#why not come together instead of being sketchy

[littlespace-nuggles-710]

?

[celli-ohs]

I Can't, I Have Rehearsal

pairing: socially awkward!park sunghoon x fem!reader

genre: high school au; crack, comedy, fluff

synopsis: What happens when you get seated right next to the most handsome boy in your entire grade? Well you thought it'd be a great excuse to get to know him better, but the guy won't even talk to you! After a mishap in the science lab, you come to find out that Park Sunghoon, the cold-hearted prince of EN High, isn't in fact rude, he's just afraid of women.

before you read: character profiles

warnings: language, cooties, wild subplot, loser enhypen

word count: 3.78k

taglist (open): @ancnymcnzjy

note: part 1 of my and scene! series, loosely based off en-drama.

Log 3: Wednesday - March 6th, 2024

The blaring screams of his alarm clock has Sunghoon jolting from his sleep. “Oh my god,” He gasps, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “It was all just a dream!” He says relieved.

Jumping out of bed, he hurriedly gets ready for the day. Once clean and changed, he walks to the kitchen, opening a packet of natto to indulge in. 

“Yeji! Don’t forget to comb your hair,” He hears his mother scold as she enters the kitchen. “Oh, Sunghoon, you’re up?” She sounds confused. 

“Yeah, I’m walking with the guys, just like every morning.” He shrugs her off. She doesn’t say much after that, only rushing his little sister around the house, helping her get ready.

“I’m off, see you later.” Sunghoon waves goodbye as he heads out. “Have a good day!” His mother smiles. 

“He’s having a good morning for someone who locked himself in his room last night.” Yeji grumbles. “Your brother is… a teenager Yeji, let him be.” Her mother tries to keep a positive mindset. 

“Will I be like that when I’m a teenager?” Yeji asks, looking worried. 

“You better not, your brother is enough trouble as it is.”

In the past ten minutes no one has said a single word. Sunghoon can’t seem to figure out why though, his eyes searching for the answer. 

Finally, Jungwon clears his throat. “Sunoo,” He calls out. “How did your audition go? For the theater club?” 

The other boy suddenly sighs. “You won’t believe it- they rejected me!” Jaeyun looks completely shocked, eyebrows furrowed together. 

“I know! And then they had the audacity to ask me if I could instead be a prop decorator when I’m meant to be on stage!” Sunoo groans.

“That’s mean,” Heeseung frowns. (He keeps popping up out of nowhere, he’s like a ninja, it’s starting to actually scare Sunghoon).

“But then something happened on my walk home,” Sunoo hums, rummaging through his pocket. “Some guy stopped me when I was getting ice cream, he said to call him and I could become an idol!” Sunoo flashes the fancy business card in front of all his friends. 

“Is that real?” Riki swipes it, observing both sides of the cardstock. The card gets passed around, and everyone gets a good look before it’s returned to Sunoo.

"Belift Lab? What kind of stupid company name is that?" Jungwon scoffs as he reads the card.

“Do you guys think I should do it? Being an idol sounds fun.” Sunoo smiles. That is until Jaeyun shakes his head. “Sure yeah you’re famous, but don’t you want to be an actor? That’s pretty different.”

“True, you could be training for years before you debut, or maybe you don’t debut at all,” Jungwon adds.

“Riki A’s older brother almost became an idol, he says he trained for like almost 3 years.” Riki comments.

“Oh gross, I think I’ll just stick to acting.” Sunoo tosses the card into a nearby trash can. 

“Was he from a good company?” Sunghoon asks. Sunoo shrugs. “Don’t know, I've never heard of them.”

“Sounds sketchy, probably good you didn’t say yes.” Jungwon agrees. 

As the six of them continue on their walk to school, there’s the familiar sound of a thud behind them, causing them all to turn. 

“Fuck, I got my pants dirty,” Jongseong grumbles as he stands up, dusting himself off. “You’re late,” Sunghoon teases, making the other boy roll his eyes. “I’m early actually, and I have been this whole week.” Jongseong argues.

“It’s only Wednesday.” Sunoo points out to him. This has Sunghoon confused. “What do you mean? It’s only Tuesday.”

The boys all stop, turning to Sunghoon with crazed expressions. “Sunghoon, it’s Wednesday,” Jaeyun shows his calendar on his phone.

He takes a closer look, stepping forward. Right there on Jaeyun’s screen it lists the date: Wednesday, March 6th. 

“No.” Sunghoon stumbles over his words. He looks up at his friends. “That means yesterday-” He chokes up.

“Dude are you high?” Riki asks, concerned. “Do you not remember what happened yesterday?”

Yesterday. Tuesday. March 5th.

He went to school, and then he went home. Yeah. No. Maybe?

Because then that would mean that what happened wasn’t a dream-

“You left home early, remember? Actually you ran out, Jaeyun had to drop your stuff off.” Jungwon clarifies, and suddenly everything clicks.

After humiliating himself in front of you and his entire class, Sunghoon didn’t even think about dashing out of the classroom. To be honest, he just kept running, past his homeroom, past the front doors, and right out the school gates down the street. 

“Sunghoon!” Jaeyun shakes him by the shoulders. “Are you okay?”

He doesn’t respond, brain shutting down.

Sunghoon has to be wrestled into his seat. Jaeyun and Jongseong hold him down, trying to convince him to apologize to you. 

“Just say you’re sorry,” Jongseong holds him firmly down by the shoulder. “Yeah! I’m sure she’ll understand.” Jaeyun tries to stay positive.

“Please, please just let me go. You guys are my friends, can’t you just-” “We’re doing this because we’re your friends you idiot.” Jongseong argues. 

Sunghoon tries to argue, but is swiftly shut up when Jaeyun suddenly announces your arrival.

“Hi Y/n! You’re looking nice today.” Jaeyun sounds overly enthusiastic as he compliments you, his arms are not so subtly trying to get Sunghoon to turn your way.

“Hey Jaeyun,” You sound unsure as you get closer. 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Jongseong.” Sunghoon’s other friend greets you.

“Hi,” You say quickly before clearing your throat. “Um, Sunghoon, do you think we can talk really quick? In private?” 

Sunghoon shakes his head no, but his two friends decide to take matters into their own terms. 

“Oh, he’d love to! Right, Sunghoon?” Jongseong stares him down. Sunghoon clenches his jaw and rigidly nods. 

He’s released by his friends, and like a robot, follows you out of the classroom. He’d try to make a break for it, but he could feel both Jongseong and Jaeyun’s eyes following him down the hall. 

You lead him to a corner by the janitor’s closet, it’s a lot quieter as it’s away from the rowdy crowd of teeangers.

He stands far from you, not able to get closer than 10 feet. But you begin to close the space in between you, forcing Sunghoon to back up. Except he instead ran into a wall and found himself cornered by you.

“I was worried you wouldn’t show up today.” You begin to speak, stepping back and keeping a respectable distance. Sunghoon is as stiff as a board, eyes trained onto his feet. 

“I wanted to say I’m really sorry for what happened yesterday.” You suddenly apologize. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I had no idea you were scared of girls, Jaeyun told me after you ran away.” 

His best friend of the past eight years, Sim Jaeyun, revealed his most deepest darkest secret?! He felt so betrayed.

“But I want you to know I want to help you.” You say, and suddenly Sunghoon is looking at you (more like the outline of you, he still can’t look at you directly) with wide eyes. 

“I mean we’re seatmates and club members, we should be able to help each other out.” You begin to explain. “And Jaeyun kind of asked me to help you.” You add sheepishly at the end.

Sunghoon was seriously going to get his revenge on that kid.

“So what do you say?” You ask, rocking back and forth on your feet as you patiently wait for his answer.

Sunghoon felt trapped. On one hand, his looming fear of women was stopping him, but on the other hand provided a (very scary) solution to his big problem.

“H-How would you help me?” He coughs out. “I was thinking we could start by being friends? Maybe work on the small stuff.” You offered.

The small stuff, yeah, he could deal with that, right? 

Eventually, he nods, causing you to clap your hands together. 

“Great! This is going to be easy, I promise!” You grin.

It was in fact not easy.

All morning you would try to get Sunghoon to give you as much as a look in your direction, whispering to him random questions and facts to try and start a conversation.

When lunch finally arrived, Sunghoon had never run so fast to the cafeteria before in his life.

“I’m gonna kill you Sim Jaeyun!” Sunghoon is seething as he sneaks up behind his friend. Jaeyun’s signature smile vanishes, and is replaced with fear. 

“Sunghoon please-” “You told her?!” Sunghoon leads Jaeyun to sit down at their table. 

“How else do I explain why you suddenly dipped in the middle of class? I could’ve told her you had to take a massive shit, but I didn’t!” Jaeyun argues, tugging Sunghoon off of him. 

Hmm, touche.

“This was for the greater good, we all agreed on it.” Sunoo suddenly adds in. Sunghoon turns to his friends in shock.

“You guys voted? With Heeseung?!” He points to the (technically his) senior. Heeseung stared wide eyed, looking slightly guilty.

“We voted because you’re getting out of hand. Dude, my older sister ran into you at the supermarket the other day with your mom and when she said hi, you hid behind the cans of soup display.” Jungwon reveals.

“I thought she wouldn’t recognize me.” Sunghoon winces from the embarrassment.

Heeseung (awkwardly) claps a hand on Sunghoon’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Sungho.” “-Sunghoon,” Jaeyun whispers to him the correction.

“It’s okay, Sunghoon.” Heeseung pretends to have never made his mistake. “Everything will be alright.”

Sunghoon turns to him, lips thin. That one look has Heeseung’s arm falling back to his side. 

“Come on Sunghoon, stop acting like this. You already agreed to let her help you anyways.” Jongseong argues. The boy sighs, rubbing his face in despair. Even Sunghoon can’t believe he still agreed.

“I take it back, can you guys tell her I’d rather be a hermit for the rest of my life and never want to see another woman again?” Sunghoon asks, looking stressed. 

“Well don’t look now, but I’m pretty sure that’s her coming our way.” Jungwon points out, sipping his drink as he nods to his right. 

The younger boy proves to be right, you’re making your way through the crowded cafeteria, holding your tray of food as you walk confidently towards Sunghoon and his friends. Unfortunately for him, Jaeyun traps him down to his seat before he can run again.

“Hey Sunghoon,” You smile, waving as you stop at the head of the table. Jongseong kicks his shin, forcing him to respond. 

“Hi,” He grunts. The other boys snicker, finding all of this amusing. 

“I was just wondering if we’re still having Calligraphy club today after school?” You ask. 

Oh crap. With everything that happened today, Sunghoon had totally spaced out and forgotten what he’d promised the day before. 

“He wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Riki grins at you. The youngest sticks his hand out to you, giving you an enticing smirk. “I’m Riki B by the way, you like younger guys?” His question earns him a slap on the arm by Jongseong.

As Riki gasps from the pain, you chuckle awkwardly. “So I’ll see you after class then? At the old library?” You check, facing Sunghoon again. He stiffly nods, still not looking at you.

“Cool, see you!” You finally leave, going to eat a few tables away. Once you're gone, Sunghoon feels as if he can breathe again. 

“She’s pretty.” Heeseung giggles, earning quiet but strong agreements from the other boys. “You sit next to her?!” Sunoo sounds surprised, mocking the boy in question.

“Okay, shut up. All of you.” Sunghoon glares, his ears turning red.

“Don’t worry Sunghoon,” Riki begins to chuckle. “I won’t actually steal your girl, I’ve got my eyes on someone else.” He teases. “Just don’t get too butt hurt when she falls for my good looks and charismatic charm.”

Sunghoon rolls his eyes, deciding to ignore the youngest. 

“Speak of the devil,” Riki suddenly laughs. “Yo shortcake!” He stands up in his seat, hollering at someone.

A girl in the sea of students spins around, first looking confused, then angry as her eyes land on the tall boy. She promptly flips him off, before stomping away with her friends. 

Riki laughs, finding the situation funny. “I’ll see you guys later, with my new girlfriend.” He says confidently, dumping his food in the trash to go chase after the poor girl. 

“Oh this is gonna be good,” Jungwon begins to chuckle, pulling out his phone before following his friend. “Send me the video!” Sunoo shouts and Jungwon gives him a thumbs up. “I pray for that girl,” Jaeyun shakes his head.

“She’s gonna need a miracle to get rid of him,” Jongseong agrees. “Same way Sunghoon’s gonna need a miracle to get out of Calligraphy club today.” Sunoo comments.

This was always one of Sunghoon's favorite parts of calligraphy: the setup. Being able to prepare and organize before he wrote felt calming in the sense that it was a comfortable pattern. He opens his box, revealing his multiple brushes and supplies safely packed inside. 

Relishing in the silence, Sunghoon carefully takes out sheets of paper, placing them to his right. Using water from his designated calligraphy water bottle, he pours a small amount into his shallow ink stone. 

Like a machine, Sunghoon begins to sternly rub his ink stick against the stone, breaking it down and mixing it with the water to create the dark opaque ink. He sets this to the side once finished, taking a piece of paper, and flattening it out with his paper weights.

With a deep breath, Sunghoon feels his heart calm down to a trill. This was the most relaxed he’s felt all week. 

“So that’s how it’s supposed to look, huh?” Your voice interrupts his thoughts and suddenly Sunghoon is reminded of why you’re here in the first place.

Across from him you sit, copying him as you begin to set up your own supplies. You do so messily, but nonetheless, you get the job done looking satisfied.

