grey-green clouds sprinkled in dot-like stars. As he landed on his back, he sensed the air around him get heavier as the light from the sun began to fade away from his closed eyes. When the wind stopped blowing, Hoshina looked above him.

All he saw was the underside of a dragon's foot, scaly and lushly green. It took up the entirety of his vision and it took considerable turning of his head to see any sky beyond it. He stood up on shaking legs as he marveled at the size of his surroundings. He was laying in the portion of the foot that connected the toes to the main part of the foot. It arched upwards so high into the air it would be confused for the roof of a dark cavern. Upon witnessing the size of the foot he was under, Hoshina began to calculate just how big the rest of the dragon was. If he was right, then it could use the biggest mountains as its pillow.

"You okay down there?" A deep voice in his head rang out.

"Y-yeah?" Hoshina thought back, swallowing hard as he panted.

"Good. Because I need you to run." The voice rang in his head again. Hoshina was starting to piece it together that this new voice might be Kafka.

"NOW." the voice boomed. Hoshina didn't think twice as he bolted for the rays of sun closest to him.

Running for several solid minutes, Hoshina made it out the other side and kept going. Off in the distance, he saw Narumi and Reno holding onto each other as they stared in bewilderment at what might have been Kafka's new form. As he kept going, Hoshina turned to look off to the side to see why Kafka ordered him to run from. Blotting over the sun, was the remains of the Wyvrn army, coming for revenge in the name of their fallen master. Hoshina heard the rushing of the wind and felt it pulling around and behind him as he continued to sprint. In the past, he knew that it meant that Kafka was preparing to release his signature sonic screech, but now seeing the size of the dragon behind him he wondered if there was even a safe distance to be from to survive this. He could hear the wing beats of the wyvrns getting closer and closer even as he continued to run, now with Narumi and Reno running as well.

"Everyone, cover your ears!" Hoshina had heard boom in his head.

He did what the voice asked as he watched the two in front do what it asked as well. He turned around at the last second, curiosity getting the better of him. He watched as the screech rippled the air as it traveled to the living cone of teeth and wings. The path of the scream was visible as the flying army exploded into a red mist in a massive wave. Hoshina unfortunately could also feel the force of the wave from where he was standing as well. Even with his hand on his ears, the loud scream felt like it tore through his head and ripped the bones in his ears right out of their canal. The force of the screech made him drop to his knees in pain as he rode out the wave of terrifying sound.

It was over as soon as it started. Hoshina's ears heard nothing but ringing as he gasped for breath. His body shaking, he pulled his hands away from his head to look at them. In his hands were small trails of blood. The ringing didn't stop as he tilted his head to look forward. A long way in front of him was nothing but a massive green cloud of shimmering dust. He watched as a new breeze drifted in as swept away the cloud in wispy trails. Slowly, they began to reveal a naked, kneeling man at the head of the cloud. Desperate and concerned, Hoshina sprinted again, a little more clumsy this time however as he had seemed to have lost his balance. Stumbling and tripping over his feet and hands, he had made it over to Kafka.

Falling onto his calves, he half-slid, half-crawled over to him the rest of the way. He watched as his hands frantically searched over Kafka's body, trying to turn him to face him as he looked to see if the wish worked. He could feel his mouth moving and his lungs straining with the effort to talk, but for the life of him couldn't figure out why he couldn't hear himself speak. Hoshina watched as Kafka turned to face him, eyes ablaze with anger and mouth ready and full of venom, and continue to watch as all those features faded away into sadness and pity and worry and care. Hoshina felt Kafka's hand travel from his hands to the back of his head, gently forcing their foreheads together. They both closed their eyes at the soft touch, and Hoshina began to feel and hear the rush of the mystical wind surrounding his ears. As they pulled away from each other, Hoshina could see worry and sadness were still etched into the shallow lines on his face. He brought his hands up to caress them away, knowing that he'd make them disappear with time soon enough.

"You know I'm going to outlive you now, right?" Kafka said somberly. Hoshina felt himself chuckle lightly.

