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superectojazzmage · 10 months

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Watched the Nimona movie last night. Review I guess. It was pretty damn good. Definitely would’ve probably been regarded as Blue Sky’s magnum opus if they’d gotten to release it instead of being fucked over by Disney. Very cute, very funny, very powerful in the right moments. A thing that stuck out to me is that it’s really only an adaptation in the loosest sense of the word. It takes the core premise and beats of the comic but is functionally an entirely different kind of story that does its own thing. And given that ND Stevenson was heavily involved in production, I suspect that was intentional.

The comic was much darker and more downbeat in a lot of ways, plus it was significantly longer and thus could afford to be slower paced. But more than that, it was a lot more meaty in terms of themes and scope. The whole “LGBT allegory” element was there, but it wasn’t the sole focus, the comic was a story about a lot of different things; not just an LGBT experience, but also discussion of fantasy genre tropes and clichés, criticism of other fantasy deconstructions, character study, exploring what it means to be a hero or villain, critique of the glorification of crime and cruelty in underprivileged communities, corruption in governments, peer pressure, the senseless and self-perpetuating nature of violence, the worthlessness of revenge, etc.. And above all that, it was a story about trauma and people’s responses to it, with Ballister representing people who actually deal with their problems and move on while Nimona represented people who let their mistakes and suffering and grief consume their identity, or worse, use it as an excuse to indulge their worst qualities and take out their feelings on everyone around them.

The movie, by contrast, has a much more narrow focus. The LGBT allegory is front and center and basically the entire focal point of the movie, aside from a spattering of themes about the danger of zealotry and rigid fundamentalist thinking. This gives the movie a much tighter narrative and pacing that suits its inherently shorter runtime, but also leads to a ton of changes to the story either to convey a different kind of message or just work better in a different medium. Most obviously in how Nimona is vastly more sympathetic in the movie and essentially really is the silly gremlin the comic fakes you out into thinking she is, scrapping the comic’s twist that she was a genuinely bad person who was completely serious about wanting to be a villain, caring nothing for the lives she destroyed with her behavior and idolizing Ballister because she thought he was the same as her and would thus tell her what she wanted to hear (i.e., that she was justified in killing and destroying everything around her in the name of getting even). And in the changes to the Institution’s history and nature. And all sorts of other things.

All in all, I feel if you go in comparing and contrasting the movie and the comic, arguing which changes are for the better or worse, you’ll be setting yourself up for disappointment in either direction because they’re two different beasts and it’s like comparing apples and oranges. So keep that in mind if you’re a fan of the comic watching the movie or a fan of the movie wanting to look into the comic. I think ultimately I still like the comic better, but that’s purely my personal opinion and there’s plenty that I think the movie did better.

Some other observations:

Riz Ahmed my beloved, thank you Mr. Stevenson for this perfect casting. Literally perfect for Ballister.

Acting in general was very good. You can tell this was a passion project for a lot of people, not just Stevenson.

Only two changes that are objectively bad are Ambrosius losing his awesome Van Halen hairdo and changing Ballister’s last name — Blackheart is a way cooler name than Boldheart and it’s a pointless change, one that I’d argue even hurts the narrative since it makes it too obvious that Ballister isn’t actually a bad guy.

The animation is really great with fantastic expressions, stylish movement, and wonderful aesthetics that perfectly suit the story, but there’s times where it feels a little off. But there are parts where it looks less “movie” and more “cheap mid-2000s CGI-and-Flash cartoon show from France”.

The humor can be a hit and miss, in a “going through the motions of a Hollywood animated comedy for kids” way. The movie excels when it’s either imitating the comic’s Old Internet sense of humor or going hard on the drama, but there’s bits where it seemingly slams on the brakes to do Illumination-esque Twitter humor and those bits definitely throw off the vibe.

Having an actual straight up attempted suicide in the climax was shockingly ballsy. I genuinely can’t believe they went there, but I’m glad they did because the film wouldn’t have felt nearly as raw without it.

I don’t know how they managed to make the Director even more of an asshole than in the comics, but they did.

#nimona #nimona film #nd stevenson #ballister boldheart #ballister blackheart #ambrosius goldenloin #movie review #animated movies #movies #films #comic books #dc comics #webcomic #web comics #indie comics #netflix #blue sky studios #lgbt film #lgbt fantasy

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campwillowpeak · 18 days

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I think we could all go for something a bit lighthearted

Who are your favorite Yanderes and why?

OOOOHOHOHOHOOOOOH Cracks &Knuckles

Lets go

FRIEND (@stnaf-vn ) MY BBG4LIFE. Just look at him... An absolute emotional trash fire and I love him, I giggle and kick my feet when he goes all angry and I get all giggly when he's all sweet. Plus out of all of them I think he'd tolerate my gremlin behavior the best

EZRA (@restartheartvn ) Pretty sure this mfr already has my address, IP, SSN, Mother's maiden name, Longitude, Latitude, Blood Type, Where I went to Elementary School, My favorite pet's name, The street I grew up on, How old I was when I lost my first tooth, and when my last period was... and that kinda hot ngl ovo

KROW (@thekrows-nest ) LOOK AT HIM HE'S JUST A LIL GUY AND I LOVE. He's an artist too! Art dates! And he's shorter than me! NOW I CAN BE THE TALL ONE! On top of that I did weight lifting so I can still carry him round like a princess even is he is stocky... I wanna pepper his face in kissies and help him bandage his fingies uvu

VIRGIL (@wouldyoustayvn ) My beloved elf husband~ So pretty~ So poofy~ I love -v-. His whols aesthetic is also just super appealing to me and I love the whole he's self aware and can be in ANY of your devices angle... It makes me wanna torture him by being purposefully horrible with said devices. :)))

ADAM (@unknownhermit ) Ahh yes, one of my most recent obsessions... Just look at him... poor little confused and conflicted psycho serial killer... Also I too have deep seated trauma of a similar nature that leaves me waking up panting in a cold sweat so we have something to bond over <3<3<3 I wanna bunt foreheads and have him pet my head and tell me everything's gonna be ok (Even if its not RIP)

There's more I could go over... But I think 5 is a good number to end it on uvu

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keiaoi811 · 8 months

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Cooking your hates / Aquarium adventure

Jouno Saigiku x Reader / Tecchou Suehiro x Reader

Fluff

Drabble, headcanons? Idk how to name it

Just some short thing in subpoints

Jouno

•Jouno, our beloved mean gremlin

((ﾐ´ω`ﾐ)), i kinda love the headcanons about him being good in kitchen [while me, the best i can do is tea and scrambled eggs- mastechef is not title for me]

•But what if you have things you don't like? For example mushrooms, raisins, broccoli [kind of 'wink' towards me, heh]

•Will Jouno makes things without them or.....try his best to hides them in dish to hear your displeased noise when you find out? I think, you know the answer, dear reader ~

•Leaving Jouno for five seconds alone is the worst you can do. His disability won't stop him to sneak, "the worst things on the world" a'ka foods you don't like, into the soon dinner.

•A grin, this one, annoying one, that always appears when he did something. 'A proud cat, who just broke your favorite cup, because he found it not suitable on the table'; type of smile.

•You look at the dish before you, with suspicious sight, guard on. You really like his cooking, really, just this smile; it's very disturbing.

•-"It's gonna be cold, eat up"- Jouno said simple, continues to enjoy his own portion, listening with huge anticipation, to your heartbeat. Ah, teasing you is his favorite hobby after long and tiresome work week.

•Finally, you try his creation with surprise for you. It wasn't bad, entirely opposite, it was delicious.

-"Taste good?"

-"A lot, you never ending to surprise me, Sai."

You said with great appreciation towards the white hair man. This moment, however didn't last long.

•Oh, your heartbeat changed, giving signal to Jouno that his small "gift" got discovered.

-"Something wrong, dear?~"- He asked, like he had no idea, what makes your face frowning in small disgust.

-"You add something."

-"I added a of lot things, this is what cooking is, after all."

-"Sai, you know what i mean"

-"Oh, do i?~"

•Jouno playing dumb and you swallowing the piece of food like it was "poison".

Then you begins to complain, filling his ears with the pleasure he was expecting.

•-"You acting like some kid, who don't want to eat their veggies."- Jouno huffed nonchalantly and the grin on his face get only bigger.

•Maybe cooking with him gonna be better option to avoid eating the "humanity poison". While Jouno gets annoyed by your "guarding". It is nice to have your help, but having you to observe what his hands do without a blink, was getting on his nerve.

•Payback Jouno ((ﾐ´ω`ﾐ)) But in the end of the day, nothing can be avoid completely and maybe a compromise would be better.

Tecchou

•We all know, that this man can watch ants for eight, straight hours, right? Mostly for their teamwork and etc.

•But what if, take him to Aquarium? It sounds like a very nice date idea, pretty common too.

•All the colorful fishes, gracefully drifting behind the glass wall, a blue light filling every edge, very calming and beautiful view....until standing in one place for too long.

•Tecchou was like a frozen statue, observing all the fishes and other creatures behavior, like some kind of oceanologist.

•You were happy that he seemed to like this place, but you also wouldn't mind if he move a little....even slightly. We love you but please ಥ⌣ಥ

•Idea pop off in your mind and decided to test it. You walk away from Tecchou, to see what will happened but also to see other parts of Aquarium.

•Gone for hour or two, only to come back to your human like rock, who didn't even badge a step. At this point, you don't know if better laugh or cry. Also some other visitors was getting confused when passing by Tecchou.

•-"It's mannequin? Some kind part of the exhibition?"- whispers flows into your ears.

For gym or clothing shop, Tecchou would be a perfect mannequin; you joke in thoughts.

•-"Hiro, are you there?"- You said when approaching this "statue" and waving hand before his eyes. A small shocked expression sneak on his face when Tecchou finally turn his head towards you.

-"Yes? Something wrong? Tired?"

-"I feel like i should be the one asking this."

A chuckle left your lips, while Tecchou looked at you slightly lost.

•Two of you chat a little, asking him what he discovered from all the observation he made. Tecchou apologized when you tell him you were walking around, alone for one or two hours.

