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drabblesandimagines · 6 months

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Imperfections

Leon Kennedy x female reader Fluffy festive nonsense

Leon squints at the small piece of paper, trying to decipher the name upon it. It’s not the handwriting he’s struggling with, more the fact he probably does need reading glasses and he hates to admit it. He looks around, making sure no-one is looking in his direction and holds it aloft, trying to find the perfect spot where the blurry squiggles will finally transform into a name.

A name he knows all too well, it turns out.

Yours.

You’ve been working for the department just shy of a year – a new recruit in February – and had been partnered with him on a fair few missions. He’d underestimated you at first, mistakeably deemed you too sweet a thing to be wrapped up in this sort of business, but you’d shown him your mettle from the off and especially when things had got dicey – held your own, got the job done, saved his ass a couple of times and all usually with that beautiful smile on your face.

God, Kennedy, he chides himself, smitten or what?

He folds up the slip of paper, sticks it in his wallet for safe-keeping and his mind begins to whirl - what in the hell is he going to get you?

Secret Santa at the DSO – a bit of holiday nonsense put forward as a suggestion to ‘boost morale’ and apparently the President had loved it, has thrown together a whole Holiday Mixer around having the exchange. Everyone working here isn’t depressed due to a lack of Christmas spirit, more the state of the world itself and the dark depths they’re forced to confront…

But, hey, Leon S Kennedy will do as he’s told as far as the President’s concerned, and so he’d stuck his hand in the Santa hat when it had been thrust in his direction, full of his colleagues’ names.

There’s rules – has to be in government-officiated fun – gifts to be exchanged at the Holiday Mixer in a week’s time and, to try and avoid an influx of gift cards and novelty socks, it must include a handmade element, with a $25 limit.

“So,” you plonk yourself down on his desk - right on a pile of manilla folders that were left there earlier for his upcoming briefing and he’d yet to tackle - and lean in, “who’d you get?”

He sweeps his hair out of his eyes and sits back a little in his chair to take you all in. “Uh-uh, that’s against the rules.” You roll your eyes at that. “And since when has Leon Kennedy been a stickler for the rules?”

“I just don’t wanna be on Santa’s naughty list.”

“Fine.” You pout, crossing your arms in fake annoyance. “I won’t tell you who I got either.”

“Good, cos I don’t remember asking... And don't make an old man joke."

“Wasn't gonna." He gives you a look and you can't help but smile. "Okay, but seriously - I get the handmade rule, I do,” you shuffle back a little more on his desk, making yourself comfortable as you get to your point, “but what I don’t get is why it’s mandatory to participate in the whole thing.”

“It’s not really mandatory. We’re a small operation – you don’t participate, you’ll show up on the President’s radar for not being a team player. You know he’s all about that.”

“Well, make us do a team building exercise - build a bridge out of newspaper, do trust falls or something besides try and be crafty.”

Leon scoffs. “I’m not doing a trust fall with you – not after last time.”

You open your mouth to reply – that was most definitely not meant to be a trust fall, Leon had just straight up fell - when Hunnigan pops her head around the cubicle, not even surprised to see you sitting on his desk, and gives the two of you a polite smile.

“Kennedy – intel briefing set for 1200. You prepped?”

“Sure am.”

Hunnigan eyes the pile of folders she clearly remembered placing on his desk first thing this morning, the exact ones which are nestled underneath your thighs.

“Uh-huh… Conference room seven. See you there.” She turns on her heels and departs, and you feel Leon’s hand ghost your thigh.

You look down, a little startled – sure there’s been flirtatious touches here and there, a time where you would’ve bet that month’s pay check that he was gonna kiss you after a particularly close call but swerved for your cheek at the last moment – and realise he’s tugging at the corner of a folder.

“Whilst I won’t deny that you’re an awful pretty paperweight, mind if I get back to work now?”

You slide off – managing not to take the folders down with you - and mock a salute. “Yes, sir.”

The briefing is dull, which should be a good thing, really. No current BOW threats on the radar, though the threat level remains at orange. Leon can’t remember the last time they lowered it to yellow, so it seems a pointless system to him but he still throws in his two cents when called upon. He’s got another few weeks of desk duty to get through after Alcatraz after his medical - knows he’s not getting any younger and that’s why it’s taking him a little longer to recover after quite the beating.

Dismissed from the briefing, Leon swings by your desk on the way back to his, only to feel a little silly when he’s disappointed at the lack of you at it. There’s a shoebox sat on your desk though, lid taped on with a few rounds of parcel tape, but overall it looks a more than just a little worse for wear - crumpled corners and scuff marks all over the cardboard.

“Snooping, Kennedy?”

He can’t help the smile when you come to his side, your laptop tucked under your arm – must’ve had a meeting of your own. He holds up his mug, waving it from side to side in demonstration. “Was gonna see if you wanted a coffee, actually. That package looks a little suspect to get through the security check, right?”

You place your laptop down beside it and frown, before reading the return address. “Oh, no. It’s just some things that I asked my ex to send on. I forgot them in the move, only realized when I went to put my tree up last week…”

You trail off as you move the box towards you ever so slightly and there’s a horrible clinking sound that makes your stomach sink.

You grab a biro, jamming it through the tape lined around the edge as a make-shift knife and tentatively pull off the lid, bracing yourself for what you might discover within. Whilst you had safely stored them away in layers of bubble wrap, each in its own bo, he seems to have dumped them all out into the shoe box, one layer of bubble wrap on the bottom, another on top and they’ve obviously cracked together in transit, resulting in the shattered mess before you.

“Shit.” He comments, softly, watching as you pick up shards. “What are they?”

“My grandmother’s baubles.” Your voice goes flat as you pick up pieces of what once were precious memories and his heart aches. “She was a really talented artist before the arthritis got bad… Used to paint these and sell them at Christmas fairs.”

He’s silent as you continue picking through the pieces. There’s one that seems mostly intact, a smaller one but after further investigation there’s a big chunk missing from the side and you drop it back down in the box in defeat. Leon lays his hand on your shoulder then, seeing how you almost deflate in front of his very eyes, and he hopes to give you a reassuring squeeze – to let you know he’s here, he's always here for you, even if he’s not going to say it aloud. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine.” But he knows it’s not by how tight your voice is. You’ve never got emotional in front of him before, not even when you’d been injured had you let that stupid, gorgeous smile falter. “I… I have to head out. I’ll see you later.”

You place the lid back on the shoebox and shove it off the desk. It lands in the waste basket with another awful sound of broken ceramic.

“Whoa, wait, don’t you wan-?” He begins to protest but you shrug his hand off your shoulder, shaking your head and now keeping your eyes downcast.

“Sorry, I really have to go.” He swears you just about jog out of his sight, no real destination in mind.

Leon doesn’t see you the rest of the day, though he swings by your desk a few more times when he gets up to stretch his legs. The maintenance team will be in later – dispose of the shredded paperwork, wipe down surfaces empty the waste baskets… so he doesn’t think twice when he picks up the shoebox as he leaves, holding it tightly in the crook of his arm as if it were the broken pieces of your heart.

Later that evening after dinner, he sits on his sofa, changed into his sweats rather than stuffy shirt and suit trousers, a soda on the table in a heavy-bottomed glass – doesn’t drink anymore, isn’t worth it, but he still likes the weight of a good glass in his hand – with his laptop perched on his knees.

The cursor blinks in place before he slowly types in the search bar.

How to fix a broken ceramic bauble.

He’s good with his hands from weapons maintenance, can handle delicate stuff, so why couldn’t he glue some bits of ceramic back together into a sphere?

He scrolls down the search results – various how-to articles and videos. He reads through a few, learns that it can depend on such factors of where the break occurred, if it’s clean break or not, how thick the ceramic is and, after all that, there’s the danger it could look like a kid put it together for their mom at kindergarten with a pot of PVA glue and got bored halfway through.

He’s not put off, though, as he continues his scroll until something bright and gold catches his eye…

Kintsugi?

Huh. Sounds… promising.

He does a test first. Practice makes perfect, and he’s determined he will make them as close to perfect again as he can… once he’s sure he’s got the hang of it. He buys a box of six ceramic baubles from a nearby department store, whacks one off the table edge gently until it shatters into reasonable-sized pieces, then sets about setting it back together with the kit he’d bought online – paid for express next-day delivery as well, no time to sit and wait around for 3-5 working days, longer in the Christmas build-up.

You’d not mentioned the baubles the next day in the office or how you’d rushed off, just came and sat on his desk with a coffee, had the usual back and forth banter but he can tell you’re a little flat, the light isn’t quite reaching your eyes as it once was and he hates it. You’d been excited for Christmas – even brought in a Christmas mug on the 1st of December – but it’s all been extinguished, now a DSO-logo stamped black mug in your hands.

It takes him the entire box over the next few evenings until he’s confident enough to tackle one of your prized possessions. Each bauble is unique – swirling patterns of pastel colours on all-white ceramic, but he treats the pieces like a puzzle as he slowly divides the piles into category of each bauble – four in total – and gently works out which piece belongs to which. There are bits that aren’t going to be a clean seam but he’s prepared for this in his practice rounds, still a little shake in his hand as he finally puts two and two together.

He likes the meaning behind the practice - embracing imperfections, not trying to hide the cracks or broken bits, but instead highlighting it, making it a feature with bright and beautiful gold. Lord knows he isn’t perfect, far from it, and he will never be the man he was before Raccoon City. A few years ago, when he was at his darkest, he would’ve described himself as beyond repair – too smashed up to ever be whole again.

Slowly but surely, he’s began to piece himself back together, embracing the fact that whilst he’s not quite whole and might never be, held together by his friends, his will and some glue and now your presence in his life giving him a little bit of sparkle.

He shakes his head, leans forward and switches off the made-for-TV Christmas movie.

Friday evening is here before he knows it and, frustratingly, an intel mission he’s on runs a little long – gets caught up in traffic. He needs to swing by his apartment to pick up your gift and needs to get changed while he’s at it – the dress code quite clear. He enters the hotel ball room in a shirt, suit jacket and trousers, sans tie, an over an hour and a bit late, carrying the gift bag as carefully as he would a baby or a bomb. The mixer already seems to be in full swing - there’s half a dozen round tables, discarded wrapping paper scattered across the tops of them as well as empty champagne glasses and he realizes he must’ve missed the gift exchange.

“There you are! I thought you were a no-show.” You tease, appearing at his side a little too quick to not have been waiting for him. You’re looking beautiful in your black cocktail dress, the one that hugs all the right places and your hair half up and half down, held in place with a red bow.

“Duty called. Did I miss the exchange?”

“Eh, kinda. It wasn’t a whole big thing. The President’s not coming – double booked himself, so everyone’s just been awkwardly exchanging gifts and downing more and more free drink.”

He tugs at the ribbon hanging down off your shoulder ever so gently.

“Well, you certainly look as pretty as a present. Please tell me you didn’t panic and gift yourself…”

You ignore him, loop your arm through his instead and guide him over to an empty table – there’s a large queue at the open bar and hopefully a few more minutes of privacy before making endless small talk – and encourage him to take a seat. As he does, you crouch besides another chair and fish for something underneath, pulling out a red and gold gift bag, an embarrassed smile as you hold it out to him.

“Merry Christmas, from your Secret Santa.”

He raises an eyebrow but still accepts the bag, placing it on the table. “You’re kidding.”

“No. Why?”

“You’re my Secret Santa?”

“Can you at least hold in the disappointment until after you open it?” You pout.

“No, I mean… I got you. We got each other.”

“What? That’s… weird.” You sit down heavily in the chair, looking a bit bemused. “What’s the statistics on that even happening?”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to demand a re-count.” He rolls his eyes and holds out his own gift bag. “Ladies first.”

You smile, brushing your fingers with his as you take it, before placing the gift bag down on the table and see four small cardboard boxes nestled within. You take out the first one and unfold the tabs, carefully, before removing the piece of red tissue paper he’d nestled on top.

