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#and she's got stuff going on but watching from the sidelines is so scary
noirvette · 11 months
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WE NEVER EXISTED
[band smau]
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[FOURTEEN]
masterlist.
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extra.
note: the black italics is Michael singing. The lyrics aren't in order though haha
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"You guys out there don't mind if we play a cover right?" Michael calls out to the crowd. The crowd responds with loud cheers.
The guitar strum of 'Black Hole Sun' by Soundgarden starts to fall over the crowd's ears. The crowd cheers in delight at the prospect of this particular cover. From the sidelines as you watch the band; Graveyard Soldiers, your openers for the night play, you couldn't help but get into the groove of Michael's captivating voice.
"In my eyes"
Michael, last name unknown, he keeps it mysterious like that; is the band's front line singer, and electric guitarist. Last member, and from what Kyle told you was the whole reason this band (Graveyard Soldiers, not your band) nearly didn't happen.
"In disguises no one knows"
Pete Thelman, back up singer and plays the bass guitar, you and him had a fun time talking about what were the best bass guitarists of all time earlier. Second member, he was awkward, but overall a refreshing person to talk too.
"Lies the snake"
Henrietta Biggle, lead guitarist and sometimes keyboardist. She kept to herself mainly, but loved to talk to about music with you and Nichole. First member, she started this band to raise money to help find her missing brother. You remember the day he went missing, your band even helped pitch in with money before.
"Boiling heat.. summer stench"
Firkle Smith, drummer; absolute menace. He was scary, intimidating in a way you'd never thought was possible. He was nice, polite when needing to be but you know what they say about how the eyes are windows to the soul... He was the third member to join.
"Call my name"
From the corner of your eye you can spot Kyle walking over towards you, "They're good yeah?" He tilts his head towards the Graveyard Soldiers.
"Yeah! I'm really loving their style, I've heard their eps and now that they got an album, I'm excited to listen to more of their stuff." You gush.
"And I'll hear you scream again."
Kyle hums and you see his face become more serious, "Stan told me that Cartman's worming his way into causing havoc for you, that true Y/n?"
"Won't you come?"
Sighing, you look away from him and back towards the stage, "I really don't know. Cartman's never really interacted with me too much before, now he's tagging me in an update about his podcast? He even called me like four days ago. I'm sure it was a misclick, considering I say his name pop up for maybe three seconds before it disappeared."
"Cold and damp"
"God I hate him so much. You'd think he'd leave us alone, but he uses our band as a way to gather more fame for himself. Miserable bastard."
"For honest men"
You've never really seen Kyle badmouth anyone, sure for Cartman it's warranted and you've heard of the weird friendship they used to have, before it fell apart suddenly in high school. However it's still a bit surprising to you, seeing as Kyle makes it a point to be amicable towards everyone, even if he's not the biggest fan of them.
"In my youth, I pray to keep"
"It's fine, Kyle. He's a dickhead sure and he's the world's biggest attention seeker but that's all he really is. An attention seeker. No matter what he's going to do tonight, I'm not letting his bad mood ruin one of our best nights."
Kyle sets his hand on your shoulder and squeezes, "If he continuously causes trouble for you, let me know. You've helped me out a lot Y/n, let me return the favor. Besides, beating up Cartman is an easy task, it's refreshing seeing him get knocked down a peg."
"No one sings like you anymore...
Black hole sun"
Kyle removes his hand from your shoulder and you can still feel the warmth of his hand. "Thanks Ky, I doubt I'll need you to go extreme like that but if he becomes an even bigger thorn in my side, you'll be the first to know."
"And wash away the rain"
A bemused smirk dawns Kyle's face, "First? To know? Over Nichole?"
You chuckle, "Okayyy.. so maybe not the exact first, but it's the thought that counts? Right?"
"Won't you come?"
"Yeah, maybe when you're not lying.. miss L/n," Kyle teases,.
Your face holds one of mock annoyance as Kyle teases you and as Graveyard Soldiers do the instrumental part of the song you and Kyle just stand there, looking at each other.
"Hang my head... drown my fear... till you all just disappear"
"They're ending soon, make sure to do your last tune in." Kyle softly says.
"Won't you come"
"Got it captain!" You head further in towards the back to quick test your guitars, leaving Kyle to himself.
"And wash away the rain?"
Kyle turns to the band performing as Michael repeats the last lines of the post chorus.
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You had decided to not bother checking twitter nor Cartman's podcast episode during the set change, the whole band decided against it, not for a lack of curiosity, but considering set changes were so hectic. You were curious, the nausea feeling of not knowing the answer to any form of a question of "why" eating at you.
You weren't even sure if Cartman had gone live, you doubted it, the crowd was just having a fun time talking to each other from what you saw when you peeked around the curtains earlier. Some people were on there phones but you doubt it was for Cartman.
In all honesty, you didn't need the stress of Cartman in your mind. What you needed was to give South Park the best god damn show you've ever done. You've grown a lot since your last big performance here, hell the whole band has grown.
So instead of giving Cartman another thought, you focused your mind on the set change.
Set changes were annoying, it's why Clyde actually hated having opening bands or opening for other bands like you have done in the past. Of course, opening bands were good in your eyes, it paved the way to allowing the crowd to experience new bands or genres.
"Dude, where did you put my drumsticks?" Clyde asked one of the stage workers in passing.
"Clyde. They're on your seat on stage." The worker replied, you could hear the disbelief in their tone. You couldn't help but feel bad for them.
With that, the worker left and Clyde was standing there like an idiot, but he was your guys' idiot and you had to let him do his own thing.
However, Clyde had a point to complain, the backstage workers going insane as they try and get everything put together properly did take a toll on you even. The quick instrument check before they were put up on the stage by the stage crew. Lights crew making sure they'd have no problem.
You could see Craig was munching on some crackers, having the time of his life knowing all he had to do was go on stage and take pictures of the band and the crowd and then call it a night.
Beside him, Nichole was going insane on making sure the stage looked absolutely perfect even though it'd be too late to change anything right now.
"Y/n! You don't think the stage is ugly right? I've been staring at this one sheer cloth placement that Craig took a pic for me, bless him, anyhow for like twenty minutes. It just looks off to me." Nichole rushed over to you, a picture on her phone that Craig took.
You look down at the picture, "Nicky.. the cloth is fine, besides Craig took the photo at angle look," You gently grabbed her phone and tilted it to the right, that way the picture was centered.
"Oh thank you, I was nervous that it was off center this entire time, I was about to jump on stage to fix it. Good thing I didn't it was just Craig's poor photography skills."
Craig looked at the two of you with a pointed look of "What the fuck" written all over his face; "You know, how about you guys find a NEW photographer then."
"Nooooo! Craig I'm sorryyyyyy." Nichole drawled. And the two started going back and forth.
Kyle looking lost as he ran out of things to do but you could see stress and worry marks all over his face as he ran through every scenario in which the band suddenly had the worst experience performing. Stan not caring about anything, he was really just taking in everything while he was doing last minute vocal warm ups.
You hadn't bothered to say anything to Kyle as he was trying to do something; not because you didn't want to but because you're not even sure Kyle would hear you. Whenever he got into this stressed manager mode (or as Clyde would call it; normal Kyle Broflovski), he tended to tune people out.
Tweek was playing with Craig's camera, or.. a spare. You doubt Craig would ever let Tweek handle his camera. There were three things Craig loved in the world; Tweek, his guinea pigs, and his camera.. but no matter how much Craig loved Tweek that camera did cost a whole lot.. and it was Craig's profession.
The lights were dimming out.. which meant go time. Everyone else paused and got into show business mode. You shook the nerves out of your body. No matter how many performances you did, you doubt that you'd ever go on stage without some sort of performance anxiety.
"Good luck guys! Have fun out there!" You hear Kyle call out as you all start to head out onto stage.
"You too!" Clyde responds before smacking his forehead with his hand.
From the podcast studio, Cartman and Heidi go live.
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TAGLIST: @captivq @kimiesstuff @bwljules @the-cooler-kira @1one1person1 @kenny-the-ken @neenieweenie @n0tangeliccc @frogindisguise @revzxn @mirophobic @gonefiishiing @musiclovebot @bootsieboo @bonez4brainz @s0l4riss @1996kj @sweetadonisbutbetter @scinclaitnoir @okarigold
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clarks-letterman · 3 months
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Wally anon: No, it MUST be said that Hooper needed to stay dead. I know he was an important character & all, but the e n t i r e Russian plotline dragged S4 down when we damn well know Joyce could've been doing more important shit elsewhere. So, I'm right there with you on only wanting her to make it from the adults. Winona is the primary reason I started watching the show & they need to stop. sidelining her with the Russians & Hopper & w/e other nonsense they can think up when she was in the thick of shit in 1/2. As for S3, I controversially think the whole goopy, blobby ~consumes everything it touches~ concept is the show's best/scariest monster design & they REALLY dropped the ball not having it cause infinite more damage instead of just using it as an excuse to fully make Billy a villain & kill him off (& still be inconsistent about it cause we get his backstory and. him sacrificing himself, so it's like what do y'all want us to take from him djdgdb). The picking & choosing with characters is just too much to deal with sometimes. 💀
Ya'know, I had not even thought to consider what his full name is so that's a good thing to wonder lollll.
Yupyupyup. It's nice to have that security, but he knows it's very conditional on how well he performs & that's not what he actually wants to do, so it leads to this lonely limbo of kinda sorta contentment. I hope he's able to get a happier outcome as the series goes on (after he finds out more of who he is first) & if not, well, that's what fix-it fics are for. ❤️
In more ways than one, huh? @ inches. 🤫 It's not quite as pronounced for me (I'm 5'10), but 6'+ guys are still huge that it's impossible to not be into the difference on principle.
You're absolutely right about the detention. I feel his thoughts would be even more out of control than the norm cause there'd be nothing else to distract him. So he really lucked out being so charming fr. 👍
Oh, I can completely. visualize the finishing/moving to shake with the same hand djfbdb (spot on Wally headcanon). And you know he'd get even more excited by realizing you aren't a ghost & what that even means & trying to understand how it even happened. And, if you can actually touch him, how that would change things completely for his regular routine. Meanwhile, the entire time, you're still trying to wrap your head around the entire thing (double entendre for the situation itself & ~another thing~ cause the size).
I think what they give her to do in 3 and 4 lines up with her character but it really struggles to be tonally consistent. Season 3 in general is much more comedic and bright (which is why I think the Billy and big gloppy glop falls flat cause it’s in a season with more lighthearted themes). It’s just crazy that she was ready to throw hands with the demogorgon and go into the upside down to retrieve her son (which season 1 has the worst upside down, worst in the best sense because i mean it in violent, unknown, and scary.) But in Season 3 and 4 it’s russians, and terminator homages, and just stuff that’s so unserious. I hate it sm. At least the teens got a better story in s4 than the adults (minus Eddie.)
I wonder if it’s sewn into his underwear ugh that’s such a good way to find out what Wally is short for. (lmao it’s just kinda hot to see the name embroidered in there, because you know they’re his)
I hope he gets to be with Maddy but I can see that season 2 is leading into his downfall because if she gets her body back… she’s gonna get with Simon (no hate to him but Wally clears the floor.)
Dayum five ten is still taller than me by a mile😭 my best friend is 5’9” and he towers over me. But yeah, anyone taller than six feet deserved to be classified as a stratospherical disturbance
The ticking clock and the fact that he’s mere feet away from a teacher who would only have to give his attention to him. Wally would be having a field day in his head about it.
Oh totally, you’re trying to understand that ghosts are real and that you can talk to one of them and this ghost is packing some heat. There would definitely be long silences as you tried to pay attention in class, but he’s filling the empty seat next to you (but it still looks empty to everyone else.) If you can touch him, you can guarantee that he’s got you taking a “bathroom break” every class to sneak off and… well, I’ll let you decide the rest on that. Lunch periods are dine and dash type of events where you eat and hurry off with him elsewhere.
If you guys haven’t gotten to a physical relationship yet, it’s probably best to keep an eye out for him after phys. ed in the changing rooms, because he just might be there… (not in a creepy way, just hormonal teen way yk)
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deithe · 3 years
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I know I'm an unempathtic cunt when I think this but she pisses me off so much when she in such a shit mood because she decided to go back talking to a guy I told her she shouldn't. I know she can do what she wants but when she ends up crying to me cause he's ignoring her/talking to another girl again I just want to hang up the fucking phone.
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How well do you think Ik would have handled herself in the current event? On one hand, it may be doable with the help of the royals and other exchange students. But on the other hand i kinda want to see Ik in a sorta Coraline-esque adventure. (Sorry if that was a little specific, October has a way of making me feel nostalgic for the horror books i would read as a kid like goosebumps or scary stories to tell in the dark 😅)
the new costumes for the new event are genuinely SO cool??? the story itself was kind of eh but also asmo's outfit gave me the most Gender Envy i've had in my entire life so,,,,
i wasn't entirely sure what to do with this, so i just wrote out what a jtta version of the event would look like ^^ also, this takes place post-jtta! i also kind of got too into writing what was supposed to be a short set of notes, so this is a little long haha
unfortunately i've never watched coraline - only ever seen screenshots and stuff - so i couldn't do much with that, but i tried to keep its aesthetic in mind while writing
i will preface with this: ik is not good with horror. if given the choice, she'd basically never pick a horror movie over any other kind of movie, and she only ever 'plays' horror games by watching someone else (levi) do it and giving half-hearted encouragement from the sidelines
she can't even look at a still image of michael myers for too long without starting to feel on edge, and then there's a 50/50 chance that she'll end up having a nightmare afterwards
and guess what kind of horror trope she's most scared of? killers in creepy masks. +1000 fear points if the eyes are, like, blacked out.
so as you can guess she is... not having a good time
i think the idea in the original is that the masks somehow enhance their sins/evilness or something, and thus the demons are after mc's soul... and i guess that intensifies their feelings for them? it's a similar story to that with our version, except instead the hunger for a pure human soul intensifies the brothers' familial instincts instead
(solomon's soul doesn't count because... well, that's spoilers for my take on solomon's character and a revelation that's yet to be published in jtta, so......)
in our case, the brothers' intentions are genuine, but because there's the curse urging them to eat that human soul, their protective instincts increase ten-fold to attempt to drown the urge out
of course, the end result is that they start acting really quite creepy...
anyway it takes a while for anyone to notice that anything's up with the brothers, because by the time this happens it's pretty normal for them to be all doting with ik
except they're doing it to the point that it's just excessive... not to mention or pretty weird
at first the others write it off as them being more attentive because everything's scary and ik's kind of on edge
even if that's true, though, it... doesn't really justify the levels of unnecessary that the brothers are going to
like when lucifer's leading ik around the exhibits and he keeps a vice grip on her shoulder the entire time - he won't even let her walk across a room without tailing her the whole way there
or when ik visits asmo and satan's exhibit, and every time she tries to leave, one of them side-steps into the way and blocks the door
then solomon realises something's up when he accidentally knocks a prop over. the big bang it makes startles ik and upon seeing that, mammon immediately starts revving his chainsaw
like - a genuine, electric, will-cut-off-your-limbs chainsaw. mammon points it right at solomon and it's at that point that he gets the yikes
solomon: "hey, uh, ik.... i think something's wrong with those masks."
ik, who's had mammon and levi watching her every move like hawks for the past twenty minutes: "OH you THINK?????????"
solomon makes a bluff and the two humans get away to meet up with the royals and the angels, they discuss the situation and what they think might have happened, who might have sent those masks, how to break whatever spell has been cast over the brothers
diavolo surmises that getting the masks off them will probably break the curse, and of course that raises the question of how they're going to do that
barbatos suggests just running at them, taking them by surprise, and snatching it off of them, but solomon shuts the idea down
back when mammon revved that chainsaw at him, he had a very profound realisation that, under this curse, there's nothing stopping the brothers from unleashing their full violent capabilities on anyone who (presumably) isn't ik
even if diavolo could theoretically overpower any of them, he also has the fact that they're his friends to worry about, and he probably wouldn't be able to hurt them in good conscience, even if it was to protect himself if they went at him
whereas, for example, levi in this cursed state would probably shove his knife into his face without a second thought
then ik suggests that, if she's safe from whatever the masks are making the brothers do, why doesn't she take care of the masks situation?
simeon, immediately: "ABSOLUTELY not."
to be honest, ik was only saying it because someone else was going to eventually, and she wanted to just put the possibility out there. she doesn't actually really want to go after the masks on her own
which is understandable, since... well, the brothers as they are right now are kind of the MOST scary thing possible to her
because (and this is about to get just a little angsty) it's not just the fact that they're murderous and also in some really scary-looking masks
at this point (post jtta and also post some other stuff that i won't spoil), there's an absolute bond between ik and the brothers - like, no arguing, they are her family now, and she trusts them absolutely (and vice versa)
she's used to being familiar and more than friendly with them, but in the state that they are? they feel completely alien
ik values that familial bond like it's the most precious slab of gold in the entire world - i'd go so far as to say that, at this point, it's one of the central points of her life - so it's really terrifying to her that it's gone for as long as the brothers are wearing those masks
like, sure, their familial instincts are enhanced and in theory the masks are just going to make them weirdly overprotective over her, but the masks are also going to probably make them hurt one of the others if they aren't careful. what's more, they just don't... feel right.
whoever planned this - hats off, i guess?? you found a way to make this halloween the scariest possible for the poor kid
anyway, now that ik going alone is off the table, simeon suggests that they just all go in one big group to retrieve the masks
but then diavolo brings up that, as members of the celestial realm, there could be some BIG issues if luke or simeon get genuinely hurt by the brothers while down here, and that's a pretty big risk
in the end solomon and barbatos are selected to go with ik
diavolo's apprehensive about it, wanting to go himself, but agrees to it in the end
thus barbatos, solomon, and ik set off for the first part of the mission!
targets one and two: mammon and levi. their exhibit is closest, and barbatos also already has an idea of how to deal with them
the two are patrolling around when the rescue trio get there, each brandishing their own weapon and bickering occasionally
levi and mammon's exhibit is kind of like a mini town, so it's easy enough to manoeuvre around without them noticing - especially with solomon casting a silencing spell around them
so the three make their way to a little area just around the corner, where they proceed to put their plan into action
ik sits herself on the floor and, after a deep breath, nods to barbatos and solomon
so barbatos picks up and drops a nearby prop with a loud crash, and ik promptly goes "OW!" as loudly as possible
it works as expected: mammon and levi immediately hurry to the scene of the crash. ik's sitting on the floor, rubbing at her head and pretending that she's just been knocked over, and solomon and barbatos are nowhere to be seen...
mammon and levi come to a stop, dropping their weapons, and immediately start fussing around her
mammon's acting really feverishly and patting her down to check for injuries, while levi's kind of drifting around her, asking constant questions about what happened
it'd be sweet if there wasn't something so eerie about the way they speak, or if they didn't keep somehow relating ik's (fake) injury to her soul... or if they didn't, you know, look like horror film killers
mammon picks her up and sits himself on a crate nearby, dandling her on his knee like she's a tiny kid, while levi inspects her face carefully... and his mask is way too close right now and it feels like he's staring directly in ik's soul and also mammon's hold feels so unnaturally threatening and holy mother of god ik is about to DIE out of fear
barbatos and solomon are watching all of this from a hiding place off to the side, and they are one (1) second away from stepping in because ik genuinely looks like she thinks her life is in danger
but then ik attempts to collect herself, and slowly convinces mammon to let go of her... which he is, like, creepily unwilling to do.......
she tells the two brothers that something just flew out of nowhere and hit her in the head, indicating that it might have come from the general direction that solomon and barbatos just happen to be hiding in
then solomon, on cue, rustles his cloak a little
mammon and levi are immediately on the alert. realising something, while they're distracted, ik hurriedly kicks the chainsaw and knife off into the darkness somewhere - but then levi suddenly turns on her like "what do you think you're doing?"