“Okay! I’m ready whenever you are.” You clap your hands together, eager to start. Opposite to you, Sunghoon is silent as he begins to dip his brush into his ink, carefully calculating his brush strokes as he writes, quoting a poem he enjoyed. 

“So, are you actually scared of catching cooties?” You ask, not so subtle. Your abrupt question has him frozen.

“Cause if you are, has anyone told you that cooties aren't real? It’s just a thing kids say-“

“I know.” He interrupts. “I just…” He loses the words, grimacing instead. You two grow quiet again, the tension in the air is thick.

“What are you writing?” You eventually speak up again. 

“...It’s a quote from the poem ‘Flowers That Bloom When Shaken’ by Do Jonghwan.” He explains.

You nod. “Well I’m drawing a cat playing in a field.” You suddenly hold up your paper, showing him your art. 

If he thought your calligraphy was bad, it was safe to say you weren’t an artist either. “Looks like a second grader made it.” He mumbles. You huff, grabbing a new paper.

As you both return to writing in silence, Sunghoon is able to focus and finish his piece, setting it to the side to let it dry properly.

He notices you suddenly stop writing, setting your brush down as you lean back into your chair. You sit with crossed arms, observing him. This has Sunghoon feeling like his skin was crawling. 

“Sunghoon.” You call out. “Let’s play a game.”

He pauses. “I don’t like games.” 

“Too bad, this is a fun one.” You assure him. You sit upright again and lean against the table.

“We’re just gonna ask each other questions, and we have to answer them.” You say it like it’s so easy.

“What if I don’t?” He fidgets. 

“Every question you answer, you get to go home five minutes early.” You prompt. Sunghoon’s eyes flit across the room to the door. Leaving early sounded nice.

“We get three questions each, okay?” Sunghoon slowly nods. You clap your hands together, excited. 

“I’ll go first,” You clear your throat. His heart begins to race, palms getting sweaty, and mind running wild at what horrible grotesque questions you could ask him. 

“For my first question…” You hum. “Why do you like calligraphy?” 

That wasn’t what he expected you to ask him.

“I-” He chokes, blinking as he tries to formulate an answer. “I… feel calm when I do calligraphy.” He answers slowly. “I can focus better, and I can relieve stress.” 

“See? Wasn’t so hard was it? Now for the next question, maybe try looking at me and not the table.” You tease, and he begins to feel embarrassed. 

“Now you ask me a question.” 

Sunghoon shifts in his seat. There’s been something that’s been bugging him all day.

“Why-Why did you agree to help me?” He steals a quick glance at you, before opting to focus on the bookshelf behind you.

“Don’t get upset when I say this,” You mumble. “But you looked really scared yesterday at the science lab. I got worried when you ran off and didn’t come back. I thought I did something wrong.”

You were worried… for him? You two barely knew each other and yet you still stressed over him deserting you in the middle of class. Even more confusing, you thought it was your fault. 

Sunghoon feels his heartbeat slow down.

“Okay, my turn again.” You clear your throat. “Are you scared of like all girls? Or just some of them?” Your curiosity seems to have gotten the better of you. 

Sunghoon tilts his head to the side. “I’m normal around my mom and my sister. Family for the most part I'm fine. But I have trouble around everyone else I guess.” He sheepishly admits. 

“I see.” You nod, and as you turn slightly, he catches a glimpse of your pouted lips. You seem to be deep in thought. 

“My turn.” He speaks up, already prepared with his next question. You wait attentively.

“Why did you join the calligraphy club?” 

You shrug at his question. “We visited my grandparents for the new year. My grandmother gifted me a set. I wasn’t gonna use it originally but then my friend convinced me to join the club. You guys know each other, his name is Kai. He said you were really nice and that you’d teach me.”

Sunghoon knew Kai alright. Kai was very close to his calligraphy club senior Soobin. The boy would often hang out in the club room last year when Soobin was around. He had no idea you two were friends.

But what really caught Sunghoon off was how highly Kai regarded him. They didn’t speak much, as both were pretty introverted. The fact that their little interactions were good enough for you to believe your friend was surprising to him.

“Thanks.” He nods, feeling a bit better about himself.

“Okay, my last question.” You drum your fingers against the wooden table. “Why are you scared of girls?”

If Sunghoon was being honest, he had a feeling you’d ask him this. He’d expected it earlier on, but there was no doubt you’d want to know how his fear started.

His words clump up at the back of his throat, refusing to come out as you wait patiently. He glances at the door and is reminded why he’s doing this in the first place.

“You can take your time, don’t feel pressured to tell me everything if you don’t want to.” You assure him, sliding back into your seat.

Your words help calm his nerves, and Sunghoon nods as he takes a deep breath. 

“I wasn’t always scared.” He says after a moment. “But when I was seven, I got bullied by the girls in my class.”

“Everything used to be normal, but then one day I came to school and all the girls were whispering about me. They wouldn’t play with me, talk to me, they’d just watch me from afar and gossip.”

“And it was just me, none of the other boys in my class had it happen to them. When I tried to ask one of the girls during recess, she screamed at me to leave her alone.”

“After that, I just stopped talking to girls. I feel like I can’t understand them, I don’t know what they’re thinking, what they’ll do, or what they say. Even now, everyone’s always whispering about me like I'm disgusting.”

There’s anger in his voice as he finishes, and Sunghoon realizes his fists are clenched. He releases them, swallowing thickly as he tries to relax. 

He slumps in his chair, hiding his face in his hands. Despite how horrified he was right now, he felt a bit relieved you now knew his secret.

“Please don’t tell anyone this. You’re one of the few people who know.” He admits. 

“Okay, yeah. I promise.” You say softly. Your voice brings him some sense of tranquility.

“Why don’t we go home?” He nods solemnly, and the two of you clean up.

You two don’t speak again until you’re outside, the brisk March air hitting you both in the face, a large contrast to the warm temperature from inside.

“Thanks for telling me all of that back there.” You say, gripping your school bag as you two walk side by side (albeit a few feet in between you both, Sunghoon still wasn’t used to the idea of close proximity).

“Jaeyun probably would have told you anyway, that snitch.” Sunghoon mumbles. Hearing this makes you laugh. Something about it makes his ears turn red, and it's not from the cold.

“Oh!” You gasp, jumping up. “We forgot, you still have one more question to ask me.” You remind him.

Sunghoon begins to think, not sure what to ask. Unconsciously he turns, more focused on hearing your answer to realize he’s actually looking at you.

“How do you actually plan to ‘help’ me?” He raises a brow.

You look up at him and smile, giggling to yourself. “You’ll just have to wait and see!” 

You skip ahead of him before waving goodbye as you head down a different street on your way home.

Sunghoon doesn’t wave back, instead, he stands there in the cold as your figure eventually disappears. It’s then does he realize his friends were right.

You are pretty.

Log 2: Tuesday - March 5th, 2024 | Log 4: Monday - April 1st, 2024

I Can't, I Have Rehearsal masterlist | and scene! series masterlist | kpop masterlist

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[the-saltiest-saltine]

Enjoy this heartwarming fic about the importance of having reliable nondescript friends in the face of a scary situation. You and her can totally fight off a prospective attacker together, you’re sure - after all, you’ve got the power of friendship!

Yan!Chrollo x Reader

Word count: ~ 1.9k

Warnings: Yandere, stalking, implied voyeurism, implied torture

You’ve got a stalker. You know this for sure.

Wherever you go, you can feel a gaze. 

Your train rides and walks through some of the dodgier parts of the central business district after a busy day have always had their fair share of sketchy characters - it’s been a near-daily part of your life since you first came here several weeks ago - but this feeling was different. It wasn’t some junkie looking for a punch-up, no. It was specific. It was targeted.

What started as a feeling of slight watching in public, became a metaphorical spotlight in your apartment, blinding and irritating. You keep your windows shut and locked, not wanting the biting chill of the smoggy winter air to creep its way inside your residence. This doesn’t stop you from constantly coming home to find your kitchen window wound open, all these stories up. You know it’s definitely impossible for a regular man to get up here from the outside, since your front door is always locked and there’s no balcony.

You wish he’d leave you alone at the library, at least. It’s nice and relatively quaint, a much-appreciated juxtaposition from your otherwise industrial setting, and the least your stalker could afford is some privacy so you can enjoy it to its fullest.

The stare is intense, filled with neediness and darkness. You’re sure the eyes of whoever is creating it are a void, the most unusual colour of emptiness and depravity. You can’t pinpoint any particular reason why this is happening - generally, you’re pretty quiet and unassuming. You have no rich family to pay a ransom, and your organs wouldn’t be worth much. Simply put, a person like you is not worth the trouble.

Your best cure for this feeling so far has been to simply sigh, and open up your latest novel, indulging in a few chapters. The feeling subsides after a little while. Perhaps he gets bored of watching you partake in an activity so unappealing to an outside viewer. Perhaps he grabs out his own book and indulges himself, though you doubt that’s the case (-but that would be a nice thought, wouldn’t it? Imitation is, after all, the sincerest form of flattery).

Tonight, you found a card on your kitchen bench. By the looks of it, it’s not a parting message, rather the opposite. The intricate red pattern on it is almost enough to be considered romantic, but you’re hardly feeling the charm. It’s unsettling, to say the least, but you can’t even bring yourself to be scared. 

If anything, this issue annoys you now. It’s been a long, exhausting day at work. It gets uncomfortably cold if the window's left open. If someone’s going to kill you, they might as well just try already. Being stalked is so tiresome.

You don’t have enough tangible evidence to file a police report, simple sensings of a watcher not nearly enough proof to have police aid you. Funnily enough, this takes the bottom rung on the ladder of reasons why you can’t contact them. You can almost laugh at the thought of even trying. If this persists, you’ll call your friends instead.

Unfortunately, your welcome to this city has been anything but warm. 

Luckily, you’ve got one modicum of hope.

There’s a woman in your life.

She’s beautiful, inside and out. Her smiles are a breath of fresh air in this wretched city. You can’t say you’re exactly dating yet, but whatever tier below it you’ve got now is certainly better than whatever was there before. Something like gratitude, as much as you’re naturally inclined to overlook it, hits you like a truck whenever you’re together.

Unlike you, she’s not new here. She’s been a great tour guide so far, introducing you to practically every street corner, every Indian restaurant, every speck of dirt and faeces on the wrecked footpaths that the slimy Mayor neglects. It’s hard to worry about a stalker when you’re being bombarded with random questions and consumed by her laugh, echoing between the skyscrapers and into comforting mugs of hot chocolate.

The time you spend with her is precious, sacred even. You won’t let the mystery man get in the way of that.

Long before that card made its way to your residence, you did call a friend, the friend, about your problem, getting a response within two rings. You told her about your stalker, sniffling and regularly hiccupping, telling her about how you think there’s someone after you. She was practically frantic, demanding that you come over to her apartment right that instant, barking out her address without hesitation. It’s only fifteen minutes away, she assured. You got there in seven.

She flung open the door at the first knock, saying your name with relief and letting you in. You spared her most of the details as you sat on her couch, not wanting her to put herself in harm’s way. Despite your shaky insistence that you’ll be fine regardless, she gave you some pepper spray to help defend yourself, and some tips on how to hold your keys between your knuckles most effectively.

I’ll protect you if anything happens, she says, her support of you positively admirable. You know she’d try and fight him off if you were together when he strikes. 

You’re certain that your combined forces are enough to fight off a fully grown man, you declared in response - and you meant it. In fact, you added, scratch that, you’re absolutely convinced that your cumulative strength - consisting of four arms, pepper spray, and her high-pitched scream - is enough to fight off a bodybuilder pumped full of anything and everything you can get in the alleys behind the city’s numerous smoke shops. She laughed at that, but you know she still worries for you.

You can come with me anywhere if you’re uncomfortable, she said. Really, if you’re worried, just call me up. I can leave work early if you think you’re in danger, honestly. My manager is flexible enough.

Appreciation swirls around you in waves again. Naturally, you have your scepticism. It’s almost too generous, too forward, something you’re certainly not accustomed to. But alas, you’ll firmly grip whatever opportunities present themselves. She offers you what she can, and you don’t hold yourself back from accepting it with open arms.

You’ve accompanied her to the bar, to the library, to her favourite café. It’s pleasant. It’s peaceful. You’re still being watched for certain, but the ability to have a brief moment of levity whilst in her presence, something to help you forget about work and responsibilities and stalkers, is something to be treasured.

She’s so calming, so sweet, so caring…

And so, so oblivious.

You’ve accompanied her to the bar, to the library, to her favourite café. However, if you were to ask, she’d say with the utmost conviction that you were never there (and that she’d love to show you). You’ve accompanied her on her commute home, made cups of tea in her kitchen, folded dog ears in the untouched novels on her bookshelf, hoping she’ll note the romantic scenes and lines you’ve kindly bookmarked for her. 

She’s promised to protect you. She never questioned why your little whimpers died down so suddenly after she gave you her address. She never questioned how you got there so fast. If she’d been wary enough to use the location services on her phone, she would’ve been able to see that seven minutes was actually a while to arrive, considering you were a twenty-metre walk down the hallway when you’d called.

She simply ate up your little performance over the phone, and in her apartment. And, soon enough, she’ll be coming to yours. 

Yesterday, she told you about the new exhibit at the city’s museum - she went to get a glimpse of it the other day, and it looks promising.

You went to get a glimpse of it too, twenty metres behind her.

The day before, she told you about how she ordered a new drink at a café- it was absolutely to die for, and oh, by the way, did you know that café is her favourite in the city?