What lies below it makes your heart stop.

It’s your grandmother’s baubles, or one of them, now held back in one piece and held together with threads of beautiful gold.

You look at him and then back down at the bauble.

“Is this…?”

“Yeah.”

“Leon, I…”

He sees the tears in your eyes as you take out the remaining boxes with a shaking hand, lining them up on the table and revealing each one in turn.

“I hope they aren’t an insult to your grandmother’s memory.” He blurts out after sitting in silence, unsure of what to make of yours. “They were just about to be tossed and so I took them, did some research on repair techniques and, well…”

“Did you do this?” There it is – the smile, the real smile that lights up your eyes.

“What, you think this old dog can’t learn new tricks? Everything’s on the internet these days.” He shrugs off – he won’t tell you the hours he spent, the headaches he got from squinting as he pieced parts together. Hell, he’d do it all again if he had to.

“Thank you. They’re beautiful. I… I can’t believe you did this for me. I… I just, I mean…”

He places a hand on your knee, gives you a soft smile.

“There’s a lot I’d do for you, you know, if you’d let me.”

There’s a moment as your eyes meet that you feel perhaps your cheeks have gone as red as the bow on top of your head and quickly try to deflect, nodding your head at his unopened gift bag.

“You should’ve let me go first - this is going to be such a disappointment in comparison.”

Leon gives your knee a squeeze before he peers into this gift bag, digging out a small gift box. He places it down on the table and tugs off the lid to find there’s a beautiful ridged glass nestled in red tissue paper, heavy-bottomed – you know his preference all right - but there’s something within the glass too. A mass of what appears to be red and green yarn, a little loop of black string at the top… He picks it up between two fingers.

“It’s…” He trails off, looking at the colours. “It’s certainly festive.”

“Okay, I can’t knit but I tried and that’s the important thing here, right?”

“No, no, it’s… cute.” He smiles. “And the glass – I love it. Just my style.”

You bite your lip, looking a little flustered and unsure, but he assumes you’re still feeling a little emotional over his present… until you try and yank the yarn from his hands.

“Hey!” He gets to his feet out of instinct of being attacked and clutches whatever it is closely to his chest.

“Look, if you just give me it, I can try some other craft thing. Just I was in a pity party all week and I stayed up all night doing that and it shows.” You get to your feet then, trying to weasel through fingers into his to retrieve it. “I can’t leave you with that, it’s not fair.”

“No, it’s mine.”

You don’t give up your attempt to wrestle it back, though Leon’s grip never falters. “You don’t even know what it’s meant to be!”

“Sure I do. It’s…” He retaliates, whipping it quickly above his head and yours – too high for you to snatch out of his hands despite your heels – and squints once more, comparing it against some of the festive décor in the hall.

“Oh.”

“It’s so dumb.” You begin your protest again, now trying to grab it from above your heads. “I just tho-” Leon wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you forward firmly against his chest, before he finally drops his other arm and cups your cheek, knitted mistletoe still in his fingers and kisses you firmly on the lips, swallowing down the rest of your sentence. He can’t help but grin as he feels you relax into his embrace, pressing your palm now flat against his chest. He runs his tongue along your bottom lip, poking ever so gently to seek permission and-

“About goddamn time, Kennedy!” The shout of an inebriated agent causes the two of you to pull apart and you feel flustered by both the overdue kiss and what feels like the eyes of the entire DSO on the two of you.

Leon takes it all in his stride though, keeps a warm palm right on your lower back as he smiles and nods at whoever the hell it was that had interrupted, before pressing a sweet, solitary kiss to your cheek.

“Now, seeing as I’ve got this mistletoe, how about we go back to my place and try it out a little more, beautiful?”

---

Masterlist . Requests welcome . Commissions/Ko-Fi

Comments, follows, likes and reblogs make my day!

#ghostdogwrites #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy x you #leon kennedy fluff

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mr-sadman · 2 months

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Introducing : Mr. Sadman's Spring Exchange!

Without further ado, here are all the details!

Our stance on plagiarism and AI

We do not accept nor condone the use of plagiarism, including the use of AI, whether in writing or art. If you are caught using either, you will be disqualified from the current event and barred entry for the other events the Mr. Sadman team puts forward.

General Rules and Informations

Being part of the Mr. Sadman discord is mandatory - meaning this event is open to server members only. Of course, that doesn’t mean you on tumblr cannot participate, just that you need to join the server before the event starts. There will be event related channels and roles available to ensure communication between the mod team and participants runs smoothly. Discord will remain the only method of communication used during the event.

Our sign-ups will be on AO3 only; you will be asked to submit your gift on AO3 regardless of its type to ensure that all assignations are met. That said, if your AO3 handle differs from your Discord handle, please tell us your Discord Username/ID in your sign-up form.

If you are under the age of 18, you will not be able to create explicit content for the event. Just to reiterate, Mr. Sadman is a 16+ server.

The Mr. Sadman Modteam is a firm believer of “ship and let ship” as well as the kinktomato (https://fanlore.org/wiki/Kinktomato). In accordance with the Server’s existing rules, we will not tolerate any discrimination and harassment in any forms whatsoever. This includes: queerphobia, homophobia, racism, content policing, hate speech, doxxing, shaming, etc, as well as hostility towards organisers and fellow participants.

It is also mandatory to keep your work and giftee’s identity a secret - this is to ensure that everyone gets the surprise on reveal day. Would you like to have your gifts spoiled ahead of time? Most don’t, so be considerate as it goes against the spirit of the event.

By signing-up to this event, you agree to respect all server and event rules. This includes communication with moderators that might happen outside of server bounds.

What is a gift exchange?

What is a gift exchange? It’s in the name! This is an event where the exchange of gifts (fic, art, etc.) is central! You will be paired with another participant to make a gift for them based on their sign-up! In turn, you will receive a gift from another participant based on yours!

Are there any minimum requirements? The minimum is 1k words for written pieces, one 500px by 500px piece for art pieces, a minimum of 2mins for digital pieces and audio submissions need to be edited to a near-professional level of quality.

[If your art doesn’t fit within these parameters, please make a note of it in your sign-up and a mod will get in touch with you to reach an agreement]

What kind of art can I make? Anything from traditional or digital drawing, to photomanips, fanvids, podfics, songwriting, book binding and more! We only ask you to put some effort into it!

A few exceptions include: playlists, icons and banners. These, while being a nice and fun bonus for your giftee, cannot be counted as your primary piece!

What can I write/request? Anything goes! Romantic, platonic, threesomes, foursomes, polycules, you name it! The only thing we ask you to not write/request is xReader/xOC content, as well as anything depicting real life’s children (such as the actors’).

Can I co-write with a friend? If you decide to co-write with a friend, you will have to submit only one sign-up form and will receive only one gift in return. More co-authors doesn’t mean more gifts.

Can I already be paired with someone? No, we do not accept preliminary pairings for this event.

What if I can’t meet a deadline? Please make sure to inform a mod as soon as you know! Accommodations might be worked out depending on the situation. We simply ask you to be considerate to your fellow participants, it is unfair to them for you to back out as they had already started working on their pieces!

Event Schedule

Sign-ups : March 31st to April 7th Assignations : April 15th Due date : May 5th Reveal : May 11th

FAQs & TLDR:

When is the event ? Our Exchange sign-ups are running from March 31st to April 7th, with the due date set for May 5th!

Do I need to be a part of the server to participate? Yes! Our Spring Exchange is open to all server members! This is also to facilitate contact between the mod team and the participants of the event. Please note that sign-ups will be held on AO3 only.

Are there any content type restrictions ? We accept works of various mediums - writing, art, photo edits, podfics, video edits, etc. - , whether they are SFW, NSFW and/or triggering. The only exceptions are playlists, icons and banners, which are not accepted.

Where should I post my work ? Your work should be posted to AO3 to ensure that all assignations have been completed.

Is this event only for Dreamling? Absolutely not! Whether your pairing is platonic, romantic, neither, both, we want it all!! There is space on the sign-up form for multiple requests, in case you have more than one favoured pairing!

Are polyamorous ships accepted ? Yes!!

Are xReader / xOC works accepted? Not this time around!

I need help, how do I reach a mod?

If there is something that is not covered by our rules masterpost and/or FAQ, you are very free to reach out to us in the Discord server’s dedicated channel or in Discord DMs!

#mr sadman #mr sadman's spring exchange #faq #exchange rules #the sandman #the sandman netflix #the sandman fanart #the sandman fanfiction

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callmerainman · 8 months

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𝐍𝐨𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 | 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐚 𝐱 𝐟𝐞𝐦!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

fandom. Mob Psycho 100 by ONE

spoilers!. unspecific spoilers about season’s 3 finale in the beginning, otherwise spoiler free

plot. Reigen Arataka is not only your boss at your part-time job, but your former high school best friend and unrequited love. After a kiss happens between you two, you worry that maybe Reigen is drifting away from you another time. You are devastated, and decide to discuss it while sharing a cigarette at your place.

word count. 4,836k

prompts. fem!Reader, reader is a model, childhood friends, not actually unrequited love, love confessions, fluff, light angst, smoking, late night conversations, kissing, teen crush, childhood memories, hurt and comfort, getting together, making out, emotional sex, naked cuddling, love making, getting together

tw. mild sexual content, sex is here but not graphic or either specifically described

notes. this fanfiction can be considered as a sequel to my other work “Still Into You”. It’s not mandatory to read, but it gives some more insight into reader’s work as a photo model and when Reigen realizes he’s in love with her. Enjoy :)

“I care for you still and I will forever”

There was a kiss.

With Reigen's hands plunged in your hair. Your eyes squeezed shut until they hurt. The sound of his breathing going out of his nostrils. Your hands holding his face.

It happened when Mob lost control of his powers, spreading chaos throughout Seasoning City. You could go with Reigen only for a brief part of your road towards the perturbation, as Serizawa protected the three of you with his umbrella. Reigen insisted on trying to meet Mob halfway, despite your protests.

"It's just Mob, I'll be okay and I'll be back"

He said all of this before taking off his shoes and running in the middle of all the debris that was flying around in the sky. Your legs couldn't move anymore than that, and you just put a hand on your mouth, trying to suppress the urge to scream at him to stop. As Reigen tried to reach Mob, you waited for him while leaning on Serizawa's shoulder, his umbrella protecting you two. Then, the storm stopped. And Reigen emerged under the sunsetting sky, his shirt ripped, blood pouring down his temple. As soon as you saw him, you stood up on your feet, beginning to run towards his direction as he did the same.

"Reigen!"

In a matter of just a few seconds you find yourselves in the arms of one another. It wasn't clear who started it first, but you began kissing. And why? For the care. For the passion. For the happiness of being alive. For love? You felt Reigen's lips moving on yours with resolution, while he ran his hands in your hair. He tasted like smoke, and vaguely of blood. It was a warm kiss just like you imagined it happening between you two. Your heart was beating so hard that you were sure that he was feeling it from your chest to his, from your heart to his. It wasn't the first kiss with Reigen that you expected, but it was the one you wished for. You were so lost in yourselves, that at some point Dimple had to call you two out.

"Geez, get a room"

Only then you regained the necessary awareness to separate. A nervous laugh escaped your lips, and slowly the hands that held you two close started to drift away from your skin. The moment you realized that not only Dimple was still alive, but that Mob was also okay, you ran up to both to hug them tight, even if it was difficult to do so with the green spirit. About the kiss, you didn't exactly know how to feel.

You don't even know it now that things between you and Reigen became weird. It has been two weeks since the kiss and neither one of you talked about an "us". Even after a kiss like that it was still just Reigen and (Y/N). But childhood friends don't kiss like that, and neither do co-workers or people who don't really love each other. That day, maybe for the first time, you had no doubt about his intentions. Reigen really did want to kiss you. It was written in his hands in your hair, in him pressing his body against yours, in the trembling breaths he took at any given occasion. But now you are tormented by doubts. The tone of your conversations was the same for the two weeks following the kiss. Always with the desire to talk about it on the tip of your tongues, but never with the courage to do it. You blame yourself too, it's the responsibility of both you and Reigen to consider your actions, what you two do to each other. But every time you see each other in the office there's that silent agreement: today the kiss will not be discussed.