ik tries playing it cool - "um— weapons are dangerous, aren't they...?"
mammon: "we need those weapons to protect you, remember? what if there's something dangerous around here?"
ik: "um... they're... they're kind of scary."
levi: "...scary?"
ik: "y...yeah?"
it seems to work! mammon and levi seem to exchange a look through their masks, then nod. "we don't want you getting spooked on us," says mammon.
ik can only manage a slightly ironic smile, because the truth is that she is extremely spooked
at that point solomon rustles his cloak again, adding a subtle cough for additional effect, and mammon and levi turn in its direction immediately. this time, with no interruptions, they begin advancing forward...
as soon as they're within an arm's reach of solomon and barbatos's hiding place, ik abruptly smacks herself on the leg to mimic being punched and goes 'OW' again
levi and mammon turn around again, but before they can run back to her, barbatos and solomon perform a tag-team ambush from behind
solomon knocks mammon's hat off with a well-timed gust of magic-wind and yanks his mask off by the strap while he's still disoriented, while barbatos smoothly pulls down levi's hood with one hand and snatches away his mask with the other
a dull grey smoke immediately starts curling up from the masks' eye holes; barbatos and solomon drop them to the ground, and mammon and levi promptly drop as well, free of the curse and also extremely disoriented
ik heaves out a looooong sigh of relief and kind of collapses onto the ground again - she just sits there for a moment, trying to regulate her breathing properly
solomon quickly runs through the situation with the two extremely disoriented brothers while barbatos helps ik up and sits her down somewhere cleaner than the floor
mammon and levi hurry over to check up on her after receiving the explanation, and ik abruptly jumps and almost bolts before realising that they're back to normal again
the two brothers are still wearing their halloween costumes, after all - the masks weren't conjuring up those - and ik sees those clothes and automatically thinks they're still cursed
it kind of hurts their hearts to see her look so scared of them for a split second, to be honest.....
she does allow a hug from both before they hurry off to get changed at least :)
barbatos suggests a break, but ik's determined to just get this done and over with as quickly as possible, so they head straight for asmo and satan's exhibition next
the difficult thing here is that they can't use the same trick again: levi and mammon's was enchanted/digitised to be like a whole mini town, but asmo and satan's (as well as beel and belphie's) is just a single room
solomon strongly advises that they strategise first, but ik's got her mind set on just hurrying through the task, so she charges straight in, taking a deep breath and steeling herself
what she isn't expecting is for asmo and satan to be waiting on either side of the door, and as soon as all three are inside, they abruptly come up behind solomon and barbatos... and hit them hard over the heads
both immediately collapse to the ground, ik PANICS and scrambles to hide behind the screen in the corner of the room before the two turn on her as well
asmo and satan stand back for a moment to admire their handiwork, then abruptly realise that the little human who was behind them a second ago has disappeared...
satan stations himself by barbatos and solomon's prone bodies like some kind of sentinel, while asmo slowly circles around the room, calling for ik in that kind of haunting voice you might expect to hear from a ghost
ik's peering out at everything from under the screen's legs, absolutely terrified
getting hit on the head hard enough to be knocked out means brain damage.... and brain damage is bad
but then she notices solomon's expression scrunch. his face is pressed to the ground, so they're on the right level to meet gazes when he cracks his eyes open a little - and then he winks
at which point ik realises that barbatos and solomon must be pretending to have been knocked out, which'll give them the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack
right as she thinks that, asmo performs a surprise attack of his own, and his face abruptly emerges around the side of the screen
he reaches out and grabs ik by the shoulder, and she actually screams out of sheer shock - after all, that was basically a real life jumpscare
(barbatos's hands twitch a little, but a warning tug on his tie on solomon's part (with magic, of course) reminds him to stay put for now)
asmo, meanwhile, tugs ik out from behind the screen, cooing all the while, "don't be scared, darling, it's just asmo. come on now, stop shaking like that! you're being silly, it's just us, there's no need to be scared..."
ik is half-dragged across the room to the little table in the middle, while asmo busies himself with retrieving a pot of tea and pouring a cup for her... except the 'tea' is just water
not just water - boiling water. and it's still bubbling and steaming in the cup.
asmo just sits himself across from ik, and tells her to drink up in a sickly-sweet kind of voice
all ik can do is sit there and stare down into the boiling cup, too scared to outright refuse, but also not very willing to scald her mouth possibly beyond repair... but asmo's starting to get impatient, if the way he keeps drumming his fingers on the tabletop is anything to go off of
at this point, still standing guard over by solomon and barbatos, satan asks irritatedly when he gets to switch places
then, while asmo's looking over at him, ik has a flash of genius
she knocks the cup over, intending to get asmo to come over to clean up the mess, at which point she could try to make a grab for his mask - unfortunately, she misjudges the force she hits the cup with, and ends up knocking it over... and burning herself with the boiling water
asmo practically dashes around the table as soon as she yelps in pain, cradling her hand and lamenting the damage - entirely too close and talking entirely too breathily......
but the opportunity is here, and ik gathers all her courage into one tiny but very dense ball, and makes a grab for his mask
her fingers slip, but she manages to hook them around the rim, and with one hard yank, she gets the mask clean off of asmo's face and, simultaneously, pushes him hard enough to topple him over completely
satan starts forward, alarmed, but it's at that point that barbatos and solomon leap up and take him down together
similarly to before, solomon catches the two up on the situation, and barbatos quickly hurries over to ik, who is not in a very good way
she's practically hyperventilating, and she's clutching her burnt hand (which really hurts, by the way)
satan comes over to try casting a soothing spell on it, and while she doesn't flinch this time, he can tell by how tense she is that she's on-edge
so he leans back and just holds out his arms
ik kind of deflates for a moment, breathing out a whole bunch of tension with a long sigh, and slowly leans forward to accept the hug he's offering
satan can feel her trembling slightly, and he tells barbatos and solomon sternly that there is no way they can put ik through retrieving another three masks like this
ik protests and tries to say that she'll be fine, but everyone in the room can tell that she absolutely is not and will not be fine
so instead of proceeding straight onto beel and belphie like she wants to, everyone heads back to rendezvous at the rad assembly hall
luke is beside himself with worry, while simeon masks his panic by going all business-like about healing ik's burn properly
asmo's beating himself up something fierce, fully aware that he was the factor in that situation that was scaring ik the most, but then ik reassures him that she's not mad at him - it was the mask's curse making him act all creepy, after all
mammon and levi back up satan in deciding that ik should stay behind while the rest of them try to get the masks off of the remaining three brothers. asmo, simeon and luke agree, but solomon, diavolo and barbatos are unsure
after all, without ik, how are they supposed to get the rest of the masks? asmo and satan just proved that the brothers are willing in this state to attack everyone else, after all.
then satan, thinking hard because he really doesn't want ik to obtain even MORE trauma than she already has, proposes something:
lucifer always listens to diavolo, so he might be able to keep him placid enough to get close and remove his mask. beel is intensely loyal to lucifer, so if they can get him on his own, lucifer might be able to get his mask off him. and belphie always has a soft spot for beel, so he in turn could get his twin's mask...
everyone agrees that this plan makes sense, but ik's also apprehensive - what's the lifeline if it doesn't work as expected, and the masked brothers get violent?
so diavolo suggests that she just follow along and hope that her presence will be enough to keep them down - except barbatos and solomon have proof that ik being there won't just stop the brothers attacking: the lump on the backs of their heads
but ik just will not listen to everyone telling her to stay back, and decides stubbornly that she's going anyway
it's hard to argue with her, knowing that she's still everyone's best bet of getting those masks, but the others still don't like it...
but, in the end, ik does head out to find lucifer with diavolo
the others just have to stay back on diavolo's command, twiddling their thumbs and hoping that everything will turn out alright
it turns out that lucifer is haunting the rad courtyards, making his rounds from one end to the other in steady, marching rhythm - he looks ahead the whole time, arms straight by his side, each step measured, never slowing down or speeding up
he walks so smoothly that he almost seems to glide, which is unnerving in and of itself. it doesn't help that ik takes one look at him and thinks 'jack the ripper'.
diavolo and ik have a hurried whisper-conference over the best course of action. neither are sure of what to do, but the general consensus is to just act natural and hope for the best
so, pretending that everything is normal, diavolo strides up to lucifer and asks how he's doing
lucifer completely ignores him at first, just continuing to stride forward, but then he turns his head sharply to the side and looks at him. his footsteps don't even falter.
then he sees ik half-hidden on diavolo's other side, and stops dead in his tracks.
somehow this is even scarier than anything that's happened so far, and ik's fight-or-flight response goes absolutely haywire
diavolo stops walking as well. sensing ik's rapidly growing panic, he holds out a hand, and she seizes it almost immediately
lucifer notices this, and suddenly his aura seems to darken. he asks, "what is the meaning of this?"
diavolo responds as heartily as possible, "well, we just wanted to check up on you! you've been walking around for an awfully long time."
he squeezes ik's hand, and she chimes in tentatively, "we... we thought you might be tired."
at first lucifer doesn't seem to know how to respond. he just stands there, staring at ik. his hands curl into and out of fists, and he seems to be struggling with something
then he abruptly spins on his heel, shoulders hunched, and grits out, "get away."
diavolo: "what?"
lucifer: "ik. she has to run as fast as—"
what ik and diavolo don't know is that lucifer's lucid for a brief moment there - free of the curse's effects for mere seconds - and that he can sense the curse suddenly intensifying
his warning is cut off as the mask wrenches back control again, and he abruptly whips around and seizes ik by the shoulders
"give—" his words are harried, almost desperate. "give it to me!"
diavolo attempts to wrench him off by force, but lucifer holds fast, practically shaking ik about like a maraca in his odd, crazed state - and so diavolo can only resign himself to using magic
his demon form bursts out with a sharp crack, and he shouts out a warning; lucifer pauses, some part of him recognising that tone...
and that brief slip-up is enough of an opening for diavolo to lash a stream of magic around him like a whip
he pulls lucifer away from ik and grabs at his mask, flinging him backwards in the same movement
result? the mask snaps off into diavolo's hand, and lucifer goes flying across the courtyard, then lands in a heap on the other side
diavolo didn't do this right off the bat because 1. it'd most certainly injure lucifer's pride, and 2. he didn't want to get him hurt
once diavolo and ik hurry over to him, though, lucifer isn't angry in the slightest
he just sits there for a moment, rubbing at his temples, and thanks diavolo for stepping in before he got out of hand
diavolo explains the plan going forward to him, and while he's listening, lucifer's also noticing that ik looks extremely rattled by what he just did
but then they're heading off to find beel and belphie, and he doesn't get the opportunity to try to make amends - not yet, anyway
beel and belphie's exhibit is also a single room, and ik makes sure this time to warn lucifer and diavolo of what had happened with satan and asmo - even if they didn't actually do much damage, it's better to be safe than sorry
they get into the room, and belphie's already there waiting for them
he immediately sets about ushering ik in and sitting her down on a suspiciously stained mattress (she knows that it's a prop for the exhibit, but she still can't help but feel unnerved)
diavolo and lucifer are also shoved forward, and under the blank and impossibly intimidating glare of belphie's mask, they can only obey his directions
belphie seems oddly excited about something - he keeps bustling back and forth, rummaging about in his pockets as if looking for something
diavolo asks him where beel is, and he stops short in his tracks, turns to look at him, and slowly shrugs
then lucifer hears something from above, and looks up to see beel hanging upside from the ceiling like a malevolent bat
(i'm thinking of the doctor from little nightmares 2 right now if y'all know what i'm talking about?? obviously beel doesn't look like him but that's the effect i was going for)
lucifer would never admit to this afterwards, but the sight genuinely disturbs him
beel's panting - everyone can hear his breaths rattling against his mask. he just hangs there, staring down at the three in the room, saying and doing nothing
ik's about to cry because how many more times does she need to be scared out of her mind before this ends
lucifer meanwhile collects himself and asks impetuously, "what are you doing up there?"
in response, beel pulls a syringe out of his front pocket
the trio below prepare to dodge a blow, but instead beel just... crushes the syringe in his hands??
he drops the crushed glass and needle, and it lands by lucifer's feet. still staring at him malevolently, beel slowly draws a finger over his throat and points at him
as if the message wasn't clear enough, belphie explains in a slow, lilting kind of tone that "he means you're going to end up like that needle if you don't behave."
ik is very much regretting EVER volunteering to have anything to do with this whole business in the first place, and both lucifer and diavolo are noticing
lucifer tries to subtly put an arm around her shoulder, but belphie notices, and he immediately hisses, "put that back where it came from before i cut it off"
then he switches, and he's all sweet-and-helpful-nurse again. "we can't do our work properly if you're in the way."
diavolo is very apprehensive over what 'our work' is supposed to mean, and he doesn't feel like drawing this out long enough to find out
he stands up. belphie glares at him, and he stares blankly back, holding his ground.
he's not tall enough to grab beel's mask from here. he turns and meets eyes with lucifer and ik, and in that moment all three understand what the plan is
within the next few split seconds, five things happen in very rapid succession:
lucifer and ik jump to their feet. diavolo lifts ik smoothly into the air. belphie turns and raises a hand to attack. lucifer deftly tackles him into a wall. now high enough, ik reaches up and grabs at beel's mask.
belphie, now maskless, is half-lying and half-sitting against the wall, groaning, while lucifer tosses the mask he'd been wearing across the room. beel, on the other hand, upon having his mask seized, promptly let himself fall... directly onto ik and diavolo
his mask is still half on, and suddenly it's right in ik's face, and she very nearly passes out in sheer terror right then and there
her fingers are numb, so as she reaches forward, her hands stiffen up a little - instead of grabbing at the mask properly, she essentially slaps it off of beel's face
but it works! and thus, the final mask has been gotten rid of!!!!
congratulations ik!!! i hope you enjoy the ten straight days of nightmares you're going to get after this!!!!!!!!!
poor baby's emotionally and physically exhausted, so she's like a little zombie as she follows everyone back to the assembly hall
she just kind of sits there as they all discuss the situation, trying her hardest not to remember everything that just happened
luke holds her hand in an effort to make her feel better and simeon tries to get her mind off of it by chatting about anything he can think of
they end up postponing the whole halloween event for a week or so, and everyone groups up at the house of lamentation just to relax a little
ik really doesn't want to be on her own right now, plus she's fully aware that any sleep she gets is going to be very nightmare-y for a good while, so at night everyone just crashes together in the common room
barbatos prepares some soothing tea, belphie sets up as comfy a sleeping space as he can with luke and simeon's help, beel brings a giant array of snacks, lucifer finds some nice music to play - everyone's just trying their best to make everything comfy and reassuring
satan picks out a nice fantasy novel and reads quietly to ik while everyone else chats amongst themselves :)
don't worry about the kiddo! she'll be alright in the end - she always is.
you know, even after an AWFUL day like this, one can still kind of say that the moment that's followed makes it worth it!
kind of, anyway.......
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forbidding-souda · 4 years
Note
Could we get some relationship headcanons for Aoi, Junko, Kirigiri, Mukuro and Sakura?
Aoi Asahina, Junko Enoshima, Kyoko Kirigiri, Mukuro Ikusaba, and Sakura Oogami relationship HC
OMG JUNKO YESS I LOVE THIS she’s bae
-Mod Souda
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Aoi Asahina
She is very positive! She likes pulling jokes to make you smile.
Also cuddly. Very cuddly!
She sleeps with very soft blankets, so wrapping yourself in them just makes everything all the much better when you hold her!
Every competition she goes to, you are there, cheering her on at the sidelines.
And whenever she wins, which is all the time, you treat her with candies and cakes to fill up her sweet tooth.
She surprises you with gifts from her international competitions, too.
Nothing more than keychains. You can almost start a collection with all the ones you got.
A lot of facetimes, sleeping and talking all day when she is aware. She seems to always have something to talk about.
Whenever you are sad, she threatens to beat up whatever it is that caused you to feel that way, even when it is simple melancholia. 
Wears your jackets all the time. Even steal them to take with her.
Junko Enoshima
Brings her camera almost everywhere to take photos of you.
Whether it is to catch you off guard or to have you pose against a tree, she loves capturing your beauty like hers is.
Will convince you to have her do your makeup like her subculture does. Will. 
Tries to dress you up all the way, which takes months of convincing. 
But eventually, you’ll let her do your makeup with the gyaru style and put blonde pigtails on you. She’ll explain the history of why she chose that subculture, too, the passion in her eyes amazing to you.
Dinner dates all the time. Sometimes she’ll bring Mukuro, too, to get you too to hang out together.
Some things about your relationship unease you, though.
Like how you’ll wake up to her crouched in the corner, her knees to her chest in the darkness of your room.
It’s just... your smile, your happiness and kindness always makes her feel better. It gives her a sense of achievement, makes her feel like she belongs onto this Earth. She loves you more than anything and it scares her.
It makes her cry whenever she looks into the mirror. How could you love a monster like her?
She let up her plan to destroy the world for you. If she hurts you, she would never be able to forgive herself.
Well... maybe that’s the point.
Kyoko Kirigiri
She’s very hard to get to the center of.
You try not to excite her too much or overwhelm her in fear that she’ll block you out.
But she’s not like that, not all the time.
She wants you to sleep on her at night and help her dress during the day. It’s the intimacy that helps her get close to you more than the emotional words that she can’t seem to find.
When she goes away for trips, she doesn’t usually want to talk to you. It means she’s busy. And being busy means it has something to do with murder, or a missing person.
You being on her mind will just cloud her judgement but... she always seems to worry.
She’ll call you at random times, since she’s not much of a texter, to check up on you and see if you are safe.
Hey, if you ever get murdered, it’s comforting to know that your death will be avenged.
It’s also comforting to know that she cares about you, in all of your romantic glory of gifting her flowers whenever she gets off the job.
And her favorite food. Being a detective must weigh on her, so you are sure to give her space and check up on her.
Mukuro Ikusaba
Waiting for her at airports has almost become a hobby. When she gets off duties, you smother her in kisses, bringing her sweets to chew on.
She doesn’t sleep too easily. So instead, she chooses to read you to sleep all the books she has read when trying to sleep alone all her life.
She has a thing for stuffed animals, too. Whenever the two of you go into a store together she just stares blankly at the stuffed animals until you buy her one.
Literally, like in the line for the cash register, she’ll just have this puppy dog eyes while holding the animal in question.
She’s fun to hang out with, overall. 
There’s no need for you to even walk to hand her stuff. You can just throw it at her and she’ll always catch it.
Want to give her the remote? Just chuck it at her and she’ll be fine, even when you aim for the back of her head.
She always has you on post notifications on every social media account you have. She doesn’t even like using the internet, but just to see you, she has accounts on different platforms.
Seems to be the first person to like your posts. Literally, within seconds, no matter where she is. Even on the battlefield she will pause to pull out her phone to like your post. “Oh, how cute.”
She’s quite the daydreamer. When you two eat at the dining room table, she will sometimes doze off in her own little world.
It’s cute to see her dazzled eyes. 
She snaps out of it, quick, her reflexes coming back when she realizes you are staring at her.
Kisses you all the time, liking to catch you off guard. She likes the look when you are surprised by her intimacy.
Sakura Oogami
Can only sleep if you are sleeping on top of her.
She likes feeling your skin against hers, it soothes her more than anything. To her, you are the most beautiful person on the planet.
And she wants to spend every given second with you.
But she won’t let you watch her train, though. She thinks you’ll find her scary if you do.
You respect her wishes. And whenever she gets out, you are there with water and protein shakes, for whichever catches her interest at the time.
She paints your nails a lot. And she lets you paint hers. She loves nail polish and everything about it, and she’s happy you are open enough to have her paint your nails! It makes her proud.