You inferred that much from her frequent visits there, following her routine so effortlessly that it became your own. You tried the drink out too, taking sips in time with hers, admiring her profile as she scrolled through her phone. She was so pleased to finally have an afternoon to herself, after a week of hectic shifts.

Something unfamiliar stokes inside of you as you make your observations. Perhaps it’s comparable to a parent seeing their child grow and develop, or a botanist seeing rare flowers bloom, or an astronomer observing the most uncommon and exquisite of meteorological events. It’s something like happiness, something like attachment, something like wonder, something like pride.

On the other hand, you must admit, you’re a little disappointed. She lied to you.

She didn’t tell you about the man she slept with from the bar last week. Technically, you never asked about it, considering that you weren’t supposed to be there, but you’re a man who considers lying by omission to be on an equal plane as wholehearted deception. She promised to never lie to you, but now she has. What should she have to do to earn your forgiveness?

Although, perhaps this encounter was no matter, the sounds she made being enough fuel for your frantic stroking outside her bedroom door, her whines teaching you what to do when you would be in the stranger’s place, a point in time that won’t be too far from now. For the sake of equality, though, you’ll let this one slide. After all, you didn’t tell her about the man’s fate after that night, about your other friend who’d assisted you, about the teeth scattered on the cold basement floor, about the strips of flesh that hung from his back and how you’d apathetically tugged on them.

She’s a very good source of information for you. Truly, you hadn’t expected to spend so long in this city, nor had you expected for the museum to open up again so quickly since your heist two months ago only a few towns over, locked down for precaution (a laughable concept, really). Without her, you wouldn’t have anyone to debate the validity of the Old Testament, the extent that Raskolnikov can be justified, or theories on what happens after death. Also, without her, you wouldn’t have found out about the museum’s new exhibit of Goya paintings so soon, teasingly left out in the open, ripe for the plucking mere minutes away from your penthouse. It’s a temptation you’ve never bothered resisting.

Despite being a Nen user, whoever’s stalking you doesn’t care to hide himself properly. His perfect Zetsu is rendered useless from his other behaviours. You can hear his footsteps outside of the window, see his shadow in your periphery, hear his heavy breathing and salacious groans as he watches you.

If you were more dramatic, you’d roll your eyes. With Skill Hunter available on command, you have no doubt that this fool would lose to you in a fight. You’ve been observing his patterns, feeling his aura, preparing yourself for the inevitable.

You’ve been doing the same for your friend, however loosely you may use the term.

Whatever the man following you wants, you’ll take from him tenfold. You pick up the playing card from the bench, a queen of hearts, and regard it between your fingers.

You’ve got a stalker. She’s got a stalker too. But, unlike you, she won’t have the means to counter his next move.

[go-go-devil]

Pate and Patches: What's the Difference?

As an avid Patches Enjoyer, I had initially found myself a bit underwhelmed with Mild Mannered Pate after completing his questline in Dark Souls 2, particularly with his overall lack of any truly devious trickery towards my Bearer of the Curse.

However, I didn't think it was fair to him to completely compare his role to Patches's. So after much assessment and taking in all the gameplay & environmental clues I could, I think I may have finally deduced how Pate's differences to Patches help him fit into his own niche in this game.

Y'see, while Patches is a predator, Pate is a parasite.

Patches goes after his victims directly. He lures them in with the promise of treasure only to flip a switch that'll send them into dangerous/fatal areas or will straight up kick them down there himself. If they somehow manage to get out of his traps then he'll start groveling and offering gifts for forgiveness. He also uses this predatory tactic to determine which of the people around him are both resilient and forgiving enough for him to trust, which leads him to becoming a merchant and thus a kind of ally to you. A sketchy, devious ally, but one who actively benefits you and gives you his occasional musings on the world and its characters.

Pate, on the other hand, doesn't seem to want to get his hands dirty at all when it comes to scavenging his victims' loot. Instead his strategy is to directly attach himself to anyone who proves strong enough to get through any dangerous areas he stumbles upon. He does this by playing the role of an unassuming, cautious treasure hunter who gives you helpful advice about the immediate area and wishes for your safety. It can even be seen through his choice of clothes; Pate dresses in the armor of a common warrior, unlike Patches who proudly wears the thief's set.

I remember at first finding it strange how he of all NPC's was the one who gives you the white soapstone, contrasting how in DS1 it was Solaire, one of the kindest characters in that game, who gave it to us. Looking back, however, it does fit his strategy well. Summons directly benefit from their summoners by getting souls & items for their participation, and so Pate can offer his help by turtling with his greatshield and stabbing the boss safely with his long spear to get his fill of the large number of souls you acquire.

Once he becomes his next victim's "ally," all Pate has to do now is just mosey alongside them and keep finding areas where they can acquire great treasures. But only for them, of course! He's just too nervous about what terrible traps await, but surely his ally is brave and strong enough to persevere while he watches from a distance. If they were to die by a swarm of hollows, or fall into a pit of poison, well, it wasn't HIS fault that it happened! He did warn them, after all...

With that in mind it's easy to assume that Pate was pulling this parasitism on Creighton for a good while, tagging along with him and benefiting from all the undead, hollow or sane, that the man slayed. The two even stored their treasures together in the same hovel. Why exactly he locked him up is never directly explained, but if I were to guess I'd say it had to do with Creighton's claim of wanting to set up a trap for Pate. He began to grow wise (or maybe moreso paranoid) to the fact that he was being used, and once his mild mannered "friend" figured it out he tricked him right back, took what he could from him (that being the Ring of Thorns), and booked it!

And even after all of that, this man still has the gall to share this story with strangers by twisting it around and turning the guy who tried to kill him into this poor, foolish little warrior that Pate tried so hard to stop from falling into such an obvious trap.

That's what separates the two tricksters. Unlike Patches who defines himself by living independently from others, Pate cannot function without hooking his claws onto the trust of more daring individuals to do all the dirty work for him. After surviving Patches's tricks he becomes your merchant and ally, but Pate wants nothing to do with you after surviving all of his traps. While Patches locked up and warns you about Yurt and Lautrec in DeS and DS1 respectively because he was genuinely afraid of how cruel and violent they were, Pate locked up Creighton upon realizing he wasn't beneficial to him anymore and doesn't even bother warning you about the fact that he's a convicted serial killer, instead pretending he doesn't even know the guy.

There's also the fact that if you summon Pate for The Last Giant boss fight, he'll give you his clothes, spear, greatshield, and even the ring (or at least copies of them, he doesn't strip down in front of us). Since this is also when he tells us he's heard of a man who's out hunting for him, it's more than a little suspicious that he would want us to dress to his likeness. Especially if that certain someone might end up mistaking us as him.

All-in-all Pate may seem less harmful than Patches on the surface, but in the end he proves to be far more cowardly and arguably WORSE than him from a moral standpoint.

[hereforbothimg]

@liyaauhr I hope you like this contribution to Ashlerism

Ok guys I was looking at pics of Canvas Ashlyn with her masquerade mask and this Ashler scenario popped into my head picture this: Ashlyn’s parents work for a spy agenc, Ashlyn accidentally finds out and is now forced into the agency by her parents because “she knows too much” Ashlyn was around 12 when she found out and the three of them would go on family spy missions. But however now that Ashlyn is 16 her parents feel she’s experienced enough to go on missions solo. Ashlyn is sent on a mission and must infiltrate a masquerade ball and track down the host as he stole a precious gem. Everyone has a mask so Ashlyn knows it’s gonna take a lot of searching to find this target but while trying to snoop around the venue someone notices her and drags her back to the party and obviously Ashlyn is upset that she can’t finish her mission and because she hates social interaction. This is where Tyler comes in, Tyler is an assassin that works for an agency. in this AU their parents split up, mom took Tay and Dad took ty, Dad gets really ill and inevitably dies Tyler is now a lost 9 year old boy who can’t pay rent. Someone finds him in an Alley way just sitting there and offers to give him a place to stay but for a cost: he lets them take him under his wing and becomes an assassin . Training untill he was 10 and going on missions that were often sketchy,bloody and full of murder since 11 he was pretty messed up and was often unhappy with himself and didn’t like his job but.. this was survival. Now he’s 16 and is given a target,the host of the masquerade ball to assassinate. Another Assain apart of Tyler’s agency hacks into the security cameras and feeds Tyler info through a hidden ear peice. Receiving the info Tyler finds out that the host is somewhere within the party on the dance floor. Trying to get through the crowd he bumps into a green masked,ginger girl who was looking beautiful tonight. Tyler has no idea who this masked stranger is but Ashlyn is able to recognize him in seconds. Tugging on his tie Ashlyn is glaring daggers at him, “Listen pal I know exactly who you are. And I don’t know what your planning but stay.out.of.my.way” Tyler is obviously put off by this and you can the shock through his mask. Pushing her off him, “Ok Ma’am I don’t know what your problem is but you don’t know me.” Ashlyn says, “Oh really, whispering in his air so as to generously not blow his cover, “Tyler Hernandez. Well known Assasin. You hear a few things while being a spy.” Now flabragasted Tyler whispers back “How do you-Who are you?!” “Ashlyn Banner, international spy.” Tyler says, “Alright, carrot head why don’t we go somewhere more private” Ashlyn says “I’m not looking to talk” Tyler not listening grabs her by her wrist and tries to pull her away until… “WHERE ARE YOU YOUNG LOVERS GOING?” Tyler and Ashlyn stutter “Uhm- Uhm no where no where at all-“ the masked stranger says “well instead of sneaking out to kiss like you young folk do why not dance together instead” Ashlyn says “oh we really shouldn’t” and the next moment there are Ashlyn and Tyler in the center of the ball, Tyler lost in Ashlyn’s gorgeous green eyes astonished by how beautifully and elegantly she dances. As he twirls her around Ashlyn feels butterflies in her stomach and stares right back into Tyler’s eyes. She doesn’t know why and what she’s feeling but what she does know is she hates it. This is nothing but a distraction to her. She has responsibility…

TBC (or maybe not)

[aliorsboxostuff]

ok so imagine ftm reader x joel in the apocalypse. because i just know being trans in an apocalypse is NOT fun. you can make the prompt however specific as you want but i just thought that would be such a cool and interesting idea for a fic. :)

A/N: GOD ANON SUCH A GOOD IDEA yk i'm gonna put a bit of my own experience as a trans man (that went through 7 hrs of a con w binders on… *shivers*). As always, please excuse the mistakes as english is my 2nd language and enjoy Anon!

Join You.

Tags: HBO Joel Miller x ftm!Reader, Reader uses He/Him pronouns, Trans and in an apocalypse? Can't get any worse, oh wait yes it can, Binding struggles, fluff, meet-cute(?), Do you count meeting a dad and his kid cute?, maybe, It’s Joel and Ellie of course they’re cute, meeting, humor, Snarky!Ellie, tired-dad!Joel, soft ending, no angst, maybe a bit, it is EP.3 after all, slight OOC

[Starts from the end of Ep.3 of The Last of Us] Meeting a stone-cold man and his curious stray kid wasn't really on your apocalypse agenda, neither was falling in love with him. But then again, when has life ever gone your way? Hell, even god fucked up from when you were born, mixed up the damn gender. So here you are, helping him and his kid ready themselves to head to Wyoming, while you hitch a ride. Maybe it’ll do you some good, finally finding company with another human being

—

God why was it so hot?

While you keep hauling what remains of your backpack through the path, the sun beats down on you. Despite pulling off your hoodie, now left in only a shirt, the heat threatens to boil you whole. The sides of your binder digs in slightly and it makes moving another endeavor. The two bottles of water inside your bag are quickly diminishing with every break you take, now only half of one bottle remains.

You groan, eyes becoming hazy with every blink, when suddenly, you spot a chain-linked fence meters in front of you. A shot of energy courses through you as hope rises, quickly jogging to the area while you wave your hands, but trying not to make a sound in case any infected comes running by. 

You stopped just shy of the chain link, glancing at the high-voltage sign. You've been electrocuted once, you're not about to get electrocuted twice. You opted to look around instead, glancing at the various put-together houses, and the church in the far corner of the neighborhood. Despite the leaves littering the streets, flowers bloomed encircling the town's middle. You turn your head to find a way in, maybe a chance for you to vault over without getting burned, or maybe dig underneath-

"Turn around." 

You freeze. The hairs on your nape start to rise, heart rate following suit as a bead of sweat drops. "Turn around, and drop your bag. Slowly." 

You gulp, carefully moving one foot and the other until you fully turn, now face to face with a gun trained at your head, behind it, a man with eyes sharp enough to cut through skin is ready to pull the trigger at sight. Your eyes cautiously glance at the girl behind him, the same vicious stare with a sharp knife in her hand. 

As instructed, you slip your backpack and hear it hit the ground, before the man tilts his head, indicating for you to kick it away, and so you did. 

"Drop your weapons,"

"I don't have a gun," Your voice wavers, hands shaking slightly as it hovers beside you, a surrender you’re hopeful the man will take. He doesn't. 

"Drop anything other than a gun, then," He leaves no room for negotiations. You blink, before taking out the pocket knife and knuckle dusters from your pocket, throwing them to his direction. The guy raises his brow at the items and you shrug, still hesitant despite trying to appear nonchalant. 

With the gun still aimed at you, he picks both of the weapons up, storing them, before he stands again. "What's in the bag?" 

"Some… Canned food, water bottles, a lighter, other stuff," 

"How did you find this place?"

