#genuinely did not think i'd spend so much time writing this but hey

[odessa-castle]

I'm bouncing around a larger post about Nishiki and the mortifying ordeal of being known, but in the meantime I'm thinking about Nishiki and Kiryu and how the clothes make (or don't make) the man. Like, beyond my visceral horror that Kiryu begged Nishiki to pick out a safe and boring suit for him in Y0 and then said he was envisioning something purple with gold stripes.

I'm thinking about Nishiki's incredible sensitivity to image and his need to control how he's perceived. I'm thinking about Kiryu's inability to let go of the past. I'm thinking about how KIryu dresses like who he thinks he is, and Nishiki dresses like who he thinks he wants to be.

There's some interesting incidental dialogue between Nishiki and Kiryu in Y0 while they're en route to the men's suit store. I wish it wasn't so easy to miss, because there's a lot to unpack here. (I'm just transcribing the English in-game subtitles here; I don't speak Japanese so I have no idea how loose vs. direct the localization is in this part.)

NISHIKI: …now that I think about it, you've been dressing like an old man since we were kids. KIRYU: Have I? NISHIKI: Yeah. The few times we got to pick our clothes, it was always like, "you're choosing THAT?" NISHIKI: I wouldn't say you're a plain guy…You'd pick shirts with weird prints though. KIRYU: Guess I forgot all that. It's weirder to me that you haven't. NISHIKI: Well, confession time. You're why I started caring about fashion. I swore I'd never go out dressed like you. KIRYU: Come on, I'm not THAT bad. [we have already discussed why kiryu is, in fact, that bad.] NISHIKI: [laughing] Aww, did I hurt your feelings? NISHIKI: Well, this time you've got me with you. I'll see my bro gets taken care of. KIRYU: Heh. What an honor. NISHIKI: Leave it to me.

Nishiki doesn't bring up Sunflower Orphanage much; when he does share memories of his childhood, those memories are kind of painful (see: "do orphans not get to dream?"). Kiryu's surprised that Nishiki remembers how they dressed as kids, but it makes sense that wearing a limited selection of hand-me-downs stuck with Nishiki so strongly. His clothes announced his poverty, and they weren't even his -- he had to share them with the other orphans, so what he wore showed he belonged to yet another stigmatized group. And I'm sure people picked up on those visual signals, especially other kids. Kids can be vicious, and appearance is an easy and immediate target! We don't know for sure how young Nishiki interacted with his peers and teachers, but given what the Morning Glory kids go through in Y3 (and given, like, everything about Nishiki), he probably didn't have a great time.

Kiryu frames his childhood as poor but loving, and places much more emphasis on the latter. There might be some rose-colored glasses at work there -- let's look at the flashback where Kazama tries (and fails) to violently dissuade Kiryu and Nishiki from joining the yakuza.

KIRYU: I owe you everything, but this isn’t about that. [...] We’ve looked up to you for all this time. Your car. Your confidence… The way everybody bows to you. We idolized you. I want that life, too. Is that so wrong!?

Nishiki doesn't really speak in this flashback, but like, Kiryu uses "we" enough for us to draw some obvious conclusions about Nishiki's own motivations. That being said, I don't think Kiryu's being dishonest or disingenuous when he describes his childhood as happy, and himself as well-loved. He's not ashamed of his upbringing, and he doesn't hide where he came from. Nishiki seems to have the inverse view. It's not that he doesn't love (at least some of) the people he grew up with, but what comes up first for him is what he didn't have. He didn't have money. He didn't have respect. He didn't have a cure for his little sister. He didn't have a lot of choice, right down to the clothes he wore.

(There's a whole other essay here about why Kiryu's and Nishiki's perspectives diverge on this, but I'm trying to limit the scope of this post. Suffice to say that, while I don't think game canon gives a timeline, I do think Nishiki was a little older when his parents were killed -- old enough that he actually remembers them, at least.)