If you don’t know how to braid, she’ll teach you. So when the two of you are cuddling, watching a movie, you can put small braids in her hair.
Her favorite presents are butterfly clips!! You give her a whole collection for her birthday.
And she wears them all the time. 
Even puts a few in your hair while you sleep. When you brush your teeth, looking in the mirror, seeing those little things in your hair makes your cheeks heat up. How cute. They do look a little flattering, don’t they?
Her kisses are always gentle, and so are her hands when she touches your body.
She would never want to harm you. She would never intend to try. And she never has, but sometimes she gets scared. 
Scared for nothing, though. It’s not like any accidents will stop you from loving her.
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Text
Self indulgent Haikyuu x debate!reader hcs because debate season is over and i suddenly have nothing to do
A/n: Idk the type of debate that they do in Japan so I'm gonna use the PF debate structure. (I heard about parlament style debate in Korea, I watched a video and it scared the fuck out of me) Also I don't know how to do the whole read more thing on mobile tumblr so ✨yikes✨
Characters: Hinata, Sugawara,
Warnings: Swearing, caps, mentions of death
Hinata
He has no idea what debate is, his thoughts only consists of volleyball and meat so when you bring up being on the debate team to him he's just kinda "👁👄👁 what's debate like?"
Since debate is hard to explain you decide to bring him along to one of your debate practices to watch.
A quick explanation of public forum (pf) debate: two teams of two take a pro and con stance on a resolution. (Example: Resolved: Sugawara is not the mom friend) Debaters work in pairs to make a pro and con case that they will present at their debate, for PF they usually have a month to prep their case. The case will usually be written in the style of an essay and will be read out as a speech to begin the debate. Debaters work in pairs so there's a speaker one and speaker two. Speaker one is in charge of laying out the topic and what grounds the team wins the debate on, and speaker two dishes out most of the arguments against the other sides. (Kind of like speaker one is defense while speaker two is offense) Basically pro gives their opening speech, con gives their opening speech, and the they ask each other questions and try to degrade the other side's case. Then the speaker twos give speeches on why their speaker one did better, then they butt heads. After that comes the speaker ones saying why they won, and finally comes the ultimate showdown, the final crossfire. The final crossfire is essentially just a big cat fight where we yell each other about morals. (Sorry Amanda but murder is worse than kidnapping 🙄) Then the speaker twos give a speech about why they're better. Your fate relies on the judge who has no idea what they're doing.
Did you get all of that? You probably didn't. TLDR: Four children scream about why their moral compass is better for about one hour.
You try to explain it to Hinata in volleyball terms and it's ✨hard✨
"Okay so the speaker one is kinda like the setter, they set up the attack on the other side by controlling the grounds that they win on-"
"But controlling the grounds is what Noya does-"
"Hinata it's a metaphor"
"What's a metaphor?"
😃 why
So you decide to bring him to your practice debates, during a normal debate you move around from classroom to classroom debating other kids from other schools carrying your case in a big ass box in stuffy casual formal wear at like 8 in the morning.
Practice debates are a lot chiller and there's a lot less yelling.
You were judging debates that day while the gym was having an inspection so he tagged along with you to watch the debates. He kinda gets lost after the con speech and you're like "yeah it can be like that sometimes".
He admires you for being able to do the whole debate thing (and win)
Since the winners of any debate comp are decided by judges (who usually have no experience) most teams value process over result. Even if you debate better they can still pick the other team because of a dumb reason like them liking the other team's shirt.
After every debate he takes you out to get snacks at Ukai's store, and he lets you rant about whatever unfair judge caused you to loose.
"oKAY BUT LIKE I TOTALLY WON, THE OTHER TEAM DIDN'T EVEN HAVE THEIR CASE TOGETHER" he just kinda smiles and nods, he doesn't get your debate terms but he still hypes you up
He makes sure to text you before he sleeps reminding you to not stay up too late researching your case.
Smth like 'i'm going to bed now :) pls don't stay up too late' smh hypocrite, he probably stays up till like 3 thinking abt becoming the tiny giant
One time your debate clothes (black dress pants, white dress shirt, blazer) got dirty and so did your school uniform so he gave you his clothes. He's kinda small so it's a tight fit but it works.
HE BRAGS ABOUT YOU TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE
"hEy look at my super smart s/o who does dEBATE!"
"we know y/n does debate"
Best ray of sunshine 🥺
Suga
ohohoho,,, im a certified suga simp
Now we all know that Suga is pretty smart, he's not a super genius or anything but he's got good grades and he can probably manage his time.
Which means that he's good at helping your research and revise your case. Whenever you can't come up with any contentions he's always there to help you come up with some.
"Kōshi what're the benefits of the urbanization of West Africa?" (I can't find anything on the debate topics in Japan so I'm using stuff from my previous debates)
"Lessening of poverty, standards of health can be raised, and it benefits the world."
HES PERFECT OK
He's probably even joined you for a debate once when your partner couldn't make it to the competition, he makes a pretty good speaker one but he's definitely a speaker two.
His framework for every case is just 🤌🤌🤌
Research dates with him are just 🥺
You guys are sprawled out on his bed just scrolling through resources trying to put together a case.
You go to all of his games and he goes to support you during your debates. Before every speech you give he sends you a small thumbs up to boost your spirits.
He's super observant and can tell when the judge is full of shit.
Tbh if the other team wins because the judge was stupid even though you
He's too good for us smh
Yachi
PLS
YACHI I LOVE HER
okokok
here's the thing with yachi, she's great at writing cases and she'd honestly be a good asset to the team however,,,
she can't do public speaking for shit
so she cheers you on from the sidelines and helps you out with your case
she can't really do public speaking herself because of her nerves but she knows how to convince an audience so she lets you practice her speeches
she once volunteered to help the team for a mock debate by subbing in for someone who couldn't make practice that day due to getting sick, she got scared during her speech and panicked.
weekly study dates are a must, whether it be for debate or just school in general weekly study dates at a local café or at a library
she brought hinata and yams to watch you debate once and now they're both scared of you (look final crossfire is scary as hell)
i think she'd be a (slightly less than) decent cook bUT she's good at baking, so she always offers to stop by before practice to drop off snacks
the team loves her and half of them join the yachi protection squad (started by noya and tanaka probably)
im just v 🥺🥺🥺 rn lmao
a/n,,, lmao i havent written in a while, if u need a better explanation of how debate works then feel free to ask !
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duhragonball · 3 years
Text
Battle Tendency Liveblog: JJBA Ch. 83-87
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Last time, the Red Stone of Aja got mailed out to the bad guys, so Joseph and Caesar have gone to shake down the Venice Post Office.   Notably, Joseph wears a hat and coat similar to the one he’s rocking in Part 3.
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Turns out, the package is already on its way to St. Moritz, Switzerland.   Messina knows this because... okay, try to follow this.   So Esidisi hijacked Suzie Q’s body to mail the Stone.   So she probably wasn’t even aware of what she was being forced to do, but Lisa Lisa used Ripple Hypnosis on her to retrieve the address.   You’d think she would have told the boys about this ability before they ran over to the post office, but maybe they left before she could say anything.
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Meanwhile, this dog’s about to get run over, but this is Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, so what else is new.   Araki’s hatred for comic book dogs is the stuff of legend.
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OR IS IT?   Yeah, take a good long look, because this is the only time Araki saves a dog in JJBA.    Apparently, Kars is a sucker for innocent plants and animals, go figure.  
I don’t know what else to tell you, except Battle Tendency = Best JoJo Part.  
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As for Joseph, he and the others go to Switzerland, only to get held up by Nazis at the border.  Turns out, their mysterious commander knows all about the Red Stone of Aja, the Pillar Men, and Joseph and Caesar’s Ripple training.   That guy who tried to rob Lisa Lisa a while back?  He was a Nazi spy the whole time.   So now they have the Stone, and they want to cooperate with Joseph’s group.   Lisa goes along with it, because it’s better than letting Kars find the stone.
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For some reason, Araki pauses to discuss Nazi Germany a bit, except he has all these historical events from March and September of 1939.   I’m not entirely clear on the chronology of Part 2, except that the final battle with Kars takes place in February of 1939, so none of these things have happened yet.  
But the point still stands.    Hitler wants Nazi Germany to rise above mankind, just as Kars seeks his own kind of supremacy.   And like Kars, the Nazis are interested in the Red Stone of Aja as a possible path to greater power.  
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Everybody spends the night at some Swiss inn, until Kars shows up and uses his hyper-senses to detect how many men are in their room.   Then he slashes through the wall with that blade he sprouts out of his forearm, killing them all with one attack.   
Except for their commander, who has the Stone.   Kars is confused, because he sensed the number and location of everyone in the room, but somehow he missed this last guy, because he’s got no body heat.  
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And Joseph barges in just in time to find out that this dude is Stroheim, the Nazi officer who blew himself up to stop Santana.  Somehow he’s alive, and also a cyborg, which is why Kars couldn’t detect him.  
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Kars only wants two things: To capture the Aja Stone, and to kill Joseph Joestar.    He says that he can’t afford to spare a Ripple User powerful enough to slay Esidisi, but Joseph wonders if Kars is motivated by a desire to avenge his comrade, rather than any sort of cold tactics.    Wammu had called dibs on fighting Jojo, but he’s in Greece at the moment, and Kars is in no mood to wait.   
But Stroheim insists on tackling Kars himself, as his cyborg body was specifically designed using the information gleaned from studying Santana.   He’s strong enough to rip out pieces of Kars’ flesh, and he’s armed with a big-ass machine gun.  He tells Joseph not to pity him, because he’s proud to become this living tribute to German technology.  
What I want to know is: How did Stroheim survive Mexico without Joseph knowing about it?  He was there when that grenade went off, after all.   Maybe Stroheim landed some distance away, where Joseph wouldn’t have thought to look for him.    But how did Stroheim’s men find him?  
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Anyway, Kars is not impressed, and he cuts Stroheim in half with his “light mode”, which is just the blades in his arms.   They seem to glow, but it’s actually just reflected light from the complex patterns in the blades.   From the sidelines, Joseph is unnerved by Kars’ ability, because he doubts that he could block or avoid those blades, even with the full power of his Hamon energy.   
As for Stroheim, he had no idea that Kars could do anything like this.   I don’t know, are arm-blades really that big a deal?   Wammu’s powers seem a lot cooler, and Esidisi’s “flame mode” looks pretty scary, even if it only melts stuff.   Still, it’s enough to beat Stroheim.    Kars mocks him for thinking that he and Santana were on the same level.   Kars considered Santanta a “novice”, like a “weak puppy.”   That’s an interesting choice of words, since we just saw Kars save the life of a weak puppy earilier.   Maybe that same pity was the only reason Kars kept Santana around in the first place.      As dangerous as Santana was, Kars considers him utterly useless.   
He even refers to Santana as “it.”  Maybe that’s just a mistake in this scanlation, but I dunno.   He’d probably use “it” to refer to that puppy he saved too.   And maybe this contempt explains why Kars refers to him as “Santana”, the name Stroheim gave the guy.   I always wondered why Kars didn’t use Santana’s real name, but maybe Santana never had one.  
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But Stroheim’s not done just yet.   He has a UV beam built into his eyepiece, which stuns Kars long enough to make him drop the stone, and then it slides over a cliff.
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Joseph and Kars race after it, but Kars is faster, because he doesn’t have to worry about slowing down before he goes over the edge.    He can survive the fall, while Joseph can’t.   So Kars figures that Joseph will try to kick him, and Joseph does throw a kick... at the snow, to distract Kars long enough for Joseph to get the Stone back.
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But Kars has  blades in his legs too, and he uses one to snag Joseph and pull him over the edge of the cliff.   Joseph manages to use Hamon to grab hold of some icicles to stop his fall, but he still has to deal with Kars’ unstoppable blades, and his relentlessness.   Joseph’s whole deal is that he outsmarts his opponents by exploiting their inattentiveness.   But Kars is laser focused on getting the Aja Stone, so it’s almost impossible to catch him off-guard.
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So Joseph uses that tenacity against him by holding up the Stone in the path of Kars’ attacks.   Kars wants to kill Joseph, but he doesn’t dare use his blades near the Stone.  Remember, Kars’ plan requires that specific Aja Stone because it’s the only one big enough and flawless enough to power his “Ultimate Life Form” mask.   If he damages the Stone, it won’t be suitable for his needs.   Knowing this, Joseph kicks him down the rest of the way, while he heads back up a “rope” made of Ripple-connected icicles.
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Said icicles were provided by Caesar, who expected Joseph to try something like this, because he’s already learned that Joseph thinks in terms of ropes and strings.   Stroheim is astonished by their flawless teamwork.  
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Below, Kars goes out of his way to adjust his fall so as not to crush a flower.   He laughs at this latest setback, because he’s just that impressed with Joseph’s resourcefulness.   Then he withdraws to try again another day.  
This whole arc surprised me when I watched the anime, because it seemed like Kars would be the final boss of Battle Tendency, but here he was fighting Joseph early.   And it wasn’t exactly an all-out fight.    They had a little footrace and Joseph used the Aja Stone to keep Kars at bay, but not much more than that.   Considering all the crazy stuff we saw from Esidisi, you’d think Kars would be much more dangerous. 
But that’s just it.    Esidisi was extremely formidable, and Joseph destroyed him with his Hamon training.    Kars lost 33% of his team in a single stroke.    All he has left is Wammu, who’s in Greece at the moment.  He simply can’t afford to take on Joseph in this situation, so he doesn’t try anything too crazy.   Both of them know his blades are powerful enough to get the job done, so he used them, but when they stopped being effective, he ran out of cards to play, so he left.    It’s not that Kars is weak, it’s just that Joseph’s gotten so much stronger.    So this fight feels like a much milder affair than the battles with the other Pillar Men so far, even though Kars is supposed to be the best one.  
And this is something else I really love about Part 2.    There’s only five villains to deal with: Straizo, Santana, Eisidisi, Wammu, and Kars.   That’s it, so it makes things pretty easy to keep up with, and it leaves room for Wammu and Kars to fight multiple times.  
Compare this with Part 3, where the Stardust Crusaders have to fight through a gauntlet of evil Stand Users as they make their way to Egypt.    I think I counted 26 bad guys in Part 3?   Somewhere in that neighborhood.    And I love Part 3, don’t get me wrong, but if Dio only had ten henchmen instead of two dozen, would it really hurt the story?  
This was something that really bugged me about Parts 4 and 5.   Would La Squadra Esecuzioni’s role in Vento Aureo be any different if they only had five guys instead of seven?    And what was the deal with that dude who lived in the transmission tower?    Most of the “villains” in Part 4 were just randos who just fought with the good guys for no particular reason. 
With Part 2, you don’t have any of that.   Five villains, and three of them only get to fight once.   That means every fight has to count, and every fight has to move the story along.  Kars isn’t going to just show up to be sociable.  He saw an opening to achieve his goal, and he went for it, only to discover his enemies were better prepared than he expected.   Now, he’ll have to wait for Wammu... 
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Chuuya-san.
Author's note: Please excuse any mischaracterization or inaccuracies as this is my first time ever writing fanfiction and I did it in 2 hours without breaks at 5 am.
Written from Akutagawa's pov, Chuuya's pronouns in this are he/they, Gin's - she/they. I hc that Aku is agender but you can read them however you'd like as it's written from 2nd person! All of the relationships are platonic but if you wish to interpret them differently feel free to do so! (except for Gin and Aku, they are siblings.) Dazai is only mentioned.
This is weirdly focused on Chuuya but I am a Chuuya simp so thats fine ❤
CW: some references to canon abuse
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Chuuya Nakahara had a pretty small build for a person in their early 20's, they were only 5'3" tall to be exact, but he felt larger than life whenever they entered a room, air instantly buzzing with overwhelming energy that instantly made you feel excited or on edge for what's to come with his arrival depending on the situation.
You knew that Chuuya would never intentionally hurt anyone who is innocent and had nothing to do with the thing or situation that had pissed him off but sometimes it was truly terrifying, feeling the anger (and sometimes even grief after missions with tons of casualties, you never understood how can the executive mourn disposable people he didn't even know) rolling off of them in waves, consuming everything. It was the effect that they had on others. The mafia life taught to become emotionless in order to become stronger and better but Chuuya used his feelings as a deadly weapon instead.
You couldn't help but admire it even if you couldn't relate at all. Your own emotions always felt like they consumed you in a way you couldn't control which made you feel weak. It felt truly pitiful to be this way, to be overwhelmed by something as simple as that. You guessed Dazai never really got it out of you. The only thought you can form about this matter is that you are a lost cause. Pathetic. No matter how hard you try, never enough.
Chuuya wasn't like you. Chuuya was strong and kind to his subordinates to the best of his ability. You wished you could keep your temper in check. You wished you weren't so violent for no reason but you couldn't help it. Violence has seeped into your very soul and bones a long time ago, never leaving. You wished Higuchi would finally stop worshipping you for her own good. It made you feel uncomfortable, the way she reminded you of yourself while you still longed for Dazai's approval. They say that pain only makes you stronger but you only felt worse and worse after every bullet or kick that came.
Chuuya was far more kinder, you appreciated it even if you didn't really know how to accept it but tried you best. It's hard to accept nice things when you've never had them before. It makes the past more painful, when you realise how truly bad it was.
You and Gin knew that from first hand experience. It was hard to suddenly have a far better life. You both still mainly visited thrift stores to buy clothes for yourself as you did in the very beginning after joining Port Mafia because having this much money still seems unreal and going to expensive stores for yourself seemed scary even if you knew that it wouldn't impact your finances. Old habits die hard, you guess.
Chuuya liked to drag you both to high end stores though so you just buyed expensive gifts for each other because it felt easier, to give to them than to spend it for yourself. Chuuya always seemed a bit sad in the beginning when they realised that you hadn't bought anything for yourself but he didn't push it which you were thankful for. They still made sure to let you know that they immensely appreciated the gifts and the time you spent with them. It made you feel nice, knowing that you can make someone you care about somewhat happy. Chuuya bought gifts for both of you too as he had figured out you wouldn't get anything unless someone gifted it to you. Now it was a fun unspoken game between you all, noticing what the other was eyeing and then buying it. Or sometimes just noticing something the person would like, you all had gotten really good at guessing or knowing exactly what to get.
You often bought Chuuya expensive wine and pretty hats while Gin really liked flowy dresses and fun accessories. Gin in turn got you tea and beautiful, handmade tea sets that you couldn't get enough of even if you didn't get to use them much with how busy you were. Chuuya often travelled so they got you tons of interesting antique stuff from different places, you especially liked the calligraphy. He also has gotten you some of your favourite clothing pieces, they had an eye for that kind of stuff. Your most favourite was a black long dress that reached to your ankles. It made you feel really pretty whenever you twirled in it.
Seeing For the Tainted Sorrow in action was thrilling, it felt like your blood was singing at the raw display of power, the control with which Chuuya manipulated the gravity never ceased to amaze no matter how many times you worked with him on the same field or sometimes regrettably watched from the sidelines for whatever reason. Sometimes it was because you were too injured to go on, other times it was because Chuuya needed space to deal with it alone without hurting anyone from your side.
You hated being useless, always striving to prove yourself, whenever it be Dazai, Chuuya, the Port Mafia, yourself, or still Dazai even after he left. Thinking about it left a bitter taste in your mouth.
You tried to let go of your obsession multiple times over the years while he was gone from your life but he had left too much big of an impact to erase. You felt like you could never escape so you just stopped trying to fight it and are still fighting for his approval even if the weretiger said you had already gained it. You wished you could believe it but there was just too much pain, the wound never closing even after that single time Dazai did finally acknowledge you.