"I just…" Now that, you wondered yourself. You remembered leaving your group when a sketchy religious guy showed up and everyone started preaching to him, going nowhere in particular, just out of the growing conservative group and somewhere safe. Wandering for weeks before stumbling here, thinking you finally found another group willing to accept your scrappy ass. "I don't know, I don't even know this place existed, I was wandering around then came across…" You tilted your head back to the fence.

A pause. The man then speaks in a hushed tone with the girl, before they both nodded, the girl evidently less cautious after the whispers. "Empty your bag." 

You did as so, slowly reaching for the pack and unlatching the top, turning it upside down and letting the contents drop. Bottles, food, plasters, your lighter, a torch, other knick-knacks you couldn't resist picking up, all falling to the ground. When a flutter of paper falls, the girl perks slightly, before she retreats when you noticed. "I-I'm alone-"

"How do we know you're alone?" 

Your eyes looked around before you shrug. "I… Got separated from my group. A weird guy joined us and separated some people, and he uh… Kicked me out. Im alone, I promise, I don't have anyone following me from my group or from… Anywhere,"

Another pause. He seems to turn the info around his mind, before he looks back at the girl, she only does the same.

"Alright." He nods, eyeing the clutter on the ground. "Walk, slowly, away from the fence." 

Taking steps away from the chain until your position and the man change, you stand far from the fence while he and the girl stands just a meter away. He nods to the girl and she nods back. Now, her dark eyes are focused on you, while the man unlocks the gate to the place. 

"What's with the book?" She jerks to the opened pages on the ground.

"Just a journal. Keeps the mind sane," She hums, then you hear a click of the fence being opened. The man ushers the girl in, before he looks back at you, standing defenseless outside just meters away, disheveled and wary. He huffs.

"Get in here, quick," 

Your face beams. "Thank you, so much," You breathe before picking up your bag and contents, then jogging inside and the man locks the gate again. 

The neighborhood looks as if lived in, despite the run-down houses except one that stands grand and white a couple of streets down. "You two live here?"

"No, someone we know does," The girl answers. The man begins walking to the house, the girl following loosely behind him, before she turns.

She still has a hint of caution in her eyes, yet she asks, "What's your name? I'm Ellie, that's Joel," 

"Pleasure meeting you Ellie, Joel," Ellie grins, Joel doesn't turn. You give her your name, at which she smiles before looking past you.

"Do you write often?" 

"Just for fun, nowhere to publish it anyways," 

She nods. "What do you write about?"

"Stuff I see, birds, leafs, interesting flowers I pass by," You begin walking towards the house as well, following them. "I have pressed dried flowers in there," 

"Pressed dried? Like you have dead flowers in your journal?"

"Sure," You grin as she chuckles, turning around when Joel opens the house's gates and motions for Ellie to stop, so you do too.

"I'm checking inside first. You-" His eyes meets yours, you gulp. "Stay here, look out for any infected," 

"In here? This is basically a fortress," 

"Once I'm done, then I'll call you," You only nod, afraid to aggravate Joel even further. You'd hate to appear annoying to a man that offered you safety. 

Minutes pass, you idle outside, taking in the scenery. There are flowers in fitted pots, already dry and dying. The fence that surrounds the house Joel and Ellie still looks put together, the paint scraping would indicate age but otherwise looks fine. There's a brown garage door off the side. You wonder if it stored any vehicles. 

Suddenly, Joel storms outside, making you jump. His otherwise stoic face has a sheen layer of pain, of apprehension, before you spotted a piece of paper in his hand. His eyes meet yours for a brief second, before he turns and crumples the paper. You stand to the side, nearing the gates, while Joel takes his time gathering himself. The urge to ask, to comfort, almost overwhelms you before he speaks. "Help me check the car,"

A key dangles in his hand, and you follow suit. He opens the garage door, and you move to the back of what looks like a covered car. Sure enough, once you and Joel pull the cover up, a blue pick-up comes into view. "Nice," you smooth your hand on the rear door. Then suddenly, a sharp bang from the front, Joel closes the engine harder than needed. You gulp.

Contemplation appears on Joel's face again. You didn't dare to move. His eyes search the room, until it lands on something out of your view, on top of a refrigerator. His eyes track down, then he stalks to said fridge and opens it. Seems like he finds what he was looking for and Joel closes it back.

“You can't come with us.”

“What?” It sounded small, way too small to your liking, until you realized it was your voice.

“We’re going to Wyoming, either way there’s no space for-”

“Please, Joel,” You find yourself leaning towards him, your knuckles white on the trunk of the car. “I don't- I have nowhere to go,” Joel opens his mouth to interject before you continue; “And I'm not asking to join you, and Ellie. I just…” You inhale sharply.

“Please let me go with you two, to Wyoming. Then just leave me there.” You blink the growing panic back down. “Just a ride. Then I'll be off your backs. I promise,” 

The man standing meters away from you, hand still firmly on the edge of the fridge, eyes dark and stone cold, ponders over your words. You can practically feel the consideration, the slight glance from him when he meets your eyes, before he turns to the door, then back to you. “Just a ride,”

“Just a ride. You have my word.”

Then, painstakingly slow, he nods then walks to exit the garage, making you exhale a relief breath. "Check the fuel, I'll go check on Ellie," 

You simply nodded as he exited the garage. You go and check the fuel from the meter inside the car first, then find it empty. For safety reasons, you think. So you check around the garage for any fuel canisters. You found a couple behind some boxes, so you pulled them out to ready them when Joel needs it.

You deem it enough snooping around so you return to the house, just in time to hear Ellie ask, "So what now?" 

You knock on the door lightly, to alert the two, and Ellie glances at you. You two share a look at Joel, before he huffs. “We grab what we can,” 

He passes you, taking note of your curiosity, before he goes through the house with you and Ellie in tow. He goes through a couple of rooms, before he pulls at a hatch and it gives in, a staircase leading to what you presume was a basement. 

Upon entering, the room is lit up with working LEDs. You and Ellie spotted the wall of guns first, you blowing a low whistle. “Ho-ly shit.” Ellie’s eyes were on the many firearms mounted neatly.

“This guy’s a genius,” She grins and looks around. Your hand reaches for a mounted shock gun, almost touching it, before you retreat when you hear Joel messing with the other things in the room. You noted a steady hum of music, something you could recognize but not pinpoint. Ellie turns to walk over to where Joel was looking at the monitors.

“Why was the music on?”

“If he didn't reset the countdown every few weeks,” His eyes went over something. “This playlist would run over the radios,”

“‘80s…” The two share a look of realization, you can visibly see Joel gulp.

“Grab some cans from over there,” Joel points behind him. “Nothin’ dented, or swollen,” He mainly points it out to Ellie as she moves, but his eyes linger on you so you also get moving.

“Dude,”

“No.” You turn around to spot Ellie standing near the wall of firearms. 

“There’s a wall of them,” And she’d be right, but Joel only fixed her a stare that made her nod in defeat, almost making you giggle. Joel goes back to the monitors while you and Ellie search through the cans.

You’ve emptied most of the top shelves, leaving the clearly dented ones, while Ellie picked apart the bottom half, looking at each label with fascination. Once you’ve got your pack full, you crouch near her when she looks at one with interest. 

“‘Chef Boyardee’,” You smile as she turns to you. “They got great taste,” 

“Is this what you all eat?” She asks both you and Joel as she turns to face him. “Like, before the infection thing,”

“Well, most foods weren't in cans, if that's what you’re asking,” You absentmindedly pick at one of the cans' labels, already peeling. “Big shops, grocery stores, would sell raw stuff so you can cook them,”

“Cook anything?” Her eyes gleam, making you huff out a chuckle. 

“Sure, as long as there's a recipe, I for one can't cook for shit,” She chuckles, before putting the can into her bag. As you and Ellie make your way upstairs, you pass Joel whose eyes soften as you let Ellie climb up first.

Ellie found a bag and she scurries off to shove toilet paper in it. You made your way into the bathroom to find the medicine cabinet fully stocked. “Fuck yeah,” 

You grab all that your arms can fit and run back to where Ellie was emptying the storage room. Setting all the medicine and emergency kit into the bag, you head back to look under the sink of the bathroom to find a couple of tampons and pads. Another victory. As you reach your hand into the cabinet, a roll of body tape falls out. Checking back to hear Ellie's busy with her work, you stuff the tape into your pocket and head out with the packs of pads and tampons.

Ellie looks up from where she’s hunched inside the storage area. “Hell yeah,” She nods as you stuff the packs into the bag.

Joel emerges from the bunker and heads upstairs just as you and Ellie finish filling up the bag. Ellie follows Joel and so do you, still contemplating what the girl is to Joel or who Joel is to Ellie. Though you shrug it off when Joel opens a door into a worn room, decorations vary on the walls but he beelines into, what you presume, is a closet. He opens it and looks around, clicking a light on, before he settles on a box and pulls it out, setting it on the bed.

The box is labeled ‘Women's shirt, SM-MED’ so Ellie looks through it. She pulls out a red shirt that she fits over her front to make sure, before she glances at you. You only nod in approval, giving her a thumbs up, making her grin and set the article aside.

Joel emerges with a box labeled ‘Long Sleeve Shirts’ and goes back in. You stood opposite of Ellie between the bed, hesitant to touch the box, before Ellie took it first and opened it. She notices your hovering hand and falters on the flaps. “Oh, you wanna take this one?”

“Those won't fit him,” Joel barks from inside the closet, almost making you jump. But instead, his tone is like poking fun at you, so you roll your eyes, huffing.  

“Haha, real funny man,” Your hand reaches back for the box Ellie was opening, before another box abruptly drops next to your hand, affectionately labeled ‘Mens shirt, SM-MED’.

“This could,” His eyes met yours before he ducks back into the closet. 

You stand, almost in shock, elevated from both relief and happiness as it blooms inside you. The box is still closed, sitting just far from you, and the label almost makes your eyes gloss. You swallow a heavy lump, before you notice Ellie's fleeting glance from you to the box, then back to you. “Go ahead dude, those would be way too big for me,” She shrugs.

And so you went through the box and picked out the articles you deemed good enough to fit your form. 

After sorting through the box of clothes, the three of you make your way into the garage. You stand near the door in order to not step in Joel's way while Ellie pokes around, but if you were being honest with yourself, you just wanted to admire the dynamic between Ellie and Joel. Joel has found an all-purpose charger, hooking it up to the car battery. After a minute, the charger begins to work as he surveys it. “Needs another hour,”

“They have hot water!” Ellie cheers as she turns on a faucet from the other end of the room. “I’m takin’ a shower,” She declares as she begins to make her way to where you're standing.

“Then you’re showering, cuz’ seriously,” She huffs, making a disgruntled face at Joel, which made you chuckle. Joel only deadpans as she moves past you. “You too!” She hauls back as she absentmindedly points in your direction.

That made both of your eyebrows shoot up, sputtering for an answer. Your eyes briefly meet Joels, a slight smirk tugging on his lips, before you yourself huffed out a laugh. “I should…” You falter, unable to think of an excuse, before jogging to join Ellie in the house.

Ellie finished her shower quickly, clad in the red shirt she picked and the long sleeves she must've taken out of the box. When she exits the room to find you waiting in the hallway, your pile of clothes a bit taller than her, and arches a brow. “A lot of layers,”

“I get cold easily,” You shrug, making her nod and promptly go downstairs. 

After making sure the door locks, you start to discard your tattered clothes, pulling out your hoodie to also discard it, sticky with grime and dirt. You carefully set your binder on the sink and finally relish the feeling of steady water beating down your body.

Once you’re dry with a towel hanging on your hips, you take out the body tape and fasten a makeshift binder, not too tight to avoid any mishaps. Your dirty binder has been washed under the faucet, so it's now wrung dry enough to be in a plastic bag and shoved into your pack. You put your hair in a towel wrap while you put on deodorant, then the clothes you picked out, zipping up the pants and fastening a belt around it. Pulling on the top, then a t-shirt over it, before a jacket to top it off. You pull off the towel from your hair, leaving it damp enough for it to dry in the wind.

As you walk to the door, a mirror stands just next to it. You spot your reflection, no longer with streaks of dried blood and dirt, hair array from days without proper cleaning. A man with deep eye bags but an otherwise put-together demeanor stares back. You smile, arranging your drying hair a bit, before exiting the room. 

You meet Ellie downstairs, looking around and touching the various items scattered about the still-warm house. You make your way to the dining table, and the unfinished food on the table makes a gnawing feeling in your gut appear. Not the rotting stench, but something significant happened here, if you could judge the wine glasses sat neatly next to each other, now supporting dust instead of its usual amber contents. You swallow down the feeling of what has happened and instead take a seat in the vacant area of the table, pointedly away from the rotting food. As Ellie paces around, you take out your book, flipping through the pages of various notes and entries you’ve written.

You pick out one dried lily you pressed months ago. “See? Dead flowers,” Ellie turns to you, before she spots the flower you’re holding and chuckles.

“There's a lot out front y’know,” She adds. You hum and nod, before returning back to your pages. 

Joel enters the house just as you turn a page. You smile, nodding to the stairs behind the dividing wall. “Showers all yours,” You said. He assesses you, taking a second too long which makes you break eye contact, our eyes back to your book, a steady heat growing on your face. Then he glances at Ellie before he nods and heads to the stairs. Ellie gives you a look once, twice, before she smirks and continues her poking. 