•Everything begins to be sweet and nice again when, suddenly a big fish eats the smaller one.

•Tecchou and you had a little open mouths in shock, dazed at what you just guys witness. It's not that was scary or something that would never happen, the natural food chain and etc., but fishes eating each other wasn't in yours to-do date list....

•-"Hiro....what do you say, for change the scenery? I think i saw a booth with ice cream somewhere."

-"It's sounds great to me, love."

Let the fishes enjoy their "dinner" without you and distract themselves with something cold.

•Except that one moment, date end up great. Tecchou shared with his thoughts about how great would the ice creams taste with shichimi or wasabi....well.

•But memory of his focused, amber eyes on the glass wall, brings you smile and a faint rosy color on the cheeks.

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mama-qwerty · 4 months

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what are you hoping happens with Dread this season?

Hhnnngngg

My beloved will be back with more schemes and trickery and attempts at manipulation, I'm sure. He is so much fun to watch, he's so animated and expressive. A handsome, smug bastard who'd toss his own mother under the bus if it got him even an inch closer to his Beauty. I love him so much.

I hope we see him almost succeed, but then his own tunnel vision and selfishness causes him to fall on his stupid, smug face. I hope the others see through his attempts at manipulation, and double cross him at the end. I hope they use him as their secret weapon against Nine, like a mad dog they let off the leash.

I honestly don't want him to be redeemed. I want him to stay true to his double crossing, backstabbing, underhanded ways to the end. He's a gremlin and I do love me my gremlins.

I'm hoping for some really good scenes with him, with snarky lines, fun expressions, and overall love-to-hate behaviors.

MY BELOVED

#ask me #ames stuff #knuckles the dread #dread my beloved #sonic prime

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lenoresimpact · 1 year

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Scaramouche's relationship with singing (headcanons)

Hello! As I announced few days ago, I decided to write some headcanons about Scaramouche’s singing abilities. I found his boss fight theme really inspiring and even though his Chinese VA is not the one singing in the track, the main voice surely resembles our beloved motherless gremlin. Have fun and feel free to leave a request if you want more headconons from me!

Contains: Spoilers of Scaramouche’s past. Fluff/angst. + BONUS reader insert! It’s pretty SFW but if you find some parts triggering, please inform me about it!

❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉

❤ Scaramouche's nickname The Balladeer wasn't incidental. Though no one ever teached him the art of music, he has a natural capability of controlling his voice in a flawless way. The thing is that he wasn’t aware of his gift when he was born.

❤ It’s hard to tell if he owed his talent to his mother’s good will. Ei never really talked to him and she simply thought of him as an experiment named Kunikuzushi. His main purpose was to store her Electro Gnosis if he could bear it, but due to his delicate nature Kunikuzushi wasn’t suitable for this role. His other predispositions were useless in her eyes, so she wasn't interested in observing them. She gave him a freedom without any clues about his strong points. He knew only about his weaknesses. Ei simply rejected him, believing she was doing him a favor.

❤ On the other hand Kunikuzushi was indeed a beautiful, divine creation. His outward beauty reflected his pure nature. He wasn't in posession of a high self-awareness, but he had a great emotional sensitivity. He seemed eccentric to ordinary people, but he was very eager to live among them and learn to coexist peacefully.

❤ At first, how could he even know what singing was? One day, however, he heard a song coming out of one of the Inazuman houses. He was interested in how people modulated sound and why they did it. Sometimes they sounded happy but sometimes the sounds seemed terribly sad. There was probably some greater meaning in it, unknown to the wandering puppet.

❤ One summer day, when his friend Katsuragi went to fetch some water, Kunikuzushi started playing with his voice while working in the field. These were his first attempts to imitate human action of singing. He surprisingly enjoyed the results of his efforts and got so into it that he couldn't notice when Katsuragi returned. Initially, yoriki himself wasn't eager to interrupt the puppet's secret performance. He hid in a nearby bush and listened to natural, spontaneous tones of extremely pure timbre. They were filled with melancholy from another world.

❤ When Kunikuzushi fell silent, Katsuragi came out of the bush. Seeing his purple haired friend's embarrassment, he apologized for the sneaky behavior and immediately praised his skills. Kunikuzushi found the answer to his questions in this event. For now he knew what singing was and why people sang sometimes. It was simply admirable! Maybe such a skill could pull him closer to them? Since humans loved him for singing, maybe it was possible that his mother would also appreciate it as well? What if she heard his voice just once? Who knows, maybe she would be more willing to take him under her wing again... At least humans loved when their young ones were singing, right? It mostly meant they were happy.

❤ From then on, Kunikuzushi hummed sweet songs more often to make his friend's work more pleasant. Sometimes he also received praise from other villagers when they suggested that he could earn great amounts of Mora thanks to his voice. However, he perceived it as too materialistic approach to his abilities.

❤ The Puppet's songs were nostalgic and sad. The lyrics often featured Ei's misty silhouette more or less directly between the verses. Kunikuzushi lived with the naive hope that perhaps one day the wind would take his words to his mother, but it was surely not going to happen, especially since she isolated herself from the outside world.

❤ After Katsuragi's "betrayal", Kunikuzushi stopped singing for a while. He had no one to sing to. Only later he sang to himself in the intention to lessen his feeling of loneliness on the roads of Inazuma. After all, this way he attracted one of the local orphan's attention. The child seemed similiar to Kunikuzushi, since they shared poverty and loneliness, as well as the ability to see the world through the heart lenses.

❤ The little friend often asked Kunikuzushi to sing, but they also wanted to listen happier songs. The doll quickly learned cheerful children's chants. Very soon Kunikuzushi was able to make up his own songs and dance to them with kids during the day. It was a happy time which allowed him to believe that he could have a real value in someone's eyes once more.

❤ At night Kunikuzushi would bring back his sad songs with which he lulled the child to sleep. His velvety, warm voice comforted the kid in the darkness of the night and soothed the suffering that accompanied the progress of terminal illness. Although Kunikuzushi saw sickness and slow death for the first time from such a close perspetive, he believed that just being there was enough to keep a little human by his side. Unfortunately, it turned out again that this wasn't enough.

❤ After the death of his little friend, Kunikuzushi decided to get rid of his sensitive identity. He stopped singing not because he never saw beauty in it. He just discovered it's uselessness. A trivial singing couldn't give him a permanent place beside someone.

❤ Singing was bringing his feelings to the daylight. He had a void in his chest that he wanted to fill with pure anger and strength. He wanted to destroy the weak Kunikuzushi persona in him.

❤ As Scaramouche, the puppet stopped singing because the human worms around him were not worthy of it. They would't return the honor of listening to him, and since he couldn't gain anything permanent with this pitiful talent, it was just useless for the fearsome Sixth Harbringer. His singing abilities were just one of the legends in the Fatui, since no one ever heard him singing there.

❤ The exception to this resolution was Scaramouche's song during the duel with Traveller and Lesser Lord Kusanali. The Balladeer ran away from Fatui and now he was the one to estabilish his power over the people. As the new god, he intended to obtain honors and glory by force. His last song was supposed to be a Psalm of the Victory, but it was actually an old cry hidden deep inside his hollow chest.

❤ It was a powerful swan's song before it's next death.

BONUS! (reader insert)

❤ Scaramouche's beliefs that grew around his own memories made him lock himself from trusting anyone. He wouldn’t be eager to sing for your entertainment, but if you questioned him about the sources of his nickname, he probably would mumble something about trivial activities in his younger days.

❤ Scara would be annoyed if you asked if he would ever sing for you. You shouldn't push him to give any performances, even in private.

❤ However, it is possible that when you get close to each other, you will sometimes catch him involuntarily humming for a few seconds when you’re alone together. It's best to appreciate his voice silently, without any comments which would interrupt him or make him focus directly on what he’s doing. He wouldn’t want to act cute willingly. Your silence at this moment would maintain a safe atmosphere between both of you. At the end the most important thing is that you can simply be yourself together.

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chezzywezzy · 2 years

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Yandere Eddie Munson (6/13)

Word count ; 4.0k

*Edited.

“Get in! Someone just pulled up!” Eddie hissed, having already pounced into the raft and clutched the blue tarp to his chest as though it were a fluffy blanket. One hand was pawing in my direction while his expression scrunched up in fear.

I took a step back, leaning and stretching my arms. A satisfying crack sounded from my tailbone. While yawning obnoxiously, I managed,” No. It’s probably just another car going by. I’m not going to break my neck every time, Ed. We’re by a road —“

“Your funeral,” he grumbled, pulling the tarp over his head.

A car pulled into the front. A loud honk sounded, and not even a second later, the tarp flew off of Eddie’s head. He was ready to pounce and was gripping his small knife. The man wasn’t faced toward me, but I was sure his expression was as manic as usual.

He hopped out of the boat, almost stumbling over his feet. I leaned back against the wall near the table, and I only watched in amusement as he skittered ‘sneakily’ across the shack. He peered out the window, panting loudly. I almost felt bad since I recognized he was getting the brute of the blame for everything.

Eddie pulled away and lowered his head, but just then, the metal door flung open with a loud screech! I couldn’t help but let out a shriek, but Eddie was even jumpier, pointing both hands accusingly toward the door while backing into the wall.

“Jesus christ!” he shouted.

Dustin peered around, the rest of his friends trailing behind. He grinned in amusement, holding up several plastic bags. “Delivery service!”

Eddie’s shoulders collapsed and he was still recovering from the fright. I was, too, but it took the form of paralysis. They all filed in and shut the door behind them. Dustin’s eyes were glued to my frame, and I sent him as menacing of a glare as I could, even in my fluffy unicorn onesie.

“Geez, couldn’t you guys knock first?” I exclaimed.

They all shrugged, which made me roll my eyes in abashed irritation. I kicked myself away from the table while Eddie stumbled our way, separating from his beloved corner. He flipped Steve Harrington in particular the middle finger.

“What?” Steve asked incredulously, waving his hands in defense.

“You gotta, like, teach your kids some manners,” Eddie gasped, clutching at his heart dramatically. He saddled up beside me as the bags of food were dropped near the boat for our pleasure.