Gin despised him for what he'd done to you even if they tried to conceal it to the best her ability. Instead they tried to spend as much time with you as possible which was nice, you loved spending time with your sibling whenever it be "forcibly" shopping with Chuuya or just eating dinner at your house (sometimes also with Chuuya as they seemed to love worming himself into your lives. You didn't mind and hoped they knew that too as you weren't too good at showing it). You often wore the black dress Chuuya bought during dinners with him as they always seemed to look happy whenever you wore anything that they had gifted. Gin really liked the joy Chuuya brought in your home and you couldn't help but secretly agree. It kinda felt like you finally had your own little family even if you felt like you didn't deserve any of it.
Sometimes you all even hanged out with the Black Lizard at the headquarters during lunchbreak. They were a rowdy crowd but it was still pleasant to see people that cared about Gin and Chuuya. It made it feel like there maybe is something good in this cold, unforgiving world.
end.
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alice-angel12x · 3 years
Text
Cherry Blossom wedding PT.2
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"So Darx took over the school to force Y/n into marriage with him," Riddle summarized. 
"What?!" Everyone gasped.
"What so scary about Darx?" Jack asked.
"Darx is currently the most powerful wizard, and he didn't get that title though fair or clean means," Vil explained.
"And as of late he's been looking for a suitable bride," Lilia added suddenly, " I'm familiar with him cause at first he's been taking many fae brides, some I've known personally. Then they disappear suddenly, and Darx simply moves on to the next."
"S-so were dealing with a possible murder," Kalim stuttered in fear.
"Well nobody has ever shown up, and there is no evidence that he killed them. So all those sad souls are still considered missing," Azul clarified.
"We have to rescue her!" Inir and Ortho shouted.
"Ummm," Everyone backed away.
"What?" Inir gasped.
"Why? Please help us!" Ortho begged.
"Look we all like Y/n and we don't want anything bad to happen to her, but we also don't want to be the ones who die pissing off Darx,"  Ace said.
"while Idia always avoids me yet he only asks for me when he's troubled, that's too easy," Vil added.
" It's your "brother"'s problem. Solve it on your own," Leona sighed.
Inir began to tear up and cry out loud.
"Don't worry Inir, If they won't help then I'll do something," Ortho said to his crying friend.
"Hey, hey. You can't do anything just by yourself," Kalim gasped.
"Stimulating patterns to take back Idia Shroud and Y/n Ebonywood. Requirements: Least time of operation...the simulation has been completed successfully. We will now operate the plan. Charging magic energy. Aiming for Night Raven College's main school grounds," Ortho said as he readied his attack, "Magic beam firing in 5... 4... 3... 2..."
" PLEASE STOOOOOP!" Crowley shouted, "Do you want to make our legendary school turn into ruins!? Magic beams are prohibited!
"Since everybody won't help us, I had to do it," Ortho glared.
" ...everyone. Is it okay to decline that easily? If you abandon Shroud and Y/n just like this..," Crowley scolded.
"What should I say? It'll be pointless even if we fought back..," Ace sighed.
"Ah! There they are! Night Raven College's students!" Crowley said pretending to be a news reporter.
" Wh-what is it so suddenly," Ace gasped.
 "I'm a reporter from TBC News! You're a student from Night Raven College, right!?" Crowley continued.
" Eh? Y-Yeah, I am but... wait, close, too close! Headmaster, you're too close!" Ace stuttered
 "Is it true that it's possessed by ghosts? Please answer the question! It'll be featured by tomorrow morning, so let me take some pictures too. Click-click!" Crowley acted.
"Ugh, the flash is too bright!" Ace groaned.
 "I heard a student was abducted? And you abandoned her?"
"I-I have different dorms from the kidnapped person! I don't know anything!" Ace tried to argue.
  "You left him because you weren't close to him? I can't believe you! I need to compile a special feature... Shocking! The dark side of the prestigious school!"
" Whoa, I said stop it! Don't point the camera here!" Ace shouted.
 "Click click click! Click-click! Click!"
"STOP IT! Ace shouted again.
"And so if Y/n doesn't come back, you'll be pressed by the mass and be interviewed no matter morning or noon. I don't want to see my students getting tired like that, or Shroud getting even more stress on top of his possible trauma. Since I'm kind," Crowley warned.
" If you don't cooperate, I'll hack the news channel and put it on the news. I'll write in big marks "The Student Who Abandoned Their Friend" and air it!" Ortho threatened.
"I think the one who would be troubled the most if there's a scandal on the school is you, the school's responsible person, the headmaster," Riddle stated.
"But, it would trouble me. My mother would cry if she saw that news," Deuce sighed.
" Gossips will affect my image as an entertainer. I don't want it," Vil stated.
" It seems that we have to help then," Lilia smiled, " I can't have things like...Malleus, the next king of the Valley of Thorns couldn't save a human to be spread around, and he does hold Y/n in a special place in his heart."
" Yes. As you said, Lilia-sama!!" Sebek shouted.
"Then, everyone! Let's save Shroud and Y/n  from Darx together!" Crowley cheered, "Ah〜〜〜〜 I'm happy that I only have nice students〜〜〜."
" Let's think of a way to save my brother and Y/n together!" Ortho cheered.
"First of all, why don't we talk to Darx," Kalim suggested.
" What a magnificent thought, you are Golden. Though I don't think he would let go of a beautiful maiden like Y/n so easily. If I were in his shoes I certainly wouldn't," Rook smiled.
" In the end, we just have to get him back by force, don't you think?" Leona stated.
 "We all ended up here because we can't do that. Did you forget?" Vil said.
"Yes. We can't "defeat" the ghosts in a face to face battle. They're troublesome as an opponent. Let's avoid a battle with them." Crowley said.
"You know from what I've heard Darx is a narcissistic wizard and happily excepts challenges from anyone," Riddle stated.
"True, a Fae friend of mine challenged Darx to save his lover, but he disappeared along with her," Lilia added.
"Maybe Sam has something useful in his shop," Inir suggested.
So it was off to the school shop and Mr.Sam. Who surprisingly had had something that could maybe help with Darx. A pure white crystal that can undo any spell of a specific caster.
"That was something I did have, but those darn ghosts came by and raided my shop and getting away with lots of my stuff," Sam sighed.
"What they took the crystal too?!" Crowley gasped.
"Yep, but I'll give you advice instead. Darx specializes in summoning and capture Magic," Sam explained, " That is probably why Y/n and Shroud hasn't come back to us yet."
"So I guess the only option is to beat him at a match in hopes to win both student's freedom," Crowley sighed, " Alright those I call, step forward, you will be the first to challenge group to challenge Darx," 
" Trey Clover, Jack Howl, Jade Leech, Floyd Leech, Kingscholar, Schoenheit, and Zigvolt," Crowley called.
"I was so troubled getting chased by ghosts, so this is where you all evacuated," Trey smiled.
" I'm glad we could gather," Jade greeted.
"Headmaster. What are you going to do with we seven?" Vil asked.
"You are all strong with your unique magic, so maybe you can outfox Darx, or maybe you could all challenge him together," Crowley suggested.
"W-what why can't I go? I feel like I'm abandoning my duties as a dorm leader if I let Trey, the vice dorm leader to challenge this mission," Riddle asked.
"What sad you can't be Y/n's knight in shining warmer," Ace teased.
"N-No that not it at all," Riddle denied.
"We don't know what Darx is capable of, and Riddle you heavily rely on your unique magic and we cannot afford to lose you so soon," Crowley explained.
"I'll have the CCTV's footage be connected so we can watch you from the sidelines," Ortho smiled.
"Vil will surely win not only is he beautiful, but he is also strong too. Don't you think so, Epel-Kun?" Rook smiled.
"Eh! I-I guess," Epel stuttered.
-----------
(Cafetaria — Wedding Ceremony)
"*chuckle* What a beautiful day today, and not so powerful without this pendant protecting you," Darx smiled as he grabbed Y/n's chin.
"Keep this out of her reach," Drax ordered a troll servent.
Y/n simply glared at the man, he had placed a magic seal on to keep her in place and to prevent her from using her magic.  Y/n dressed to the nines in a beautiful wedding dress that Drax's troll servants put her in.
As Y/n stood in her frozen spot she noticed that all the short troll servants looked at her with sorrow and pity as they stood next to her. Drax had seven troll servants and an army of ghosts. Drax was still ordering his ghost and monster servants around trying to get the ceremony ready. Y/n sighed as she looked over at the front row seating area to see Idia struggling at his bindings that tied him to his seat. A similar seal was cast on him too.
"SOMEONE SAVE US—-!!!" Idia cried out.
" I suddenly got surrounded by ghosts, got roped and tied up... and now I have to watch a friend get forced into marrying some brute?" Idia said in fear, " A brute that might kill her soon."
"Not fish, how about beef served at the wedding?" Drax said as a troll servant stepped up with her tray of food.
Drax chuckled as he took a fork full of beef all the while the strolls stood nervously and uncomfortable in front of him. Drax growled in disappointment that the food tasted cheap and knocked the plated out of the hands of the troll and dropping food onto his servant.
"Soon I'll have a new wife, and hopefully you won't disappoint me," Drax said simply as he looked over to Y/n, who only glared at him.
Idia wanted to hurl at that sentence as side glared at his kidnapper. Suddenly a ghost rushed over to Darx with some urgent news. Apparently, some NRC students came to challenge him for "His bride's hand". Drax laughed as he ordered the ghosts to let them in.
"You hear that Y/n, Were going to be saved," Idia smiled in relief at his friend.
Soon the seven students quickly barged through the door demanding to challenge Darx in magical combat.
"So you all think you can take what is soon to be mine," Darx laughed.
"The marriage hasn't happened yet, so Y/n doesn't belong to anyone," Leona growled.
"And a rude brute like you doesn't deserve a lady like Y/n," Jack added.
"Plus forcing women into marriage is a disgusting trait," Vil glared.
"So you're her friends I'm assuming," Darx said simply in a bored tone, " Look dear all your friends have come to watch our marriage.
The boys looked up the alter to see a beautifully dressed Y/n staring at them with a relieved smile on her face at the sight of them. The boys could feel their hearts flutter in their chests at the sight of here. Oh, and there was Idia in the front row.
"Darx we challenge you to a Magic duel, If we win You will set our friends free," Trey said in a serious tone.
"hahaha, I can't wait to squeeze the lights out of him," Floyd laughed.
"Challenge excepted,"  Darx smirked.
_____
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mcheang · 4 years
Text
Adrien’s Christmas Carol
Where our Prince Sunshine is supposed to be Scrooge. Lol. I was surprised by what I came up with. Still I claim this as a draft because I’m not fully satisfied with the ending. I wanted to give it Adrienette but had to settle for Ladynoir. Oh yeah, this story happens before oniichan.
It was Christmas Eve and the class was holding an informal party at the park tomorrow.
The class is helping Marinette and Alya decorate the space. As usual, Adrien is held off by Chinese tution, Lila pretended to have a conference with Ali, and Chloe just can’t be bothered.
At Chinese tution, Master Fu asks Adrien to look after Wayzz while he goes to hidden locations to retrieve more secrets. Wayzz will be his guide should they need assistance.
Adrien is thrilled to be in the loop. He would have expected this to be Ladybug’s task.
Master Fu: Ladybug has proven her trustworthiness. Now it is time for you to prove yourself.
Adrien: I won’t let you down!
As Adrien prepared to get ready for bed, he had an unexpected visitor, Tikki.
Tikki: Adrien, why haven’t you told everyone the truth about Lila? She’s continuing to lie to your class.
Adrien: good evening, Tikki. Lila’s lies are harmless. She’s just boasting about connections she doesn’t have.
Tikki: she’s lying to your friends. She’s been insinuating that Ladybug is a lousy superhero for not capturing Hawkmoth already. She’s making false promises to your friends. And in case you haven’t noticed, she’s starting to badmouth Marinette to the class.
Adrien: that’s because Marinette keeps on trying to expose her lies.
Tikki: So why aren’t you helping her? Why are you just watching from the sidelines?
Adrien: it will only make matters worse if we make Lila angry enough to attract an akuma.
Tikki: and do Marinette’s feelings not matter? What about your class? Eventually Lila’s lies will be revealed. Do you think their outrage won’t attract an akuma? You are only enabling her behavior and letting her get worse.
Plagg floated by with his midnight snack. He decided to add his own input from listening to the class’ conversations with his keen hearing.
Plagg: I tried to tell him, Sugarcube. He’s got to stop letting people get away with this stuff. Adrien, your friends are already doubting your reliability.
Adrien: what do you mean, Plagg? It’s not my fault that I have a busy schedule.
Plagg: not about that. About having their backs in times of crisis. Chloe listens to you and tries to be nice for your sake. But you were all too happy to let her continue her mean streak after one party of forced niceties. Don’t think your friends didn’t notice you smiling at her attitude while she insulted their macaroons. Mylène was crying!
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Adrien was stunned to realize how his actions must have looked to his friends.
Plagg: Marinette was one of your staunchest defenders. She puts up with Chloe partly for your sake. But now you don’t even have her back regarding Lila. Sooner or later, even she’s going to be tired of your laidback attitude.
Adrien felt teary-eyed. Wayzz noticed and offered his own piece of advice.
Wayzz: Adrien, you may not see anything wrong with your actions. But that’s understandable. You are new to the outside world and social interactions. But perhaps try to think of other perspectives.
What do you see in your future with regards to your friends’ perspectives?
Adrien’s tears fell at last.
He saw a future where all his friends have started to leave him out of their social circles. Interactions would be pleasant, but invitations would not be extended. He would only have Lila clinging to him for his fame, and Chloe sparing him in her bullying as usual.
Adrien: I see my friends leaving me behind with Chloe and Lila.
Wayzz: and would you be happy being friends just with them?
Adrien: No! Don’t get me wrong, Chloe’s my Friend but she’s horrible. And Lila is just fake. I don’t want my social circle to consist of just them!
Wayzz: but that is the sort of Friends your actions earn you. If you want nice and honest friends, you have to be honest, too.
Adrien sniffed. “I know. I understand that now.”
Tikki: good. Then please expose Lila as soon as possible. If I have to hear one more time about how she’s my Best Friend, I’m going to give her tooth decay. Well...Plagg will!
Plagg: aren’t you supposed to be the responsible one?
Tikki gives Plagg a scary look that promises cheese mould. Plagg wisely stuffs his mouth with cheese.
The next day, Adrien showed up at the Christmas party.
As usual, Chloe insults the decorations.
Adrien: that’s enough Chloe. If you think this party is lame, then why don’t you just leave?
Everyone oohs.
Chloe: Adrikins, how could you?
Adrien: I told you we would be friends only if you stayed nice. And you’ve been awful since your party. You haven’t changed at all. And I meant what I said. I don’t want to be friends with a bully.
And then he turns and walks away with a stunned Nino.
Chloe stammers and runs away. Hopefully she will think about her actions as her father lavishes presents on her.
Lila starts apologising for Ladybug’s absence.
Adrien: oh, right. Lila, I’ve been meaning to ask, when did you and Ladybug make up?
Alya: what do you mean?
Lila: oh, Adrien was present when Ladybug and I got into a huge fight over my safety and how I blabbed about being best friends with her.
Adrien: nooo, she tore into you for saying you were best friends and using her fame when she never even met you before.
Alya: So you and Ladybug were never even friends?
Lila: we are now! We made it up after I turned into Volpina.
Adrien: where’s your proof, if you don’t mind? I want my knowledge of Ladybug to be verified.
Alya flushes with shame at realising her own mistake.
Lila wildly thought of a reason. She held out her pendant. “See this? Ladybug gave it to me to help her fight Saptosis.”
Alya gapes at Lila, unable to believe the outrageous lies spewing from her mouth.
Nino frowns at Lila.
Adrien innocently says, “That just looks like the necklace you said you got from your Grandmother.”
Lila flounders as Alya spits at her, “You rotten liar. I can’t believe my blog’s credibility is ruined because of you (and my own naivety). Is anything you told us true?
Adrien: well, I’m sure you can ask Ladybug the next time an akuma attacks.
Marinette held up her phone. “And I actually do know Jagged Stone.”
Alya’s face crumbles. “So that’s how you knew the truth. I’m so sorry, Mari. I never should have doubted you.
Adrien: and I’m sorry for not standing up for you sooner. I knew what Chloe and Lila were like and i didn’t do anything about it. I’m sorry, everyone. I’ve been a rotten friend.
Ivan: if you’re a rotten friend, so were we. We believed Lila when she kept badmouthing Marinette. Sure we didn’t exclude Marinette, but we didn’t think to ask her for her side of things.
Marinette: and I forgive you all. We’re only human. We make mistakes all the time. What matters is what we do afterwards.
Nino: like apologize to those we’ve wronged.
And then he glared at Lila again
Lila huffed, “Like it’s my fault you’re gullible idiots.”
So there it was, her nice front finally removed to reveal the hidden backbone.
Rose: why do you have to be like this Lila? All you had to do was apologize and we all could have been friends again.
Lila: as if I want to be friends with losers like you. Why do you think I lied in the first place? I wanted you to do stuff for me.
And then they understood Lila’s reaction. Lila could have claimed regret for lying to make friends. But then she would have no more excuse to skip classes or ridiculous events like Ladybug fairs or planting trees. Why bother to pretend to be so sickeningly sweet to these morons?
When some looked ready to pounce on Lila, Marinette calmly said, “this is an event for friends, Lila. If you don’t want to be our Friend, please leave.”
Lila tossed her hair and left. She only came here to get close to Adrien. But now, she didn’t want to see that tattletale anymore.
Rose: wait...does this mean Lila wasn’t really in Achu this whole time? Then where was she?
Alya: I’ll investigate. It’s part of my job as Vice President anyway. Marinette deserves a break.
Everyone felt downhearted/angry by Lila’s betrayal, guilty for how they had treated Marinette, and just not in the partying mood.
Marinette: investigate tomorrow. Today is Christmas and we spent all this time preparing. It would be a shame to let it all go to waste. Come on everybody; let’s end Christmas on a happy note!
And the class let out a rousing cheer. They dove into the present exchange, snowball fights and roasting s’mores. For the record, Marinette got a lot of apology s’mores.
Tikki was very happy with her Christmas feast.
Wayzz and Plagg congratulated Adrien on a job well done.
Adrien: it was about time I did something. That’s why Master Fu asked me to look after Wayzz, isn’t it? So you could teach me.
Wayzz: no, he really did go on a secret mission. But Christmas has its share of miracles.
For the record, after Christmas, Lila was exposed by Alya to Mrs Rossi and the school faculty. She was promptly expelled.
Chloe could not be genuinely nice but she decided to learn from the phrase, “if you can’t say anything nice, say nothing at all.”
It was enough for Adrien to extend an olive branch. (Hey, it was progress.)
Master Fu was back with a dual lesson for the heroes. They were ready to be trusted with the next stage of their powers.
Chat extended his hand towards Ladybug. “Ready, Partner?”
Ladybug took it, having full trust in her partner. “Ready.”
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peace-coast-island · 2 years
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Diary of a Junebug
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The snowy mountains of Dragonpierce
Crystal icicles can be nice to look at, but they are a pain to deal with. The mountains would be a good place to explore some more if it wasn't for the sheer cold. I applaud Connie and their friends for braving the cold and spending a good part of their vacation time here for team building activities.
Dragonpierce is one of those places where looks can be deceiving. Appearance wise it looks like any other snowy place. But when you step inside it's brutal, to say the least. Amber, Bennett, and Xiang are the real MVPs for keeping us from freezing to death with their pyro powers.
It's a shame, really. I want to explore more of the mountains - it really is a fascinating place that's full of resources we can use at the camp. The glacial gyroids were a nice find along with various plants and berries I've never seen before. But the risk is too much, especially for non-seasoned outdoors people like us. I doubt even an experienced adventurer would want to set foot in the mountains without at least three backup plans or something.