A couple of minutes passes, before you hear a sequence of steps, a muffled ‘oh shit’ maybe coming from Ellie, then you pick your head up from the deep pages and find Ellie standing in front of Joel, combed back curls, highlighting his steadily graying edges, beard shaved neatly, a fitting plaid t-shirt and dark jeans are what he picked from the box, it seems. “Well, don't you look pretty,”

“I agree,” Ellie joins before you can explode from the embarrassing compliment you sputter out. 

“Shut up,” Joel answers, throwing the deodorant you wore earlier into Ellie’s hands. You don't miss the tint of red on Joel's ears, highlighted by the sun coming from the front door. 

“Nice,” She begins to put it on, before you gape. 

“Wait, you didn't put it on?”

“What, I didn't see it!” She retorts, putting the cap back on. 

“Ellie, ew,” The girl throws the deodorant at you, which you caught easily, both of you giggling. 

“Come on you two,” Joel huffs from the door. Ellie quickly puts her pack on as you put your book inside yours, securing it on your back. 

You help Joel with the gear on the pick-ups tub, making sure it’s secured and putting the water-proof tarp over it. Joel and Ellie get in the car as you open the garage door, then slide in yourself into the back seat. Ellie’s eyes practically shine as she prods at the car's dashboard, pulling down the vanity mirror, then messing with the rearview before she pushes it, promptly displaying you in the backseat and Joel next to her.

“It’s your first time in a car?” He stares at the curious girl.

“It’s like a spaceship,” She answers, still in a trance as she prods at the AC flap. 

“No, it's like a piece of shit Chevy S10,” Joel’s answer makes you chuckle from the back seat, rearranging your pack. “But it’ll get us there, I think.”

“Seatbelt,” Ellie turns to Joel, a slight confusion in her eyes, before Joel sighs and pulls the belt over her then hands the rest to Ellie. “Seatbelt.”

She grins, then clicks the seatbelt in place. “So cool,”

You grin from where you’re sat, Joel spotting you from the rearview mirror, your eyes meet briefly which makes you duck your head, settle into the seat and promptly look out the window. Joel starts the car and it hums to life, you can feel the engine purring from the recharged battery and fuel. 

Ellie fumbles and opens the compartment under her, pulling out a cassette tape. Joel notices the girl grinning from what she found. “Would ya leave it,”

“Put it back. Ellie,” Joel's exasperated tone only spurs Ellie more as she slides it into the radio, already pressing play. Your grin matches Ellie's as a melody begins to fill the car, eyes on the various houses you pass. Ellie clearly doesn't recognize the song, her hand reaching for the stop or skip button, before Joel perks up.

“No, no, leave it. This is good,” He says, turning the car to where the gate is meters away. “This is Linda Ronstadt, y’know who Linda Ronstadt is?”

“You know I don't know who Linda Ronstadt is,” Her deadpan expression makes you chuckle, leaning into the comfy seat as you settle into the song. Joel, as if looking for support, spots you from the rearview and arches a brow. You only shrug with a smile on your lips, nodding. 

“Oh man,” Joel glances at the radio, the gate already in front of the car.

“Eh, it's better than nothing,” Ellie smiles, glancing out to the glowing fields, the evening sun already basking its shine on the earth. You sigh, entranced by the singer's voice, clearly to Joel's liking. He pushes the code for the gate and it opens. He puts the remote back, and advances forward, into the road in front.

—

It's been months since your first meeting with Joel and Ellie.

Now, settled into Jacksons easy living commune, you live just next door to Joels and Ellies.

You remembered when they both left some weeks ago, something about looking for a lab, but you didn't catch why. You remembered the way Ellie clung to you as they were getting ready to leave. She's grown fond of you, sharing the same humor and references, even if you’re still years older than her. So when her hands shook as it digs into your jacket, you pull her closer as well, letting her bury her head into the crook of your neck. Then you pressed a kiss on her forehead, mumbled ‘Stay safe,’ before she let go then headed to her horse. Then there was Joel.

Joel, who you were once scared of. Who you helped with gathering wood for the fire. Who you shared breakfast with the morning after leaving those houses. Who you caught smirking at Ellie's joke. Who you ran with when Wyoming went to shit. Who let you stay with him and Ellie without you asking, moving through that insane city until you found the brothers. Who you watched bury them when Sam turned. Who was the gracious ticket that let you into Jacksons. 

Whom you’ve grown feelings for. 

When he was about to leave, you were hesitant to touch him. Anything beyond a helping hand on his arm or shoulder was a breach, so you’ve always kept your hand to yourself. That's what you thought until Joel pulls you into him, almost pushing all of the oxygen out of you. You returned the embrace with equal strength, blinking away the worry gathering in your eyes. It lasted long enough before he pulled back and joined Ellie on the horse. The massive gates opened just slightly, before the two exits, unknown to you how long they’ll leave. Or if they’ll even come back.

But they did, with the two closer than ever.

Now, the three of you simply live in Jacksons. A shout away from each other. Sometimes Ellie would come by, unannounced of course, and hang on your couch while you do chores. Sometimes she’ll look around your collection of books that you salvaged from each import of stuff every month. She’ll find something that interests her and borrow it, bringing it back to her house. On the rare chance that you cook, she’ll stay to eat, asking if you made the food yourself or if it came from a recipe. You'd bat at her arm, saying ‘Of course it’s from a recipe Ellie, y’know I’ll burn the house down.’ And she'll laugh.

Sometimes she brings Joel over. He stays for coffee while Ellie is busy with something. Sometimes you two talk, about something or nothing. About the on-goings of Jacksons. About your shift at the community school and theater. About his shifts on patrols and fixing up old buildings for repurposes. Sometimes just to sit and drink, basking in the pure joy of watching Ellie scuttle around, finding things of interest, and asking you questions about your latest project. Those times are when he’ll shuffle closer, hesitant near your lax stance as you laugh at what Ellie said. He’ll put his cup down and carefully, oh so slowly, brush his hands against yours, and you’ll blink, red steadily growing up your neck. You smile then, relaxing your hand, letting Joel set the pace. Then finally, in the privacy of your house, between Joel and you, he laces his fingers with yours, the warmth of his hands burns yours. But you endure, even welcoming his slightly shaking hold, and you’ll squeeze tight. You turn your head to meet Joel's dark browns, the creases on the side of his eyes dent slightly as he smiles, and you smile too, dropping your head to his broad shoulder. 

Then Ellie would look at your entwined hands and scoff. “That's so gay,” 

Joel would immediately cross his arms while he retorts that she is also gay, and Ellie would quip back another snarky response. You’d laugh, holding your middle and trying not to stumble from where you stand. 

Requests are open

[empressofthewind]

Hi, I'm the one that sent that longer ask recently - thank you so much for responding. So it’s not that the situation at the end in your setting is all that different, but it’s a matter of perspective. That makes so much sense.  

After reading your thoughts I have a couple follow up questions if you’d entertain it (last ones I promise). First because you mentioned interrogating Mogi, why do you think Mello brought Near into it at all? I know he says "my turn to use you" but I get the sense it’s not so much sincere as a pretext and excuse as if to say "don't think this means I'm backing down". Because I think he’s competent enough that he could’ve interrogated Mogi by himself. No doubt he has the skills and confidence to do it on his own since he has the real lived experience needed to rise in the mafia where he'd have to flawlessly prove himself to a very tough crowd a hundred times over. If he kept Mogi to himself it would have in theory given him the big advantage instead of handing it over to his opponent. But the way he set it up put the power in Near's hands...there was always a chance that Near could’ve just said ‘lol thanks’ and hung up the phone leaving Mello high and dry. It seems odd somehow.

And finally, as I understand it your belief is in canon Mello’s priority never wavered from winning the competition but by the end he’d given up hope for that. But also he acted to save Near’s life and gain HIM the victory. I’m trying to wrap my head around this. If he thought there’s a good chance Near is putting his life in danger by having his name written down and possibly overlooking Kira's counter-move, why act at all? If he were right wouldn't it present an opportunity for Mello to claim victory? If Near dies in his confrontation with Kira due to his own mistake…well, that seems like he’s lost fair and square. Afterwards Mello could use Near’s death as the evidence to confront Kira on his own and finally come out the winner. On the other hand if Mello was wrong about there being sketchy business afoot and Near did cleanly confront Kira and win, the situation ends in just the same loss that Mello in theory already accepted so at that point he can go and off himself or whatever. I’m probably not explaining this well, but hopefully you get an idea of what I mean, that there seems to be a bit of disconnect there? ugh sorry it's that I'm trying to understand the end and struggling 😅

Hello again!! These are all very good questions - there's a lot to unpack here so I'm going to do something slightly different and break it up into smaller chunks:

~~~

Why Mello Involved Near in his Interrogation of Mogi

I know he says "my turn to use you" but I get the sense it’s not so much sincere as a pretext and excuse as if to say "don't think this means I'm backing down".

I have a lot to say about this point. I think it's perhaps important to make a distinction between what Mello's intentions actually are, and what he aims to achieve by saying this, because I think these two concepts are entirely divorced from each other. So we'll start with the first point.

The thing about Mello is that he uses people. He hates being used, but he wouldn't have gotten as far as he has without using, if that makes sense. He likes to be the one with all the power, the brains behind an operation where everyone else does the actual dirty work for him. At this stage in his investigation, however, he is working alone. He doesn't have the resources he gained from the mafia. He hasn't linked up with Matt yet. He doesn't have Sidoh on his side anymore. He is operating by himself, and as such, he is limited in what he can do. So, the only person he can use is Near. It wouldn't be the first time he's used Near - he acquired all Near's information via the spy to get ahead in the first place - so he's clearly not opposed to the idea by any means. It's worth noting that this is the closest they get to actually working together in the series, so I'm also convinced he has to believe he's using Near to avoid confronting his own cognitive dissonance about it.

Re: why he tells Near this; I definitely don't think this is meant to be some kind informative statement to make his intentions clear, regardless of whether he means them. I think you're in the right ballpark here. He feels as though he's been used by Near, so he wants to make Near feel the same, and in the process, to show him that he still antagonises Near despite appearing like an ally on the surface. So the interpretation of "don't think this means I'm backing down" is pretty accurate, I'd say. My other possible explanation would be that he believes saying will encourage Near to comply with him. Like, "you already used me, therefore you have to let me use you". We don't have much context to determine what their relationship looked like in the past, but Mello has a lot of hangups about keeping things fair (i.e. giving Near information in return for the photograph, because he doesn't like the idea of being in debt to him), so it's possible Near has demonstrated a similar mentality.

Because I think he’s competent enough that he could’ve interrogated Mogi by himself. No doubt he has the skills and confidence to do it on his own since he has the real lived experience needed to rise in the mafia where he'd have to flawlessly prove himself to a very tough crowd a hundred times over.

Theoretically yes, he could have done it himself, but his choice method of interrogation is kidnapping. I don't think he has the same raw persuasive power that Near does, which he seems to acknowledge in this scene ("I know you're good at that stuff"), so he draws information out of people by force instead. There are two problems with this. One, as mentioned above, he lacks the resources. He has never kidnapped anyone himself. In the case of Sayu and Kitamura, his mafia guys committed the crime themselves, and with Takada, he needed the cooperation of Matt and Lidner to get her away from NHN. I have to imagine it would be incredibly difficult for Mello to orchestrate the kidnapping of Mogi on his own, especially without a secure base, if he hasn't recruited another team of allies by this point.

The second problem is that, as far as he knows, Kira could still be anyone. He was told that it was Matsuda, now he's being told by Lidner that it's the second L, whose identity is unknown to him. Mogi could have the power to kill, and Mello's name is known to the task force, so revealing his face to anyone puts him at risk. This is also mentioned in Near's inner monologue, in which he specifically says "This way, Mello won't be in danger". He also follows this up by saying "Mello wouldn't try to kill me", and I agree with him on that front, but I wouldn't be surprised if Mello thought of this as a bit of a "fuck you" to Near by sending him a guy who could potentially be deadly.

If he kept Mogi to himself it would have in theory given him the big advantage instead of handing it over to his opponent. But the way he set it up put the power in Near's hands...there was always a chance that Near could’ve just said ‘lol thanks’ and hung up the phone leaving Mello high and dry. It seems odd somehow.

I think there's a fairly simple answer to this, which is that the purpose of the phone call is just not something that benefits Near. Mello wants Near to make Mogi say something that will incriminate L as Kira. Near is already confident that L is Kira, so he doesn't care about confirmation. That's strictly something Mello needs to hear. Mello "[keeping] Mogi to himself" would not place him at any distinct advantage, because it would only provide him with information that Near already knows. The reason it's beneficial for Near to let Mello hear this information is because it opens the door for Mello to potentially catch Kira himself. Near appears to want Kira caught regardless of who does it, so this is ultimately beneficial.

~~~

Why Mello Saved Near's Life

And finally, as I understand it your belief is in canon Mello’s priority never wavered from winning the competition but by the end he’d given up hope for that. But also he acted to save Near’s life and gain HIM the victory.

TOTALLY see what you’re saying here and I think this was just bad wording on my part in the original post. So my general opinion is that Mello has gone through a lot of character development since we first see him. When I say his priority was always to win, I mean this not in the sense that he thought dying was a victory, but in the sense that any action that allowed Near to win was not a true triumph. Thus, he couldn’t possibly consider it a win, even a joint one, when Near was ultimately the one to take credit for it, and he saw his sacrifice as surrendering instead. Essentially he never abandoned the idea that there could only be one winner, even if that winner was Near!