This afternoon in the office is no different. Reigen has his appointments, Serizawa prepares some tea before heading out for an exorcism, while you on your desk do some paperwork. The looks you and Reigen exchange from time to time, full of unsaid things that are pushing to get outside the heart. In the beginning you could take it. The majority of time spent in the office was with Serizawa or Mob, and it wasn't the case to talk about the kiss in front of them. But after two weeks the excuses were running out. Even today. Not when Serizawa has been out for hours to get an exorcism done and neither you or Reigen decide to talk. Your eyes are slowly starting to sting, as you are scribbling down some practices. You think about how you and Reigen were best friends in middle school and high school. You told each other everything, even the things you were afraid to say to yourselves. You fell in love with him as you grew together, and hopelessly. You gazed at him from a distance at any given occasion, when you couldn't be close to him. Then you distanced yourself when you understood that your feelings couldn't be reciprocated. He just didn't love you that way. Your parents gave you the opportunity to move from Seasoning City and you took it. You and Reigen had promised each other to stay in touch but, over time, your paths were divided. You both started university, found a job and made a new life. Texts and calls became colder, more rare. This until you didn't even wish happy birthday to each other anymore. Then, after ten years apart, you came back and reunited with him after accidentally bumping into each other in the same office you are working now. You just walked in because you thought that your backache was orchestrated by an evil spirit. You didn't read the sign outside and when you came face to face with Reigen, your world changed again. Even if ten years went by, Reigen still reached out to you to help you find a part-time job while you tried to pursue your career as a photo model when you talked to him about your problems. And like that, you were together again.But now, because of a kiss and again because of your feelings, you feel Reigen slip away from your hands. Your eyes start to water at the idea, your writing on paper becomes more sloppy.

Why can't you hold Reigen close to you? A single hiccup escapes from you, and you immediately try to shut it by smashing your hand on your mouth. Finally, after an entire evening with his eyes on his laptop, Reigen flashes his head upwards. He looks at you, and he understands immediately that something's wrong. His lips part, his eyebrows curve upwards.

"(Y/N), are you okay?"

Your eyes bolt up, watered, and your cheeks start to get hot.

"I'm sorry"

You get up and quickly get out of the room, your hand still on your mouth. While you're in the bathroom shedding your tears and your frustration alone, Reigen has his hands planted on his face and his fingers pulling his hair. He lets out a low and muffled groan against his palms, and he curses himself. Seeing you cry makes him crumble completely. And it's not the first time he sees you like this. In high school you were not afraid to cry in front of him, because you knew that you could afford to do that with him. Reigen always listened to you religiously, he always knew what to say to make you feel better and understood. But there were times when you were impossible to comfort.

One of those times, you showed up in front of Reigen's front door without any notice. You were still dressed in your high school uniforms, and it was a spring night. When he opened the door, he immediately asked what happened to you. You planted your hands on his shoulders. Then you got close to his face, your lips parted. And at last, you burst out crying, pressing your forehead against his shoulder. You began crying so hard that Reigen, fearing for your privacy being invaded by neighbours, pulled you inside and shut the door quickly. You two were alone, just you and Reigen in that empty and liminal space as you cried against his shoulder.

"(Y/N), don't cry, please" Reigen said, concern in his voice.

You didn't say anything, too overwhelmed. So Reigen decided to take you upstairs, in his room where you spent so many afternoons. He made you sit down on his futon, then he rested his hands on your shoulders, caressing them.

"What happened?" he asked, gently.

You shook your head.

"(Y/N), please, talk to me"

Breaking your sighs, you finally managed to say "Taka, I just can't tell you"

Reigen, although confused, understood you. With all the respect for your feelings, he accepted that he just couldn't know what was making you cry like that. So he took you in his arms and laid both of you down on the floor. You were so close in that embrace, your legs intertwined, your face in his neck, his hand on the back of your head and his breath on your trembling lips. Two teens in their last year of high school inside a little bedroom on a spring night. One of them cried until her eyes shut from fatigue, and the other fell asleep after making sure that the crying stopped.They fell asleep in their school clothes, all over each other, until the sun came to wake them up. And Reigen never knew why it happened that night that, although so sad, he would always remember with romantic nostalgia.

Today in the office you feel like you are living that night again. But this time he can't cheer you up and he knows exactly why you're crying. Inside the restroom, as you shed tears, you watch your reflection in the mirror. Your shoulders are hunched forward, your hands pressing on the sink. You look in the mirror as you say to yourself "you and Reigen won't ever be the friends you were before". It hurts you more than the idea of him not loving you. When you come back from the restroom, Serizawa is in the office again. He says hello to you with a smile, and you reciprocate, he doesn't notice your red and swollen eyes, but it's not his fault. He's the first to leave the office, closing the door behind him. You silently start to help Reigen close the office for the night. It's dark outside and way past the lunch hour, which you both skipped in order to wait for Serizawa to come back. You feel Reigen looking at you from time to time and your cheeks are hot from embarrassment and frustration.

"Okay, everything's closed" Reigen says, walking towards the door "you ready?"

"Yeah" you say, with half your voice.

Before you can reach for the door knob, Reigen blocks your way with his body. You look at him, confused.

"Today I came with my car, I can give you a ride home" he says "if you want to of course”

You feel your stomach tightening. With an unsure sigh you say "It's really dark outside, are you sure?"

Reigen's driving experience was really limited, but he nods convincingly "I'm sure"

You take a deep breath and nod "Okay then, lead the way"

You walk out the office, making small talk as you go down the stairs. It's more comfortable than your silences. Years ago your silences were relaxing and intimate, beautiful. You can't afford that luxury now. You chat about your day in the dark and empty parking lot behind the office. Reigen was used to escort you to your car when you finished work late, just to make sure that you were safe. You arrive in front of his grey car, the one that you had to drive when he got too drunk at a wedding party. That same wedding where you pretended to be a couple to avoid people's prejudices. You slow danced and smiled together. Maybe you haven't had such an intimate moment with him since high school. The chatting ends inside the car, replaced with commercial music on the radio. Reigen keeps the volume low to not get distracted as he drives through the city night lights. Your elbow is pressing against the inside of the car door, your gaze fixed outside the window as you rest your chin on your hand. At red lights, Reigen takes some seconds to look at you.

He would kiss you right now if he could.

After ten minutes of driving in the night streets, the car slows down. Reigen's foot hits the brake, stopping it completely. You don't move from your position, and he looks at you with apprehension.

"Wanna smoke a cigarette?" he asks.

Finally you turn around and look at him, and you give him a melancholic smile.

"Yes, why not?"

Reigen nods and opens the door. He takes a few steps outside and then he lays on the car hood as he waits for you. You stay in the car, looking at him. Your heart steadily beats against your chest. Then, you get out and walk close to Reigen at a determined pace.

"Do you wanna go inside?"

Reigen, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, widens his eyes a bit in surprise.

"If that's okay for you" he replies.

"Of course it's okay"

You smile. It costs you some effort but not because you don't mean it. Reigen reciprocates. It's maybe the first sincere smile you exchanged since you kissed. Reigen starts to follow you up the stairs of your condo. You guide him, and from another perspective that walk up the stairs looks like a chase. It's not that far from reality. In front of your door you shove your hand inside your purse, frantically looking for the keys. You take them out with a chiming sound and then you turn them around in the keyhole. Reigen thinks that your apartment smells just like you. Like the perfume you always put on, vaguely like your lips of which the taste is carved in his mind forever. And it had that same pleasant air of your former house during summer afternoons when you were teens, when you used to sit on the floor in a star position. The fan always on, ice cream sticks thrown away in a corner, sweat running down your temples and your hair sticking onto your skin.

"We can smoke on the balcony" you say, gesturing him to follow you.

"It's your own apartment but it smells like your old bedroom" Reigen adds.

"And the mess is still here"

As you walk towards the balcony, you shove some clothes behind a sofa with your foot.

You slide the big door-window open. You both get out, and a cold breeze hits you unexpectedly, making his grey jacket and the hem of your skirt flow. Then, you close the door behind you and go towards the balcony railing. You lay against it on your back, it's cold and rough. You start searching for a pack of cigarettes. It's new and fresh, the smell of tobacco mixture faintly tastes like chocolate. You take one cig and put it between your lips. You gesture towards Reigen's lighter with your finger, since yours died.

"Wait" he says, and he makes you come closer.

You obey, and he makes the tips of your cigarettes touch, his is already lit up. Inhaling deep from the filter, even yours lights up with a magmatic color. You look at Reigen and your faces are really close as you exchange a cigarette kiss. Then you separate and you both blow the smoke out in sync.

"It's funny" you say, exhaling smoke "the first time I saw you smoking after we met again I was surprised because I thought you dropped the habit"

"Yeah, but since Mob started working for me I smoke way less" Reigen takes the cigarette between his lips, but then his eyes widen and he looks at you "wait, what do you mean by habit?”

You chuckle "You thought I was that stupid in high school?"

"I dunno what you're talking about"

You smile with nostalgia "I knew that your bathroom breaks during class were just excuses to go behind the school and smoke"

Reigen presses the filter between his lips and inhales. Meanwhile, he puts his hands up to resign, and he exhales a puff of smoke.

"You got me" he says, an amused grin "I didn't want you to think badly of me"

Now Reigen's elbows are pressing against the railing, his clasped hands hanging down. Your apartment is not in the heart of Seasoning City, and during the night the balcony is plunged into nothing but darkness and starry skies. Both you and Reigen puff some clouds of smoke that start to dissipate between stars. You don't see them because you are laying on the back, opposite to Reigen who is hunched forward. Your head slightly swings back and cold hair hits your naked neck.

"You've always been like this, Arataka" you whisper.

"Like what?" he asks.

"Ahead of me"

Reigen frowns his eyebrows and takes another hit. He seems concerned. You copy him and you let the smoke roll on your tongue.

"During middle school, high school..." you continue and blow smoke out "you were always so ahead of me. Everytime I looked at you, I couldn't help but feel like you were always a hundred steps ahead of me. Not in a bad way, but not in a good one either. It was just like that"

Reigen puts the cigarette out, throwing it out the balcony. He looks at the last cloud of white smoke disappear in the starry sky, dissipating forever. With a nervous chuckle he says.

"That's not true"

You look at him. Reigen's eyes are somewhere else, very distant, maybe in another reality. He talks again.

"I mean, you were the prettiest girl in both middle school and high school. Perfect grades, in a lot of clubs and groups, with students asking you out almost on a daily basis. Maybe if I didn't hang out with you I would have been bullied or something like that"

You shake your head.

"That doesn't mean anything, Arataka"

For some reason, the soft and tender tone of voice you used made Reigen want more. He gets close to you, who just stepped on the butt of the cigarette with the tip of your shoe. Almost without noticing, Reigen's arms encage you between his body and the railing, his fingers wrapping tightly around it. He looks at you deeply as you look at him through your lashes.

"The truth is that I couldn't even reach your ankles. I was nowhere near you," you say, slowly "because I loved you but you didn't love me.

Reigen's eyes widen and his fingers squeeze the iron railing more. His heart skipped way more than just a beat. You don't move beneath him, because you're so tired of not talking and running away. Your eyes are fixed on one another, pupils dilated.