“My kids? My kids? I swear —“

Robin punched the side of his arm, making Steve let out a whiny ‘ow’ and pout. “You’re still in, like, total denial. They’ve been following you around for, what, a decade?”

I plopped down in the boat and started rummaging through the grocery bags. Eddie reached around me to grab another, a permanent - yet somewhat playful - frown on his face. I noticed that, due to not shaving for a bit, some stumble was littered around his lips and jawline.

He immediately clawed at the honey comb cheerio box, tearing it open messily. Everyone found designated seats, and even I found myself frozen in vague annoyance as he exploded the bag open. I had but an apple in my hand. Eddie dug his hand into the box and pulled out a fistful of the cereal, shoving it into his mouth.

I scrunched up my nose, and he seemed to sense my stare. He - obviously - hadn’t gotten all the cereal into his mouth, so what was left and covered in his manic slobber, he held out to me. “You, uh, want some?” he stuttered with a full mouth.

“Dustin got his bad manners from you, dude.”

He quirked a brow in amusement and resisted a smile. He shoved another fistful into his mouth and just watching his gremlin behavior made me lose my appetite. Dustin, with clasped hands, was sitting on a bar stool expectantly. Steve was leaning against a pole while Robin and Max banded together on the opposite side of the port.

“So, we got some, uh, good news and some bad news,” Dustin started. Eddie’s eyes flitted to the boy expectantly. “How do you prefer?”

Eddie finally got through chewing and I gulped. I started,” Good —“

“Bad news first. Always.”

He downed a miscellaneous drink that I hadn’t noticed him open, and I began bouncing my leg anxiously, even at the expense of rocking the boat slightly.

“Okay, bad news. We hacked into the Hawkins P.D. dispatch with our cerebra, and they’re definitely looking for you. Also, uh,” Dustin tittered, shooting some finger guns,” they’re pretty convinced you killed Chrissy and kidnapped my sister, so…”

“Like, a hundred percent,” Max chimed in. “They’re convinced.”

Eddie, finally not chewing on any food, kept switching attention between the two. He switched the bottle to the other hand and grabbed my knee, drumming his fingers on it. Oh, I felt terrible for Eddie. If it wasn’t convicting enough that Chrissy’s body was in his own home it was more so that he ‘broke in’ and bruised up my boyfriend.

“And the good news?” I inquired carefully, shivers rolling down my spine.

“Your name hasn’t gone public yet,” Robin spoke up. “But if we found out about you, and queen bee is missing for too long, it’s only a matter of time before others do too, and when that gets out, everyone and their shallow-minded mothers will be gunning for you, Eddie.”

He was clearly in a state of mourning and fear when he heard the words. I frowned, watching as his face contorted hatefully. “Hunt the freak, right?” he croaked.

I sighed, moving my free hand to overlap his own. I could feel his fingers trembling skittishly, and the moment I gave him a reassuring squeeze he flipped it over to hold it tightly. Robin was still staring him down, almost apologetically.

“Exactly.”

“So-o-o,” Dustin piped up, trying to lighten the mood,” before that happens, we need to find Vecna, kill him, and prove your innocence.”

Eddie scoffed, leaning forward to direct a glare toward him. “That’s all, Dustin? That’s all?”

Dustin frowned thoughtfully and tilted his head. “Uh, yeah, that’s pretty much it.”

Robin with an oar in hand, leaned forward. “Listen, Eddie, I know everything that Dustin’s saying sounds totally delusional, but we’ve actually been through this kind of thing before. I mean, they have, a - a few times, and I have once. Mine was more human-fleshed based, and theirs was more smoke-related, but the bottom line is collectively, I really feel like we got this.”

I could see the cogs turning in his head. I was still recovering from the whiplash of learning my baby brother has almost died and I never knew, so I was in the same daze. Steve, while scratching his head, noted,” See, we usually rely on this girl who has superpowers but, uh, those went bye-bye, so, uh…”

Everyone started humming and speaking up, but I focused definitively on Robin’s high-pitched,” So we’re technically in more of a, kind of, uh, brainstorming phase.”

“Yes! Brainstorming phase,” Max seconded.

That seemed to be the general consensus and my heart fell. I really wanted revenge for Chrissy. And I wanted justice for Eddie. He’d put me through hell and back, but he was a good guy. He didn’t deserve to have his life ruined.

Everyone sounded like they were lying and afraid, though. When Dustin tried to comfort us, I saw the doubts return to Eddie and he watched them warily. His jaw clenched and I mimicked. I didn’t want these innocent kids, especially Dustin, fighting monsters or… whatever it was that was plaguing us.

Silence finally fell, and we both gave them incredulous looks. Eddie was about to say something, but police sirens sounded in the distance. I let out a yelp as my apple flew from my grasp and I was pushed down into the boat. While Eddie trapped both of us underneath the tarp, the others went to the window to see what the commotion was for.

The door flung open, and I could only make out Dustin’s good-bye as they filed out to examine the police cars. They had flown past and clearly weren’t stopped, so I prodded at Eddie. He got the point and flung the tarp away. Somehow, the groceries hadn’t been crushed. All that had been lost was my goddamn apple.

We both sat up, panting. With them gone, despair lingered and festered between us. I chose silence, while Eddie decided to eat his feelings. He pulled out a jumbo chocolate bar and peeled the wrapper. I blinked, shaking myself from my stupor when it was swung into sight.

“Have some, sweetheart.”

I chuckled dryly and shook my head. I crossed my arms, still refusing the snack when it was shoved closer to my face. “No thanks, Eddie. Crisis or not, I need to stay fit for cheerleading.”

He pulled it away and cracked off some of the Hershey bar. “Crisis or not, eating is required.”

I opened my mouth to refuse, but I was instead caught off guard when he shoved the piece into my mouth. I laughed out of shock and had to cover my mouth to prevent it and my slobber from escaping. Eddie’s low chuckles emitted in the empty shack, and I finally swallowed the chocolate.

“See? A little chocolate never hurt anyone.”

I giggled and nodded begrudgingly. “I guess. As long as they kill… Venice, or whatever… by the time I have to move out to college, I’ll survive.”

I noticed Eddie’s face fell, and it was a reminder to us both that we weren’t just having a picnic in a tiny boat in the middle of nowhere. Eddie was on the run while I was being dragged along for his comfort. His chewing slowed and so did his swallow.

“So, uh… you have that whole college thing worked out for you, huh? I’m not surprised. You’re, uh… smart. Talented.”

I nudged him, sending him a smile. “So are you, Ed. A niche hobby doesn’t define you like people think it does.”

He pursed his lips in thought before answering,” Well uh, I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but the only thing that matters for that college crap is what people think. And my uh GPA and all that smart people stuff isn’t up to par. You probably got a, uh, cheerleading scholarship, right?”

“Yeah. At F/c. Chance also got a scholarship for basketball there, and Chrissy… she is -… was planning on using her scholarship to go into, uh, mechanics.”

“Mechanics?” Eddie exclaimed. “She looks like she’d cry if she touched a dust bunny!”

“It’s true,” I insisted, laughing. “She’s super into cars. All those cheerleader stereotypes aren’t true, you know.”

“The jock, uh, stereotypes definitely are, though.”

“Hey,” I groaned in mock offense. “Again, you’ve brought everything on yourself. Sure, sometimes they’ve gone a little far, but they’re just trying to make you leave me alone, Eddie.”

Eddie hummed, eyes sparkling in mischievousness. He was done with the chocolate for now and instead put his head in his elbow and peered at me closely. “And do you want me to leave you alone, sweetheart?”

I opened my mouth and then shut it again. For some reasons cheeks burned with a furious blush, especially with Eddie’s growing smirk. I placed my hands on either side of my cheeks and pouted, sending him a playful glare. “You’re my friend, Eddie, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Then why was I given the honor of my picture being on your mirror?”

My heart was already racing, but it was even more so now. He’d raised his head, and I became acutely aware of how his face drew closer. A hand gripped at my knee gently and he was watching me expectantly. Waiting for me to mess up and say something remotely flirtatious.

“Chrissy is on my mirror too, you know,” I mustered. “And besides, it really was from a few years ago. I took a few ‘natural’ photos of school areas —“

“I don’t recall seeing those on your wall, sweetheart.”

My breath was caught in my throat and my heart dropped to my stomach. It wasn’t that Eddie hadn’t been this close before. It was always that I felt guilty for reacting this way. It was like he knew, too, and that it was my own fault he had yet to give up.

I momentarily took in every detail of his - and I’d never admit this - attractive visage. Even with some stubble and smeared dirt along his cheeks, his lips looked soft and supple. Chapped, but none the less, appealing. His eyes were meeting mine in adoration, and his chest heaved calmly, even underneath all of his clothing layers. His hands were squeezing my knees gently, his ornate rings pushing against my skin. He was expecting something.

As I realized I needed to breathe, I suddenly sniffed the air. That broke all of my concentration and I suddenly pushed at his chest. Eddie let out a squawk, clearly not expecting it. He fell back against the side of the boat, sending me a surprised stare.

“Wh - what?” he complained loudly.

I shook my head, hoping my blush had abandoned me. “One, it’s gonna happen. Two, you smell abysmal. And I probably do, too.”

“Yeah, well, you still look stunning —“

“Shut it,” I groaned in irritation. “We’re friends, Eddie so stop looking so deeply into it. So, if you don’t mind, I plan on cleaning myself up.”

“Hey, we’re, uh, kind of restricted to only this area —“

I stared incredulously before motioning out toward the lake. Eddie fell silent, realizing what I meant, and nodded slowly. “I guess that seems reasonable.”

I sent him a gloating grin, noticing how his shoulders fell. I stepped out of the boat and onto the plank floor. I tugged at the zipper and slid it down, only then realizing that Eddie hadn’t moved and was watchmen intently. Even when we made eye contact, he only gave me a sleepy grin.

I scoffed and turned around, even though that didn’t give me much comfort, either. I slid the onesie off, revealing my embarrassing Hello Kitty-themed bra and panty set that would have to count as a bikini for the sake of getting clean. I was coated in sweat and dirt so just shedding the onesie was enough to start feeling refreshed.