If he thought there’s a good chance Near is putting his life in danger by having his name written down and possibly overlooking Kira's counter-move, why act at all? If he were right wouldn't it present an opportunity for Mello to claim victory?

I think perhaps this excerpt (from here) from another of my analyses might help answer this for you:

there’s also the fact that his name is out there, and he knows that, so he probably thinks there’s a high risk he will die or be imprisoned regardless, so at least this way, he’s dying for a cause. and I think it’s also important to remember that even though he hates Near, he believes that Near is better than him. he was raised on that belief; it’s been drilled into him since he was a kid. that’s why he hates Near. so even though he’s dedicated his entire life to beating Near, I do think in a situation like this, where he thinks that one of them is going to die, he would probably assume it’s better to be him.

My point here is essentially that there is not really a future for Mello beyond the case. Even if Mello did "win", what would he do? He already forfeited the role of L; it's not like Near would just give that up because of some five-year-old competition that he was never really invested in. And Mello is a wanted criminal, so his other options are pretty bleak. He could spend the rest of his life on the run, but why? What is the point? I think he started to realise that he had to accept defeat, because the only goal he had left to chase was his own pride.

If Near dies in his confrontation with Kira due to his own mistake…well, that seems like he’s lost fair and square. Afterwards Mello could use Near’s death as the evidence to confront Kira on his own and finally come out the winner.

The issue with this is that it eliminates the entire point of winning. If Near is dead, who is he proving himself to? Who is around to see him claim that victory? It's not like Roger cares, and there's no one else at Wammy's House who mattered to him the same way Near did.

On the other hand if Mello was wrong about there being sketchy business afoot and Near did cleanly confront Kira and win, the situation ends in just the same loss that Mello in theory already accepted so at that point he can go and off himself or whatever. I’m probably not explaining this well, but hopefully you get an idea of what I mean, that there seems to be a bit of disconnect there?