Connie and Pai are back again with their team for another retreat. Things have been going a lot better for them, especially now that they have more allies as well as no immediate threats looming ahead. In fact, it's been a little slow as things outside their control has forced them to put their main mission on hold for a bit. Though that doesn't make Connie any less busy, especially now that they're moving up ranks with the Adventurer's Guild so they're up for a promotion soon.
Turns out it's a good thing we planned this adventure because it's been a while since the original team last hung out all together. Luci and Amber have stepped back a bit to focus on the Knights so they've been eager to meet up with Connie again. Noelle, Seraphina, and Xiang have been stepping up the ranks as well, becoming part of Connie's main team for missions. Xingqiu and Bennett have been helping with the new recruits as well as building up their skills.
In terms of combat, Pai says they've improved by a lot. It also helps that they have more members as well as the fact that Noelle and Seraphina are powerful healers. They still have a long way to go in terms of being in the same league as other seasoned adventurers so that's something for them to keep working towards.
Not too long after Connie and the gang first visited the camp, Xingqiu's best friend Chongyun offered his assistance. He's a psychic exorcist with telekinesis and cryo powers. Connie had ran into him a couple times before, tagging along with him on investigations regarding reported sightings of evil spirits.
The next teammates to join were Meggie and Di, both who work at a bar/cafe. Meggie's a friend of Amber's from Stone Bridge, a neighboring town of Bonsai. Meggie is a bartender/astrologer who just moved to the city in hopes of a new start. She says she's not too keen about being a bartender but she has to pay rent somehow - she refuses to monetize astrology, something she takes seriously. Connie says whether you believe her or not, she does possess strong intuition when it comes to reading people.
I have to say, some of her observations about me were spot on. I barely know her and she managed to get a glimpse of me just by reading the stars. I don't know too much about astrology - and it's not something I want to overly look into - but I like to have an open mind. Even if astrology isn't real, I believe some people are highly intuitive - it's a trait that you can't hone in on, you either have it or don't.
Di is a waitress who's from Spring Valley, not too far from the city. She comes from a family of hunters and is a master archer with the power of stealth on her side. She's quite young so Connie has kinda unoffically adopted her. Apparently she's been going through some stuff at home, so that's why she started working at the bar despite being underage. It's not an ideal situation, particularly due to the fact that alcoholism is a thing in her family so obviously she tries to avoid falling into the same path. No wonder Connie wanted to take Di under their wing.
Then along comes Lan, a renowned captain/pirate who's traveled around the continent at least three times so far. She came to the rescue after a mishap with explosives temporarily put Connie out of commission. Apparently someone at the Adventurer's Guild thought it was a good idea to set off explosive barrels at a high cliff to extract some ores. Lan happened to be around the area when Connie literally landed in her arms.
Lan hardly spends time on land as she's always out on the open seas, so she's kinda a legend around these parts. She said she heard about Connie from Xiang as they often write letters to each other, so she was hoping to meet the honorary hero one day. And so fate decided to literally hand Connie to her, which is quite funny.
I mean, imagine falling off a high cliff and landing right in the arms of this badass pirate captain? If that happened to me, I wouldn't know what to say or do.
And finally, there's the newest team member, a conqueror of demons named Xiao. He's basically an immortal being who has been protecting the land for thousands of years, often lurking in the background. Pai never expected him to offer his assistance considering that he usually avoids interactions with others. Connie was surprised too, though they had been working together a lot since having to defend the city so that's probably why he decided to stick around.
Considering how he keeps his distance from mortals, it's also a surprise that he came along for this trip. He does admit that the only reason he reluctantly joined in was to take the opportunity to observe the team, which makes sense. Pai says he's been helping out a lot in terms of improving team combat skills so that's why he needs to know how well everyone fights and what needs to be worked on.
While the others are off doing various activities, Xiao stands in the sidelines, watching over everything. He seems like the type who takes their responsibilities seriously, the kind you shouldn't mess with at all unless you have a death wish or something.
As for this gyroid event, we're gonna use the gyroids to forge weapons designed by Luci, Xingqiu, and Connie. With the team growing and moving up in the ranks, they're in need of more advanced weapons. Noelle's claymore is pretty worn out while Di's bow isn't exactly meant for combat. Connie still has their trusty sword, but it'll be in need of upgrades later on while Xiang's looking forward to switching out her old polearm for something more sturdier. According to Connie and Luci's research, glacial gyroids can produce a range of high quality weapons. In short, it's something to take advantage of as forging weapons is expensive and hard to come by.
While the mountains of Dragonpierce are hard to navigate, Connie says it's nothing compared to the snowy mountains on the outskirts of Starcatcher and Bonsai Harbor. Over there, you can freeze to death if you're poorly prepared, so most adventurers avoid it like the plague. The sheer cold is strong enough to knock you out if you don't have adequate warmth, not to mention the fierce monsters that roam about. As a result, Connie rarely takes commissions to go there, but it's not something they can avoid entirely, not with their standing as of now.
I don't think I'd survive the mountains over there - Dragonpierce is already pushing my limits. I get that Connie and the others want to collect gyroids, but using the mountains for combat training seems a bit risky. Though it's kinda in the middle of nowhere so I guess it makes for a good training ground. Something about the extreme cold helps to put them in the right mindset? I mean, there's other places where they can train that doesn't involve them risk freezing to death but then again I know nothing about fighting and stuff.
I have to say, it's cool to watch them show off their combat skills and powers. Connie's come a long way as a leader - that's what I call growth! Pai continues to cheer on from the sidelines while offering commentary once in a while. I wonder if one day she'll join in on the field too but I feel like that's asking too much of her.
As much as Connie and Pai are thick as thieves, Pai can be a bit exasperating. Maybe that's why she gets along well with people like Connie and Jamie as they both are kinda jaded and have a low tolerance for bullshit, therefore they can keep her in rein. Also, it's funny whenever Connie roasts Pai because let's face it, she had it coming. Like Pai, we love you, but sometimes you need to step back and be quiet.
It's fun seeing them train and figure out their team dynamics. Like how Xingqiu and Chongyun work well together by coordinating their powers to freeze enemies. So naturally, Connie and Xiao want to utilize that. Xiang, Connie, and Lan also make a deadly combo with Xiang's pyro combined with Lan's electro causes an explosion. Throw in Connie's wind storm and you've got your enemies cornered in a pyro and electro tornado.
At the campsite, everyone's got their own thing going on. Amber's gliding around as usual, practicing her archery as well and bringing fruit for us in the process. Lan, Seraphina, and Xiang have been cooking up a storm in the kitchen and they really like spicy food. I mean, they literally eat hot chilis like it's nothing - it's kinda scary. I though Rika was crazy when it came to spice but I think these three are in another league.
It's a shame. really. Because if it weren't for the intense heat, I would be able to enjoy these dishes more. They taste good but the spice...why must I be weak?
Di and Noelle have taken an interest in finding materials like plants and rocks. They're really good at discovering new stuff like unusual seashells that contain iron that can be extracted or poisonous weeds that can be used to make potions. Di has her methods of handling dangerous plants safely by infusing her arrows with cryo and shooting at them to temporarily make them safe to handle by putting them into a bubble until they can be stored away.
Bennett and Xingqiu have been showing Chongyun around the camp, teaching him a bunch of stuff in the process. Apparently he doesn't go out much so things like camping is completely new to him, so he needed some time to get comfortable. He comes across as a serious person, kinda innocent and naive though, but dedicated nonetheless. I think with Xingqiu around and Connie keeping everyone in rein, he's been able to loosen up a bit.
Pai's been having fun - she's either off doing her own thing and getting into some sort of trouble or bothering someone. It seems like the others have joined in on roasting Pai when she finds herself in a mess that she caused. It's also nice seeing Connie loosen up too, probably since they've gotten comfortable in this unfamiliar world. Pai says they've been making friends and allies left and right - from ordinary citizens to people among high rankings, even some gods as well - it's pretty wild actually.
Of course, Connie remains humble and shrugs it off as it's nothing. They say the high ranking people are just like everyone else, but as for the gods, it's best to exercise caution and expect the unexpected. Also, Connie's at the point where if they hang around certain places for too long, then one of their new friends will whisk them away on some adventure or job. It's only happened a couple times so far but Connie has a feeling that as time goes on, it's gonna become a regular thing, much to Pai's frustration. Connie says they don't mind too much - at least for now.
Since the gang will be coming back in the future for another camp event, I wonder how much things will change by then. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Connie's friends as well as hear more stories about their adventures. I just hope no one insists on doing combat training in Dragonpierce again - unless they're gonna collect gyroids too.
Either way, I think I'll pass on the freezing mountains - I think that's one area I don't mind putting off exploring for a long while.
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greekgeek21 · 3 years
Text
Percy Jackson & The Avengers: Convergence - they steal an old pirate ship
I'm alive!! I'm so sorry for just ditching you guys, but I was in Shasta for a week and didn't have any internet access so I wasn't even able to say that I was gonna not update. But I hope this nice, semi-long chapter makes up for it!  Reminder that this is also available on FF, Inkitt, Ao3, Webnovel, and Wattpad
On a completely different note, I'm going to be starting to write a book. Like, a real published book. It'll take a few years but I'm determined and I love the idea I thought of so if any of you are interested, email me at [email protected] and I might be willing to send some samples. I want input, badly. And all the people in my life are biased. Total strangers on the internet are totally made for this, right?
I recently got into readers marauder era fanfics and I'm already in too deep, gays (and yes I meant to say gay, we all know it if you're reading pjo fanfiction). There is no escape.
Anyway, I'm running out of prewritten chapters, so I have to get to writing that while preparing to write a book. Wish me luck! Happy pride month! 🏳️‍🌈✨
- your author
Ω ♆ Ω
"Run it by me again. Just one more time," Steve asked, still highly confused.
They had made it to Florida and were now at a private dock. Percy had just briefly explained his control over any water vehicle and the Captain was not getting the point.It was understandable. Percy still barely got it.
However, they didn't have a whole lot of time, and every second they wasted discussing Percy's weird powers was another second Annabeth's captors had to hurt her. They did not have time for this.
"We are going to steal a boat, and I'm going to sail us the rest of the way," Percy sighed.
"Ok, but, how are we going to sail it if only you know how to do it?" Steve asked.
Even Piper was getting frustrated now. "He can control the boat! We won't have to do anything! The boat will listen to his will! Oh my gods!"
"But how is that possible!?" Steve shouted.
"How would I know?! I was just born with the freaky powers!" Percy yelled right back, getting fed up with this never-ending conversation.
Jason decided to cut in before things got too out of hand. They had to save Annabeth.
"Guys! This doesn't matter! What matters is that we save Annabeth, and we can't do that if we're stuck here arguing over something that is out of our control," he said.
Percy huffed. "He started it."
Hazel rolled her eyes. "How does Annabeth put up with you?"
"Honestly? No idea," Percy smirked.
"Let's just get going, team. We have a boat to steal, right?" Tony asked.
"Yep. And I think this place has the perfect one for the job." The son of Poseidon then started walking away, apparently following his weird sailing powers.
I guess we're supposed to follow him, thought Piper.
Ω ♆ Ω
"This is supposed to take us through the most cursed waters on the planet?" Bruce asked, looking the boat up and down.
"Yes. Isn't it beautiful?" Percy said and smiled, running his hand along the side.
Tony leaned over to Frank. "Is he seeing the same boat we are?"
Frank just shrugged, used to Percy's weirdness by now. Honestly, it was a little hard for him to imagine the team taking what was in front of them to Polyphemus' island. It seemed like it wouldn't survive the normal ocean.
To be clear, what Percy was suggesting they take was an old pirate ship, currently on display inside of a warehouse at the dock. It was covered in dried-up barnacles, and the mast was split in half. There were also holes all along the sides. It was a miracle the thing hadn't crumbled already.
"Yes, Tony, I am. This thing will run for me. It doesn't even need to be repaired, I can handle that. The only thing that matters is that it is built to withstand the type of waters we're going out in," Percy said. "We need all the advantages we can get."
Natasha, to everyone's surprise, spoke up, "I think we should trust Percy. If he says it'll work, then it'll work. He's the son of Poseidon, right? Nothing can hurt us while in the ocean. Am I correct, Percy?"
Jason cleared his throat and gave Percy a significant look. The Avengers needed to know that they were basically powerless in the triangle. The older teen looked ready to explain, but Frank spoke before he had the chance.
"Actually, no. The Sea of Monsters is outside of Poseidon's realm of power, hence the name. Percy won't have the same access to his father's domain as he does out here," he said, "So, basically, we're entering a dangerous situation, with no backup, and an inexperienced team. Should be fun, right?"
The Avengers were shocked, to say the least. Not at what the boy had said, but who had said it. As far as they had seen, Frank wasn't as confident as his physical form portrayed. They were wrong. Frank was confident, and his friends were proud of him for it, too. It had been a large transformation from when Percy had first met the son of Mars.
"Well, I think we should start heading out. We want to get as far as possible before the sun goes down, right?" Piper asked.
"Right," Percy nodded.
She wasn't really certain about all of this sailing stuff. Sure, she had been on the Argo II, but that was different than an actual boat. For one, it could fly and was controlled by a gaming console. She hadn't really bothered learning how to actually run a ship for that.
But now, she had to act like she knew what she was doing, and that was scary. The Avengers may put on a confident front, but she saw the insecurities in all of them. Some were harder to find than others, but finding insecurities was her specialty.
They really were going into a completely unknown situation. At least Piper and the Seven had been in this world for a little while, but the Avengers hadn't even encountered a monster before. It would sure be a shock when they were faced with some of the worst ones for their first fights. So, she and the rest of the demigods had a responsibility to be the examples, no matter how much the "adults" liked to point out that it was "ethically wrong" for them to do that.
Ω ♆ Ω
Turns out, the kid hadn't been lying about being able to sail the ship. Tony would be the first to admit that he was skeptical of the structure of the vessel, but he was proved wrong when, after the group had gotten the thing into the water, it had started to magically prepare itself for departure. Not a single drop of water leaked into the interior; it was like the water simply moved around the holes.
It was spectacular!
Before he knew it, the group had settled into the boat and were moving away from the dock. The Avengers were marveling at everything around them, considering that Percy wasn't even steering the thing, and yet it was supposedly moving in the right direction. To add to the shock, the ship's parts were moving themselves. It was not logically possible, and yet there Tony was, watching it unfold like some kind of acid trip.
"This is...amazing," he muttered, leaning against the rail with Leo, who he had taken a certain liking to. They were a lot alike.
The son of Hephaestus grinned, "Right? I told you guys Percy had cool powers. You should see him with Blackjack or Arion. It's wacky, man!"
"Who's Blackjack and Arion?" Tony asked, noting the new names.
"Oh. Right, I forgot. Blackjack is Percy's pegasus, and Arion is Hazel's horse. Percy can talk to them because his father created horses," Leo answered.
And just when the man of iron was getting used to all of this, he was pulled back into astonishment.
Ω ♆ Ω
After a couple hours of mingling and exploring, Percy called the team up to the deck. He had started to feel it a while ago when he knew it was still a distance away, but now he knew that they were approaching the Sea of Monsters.
It was a blank spot for him. Everywhere else, he could feel the ocean's power thrumming, waiting for him to control it. But here, there was nothing. Considering they were in the middle of the ocean, it was pretty obvious what it was. That was how he had tracked the place down without a map. It was his blind spot. He would just follow the blankness like it was the North Star.
Once everyone had gathered, he told them the news, and to say the atmosphere changed was an understatement. What smiles they had had disappeared, and their expressions turned serious.
"It's time, guys. Get ready. The first thing we're going to come up on is Scylla and Charybdis. We have to go through them to get into the sea. Now, I've planned this so that we should hopefully be able to pass through without any problems, but with six demigods' luck, we shouldn't rely on that too much. Charybdis only feeds three times a day, so if I planned this right, we should be able to pass over her without a fuss. Everyone got it? Be prepared for a fight, but don't expect it, please. We don't need any more reasons for the Fates to curse us."
Hazel stepped up, "Should the Avengers help us if we end up fighting something? Or should they just observe how we deal with monsters first?"
"We can handle ourselves," Steve defended.
Jason sighed, fed up with the same old arguments, "Alright, that's it! The Avengers will let us take the lead in any fights we may or may not end up in. They will not do anything without one of our approvals because we have actual experience with these beings. They will not be put on the sidelines, but they will also not be on the front lines. Does that work for everyone?"
Percy sent a thankful grin to his cousin, "Thank you, Jason. And yes, it does."
Jason just nodded in return.
"Alright, gang! Buckle up! Make sure to keep your hands and feet inside the ship at all times, and remember, the sword points away from you. It's showtime!" Leo cackled.
Just as he finished, they entered a wall of mist, which was unsettling to say the least. The temperature dropped almost three degrees as they passed through it.
Percy pulled out Riptide before steering the ship towards Charybdis. Hopefully, if everything went to plan, they would be out of this Hades-forsaken place by sunrise.
But, of course, nothing ever went to plan on a demigod's quest.
Ω ♆ Ω
Maybe it wasn't the best idea for me to come, was Bruce's first thought as he got his first glimpse at a greek monster. He had taken refuge inside the sleeping quarters of the ship, practicing his breathing exercises. He was really hoping this didn't turn into a Code Green. This was definitely not the place to let the Hulk loose.
So far, it had been silent upstairs, so Bruce concluded that it was going good so far. He had researched the Greek and Roman myths before they had left and on the plane, and everything that he could find on Charybdis was not reassuring. It was true what Percy said, that she only ate three times a day, but nobody really knew when those times were. Until Percy, apparently. He had survived the Sea of Monsters, so everyone on this ship had to trust his judgement in everything they did here. Bruce could tell that the other Avengers were struggling with taking orders from a "child." But Bruce had learned to not underestimate anyone on his travels while in hiding. Plus, look up any demigod's name and there was a whole list of accomplishments to find.
If Percy said that he knew when the monster liked to eat, then he knew when the monster liked to eat. It was as simple as that.
So, ten minutes into their first obstacle, and things were going fine. Everyone was eerily quiet, but no sign of Charybdis or Scylla yet. Of course, as soon as someone thought about it, an outline of a serpent appeared in the fog surrounding the boat.
Frank was the first one to spot it. "Guys..." He looked up at Percy. "We have a problem."
He pointed into the fog and Percy cursed. "Oh schist. I knew she couldn't just leave us alone."
The Avengers had figured out that something was coming and were unsure what to do. The demigods seemed to be just waiting like sitting ducks for the thing to attack them, and that was not a good plan. The Avengers don't wait for their opponent to strike first.
"Alright, that's it. I'm going to see what it is," Tony mumbled, activating his Iron Man armor.
"No, Tony! That's not a good-" Piper got cut off as the billionaire flew off, "...idea."
If she couldn't yell at that idiot, she was gonna yell at his teammates. She turned around, prepared to cuss out some idiot "superheroes," but Hazel beat her to it. "What was he thinking?! Why didn't you idiots stop him?! He has no idea what he's getting himself into! That monster is NOT something you guys can handle without our help! Mortalium tam stultus!"*
Natasha appraised the small demigod. She sure was a young spitfire. And from what she had seen already, a powerful one.
"Ok, let's just calm down, alright? Tony should be able to hold his own until we can go save his stupid ass," Leo sighed. Working with mortals was draining.
They were always so brash about things. And yes, coming from a greek, that statement was pretty hypocritical, but it still wasn't a lie. He idolized Mr. Stark's work, but man if only the guy could learn some restraint and he would be perfect.
Just as Leo had spoken, an explosion was heard, followed by a muffled string of curses. Only Tony Stark could come up with those creative swear words, so at least there was proof that the guy was still alive. For now, at least. The group needed to get that soon.
"Alright, hold on! This is gonna get bumpy!" Percy shouted, steering the ship towards the sound of fighting.