Even with Eddie’s predatory gaze on me.

I didn’t spare him a glance as I stepped in front of him onto the boat, and from there on, I prepared myself for the jump.

I peered back at him, scowling. He was completely zoned in on one specific part of my body a blush present on his cheeks. I glared for a moment and only then did he jump. “My eyes are up here, pervert. Strip. You’re stinky.”

“So jump, sweetheart. Test the water for me, will ya?”

I scowled playfully and did just that. The boat tilted slightly, so I took the chance to jump. I curled my knees to my chest and prepared for impact. As my body hit the water, it was fairly nice. Lukewarm. However, my nose hurt from the water that invaded it, even though I’d hid my face in my knees. I was quick to relate, using my arms to pull myself back to the surface. It was hard to see or speak for a moment, so instead, I gave a hearty thumbs up as I gasped for air.

I heard a cackle. The boat was a few feet away and it croaked loudly. I wiped my eyes while treading water, just in time to see that Eddie was stripping his jackets on the dock. I was right. He stank for a goddamn reason. And yet, even though his back was turned, I couldn’t help but take note of his back muscles - or the lack there of. He wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t work out.

My breath caught in my throat when he glanced over this shoulder. We made momentary eye contact, which was more than enough for him to flash a knowing grin and enough for me to dip my head under the water in sheer embarrassment. I swam further out, and only then did my toes barely graze the bottom of the lake.

I returned to the surface, just as the water was disturbed by Eddie canon-balling into the lake. I continued to wade, although some of my hair blocked my vision. Just as I cleared my eyes, I saw that Eddie was but a few feet away from me, still recovering from the jump.

It was kind of stupid, but I couldn’t help but graze over his shoulders and collar bone. I’d seen his tattoos before, but my gaze couldn’t help but linger. They were so detailed and weren’t as ugly or misshapen as some other tattoos I’d seen in my life.

“Liking what you see, sweetheart?”

I burst into a series of coughs and I had no doubt that my face flushed. I covered my eyes and lost flailed in the water. All I knew was that Eddie was watching in vague - and arrogant - amusement. He kept humming loudly, which made me only cough further.

I finally recovered, but I couldn’t meet his gaze. Luckily, the dark water shielded me and stopped me from feeling too embarrassed, even though the bra straps were literally mimicking that of cat tails. “I know nothing about, uh, what you… speak of.”

“Yeah. I’m sure. If it’s any consolation, sweet heart, you look —“

“Don’t finish that sentence or I will… do something.”

He swam a little closer, and I noticed how his curls had flattened and he struggled to keep them out of his face. Beads of water slid down his neck and chest as he bounced in the water slowly. His lips were upturned into an almost sadistic smirk, and I felt his legs occasionally kick past mine.

“Do what exactly? Last time I checked, you’ve never even hurt a fly.”

I bit my lip in thought as my brain short-circuited. He wasn’t wrong. But Eddie wasn’t a fly, so he wasn’t off-limits.

“I will… mush your bones together like bread dough?”

Eddie’s eyebrows raised and he chuckled lowly. “Thanks for specifying. It would’ve been more concerning if it was any other kind of dough.”

“Uh… yeah.”

An awkward silence fell between us. We just stared at one another. I became more embarrassed with each passing moment, and finally, I had enough.

“I am getting out. Bye.”

“I think I’ll admire the view a bit longer.”