The same mindset fuels Nishiki's interest in fashion. Yeah, part of it is that he's ribbing Kiryu, but I think it goes deeper than Kiryu wearing ugly shirts. Nishiki doesn't want people to look at him and see what's missing. Fashion isn't a means of personal expression for him, really. It's a message. It's the interplay of knowledge and resources and presentation: knowing what clothes read as successful and trendy and expensive, being able to afford those things, and convincing people that your successful important outfit makes you a successful important person. And he's not wrong about the social dimensions of fashion.

NISHIKI: Try sporting a suit that runs 500 grand for once. Trust me, you’ll see the world in a whole new light. KIRYU: Fashion’s not my thing. Besides, Kazama-san never wore flashy clothes. NISHIKI: You do realize he’s the family captain, right? Number two in the whole Dojima operation? You get to that level, you can wear whatever you damn well please. But for the rest of us, “flashy” is part of the business. KIRYU: So that fancy new car you bought was just “business”. NISHIKI: Yeah, and that fancy lighter of mine, too. Which you still haven’t given back. KIRYU: You want to play the rich guy, quit being so stingy. NISHIKI: But you get what I’m saying, right? People see the expensive car, the designer jacket, and the gleam of that little Dojima pin, they pay attention. A yakuza’s only as good as his image. [...] Take your buddy today. These squeaky-clean idiots, borrowing money just to blow on tits and booze… Nobody in this town gives a crap about substance. What you see is what you get.

That's our first take on one of the major themes of the game: what does it mean to be yakuza? Again, there is truth to what Nishiki's saying here, particularly in terms of the ethos of the eighties. I'm not an expert on the bubble era, but the worldbuilding in the game speaks for itself. People hail taxis with 10,000-yen bills. You punch money out of punks during random street battles. Nishiki keeps a personal bottle of high-end booze at a bar he's visited twice, mostly because he "can’t stand being taken for a bum." The act of spending is important, not what you're spending it on.

Nishiki's outfit in Y0 is perfectly suited (heh) to that outlook. And look, I might be inviting controversy here, but in context, I think it's a werq. Yes, it's loud. But the silhouette -- squared shoulders, single breasted, thinner peaked lapel -- is right on trend for the time period, and it fits him well. The colors look good on him. The bold pattern (no, it's not animal print) under the solid maroon is a risk, but he pulls it off. And excess aside, he knows when to pull back on the accessories. It's bright and confident and memorable, and boy would Nishiki like to be all of those things.

Also -- and importantly -- Kiryu would never go out dressed like that. Because we can't talk about Nishiki and Kiryu without talking about Nishiki's Mt. Fuji-sized inferiority complex. Mastering image doesn't just make Nishiki stand out; it makes him stand out from Kiryu. Let's go back to the beginning of the game.

NISHIKI: I’ll admit, though, you’re finally starting to look the part. You make a pretty convincing yakuza. You’re done with collections today, right? KIRYU: Yeah. NISHIKI: Good. That should put Kazama-san’s mind at ease a bit. KIRYU: Heh, dunno about that. But he always knew all I could do is fight. You’re the one who’s good at the dance.

Nishiki then calls attention to the "rags" that Kiryu's wearing, which...is not an unfair assessment. (TUCK IN YOUR SHIRT, KIRYU. HEM YOUR PANTS.) As the two of them walk around Kamurocho, Nishiki offers Kiryu plenty of hot tips, from meeting girls to making big bucks to cozying up to the brass. But even when Nishiki's opining on his area of expertise, there's a competitive edge to it. "You asking me to pick out clothes for you means you admit you have terrible taste," he tells Kiryu on the way to the suit shop. Kiryu tells him to shut up, but there's no actual hurt behind it. Kiryu doesn't really care that his taste in clothes sucks. Fashion isn't important to him. Most of the things Nishiki knows so much about don't really matter to Kiryu. And that makes Nishiki feel more insecure! Because if Kiryu rolls out of bed looking like a yakuza, if Nishiki's image counseling sessions aren't helpful or meaningful, if Kiryu can skip the dance and get to the top on the strength of his fists and convictions, then who cares about Nishiki's 500 grand suit or his hourlong hair care routine? If image isn't what makes a yakuza, what does that make Nishiki?