"The beautiful and intelligent girl you talk about actually spent the night crying between your arms ten years ago because she couldn't be yours. I never told you, but that night I cried for you and not just that. I even cried because I thought that if I couldn't get you then I couldn't get anything. I moved from Seasoning City because of this. I felt small at that time and I feel small now, because I don't know my future in the modeling career and I'm still here chasing you. Because I still love you, Reigen. Maybe I never stopped in ten years. And I know that you don't feel the same but I wanted to tell you anyway"

"But I do love you" Reigen says "I really do"

It's a really quiet night. It's made of stars, cold air, smoke and words that are finally said. Made of (Y/N) and Reigen, his eyes in yours, his arms that create a space that is all between you two, his hands that are shaking around the railing. And it's made of your (e/c) eyes that fill up with intent, and your irregular breathing, and your mouth opening.

"And I'm not saying it just because you became this super hot model who poses for famous perfume brands. I say it because I loved you everytime we smoked a cigarette together, or when you wished me good morning in the office with a smile. And I love the way you never judge me even if I always do so with myself. I feel small in the world too, and with this anguished feeling that I've never accomplished anything in this life"

Reigen takes a deep breath, just a few inches from your face, and his voice breaks slightly.

"But I rather feel small in the world with you than being alone"

Reigen gets close to you and kisses you. Your mouth smothers the shaking in his voice. You reciprocate the kiss immediately, closing your eyes. It's happening again. You missed his mouth as if you had kissed it a thousand times already. Without notice, his body pins you against the railing, and when he does it you relax. You feel the airy noise of his breathing blowing out of his nostrils, and his heart beating against his chest. When you were in high school you spent a lot of time thinking about how kissing Reigen would be and feel like. Maybe it would happen in class when it was you two's turn to clean it, or at your home when he visited you to read manga together on the floor, or maybe in the back of your car after you took your driving license. Now this kiss feels right as it is, just like the first. When you separate you look at each other with astonishment, the eyes before and the lips after.

"Stay here tonight" you say, in a whisper.

"Yes" Reigen says.

This time you kiss with more urgency, your hands in the bristly base of his honey hair, his arms around your waist. Reigen moves you from the balcony railing and you begin to walk inside. Sometimes you stumble on your feet or bump your teeth against each other. Both of you chuckle and whisper some sorry's. Once inside, you close the glass door and take his hand, guiding him towards the bedroom. You take a second to switch up the lampshade and then you begin to take your clothes off. Your skirt first, then your shirt, and even your underwear, until Reigen sees you completely naked under the dim and orange light of the lamp. He gets close to you, removing his jacket, and he looks at you up and down.

"You're so beautiful (Y/N), you've always been" he says, calmly.

You, on the other hand, cup his face in your hands and kiss him again, and you feel him pushing you lightly towards your bed. You fall down on the mattress, a cloud of pristine blankets moving under your body like waves, your hair contrasting with them and scattered all across the bed as if you were underwater. You look at Reigen with hypnotized eyes as he gets on top of you and takes his shirt off, then you help him unbutton his pants. Only his boxers are on now.

"Can I?" he asks, he's sweet and his hands encapsulate your knees.

"Yes, please" you blurt out in a hurry.

Reigen opens your naked legs and slides his boxers down his thighs. He kicks them off with his feet and positions himself between your legs. You stroke his cheeks and his bangs with the tip of your fingers.

"I find you as beautiful as I thought you were in high school"

You smile to each other slowly, drowning in your gazes. Then, Reigen enters you and you both emit low groans.

Reigen starts making love to you with infinite delicacy, always looking at you in the face. Your lips relax.

"I waited so long..." you whisper.

Reigen arches his eyebrows upwards as he speeds up his thrusts. He feels your legs intertwine around his waist so you can feel him deeper. Your bedroom, in which you always slept without company, is now full of the sound of skin against skin, of the sweet nothings you whispered to tell each other that you were doing good. A lot of praises too. Sometimes you stop to kiss, with Reigen caressing you everywhere, and you squeezing around him even more because you want to be closer. Two bodies under a soft light and with the night out the window. After a while, the rhythm of Reigen's thrust gets more erratic like the creaking of the bed, you know he's close and you are too. You come first, then Reigen follows you. Your mouths are wide open to catch air. Then, Reigen collapses on top of you, plunging his face in your neck. In your skin, he whispers

"Maybe I didn't love you then, but I love you now I swear"

You close your eyes and hold Reigen close as you feel him slide outside of you. You brush your face on his shoulder.

"I know you mean it, you never lie to me"

Reigen rolls on his back, his diaphragm moving up and down irregularly. He looks up at the ceiling as he takes you in his arms and makes you rest on his naked chest.

"I wish I loved you ten years ago, so I would have never lost you"

You shake your head and look up in his eyes.

"Arataka, it was all my fault. You didn't owe me your feelings, not ten years ago and not now, I was just selfish in moving from Seasoning City because I couldn't handle the heartache. We were best friends before lovers, and it wasn't right to just run away without telling you why"

"I could have done more to hold you close, maybe writing you more, calling you, insist to know what was going on"

Reigen shields his sweaty forehead with his hand, covering his eyes in frustration.

"C'mon, stop. We are here now, and we are together"

You pull Reigen's hand away from his face and he rests it on your back, tracing circles on your naked skin with the tip of his fingers. Then, he cups your cheek with his free hand and closes the distance between you and him, kissing you deeply. He moves you on top of his body. Then, you reach for the lampshade switch and turn it off.

"We were good today, we did good to each other" Reigen says, holding you close.

You nod, your hair tickling his chest.

"And tomorrow morning I'll make you breakfast in bed, have sex again if you want and then I'll take you out to eat ramen"

In the darkness it's possible to distinguish only the outline of your bodies, which looked like an individual identity. The motion of your laugh and Reigen stroking your hair can be seen.

"You are every girl's dream. Well, mine in particular. Thank god that after ten years it's still me and you"

You both fall asleep all over each other.

In the morning you wake up to the sunlight shining through the open windows. It floods the room with a warm natural light that makes the white sheets of the bed shine, and even your naked skin. You open your eyes, fluttering them a couple of times. You start to slowly roll on your side, sheets sliding down your body. During the night, Reigen inadvertently scooted away from you and laid on his stomach. He's still sleeping, it's dictated by the slow movement of his back going up and down. The scar he got from his first fight against The Claw is clearly visible, a deep cut running from the top to the bottom of his back. His face is directed towards the window, you can't see the expression he has on his face. But you are more than happy to just settle with looking at his honey colored hair that play with sunlight. You smile full of the awareness that you love Reigen, and Reigen loves you.

I'm sure we're taller in another dimension, you say we’re small and not worth the mention

#mob psycho 100 #reigen arataka #mp100 reigen #mob psycho shigeo #reigen arataka x reader #x reader #reader insert #fem reader #female reader #ao3 writer #anime #reigen x reader #tumblr sexyman #writers on tumblr #fanfic #fanfiction #oneshot #mp100 #Spotify

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sterekreversechallenges · 1 year

Text

Sterek Reverse Bang 2023

TIMELINE

April 14, 2023 - Sign-ups open via Google form

May 30, 2023 - Art due, sign-ups close

June 2, 2023 - Art goes up for viewing

June 17, 2023 - 7 pm UTC - Claims round 1

June 18, 2023 - 7 pm UTC - Claims round 2, if necessary and until all art has been claimed.

June 26, 2023 - Check-in 1: Teams must confirm that they have made contact and are good to collaborate.

July 17, 2023 - Informal intra-team update: Writers submit an outline of 200-500 words to their artist for comment.

September 10, 2023 - Check-in 2: Teams must confirm that they are on schedule to post. Writers will receive a link to a Google form for submitting their drafts. Drafts should be 80 % done with any parts/scenes that are not yet complete outlined.

October 1, 2023 - All collaborations posted to the challenge collection on AO3.

October 6, 2023 - Moderated posting starts and runs until all collaborations have been posted.

Rules and Expectations for all Participants

Sign-ups open April 14th via Google Form. By signing up to participate you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the rules.

While the mods will send out reminders, it is your responsibility to meet the Sterek Reverse Bang deadlines. If you have a true emergency regarding the deadlines (failure to plan is not an emergency), please contact the mods.

Communicate with your partner within 48 hours of your claim being confirmed. Mandatory partner check-ins should be met. This is meant to be collaborative and fun.

Participants must be 18 years or older.

A Discord account is necessary to join.

Participants need an email address that they check on a regular basis.

Any questions, issues, or disagreements should be taken to the mods.

RULES for ARTISTS

In the regular reverse bang round the following types of art are accepted:

painting/drawing (traditional, digital, mixed)

mood boards

fanvids (min 30 sec)

original gif sets (min 6 gifs)

>> All art will be uploaded through a Google Form. Please keep in mind that Discord has a limit for file sizes. If the piece cannot be uploaded to Discord directly, it has to be hosted in a way that doesn’t reveal the identity of the artist.

>> In the spirit of anonymous claims, no watermarks, signatures etc. are permitted! If you are worried about art theft, you can add “Sterek Reverse Bang” as a watermark. Signatures may naturally be added for the final posting with the fics.

>> Artists are limited to submitting one or two pieces.

>> Art must not have been published before, been a commission, or be associated with a fic at the time of claims.

>> When you submit your art, it should be finished. You may of course keep working on it until posting.

>> You may choose to create more art for longer fics, but this is not a requirement.

RULES for WRITERS

>> Minimum word count for fics in this round of the challenge is 10k. Artists have the option to offer more art for longer fics.

>> Artists’ prompts need to be followed unless writer and artist agree to do something else.

>> Squicks and triggers have to be followed without discussion.

>> Authors may not demand or request changes to the art. Artists may offer to do this, but that is up to the discretion of the artist.

>> Fics must be in English.

>> Submitted drafts must be typed and be in a standard document form (.docx or Google Drive). iOS extensions or photos will not be accepted.

>> Writers must follow the check-in dates including sharing a 80% completed draft with the mods (check-in 2).

>> All fics must be posted in their entirety on the submission date.

>> You must tag for any of AO3’s major warnings and use appropriate tags, including the Sterek Reverse Bang tag.

>> All fics need to be beta read. If you need help finding a beta reader, you can ask on Discord. Mods for the bang will not assign beta readers.

>> Depending on the preferences of the artist, on AO3 the fic must list the artist as a co-creator, be gifted to the artist on AO3, or list the artist’s work as inspiration using the official AO3 feature for ‘inspired by’. Art should be embedded in the fic. Any additional links to the art (e.g. on Tumblr) should be added in the notes.

Like a regular Bang, a Reverse Bang is meant to be a collaboration between artist and writer. Think of your artist like a partner in your creative process and follow the sharing guidelines that we have laid out in terms of sharing outlines and drafts. Everyone has their own creative style, but do be willing to listen to the input from your artist as you write. One of the joys as a writer is having a collaborative partner to bounce ideas off of and talk through your WIP. Your artist will probably love to be part of this process.

Please be gracious about all pieces and remember to keep all discussion about the art and what you want to claim in #strb-writers-chat. Flailing and praising is permitted in #strb-general, but please refrain from mentioning any specifics. Artists are very anxious about their art getting claimed and we don’t want to add to any fears about any piece of art not receiving the attention it is due.

SUBMITTING PROMPTS

>> All art will be submitted using a Google Form. Links will be sent out via the challenge Discord server.

>> Be ready to give the following information when submitting art:

title of art: e.g. The Moon Shines High

rating of art: e.g. mature

highest rating the fic can have: e.g. explicit

any warnings (you must warn for archive warnings!): e.g. no archive warnings apply

main pairing (obviously Sterek for this bang, but e.g. if you’d be ok with a second main pairing or changing your main pairing if your art permits): e.g. Stiles/Derek

acceptable background pairings: e.g. Scott/Allison

short description of art/ prompt: e.g. A full moon in the dark sky, bathing the forest beneath it in silver light. Red eyes gleam in the darkness, watching a boy in a red hoodie huddling close to a tiny fire.

likes: e.g. fluff, hurt/comfort, BAMF!Stiles, …

dislikes: e.g. Steter, blood, hurt no comfort, rape, …

eligible for multiple claiming: yes/no

willing to make more art: yes/no/maybe

willing to make more art for longer fics: yes/no/maybe

Keep in mind that the more detailed the prompt, the fewer the people who might feel up to fill it. Also, be aware that cross-overs can be difficult as well.