He willed the vessel to move faster, and it, of course, obeyed. In his head, Percy was just thinking rush rush rush. They needed to get this fight out of the way and get to Annabeth right after. Percy was praying to any god that would listen for there to not be any more disruptions to their journey. He just had to be confident in his skills. He had done this before, so he knew what lay ahead of them.
And it was going to be a challenge.
Ω ♆ Ω
Tony would deny any claim of him being held in the mouth of a sea serpent by his leg. Cuz that didn't happen. Totally.
But if it did, then the rest of the questing group would have worked together to fend off the monster until they could get away. Percy would've used Riptide to stab the monster in the leg, while Jason flew up and used his gladius to cut open her eye. The rest of the group basically just put on a full-frontal assault until Scylla released their idiotic teammate. Leo blew some fire, Hazel manipulated the Mist so that the Avengers could all see it for what it was, Piper made it loosen its grip with her charmspeak, Frank and Clint released some well-placed arrows, Natasha fired some gunshots, and Steve sliced into it with his shield.
All in all, the thing realized quickly that it was outmatched.
Then, after Tony received a very stern reprimanding by Piper and Steve, the group carried on. They didn't have time to dilly-dally. Saving Annabeth was their top priority.
Ω ♆ Ω
Meanwhile...
"Let me go, you skatá!"* Annabeth screamed, kicking her captor in the knees.
She had been knocked out as soon as they had shadow traveled, so she hadn't woken up until an hour ago. When she had, her wrists and ankles had been shackled to a stone wall with imperial gold shackles. The terrorists had stepped up their game.
There was dim lighting, but from what she could figure out before, she was in a cave of some kind. They had completely cleared out the area around her, so there weren't any visible location markers. That is, until they moved her.
The people who had grabbed her were strong and bulky and covered in black. They had black combat suits with black ski masks covering their features. Stereotypically, Annabeth would've figured the goons to be stupid, but they kept her shackles on and put a sack over her head so they at least has someone smart on their team.
Annabeth was getting really sick of not knowing anything, though.
So that's where she found herself at the moment: as a "defenseless" hostage. It was quite comical, really. Did these idiots really think that she would go quiet?
She felt one of her kicks come into contact with a kneecap and heard a satisfying grunt of pain from one of the thugs. Good, she thought, I hope that hurt.
Then, she was thrown onto the cold, stone floor and forced to hold her head up. The whole situation was so stereotypical that she wanted to laugh. But then she also didn't want to come off as more psycho than her captors, so she kept it to herself.
"This is quite interesting," a voice said, "The prideful daughter of Athena, reduced to a simple mortal's hostage.
The sack on her head was yanked off, so Annabeth spat down at the man's feet, glaring at him with a burning hatred. Taking a quick survey of the room, Annabeth found that she was being held captive on Polyphemus' island. The room was the main room of his cave; the one where she, Percy, and Grover further blinded the cyclops.
"If you had actually gotten me on your own, it might have been impressive, but having to use monsters is just pathetic," she said.
The leader growled and kicked her in the jaw. It didn't have enough power to break it, but it did cause her to bite through her tongue.
Annabeth spit out the blood produced in her mouth, dirtying the man's shiny shoes. The guy would have to do a lot worse than that to scare her.
"Hmm... I like your spirit. It's going to be that much more fun when I break it," he hissed, kneeling down to her eye level.
"I hope you rot in Hades," is all Annabeth responded with.
The guy laughed. ACTUALLY laughed. So, he was a crazy sociopath hades-bent on tearing down the natural order of the universe, Annabeth decided, how nice.
Ω ♆ Ω
I kinda really love this and I hope you did too. Now, to get into some unasked political shit: Love is love. I like all genders, and I still don't want to see any of them practically having sex in front of me. So just, accept yourself and others for who they are and move on. Is that so hard? Happy pride month & happy Father's Day!!
- your author
PS Remember to comment, like, and reblog!
other chapters :)
Ω ♆ Ω
Bonus scene!
The group was spending time in the dining room of the ship when all of a sudden, Percy remembered something truly horrifying. Like, beyond disgusting!
“Oh, my gods! Guys!!!” he exclaimed.
Hazel rolled her eyes and said, “What, Percy?”
“Charybdis is my half-sister! Ew ew ew ew ew EW EW EW EW!!!” Percy shouted his answer.
Everyone simultaneously gagged.
(Inside, Steve was starting to get seriously concerned about these kids’ chaotic family.)
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littlegiantposts · 3 years
Text
pilot (~revised~)
Kageyama x f!reader
may contain spoilers!
description: In which Y/n is a new addition to Karasuno’s Girl’s Volleyball Club
warning: I’m sure there are some curse words in there.
A/N: yeah so there is another version of this on my blog, but that was really like a test run/rough draft, so here is the revised one that I like better and I added more scenes. ALSO, just ask if you wanna be added to like a taglist. I already stated this in the previous pilot post i will state it again to make sure. 
This started off as just as a nice story to play in my head, but I really wanted to see if I could write it down. First things first, I am raised in California. Thus, I am quite incompetent in knowledge about Japan schooling. All my knowledge is really from me googling stuff and ofc, watching haikyuu. With that said, if I made a mistake on the take of Japan schooling, I do not mean to cause any offense. This is solely for entertainment purposes. With that said, I do not own the characters of haikyuu. However, there are some characters I made up with my own imagination. In addition, this is an “x reader” sort of story but I will be defining some of her characteristics so I am sorry if it hinders you from imagining its you. Finally, I am not that good at writing stories lol but im trying. I hope you enjoy.
I hate introductions. Y/n thought to herself as she sat back down in her seat after standing in front of the class, stating her name and her previous school. Her gaze shifted towards the window. The sun was out and shining and she had the perfect view of the gymnasium. Oh how she just wanted to get up from her uncomfy chair and leave the boring lecture and head towards the gym. 
It was the first day of school for Y/n at Karasuno High. It’s not like she started in the middle of the semester, no, she was just about a month late into the school year. With her work ethic, she didn’t feel any pressure in order to catch up with everyone else. She knew she would get it done.
It’s not really her fault she came a bit late into the school year either. Her dad’s job required a small move, not that she was complaining. She didn’t really feel tied down at her old high school because: she wasn’t there for that long and she didn’t really make any friends, despite joining a sport. 
It’s not that she didn’t want to make friends. It seems that her track record, or the lack thereof, from junior high with meeting new people has left an imprint on her.
Y/n looks down at the worksheet that was passed out in the beginning of class. The assignment was already completed due to Y/n’s eagerness to finish any homework that would take away time from her main passion.
Some people would say she was obsessed. Some would say dedicated. She simply sees volleyball as an opportunity. The class bell rings, signaling for lunch. Before she realizes it, she is walking towards the gym, in which she would meet the girl’s volleyball captain. As she is switching shoes, she can hear screaming from inside. 
“-What did I tell you about touching my onigiri! You are going to pay for that!” “I really didn’t mean it this time, I promise! I didn’t know it was yours!” The voices were muffled, yet she was still able to hear the sincerity in both of the voices. Y/n was about to open the gymnasium’s door when the door swung open by a tall pink-haired girl. She was being chased by another tall girl with long blonde hair, but she was a bit shorter than the pink one. Before Y/n could process stepping aside because it seemed the pink-haired girl had no inclination in stopping, she was tumbled to the ground by the girl who she can only guess took an onigiri without permission. As well, the blonde clumsily tripped and fell on top of the two.
“You idiots! Will you stop it! We already told you, we got a guest coming today and we want to make a good first impression!” A stern voice called out inside the gym.
“Um, Moa-san, I think our wishes are already soiled.” Another voice chimed in from the gym.
“Wha- You dumbasses! Hey, are you okay?” A girl with dirty blonde hair came out from the entrance and offered a hand towards Y/n as the two perpetrators started to get up with apologies towards Y/n. 
“Yeah, I am good.” Despite just being tackled to the ground, Y/n remains as neutral as ever. 
“Aren’t you going to ask if we are okay?” The energetic, pink haired spoke.
“As if I care when you collide into our guest! You really need to be more cautious, Etsuko!” She barked. “I am Aihara Moa. Pleasure to meet you. You’re the first year that turned that application past the deadline, right?” she states more calmly than her previous statement. 
“Pleasure is all mine. And, yes. Sorry for the inconvenience.” Y/n states with quite the unfazed face. 
Does this kid crack a smile once in a while? Moa asked in her mind. She seems quite different than the other first years we have. Her thoughts continue.
“I am Oba Yuma and this is Morita Etsuko.” Yuma, who had the pretty, long blonde hair, spoke with a warm smile.
“Why did you introduce me?! I wanted to have a cool introduction!” Etsuko huffed with a small pout. 
“Well, it’s not like you can recover your so-called ‘cool introduction’ from that full-body collision.” Yuma smoothly replied. Etsuko’s eyes widened and cheeks heated up as she couldn’t come up with a sly comeback to her logic. 
“You guys are just lucky that Rinko isn’t here to scold you.” Moa warned the 2 first years. With the mention of the scary third year that wasn’t even the captain, yet she reigned supreme in the disciplinary department, they shivered at the thought of the punishment. 
As Y/n stepped further into the big, bright court, she spotted that she could only assume was the captain as she looked so appalled at what happened. 
“Hello, you must be Michimiya Yui.” Y/n knew she had to say something to pull the worried captain from her thoughts. 
“Hi! Yes, that’s me! I am so sorry for those two. I would say they aren’t always like that, but I don’t want to lie to a potential teammate.” Yui spoke with an uneasy smile.
Yuma and Etsuko’s interests peaked when they heard “a potential teammate” come out of their captains' mouths. They were the only first years on the team, so the thought of another person in the same boat as them made them excited and wanted to join the conversation. The two first years gave each other a look and started to walk towards Yui, and hopefully their new friend. However, before they could even be in ear-shot, the pair got pulled away by Sasaki Chizuru, another third year.
“Oh, no. Don’t think you will be bombarding her with questions right off the bat.” She bluntly states.
“Oh, c’mon Sasaki, aren’t you curious about her? Like how did she get into volleyball? Or even, is she a beginner? Or maybe she is an absolute monster who dominates the court!” Etsuko proclaimed as her mind went too fast for her mouth to follow.
“As of right now, it’s not our business. All we can do, and are allowed to do”, emphasizing the word ‘allowed’, “is to watch from the sidelines and quietly eat our lunches.” Chizuru instructed the first years and pointed at the far corner of the gym. 
Despite her own words, Chizuru couldn’t help but glance at Y/n and wonder the same things that the first year questioned. At face value, Y/n was quite the enigma. The 2 first years gave a pout, but headed towards their desired location.
“So, you came from Niiyama Girls' High? That’s a really good school for volleyball. What made you come to Karasuno?” Yui asked.
“It was the most ideal school in terms of my dad’s work location.” Y/n states plainly. She didn’t technically lie. It was an ideal school in terms to the proximity to her new apartment, but that was not the only reason. She saw videos of their interhigh-prelims last year and to be quite frank, Y/n was not entirely impressed with the state of their team. However, she knew that this meant there was room to grow for them. She knew very well that she could have gone to Shiratorizawa and joined their girls’ volleyball. Objectively, with her skill set, Shiratorizawa made sense. Nonetheless, Y/n didn’t know what compelled her to pick this one. She convinced herself it was because she is a sucker for rooting the underdog. 
Does this kid show any emotion? Yui thought in her mind. It’s like nothing affects her. 
“How long have you been playing volleyball?” Yui curiously asked.
“Since the 2nd grade.” Y/n quickly states. As much as she wasn’t showing it, she was just itching to show what she can do. The court was right there in front of her, after all.
“That’s impressive, alright, well if you’re comfortable with it, I’d love to see some serves and sets from you. After school, we can hold a three on three since we all aren’t really in the right clothes to play.” 
“Sounds good.” To say Y/n was excited would be an understatement. As she removed her cream sweater, she could feel a set of eyes burning a hole on her back. She turned around to put her sweater down and realized that she was wrong. It wasn’t one pair of eyes, it was all of them, curious to see how good she really is. She could feel her heart pounding at the thought of holding everyone’s attention. She knew if she let her mind continue, the nerves would get to her and hinder her performance. She took deep breaths and started to quietly humm a song that was previously playing on her phone from her morning ride to school. 
Yui passed a volleyball to her and ran to the other side of the net, and yelled, “Let’s see what ya got!”
Y/n carried herself behind the serve line, taking one deep breath to keep her hands from shaking. With that exhale, she opened her eyes and focused her sights on Yui. The captain wouldn’t admit it, but she could already feel herself sweating under the first year’s gaze.  
She looks so intimidating. I’m not even on the court, yet I’m scared. Yuma viewed Y/n’s determined look. For Y/n, it was as if everything crumbled away and the only thing remained was the court. She starts her run up.
A jump serve?! Yuma, Etsuko, and Chizuru incredulously thought simultaneously with eyes basically bugging out of their head. They watch in amazement as she jumps with severe height and reeled her arm back. After that, all that could be sensed was a loud snap and then the ball smacked the ground next to the wide-eyed captain. The impact from the ball gave a small breeze through Yui’s short hair. The deafening silence that followed her serve filled the room in an instant. Those watching from the sidelines had to pick up their jaws from the floor.
“She’s a first year?! Are you sure?!” Etsuko broke the silence with her curiosity getting the best of her. 
“Boke Etsuko! That was already clarified, don’t make her repeat herself!” Yuma scolded. While Yui read your capabilities on your application form, it was nothing like actually being on the receiving end in real time. 
“That’s quite a serve she got in her arsenal.” A voice startled the three high school students, sitting on the sidelines. Etsuko and Yuma were the most startled, but Chizuru was quite used to her fellow classmate popping in every now and then.
“Seriously, Sudou. We have to put a bell on you or something because I don’t think my heart can take any of your surprise entrances.” Sudou Rinko only slyly chuckles at Etsuko remark. She looks over at Y/n and Yui on the court.
“Did you guys see the precision on that serve?” Rinko posed to the other three sitting on the ground, munching on their lunch.
“Well, not really, but it landed, like, near Michimiya, right?” Etsuko tries to come up with the answer that Rinko was looking for. 
“It landed right next to her left foot. I think that pipsqueak is able to aim her serve.”
“What?! That’s insane.”
“Yeah, insane, but not impossible.”
“With her, maybe we can win more games!”
“Don’t get your hopes up, Etsuko, a team is only good if everyone is giving their all.” Yuma reminds. “After all, there’s not only one person on the court, there’s six.”
“I heard she came from Niiyama Girls' High.” Sudou stated as she reverted her gaze back to her fellow teammates. They stared at her after she gave more information on the stranger in their gym. 
“Why would she come to Karasuno then?” Yuma asked honestly. She knew that her team had strengths, but she also knew that other teams had strengths that overpowered them.
“How could you diss your own school like that?” Etsuko was almost angry at how her teammate was treating their school. She always was the one to take pride in everything she does. 
“No, that’s a valid question. It makes sense that a player with her caliber would be well-suited in a powerhouse school.” Rinko supported Yuma in her question. All four look ahead and see that Y/n is beginning to set for Yui.
“Her precision and accuracy are so on point, it almost makes me sick.” Yuma commented on how your form for setting only held the necessities. Y/n stepped with purpose, and it showed as she passed a nice set for Yui, allowing her to have optimal choices in where she can place her spike.
The bell rang, ending lunch. Etsuko couldn’t wait for practice. She wanted to play against Y/n on the three on three. As for Yuma, she always wanted to learn how to set, but with her grand height, most people would assume she would be great as a spiker. Everyone started to pack their belongings up, heading to their respected classes. Y/n started to head towards class 1-5. Etsuko and Yuma caught up with Y/n, standing on the sides of her.
“Do you guys need something?” Y/n poses the question bluntly, yet she was quite startled. Y/n never expected to have people purposefully come up to her.
“Yeah, where did you learn to serve like that? It’s crazy!” Etsuko praises.
“Don’t you remember what Sasaki said? Don’t crowd her with questions, dumbass!” Yuma scolded, which Etsuko already had an irritated look on her face.
“It’s only one question! It’s not like she’s going to fall apart by it, and I just wanna know because I want be strong as well!” Etsuko’s vain on her forehead looked like it was having a field day.
“Yeah, like that would ever happen.” Yuma remarks.
“What did you just say?! I’m going to make you eat your words!” 
“Ooo Frenchie has me shaking in my boots” Yuma taunts with the famous pink haired character from Grease. Etsuko started to jump at Yuma. Because Y/n was between them, she raised an arm.
“Please do not fight, you may cause a ruckus.” Y/n chimed in. The first years returned to their previous spots. Etsuko huffed a little and crossed her arms and slightly turned her head away.
“So, what class are you in? I am in class 1-4. I don’t think I have seen you in the hallways.” Yuma tries to maneuver the conversation to something other than volleyball. Y/n was honestly confused. It’s been awhile when someone her age, someone in her grade asked her a genuine question about herself. She almost felt it was some sort of joke.
“Um, I have class 1-5. And that’s because today’s my first day. Transferred a bit late.” Y/n had pauses in between her words, still not used to people going out of their way to talk to her.
“Woah! You must be pretty smart! That’s a college-prep class, right?” Yuma genuinely comments with a warm smile. Y/n nods, complements on stuff other than volleyball made Y/n short-circuit. The trio walks inside the main school building, the air condition changing the atmosphere. Y/n didn’t notice, but she received some stares from other students as the three walk through hallways. While Y/n remained oblivious, Yuma and Etsuko realized immediately and looked at each other with perplexed looks, not because of the stares that were directed towards you, but the fact that you seemed unfazed by it. 
“Woah, who is that? She’s really pretty.” a student spoke to their friend.
“She’s new I’m pretty sure.” another commented.
“I heard she has a famous dad. She’s like loaded.”
“I wonder if she’s taken”
“I heard she came from California.”
“Someone told me she’s snooty.”
“Her looks certainly make up for it”
“Why is she hanging out with those weird volleyball girls?”
Etsuko physically jolted at that last comment, anyone can physically see the irritation on her face. She turned her head towards the voice of the last comment, wanting to immediately put them in their place. On the other hand, Y/n was too much in her head at the moment.
Shoot, I haven’t asked them a question. Well, that’s what I should do, right? That’s what friends do? Wait, we aren’t even friends, I just met them. They probably think I’m weird. Oh great, now I haven’t said anything for the past 3 minutes. They probably think I don’t like them. Y/n felt that this was weird foreign territory. 
“So, what’s your favorite subject?” Y/n broke the silence, just wanting to say anything to make sure that her two future teammates knew that she was still invested in this conversation.
Are you serious, Y/n?! No one wants to talk about school, that’s so lame! They probably think you’re a smart ass. Uhg. You’re terrible at this. Y/n wanted to groan and bow her head in shame, but all she could do is hold her head high and follow through with her question.
“I like math, and you won’t get an actual subject out of Etsuko, she will probably say something stupid like lunch.” Yuma answered.
“Hey! Why do you keep answering for me?! I am fully capable of answering!” Etsuko barked at her snarky teammate.
“Yeah, your English grade can clearly vouch for you.” Yuma sarcastically stated. Etsuko looked like all the blood from her face left, looking quite pale due to her not so great English grade. Y/n didn’t realize it, but a small smile was on her face as she saw the two interact.
“Well, this is my stop, And, Etsuko, your stop was awhile ago.” Yuma stated as she didn’t really know if she should just send a wave your way or a handshake because Y/n seemed so formal. She settled with a pat on the back. Etsuko copied Yuma, but her pat was a bit more forceful and it really just turned into a smack. Y/n didn’t say anything, but noted that Etsuko has one hell of an arm on her. 
“I already knew that! I wanted to talk to our new friend!” Etsuko looked like she was going to cross her arms and stomp her foot like a small child throwing a tantrum. Y/n stopped her walking when she heard the word “friend” come out of Etsuko’s mouth. Y/n turned to look at Etsuko and Yuma with a surprised look. Etsuko and Yuma instinctively thought they misspoke and perhaps angered you.