At the end of Chapter 6, Nishiki tries to look out for Kiryu again -- this time, by granting him a merciful death before the Dojima Family drags him to the Hole. It's one of my favorite scenes in the game. Nishiki's crying too hard to aim the gun properly; Kiryu tells him to man up and shoot. Finally, Nishiki collapses.

NISHIKI: Can’t do it… How could I shoot you!? Without you, I’ll always be nothing. Can’t make it as a yakuza… No. I wouldn’t even still be alive now if I didn’t have you beside me! I’m just… If you’re not with me, I’m useless! Nothing means anything!

Mastering image hasn't granted Nishiki anything of substance. At the end of the day, Nishiki's playing dress-up, and he knows it.

And I'm almost certainly getting into overthinking-this territory now (if I haven't gotten there already), but I kind of like the spin this puts on Nishiki ripping his expensive suit off in Chapter 14 when he decides to fight the Dojima Family at Kiryu's side. Like yes, ripping off your outer layers to get at the naked (so to speak) truth -- your irezumi, and what it represents -- is just Yakuza Storytelling 101. It's decisive, it's kind of dumb, it's great, it gets me hyped every time. But I like that Nishiki's honest answer to "what does it mean to be a yakuza?" isn't about looking the part. I am genuinely trying not to end this paragraph by saying that Nishiki must become like a dragon, but like...you get where I'm going with this.

Of course, Nishiki's back to playing dress-up in Y1/Kiwami. I'm not the first to call the Patriarch Nishikiyama look a glow-down (though I like the patterned white tie). Like, fashion-conscious Nishiki would look good in a Hedi Slimane/Tom Ford-esque skinny black suit. But he picks a silhouette you'd expect to see on a much older man, torso-swallowing pants and all. The slicked-back hair doesn't help. He's just so transparently trying to look bigger and broader and older, and he doesn't pull it off. Big Bad Patriarch isn't a good look for him, in any sense of the phrase.

A final thought: Kiryu's clothes, and Nishiki's commentary on them, are the subject of their first conversation in Y0 -- and of their last. Kiryu's costume progression in Y0 is a pretty obvious commentary on his journey, to the point where Kiryu and Nishiki explicitly call attention to the color connotations in their final exchange. As a Dojima grunt, he wears black, and it doesn't look good on him because "brutish thug who keeps his head down and does what he's told" isn't a role he's comfortable with. He wears white when he works in real estate, but the change in color isn't enough to sell anyone on his transformation into a civilian. Although it's a little rich for Oda "Red Clown Shoes" Jun to chide someone for not wearing a proper suit. At the end of the game, Kiryu's in his classic grey suit, and well, the game spells it out:

KIRYU: I’m not feeling black or white these days. This is where I’m at right now. I chose it myself. I’m making it a fresh start. NISHIKI: Fine, fine. See if I care! Wear it the rest of your life!

Nishiki, dismayed, tells Kiryu that the grey suit already looks dated, but for Kiryu, "fresh start" doesn't mean "on trend". His image might be out of step with how other yakuza view themselves, or want to be seen, but if he's always going to look like a yakuza, he might as well stake his claim on what being a yakuza means. Still, it's telling that, even as a young man, Kiryu looks like a throwback to an earlier era. As the series progresses, the games hammer this home more and more. How many antagonists tell Kiryu that he's out of touch with the modern world, that he represents a version of the yakuza that no longer exists, that it's time for him to make way for the next generation?

"Wear it the rest of your life!" is a funny little in-joke, yeah, but...it's a little sad when you think about it, isn't it? Kiryu gets new outfits from Y3 on -- and in every game, he ultimately puts the suit back on and heads to Kamurocho. It's exactly of a piece with how Kiryu views being yakuza. We, and he, can debate the exact extent of his retirement from the Tojo Clan's affairs, but the yakuza isn't a career for Kiryu, it's a set of beliefs he carries with him. He wears the suit the same way he wears the dragon on his back: as an indelible part of his self-image.