"Not if I have anything to say about that." He responded.

He leaned forward to catch Kafka's surprised lips. He felt him melt into the touch just before Kafka leveraged his grip on the back of his head to wrestle Hoshina into laying across his lap awkwardly. His hand continued to cradle under his arm and the back of his head as he ravaged Hoshina's lips. It was rough and wild with too much teeth and Hoshina wouldn't have had it any other way. The moment was short lived as they heard an interrupting cough erupt in front of them. Both of them turned to look as they saw the Golden King of Ariaka standing regally before them. He looked better than before, now glowing with new light and appearing healthier than ever. He stood patiently before them and carried his war torn battle cloak on one arm.

"I would like to have a serious conversation with the two of you." lord Isao commanded as he held out the cloak. Realizing that he wanted them to stand, Hoshina grabbed the garment for Kafka and hurriedly shoved it under him to cover Kafka's lap as best as he could. He then got up first and stood in front of his new lover to allow him cover as he tried to put the cloak over his very naked form. Once decent, Kafka walked around to stand front and center next to Hoshina and faced the king. They watched as the king's eyes flickered between the two of them before appearing to make a decision an moved over to kneel honorably in front of Kafka.

"I have learned about the true intentions behind my father's actions since his passing and now know just how morally disgraceful I was acting back then. You are fully in the right not to forgive me, but at least have it be said that I do sincerely apologize." Lord Isao kept his head bowed as he talked, truly acting with genuine regard. Kafka shuffled the edges of the cloak around to stick out a helping hand. Isao's expression remained unchanged as he looked up on the offering.

"Since when does a king bow before a common man?" Kafka asked, a teasing smile splayed over his lips. Hoshina could hear a huffed noise of agreement come out of the lord's nose as he took the hand.

"if that is what you wish to be." Lord Isao responded.

"Only until it is necessary for me to be something else." Kafka answered back. They regarded each other for a moment before the King turned to face Hoshina.

"I have much to thank you for, but much more to discuss. Come." the king commanded simply, indicating for the two of them to follow.

Neither of them cared about what would be coming next. Both of them just took comfort in knowing that they would be facing it together.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Lore Part 2}

Yeeeeahhhhh.... I gave him Survivor's Guilt. Sorry, not sorry.

In all seriousness, I don't really know why exactly my mind jumped to Wish Dragon when I saw Dragon Kafka, outside of just

His Vibes,

But once my brain thought of that, it wouldn't let go and then it spiraled into "Him granting wishes would backfire on him so bad, like it would make him immortal or something." The line about the gifts is a little interesting, I wanted to add more but I felt it would be hard to transition from and ruin the pacing. I kinda picture wishes having the ability to morph slightly over time. Like if you gave a wish to an elf, towards the end of their life the wished parameters would shift slightly? Like if the wish gave them Fireball, then by the time they're, idk, two, three hundred or something, the wish would loosen up a little and now it's just pyromancy. So yeah, at one point someone wished for "His stomach to never be empty" and for a hundred years, he never felt the need to eat. It has since changed to where he can choose whether or not he wants to eat or needs to survive by not focusing on eating for a while. And for a while he was genuinely stuck as a human. At the beginning, he wasn't sure if he was a real boy or not, until it was pointed out to him that he should've looked seventy instead of thirty that he realized that he was still a dragon on the inside. It took him two hundred years for the wish to morph enough to let him gain the ability to shape shift. He also couldn't grant wishes during this time and only realized he could do so again after he met Reno! Yep, that's right! His first wish in two hundred years was him granting Reno's wish to speak his mind to his parents, and we both know how that turned out! 👍 (why do I do this?)

I also don't know what possessed me to have Mina be in his life earlier and turned her into the main source of his survivor's guilt, but I really like the impactful moment it made with Hoshina. It also sounds like something she would do.

In the original drafts that I had in my head, they weren't even going to kiss. There was no plans for flirting even. And then my brain came up with the "My life is yours to use as you wish" line and then I was like

"Mmhhh, yeaaahhh... They're f*cking now. They are contractually obligated to f*ck now."