CLAIMS

>> Art prompts will become available for viewing in the challenge Discord server in the channel #strb-prompts-and-teams.

>> Prompts will be numbered - this number will be needed for claims.

>> Claims will take place on the date specified in the timeline at 7 pm UTC (Universal Time Coordinated - takes care of time zones as well as winter/summer times).

>> Claims will take place in a Google form that will be posted in Discord #strb-claims as soon as claims open. Only registered writers can make a claim.

>> Claims will be assigned on a first come first serve basis.

>> All claims have to be kept confidential until claims are over. Please be respectful to artists and conscious of their feelings - nobody likes to hear that their piece is bad, unpopular, or left over.

>> Authors will submit between 3-10 choices in order of preference.

>> If there is any art left after the first round, there will be further rounds on the following days at 7 pm UTC until everything has been claimed.

POSTING

On the date specified in the timeline, all collaborations will be posted to the challenge collection on AO3.

Once moderated posting starts, it will run until all collaborations have been posted.

>> Every team posts their collaboration to the challenge collection on AO3. The collection is set up so that works cannot be seen yet by the public.

>> Once posting starts, the mods will reveal one or more collaborations, depending on the number of teams, every day until the end of the week. Once a collaboration has gone live, teams can update the posting date of their work if they wish to do so.

>> In order to ensure that the art is only publicly visible once the AO3 post has been revealed to the public, art should be hosted accordingly, i.e. invisibly to the public until the date of posting, as well. Apart from using certain photo hosting pages or personal website space, this can be done e.g. via a private Discord server or in a Tumblr or Pillowfort post set to private.

Teams will:

make a master post on Discord in #strq-gallery, using the pinned format template

add the fic with the art or a link to the art to the AO3 collection

voluntary: submit a post to the challenge tumblr at sterekreversechallenges.tumblr.com using the same format as for the master post in #strq-gallery

Teams are of course welcome to also make posts on any platform of their choice to promote their work and the bang once their work has been revealed on AO3.

DROPPING

Talk to your mods! There is usually a solution, both for the person dropping and the person remaining in the bang (e.g. finding a pinch hitter).

>> Should any participants drop before claims (Sterek Reverse Quickie, Sterek Reverse Bang) or matching (Sterek Artist Seduction Screw), no harm done, no worries.

>> Should any participants drop out after claims without a very good reason and extenuating circumstances, participants will not be allowed to take part in the next round of reverse challenges hosted by Sterek Reverse Challenges.

>> Check-ins and deadlines have to be met. Missing a check-in or a deadline without a very good reason will result in the participant being disqualified from the current challenge as well as the next round of Sterek Reverse Challenges. Failing to plan ahead, e.g. for holidays, data loss, etc., does not constitute a good reason!

>> Dropping and ghosting will receive a lifetime ban with the participant in question also being removed from the Discord Server.

>> Should a team wish to drop out by mutual consent, they may do so, but may not post their work as part of the Sterek Reverse Bang Collection.

COMMUNICATION

The STRB is meant to be a collaborative effort between artist and writer. Part of the fun of the process is working with another creative person to make something new in the Sterek fandom. With that in mind, we have a set of things you should be talking about with your partner.

Artists and writers are free to decide mutually on how much contact they wish to have and in how much detail they wish to collaborate. However, as this is a bang based on art prompts, artists and writers should collaborate on the plot, unless the artist choses differently. Minimum Requirements:

>> By Check-in 1: Talk to your artist/author partner and exchange:

Names and pronouns

Account names (AO3, Tumblr, Discord)

Best way to communicate

How much do you want to communicate/ how much interaction are you looking for?

Time zones

Are there any times/dates when you won’t be available?

Any general ideas you have

>> The Informal intra-team update: Writers submit an outline of 200-500 words to their artist for comment.

>> By Check-in 2: Fic rough drafts due. Rough drafts need to be 80 % complete of the projected final word count. Any scenes that aren’t finished need to be outlined. Writers will share their rough drafts with their artists and submit them to the mods via a Google form that will be sent out closer to that time.

Apart from sign-ups, the bang will be run via Discord, i.e. a Discord account is necessary to join.

By submitting this form you acknowledge that you have read and understood the terms and conditions and consent/agree to the challenge rules listed above.

Sign-ups for the 2023 round of the Sterek Reverse Bang will be open from April 16th to May 30th.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTAhF7lLCB5T58SFz2GqHzbmnPJ0VlXz5rfO44Ycd_FtQ0GA/viewform?usp=sf_link

#sterek reverse bang #Sterek #teenwolf #fandom challenge #sterekreversechallenges

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skaruresonic · 1 month

Note

"Shadow isn't always an aggro douchebag, look at all these times where he was slightly chill for three seconds in a row! Sure there are just as many if not more examples of Shadow being a raging knob, but I personally do not like those instances and therefore I am going to say they were bad writing and ignore them in favor of the reading of his character that personally appeals to me more!"

What is it about Shadow that makes people be trippin so much? lol

How hard is it for people to just wrap their heads around the idea that Shadows chemistry is different with everybody? He has a MUTUAL competitive relationship with Sonic BECAUSE they have just as much in common as they have differences. Rouge is probably the most trustworthy person in Shadows life currently but it's more like they're co-workers than friends. Amy seems to be able to tug on his heartstrings and get him to do whatever she wants with her earnest personality even while he acts all tsundere about it. Ect.

The way Shadow is isn't mutually exclusive, but folks seem to want to just disregard interactions they don't like because they're different from interactions he has at other times under different circumstances. If your view of Shadow requires trimming fat and going "yeah well that time he was being 'OOC' so I just ignore it" then maybe your view of Shadow isn't accurate.

>>me @ me: the damage is done. you've said your piece. do not drop the Even Spicier Take(tm)

>>me: instructions unclear, failed step one

Tbh, I didn't want to say this because quite frankly, I didn't know how to word it in a way that wouldn't come across as though I was passing judgment since that's not my intention. But… ever since Shadow dropped that "go help your teammates" line in Sonic Forces Overclocked, this general notion has percolated in the back of my mind...

...Well. I think this idea of Shadow as modern fandom conceives him is... made up. And that's the lightest way I can put it.

Over time, I've come to suspect that fandom's constructed this mental image of Shadow as a noble protector archetype, soft-spoken and who always strives to fulfill his duty, and they've become quite attached to it to the point of rejecting other aspects of his character… like the pettiness and the bullheadedness.

It's possible the reason for the backlash against Sega's current portrayal is because the image doesn't match reality. His canonical pettiness chafes against the grain of who he "should" be. I'm not sure how well I'm explaining myself, but I hope the sentiment is received in the spirit in which it's intended.

That's not to say the archetype or the better parts of his personality are necessarily wrong in every circumstance (mandatory disclaimer that I am speaking in generalities and am not personally knocking your fic), but rather, insisting that noble side is all he is and lumping the less palatable traits under that umbrella paints an incomplete picture of his character. Although nobility and pragmatism do inform important parts of his character, they aren't his only traits.

It's like if people took umbrage with Sonic saying "I have no master except the wind that blows free." What, precisely, is there to take umbrage with? If part of the character's personality rubs you the wrong way, that doesn't necessarily have to indicate OOCness, especially when the character is supposed to be an anti-hero.

I have no legit idea what folks even mean by "Vegeta!Shadow" anymore because, for one thing, never watched DBZ, and for another, he gets slapped with the label regardless of his behavior. I can't isolate the offending variable because there doesn't seem to be one, aside from "Sega sucks." Forces!Shadow is relatively chill but still Vegeta!Shadow because Reasons. Flynn fucks up issue 19 so therefore his portrayal is evidence that Sega wants Vegeta!Shadow, because that's how logic works I guess. Shadow goes on vtube and his rivalry with Sonic gets acknowledged? Vegeta!Shadow. Like, is there no sense of scale or degree with which people apply the label? These are three different portrayals. I don't understand.

Obviously I don't want to be all "you must have a high IQ to understand Shadu Le Hedgehog(tm)" because that's very not much the message I want to convey. Lol and lmao I would be so far up my own ass if I did.

But it is interesting how discussing him specifically results in particular problems of communication. The issues with discussing Shadow appear to be that A.) folks tend to think your personal opinions and gripes are indicative of those of all Shadow fans AKA the SA2 fan problem, and B.) you're always going to miss some nuance that someone else is going to point out, and sometimes you have to decide to take the L for the sake of conserving energy.

I've written about his character at length, sometimes embarrassingly so (he rotates in my brain like a TV dinner. hehe Shadow go brrrr). And I think anyone who follows me at this point knows my attitude on Shadow is always changing in subtle ways, because there are as many ways of looking at him as there are facets of his character.

On the other hand… I get that people flanderize him, and his multiplicity can be difficult to capture in the limited space a post can permit. But also, there are times where I'm tired and can't English(tm) and I just don't feel like including footnotes every time I'm like "hehe Shadow's kind of an asshole <3," you know what I mean? It should go without saying that Shadow's character allows enough berth that "hehe Shadow's kind of an asshole <3" does not inherently preclude those moments where he's not-an-asshole. Or less-of-an-asshole. Whichever. You know what I mean.

Despite being frustrated with fanon, I'm not trying to pass indictment and say This Is How Shadow Ought To Be Characterized Forever. Rather, I'm just expressing frustration at how fandom continuously refuses to accept the most baseline traits, like (checks notes) "annoyed by Sonic sometimes."

Like it or not, he does have some rough edges. It wouldn't be fair to sand down the bad boy side of Sonic, and indeed some subsects of fandom complain about its erasure. So why is it okay to do to Shadow?

#asks #sorry for the ramble I just have a lot of Thoughts(tm) rotating in the microwave

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lowkeyclueless5137 · 9 months

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Winx au(S5)

here is season 1 with the original notes for everything :3

And here comes season 5!

Starting from where we left, the group is discovering also the fact that Deuce was a nymph. Not like the ones that kept training to gain their nymph status, which made it all the more weirder.

But they liked to poke at him, which yeah... That was a win!

Thankfully, his seal wasn't completely broken, so Deuce could still tap into that bit left to turn back to a normal human look. Even though his hair remained longer. Deuce really didn't know how to tie it up, so Jack offered to do for him a braid.

Riddle and Idia were also told of what happened. And both of them were losing their minds over it. They never had to deal with Mangor, but they knew that a scandal will blow up if Mangor gets back to the public.

So far, the group was trying to investigate and find any clue of that sucker before it was too late. All of their holiday was spent like this, which got them to enter their second year of NRC tired and with literally 0 will to even go to an exam. For a hot second they forgot they speedran to enchantix when the teachers told them that charmix was this year's objective. It was a fun 12 seconds of staring like dumbasses at Mr Vanrogue.

Nonetheless, with Mangor on the loose, the group could at least relax into the library. Trein was back with Lucius too. And while he was proud of how they handled the situation and saved the library, the spirit was still troubled about Mangor's escape. That was the count of nothingness's doing after all. It meant that whoever it was, knew of their presence and their mingling into his plans. Now they even had mythix, which only makes them more of a threat.

Thankfully, one of Sebek's mythix spells was able to conceal their appearances in fairy form. So they didn't need anymore potion, which is a big relief. None of them wanted to stay around a Cauldron for hours mixing and making sure the whole thing doesn't blown in their faces or turns anyone into a toad.

So for now, they were mostly dealing with the earlier tests and everyone readjusting to the school life after holidays.

Except that this year, seeing how much chaos was caused lately and with Magix apparently dealing with some magic criminal problems too, the headmaster had to announce that they will have a far more riguros training, this time along RSA's specialists and NBC witches. Starting with 2nd years, the training will be early, while the newbies get to be introduced to co-school combat later in the year. This was mandatory for everyone, so no one got to say a pass.