“We’re friends?” Y/n held a pause between the two words. Her incredulous face kept switching eye contact between the 2 first years in front of her. “You don’t even know if I will be your teammate yet.” Y/n stated. Etsuko bursted out in laughter and it caused Y/n’s face to turn beet red, embarrassed. Yuma’s face looked like she wanted to backhand Etsuko, but before she could, Etsuko spoke “You don’t have to be our teammate for us to be friends! There isn’t criteria the last time I checked to be friends. Besides, you’re really cool!”
Yuma retracted her arm, despite Etsuko being a dumbass, she somehow always knew what to say in awkward situations. Y/n felt something that spread through her chest. It was a warm, fuzzy feeling. Etsuko and Yuma bid there goodbye’s to Y/n, leaving her to get to her class. The feeling in her chest was not new, it’s just a feeling that she has not felt in a long time.
Y/n sat down in her seat and pulled out her notebook. Everyone started to take their seats. Right before the teacher reached to close the door, a short girl with a small blue hair tie in her short blonde hair just managed to slip through the door. She was out of breath and sweaty, muttering an apology and quickly sat at her desk, which was coincidentally on Y/n’s left side. The teacher began lecturing, instructing to open a page in their textbook.
The end of the school day approached rather quickly. Because of her most recent interaction with Etsuko and Yuma, she couldn’t wait for the three on three. Specifically, who would she be playing against. While thinking of possible offense moves to coordinate, Y/n grabs her volleyball bag from her locker and makes her way to the girl’s gym. The door was already open and she peaked through to make sure there was no way she will be tackled again. She makes eye contact with a girl with short black hair, which she vaguely remembers as Sudou Rinko. 
“Hello! I’m sorry I am a bit early, I just wanted to get a head start in warming up because I do take awhile for those.” Y/n quickly explains with a hint of timidness.
“That’s alright! I already setted up the net so you’re welcome to warm up in here or outside, whichever you prefer.” Sudou stated, making sure she didn’t seem to overbearing as others perceive her to be. 
“Okay, thank you. I do prefer outside.” As much as Y/n’s face held a deadpan look, she was nervous in front of the third year. She didn’t know if she could just head out or bow. Unfortunately, she went with the latter. Sudou cheeks turned red. She didn’t really expect that, I mean in her eyes, she’s just a third year. But, your formality was appreciated.
“Heh, no need to be so formal. I’ve seen what you can do even without warming up, and we would be lucky to have you on our team.” Sudou reassured.
Now it was Y/n’s turn to turn slightly red. She’s new to accepting genuine compliments. So, all she did was a weird salute with a firm nod of her head, and headed out.
That kid has an interesting way of interacting with people. Sudou thought to herself. Hopefully, she’ll be able to open up more. Sudou busied herself by warming up as well.
In the meantime, Y/n found a spot near the side of the gym where there were no trees and the sun just perfectly drenched the scenery with natural light. It was as if the sun placed a golden film over everything and settled on a calm atmosphere. Here, Y/n began stretching. 
After awhile, Y/n was tossing a volleyball up in the air, getting comfortable with how the ball fit perfectly in her hands as she set it in the air. After a couple of sets, she got into the rhythm of bumping, setting, and spiking against a wall. While she was focused on the ball, out of her peripheral vision, she notices someone. After a spike, rather than bumping it, she catches it.
“If you are going to stare any longer, I expect a name out of you.” Y/n stated with a calm yet stern tone while still staring at the wall in front of her. 
“I-I’m sorry. You just seem so focused.” The stranger spoke.
Y/n closes her eyes, when she opens them, she turns to look at the stranger. He’s tall, way taller than her. He’s got a beard and his hair is pulled into a tight bun. If Y/n didn’t know any better, she would have assumed he was a teacher, but he was wearing a school uniform after all. With her eyes set on him, it was as if the guy visibly shook in fear and eyes widened.
“Well, you have to be, in an actual game of course.” Y/n responded.
“You play?” The mysterious guy asks. He does have a calming voice for someone who looks like the opposite.
“In order for me to answer, you should give me your name. I’ve been taught to not talk to strangers.” 
“Oh r-right. I’m Azumane Asahi.”
There was a beat of silence as Y/n kept staring at him, deciding how she should approach this conversation. In Asahi’s eyes, he thought she was judging him and he started to wonder why didn’t he just mind his own business. 
“Yes, I play.” Y/n answered his previous question. Asahi perked up at her answer like a little puppy. 
“You seem like you’re really dedicated.” Asahi offered his observation to her. Y/n chuckles. Asahi’s eyes widened once more at the sudden reaction out of the girl.
“I’m guessing you play as well.” Asahi was dumbfounded at your observation. He was scared at how you were able to pick that up quickly.
“H-how did you-”
“Someone who is able to easily recognize the dedication in one person, also finds that same dedication within themselves” 
Damn, this girl is wise. Asahi thought.
“However, volleyball was just a guess.” Y/n continued. “And I was lucky enough to be right.”
“Well, I don’t know about that.”
Y/n looked at him again. Y/n wasn’t one to let someone divulge into their personal life. Mainly because no one really came up to her for advice since she was quite the nonchalant person. However, if today is any indication, it seems her social interaction skills has been given a second shot. Y/n analyzed Asahi’s troubled face.
“Are you having an internal battle?”
How unfortunate that you phrased it that way, Y/n. Jeez. You can be so formal sometimes. Y/n scolded herself.
“Yeah, of some sorts.” Asahi responded with a puzzling look at the ground.
“About volleyball?” Y/n specified.
“Uh, yeah.” he reluctantly responded.
“What’s up?” Y/n knew that was more informal and she mentally high-fived herself for talking like a normal teenager.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Yeah”
“Have you ever not wanted to do something because you failed at it?”
A beat of silence.
“No.” Y/n said confidently. However, she knew what he was trying to ask, so she added, “But, I’ve felt frustrated at it before.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“Well, tell me, can you be frustrated at something yet you want keep trying it?”
Asahi didn’t respond, just thinking of what she said.
“The answer is yes, by the way. Volleyball is a sport where you are constantly improving yourself, just like any other sport really.” Y/n started to blabber on. “Volleyball provides that uncomfortable tension of not being enough. For some people, it discourages them completely, leaving them to quit or be stagnant. But, there are rare cases where the person is strongly encouraged by it. Those are the people who really do succeed.”
Asahi was deep in thought as he processed your words. As Y/n looks at Asahi, he looks like he’s going to hurt himself if he thinks any harder. 
“Here, stand over there. Let me set for you.” Y/n commanded. Asahi Looks up, “h-how did you know I spike?” At this point, he thought you were some sort of psychic.
Y/n shrugs, “Only an ace would have that mindset and label a simple mistake as a “failure”. You feel like you’re whole team depends on you, right?” Asahi nods with shame. “Well, I think you need to understand that the other 5 people on your side have their own jobs as well. Sure, they know that you are capable of grabbing a point, but that’s because they are supporting you in the process.”
Asahi is quite overwhelmed at all the truth you are speaking, but it makes sense to him. Asahi obeys and walks where you pointed to.
“Now, run up like you are going to spike. You’re job is to knock,” Y/n grabs an apple from her lunch box, “this off of this trashcan.” Y/n places the apple on the the tin can and positions it in the way where a blocker would be in terms of where Asahi is standing. “Imagine this,” she draws a line in the dirt with her foot, “is the net. And, I don’t doubt that you are able to hit over the net.”
“O-oh I don’t know, you see, I haven’t really-”
“Just do it.” Y/n cuts him off with a sigh. Asahi gulps and catches the ball from Y/n. 
He takes a deep breathe in. And a deep breathe out. He tosses the ball to you. Of course, Y/n perfectly sets the ball for him.
She notices after those deep breathes, it seems Asahi is a completely different person. He looks more focused and confident. His eyes are concentrated on the ball. 
After the set, Y/n quickly looks over at the tin trashcan. And lo and behold, her apple is now on the dirt floor. Y/n smiles fondly. Asahi carries the most precious smile on his face. 
“Now, how did that feel?” Y/n questions him.
“Makes me want to do another.” Asahi was staring at his hand as if the key to life was written on his hand. He then looked over at Y/n with a glint of inspiration in his eyes.
“The boys volleyball team should still be practicing, right? I still have to start my own practice.” Y/n shares a soft smile, which she hasn’t done in awhile. Asahi reverts back to a nervous state. Y/n’s guessing there is some awkward tension between that relationship.
“Just go to them. It never hurts to just try, right?” Y/n tries her best to be encouraging, but not too pushy.
“I-I don’t know I left them so suddenly-”
“Just go! Or else.” Y/n knew she shouldn’t use fear as a tactic to push him, but to be quite frank, it’s useful in these rare occasions. Asahi fervently nods, he didn’t want to hear what came after ‘what else’ so he quickly grabs his bag and starts his jog to the boy’s gym.
“Oh wait! What’s your name?” Asahi was already a bit far, so she had to yell, “Y/n! Good luck!” She cups her mouth as if that will totally help her voice travel to him. “Well, thank you, Y/n!”
Y/n picks up her things and heads towards the gym, where she has her own journey to embark on.
Taglist: @riceballsandanime
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lotusss-flowerbomb · 4 years
Text
What We Have (1)
Viktor Drago x reader
Warnings: None for this chapter
Summary: Reader is Adonis’ adopted sister, she and Viktor falls for one another.
A/N: This was a request from @rochyu. I used some stuff from the movie with changes and twists of course. In this version Apollo died after the kids were born. Also, as to not completely butcher the Russian language, everything in bold italics is Russian. Hope you guys enjoy!!
Word Count: 3,187
********
You were on your way to Adrian's with Rocky. You'd been visiting Philly after Adonis told you about his engagement to Bianca. After spending a few days with them, you'd gone to see the old man and of course grab some food at the best Italian spot in the city. When you walked in, the hostess told him a man was waiting for him. When you both looked up you saw Ivan Drago sitting at a table.
"Stay back," he said to you, before walking over and pulling out a chair to sit with the other man.
You walked past Ivan, taking a good look at him before standing off to the side. You listened to their conversation and when Ivan mentioned his son breaking Adonis, Rocky stood from his seat and so did he. Viktor pulled the door open and walked inside with the most menacing scowl on his face and you stepped forward to stand beside Rocky.
You looked Viktor up and down before making eye contact with him. He was huge. Had a few inches over Adonis and a bit of weight, but you saw your brother beat down guys just as big as him in Mexico. He could take him. 
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You were sitting at the table having dinner with your family. You were so excited that your brother and future sister-in-law had moved back to LA.
Bianca was telling Mary Anne about being signed to a record label, but you could tell by the look on Adonis' face that he was nervous about something. When you made eye contact, no words needed to be said. He was taking the fight and tonight was about breaking the news to your mother. He was getting ready to spill the beans when your mom threw a monkey wrench in the mix thinking they were announcing a pregnancy.
Your eyes darted from Adonis to Bianca.
"Wait, what?" You leaned in.
"No, nuh un, no," Bianca denied as she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip.
All four of you were silent for a moment and then she spit the wine back into the glass.
"I have a test in my bathroom, I'll go get it." You scooted your chair back and started jogging off.
"Aye, woah, hold up," Adonis stopped you. "Why you got a test in your room?"
"I'm grown," you said and left the dining room.
"Momma..."
"She's an adult. Just like you're an adult." Your mother told him.
When you came back down with the test Bianca had to practically drag him to the bathroom. Once they were gone your mother turned to you.
"You had a pregnancy scare and you didn't tell me?" She raised an eyebrow.
"I was a few days late a couple of months ago and I bought it. Started my period the same night." You explained.
"And what happened to being safe to start with?"
"The condom broke."
She gave you the side eye and looked as if she was about to ask another question, but Adonis walked into the room and you both turned your attention to him.
"Well?!" You asked when he didn't say anything.
"I'ma be a dad," he smiled.
You screamed and ran to jump into his arms. You were more excited than he was. He put you down and you ran to Bianca, who was in tears, to give her a hug.
You put your hand on her still flat belly and whispered over and over again.
"Please, be a girl. Please, be a girl."
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Once the excitement of the pregnancy died down a bit. You could hear Adonis telling your mother about taking the fight with Drago. You knew she was pissed when you heard her tell him he didn't need her blessing. You walked all the way into the kitchen when she said she hoped he'd be there for his child. She looked up at you and stormed out.
"Rocky isn't training you?" You asked.
"Nah," he paused, "he don't think I can beat him."
"Or maybe the guilt of what happened to dad still eats at him," you shrugged.
"He should be able to let it go."
"Oh, so, you're allowed to have your feelings about it, but he isn't?"
"You gon lecture me too?" He huffed.
"No, I have no interest in wasting my time, because you've already made a decision. I do, however, have a favor to ask."
"And what's that?"
"I want to do the interviews. It'll be great for my career and —"
"No," he immediately shut you down.
"Come on, Donnie, why not?" You put your hands on your hips.
"I don't want you alone in a room with him. I'm not risking your life."
"I won't be alone. I'll have a camera man with me and I can do this. We'll make it a whole Creed thing." You smiled.
He was quiet for a second and then he laughed a little.
"What's so funny?"
"That's gon be an awkward ass post fight interview if I lose," he said.
"Well then, I guess you can't lose."
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You flew to the Ukraine with your camera man, Dennis. Over the next few weeks before the fight, you watched on the sidelines as Viktor trained. The only verbal communication the two of you had were simple greetings and every now and then you'd exchanged looks that were far too long to be classified as a glance. You took photos and short video clips of him and Ivan doing drills.
He really was a beast. Powerful, focused hits with every jab, but he was slower than your brother and that's what Adonis had to use against him in order to win.
Today was your last day in Kiev, so you showed up to the gym a little late and waited until the two men were finished. Ivan was heading out of the ring and you walked up the stairs to get in. 
"Hey Dennis, can you get some shots of me in here for the cover photo?" You called out to him.
You did a few different poses and then he came over and showed you what he'd done so far. He swiped through the photos and Viktor was behind you in some of them.
He was still in his hand wraps and his body was drenched in sweat. He looked good and he wasn't even trying.
"Damn," you whispered. "Hey, Viktor come here and look at these," you waved him over.
He looked over your shoulder while you scrolled through the photos. The corner of his mouth lifted in a lopsided grin, but it disappeared almost instantly. He stepped away and moved to the ropes to leave.
"I think we can work with what we have," you informed Dennis and followed Viktor.
He held the ropes open for you and jumped down once you were almost out. One of your heels got caught in the process and when you tried lifting your foot you lost your balance. Viktor reached out and caught you before you could hit the ground.
His arms cupped you close to him in the bridal position. You opened your eyes and looked up at him. His bright hazel eyes stared back at you.
"You okay?"
"Uh, yeah, thanks," you said.
"Viktor!" Ivan yelled from the door. "Let's go."
You snapped out of it and wiggled from his arms. He set you gently on your feet and walked towards his father. You cleared your throat and turned to Dennis, who was looking at you quizzically.
"What?" You asked.
"What was that?" He inquired.
"What was what?"
"That moment between you and little Drago."
"There was no moment, Dennis. Grab your stuff and let's go. We've got an early flight in the morning." You grabbed your bag and stomped away. 
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You sat in the front row for the weigh in. You could obviously see that Viktor was taller and larger than Adonis, but while they were face to face it made you nervous.
You saw your brother look over at Ivan and within a split second all hell started breaking loose. You jumped from your seat, but Dennis held on to your arm.
"It'll look unprofessional and you do not need to jump in between two angry tanks," he advised.
Each team had separated the guys and you looked for Bianca to make sure she was a safe distance away.
"Let's go," you told Dennis. You walked to the locker room to set up for your interview with Viktor. After putting some finishing touches on your makeup, the men finally walked in.
Viktor paused when he laid his eyes on you and then quickly averted his gaze.
"This guy is terrifying, why did you want to do this?" Dennis whispered.
"He's not that scary, Dennis," you rolled your eyes.
Viktor and Ivan had turned their backs to you and were completely ignoring your presence. You tried to be polite and wait for him to finish up whatever it was that he was doing, but it was becoming obvious that they were being rude on purpose.
"Hey, we're on a schedule here, so Viktor, if you wouldn't mind coming over here, so I can get you mic'd up..." You smiled. The annoyed tone of your voice definitely didn't match the look on your face.
"Hello," Viktor said just above a whisper.
"Sit here, please," you ignored his greeting and grabbed the mic and handed it to him. "Put this under your shirt and clip it to your collar."
Ivan was standing so close that you bumped into him when you moved to adjust the position of the mic.
"Would you mind giving us a little space?" You asked him.
"Do I get one?" He countered.
"I'm not interviewing you."
"His English is not too good."
"I guess it's a good thing I've stayed on top of my Russian?"
Both men looked at you in shock. Dennis smiled behind the camera. He knew you couldn't wait to pull that little jaw dropper out of your pocket. You'd spent almost three weeks in Kiev and never let on that you could speak a different language. And since you barely talked to them, there was no reason to.
"Ready for check?" You asked, Dennis.
"Loud and clear," he replied referring to your sound.
"Please state your name, weight and height," you said to Viktor.
"I am Viktor Drago, my weight is 111kg and I am 193 centimeters tall." He replied.
"All good," Dennis confirmed. "Rolling in 3...2...1."
"Hi, Viktor..."
"Hello," he nodded.
"So tonight was your final weigh in and it seems like things got a little bit heated out there. Is that more fuel for your fire?"
"It is..." He stated, but didn't say anything else.
"Okay.... Why is this fight so important to you?"
He hesitated for a moment before answering. You saw his face soften just a little bit before he spoke.
"To restore honor to my family name. To prove to the people of Russia and the world that I am worthy. That my father is worthy."
A beat of silence passed between you before you continued asking questions. The further into the interview you got, he seemed to loosen up a bit.
He told you that he's been training all of his life and that he loved fighting, despite it being tiring at times.
"So after this, whether it's a win, lose or draw, what's next for you? Any plans for a family or a life outside of boxing?"
"I have never really thought about it." He shrugged, "This moment has been my entire life and I will not fail."
His voice was heavy. You could tell that this meant everything to him. More than Drago's revenge as you once thought. You ended the interview with that question. 
"We're good Dennis, let's pack up and get to editing, so this will be ready tomorrow morning." You said pulling your mic off.
Ivan told Viktor that he'd meet him in the car and he left. You were seriously having a hard time understanding that man, but you had to remind yourself that he isn't the one you needed to communicate with.
Victor was removing his mic and somehow got twisted up in the cords. You went over to help him while Dennis packed everything else.
"Here, let me. Snatching on it isn't gonna get you anywhere."
Without thinking, you lifted his shirt and put your hand under it to pull the cords. Your fingers grazed his abs and suddenly you were very aware of what you were doing.
"Oh, sorry," your face was scorching from embarrassment.
"It is okay. Thank you for helping," he said softly.
You were finally able to get him untangled and put everything away. You helped Dennis carry some of his equipment and you headed out to his truck.
"Oh shoot, I think I left my phone," you ruffled through your bag. "Go ahead, I'll catch up," you turned around and headed back inside to the locker room.
You were in such a hurry that you didn't even see Victor standing on the other side of the door when you snatched it open. You crashed into his solid frame. Just like the last time, he reached out to catch you.
"Oh my goodness, thank you," you said as he stood you back upright.
He didn't say anything back. He just stood there and watched you.
"I, um, I think I left my phone in here," you pushed past him. 
His staring was making you uncomfortable and not in a bad way, which made you even more uncomfortable.
You searched around the areas where the phone should have been. You could see Victor from the corner of your eye just standing there.
"Well, if you're gonna stay, can you at least help me out?"
"How did you know I would understand you?" He asked.
"Because I knew your dad was lying and just wanted to hover over you during the interview. Can I see your phone, so I can call mine?" You walked over to him.