I sent him a glare and swam around him. And even as I clumsily pulled my soaked body onto the dock, I felt Eddie’s gaze glued on me the entire time. I was never more overjoyed to wrap the blue plastic tarp around my body.

~~~

“You sure you aren’t hungry?” Eddie fussed, face full of the only remaining cheerios. “There’s more than enough to uh, share, sweetheart.”

I sent him a lazy and rather tired grin, feeling the row boat rock. I was finally n my onesie, even if my hair was still a little wet. It was growing progressively cold and my pajamas were nice and soft. Eddie seemed to have a bottomless pit for a stomach, while I felt like if I ate anything, it’d just come back up.

After all, conversation grew dry eventually, even if it was Eddie Munson in my company. And that meant my thought always returned to Chrissy.

Just remembering what I’d witnessed made my stomach churn.

“It’s alright,” I insisted quietly, sending him a small smile. “I don’t have much of an appetite.”

Eddie’s mouth twitched and he frowned, sighing quietly. He finally set down the empty box and he’d finished his cereal. He veered his body toward me, staring at me, and intertwined his fingers together. There was concern flashing in his eyes, and there were words on the tip of his tongue.

I met his intense, worried gaze with a smile. I fluttered my eyelids innocently, and I noticed he bit his lip in thought. He finally mustered,” Not eating isn’t going to do, uh, much, you know.”

“It’ll help prevent vomiting,” I mused.

He tilted his head, eyes flitting over my expression. His frown deepened, and the moonlight cascaded across his features mysteriously. “…You’re still thinking about her, huh?”

“It’s kind of hard not to.”

His hands separated, and one slid overtime knee, rubbing softly. “Henderson’s got it.”

“And that’s just the problem,” I gushed suddenly furrowing my brows. “He’s just a kid! And I’m his sister. I thought we were closer than that. I mean, like, I spoil him with gifts and I embarrass him at school. What’s not to confide in? And, like, this isn’t normal. None of this is. Without Chrissy, it’s like, what’s the point? There’ll be no more stupid double dates with our deadbeat boyfriends, or watch movies, or complain about the said boyfriends… And, like, who else am I supposed to confide with? I can’t confide with Chrissy about Chrissy being dead. Dustin’s off killing monsters. And Chance is, uh, Chance.”

Eddie sighed, scooting closer. “I still don’t know what you see in him… But you don’t need him. I’m here for, uh, you, Y/n. You know that.”

A dry laugh bubbled in my throat and I couldn’t help but shake my head. “You barely know me, Eddie.”

“You… would be surprised,” he admitted bashfully, lips pulling into a shy smile. “I like you for a, uh, reason, you know? I wouldn’t spend my entire high school career pursuing you if you weren’t worth it. Maybe, uh, you don’t really know me, but… I notice things, I guess. And believe me, you deserve so much more than, uh, anything that’s happened.”

His words struck a chord and I gulped. I didn’t have to say anything, though, as Eddie wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a warm hug. His denim jacket pressed against my pajamas, and I couldn’t help but sink into it. I really, really needed it.

I buried my face into the crook of his neck, his various layers’ colors pushing into my cheeks. His leather jacket was cold, with his tee-shirt was soft. I reciprocated, wrapping my arms around his waist. I held onto his side limply. I wanted to cry, but there were no tears that came. I felt Eddie trembling, and I knew he wasn’t doing too hot, either.

And yet, he still tried so hard to cheer me up.

I smiled slightly, nuzzling my nose into the side of his neck. He sighed regretfully, his hands rubbing against my back softly. It was clear neither of us wanted to break each other’s hold, even though both of our muscles flexed with discomfort and our bones ached from weariness.

We were tired and scared and confused.

But at least, even if it was only for this dystopian part of my life, we had each other.

#yandere #x reader #x y/n #self insert #yandere slashers #yandere x reader #yandere stranger things #eddie stranger things #stranger things s4 #stranger things #eddie munson #yandere eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie x reader #eddie munson st4 #stranger thing s4

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rednleafff · 8 months

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Casey J in G?F

More info dump? Yes sir – but this time I'm gonna talk mainly about our beloved Casey j. We all know and love our future boy and wish him the very best life that he can have after all that he went through – BUT – I can't stop thinking about the fact that – he will need probably a looong time to actually settle in, even if he will learn the way of "the simple life of a teenager" – this boy still lost – literally everyone but he also gained them all back – but different – they wont be the same people he once knew because they wont go through the same things – even if their key thing will stay – they still wont be the people he once knew – but they will probably look like them the more they grow up and how difficult is to let go of something when that very something is right Infront of your eyes but different ? or the survival guilt he must be dealing with? I personally think – he would want to love the simple – less stressful life – but wont be able to – even if he would try to work through his trauma and all – it not something he will ever be able to shake completely - sure he might leave to see the world one day, alone or with someone, and he will get the chance to see thew world he fought tooth and nail to save – and slowly but surely he would learn to love this place, even with it bitter moments. now here it's where I come with Yummi eheh their relationship is actually my favorite – (sorry Leo <3 I love you with all my heart) because – as I see it – When Baby Yummi first joins their family, Casey gets to witness a very familiar behavior from the fam, the parental behavior from Leo, the uncley vibes from the turtles, this baby is basically plays a similar role that was belongs to him back in his time line – he will be a little bit distance from her in the beginning, not on purpose it will just happen- they will share their sweet moments here and there but very few in her first couple of years – until she learns to walk and talk enough that when she gets really clingy to his specifically so he plays along, he really do cares for her, its just – hard- after everything , but then – they share a small moment when she asks him if he's going to join them to some place, he says no cause of reasons, so she claims she won't go either and when asking her why – cause she was so excited to go she will say she wants to go with him cause its always much more fun when he's around – she doesn’t even gives to it much attention, she probably draws or something, but Casey – he think about it a little bit more, Yummi wasn’t present in his time line – she can't because she was created as a result of the Kraang invasion and defeat, and although he saw the world met people that nowadays are alive instead of dead or surviving, saw kids that got the chance to grow up and be born at all – he wasn’t really closed to all that – and maybe that why he didn’t felt a connection to this reality yet? He's always around the people who sometimes he sees the ghost of their past? Other? Self? And he loved them to death don’t get me wrong, but Yummi specifically (up to this point of the story) is the only very closed person to him who doesn’t have "another version of". Casey had to learn to love the world his whole family knew and tried to fight back to save it – but he never had that connection to that world, he was a little bit to stuck in the past, to focus on the ghost of people that wont ever be that it was hard for him to love the present that they all gave him. So – this kid – that little gremlin is one of his first connections to this reality that doesn’t rely on something from his timeline – if that makes sense? It makes sense to me lol. Casey's 20's are ups and down, but from this point forward – I think he will find it much easier to breathe and be present in this timeline. maybe part 2 someday – cause their relationship get's a serious twist when its revealed and Yummi is part Kraang lol (here are scracps of a comic i worked on but will never finish - it takes place after Yummi's whole - Kraang arc)

#rottmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #tmnt #rottmnt leo #rottmnt good? future #rottmnt good? future au #rottmnt fanart #rottmnt oc #yummi Hamato #rottmnt casey junior #rottmnt casey jr

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faithinlouisfuture · 10 months

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beloved gremlin behavior 🖕🏼(x)

#I WILL EAT HIM #louis tomlinson #louis tomlinson gifs #Louis gifs #fitfwt gifs #my fitfwt content #louisupdates #mindofwalls #louisprojectstracks #louistomlinsoncouk #beloved gremlin behavior #LOOK AT HIM #just wanna munch on him #fitfwt: charlotte

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helleboretks · 1 year

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Unleash the Gremlins!

This is a Lee!Dazai, Ler!Atsushi and Ler!Tanizaki tickle fic! if this isn’t your forte, no need to read!

Summary: Dazai absolutely should not have let Atsushi and Tanizaki become friends. Now that they bring the chaos out of each other, he ends up paying the price of their mishief.

Dazai really shouldn’t have let Atsushi and Tanizaki be friends.

They brought the gremlin out in each other.

He doesn’t know when, how, or why this happened, hell — he was surprised that he didn’t realize they had that other aspect of their personalities! Tanizaki was always this really reserved, very kind, and anxious ridden kid, while the only thing he really noticed could’ve been gremlin behavior for Atsushi was that ongoing sass of his.

But oh boy, he seriously miscalculated the power of having two gremlins in the vicinity.

This moment just puts it fresh in the forefront of his mind.

You see, it was nothing but a simple case. Dazai had gone with Kunikida to supervise the first case Atsushi and Tanizaki would do together. And they got along, they talked when things settled down a bit, and the case went as smooth as it could go for those two. They even joked around a little since the case wasn’t exactly that serious, as long as they got it done.

Dazai could say confidently that he was proud of their progress, not only in the case, but also their friendship. They seemed very touchy with each other, standing close to one another, leaning casually against the other, it was very wholesome, he could get used to it.

Until they got back in the car. He should’ve suspected something when they were whispering and giggling to each other during the case.

He doesn’t know how the hell they convinced him to sit between them, but it happened, and Kunikida was the one driving them back to the agency.

“Well! This case was quite the success now wasn’t it?” Dazai cheerily spoke, Atsushi nodding enthusiastically as Tanizaki smiled, a little hunched in on himself. “Oh, oh! Maybe we can go to that one restaurant that’s-”

“No, Dazai. We’re not.” Kunikida cut him off, leaving Dazai to pout where he sat. “Ah, a shame~.” he whined, leaning heavily against Atsushi. “Oh won’t you comfort this wounded, ill soul, Atsushi-kun?” Atsushi squeaked as he was pressed against the door. “D-Dazai-san!?”

“H-hey! Don’t squish him like that!” Tanizaki huffed, grabbing Dazai’s arm and trying to pry him off of a squealing weretiger. But Dazai was having fun with this! He wasn’t letting go just yet.

“But this is my mentee, Tanizaki-kun~! I can hold him whenever I want!” he shot back, nodding along to his own words triumphantly. Arms wrapped around Atsushi, he laughed as the other tried hard to wiggle himself free, pushing at Dazai’s shoulders as he complained and whined.

“Oooh, my beloved Mentee! Heal my aching wounds with your tiger’s heal-ING-!”

The shriek he let out practically silenced everyone.

It wasn’t even much, but God did he jolt when Tanizaki squeezed his side, head snapped back to the teen, who held his hands up with a look of holy shit on his face. And then, and then, Atsushi started snickering. That EVIL weretiger-

“What was that, Dazai-san?” Atsushi teased lightly as Dazai immediately moved away, grabbing Tanizaki’s hand before he could try again. “Nope, startled me, nothing more nothing less- AH AH AH!” he was quick to snatch Atsushi’s hand with his free one, who had tried to sneak a poke of his own in.

And then he realized.

Oh no.

“Heh. Heh. Heeeeeeh.” came from Tanizaki, and Dazai glared half-heartedly at the two teens, who grinned their little gremlin grins, and Dazai was definitely not feeling the safest right now.

And Kunikida? He rolled down the windows and tried his best to ignore what was about to go down. That traitor, he couldn’t believe this, leaving him alone with these two cretins-

“Dazai-saaaan!!” Dazai yelped as he was suddenly being shoved from side to side, babbling nonsense as Atsushi and Tanizaki shook him senseless. “Give in to the inevitable, Dazai-san! You can not escape our wrath!!” Atsushi laughed, that glint of evil playfulness shining in his eyes.