#yakuza #ryu ga gotoku #yakuza meta #kiryu kazuma #nishikiyama akira #kazuma kiryu #akira nishikiyama #i've been poking at this thing intermittently for months but a certain tournament really got my mental gears going again #yakuza's just really fun to put under a microscope #i'm interested in the way the games do things even when i don't like what they do #(although to be clear i *do* generally like how rgg dresses its cast) #(even the outfits i make fun of are usually like...coherently delivering a statement about the character wearing them) #genuinely did not think i'd spend so much time writing this but hey #maybe i'll do these kinds of posts more than like...biannually...if they're sufficiently interesting #meta

[onesidedradiostatic]

So you know how I said something about writing a fic inspired by your existence. I've started a little, but I don't know, I fear that the way I write might be confusing in some parts. So I'd very much like to hear your thoughts, if you want to share them

___

“Indeed, I quite enjoy our commonalities. I’ve always found more fun in spending time with my radio and friends than looking for someone I haven’t met.”

What if you’ve met them now? Vox thought, discreetly, not at all looking into Alastor’s lovely red eyes. Shoot! Vox downed another drink, hopping Al didn’t think him weird. Still, can’t leave a friend hanging, say something.

“I love you.” WHAT!!? NO! NOT THAT! “I- I- I mean, there is someone I love.?” Yeah, sure, he’s totally gonna buy that.

“I- Good for you?” Alastor started unfiltered, surprised, before going back to his normal, lovely radio voice. “And who might that be, my good fellow?” Wait, he bought it? No, don’t be an idiot! He’s totally psyching us out! Well, I’ll play your game and I’ll win!

“You know, just a cool dude with the pretties’ eyes and loveliest smile.”

“A dude?” Alastor questioned. Wait. Why does he sound so confused over that? Did- he had actually bought it?! Wait. We just told him we like guys, right? Is that, bad? What if he hates us now? What if he thinks we’re weird? Awful? Repugnant? There’s no way he doesn’t know we love him now! Practically said it to his face twice! Twice! No! I can’t handle that! Please! I- we have to save this.

“Hey Al, just forget I said anything.” Please. You’re the best thing in my life. So, whatever happens, please, stay. I need you. ___

I feel I need to rework some of the above parts, but unsure off how. Regardless, I hope my characterisation so far is good, I'd imagine that the love Vox has is more an obsession that genuine care and Al is just living his best life having fun and not really picking up anything Vox is putting down. I especially like this little exchange:

___

“Vox.”

“Yeah?” He could see that once genuine smile turn sinister. Oh. Hot.

“This is hell, everyone here is a repugnant wrench, so if anyone ever tells you you’re wrong. Just relay that me, I’m sure we can make some use of their meeker existence. Everyone has a voice, after all, and if they want to use it so much, who are we to say no to helping them? Right dear friend?”

“Yeah.” Vox couldn’t help but join in on the sinister smile. This is exactly what makes Alastor, just so Alastor. He genuinely cares and will make any opponent of his friends another key in his piano of the dammed. A horror feared by all, but a few, and Vox is one of those few. ___

I just- their dynamic is so fun Alastor being all "Yay! Murder!" while Vox just thinks "OMG! He's doing all this for me?! There is no way he doesn't love me!" I think one exchange that exemplifies that is:

___

“Oh! I wouldn’t say I’m the best at giving advice when it concerns matters of the heart. Me being heartless and all that. Hah!”

Alastor’s little chuckle is one which Vox can’t help but adore. He’s probably heartless because he’s already put his heart in a box and is just waiting for the moment he can give it to me. I’m reserved, special, he’s waiting for me. He can only be mine and I only his.

“I’m pretty heartless too.” Vox respond, joining in Alastor’s play. He doesn’t mind being a puppet on a string, as long as he can play the most important part.

“Oh, I’m quite aware dear friend."

___

He's just can't think, there is only Alastor in his head. Plus Alastor not understanding that there is a misunderstanding is just making Vox believe in the delusion more. Bet his screensaver was Alastor themed before they had their falling out Also, sorry for this being quite long Hope you have a lovely day at least!