I do get what you mean! Honestly I think Mello was extremely confident that there was a hole in his plan, based on his line "Then I guess I'm going to have to do it". The phrasing makes him sound extremely sure of himself, so I don't think he had any doubt that Near would die if he didn't act.

~~~

Thank you so much for the ask!! I hope this answers things for you - sorry it took me a fair while to write 🫶

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Aita for getting my polycule to cut someone off?

Okay, so, my bfs started dating this guy we were previously friends with. He had always made me uncomfortable, but I don't want to dictate who they can and can't date. So I stayed off to the side, trying to put together why exactly he made me uncomfortable as hell.

Well, one day we were all talking and he decided to mention a weird dream he had, completely unrelated to our conversation, that was about me being Jewish. It just stuck out to me that the reason I may be uncomfortable is because it felt tokenizing to suddenly bring that up when everyone else was talking about something else. This, and he would come to me asking if he was allowed to wear patches with the 🚫 and swastika in it without really considering I never said I was comfortable with that before.

I called him out on it after days of feeling so uncomfortable I isolated. He apologized and one of my bfs was there for when he apologized because, I admit, I was trying my damndest not to address the issue out of fear I would be broken up with.

After this, he kept making sexual passes at me and my main bf. Me and him had sex once, at the very start of us getting to know each other. He seemed experienced, so I decided it'd be best to have my first time with him. After that I showed no sexual interest, but he also kept wanting to have sex with my main bf who witnessed the apology. Which, was fine by me, but I didn't want to be involved.

When I stepped away from that, and my bf never had sex with him, so he treated me differently. Or well, it seemed like he tried to treat me normally but then he would look at me like he was trying to get a read on me.

Flash forward, this guy's fiance breaks up with him so he starts to rely on my bfs more. The whole situation is just sketchy to me, so I talk to his ex fiance. Well, said fiance reveals some very troubling things to me. This guy had always viewed me as an obstacle, got mad when I didn't want to have sex, and tried to make it seem that I was keeping him from having sex with his "2nd main partner". He would always make the relationship seem a lot closer than it was. My main partner and I talk all of the time, so it came as a surprise to both of us that he considered my main partner as his "2nd main".

I told my bfs, and they all agreed he needed to be talked to and removed from the polycule groupchat. I let him have it when I talked to him, caught him up in lies and contradictions, and then I told him he's never allowed around me again.

Instead of acting like he cared he hurt me, he just asked if this meant everyone was breaking up with him. I told him I don't speak for them and instead of talking to any of them individually like they all wanted, he ran and blocked them. Accusing us of ganging up on him.

I still talk to his ex fiance, they're super cool and we used to play d&d together.

Was I the asshole to bring all of that on at once? Dude got broken up with by who he thought was a life partner and 2 other people in the span of 2 weeks.

What are these acronyms?

[lej222]

What do you think of scene in chapter 156 of Jisu catching Miae and the narration goes: Thump. Thump. Thump? Hmph. Was the narration describing Miae's feelings or what it wanted Miae to feel? I personally think the narration was describing what it wanted Miae to feel, because they are times the narration is pushing Miae to Jisu and it express frustration that Miae is oblivious to it. I do think it is possible for Miae to develop feelings for Jisu, but she has move on from Cheol first.

I agree with you, it likely describes what it wants Miae to feel/or what Miae should feel. The narrator clearly likes Jisu and it might also be because Jisu has become aware of its existence. I've talked about the synchronicity theory and how it feels like acknowledging a deeper order in the universe when you experience it. If we assume the narrator is a supernatural being, Jisu experiencing synchronicity meant that he noticed its presence. Cheol, who keeps accidentally drinking coffee at night, cannot get its messages through his dreams because he cannot sleep. Miae is the one who directly interacts with it and the one this being aggressively tries to steer. The reason for this is unknown, although it could be connected to the fact that Miae was very sick as a baby and she was close to death, so the universe/this supernatural being is watching her closely. Yes, I agree that if a Jisu ending is possible, Miae and Cheol have to end their story first, I think I mentioned before that if Miae and Cheol don't end up together, she should start dating another person later in her life when she's more mature emotionally. Obviously, if Cheol and Miae are destined to be together, just ignore this paragpraph. :D (this is just a theory everybody)

I feel like I have to use your ask to mention how unresolved plot points play into the story. We have Jisu, whose perspective is so limited it's actually hilarious how little Miae knows about him. Because:

we still haven't seen the rest of his time at Miae's elementary school and why he singled her out

we don't know what his relationship with Johan was like, but we do know he met him before he transferred to Miae's school-> grade 2 Yohan (7~8 yrs old), Miae met Cheol in the summer of 1993 (they were born in 1984, so 8~9 yrs old-> grade 3). Miae started following Jisu after the summer break of 1993-> grade 3 of elementary school, one year after he was Johan's schoolmate

Miae asked Jisu why he kept transferring and he dodged the question (but maybe Johan knows)

Jisu joined the bet because he wanted a wish, something that we still don't know

There were some sketchy people around his house and one looked like his father

Miae reached for the accoustic guitar, but he gave her the bass instead

For some reason, he keeps failing his tests at school intentionally

He wanted to say something to Miae after she told him he should study for himself but he was interrupted

I mean, all of these things were purposefully not addressed. Just like how there's one countryside memory left that we haven't fully seen, when Miae was running after Cheol. That one is probably a very important detail as well. Is there another reason why the higher power likes Jisu but Miae doesn't remember? And most importantly, why doesn't she remember when Jisu was one of the few boys who were her friends? She started remembering Cheol through her dreams, so it's obvious that dreams and wishes are important in the story. Even when it comes to wishes, there are so many different forms - the Buddha statue, the airplanes, the bet that centered around a wish and Jisu won it, Miae wishing to go to Seoul, Cheol's wish that's connected to him being the number1 student which is right now Jisu, etc.

[erros429]

i think the appeal of rosebird, at least for me, is the what-if of it all. like yes, the divorcee dynamic is fantastic (and as humorous as freezerbros divorce). but just the aching and the yearning and the missed chances over the years.

meeting at beacon and initially disliking each other because summer is just so fucking positive and kind and because raven is so fucking pessimistic and stubborn. they’re natural opposites and yet summer shows raven more kindness than she’s ever received before, and raven’s shown summer more defiance than she’s ever seen before. and that contrast is what attracts them to each other. the unknowns of how the other lives.

they spend time together, both with the team and just the two of them. maybe their fighting styles complement each other. and maybe when they’re out to get coffee together (raven drinks it black and summer drinks it with a cream and five sugars), their hands brush as raven hands her her drink. their legs press against each other’s when they sit at the table. there’s a lull in their conversation, a comfortable one, where they don’t have much to say but they’re content in each other’s presence. and maybe raven’s never wanted to be a follower before, but under summer’s leadership… maybe she was willing to trust her life in her hands. maybe they’ve almost kissed before. maybe they have kissed before. maybe they still want to.

but even if raven starts to trust her team (and summer) more, she sure as hell doesn’t trust anyone else. ozpin’s being sketchy as hell and her brother is buying into his every word. and maybe raven tries to warn them about ozpin. but they don’t believe her, instead chalking it up to her usual pessimism.

and so raven has yang. she sees her child, delicate as she is, innocent as she is. and she thinks this — this domestic life, this happy life — isn’t who she is. she grew up and had to fight everyday just to survive. there are people that depend on her. so she leaves. she’s shied away from summer so many times that… maybe summer’s moved on. she comes back two years later and sees ruby and figures that yeah, summer has moved on. that’s a good thing. that should be a good thing. why does she ache so much at the sight of it?

but this is all raven’s point of view. summer aches too, but she’s better at hiding it because she loves tai and she loves her kids and she shouldn’t miss someone who’d abandon her own family. she shouldn’t miss her, and yet she she does.

and when she tells raven about her mission against salem, she’s surprised to hear her agree so readily. “i won’t let you face that monster alone,” raven tells her over the scroll once. “i don’t want to see you hurt.”

and that’s a big revelation to summer. and raven’s mortified that an admittance of any sort of feelings is out there now. so when they meet in person, raven attempts cheek. “summer rose telling lies,” she teases, and it isn’t welcome. and her concern for the family that she left isn’t welcome either. and that’s right. raven left and summer moved on and that’s fair and that’s right.

then tragedy strikes. something happens to summer. if raven wasn’t standoffish before, she sure as hell is now. she shouldn’t have gotten so close to someone before, especially not someone as hopeful as summer. because in raven’s experience, that kind of hope only gets you one thing. dead.

now i’m definitely not excusing raven’s actions. she’s a deadbeat mom and teammate and though there’s (more or less) an explanation, it sure as hell isn’t an excuse. she hurt tai and yang badly. maybe she thought they were better off without her, but that wasn’t up to her. she thinks she’s merciful and strong for making a difficult choice, but it wasn’t the right one. but just b/c i dislike her as a person and the decisions she made, i do have to admit there’s a ton of intrigue to her and summer’s characters. this entire post was speculation, but that’s what makes it so fun to dissect.

[corporatefrog]

╰┈➤ Welcome Back to the Channel part 16; free ice cream

✧.* featuring kyle and yn walking to an unknown (and probably fine, totally not murderous) location : ̗̀➛ notes - here's your daily reminder to why i don't write serious things lmao tags - college au, superhero au, smau

series masterlist previous | next

Kyle didn’t tell me where we were going. 

“We’re going to talk to the doctor.” He’d say as if it weren’t the most infuriatingly cryptic thing ever. What kind of superhero noir film does he think we’re in?

Rule number 1 is don’t follow men into unknown dark places. Granted, the men in those situations are built like a Jostar and super scary. Compared to that, Kyle is more of a pomeranian off his leash. I could tell him that Donald Glover leaves Community in the fifth season and he’d be out of commission for long enough to kick his lanky legs and take him down. 

Why are we thinking about the specifics of physically restraining our friend?

You can never be too prepared.

Now you’re being cryptic. We aren't even in a sketchy area. Isn’t that literally craig’s house?

My focus returned to my surroundings as I noticed the houses lining the street. I’d only seen craig’s house once when Butters shared a picture of a bear standing in his driveway, thinking it was a dog, but that was enough to solidify the house to memory. 

Without realizing, my steps slowed as I became lost in my thoughts again. 

I’m in the neighborhood where Craig’s family lives. Clyde told me he lived in the same neighborhood with the guys for most of their life. That means Kyle probably lives in the same neighborhood too. Kyle knows about Butters.

And we’re diving in this hole, WHY?

Shut up, I’m onto something... I think.

Kyle knows about Butters. Butters is Chaos. We’re in Craig’s neighborhood. Craig. Butters. Kyle. Superheroes. Craig. Fucking SUPER CRAIG. 

Holy shit. I forgot about Super Craig.

“KYLE!” I snapped back to reality. Kyle had gotten a half a block ahead of me. When he turned back, his own nervous gaze met mine. He held up a finger to his lips, gesturing to the dark street as a reminder that this isn’t the place to shout this late at night. 

I pressed my lips together to hopefully hold back any other impulsive shouts and speed walked to catch up with him. 

“Kyle we’re so fucking stupid. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it-” Kyle cut off my rambling.

“What? Is something wrong?” He asked, voice matching my own panic as his nerves bounced off of mine. 

“Of course something is wrong. Craig’s a superhero too! Don’t you see it?” I asked, looking up at Kyle. Panic radiated off both of us, air growing electric as our thoughts bounced off of each other in a silent amplification of anxiety.

Kyle opened his mouth to respond but no words came out. He paused, then closed his mouth, swallowing the words. He turned away from me, continuing down the sidewalk as though I didn’t just drop a friendship altering bomb.

“Come on, we’ve got to get to Timmy’s house.” Kyle said over his shoulder, turning to walk up the steps of a house at the end of the block. 

Who the fuck is timmy?

"Are we not going to address this? Or do I only get one theory confirmed every 24 hours?" I questioned, jogging to catch up with Kyle on the doorstep.

He didn't look in my direction. Instead he rung the doorbell and kept his eye trained on the entryway. "All of the above."

“This free ice cream better come with a month of therapy after this bullshit.” I muttered to myself as the door swung open revealing him. The one who is meant to answer all of my questions. The one who had the power to keep Kyle Broflovski silent.

Dr. Timothy.

taglist [reply to be added]: @sula0kin @lacuna-at-dawn @anglettecolours @cocolena@sukisprettyface @feverish-dove @sweetadonisbutbetter @hand-writxen@mishstuff@sophtophie @triphovia  @lacunaanonymoused @inkedintothepaper @toodeepintofandoms@mmmaackerel @sillybilly-123@n0tangeliccc

[uglyduckling339]

KY'S LIFE IS STRANGE DOUBLE EXPOSURE NONSENSE LIVEBLOG: Chapter 2

(spoilers ahead obvi) (this does NOT make sense without having played the episode or at least watched it) (it may also not make sense with the context. so.)

tutorial episode 1

Okay so lowkey i finished this chapter like a week and a half ago but forgot to make a luh review so😭😭 oopsies

I know it's probably just to easily cut between scenes but Max keeps lowkey dissociating after sum freaky shit happens. First chapter after her and Safi almost died, and then now after she universe-hops (?) #trauma_response

god i fucking HATE this buzzing. i miss rewind, that wasn't loud and annoying

"did the forecast call for massive nose bleeds?" GIGGLING umm blah blah blah the storm was because of max's powers and her powers are shown through nosebleeds joke goes here

wtf are these sketchy ass teachers planning bro. just call off and go visit ur kid?? why is this a big deal💀

"oofa doofa" LMFAOO MAX IS BACK W HER WEIRD ASS SLANG

uhm i think my game glitched or sum bc Safi and Safi's mom just left the turtles but I can hear them gossiping about drug usage? huh

whole-heartedly, this game is FAR too expensive for all these glitches

Maxine "Mary Poppins" Caulfield is back with her stupid ass bag logic

love her she just shoved a whole step ladder in there like it was nun

Vinh... honey shes like. very dead :(

UGHH life tip guys help the guy with the bathroom key BEFORE you talk to Amanda.

jesus my drafts are so hard to comprehend.. wtf does half this shit mean bro😭

Diamond's beef with Vinh is so interesting. It's lowkey like a more intense Rachel v. Victoria from LiS: BTS

OH MY GOD

CAT

i can't take the cat yet :( its in the bushes at the school hissing at me

Vinh needs Max so bad lowkey

I should've interrupted Lucas last chapter bc I don't see the issue with him? he seems like he's incredibly pretentious but not even like HALF as bad as most of Arcadia Bay and he's kinda nice when he's not yapping

i'm so serious what the hell was i saying in these drafts bro.

Max watering Gwen's plant like it's Lisa :( RIP

I was SO prepared for Gwen to walk in ngl

Max :( no :( i like lucas :( I wanna hear abt the book expo :(

i'm so cooked bro i love literally every character in this game so much. none of them killed her theres no way

omfg glitch again ! Lucas's briefcase is open WHILE MAX IS ACTIVELY TALKING ABT IT BEING LOCKED SHUT. GIRL REACH IN I CAN SEE THE FILES.

"dare i channel my... inner chloe" OH MY GOD

I LIKE VINH SO MUCH. I HIGHKEY MIGHT ROMANCE THEM TOGETHER.

No clue what "TRAIN TRACKS????? REFERENCE WHILE FLIRTING WITH A MAN?? MAXINE??" means but i like the vibes so i'm adding it here

WHAT DOES THIS DRAFT MEAN LMFAO

i should just post some of these so yall can see the weird ahh shit i got in my drafts lmfao

bye i forgot which universe i was in and drank w/ Vinh instead of pursuing the objective

OH SHIT. don't forget which universe ur in😭 the dialogue almost messed me up fr

also there is SO MUCH repeating dialogue.

max has the milennial curse of forgetting that she can use google istg

Reggie !!! my fav !!!

Authority Figure Max is so fine oml i need her

also !! chloe and victoria's trauma posting is actually so important to me and idc how much yall hate it

one of these drafts just says the sentence "like the fanfic!!"... what was i yappin abt bro

REPEATING DIALOGUE SHUT UPPPP

GWEN I WAS EXPLORING. i was coming to you AFTER !!

I can make this SO EMO if yall let me (max smoking a joint)

wait okay so i'm slow but is Gwen trans?

GOD I HATE THIS FUCKING CHOICE. IT FEELS LIKE THAT FUCKING "Go To The Cops or Find Evidence" CHOICE FROM LIS 1

The true essense of LiS is saying "fuck it, it's just a video game" and screwing every character over bc of it

highkey I still hate Loretta but she's kinda nice in this part.

WAIT PAUSE LORETTA HOW THE F U C K DID YOU GET UP HERE GIRL

GIRL I UNIVERSE-HOPPED. WTF DID U DO

and if i say loretta murdered her what would yall do. (/joke, /theory)

oh okay mr. detective ! thats racism !

so i spent 5 drafts yapping about needing to avoid the tree so it doesn't make a sound just to realize that in Dead World! the tree isn't decorated 😭

giggling and another 4 drafts complaining bc my game crashed (luckily it saved first)

OKAY SO I FUCKING HATE THIS ACTUALLY

Listen I was bad at the David Madsen swim scene in LiS ep 3, and that had rewind. I'm cooked

PAUSE was rhat a glitch or did she just get caught and rewind time?????

max's overusing her powers again.. girl did we not learn from the NIGHTMARE in LiS

that feeling when you alter the universes and combine them together (absolutely nothing bad will happen from this for sure)

i have a whole paragraph yapping about my love for Vinh in my drafts lmfao

ALSO theorecially could you romance Vinh in one world and Amanda in another....

CAT

CAT

CAT

AH BRING THE BABY IN THE HOUSE MAX

GRAB IT

OH MY GOD CUSTOMIZATION AHHH

BLACK KITTY !!! JUST LIKE MY IRL CAT !!!

IRIS 🖤🖤🖤

AHH THIS WAS SO WORTH THE $85.00

CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT CAT

anyways i wonder why Living World! Max hasn't been home in days

AHHHHH KITTY :) FEED THE BABY MAXINE.

also how is that guitar here. isn't it like incredibly destroyed from the storm

"Grief flings open all the doors we thought we'd shut forever" okayyyy lucas i see u

OH ?? MULTI-UNIVERSE MURDER??

great job max. glad we stayed calm😭😭

i've been repeating this line for over a week now ngl

"it-it's photoshop !😰😰 a deepfake🧐 idunno!!! 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️"

i miss the ads at the end of the episodes soo badly its not even funny

And that was it! alot more glitching in episode 2, but overall it was still hella fun (and the CAT. OH MY GOD !!)

I won't be able to play the new chapters until Wednesday at LEAST bc i'm hella busy but I wanted to get this out for my adoring fans (2 mutuals who like the posts i make)

[himebushou]

I finished watching Shaman King 2021 yesterday! Some scattered thoughts on Episodes 38-52!

So much happened in this episode but absolutely everything has been wiped from my brain because WHAT is Marco's battle outfit —

Episode 38

Episode 39

I really need Team The Ren to win this fight!

Yoh finally gets to share his big news, lol

Man, the X-Laws' reveal was a big deal but again, it went at a 100 miles an hour so there wasn't much space/time to absorb everything... and I can't believe how huge that table has gotten, lol

Marco is. A dope.

Episode 40

For me, a Team Horohoro fan, this episode was... truly a lot. I want to know his full story (and despite what Yoh and Ren say, I know that they do, too). He was seriously amazing and guh, just such a fantastic character. I loves the kanji and etymology lesson from Hao, too.

I'm still kinda shocked that Yoh is back in the Shaman Fight as I thought that his being out of the game was a massive divergence that was going to set the series apart, but the way things have worked out is pretty cool!

And the Five Elemental warriors are gonna come from Gandhara, huh? Nice!

The new ending is GORGEOUS. Whoa whoa.

(Also, finally getting some closure for why Yoh has felt so off — poor chilled boy is so stressed.)