“NO! Nonono, Leave me aloOoOoOoOne!!!” Dazai cried, trying desperately to free himself from their iron grip. But alas, he wasn’t the most physically capable person around, so that didn’t work.

And then they were wiggling their fingers. Dazai went god damn pale.

“Stay away! Stay away you fihehehends!” he was already giggling in shock, flinching away every time they faked him out, the poor man giggling uncontrollably in the middle seat.

“Atsushi-kun! Tahanizaki-kun! Rehehespect your elders-WAHahahahait, nahahahahahaoo!!” He practically squealed when Atsushi finally latched onto his side, squeezing ridiculously fast.

Dazai practically lurched away, only to yell out in more laughter as Tanizaki grabbed at his ribs, scribbling away. Damnit, damnit, damnit! How did he not see this coming earlier!?

“Oh my God! It’s a laugh that isn’t the fakest thing I’ve ever heard-” Atsushi lit up, cut off by Dazai’s boisterous laughter as he struggled and squirmed. But really, there was no escaping whatever hell this was, surrounded on both sides, unable to get away from those electrifying sensations in his ribs and side.

“Lehehet me gohohoho!” Dazai pleaded, only to shriek when a finger came sliding down his spine, before one of his hands were freed by Tanizaki, only for him to attack both his sides, Atsushi’s sliding down to go after sensitive hips.

And Dazai was losing it, hysterical laughter as they dug blunt nails into his clothes, yet they did hardly anything to counter the ticklish feeling as the two gremlins caused their chaos, laughing along with him.

“Kuhuhunikidahahaha! Hehelp mehehehe, pleASE!!!” He yelped, letting out a short scream when Atsushi skimmed over a particular bundle of nerves in the dips of his waist. The man cringed, yes, but he simply continued to act as if there wasn’t a man screaming for dear life in his back seat, he just kept his eyes on the road.

His voice cracked at new bouts of laughter, shaking this way and that with his hands flailing uselessly, laughing so much his face tinted pink from how hard he was blushing, all the way down to his neck.

His, frankly, very unprotected neck.

Tanizaki struck, and it was as if a fire alarm went off in him.

His scream was high pitched, and so incredibly loud, he was sure he must have startled any drivers around with their windows down as Tanizaki wheezed in amusement. “What was that?? Oh my God, do it again!” He cheered, Atsushi chanting Again! Again! Again! As the ginger teen scribbled and poked all over his bandaged neck, ripping screams of laughter from Dazai in response.

He couldn’t even say anything, all that was of him was a pile of flailing limbs, his hands clamping down on Tanizaki’s wrists, yet too weak to truly do anything but flop down into Tanizaki’s lap. It was like seeing stars, almost, his eyes going crossed which had Atsushi snorting.

“He went cross-eyed! Juni-kun, he went cross-eyed!” he exclaimed with joy, digging his fingers all around his ribs and sides, sliding them down to his waist to give a few taps there, before landing right on his hips and squeezing rapidly.

There was no true coordination in this sudden tickle attack, just a mess of tickling fingers flying from one ticklish spot to the next, and Dazai could hardly think of anything but that insanity-inducing feeling, crawling along his skin as he could hardly control himself.

“Oh-OH! Oh shit, he’s- riiiiiiiip.” Tanizaki suddenly cut in, and the two dialed down their twenty wiggling menaces, just enough so that Dazai could finally gulp down some much needed air, but it still had him giggling terribly.

“You okay, Dazai-san?” Atsushi asked, a sheepish grin on his face as Dazai squirmed. “You’re crying.” He oh so helpfully added, as if that wouldn’t just embarrass Dazai.

“Nohohoho, ‘m nohot!” Dazai shook his head, yet even he couldn’t deny the wetness that slid down his sore cheeks, taking in as many deep breaths as he could manage. “Y-you’re evil! Ihihi never tahahaught you thihihis!” He grabbed at Atsushi’s hands, which were making deep, almost comforting circles against his sides, and they finally slowed to a stop.

“Are you done now?” Kunikida’s blunt tone chimed in as Atsushi and Tanizaki victoriously high-fived one another, clearly celebrating whatever victory they had over Dazai.

But then they looked down at Dazai, who was just wiping away his tears, that goofy grin still plastered to his face as he lightly hiccuped.

“Hmm…nope-”

“Nu-uh.”

“Not a chance.”

“No! Nonono, wait, let’s talk about-THIHIHIHIS!!! NAHAHAHAHA-”

Kunikida let out a groan as they descended upon the man again, proceeding to tickle him to tears once more. Dazai was attacked under the arms, scribbling fingers traveling down and counting his ribs, a few quick pokes to his neck before falling to his collarbone. He laughed and squealed, hiccuping and snorting, barely able to get a grip on himself from his clearly abused sweet spots.

“Why is this so cute?? I didn’t know Dazai-kun could be cute!” Tanizaki pointed out, Dazai rapidly shook his head in protest, but he clearly couldn’t justify his points if he couldn’t even get a word out through erupting laughter.

“I think he’s very cute like this!” Atsushi triumphantly nodded, squeezing relentlessly at the poor man’s hips. His head was spinning, and he’s pretty sure he lost track of time, Dazai’s tears wiped every now and then, short intervals given for him to catch his breath, but they never truly stopped tormenting him, going again and again and again until they were satisfied.

Or, not really satisfied, more as it was that they finally got back to the ADA building.

The moment the car pulled up and parked, and the doors were unlocked, the two gremlins lunged out the doors, making an absolute mad dash into the building, laughing their asses off as they left Dazai to catch his breath for what would be (hopefully) the last time today, in the backseat.

Kunikida turned to him in deadpan, raising a questioning brow at him, wondering if he was alright. It took a few tries, having to gulp down breath after stuttery breath, before he simply gave a thumbs up to the other, again trying to wipe down his tears.

The younger man looked at the building, then to Dazai, then the building and then Dazai again, before stating, “They’re probably going to tell the others, you know that right?”

A beat of silence. Then two beats. Then-

“SHIT-!!!”

#HBWriting #bsd tickle fic #bsd #Lee!Dazai #Ler!Atsushi #Ler!Tanizaki #kunikida dopp #yes at this point you can see #I'm a lee!dazai enthusiast #and I'm SO damn proud of it #bungou stray dogs tickling

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thecatslug · 1 year

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⚖️Let's Flesh-Out Strahd: Part 5⚖️

This time on LFOS we're diving into Strahd's sense of justice and moral code and how fucked up yet eerily logical they are...

I got into this a bit in his personality type post, but here's a bit more of an explanation of his moral code and (more specifically) warped sense of justice. As usual (and apparently I need to now disclaimer this because it's not obvious to some people) I am talking 2e Strahd, not the shallow husk 5e tries to pawn off. There is basically no material to work off for any analysis for 5e Strahd, so! This isn't going to help you if you're going to stubbornly stick to 5e's rules as written. This post is only helpful for 2e, 2e/5e hybrid, or 5e homebrew Ravenloft/CoS DMs and enthusiasts. Any ways, on with the show!

Lawful evil, my beloved and home alignment. My cold, dead, INTJ heart sings when I get to pick apart my fellow lawful evil gremlins and blatantly call out how they're unhealthy. But for starters, lawful evil only means a person with a custom moral code who is frequently willing to do things considered amoral to achieve their goals and who hold what would be considered amoral points on said moral code. That's a big word salad way of saying "lawful evil is only as evil as society makes it". And that's what makes LE villains so interesting morally! Because nearly every LE villain will, say, always honor their word. Which is something NG and CG heroes will not always (or often) do! Dichotomies make the world go round, kids. But what about Strahd? Where does he stand on this? Because LE is probably the most diverse alignment, due to the sheer number of custom-made warped moral codes each LE character can have. This is where this post gets a bit tricky. Let me preface by saying that every DMs takes are valid (to an extent, but that's another argument for another day) and it is valid to take a different spin on Strahd. All DMs leave their own mark and flare on their Ravenloft. That being said, I am doing my best to stick to what I semi-objectively view as a cannon based outline of his moral code. But as always, codes can fluctuate slightly, circumstances can force unusual behavior, and people can somewhat change. Now enough talk, lets dig in.

Strahd's moral code is and should always be fucked up but completely, logically, understandable. This man doesn't do anything based off of conjecture, emotion, or because someone "told him so". If you cannot write a flowchart or essay charting back the reasoning for each vague point on his vague moral code, something has gone seriously wrong. For starters, the biggest foundation of his horrid little sense of morality is duty. Duty is the drive to Strahd, especially when he's in a "healthier" place. Post War Against Azalin Strahd is where you truly see this come into play. Running Barovia is his duty, protecting Barovia is his duty, if he does not he will be extremely depressed and have no purpose in his unending hellscape. So! Duty, duty is where it all falls in line. Building from this is where things get warped. Because Strahd is Barovian, Strahd is in Ravenloft, Strahd is a Von Zarovich, and a very traumatized one at that. Not killing someone simply because its "wrong" is not only laughable but utterly foreign to someone with his background and personality. He's going to always run a cost-benefit analysis on whether or not a brutal action like killing is going to bit him in the ass, but if it is in his or the nation's best interest? Welp, sucks for that guy. But beyond this, sparing a life or no, he really doesn't care whether or not the person lives. INTJs are very slow to trust and care, which is especially true with an unhealthy INTJ like Strahd. His threshold for giving a shit is so high, and unless you've really wormed your way into his heart, he will not feel a thing when killing you, and will certainly not stay his hand due to emotion. This mindset can be applied to nearly every aspect of his moral code. He's predisposed to the more brutal options, but he'll think outside the evil box if it furthers his goals. In books such as War Against Azalin, we see him mature to the point that he knows how to use seeming like a merciful (but firm) person to his advantage when dispensing justice. As a rule of thumb for anything with his moral code, punishment should befit the crime, mercy should befit the circumstance- not a drop more, not a drop less. You have to think extremely logically with this man, otherwise you're going to wind up with a trope on your hands.

Now, so far I have made it sound like Strahd has zero emotions and runs like a computer with fangs and bat wings. This, however, is not true- not true in the slightest. I'll do another post on emotional processing for him, but as a TL;dr: Strahd very much can and does feel emotions, he just filters out what he'll address and what he'll ignore. Depending on where he is in his life, he'll have more or less of the emotional "flow" stopped up, but he'll always have a very high filter for the emotions he's feeling. Younger Strahd tries (and fails) to just shut everything off- which bites him in the ass and leads to explosive depressive death spirals. Older Strahd is a bit more ok with letting the emotions come in… but he's got a WONDERFUL filter that keeps him from letting those sway him. So when it comes to his moral code? He might genuinely feel bad about having to kill a noble he's acquaintances with, but his threshold is too high for him to let that sway his decision making. Yeah, it really sucks- but justice isn't personal, its just business. And this, my dears, is the crux of it all. "It's just business". For every-day "justice" and morality, especially in relation to his duties as a leader, it's not personal- it truly is "just business". Things only start getting personal when you hit his family or betray him specifically. Start actively trying to tear apart his country? Start trying to kill Rahadin? Gain his trust and then shatter it? Well, then it is very personal. Strahd has very few things which override his base logical instincts, family being one of them. One of the only times you'll see him going solely off of emotion is when people he loves are involved- which is EXTREMELY rare. Rahadin, Alek Gwilym, and maybe his bats are the only examples of people he'd kill for, no questions asked (and yes, Tatyana was left out intentionally. But that's another essay for another day~).