He handed you the phone, "He means well, my father. He's very protective. I am his only son."
When you unlocked the screen you froze to stare at the wallpaper. A picture of Ivan after his win against your father.
He noticed your hesitation.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to —"
"No, it's fine," you said and dialed your number.
You saw the light from the screen across the room and went over to grab it. You handed Victor his phone and was on your way out when you felt his large hand grab yours.
"I know being around us must be hard for you, but you have been kind the whole time. Thank you."
"I wanted to get to know who you were on my own. And you're actually not so bad." You reached up and cupped his face.
He leaned into your touch. It wasn't everyday that someone showed him sincere affection. He couldn't stop himself, he lifted your chin and pressed his lips to yours.
He gave you the softest most gentle kiss you'd ever received. You pushed your tongue into his mouth. He grabbed your ass and squeezed it as he pulled you close.
You heard a noise behind you and pulled back. You looked down the hall, but didn't see anyone.
"Uh, I should go," you hurried away.
"What kept you?" Dennis asked, when you finally made it back outside. 
"Couldn't find the phone, Viktor helped me look for it."
"Viktor, huh?" He raised a brow.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means your lipstick is smudged," he pointed.
"What?!" You hurried to look at your reflection, but your makeup was intact. "Very funny! Get that stuff over to editing for me and make sure Oliver reads all of my notes, please?"
"You got it, I'll see you tomorrow."
You got in your vehicles and left. You were exhausted, confused and... horny. You knew kissing Victor was wrong and you should've stopped it, but you didn't. You shook it off. It was just a kiss. It would never happen again.
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You were awakened by your phone vibrating, you looked over at your clock and then back at your phone. What could Dennis possibly want at this hour?
"Somebody had better be dying," you answered.
"Are you kidding right now?" He started, "did you approve this final edit?"
"What? No, I didn't post anything."
"Well someone did and I have a feeling that you aren't gonna like it."
You grabbed your tablet and pulled up the Instagram page for your station. Sure enough the interview you'd done with Viktor had been posted. You watched the video in horror. Even though he was your family's sworn enemy, this was not the side of Victor that you wanted to show the world.
They'd only posted the parts of the interview when he was being snippy. Then you read the comments.
"It's funny how she tries to make him look bad on camera, but had no problems kissing him when she thought no one was looking 🙄"
Your heart dropped into your stomach. Someone saw you and took pictures. That must've been the noise you'd heard. You hurried through blogs to see who had it posted. Everyone. Everyone had a photo of you kissing Victor Drago in a dark locker room.
"We can get in front of this, don't panic." He advised.
"Adonis is gonna kill me. My brother will never speak to me again." Your breath caught in your throat.
"No, honey, you can't help who you have feelings for."
"Victor's gonna think I sabotaged him on purpose. Who posted this? Why would they do this?" You choked.
"People are evil and will do anything for a dollar," he sighed. "I'm sorry I had to tell you like this, but I didn't want you to be caught off guard in the morning."
"Thank you, Dennis. I'll see you tomorrow." You hung up and headed to your mother's room.
You knocked softly before entering and then crawled into bed with her.
"Well, you haven't done this in a while. What's wrong?" She asked.
You just showed her the photo. Mary Anne was usually pretty good about holding it together, but you heard the gasp leave her mouth.
"What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't..."
"You've never done anything this reckless before. You're risking everything you've worked for." She scolded.
"Momma, I don't care about that. Adonis is gonna be so pissed." You swiped your tears.
"Adonis? Oh my sweet girl," she wrapped her arms around you. "Your brother will get over it. You worry about your career and what you've built."
You laid in your mother's arms. Your mind was racing with thoughts of how you could fix this. You couldn't lie and say the picture was photoshopped, but you could explain to Viktor that editors had screwed you royally. After an hour you drifted off to sleep. You'd figure out in the morning.
********
@titty-teetee
@bluestarego
@literaturefeen
@rochyu
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fix-it-luciano · 4 years
Text
I Find Myself Difficult To Love
Description:
An akuma turns Lila back in to a seven year old, right down to reducing her memories and personality back to when she was seven years old. Ladybug is surprised when Lila turns out to be much different, and the hero is forced to put her bias aside to help the child. Maybe, though, the child will help her as well, in her own way.
@galahadwilder
Ladybug was not prepared for this in any way, whatsoever. Well, the akuma, maybe she was prepared for. A child angry with her parents, who wanted to turn everyone back into children. It was a typical kind of akuma, and she and Chat Noir had done well at fighting it.
But then Lila got in the middle of it, this time without even trying to. She seemed just as surprised as them, when she was suddenly beamed in the face. Knocked back by the light, she fell onto the street, and Ladybug ran to help her, because even if Lila was an awful liar, Ladybug was still a hero. But when the light dispersed, Lila wasn’t what she expected.
Lila was now a seven year old. A seven year old who looked terrified, and close to tears. She had short bobbed hair, with a silver headband, and very cute, fashionable clothes. It was a pale pink blouse with long, flowing sleeves, and dark grey tights. Ladybug recognized them, from a young girl’s designer brand from seven years ago. And when she saw Ladybug, the little Lila flinched away, as if expecting to be yelled at.
Ladybug paused. And then Chat yelled. Apparently, the akuma had escaped, and he lost track of it. Ladybug quickly turned to call instructions to him: patrol the city for more destruction, alert her if he found more. Then the spotted heroine crouched to the younger girl’s height, offering a hand to help her up. Because something was off with Lila. She had to find out what.
“I’m sorry if I scared you, Lila. Are you okay?”
“Um... I’m okay, Miss.” Her accent was much thicker, and she looked confused. “But... who are you? Are you a, ah...” She mumbled a word in Italian, and then looked back to her. “A superhero! Are you a superhero, Miss Lucky Bug?” Her eyes were now wide with awe.
Ladybug held in a groan. Of course Lila didn’t remember anything. But her intuition was still tingling. Something was off. So, for now, she decided to play along.
“That’s right. I’m Ladybug, and I protect Paris from Hawkmoth, along with my partner, Chat Noir!” She gave the little Lila a gentle smile. “And you need to get out of here. It’s dangerous.”
“B-But... I want to help, Miss Lucky Bug! I don’t wanna...” She crossed her arms, seeming insecure, holding back something.
“Don’t want to what?” Ladybug prompted.
“I don’t wanna be alone. Mama always leaves me alone, but everything’s so scary, and I don’t even know anything about Paris!”
Ladybug felt for the girl. She just hoped that wasn’t a lie, too. It seemed genuine, but...
“Alright. Come on, hold onto me I know someone who can watch you.” Lifting the small Italian into her arms and holding her tight on her hip, Ladybug swung away, and to a familiar window.
Sure enough, inside was Alya, already editing her latest video of the akuma attack. Ladybug knocked on the window, and Alya’s head turned quickly.
She ran towards the window, opening it. “Ladybug! What do you need? Are you here to give me an interview?! Or do you need Rena Rogue?” The reporter asked excitedly.
“Not quite. Chat and I scouting for the akuma, but... a citizen got hit.” Ladybug carefully pulled Lila into the window and onto steady ground. The seven year old was shaking a little, from her first time being yoyo’d through the city.
Alya’s eyes went huge. “Wait. Lila?! You got hit?!”
Lila looked surprised, and frightened. “Ah! I guess? Um... who are you? Miss Lucky Bug said she was taking me to someone who can watch me...”
“My name is Alya Césaire. I run the Ladyblog, and I’m friends with you! Or, uh, you when you’re older? Heh. Come on. How about you tell me some of your stories?”
“You know about my stories?! But I thought I burned my journal...” Lila looked even more worried.
Ladybug and Alya exchanged a worried look.
“No... your stories of you traveling and meeting all those celebrities?” Alya tried to prod her.
“I’ve never been outside of Italy... Mama isn’t allowed to take me on diplomatic trips. Or, well... I guess she isn’t. She never tells me when she’s leaving for them. She just suddenly isn’t there. My nanny is usually the only one at home, but she doesn’t like to talk to me. She’s super strict.”
Ladybug decides at that time that’s it time to leave. She wasn’t expecting this, either. But it’s not her problem, right now.
When Ladybug next sees Lila, it’s after the villain escapes again. Neither of the heroes can figure out where they keep going. Chat Noir’s on the look for a lair of sort, like how Dark Owl had. Ladybug, having used her Lucky Charm, is left to recharge. But before she does, she takes the five minutes to go to Alya’s house.
The scene makes her heart sink. Alya is at her computer, pointedly ignoring the little Lila, who has silent tears streaming down her cheeks as she’s curled into a ball. And Marinette’s want to care for the hurt rules out over Ladybug’s loyalty to her duty. She lets herself in, and Alya doesn’t even look up. She’s on the Ladyblog, typing something.
Ladybug crouches next to little Lila. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think she’d take it out on you. Let’s go somewhere else, ok?” She tells her.
Lila hesitates. Then, the little girl holds out her arms, looking away shyly as she silently requests to be held. And Ladybug isn’t callous enough to refuse. She picks up the little girl, and yoyo’s away. She isn’t sure where to go, but she lands on her civilian self’s balcony.
“Someone I trust lives her, but she’s not here right now.” Ladybug explains. Insistently, her earrings beep. She sighs, and leads the still silent Lila inside. She picks up a scarf.
“I’m going to blindfold you do you don’t see who I really am. It’s too much of a risk. Your older self might remember this.” She tells her.
Lila nods mutely. She’s still silent as Ladybug ties the scarf around her eyes. Then...
“Spots off.”
Ladybug becomes Marinette. And she sits in front of Lila. Tikki is knowingly silent, grabbing a cookie from her purse and eating. Marinette isn’t sure what to do here. She’s not sure how to address this. So she thinks of the most kind and caring person she knows, and tries to imitate them.
“You can tell me everything, or nothing. But I want you to know that I’m here to help if you’ll just let me.” Marinette tells the blindfolded little girl. She hopes that Luka doesn’t mind her using that line, but it was the kindest thing she could say.
“...That girl kept saying I’ve done all this stuff. I knew all these people since I was little. But it was all lies. I was so confused, because... I don’t know anyone. No one likes me. Everyone ignores me. My mama loves me, I guess, but... she’s always busy. And I’m always trying to get her notice me!” Lila brushes down her outfit. “See? If I’m the prettiest girl in Paris, maybe she’ll stay longer. Maybe she’ll spend more time with me.”
She sniffles. “And I’m sad because when she talked about my stories... I thought she meant the stories I write. The plays I like to write, my poems, my shirt stories. The stuff I... the stuff I burned last week, because everyone told me they didn’t care about that kinda stuff. That it was lame. I thought maybe in the future that people cared about my stories. But it was all lies. Whoever she is, she’s not my friend. She’s friends with some older me who lies about everything, and doesn’t care at all about the real me!”
Marinette frowns, and pulls Lila in for a hug. She holds the girl tight to her chest, petting her hair. “I care. I promise, with all my heart, that I care, Lila.” She whispers. “I’m sure your stories are amazing, and I’m sure you’re amazing. And I’m sorry you went through all this. I’m sorry.”
Lila’s tiny body shakes, weak sobs racking her as she takes comfort in the raven haired girl. “Miss Lucky Bug... Thank you. Thank you so much! I promise, I promise I’ll do better so I can be your friend in the future!”
Marinette doubts it, but that isn’t what this little Lila needs to hear. So she stays silent. She looks to Tikki, who’s finished her cookie. The little god nods.
“It’s time to go. I’ll let you stay on the sidelines, ok?” Marinette is gentle with her words.
Lila nods into her chest. “Okay.”
And Marinette turns into Ladybug. She unties the scarf from Lila’s eyes, and then wraps it loosely around her neck. It’s a silky, light orange thing, that goes with her outfit, and makes the little girl look like a sunrise.
“Keep it. So you know that I care, no matter what.” Ladybug tells her. She smiles softly, and Lila gives a shaky grin back.
Ladybug opens her yo-yo, seeing that Chat has found the villain. Holding Lila like the child she is at that moment, she swings off.
The villain is easy to defeat now that they’ve found her base and akumatized item. Lila ends up being a factor in the lucky item, holding the mirror that bounces the villain’s beam of light back at her, hitting her and dazing her long enough for Ladybug to reach and break the akumatized item. The butterfly flies, and Ladybug takes one last look at the young Lila.
The lonely little girl smiles tearfully, and that’s all Ladybug needs to see to know that Lila is fine with being restored to her older self.
“MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!”
Lila is strangely missing when Ladybug tries to find her, after everything is back to normal. Marinette doesn’t see her again until school the next day, where she sits in the back of the class, wearing the scarf Ladybug gave her. She looks annoyed, but more than that, she looks tired.
Marinette goes to her, and Lila gives her a glare.
“What?” The Italian snaps.
“I forgive you.” Marinette says simply.
Lila looks shocked, just for a moment, before she huffs and looks away. Marinette doesn’t mind, as she goes to sit next to Alya, who’s already spouting apologies like a broken faucet.
One step at a time.
310 notes · View notes
mhdiaries · 4 years
Photo
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Haunted – Student Spirits Kiyomi Haunterly Diary
30/04
I had one of those dreams last night where I was running like I was a solid. It was so liberating to feel the grass on my toes and the hard surface of the ground with each step I took. The clouds were so far above me that I could not touch them, and I had to go around obstacles instead of over or through them. Then the dream changed, and I was standing in a big room with many other solids, and there was music and dancing and beautiful party dresses, and I woke up. I must have been dream flying, because I was hovering above our house. I floated back down to my bedroom and tried to go back to sleep in hopes of rejoining the party in my dream, but I could not. I just floated there, staring at the ceiling, trying to remember every detail. I liked the feeling of being in the middle of the party instead of quietly watching from the sidelines. I suppose I must have been trying harder than I realized to reconnect to the dream world, because something unexpected and remarkable happened. A tiny hole opened above me – not in the roof – but in the air. Light from another world poured into my room like reality had sprung a leak. Had I just opened a portal into the dream world? I gasped, lost concentration, and it was gone. I do not know what happened or how, but I must find out.
01/05
Today as I was passing through the halls and trying to avoid breaking one of Principal Revenant’s many rules, I heard a voice above me say, “Hey Kiyomi, why so blue?” I looked up to see Porter floating on his back, balancing a spray can of ghost paint on one finger. I can never tell if Porter is teasing or being serious, but I glanced down at my hands, and they were indeed the color of a blue funk; although they were quickly taking on a purplish tinge as scarlet embarrassment washed over me. Porter floated down and passed down the hall next to me. “You’ve really been stuck on cerulean lately – what’s up with that?” How could I tell him that I was sad because of a dream? So instead I told him that I was surprised he even noticed me at all. He laughed and said, “I’m an artist and you have colorful personalities – why wouldn’t I notice you?” I am afraid I blushed again, but Porter pretended not to notice as he turned and painted a mustache on a poster of Principal Revenant. I asked if he was afraid of getting in trouble. “Nah, it’ll disappear before she sees it, although boo knows – she might like it.” I cannot tell why I felt at that moment that I could trust him – but I did – so I asked if he ever wanted to be something other than what he was. I thought he might laugh at me, but he got a serious look on his face instead. “Sometimes I think unlife would be easier if I was just a regular ghost, if there really is such a thing. But if I was just a regular ghost I wouldn’t be able to do this.” Then Porter rose to the ceiling, and using a can of paint in each hand, wrote:
A quiet presence
Kiyomi Haunterly ghost
In colors beauty speaks
It was the nicest thing any ghost has ever done for me, and I stood there looking up at it until the ghost paint faded away. I could hear Porter laughing as he disappeared through a wall. “That’s a lovely shade of blush you have on.” Well, at least there wasn’t enough blue left to turn it purple.
03/05
Tonight I successfully opened another portal. This time I was able to hold it open a little longer, but instead of light shining through I heard the sound of laughter. It was not the mocking laughter of someone who is happy at your misfortune, but the genuine laughter of friends. I wanted to look through to see who was making such a joyful noise. Unfortunately, my kaiju woke up and roared like he needed to go out, so I lost concentration and the portal closed again. I must learn more about this ability, though I dare not tell or risk asking any ghost. I shall go tomorrow to the library and find out what there is to know, if there is something to know.
04/05
Oh my ghost. I copied this page on portals from a reference book in the library:
There are only three known ways to travel between the ghost world and the world of solids. The first – and it all practicality, only way – available to the majority of ghosts is to secure passage on one of the reaper vessels that navigate the currents of light, which in certain places link the two worlds. This is by far the most reliable method, although final reservations must be made at least a day in advance, as float-up passengers are always turned away.
The second way is also via reaper, as their scythes have the power to slice through the unseen barrier that separates the two worlds. Reapers do not, however, make outward-bound trips with passengers.
The third and final way is a power seemingly unique to the infamous “Red Lady.” Although she never elaborated how her powers work, it is theorized that she had the ability to open a portal to any place in the solid world by simply willing it. This theory remains unproven mainly because, when asked how she did it, the Red Lady’s reply was, “Wouldn’t boo like to know?”
I haven’t been opening portals to the dream world – I’ve been opening them to the solid world. What do I do now? Will I become the next Red Lady?
06/05
It has not taken long for curiosity to sweep aside any haunting worries of becoming the next Red Lady. I am not her, I am me. So now, after many hours of practice, I can open a portal large enough to see through, and can keep it open even if I become distracted. I have been watching a group of monster ghouls who seem to be very close, and for whom friendship plays a large role in their unlives. I am most fascinated by a vampire ghoul called Draculaura. I think her fashion sense is… totes adorbs… and her vocabulary, while strange to my ears, is simply put… fun. I have even started using little bits of it in my everyday speech, and I have made several of my school mates genuinely laugh out loud. This is strange to me, and I believe to them as well, as they have remarked, “Kiyomi, we had no idea you were so funny – where do you come up with this stuff?” I simply tell them that I have a good teacher, and then leave them wondering who that might be.
08/05
I opened a portal today and what – or rather who – I saw caused me to break out in ghost bumps. It happened like this: Draculaura was showing off a new pair of shoes. I was fascinated by their design, so much so that I did not pay attention to anyone or anything else around me. That is when I heard Draculaura say, “Spectra! Check out my new purchase. Aren’t they just to un-die for?” Spectra Vondergeist! She and I had been beast friends before she left the ghost world for the solid. I quickly closed the portal hoping she had not seen me. Perhaps I am being selfish, but I do not wish any ghost or solid to know about my newfound ability. It is my secret alone, at least for now.
10/05
I have taken much courage from haunting out with my “friend” Draculaura. I have already begun to use some of her words, and now I think I should like to imitate her style. That is why I journeyed to the phantom island of Hy Brasil today in order to shop at the fashion markets there, which are… totes off the chain. My family is friends with the captain of a ghost yacht, and since he was taking his own family over, I asked if I might go along. The island was already scary busy by the time we arrived, and I was orange with expectation. I promised to meet everyone back at the yacht by sundown and then faded into the crowd. The first thing I did was head straight to where the fashion vendors were selling their wares. There were fabrics in more colors than even I could feel! I felt unalive in a way that I never had before, and for the first time in my unlife, being anonymous didn’t make me shy. It made me bold. I even bargained with some of the sellers to get a better price. Before I would buy anything, though, I would duck into a dressing room and haunt in on Draculaura and the ghouls to try and match the fashions they were wearing. I only saw one other ghost that I knew, and that was River Styxx, but I saw her on the other side of a crowded square, and I was able to vanish from sight before she saw me again. I like River, she has always been very kind to me, but I wanted this to be my day. Maybe that was selfish of me, but it was how I felt at that moment. The day ended too soon, and before I knew it we were casting off and motoring out of the harbor. On the way to Hy Brasil I stayed in my cabin. On the way back I stood on the bow. As the wind blew through my hair, I knew I was going to do something bold with my unlife. I cannot wait to begin.  
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