Episode 41

hjdjd THIS OST IS OUTSTANDING

I think Marco is dead dead (unless he'll be revived?) and phew, the stuff with the X-Laws' satellite was cool! ALTHOUGH. I'm wondering what the heck they saw that made Hao so damn angry.

Sati doesn't waste any time taking prisoners fjdk

YOH VS HIS ANCESTOR? NICE NICE NICE!

Honestly, some moments have been jawdropping fjhfh

And Oh!Oni was back! And beloved Matamune!

I love this Yoh and Amidamaru focus, eee

Episode 42

I am just becoming increasingly incoherent EVERYTHING IS SO EXCITING but phew, so many people kicked the bucket in this ep?

I am emo about Yohsen oh maaan

I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE HAS BEEN THIS BIG SECRET ALLIANCE BETWEEN GANDARA AND THE PARENTS AND MATAMUNE FHDJ YOWWW

Episode 43

And now one of Manta's relatives is getting in on the action and trying to nab the Great Spirit PHEWWW

Jun having trained with Sati? Whoa! And having the mana to resurrect THREE people? When Faust could only do one? I have some questions, but I'm happy my girl is involved!

But since Anna has also mastered the Ultra Senji Ryakketsu, surely she should also be able to resurrect people?

This is so wild but it's exciting so I'll roll with it!

Episode 44

ANNA VS HAO and there are still so many secrets there? THE TENSION.

And then the coffee!! I'm so glad that Yohsen is somehow still around fjfjf

Though damn, Hao, you cheapskate: pay your damn bill!

Tao Ran and Tao Yúan on screen together, yahoo! (Flipping heck, I loved those moments when Ren was so embarrassed about his family cheering him on, lolol)

BUT BLOODY HELL THIS BATTLE. TBH I really want Team The Ren to win because I do feel that they've got Yoh outclassed... the Ren/Horo lightning/ice combo is just too good. Though wow, Horohoro is MAD.

Episode 45

I'm so close to the end and I'm so sad!

Phew, so we find out which elements the boyos are going to have! I was fully expecting Yoh to have fire, so I was super surprised that it'll be Lyserg instead. Joco with the 'Wind of Change' makes sense, as does Ren with lightning (though I'm surprised that this was an element over metal, tbh, especially since Ren made some comments about Yoh's mastery of metal where Spirit of Sword was concerned) and Horohoro with water. Yoh as the sturdy earth guy is good.

(I'm slightly angsty for Ryu... there wasn't much of an explanation from Sati and Gandhara about precisely why the Elemental Warriors had to be kiddos, apart from the established conversation about adults knowing their ceilings. I assume that there's a bit more detail in the manga.)

This fight against the rest of the world, though? Huh, dramatic! I'm a bit sketchy about the whole laser thing becaaause I thought that was spiritual energy that was fired at the island, but it couldn't have been if the whole world is aware of it? So I have questions!

Everyone chillding in the hot spring is so cute, good gracious.

Episode 46

Wow, show's over. Hao is the Shaman King.

Episode 47

HOW is this going to wrap up in a satisfying way when we still have another 8 Patch Officiants to get through djdjd the Lyserg OST hits so haaaard...

Episode 48

Waaaa the adults are having a barbecue and the kids are fighting for their lives and we are losing healers left and right and Opacho can read minds and there are still SO MANY REVELATIONS crikeyyyy

Episode 49

The tone changes are so odd to keep up with; one second, Redseb and Seyrarm are dying and the next, Kalim is bringing everyone dinner and the guys are taking a break to recover mana when it's been explicitly stated they have 15 hours to save the world! This is so whack to me.

WAIT I nearly missed that there was a ton of stuff after the credits and djhff Horohoro doesn't like his full name?

TIME FOR MY BOY'S BACKSTORYYYY

Episode 50

Oh man, the way Tamiko died was actually harrowing and then she's revealed to be Kororo and Ren's just like. Horohoro is now in dope mode we must ignore him fhfjjlfj

Ren has been taking on most of these fights and his battle against Nichrom was swift, but cool; I loved Joco vs Thalim though — and Thalim himself was adorable!

Episode 51

ALL THE ELEMENTAL SPIRITS VS HAO!

I'm weeping Shaman King is so special the whole thing is just WE WILL DEFEAT THE BADDIE WITH THE POWER OF LOVE.

urgh urgh this OST!!

I'M NOT REAAADY DOR THIS TO END

Episode 52

I definitely cried during the last episode because parts of the ending were so beautiful; everyone coming together to show Hao that he could be saved — that salvation is in accepting your humanity and believing in the humanity of others. And I found Hao's mother's words so freaking soothing... I'm glad that Hao missing his mother was foreshadowed earlier, but we could have had more of that, I think.

And sure, they haven't fixed the world by 2007, but that is OKAY — most of them are around 22 and at that age, I was a wreck! So they have time and their lives to look forward to and... and I guess I disagree with the folks who say that the end of Shaman King is bad because they feel 'everything was pointless'; there's a lot to do and, even with guardian ghosts, shamans can't do everything alone.

I think this is an anime I could definitely rewatch, at some point. Wow. I love these characters and, as much as I griped about this, that and the other, I loved this story.

And I think it's so interesting that Yoh just. Didn't end up as the Shaman King djbdfh that;s definitely not what I was expecting!

[fruit-salad-ship]

So hypothetical for the Witcher au if the trio somehow ended up as Witcher’s together same school and everything how long did it take them to become the lovable menaces they are?

Hrm. Their styles would vary widely, I originally imagined peach in the school of the bear, grey would fit too, but plum couldn’t keep up with that. I guess snake isn’t terrible, plenty of variation.

The girls were ostracised immediately. Peach was dumped there and plums family paid to keep her there, out of their hair. Because they were the only girls they were often stuck together and it made them both angry. They wanted to be treated like everyone else, but instead were pushed harder and mocked for even being there.

Their training though fierce was led by a Witcher in training a few years older than them, Grey, a young boy with a good heart volunteered to help them when no one else would. He swiftly put them both on their asses, expecting neither to get back up fast, but they both did. Unrelentingly stubborn, he found their tenacity infectious, and wildly appealing. Eventually in groups with other youngsters grey was chemically altered to be a proper full fledged Witcher and started taking jobs, leaving the girls alone to train. Their competitive natures led them to slowly learn to get along, finding respect in the others skills, peach grew strong and defensive, while plum grew fast and tactical. Both made great steps with signs, peach excelled with the herbal aspect making tonics and such, while plum boasted ridiculous knowledge of recorded creatures and how to fell, use and manipulate them. They were surprising the others in their school, surviving is one thing, excelling a totally different story.

They garnered enough praise that the other teachers would start to lead them, each finding weapons to suit, adapting to fit their styles, and reconnecting with grey whenever he returned from beyond the walls of their home, demanding all the stories and information. Their midnight laughs and tall tales were what brought them together, he however was privy to some information he withheld from the girls. plum was smaller and far less durable, she would undergo the same Witcher creating process as the boys, a very…sketchy survival rate, a good percentage didn’t pull through. Peach however was far more thick skinned, seemed to possess an unusually high tolerance for some of the more dangerous poisons and potions in the schools labs, and thus the higher ups wanted to test a new method on her. Witchers we’re hard to make, if the new method worked better they could ensure their survival perhaps.

Grey sat on this information for a few days, sparring with them, noticing just how quickly they’d both developed their skills, no wonder the leaders wanted to get on with their turning process. Finally over dinner he mentioned it, both girl falling quiet. It was what they’d trained for but they knew the risks. He didn’t mention peach’s unusual new process, figured she’d find out when they came to get her.

Thing is they never warned peach at all, she expected a horrific process that would either kill her or make her stronger. The girls had a quiet moment waiting to be called for, they shared a room, both just sat there in the quiet. Plum was nervously tapping her foot, wringing her hands. A small kindness, feeling her class mate, the bigger girl opposite her come across and sit beside her on the bed. Didn’t say anything, just took her hand and held it. They waited there like that until someone came to get them.

Didn’t question why peach didn’t go into the same room as plum and the others.

Grey sat up all night. Couldn’t sleep a wink, kept hearing horrifying cries in the depths of their home, the many kids being pumped full of mutagens and tonics. His change was not a good memory, he could only hope his friends would survive.

Plum pulled through much to everyone’s surprise, it was her and two other boys out of two dozen that actually got through it. Some whispered that it was a shame she made it and not one of the others. A murmur that hurt to hear, but she was use to being the one no one wanted around. Even peach was strong enough to overtake most of the boys, and they respected that she took a hit same as they did. Plum eventually emerged, a sight for sore eyes, Grey ran to her, big arms bundling her up, grinning, he was so worried. It was a huge relief, but the elephant in the room was painfully evident. No peach, not anywhere.

A whole month passed. Every night plum returned to her empty room and looked at the bed her friend use to use. Grey asked, and pestered and bothered his teachers, asked where she was, why she’d not been listed in with the dead, why he couldn’t pay respects to her body, where even was it? Not a single adult could say anything, exchanging nervous glances and dodging the subject. Sometimes he swore at night when he’d wander down to get water, he’d hear her, a very distant choked cry, swore it was her.

Then one day she shows up. Like a ghost, peach returns. Plums chair falls back she gets up so fast, grey vaults the table, they’re with her the second she enters the great hall, several others noticing the commotion. Peach is drained, visibly smaller, dark circles under her eyes like someone who’d been pulled back from the dead, hair faded in colour, and yet, to see her friends was all that mattered. she would lie in a bed in searing agony and wish to just sit beside them, if not that, then the relief of death finally. Grey asked what happened, plum prying, helping her to a table to sit. The sight of them both well however was overwhelming, peach just broke down and cried, something no one had ever seen her do. Plum had heard her in the dark of their room some nights, but never seen it, not like this.

They left their questions aside, comforted her, got a meal in the woman, tried to slowly get answers. It was plum sneaking around in the shadows at night, stealthiness used to get sweet treats from the kitchens unnoticed, that she overheard some of the older witchers.

Peach had been a subject in their tests. She had been killed a dozen times, and brought back, in order to strengthen the Witcher powers, and speed up the process. It however took way longer than originally thought, this was the first human test, and it went wrong. Peach suffered for 5 weeks, in and out of living, of consciousness. No wonder she looked like she did. Their conclusion? No one should be subject to that process again. What they did, even by Witcher standards, was too cruel. Plum went back to her room, her friend in her bed, sleeping lightly, sick to her stomach about what she’d learnt, paused at the edge of the room with an intense need to do something about it.

Plum instead of getting in her own bed, put her hand on peach’s shoulder, startling her awake, turning in the dark to see the reflective eyes looking up at her. Pushed her to move over, which she did, and got in behind her friend, wrapped her up in a hug, so angry at the situation. Peach had no idea what was going on, just felt this little woman behind her holding so tight. It was…weird, sure, but plum obviously needed this? So she said nothing, went back to sleep.

Plum told grey everything in secret, they watched peach train and saw despite her withered state she was still fiercely determined. Right back to sword practice without hesitation to rest up more than a day. They swore to not tell her, she didn’t need to know, all that mattered was that she survived. They helped her regain what she lost, the once weak bodied woman regained her muscle mass and then some, started to overtake others in terms of skill, started to laugh and joke again. Before long she was her old self, and the three of them travelled together to take on jobs throughout the kingdom. The secret still remains with grey and plum. Peach hit her stride, all that they wanted to do was be together and find exciting new things to enjoy in life. They have however found it very unusual that they’ve never seen peach go full Witcher, the black eyes, the toxin riddled body. She’ll neck tonics and they don’t seem to poison her even half as much, and her durability is insane, no one should have that much stamina. Whatever was done to her certainly made her stronger, but at what cost.

[fumikomiyasaki]

∅

Carol on the Armonye Dorm

Character opinions

(Given I already gave my opinions on Discord I just instead do her thoughts on each of them)

Nicholas:

"Oh right Prince Castemont... He does feel just like the protagonist of the lone Sword. Hopefull, Royal and full of determination... he has this soft aura to him and its fun drinking tea with him. He even gave me some informations about Horses I didn't know about yet. I enjoy his company a lot... In general I would be glad to take his offer to learn how to ride a horse even if I have a bit worry about it."

Joshua:

"He was to me a bit sketchy at first... but hearing him sing, I can understand how he captured Louis for sure. His voice is very nice, he even caught me once singing and encouraged me to do it more... yet I can't shake the feeling something is off with him... maybe I feel a bit of fakeness behind that smile... maybe I also am wrong... but he doesn't mean any harm to me so I guess I can ignore it."

Genesis:

"He is very handsome... Even if he seems pretty serious, I remember lending him one of my bookmarks and he asked me if he could keep it, the question was kinda sweet. I am also more curious about his kingdom but from what I heard... I probably wouldn't survive the heat... I feel the best memory I had was in winter where i lend him one of the hot cushions I had in my pockets and he has this small smile on his face once I handed him one... its was kinda cute. I guess for one I respect him but I also enjoy his company a lot, he is fun to observe in a way."

Kimon:

"I seriously worry about how much they sleep, but Louis told me about that and leave it to him... still somehow they feel calm if they talk to me. I brought some picture books and they seemed so happy. Often when I come to RSA to tutoring I find them sleeping somewhere and contact Louis so we can bring them back to the dorm together... that is mainly why I worry... but in general I feel like caring for a younger sibling than anything. "

Flint:

"Well... he sure has a lot to look at. I am sorry but the outfit choices get me distracted... at first I thought he would be one of the mean ones who just want to cause trouble... but seeing how he cares about some and talking to him my impression improved a little. Given I did babysit in NRC a lot we could chat about that a little... although I am still mad he called me Milf material by accident, that one I still won't forgive. Yet... I know he is not all that attitude, he is fine if you get to know him."

Adam:

"One of my most hardworking students that I appreciate.... he is a sweety for sure. Each time he sees me frustrated from others he looks after me and offers me somehting to eat but also those food puns often make me laugh. Sure he is clumsy at times but something about it is very endearing to me. I have a soft spot for him for sure and enjoy his company a ton. I also appreciate he is one of the rare people that actually try the food I made and like it. I... really am glad I met him really."

Isbrand:

"I have respect for anyone that takes time to tend to others and I appreciate every info he gave me about treating other people medically. I also am guilty to spend time with him when it was a hot summer day just cause it was far colder standing around him... I have to admit that. I wish I could help him and Genesis to get over their differences cause I feel... if this dorm would work more together they could acheive such great things together... I love coming to this dorm cause so many people are that interesting and talented here... But with Isbrand... I do really enjoy his company."

Ivy:

"As I heard that the first books I brought coming to this universe were from him I gasped on accident... some of these books are masterpieces... I highly respect him for that but also... meeting him in person made me a bit nervous for two reasons... one being of course being a fan but second that he tried to flirt a little with me... that caught me slightly of guard... I later just assumed its something he does to keep up his role. But he does seem appreciative when I bring him a fruit salad and even shares some of what he currently writes with me... I feel a little off talking to a celebrity so casually but he did contribute to make me feel more normal around him."

Raymond:

"That moment he was doing duties for Nicholas and I just told him I admire he is so hard working that smile he had, it really lit my mood up too. I think we get along well cause among all these shiny personalities here he is one of the more normal ones... even if Louis has a light rivalry and distaste at least he won't pull me away from the other members. I do hope he doesn't get the habit like myself and overworks himself too much but he said it would be fine...I sure hope so."

Louis:

"Louis was one of the first friend I made after visiting RSA... i know his problems with the aggresiveness but I also scold him enough for that. I think he tolerates me cause of our shared love for tea as well as he knows my knowledge and information can be usefull to him. After time however he grew far more of a friend to not only me keeping his secrets but also him knowing I didn't mean any bad intent... He may not be one of my closest friends but I appreciate his help tenfold."

[protagonistpolling]

PROTAGONIST POLLING

Why should you vote for either of these characters?

Why should you vote for Mono? (1)

"He smol, he cute, he protecc (and holds hand!!) and he attacc"

mod note: i added six because it felt wrong to just have mono by themself. they are friends and holding hands

Why should you vote for the Albatrio? (1)

"Jay, Chip, and Gillion are so cool. They’re pirates in a fantasy world, but they kind of suck at being pirates and they keep SAVING ISLANDS.

Chip is an orphan who found family in the famous Black Rose Pirates, before their ship, the Midnight Rose, got caught in a horrible whirlpool. He ended up separated from everything he knew at only 9 years old. He found a gang, of sorts, led by a boy named Reuben Price. After refusing to kill a traitor and running away with a stolen boat, he tried to live up to the legacy of his caretaker on the Midnight Rose, Arlin James, and become a great pirate so that he could find him again and make him proud.

Jay Ferin is the daughter of Jayson Ferin, a well respected general in the NAVY, and Malenia “May” Ferin, the owner of a bar. Her uncle, Drey Ferin, left to go and join the Black Rose Pirates instead of be in the NAVY. Jay also trained to be a high ranking NAVY official, and her sister, Ava Ferin, was also a NAVY official before she was killed.

Chip came to the town where Jay and her mother lived and worked at their tavern, and told people stories. They ended up working together to save someone, and Chip won a bet against Jay. Since Jay lost, she agreed to join Chip’s pirate crew, and be the second member. Later, sailing the sea, they would find a fish man floating about, and he would join them too.

That brings us to Gillion Tidestrider, the third member of the up and coming pirate crew that would one day be known as the Riptide Pirates.

Gillion happened to be born on a specific day at a specific time while specific things were happening, and so was the Chosen One of the prophecy. He was so special that his parents gave him away to the elders! He endured harsh training, as he was destined to defeat evil, and also flood the world, but that’s not important yet. The elders told him that if he managed to do well, he would be accepted and loved. He never managed to do it, and despite being surrounded by people, he felt like he was alone. Except for when his sister, Edyn, visited, he was under a lot of stress. Eventually, Edyn was forced to stop visiting, but she gave him a pet frogtopus named Pretzel to keep him company. One day, the elders had a meeting with a human. Of course, Gillion had been taught that all humans were evil and that he should hate them, so he attacked the human. However, instead of being rewarded for following the teachings, he was banished from the Undersea. He was found by Chip and Jay, who let him in their pirate crew.

They had many adventures! They blew up a building, Gillion made a deal with a sketchy guy to save a town, they started a band and saved another town, they won a competition, they saved their friend and Drey Ferin from jail, they saw old friends again and Chip defeated an evil guy, and much more! And by much more, I mean the Riptide campaign is 97 episodes long not counting the Origins video and all episodes are over one hour and usually two hours. Yeah, there’s a lot of stuff."