When things get personal is when his warped little brain gets more interesting. Personal vendettas can supersede some of his baser "duty based" safeguards and can get downright nasty in ways he (usually) restrains himself from in regards to "every day" morality. Punishment befits the crime takes charge and every ounce of emotional pain the crime causes or could have caused is factored in to that decision making. He is not going to blow up and punch someone, he is not going to stoop to burning your house down. No, that is to pedestrian, too simple, and not tailor made to make the guilty suffer. How good he is at this very gruesome aspect of twisted karma, once again, depends on his age. However, the older, more experienced, and more creative he gets? The far more imaginative and patient he'll be when it comes to ruining some fool's life. It can be hard to describe what I mean without an example so here's one from my current Ravenloft campaign:

Strahd got his bloody little hands on Richten after spending decades stewing and seething over the doctor's little book which may or may not have outed him as a kin slayer, a neurotic monster, and as a potential vampire (e.g., he's pissed about the canonical Richten's Guide to Vampires). So what is his solution to gain recompense for this "injustice"? Obviously it is to cook up a lycanthropy "cure" which turns the patient into a dhampir after about a month and then to leak this to Richten as he's writing his guide to werewolves. Convoluted? Yes. Brilliant? Absolutely. This checks off every box on his mental checklist for dispensing petty, vindictive, justice. Richten's little stunt put Strahd, Barovia, and most of the Ravenloft vampires in danger. Richten published information that was a personal attack on Strahd which could have serious political ramifications in the wrong hands. Richten needed to be dealt with, but killing him would have merely telegraphed how important and valid his book was. The solution? Completely discredit the man, shatter his reputation. This not only helps counteract Richten's little leak, but acts as pretty karmic vengeance for Strahd on a personal level. Killing Richten is too simple. Waiting long enough to have plausible deniability, spending a weekend manically cooking up a dhampir cocktail, and orchestrating it all to topple a hunter's empire and shatter the man's spirit? That, that is convolutedly genius enough to not only work, but work to terrifying levels of success.

But in the end, my dears, Strahd does not seek to destroy or kill when he wants to dispense "justice". He wants to ruin you. He doesn't want you to die. He wants you to wish you'd never been born.

(DISCLAIMER: As usual, I am not an expert or professional in psychology! But I'm in training to be one! As a side note, I am a DM writing from a personal stance of moral nuance. I can recognize the lines of evil and good, absolutely! But when writing analyses of these characters or writing them in general? I have to be objective! Logic zone for now, because that's the best way to learn about a creature's motivations ^w^)

#LFOS #One fucked up moral code coming right up #strahd von zarovich #strahd #ravenloft #dnd #curse of strahd #dungeons and dungeons #dungeon master #dnd npc #NPC analysis

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heyiwrotesomethings · 2 years

Note

Since I haven't seen anything for Kanao yet...

I would like to request Kanao x demon reader who is really strong, fearsome, and feral most of the time but is actually pretty manageable and tame with her friends but *specially* so when with kanao

At first Kanao was scared of presenting her girlfriend to Shinobu, you know, for obvious reasons, but after Shinobu revealed her own demon gf (Natusmi, my beloved) Kanao got the courage to do the same, so one night she dragged (y/n) to Shinobu and told her something to the effects of "this is (y/n), I found her in the dumpster, she's my girlfriend now :)" meanwhile reader is just standing there kinda confused but trusting Kanao too much to worry about it

An Awkward Introduction

Kanao Tsuyuri x She/ Her Demon Reader (Feat. Shinobu Kochou x OC)

A/N: Here it is! I hope it’s passable. I think I illustrated the point that the demon is strong, but I guess I kinda missed the fearsome part and latched onto feral, and the found in the dumpster part so she’s a little more prone to gremlin behavior, sorry! Thanks for giving me an excuse to write a little more Natsumi though! I miss my blorbo. Word Count: 3,991

“Kanao! Kanao! I got ‘em, see? Are you gonna finish him off now, huh? Huh?!”

Kanao’s face held something between a fond, yet also concerned expression when she finally caught up to (Y/n). Her demon had zoomed off after the other demon she was sent to kill. In the end, their combined presence had scared them off. It wasn’t terribly often for a demon and a slayer to fight together after all. When (Y/n) had took off after them, Kanao had been a little worried, as was common where the impulsive demon she had come to love was concerned. Thankfully, her worry was unneeded.

The evil demon they had been chasing laid sprawled over the ground in a crumpled heap, legs torn off and absentmindedly tossed in different directions. (Y/n) stood over him, blood on her mouth and hands. She bounded excitedly over to Kanao, pointing proudly at what she had done.

“He won’t be able to run for a little while! Now is your chance!”

“Thank you, (Y/n),” Kanao lightly caressed (Y/n)’s cheek as she walked past her, “you did well.”

“Yes!” (Y/n) yelled. She was ecstatic. Every little smile and quiet praise she could pull from Kanao felt like a grand accomplishment.

Kanao beheaded the demon and (Y/n) supplied a round of applause. Then when Kanao sheathed her nichirin sword, (Y/n) popped up beside her once more.

“Where do we go next?” She asked.

“That was my last mission for the night.” Kanao revealed, causing (Y/n) to deflate noticeably.

“You have to go back home then?”

“Yes.” Kanao nodded curtly.

“Okay…” (Y/n) pouted, “Lemme clean up real quick so I can have a hug.”

Kanao watched (Y/n) jog down to the stream to wash the blood from her hands and mouth. She wasn’t excited to be leaving either. She often found herself worrying about what (Y/n) got into while she was at home, she wasn’t exactly careful with herself when Kanao wasn’t around to monitor her.

She had found (Y/n) in a sketchy alleyway in Tokyo. She had been tracking another demon as per Shinobu’s instruction, and followed the signs. The demon had been rendered immobile by (Y/n), causing Kanao to pause at the strange scene. It wasn’t unheard of for demons to turn on each other, but in a large city like Tokyo where humans were bountiful, it was unusual.

(Y/n) had turned to see Kanao and froze. The Tsuguko readied herself for a fight, but she was surprised again when (Y/n) stepped away from the suffering demon and gestured for her to finish him off. Though perplexed by the gesture, she followed through. When she looked up from the crumbling demon’s remains, (Y/n) was gone.

However from that night on, whenever Kanao was sent out on a mission alone, she had a shadow. As time went on, the shadow grew bolder and Kanao grew more familiar with her unexpected assistant.

Before Kanao knew it, she found herself in a relationship she wasn’t sure how she obtained. One day they had just started holding hands, getting each other little gifts and giving little pecks on each other’s cheeks.

(Y/n) came rushing back all squeaky clean and threw herself at Kanao, a happy hum rumbling in her throat when Kanao’s arms encircled her.

It had been becoming harder for Kanao to leave (Y/n) lately, and when Shinobu asked her if anything of note had happened in her missions, her stomach twisted when she danced around mentioning (Y/n). Ever since Tanjirou had told her to follow her heart, she had been wondering if she should intermix these two parts of her life.

She didn’t like hiding things from Shinobu and as previously stated, (Y/n) tended to get into trouble while she was away. It would be nice if she could introduce her love to her family and connect two more pieces of the puzzle that would make her feel whole.

But (Y/n) wasn’t an average civilian, or a slayer. She was a demon. And although Shinobu had made exceptions for Nezuko and then Natsumi, she was worried (Y/n)’s more… unpredictable, yet ultimately harmless behavior would earn her a poisoned blade through the chest if Shinobu felt like anyone’s life was in danger.

It took Shinobu a long time to even allow Natsumi to stay in the mansion, opting instead to lock her in the garden shed for a time. And Shinobu had been the one to find her and allowed her to live in the first place. Kanao still didn’t understand why, and she didn’t think Shinobu really understood her reasoning either.

Shinobu claimed it had been for reasearch purposes, and they still spent a lot of time in the lab trying to figure out the extent of Natsumi’s demon art, but Shinobu hadn’t actively tried to experiment on Natsumi in a long time… so maybe Shinobu could trust in Kanao that (Y/n) wasn’t so bad either.

“Are we going for a world record in hugging?” (Y/n) asked, bringing Kanao back in the moment.

“No, sorry. I’ll see you when I have my next solo mission.”

“Okay. I promise I won’t get into too much trouble while you’re gone.” (Y/n) teased.

Kanao smiled and reluctantly they went their separate ways. However it wouldn’t be an average homecoming for Kanao this time around. She would observe Shinobu, maybe ask the odd question here or there to determine how well received her being in love with a demon would be.

She just hoped that Shinobu wouldn’t think badly of her for her feelings should she choose to reveal them. Hopefully she wouldn’t be putting (Y/n) in danger either if such a discussion were come to pass.

***

Kanao began observing her adoptive sister’s behaviors more closely. Especially where Nezuko and Natsumi were concerned.

Shinobu treated Nezuko well. Gave her head pats when they crossed paths in the halls, let her come in her room to watch her feed Fugu. She even braided her hair from time to time. It was very sweet.

But Nezuko was a special demon who had never eaten a human. Perhaps that was why Shinobu didn’t mind her. (Y/n) hadn’t been so fortunate to have someone help her after the change like Nezuko had Tanjirou. Natsumi hadn’t either, which was why Kanao took extra care observing the interactions between the two.

When it came to Natsumi, Kanao was surprised with her sister’s conduct. She was astounded that she hadn’t noticed the change earlier. Shinobu seemed to light up when Natsumi was with her.

When she heard her speaking to someone around the corner, Kanao would notice how Shinobu would perk up and listen to make sure all was well. She also seemed to have a hard time keeping her hands to herself, always futzing with Natsumi’s clothes or reaching up on her tiptoes to tuck away barely noticeable loose hairs. When they walked together and someone was coming down the opposite side of the hall, Shinobu would tug her closer to her under the guise of making room for the nervous passersby.

Kanao liked Natsumi well enough. A gentle giant, she helped around the mansion and gained favor with the younger girls surprisingly easy. Kanao didn’t want to be presumptuous, but could it be that Shinobu really liked her too? Kanao really wanted to be sure of where Shinobu stood before mentioning (Y/n).

Kanao peeked in on them when Shinobu was supposed to be working with Natsumi’s blood in the lab and found some pretty damning evidence.

Natsumi appeared to have fallen asleep at the table. She still had a hard time recognizing when she needed to replenish her energy. She wasn’t as good a sleeper as Nezuko. She always seemed tense and restless. Presumably because her body had devoured flesh and blood before and would much rather have that than a nap.

Kanao watched from the door as Shinobu took notice of Natsumi’s shivering and tensing body. She felt bad for spying, but what she saw was very reassuring.

Shinobu removed her haori and draped it over (Y/n)’s shoulders. She rubbed gently at her back, murmuring reassurances to the sleeping demon. It took a minute, but Natsumi relaxed under Shinobu’s hands and the Hashira’s lips curled into a small, genuine smile that not even most humans got to witness. Her gaze was brimming with a level of warmth and kindness that Kanao wouldn’t have thought Shinobu was capable of directing at a demon.

That would have been enough for Kanao, but then Shinobu’s expression became a bit hesitant. She leaned down and whispered something Kanao could not hear. She pressed a soft kiss against Natsumi’s temple, prompting a quiet gasp from Kanao, which coming from her might as well have been a low breeze.

But Shinobu had heard her nonetheless and jerked her head up towards the half opened door and Kanao noticed a flicker of fear in Shinobu’s eyes that she was sure was reflected in her own expression as well for being caught.

Kanao looked down at her feet, a sense of shame rolling in over her. She did not try to leave when Shinobu began to walk over to her.

“Kanao,” Shinobu greeted, a hardly noticeable tremor in her voice, “do you need something?”

No going back now. Kanao had violated Shinobu’s privacy, she at least deserved to know why.

“Can I talk to you about something important?” She asked, wringing her sweating hands nervously.

Shinobu’s expression softened, though she still looked on edge. “Always.”