Of course, our group now we're 2nd years, meaning that they would be attending early on with this combat training. It was the least of their worries, but it was still important enough that they put a sticky note on their pinboard in their dorm.

As for the aincent library? They still had to clean up the fallen books and the mess that it was made. Trein was weaker than usual due to the library still being in recovery. Nonetheless, now that they had Mythix, they knew how sub-transformations work. Enchantix was their main, but they could change to mythix when the situation calls for it.

Deuce also tells them about the key he received from the story world Neressa. They had to give it a shot. But now they were at school, with no way of getting out so suddenly. Maybe their punishment of not officially leaving the school grounds was forgotten, but still! First weeks of school and already they were running away? Give them at least a bit more time to settle in.

But really the more they stood and did nothing, the more distance Mangor puts in between them. Who knows what new orders he got from the count?

So even if it wasn't even a week since they started school, the group had to sneak out at night. Really, nothing out of the ordinary here. They used the miniaturising form of enchantix along Ortho's invibility spell in order to make sure they won't be caught Sneaking in the library.

And BOI that thing was huge! Deuce did summon the key, which immediately took some sort of life of it's own and flew out of his hands. Epel thought fast and caught the key with some magic ropes, but it only dragged him over, the others trying to hold onto Epel and getting pulled along.

Just a bunch of guys getting dragged by a key in the middle of the night. :'3

But, the key does stop and the group is met with a shelf with various books under locks. The book in question was quite simple, with a lock in Which the key fit perfectly. Opening it, the group was meet with a pseudo-book, inside it being a hand mirror in a silver frame with beautiful ornaments. Taking it out, the group out the now empty hidden box back and left via the zodiac blade before someone would come around and spot them.

Back at the aincent library, the group was all around the hand mirror, clearly not knowing what to do with it. So far it wasn't reacting to anyone, not like they even knew what to do with it. But at least it was a pretty hand mirror. They tried to use the gemini spell, but again, the mirror was still just a simple mirror.

That's when Ortho came up with an idea. He did know of soul traces. Very pelicular patterns of magic that are left over from intricate spells. Maybe the mirror was under such a spell from the former nymph of the night sky.

But ortho also was quite unsure about his power in thar departament. It was a bit volatile and tapping more onto his witch side. It was a spell that was able to tip significantly the balance in between Ortho's light and dark magic. So he asks that if by chance, his body shows signs of altering... Just slap the shit out of him.

So Ortho starts the said spell. He said that he will lay down for this one and disconnect from his material body, hence he asks for the others to please keep an eye on that. When Ortho does raise up, he is a spirit, clearly unable to be seen by the others. Except that Trein and Lucius both see and hear him. It was extremely wierd at first, but right now, Ortho had to check on that mirror. And he does find something, or more like someone. For a hot second he was ready to charge in, before realising that it was the original Neressa, which most likely had no memory of what her story world counterpart did.

And Trein seems to not be able to see Neressa, nor Lucius. The spirit herself was looming over the mirror. She couldn't speak, but she did smile warmly at Ortho and motioned in between Deuce and herself, before at the mirror. Ortho wanted to ask more, but something else caught his attention.

Some kind of spirit, a quite restless one, was hurrying above them, most likely on the halls of NRC. The spirits of the living all manifested in the form of small colorful flames. Depending on their magic, the flame colors may vary from bright to dark and ortho could see them through walls if they were close enough. Yet that one seemed to try and gain a shape of it's own. It was a bright blue flame. It meant that whoever was that spirit, they were most likely close to dying. Ortho wanted to go after it, but as he got closer, he saw 2 other spirits of the living. One was an extremely bright green, so bright that Ortho could bearly make out who it belonged to. The other was a very dull purple, a bit agitated. Ortho would say that it was in a sense similar to his own flame. But he felt how he was passing out and harshly dragged back into his body. Waking up properly with a bang, it was clear that Ortho stood way too much for his welcome in the spirit world. The others said that his fingertips were turning a darker color and his body was suddenly ice cold. Ortho thanks them for waking him up and tells them that the mirror is indeed special.

That was Neressa's soul inside of the mirror. And in true nymph fashion, she wanted for her descended to use it. The problem was how?

Deuce tried his best to concentrate, but nothing came out of it. He was growing tired. He kept hanging on to that seal bit to keep his usual form, the one he was so used to. Sebek realises that maybe, Neressa doesn't recognise him as her descendant because Deuce looks like a normal human.

Once switched to the nymph form, the mirror also seems to react. And in the reflection, the real Neressa is seen, smiling and waving at the group. She was very happy that one of her descendants found her soul, soul which was put in this mirror so that nymphs in training could still use her knowledge, yet she didn't answer to any of them up until now.

The group tell her that they needed to find prince Mangor and stop the count of nothingness. Neressa tells them that if they want to find their enemy, they must aim for the prince's goal. What would Mangor look for immediately after he is freed?

Their answer was simple: a source of power. Something to be on par with their enchantix and mythix. But enchantix was gained through a noble sacrifice to save someone and mythix clearly was out of Mangor's knowledge, let alone reach.

Neressa reassures that she will be always in here, in their reach, before dissappearing in the mirror. Now the group were looking through transformations one could aquire power through taking it from a source. They came across a few interesting ones, but so far it was only a list.

That's when Ace gets a call. It was from Riddle, who tells them that something bad happened to Idia and that Ortho should come. The group of course took one look at the very dizzy Ortho and knew well enough that he is most likely going to slam his way through any wall just to get and see his older brother. So Jack decided to carry him through the halls until Ortho felt enough better to stand on his own.

And at Idia's dorm room, it was a bit of panic. Idia himself was laying on the bed, Vil next to him along a blonde guy named Rook, the latter handing to Vil a warm towel to put on Idia's forehead. There were also Cater and Trey, who were looking through books of curses and cures. Additionally, there was Azul there, whom Malleus seemed to try and comfort him about something. Riddle was helping Cater and Trey with looking through the books when the group arrived. And immediately Ortho went to his brother's side, asking Idia what was wrong. Of course, the older Shroud had a hard time recognizing Ortho or what was going on, but when he did figure out that his brother was there, Idia holded tighter Ortho's hand, coming to hold with both of his.

And Idia told Ortho that 'he' will come for them all. When Ortho asks who is 'he', Idia dismisses him and continues, weakly, saying that 'he' found something to use against all of them. Something so powerful that it could affect the whole magical universe. That was before Idia passes out again and Vil groans that the only time he wakes up and it's just to warn everyone of something they already knew.

Jack tries to reason, saying that it's the first time they hear about it. And Ortho is Idia's younger brother. By how shaken up he looks, it's clear he's in a state of panic. The others bearly convince Ortho to let go of his brother's hand, even so, Azul had something to talk to him, mainly concerning the situation at hand. So the others decide to help out with anything they could while Ortho talks with Azul in private.

Azul starts first by saying that his group and Idias were dispatched into a mission around the Sage Island beach, since it was a lot of ground to cover and they split up. They encountered a strange person. Idia seemed to recognise the guy, which somehow triggered the person to attack them, by dragging them into the sea, where their wings became an additional weight. It was only him with Idia and Azul really had to pull through by the limit to just get them out of there. Ortho did know where this was going. He asked if by chance, the guy gave out a name. Azul denied it, but that's where his own question comes into play: the guy that attacked them was looking for Ortho's group. The guy placed a curse on Idia, so that it will eat away all of his fairy magic, until he is left with nothing. By all means, no one expected Idia to be on the verge of death.

And to Azul's surprise, Ortho was boiling with rage, to the point his firehair was bright orange. He promises that they could handle it, to which Azul heavily doubts it. He reminded ortho that they were, by all means, baisc fairies, this year striving to get charmix. If even an enchantix fairy had difficulty fighting underwater, what chances would have a basic fairy.

And Ortho replies that he will find a way. For the Shrouds, their magic is tied in with their very own lives. A Shroud can only lose their magic if they die and vice versa. And if that curse eats away fairy magic, the best candidate to take care of Idia was a witch or a magicless person.

Azul admits that before switching to Vil, he took care of Idia. He took a break after Riddle called Ortho's group over, mainly to figure out how he could break the news to Ortho. The curse was one from the aincent mermaids spells. So the only way to break is by tapping into more powerful sea magic than the one who casted had.

And Ortho has a wild thought. After deeming Idia stable enough, Ortho dragged his group back towards their dorm, telling them about what he and Azul exchanged. A quick internet search and indeed, a few days ago the mermaid kingdom from the coral sea reported that a few manuscripts containing spells were stolen. Mangor had to be the one who stole them, although for getting a potion to breath underwater, one must have some high connections.

Sebek theorised that most likely Mangor returned to his kingdom to aquire the said potion, but that would also mean that the news would be blaring about the missing prince returning, which didn't happen. Epel theorises that maybe Mangor and his parents are all involved in aiding the Count of nothingness, on which Ace calls bullshit. It would be an immense scandal if that were to happen.

Ortho tells them that he read somewhere about a fairy form that would allow them to move freely underwater along with their spells gaining immunity underwater too. Jack resonates that it would be a bit too early to go after yet another transformation. They bearly started their 2nd year, which was more busier with the added combat training schedules. Besides, they already had mythix. But Ace gives the point to Ortho. Their fairy form can't carry them through water. Enchantix may be their most powerful form, but it won't carry them underwater without complicated spells or potions. And even then, those might fade and they will never know just how much Mangor might hold them underwater. That sucker was clearly searching to gain something similar to Sirenix, but for what purpose?

Unknowingly to them, someone else heard their conversation about weather or not they should pursue sirenix.

Later in the library, the group is faced with going through the various books that had info on sirenix. Very little was known about it. It was a transformation that allowed the fairies and witches to move incredibly fast underwater and also breath in there. Their magic won't be hindered by the said environment too and also they could resonate more with the ocean's magic, to the point they could access the infinite ocean, a paralel world, which acts as a sort of command room for all the oceans in the magical world.

Jack does resonate that Sirenix is quite the powerful transformation. If Mangor aims for that, he will gain access to the infinite ocean. Not only will it be the ultimate retreat technique, but also he could reek so much havoc from there without anyone able to even figure out it was him.

Epel tho, has the briliant idea of searching for past sirenix fairies and witches. There had to be some. And since oh so little is known about sirenix, it means that there had to be some deceased sirenix fairies or at least nymphs of the oceans they could contact.

So first, Trein advises them to ask Neressa. She was the closest nymph they could ask, so she might have an idea.

Fortunately, Neressa admits that even as a captive soul, she feels her fellow nymphs. Weather they were natural nymphs or raised to that level of power. She knows that currently, there is one nymph they could contact: Daphne, the nymph of sirenix, the specter that can be found in lake Roccaluce. Although she doesn't know why Daphne was the only nymph she could feel on enough to be able to be reached out by others, Neressa advised to be cautious.

So the group decide to prepare for a small visit to lake Roccaluce. Really they were tired of all that traveling, but alas, it had to be done sooner or later.

At the said lake, the group make a convergence spell, trying to reach out to Daphne. And she presents to them as a specter and asks what are they seeking from her.

When the group asks about sirenix, Daphne seems to grow enraged. She tells them that sirenix is cursed. It was the reason she was a specter and because of that curse, she was unable to put a proper last stand against the ancestral witches, leaving her planet to be destroyed.

But despite that, the group insists. There was someone else who was pursuing sirenix. And that person wanted to use it to reek chaos in the magical dimension.

Ortho also insists that his brother was cursed and sirenix is his only way to save him. He would do anything for Idia, even if he gets cursed or dies. Daphne seemed warmed up by this declaration and indulges in the group pursuing this power. She tells them that they have to speak to Mrs Faragonda about getting access to the archive. Epel suggest that, giving their record, they should just straight up steal it. Daphne didn't really find it that funny, but because of them being very insistent of keeping things secret, she gives them a little ring on a string. She tells them to present it to Faragonda and tell her that on behalf of Daphne, they should be allowed to borrow the book of sirenix in secret.