It probably didn't help that, in my initial thoughts for this story (The version that would have liked to have all the time and motivation in the world to let this become my personal oddyessy) There was SOOO much naked Kafka. This was because I refused to chalk up his clothes remaining intact after transformations to "Dragon Magic". It wouldn't have cost me anything not to.... I just wanted a scene of Hoshina getting flustered over Full Frontal Kafka in Winter.

Speaking of things that didn't get put in, I had a lot more lore beats I wanted to put in that I have since forgotten about because I didn't write them down somewhere else and didn't put them in because it felt it would mess up pacing. AND there was going to be a couple lines of SOSHIRO'S BROTHER chiming in at a few points and flirting heavily with Kafka right in front of Soshiro, but the scene surrounding it didn't pan out soooo.....

In case it wasn't obvious, Kyu the dragon is supposed to be Number Nine. I looked up what nine was in Japanese and the internet said it was 'Kyu'. It's also where I got Kafka's dragon name being 'Hachi' since that means eight. (There's apparently two? words for eight in Japanese? I think? Internet wasn't being clear.)

The reason Kafka supposedly grew in size at the end was because he ate Kyu and absorbed all the soul's energy into his. The wish then neutralized the transformation that would have caused Kafka to become a MoriWyvrn but the souls had nowhere to go so now Kafka's just overpowered now.

The colored lettering is supposed to represent times where Kafka's voice doesn't sound human and sounds more like his dragon voice. Like if he started to sound like a Kaiju while as a human.

Isao's father kidnapped Kafka at one point and started demanding that Kafka give him a wish and Kafka basically said "Up Yours 🖕" and (Prince) Isao had said "No, U 🖕" and that's what he's apologizing over.

LAST BONUS THOUGHT: Kikoru is the general of the army that's fighting against the foreign invasion in the North.

Okay, I think that's everything. Again, I know it was clear you had your own lore ideas for this, but I hope you didn't mind hearing mine.

Guess what I've been doing last night (and by last night I mean I couldn't sleep and got up again at 1 am and was awake 'till 5am or smth.... :D told ya my sleep schedule is in shambles by now)

Yeaah..I am actually suprised it took me this long to squeeze them onto my most favorite universe of all...so..yeah.. hit the old fantasy- and witcher playlist and well...the mind was loong gone..at this point... I feel like this is not really 100% Witcher-verse, but also a bit Skyrim-ish?...something in between but def. fantasy like..

So what came from it are some messy sketches I like very much :D even if Hoshina is a little T-posing, lol, but that's OK..

I love how I'm not even putting the names in anymore.. xD you should now my fav bois by now hopefully...

since I totally stole that badass posture from Zhen Qu'S fanart, I feel like I at least should tag the reference - LOOK at it it's amazing <3

I wonder if I will continue the series this time, 'cause I'd love to give Narumi a proper armour and there's a certain forest elve I'd like to add as well, BUT I know my adhd brain, and I'm making no promises here..

(and def. no more allnighters, I need to get my schedule fixed, I'm at a Con this weekend, I need to get up at DECENT times god dammit)

[pochaunnuswalker]

And ain't no coat of amir dumb somebitchesvtry me and another non guilty is about to die. Muthafucka and I don't need nobody's help yaw so goddamn stupid do yaw even know the meaning of Hanna the barbarians classics she ran and he-man yaw so goddamn stupid so imma shoot that bitch too take it how you want even the. Legals you so goddamn broke d umb desperAAtw and retarded. Cause first off you a nobody and ain't levee been shit to society itsselfgodddaknit new lawsuit no matter the law'uits and name ofem they are trtlying to reinstate slavery becaususe they are nobodies thinking a good person like me gone take care of em no and never will rape stalking etc still stick too fucking dead dumb broke the cause ofslavery etc is why theres slavery in the future it's PL a ce and Kno we your slave history I'm a good slVe master and ain't got to do shit and I'm not fucking dummies try me 999999999:times there by a mo u my of 900 trillonbtrillon bc dollars and counting bitch try me