They stepped out onto the engawa from the lab side and sat together, legs dangling over the edge. Alone in the chilly, evening air, Kanao apologized for spying on Shinobu and let her know how much she valued her opinion of her, and how much her support meant to her. The words didn’t always come out right, still so unused to expressing herself, but Shinobu understood.

“Kanao, what has you all out of sorts?” Shinobu asked. There had been a lot of build-up, but Kanao was having difficulty telling her the issue at hand. It concerned her. She had never seen Kanao look like this before.

“I…” Kanao took a deep breath, sweeping her hands over her skirt in an attempt to dry them, “I am… dating someone!”

Not just someone, a demon! Kanao mentally berated herself. In the end, she was still too afraid to tell Shinobu that key distinction after all she had just seen?!

“Dating someone?” Shinobu blinked. She was genuinely surprised. “Since when?”

“Maybe almost two months now?”

“That long and you haven’t introduced them? Kanao, I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m sorry…”

“You needn’t apologize.” Shinobu patted Kanao’s knee, “I’m sorry that I somehow made you feel like you couldn’t tell me sooner. I want you to know that I would never want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me. I just want you to be happy.”

“Neesan…” Kanao’s heart soared. Of course Shinobu would want her to be happy!

“But I must meet them soon. I need to see if they are treating you right. As much as I want you to be happy, if they mistreat you in any way, then I must teach them a lesson and forbid them from seeing you again.” Shinobu added, causing Kanao’s heart to metaphorically splat against the ground.

(Y/n) had never mistreated her, Kanao didn’t think she was capable with how gently she treated her. How willing she was to protect her from harm. Still, Kanao was so scared, so out of her depth! Shinobu would eat (Y/n) alive! Human or demon, it wouldn’t matter, but the unfamiliar demon factor certainly wouldn’t help!

Kanao’s fingers twitched, she was suddenly very aware of the weight of her coin in the pocket of her skirt. No! She curled her fingers into a fist. She needed to come completely clean now! No coin!

“I’ll bring her tomorrow night.”

No! No! Why did she say that?!

“I look forward to it.” Shinobu smiled, and gave Kanao’s ponytail a couple playful tugs before standing again and making her way back into the lab. Before she could go completely in, she paused with her hand on the door and turned back to Kanao.

“I trust that you will keep what you saw earlier to yourself. And please don’t get the wrong idea. I was simply trying to calm her is all.”

Kanao wasn’t sure what the wrong or right idea about what she saw was. Why would Shinobu do all of that for Natsumi if she didn’t like her? It wasn’t like Shinobu went around giving kisses to patients to make them feel better either. Kanao had already invaded Shinobu’s privacy enough for one day though, so she nodded.

“Come inside now, it’s cold.” Shinobu said while she walked inside, motioning Kanao to come along.

***

Kanao had been unable to sleep that night. It was bad enough that she had chickened out on telling Shinobu about (Y/n) being a demon, but she only gave herself a day to come up with a strategy going forward.

Kanao went out early to train and decide how to break the news to Shinobu, but by the time she was back inside the mansion with the idea to reschedule, she couldn’t bring herself to take a rain check when she saw everyone already preparing for (Y/n)’s arrival. Shinobu sure didn’t waste any time spreading the word…

“Kanao-san, there you are.”

Kanao turned to find Natsumi jogging up to her and she felt her face heat up a smidge. The image of Shinobu so sweetly kissing Natsumi’s head while she slept was still fresh in her mind. She wondered how Natsumi would feel if she knew.

“Kochou-san was wondering when you would be picking up your special someone~“ she teased half-heartedly, then sighed, “Sorry, she told me to say it like that.”

“I’m going to retrieve her now I think. She lives rather far away.”

“Okay, I’ll let her know. Safe travels… wait, are you feeling okay?” Natsumi asked, voice laced with concern, “You seem to have gotten paler.”

Kanao shook her head. She briefly thought about telling Natsumi her dilemma, but she didn’t want to burden her with that information while everyone else would be blissfully unaware until they came back. If Shinobu found out that Kanao had told Natsumi, but not her, especially after the heartfelt talk they had yesterday, she was sure it wouldn’t be a great time for anyone involved.

Nope. Best to just continue to suffer in the hole she had made for herself and let everyone be surprised together.

“I’m fine. I’ll return sometime after the sun sets.”

“Okay then, if you’re sure you’re fine. We’ll have everything ready when you get back. Try not to worry too much. I’m sure it’ll all work out.” Natsumi said reassuringly.

If only she knew.

Kanao thanked her and went on her way to the city to collect her girlfriend. The hard part would be finding where she had decided to hang around this time. She was a bit of a nomad. More often than not it was (Y/n) who would find Kanao first. It was like she had a sixth sense for knowing when Kanao was looking for her and this evening was no different.

“Kanao!”

Kanao had been passing by another alleyway, but she paused and looked up, finding (Y/n) climbing down one of the building’s outer walls in a way reminiscent of a spider. She dropped before Kanao and gave her an excited hug.

“I didn’t have to wait for you very long at all! What’s the mission?”

“I’m taking you home to meet my family.” Kanao answered as if in a ghostly trance. She couldn’t believe she was doing this.

“I’ll protect you, don’t worry.”

(Y/n) was a little confused about why she would need to be protected from Kanao’s family, but she was excited to meet them! She took Kanao’s hand and tugged her away from the alley.

“Let’s go then! Let’s go, let’s go!”

“(Y/n),” Kanao stopped her from going too far, “I’m glad you are excited, but you need to be on your best behavior.”

“I promise I’ll be good!” (Y/n) said with conviction, “See?” She put on her ‘best behavior’ face.

Kanao managed a weak smile and then they were off again.

“Woah, so big.” (Y/n) marveled as they approached the mansion.

“Mhm.” Kanao squeaked. She saw the doors ahead were being pulled open, bathing the ground in the light from inside.

Shinobu stepped out while the rest of the group observed from the doorway, waving at Kanao and (Y/n) from a distance while whispering excitedly to each other.

Kanao held (Y/n)’s hand tighter and that was the last conscious thought she had before her body began moving on autopilot towards Shinobu.

“This is (Y/n), I found her in a dumpster. She’s my girlfriend now.” Kanao spoke in a monotonous exhale of air.

Shinobu, who had noticed fairly quickly that (Y/n) was a demon, was so caught off guard by the strange declaration that she didn’t know what to say.

“Hey!” (Y/n) pouted indignantly, “Don’t tell her that! I wasn’t in the dumpster, I was sleeping next to it, huge difference! And that wasn’t even the first time we met! Found me in a dumpster… are you trying to make me look bad?”

Kanao and Shinobu were too busy sharing a whole conversation through prolonged eye-contact to listen.

(Y/n) didn’t let that bother her too much. She was content to just stand there and wait for some kind of response, but then she became more interested in the other demon she saw lingering in the doorway with a small group of human girls.

“Who are you?” She growled, pointing an accusatory finger at Natsumi.

“M-me?” Natsumi pointed to herself after watching the girls on either side of her move aside to give a wide berth for whatever was about to happen.

“A demon, Kanao! In your house! Let’s get her!” (Y/n) sprinted forward.

“WAH!” Natsumi shrieked, trying to brace herself for impact, “I’m not a fighter, I’m not a fighter!”

“Hm?”

(Y/n) felt Kanao’s hands encase her wrist and tugging her back, so she quickly stopped and turned to face her with a confused tilt of her head. When she looked back, she was surprised to see that Shinobu was gone. When she turned back around to look at the other demon, she found the Hashira standing between them, facing (Y/n) with a hand on the hilt of her sword.

“Ohhh, I see. She’s a traitor like me. Why didn’t you just say so?” (Y/n) asked.

“You didn’t exactly give me any time to defend myself!” Natsumi accused, peeking out from her crouched position behind Shinobu.

“Whoops!” (Y/n) laughed and shrugged her shoulders.

Kanao was still trying to remember how to breathe. (Y/n) had know idea just how lucky she was that Shinobu chose the position she did. Had she chosen to go on the offensive instead of defensive, it would not have been pretty.

“Alright then, we have a lot more to talk about it would seem.” Shinobu eyes scanned over Kanao before resting upon (Y/n), “We can all be civil over dinner, correct?”

“So civil!” (Y/n) agreed, pulling Kanao up to the engawa and bowed in front of Shinobu respectfully. “Nice to meet you!”

“It is nice to meet the person who has won over Kanao’s heart.” Shinobu stated diplomatically, “Please refrain from moving with the intention of harm while you are here. Everyone inside, human or demon, are here with my blessing.” It took a lot of self control on Shinobu’s part to keep her cool.

She really would have appreciated a little more information from Kanao, but she was also painfully aware of why Kanao would have difficulty telling her in the first place. She would endeavor to show Kanao that she trusted her judgment, but if (Y/n) tried lunging at someone like that again, Shinobu wasn’t sure if she could stop herself from using lethal force. That would absolutely be worse case scenario.

“Don’t worry, I understand now. I’m sure we’ll all be great friends!” (Y/n) pulled Kanao along and came to a stop in front of Natsumi who eyed her warily. “Sorry for going at you with the intent of ripping off your legs!”

“No problem…” Natsumi put on a nervous smile.

The group made their way back to where they had set up dinner. Shinobu apologized for the food not being particularly demon friendly. And Kanao ducked her head down to avoid Shinobu’s glance. (Y/n) assured her that it was fine, that she was happy just to be included. The atmosphere was still tense, but (Y/n) seemed very determined to get along with everyone.

She introduced herself to all of the girls and drummed up a a variety of conversations. Her vitality and vibrancy helped ease the tension and by the time everything had been cleaned up, she was delighting the youngest girls and getting a few laughs out of them. Even Shinobu cracked a smile at one of the stories (Y/n) told about her misadventures with Kanao.

When she learned that she would be spending the night she was even more excited, but Shinobu made it very clear that (Y/n) would be staying with Natsumi, which lead to Natsumi giving her a look of betrayal.

“More likely than not, you two will be up all night. You can keep each other company and talk about whatever demons talk about.” Shinobu spoke dismissively.

“That sounds like fun! I’m usually helping Kanao kill demons so I don’t have the opportunity to talk to them a lot.”

“Can we walk in the garden first?” Kanao asked, not ready to part for the night quite yet.

“Half an hour.” Shinobu allowed. “Natsumi, make sure they stick to it.”

“Why is that my job?”

“Because I said so~” Shinobu poked her in the ribs before wishing them all good night and retiring to her room.

“See you in half an hour then I guess.” Natsumi sighed, “Have a nice walk.”

“Thank you, we won’t be late.” Kanao promised. She would be sure to do as she was told. If Natsumi had to trouble Shinobu further for a missed curfew, Kanao would surely run out of the sisterly goodwill Shinobu had supplied her with thus far.

She took (Y/n) by the hand and led her outside. The garden was softly lit from the lights within the mansion shining through the windows.

“It’s nice here. Quieter than the city. Your family is really sweet too. I’m glad you brought me here.” (Y/n) told her, gently poking each closed flower blossom they passed.

“I’m glad.”

And Kanao really was. She had been worried that (Y/n) would be afraid of coming home with her on such short notice. (Y/n)’s easy-going temperament really helped make it easier on everyone.

After they were a ways in, Kanao laid on the ground, tugging (Y/n) down with her to lay on their backs. Having (Y/n) with her really helped Kanao relax from the stree she had been feeling. She always seemed to have that affect on her. They gazed up at the stars, enjoying the quiet moment to themselves until their time was nearly up.

Before they made it back inside, (Y/n) kissed Kanao quickly on her cheek, then took off running down the hall, looking over her shoulder to see if Kanao would give chase and laughing delightedly when she saw that she was.

Kanao was very familiar with this game of tag, it didn’t take her long to catch up and return the favor, hoping she conveyed her gratitude through the gesture.

“Good night.” Kanao murmured sweetly, peeking out of the doorway to her room.

“Good night, see you tomorrow. Sleep well!” (Y/n) grinned. She then loudly opened the door to Natsumi’s room, startling the other demon enough to make her yelp.

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