And rightfully the group immediately hurries to Alfea. Except that they are faced with one of the most terrifying tasks: finding the headmistress of an all girl fairy school, when a full blown start of the year party went on. Add to that that it is 100% guaranteed to be some royalty around here. News in Magix travel fast, not to mention that twisted wonderland might get them later, but still, they will get them anyway and bust their secret.

But, seeing how the specialists also came to pay a visit, the group decides to use that to their advantage. Since the specialists also were in casual clothes, the group decided to just go like that. Jack does note that he did see a few times the red fountain specialists in their uniform and he must admit that those are very tacky. Ace was thankful that he won't have to wear some tacky ass cape and wierd boots.

Nonetheless, their infiltration proves successful. Some students did ask them if they were newbies, since they looked a bit too unfit. No, ladies, Ace and Ortho were wheezing because they are certified couch potatoes and Deuce refused to teleport them to the gate of Alfea. They had to run there. :'3

Nonetheless, they listened in to Faragonda's speech and watched as the top of the specialists raced towards here. Apparently they were the boyfriends of the girls who saved the school or something, but our Requix squad was absolutely done and over with this. They needed to get the headmistress alone and ask her to give them that damn sirenix book.

In truth, they are absolutely tired with getting dragged from parties and fun, only to have to deal with their missions and get the least fun.

But they meet Najima. And Najima guides them to the food tables so everyone collectively deems Najima as a cool fairy. It was her first year in Alfea too! Epel tells her that if magic doesn't work, always get physical and don't be shy on biting. Ah, yes... Advice from your seniors is the best. :3

Thankfully, Faragonda notices them before anyone figures these 6 are completely out of the loop with the other specialists, who were having either show-off or chats with the other students. The group does admit that they are here for an important matter and so, they quietly are invited into her office.

The group do explain to Faragonda their problem. They also present Neressa's mirror, Daphne's ring and their library marks as proof. They only mentioned that they had enchantix and right now they were looking for sirenix in order to stop prince Mangor from getting into the infinite ocean or steal anymore aincent mermaid spells. They doubt Magix would ever be spared, so Faragonda sees where they are coming from.

Even so, they are just fresh 2nd year fairies. She is quite skeptical on leaving an important artefact such as the book of sirenix in their hands. In the end, she caves in and gets the group to the Alfea archive. They meet Concorda and go on a long search for the sirenix book. Faragonda trusted in the pixie to look over these 6, which quickly ends up being the best call. Concorda took her job very seriously when it came to guarding the codex piece, but also the archive's wellbeing. She did say she was taken aback when the archive shook for a bit during this summer, but she figured it must've been the tower rebuilding.

The boys really didn't want to tell the pixie what actually happened to affect the archive(S4's objective). They just hurried over with their search.

FINALLY, after a long search, they found the goddamn book. Really Sebek wanted to wack each and every one in the group, including himself, since the book was literally on the lower shelves, in front of them, but nooo... They had to start from the higher levels. They give their farewells to Concorda and tell her to say to Faragonda that they will return the book as fast as possible. They used the zodiac blade yet again to go to their dorms back in NRC.

Except that in there, the group is greeted by Azul and the twins. First of all, Azul congratulates them on finding the sirenix book so fast. Second, he demands to know what they are up to, otherwise he will rat their little late night randevous outside to the headmaster.

So with the given choices, everyone deemed Jack as the group speaker and also as the one who could explain coherently enough the mess that is their plan: get sirenix, find Mangor, capture the fucker, figure out how to break Idia's curse via getting back the stolen scrolls or if the scrolls are compromised, use sirenix's wish to break it.

And Floyd with Jade do find it entertaining enough to tell on how Azul was worried sick over Idia and wanted any and all leads to the cure for that curse.

So Epel calls the 3 out on it: they all want the same thing. Why not band together? Azul seems very hesitant. After all, he wouldn't really want to associate that much with the infamous taboo students of NRC. Well... At least it was an upgrade from simply calling them troublemakers. :'3

So to make things more airtight, Ace makes a deal with Azul, both of them being tied up by magic bindings. If any of them dares to spill the beans over their real mission, the bindings will break and everyone will suffer from backlash.

With that, the twins and Azul bestow upon the group their knowledge of sirenix. That transformation was cursed in such way that if you do not manage to aquire it in time, you will loose all of your magical powers.

And the group collectively looked at Ortho. The Shrouds, as he put it previously, are linked to their magic so well that their life is also taken away alongside their magic.

But Ortho was absolutely set on it and even opens the book himself using his mythix wand and the rest channeling a convergence spell with the wand as the focus point.

The book does open and gives them the instructions: they had up until the lunar cycle ends to gain fully sirenix. For that, they will need to gather 3 gems scattered across the magical waters of the universe. Those gems will be put on their sirenix boxes, where their personal guardian of sirenix resides inside. With that, they are granted Harmonix. Harmonix was only halfway to Sirenix, which means that they would be able to breath underwater, but they won't be able to move as swift and fast as in sirenix, neither will their spells be as strong.

And in true quest fashion, their first riddle is given. Of course they couldn't ask the guardians for the answer. That would've been way too easy. So Azul suggests to use the school library to inform themselves over the riddle answers.

For a hot second, the first years were shook about NRC having a library. Being so used to the aincent library, they forgot that NRC actually did have a proper library. And thankfully, Octavinelle had a private section for themselves.

A few days everyone was looking for an answer to the riddle in question. They were guided to the Zenith oceans, searching for the binary flowers. That was also them testing the waters with Harmonix.

Cue everyone making fun of everyone for having lil puffy uniforms. Clearly this half a transformation had very few distinct features to each of the boys, mostly because it was here only temporary, akin to a trial period. But Sebek got again a tiara so Ace had to get back the 'very pretty prince' joke. The twins also took that joke in order to make fun of Azul too. The joke unfortunately doesn't work on Ortho, the twins or Jack, because they just roll with it. :'3

Although, Ortho noticed that what set him apart from the rest's otherwise very pastelly outfits was the inclusion of a few splotches of bright and dark color here and there, clearly meant to represent his witch heritage. What was more interesting was that Azul also had a few quite darker colors in his outfit. He brushed it down as him liking darker colors, but Ortho tells him that so does Epel, Jack and Deuce.

Azul just dismisses Ortho, saying it's just unimportant details he looks too much into it. They should focus on the mission at hand.

And indeed, the octatrio are quite the allies. Things seemed insanely easier now with them helping out. Maybe it was Azul's way of managing things, but really it felt as if now they had time for both pursuing sirenix and trying to foil Mangor's plans. They also meet the selkies, getting to bond with them, just like with the pixies. The selkies helped out by looking out for Mangor and closing off any gate to the oceans of twisted wonderland. They betted that Mangor was using those gates to get lost more easily. They did run into him several times and indeed, Mangor was completely nuts.

Maybe imprisonment in a tiny box for months can mess up with your head a bit. :/

Mangor was absolutely having it out for Sebek. And with the mermaid scrolls he kept stealing, it was very obvious that Mangor was turning into a merman, one who was stealing the scrolls to gain more power and eventually force his way in the infinite ocean.

The sirenix quest meanwhile, guided the group everywhere. Their second to last quest got them to even visit STIX, at the river of souls, which housed the corals of dead magic. Magic that once belonged to beings that passed away. In order to depart forever, their souls left their magic into the river, creating this array of beautiful corals.

Of course, the group was absolutely livid to see that Ortho not only had ties with STIX, but he was actually having the position of executive director, much like Idia had too. Their parents ran STIX after all.

And of course, Mrs Shroud asks about Idia. Azul was the one who kept the closest tabs on Idia and he didn't want to lie to the woman: Idia was getting worse per day. And currently they were doing their best to pursue for answers and a way to save him.

But, the river of souls proves to them as a tricky place. They had to find a dream fish, little beings that sprout into existence from the soul's unfulfilled dreams. Those little fishes are scared of literally anything, so catching one proved to be a task, especially when the corals themselves attacked the group.

And Ortho saw how in the heat of the moment, Azul used a witch spell. The others didn't see it, assuming it was ortho who did it. And the fire head kept his mouth shut regarding that. They got what they needed, so they had to go back to school.

A few days later, while waiting for a new riddle or searching for Mangor, Ortho goes to visit Idia when he happens to overhear a conversation in between Azul and Malleus.

Malleus seemed to be worried over a letter Azul received. The latter told him that he was unsure of what to say. On one hand he wanted to stay here with him, Idia and the twins, but on the other hand, the letter was a lifetime opportunity. He never wanted in NRC to begin with, but he couldn't just have abandoned the twins. They wouldn't have been here if Azul didn't insist to accept the NRC acceptance letters. And he couldn't simply pass that one up. Malleus advised to take action as he sees fit, yet Azul tells him that it's not as simple as it is for full fairies or witches to switch in between. He can't just give out what he worked so hard for. Malleus finally tells him to think of what Idia would say about it, to which Azul replies that for now, this doesn't concern Idia and he would rather also not focus on things that don't concern him. Malleus did tell him in the end that he tries healing spells daily, but they only seem to relieve the pain. The others did leave taking care of Idia to him after all.

So Ortho waits a bit before acting like he just got here, wanting to visit Idia. Azul and Malleus seemed to both have some things to settle still, so Ortho had some privacy with his brother.

So as a precaution, Ortho uses a spell to lock the door so that he could use his special spell of traveling through the soul world.

And there he is meet with Idia's soul, having a human form, but it was still attached to his body, unable to leave far from it. Idia did expect for Ortho to come like this. After all, it was a disenchantix spell that Ortho recently got the hang of it. And Ortho fills Idia in with their adventure. Idia seemed skeptical of Azul and the twins joining in, but they were a great help, so he wasn't going to comment on it. By the end, Ortho wanted to tell Idia about the letter conversation he heard before coming here. Idia mutters more to himself that Azul must've gotten a letter from Cloud Tower. Ortho does ask what was that about. Idia tells him that he is in no position to reveal that about Azul, as it was his own privacy. But what he does tell Ortho is that Idia happened to have a relationship with both Azul and Malleus. It was very complicated and messy, hence Idia didn't really brought up his love problems, but he knew Azul is passionate about what he loves, so he tells Ortho to follow that example. Fight for your passions and what you love.

And ortho, before finally going back to his body, tells Idia that he is fighting for what he loves already. He loves his family and his friends, so Mangor, the count of nothingness and whoever wakes up one day and decides to be evil, will have to go through him first if they ever wanted to hurt his most dear people.

Idia just tells Ortho that he had something in his nightstand drawer. To take it and show it to Azul when he feels the time is right. That was the last thing before Ortho woke up back in his body. Following what Idia told him, Ortho found in there a small seashell pendant, which he hid in his pocket and with that, he left.

Although curiousity still poked him and so, after Malleus was out of the room to go and redo his healing spells, Ortho asked Azul about the letter. And about the witch spells he used back in their missions.

And Azul admits that, unfortunately, he is just like Ortho. A half fairy, half witch. His mother was a quite respectable sea-witch from Andros, very close friends with headmistress Griffin from Cloud Tower. His biological father was a fairy from twisted wonderland, but following the divorce, his current stepfather was a simple divorce lawyer from the coral sea. He got that letter because, despite being in NRC, Azul had to control his witch side as well. So when he told his mother about getting enchantix, he knew word got to Griffin as well. Issuing a small transfer to cloud tower would be harder considering he was now in his 3rd year, but Azul didn't want to go to Noble Bell College and his mother couldn't take him as her apprentice. She had a restaurant to run.

So Ortho happily declares that they could start a coven together. They are both halflings who need to watch over their internal balance. They could do it together. And witches have this coven thing going on, so why not they just start one too?

And Azul accepts, mostly to have Ortho not pester him about it. Of course, the news were shared with the twins and Requix club, who didn't hesitate to poke fun at Azul for trying to hide his 'Witchy thingies'.

And because of that, Ortho finally got comfortable enough to wear his witch hat, hat which was his favorite, a heirloom from his grandma on mother's side.

Unfortunately for them, their last riddle regarding the gems has them venturing into the coral sea for the gem of courage. That would be a big chance of getting compromised if someone recognises them, but even so, they had to go through with it.

And even worse! Mangor seemed to have got his way around here as well. So a fight escalated both in and out of the water. Ortho, Ace and Epel did stop in time a few tsunami spells. Jack was working with Jade and Azul on defence for the group, while Deuce, Sebek and Floyd went nuts on attacks.

Thankfully, they find their wanted gem and Mangor dipped on them. Azul did inform them that today it was an optional course on the beach, so maybe they should attend it.

They weren't late, although the more earlier students seemed to cheer in between them. When asked about it, the teacher, Lilia, told them about the big tsunamis that came in here. Thankfully Silver and Kalim kept everyone safe while the rest of their group made a convergence spell to prevent the tsunamis from harming innocents further.

And Sebek seemed puffy. Of course Silver got credit for this. Malleus does ask why Sebek won't be happy for Silver too. Maybe because he was absent in here? Or perhaps Sebek was upset about not being here to protect people as well?

The others really wanted to subtly tell Malleus to get the fucking social cue, but it was too late, as Sebek was snapping right then and there.

He was sick and tired of working his ass non-stop, only for Silver to get the credit for some dumb little spell he did at that moment. He was absolutely done and over with trying to keep his ties going with Lilia, Malleus and Silver, only for them to brush him aside. He went through a lot and these 3 never once asked if maybe he was alright or how he was doing. At one point he left them aside, only for it to bite him later when he was confronted about what did he do to have his ties so severed. He is sick of trying and from now on, he will cut off their ties completely. That was accompanied by grave silence as Sebek stomped his way back to NRC. He didn't want to participate into the optional course anymore and honestly, it was a bit reasonable.

Silver wanted to go after him, but Jade advised him that right now it wasn't the best time. Sebek needed to be left to deal with all that emotion on his own. The rest of the Requix squad tho, followed after Sebek. Although it was quite obvious they supported the Greenhead over how they didn't comment on the matter at all and let Sebek run his pent up anger until he couldn't conjure anymore polite replies.

Malleus did ask Azul about it, but the response was that they messed up big time. And he doubts Sebek would even want to hear from them.

Meanwhile, Sebek was aggressively investigating. It was a clear sign that he didn't want to talk about it. The others tho, advised him to take a break. They had the last gem and now they were ready to find the source of sirenix and complete their transformation. The lunar cycle was over in less than a week, but so far, form the riddle and their separate investigations, they figured out that Lake Roccaluce was their final stop in this quest.

So Jack reassures Sebek that even if Malleus and Lilia didn't know, even if no one else gave them credit for it, for them at least, Sebek was a hero and a great fairy. Ace says that no one is just as loud and serious as Sebek, but it was good. Epel added that they did need someone to keep them on track for the school matters and Sebek was always taking care of that. Ortho insisted that Sebek shouldn't worry himself over with people that won't recognise him for what he was truly worth. And finally, Deuce tries to cheer up Sebek, by telling him that once they get Mangor, they will make sure to leave for Sebek the last punch. And that did creak a smile out of Sebek.

But they do report to Trein about their quest and their results so far. Trein nudges them to not spare any seconds now that they were so close. Time wasn't something to take lightly and so, he hopes the group understand that a cursed sirenix can have consequences.

So despite Floyd wanting a break, they had to go to lake Roccaluce and find the source of Sirenix. The earlier, the more of an advantage they had over Mangor.

Of course, once their group convergence is successful and Omnia greets them into the infinite ocean, the nymph tells them that unfortunately, a great threat is trying to get in. She fears that the emperor's throne will be activated.

And the group gets introduced to the said emperor throne. A structure holding all the magic of the infinite ocean, waiting for the first proper magic user to sit on it and claim it's power. Omnia guarded this throne with all of her power. There was once a rouge nymph, politea, who wanted the power of the throne, but Omnia managed to stop her before she could even get a chance to sit on it. Yet politea did manage to charge it up, hence the throne was very volatile.

So Azul suggests to make a barrier. Something that would block the throne from Mangor. Another very tiring convergence spell and Floyd declared that he will nap on the sea floor at this point.

Thankfully, now they had sirenix, so they could put Mangor to a stop if they got the chance.

Except that the sirenix curse did unfortunately reflect on their civilian lives. A sudden need of just throwing yourself in water, sometimes it was so desperate that breathing was hard too. Their enchantix and mythix forms were unable to be accessed, despite everyone feeling them there. Sometimes their hair color would change when wet too. It was hellish and keeping it a secret also came with it's own nasty can of worms. Not to mention combat training. Thankfully Azul knew how to brew quickly advanced potions of concealing, even so, holding back was harder, as the sirenix power arsenal was far more volatile outside of water. Training with RSA was especially hard since these specialists didn't have any magic to defend themselves, only tech and combat skills.

Add to that Mangor starting to reek havoc around, so everyone had to go and stop him. Yet he kept escaping. He was slippery and managed to land some serious hits from time to time on others.

One instance was when Sebek was hit. He was healed up quickly by Floyd, but still that rage and saltiness was translated on his combat training. That day he had against Silver and boy did Sebek not hesitate. He put down the guy so quick that the teacher bearly had time to process what happened. So much for the guy who had a saving streak.

Although some of the said curses were holding a bit over sometimes. But those were simple ones such as dizzy spells or clumsiness curses.

Of course, the group tried to use their sirenix powers to heal Idia, but again, healing spells didn't seem to work at all. Ortho wasn't losing hope yet. They came too far, so it wasn't any place to give up.

Azul tho, was more pessimistic and stressed out. The others figured it had to be from everything. The twins also were keeping hard with all this rush our group was used to since last year.

But oh were they so wrong.

Because one particular fight with Mangor had him actually flee to the infinite ocean. How tf did he even gain access?

Azul was the answer.

He wasn't pessimistic or anything like that, rather Azul was under a hypnosis spell. And using that spell, Mangor had Azul give him sirenix as well and now he was using him to break through their barrier over the throne. And Mangor used Azul as his dummy for the throne. Since it was so volatile from staying charged up for so long, it was clear that the sudden power increase could be deadly. So why not have a hypnotised fairy to transfer the power to him so he could use it to free his master, the count of nothingness.

Except that when Azul was seated on the throne, something seemed to have snapped. Azul turned into an octopus mer, the twins telling the group that it was his actual form, as they were all 3 mers from the coral sea. Except that even then, some corals gre out of his shoulders along with what it seemed like a spiky crown.

And Mangor sure as hell wanted to use Azul to get that power of the throne, only to be immediately caged by none other than Azul himself, who sounded absolutely different, much more demonic. He was offended that Mangor even wanted to order him, let alone ever give him, HIS power. Oh yes, Azul was absolutely nuts from that throne and Mangor paid the price by getting caged up and the scrolls being taken away.

When the others tried to stop this, Azul lashed out at them. One by one, each of them were hunted down by Azul and caged just like Mangor, although he didn't take their sirenix as he 'didn't have any use for it anymore'.

The last one left was Ortho, who got out of the water in order to get a bit more time to think of a plan. Something to snap Azul out of the madness induced by the throne.

Except that he has no time to think of a plan because a gigantic Azul emerges out and is ready to catch Ortho, the last of them. Ortho puts up a chase, trying to tell Azul to stop it, that it isn't him.

And that's when he remembers of Idia's gift for him. Summoning the pendant in question, Ortho uses his essence of sirenix, becoming a whole flame that immediately plunged into Azul's chest like an arrow.

Except that what it did is shrinked back Azul and Ortho hugging him tightly, begging Azul to remember why he wanted to get sirenix in the first place. How Azul cared about his family, about the twins and how he was nothing but kind to Ortho. How Idia wanted for both of them to follow their passions and why they formed a coven for shits and giggles. Because those were things that the real Azul holded dear. Ortho knew it. And deep down, the real Azul was still there, and he wanted the real Azul back. Everyone needed the real Azul back. And Azul seems to finally snap out of it. He holded the pendant, looking at it for a few seconds before slowly hugging back Ortho and reassuring that he was back now and apologising for what he did. Really he lost his mind when he got that much power. He may be greedy to some extent, but not that greedy, you get him?

And Ortho has his sirenix box appearing, his guardian of sirenix telling him that he managed to please the destinies so what would be his wish? Azul did encourage Ortho to think at how much he could do with a reality altering wish, but Ortho already knew what he wanted.

He wished for his brother and anyone affected by Mangor's spells to be cured. And the guardian happily fulfilled that wish.

The first ones who come over once Azul lifts up his cage spells are the twins. It was clear the 2 were worried sick for their friend, but they were also failing so hard at hiding it that it was hilarious.

But now they finally had prince Mangor locked up again. Except that when they try to wrangle him out of answers, he simply laughs and tells them that their master has one more loyal servant, one who surely will put them all in place.

Azul simply banishes the guy to oblivion. From there it was clear Mangor won't have any chance of escaping.

That leaves the group to deal with the new emperor of the oceans. Really it deserved a long round of teasing about 'his majesty', which ended up with Azul wishing he still holded this dumbasses hostages a bit more.

Nonetheless, Azul feared that because he is now the emperor, he won't be able to leave the water. So the twins came up with an idea: split Azul's power and create pillars from that power. That way the throne will remain unchanged and the pillars will hold the balance of the oceans instead of Azul. So via a set of convergence spells, Azul splits up his power in 4. Deuce and Sebek used one fraction to create the pillar of light, Epel and Jack created the pillar of control and Ortho with Ace created the pillar of balance. For the last fraction of the power, Azul kept it to himself to replace the lost sirenix when he was crowned emperor. The twins were the ones who used their power to maintain Azul when the pillars were created and powered and him losing a considerable chunk of power.

And of course, all of this remained a secret. More like Azul insisted to keep it like that. Really he didn't want to boast about how he gained so much power, only to have to be snapped to reality by the power of friendship and hugs. :'3

Still, the rest of the Requix group were losing their shit since Ortho gained first his wish and he used it to undo Mangor's mess. Like dude missed a bigass opportunity right there. He could've erased his witch or fairy part or he could've wished for the power to permantly keep in check his inner balance. Heck, with Azul as the emperor and the scrolls back, they could've probably done that healing themselves!

But Ortho was happy like that. Idia was alright and he had to give full thanks to the group for saving him. Even though the other students assumed that Malleus's healing spells worked in the end. (Sebek had to keep in another snap about the subject of crediting)

Even tho, Azul wanted to properly thank the group for helping him and the twins with this crazy quest. So using his new emperor powers, he lifts the sirenix curse off of them, allowing the group to access again their enchantix and mythix. Azul told them to consider it a formal thanks, as they probably won't be seeing each other after winter break.

When the group asks about it, Azul reveals that he did think about it and will accept to study at Cloud Tower. He feels like he's pretty good with his fairy spells and already he had enchantix, so maybe working on his witch spells won't do him any bad.

Azul does ask if Ortho would be interested in studying at cloud tower too. He could pull a few strings for that to happen, but Ortho reassured that he was alright as he was. He still has a mission to fulfill as part of Requix: to defeat the count of nothingness. But he would gladly try and visit Azul and maybe exchange some spells in between them.

Unknowingly to them, someone else was watching them, promising that they will get those pesky fairies and make sure that all of the magical dimension will be under the new regin of the count of nothingness.

And here is where season 5 ends! :3

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other seasons: S1, S2, S3, S4, S6

#twisted wonderland #twst #winx club au #sirenix was my favorite transformation concept #althrough I wanted them to expand a bit more on the curse part

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