(reference to this ask)

hi sorry for responding to this late, hard to say much without a full story but I appreciate the thought of it being inspired by me 🫡🫡, but yes I do love vox being down bad for alastor, exploring some of the period-typical homophobia definitely is interesting, alastor could easily have not had that normalised for him and vox... depends on how much he ventured through his bisexuality in life or whether he only accepted it in death. his screensaver being alastor themed skjdfkglhl. very true

#ask #osrs.txt #radiostatic #staticradio #I feel bad for delaying certain asks because I have to use my brain in them #sorry anon

[writefinch]

FRIENDLY CHAT

Hey! Sorry to pull you in here before your break, we just need a quick chat. So, long story short, uh, a customer complained that you point-blank offered him a condom.

This isn't the first time. You know it's against company policy. You're only supposed to get them if the customer requests it first. Like, you're not even supposed to have them on display. I know that part is stupid, but if the regional manager checks the tapes and sees condom bowls in plain view, I'd still get written up.

No, no, absolutely not, I'm not going to write you up. I don't think it's necessary and you know it goes totally against my management style. I want to talk through your concerns.

I wanna remind you that we take all the recommended industry-standard precautions. In fact we go above them! First off, you're fully vaxxed, and that's the end of ninety percent of things to worry about, period. You've got an IUD on the company health plan, even though your T-shots probably suppress it. The customers get a physical screen in the waiting area. All us boys and girlies get tested every three weeks, twice as frequent as the industry standard.

That's already extensive, it makes you safer than the vast majority of people in our line of work. If we did any more, customers will get the wrong idea. They'll think we're an unclean brothel with unclean customers. It'd remind them too much of all the you-know-what from the past few years.

Yes, you're not wrong about that. Breakthrough infections happen, and people get sick. But you know what I'm gonna say? You're very robust, you know that? You've been here for what, eighteen months, you've been pulling long hours and beacoup extra shifts and you've barely caught a sniffle. The testosterone must be helping!

Now you might not stay this lucky forever, that's why we have six paid sick days and a flexible admin rota. Usually when you catch something it'll be a mild itch and trouble peeing. You won't even wanna rest, and yeah you won't get the full rate for paid clients, you can still get paid to do the laundry and the paperwork for a week while it clears up.

Every year I get a couple of colds from my kids and take three or four days off, and every year I always get a VD from one of the clients and spend a week washing sheets and cleaning dildos. You know what that gives me? Two or three days rolled over into vacation time!

Yes, you can get unlucky. You can get a couple of back-to-back infections. I tell every boy and girl who starts here the same thing: before they take out a loan on a new car or move out of their toxic roommate situation, make sure to get two weeks pay in a savings account. Even if you do have to dip into your rainy day fund, you know full well that there's always extra shifts to pick up around here.

Yeah, you can catch something nasty. You can have a bad reaction. We all remember how scary it was before the vaccines were available. But here's the thing: you drive to work, right? You're on the freeway twice a day. Forty-thousand people die every year in car crashes, and tens of thousands more get life-changing injuries. You don't spend every day worrying about that, right?

You just get on with it and live your life.

Look, I'm really sorry about this whole thing. You're really special to me, you know that? You're a genuine friend to me, I mean that. We get on really well, all the girls love you, you're a hit with clients and that's why I jumped on this y'know? This job is only as fun as the people here make it, and I don't want to see you written up for something that can be talked out.

Discipline here is so stupid. I'm fucking sick of the owners hassling girls, and boys, out of working here and then crying and bitching when we can't meet customer demand.

I said I'd be out of here as soon as I get my HVAC cert but if they put us all through that again I'll just quit on the spot. That's why I want to look out for you. You've helped me through some really difficult times, on shift and off. I wouldn't have been able to get through junket season without you. I'm serious, if you hadn't joined when you did, there'd be gun laws named after me.

Thanks for listening, and again, I'm sorry for even bringing this stuff up. Just promise you'll keep what I've said in mind? We've all got to look out for each other here.

Hey, once you're back from break, can I have your help with something? I've got a no-refusal client and well, all the other girls refused. What? No I don't want you to take him, c'mon man I'm not gonna let you off a written warning to guilt you into picking up my shit, honestly! No, I'm the supervisor on shift so it's up to me.

Anyway he's not into boys, even pretty ones like you, sorry. But he's a real charmer, so would you mind sticking close in case he starts throwing up or throwing hands? If I have to hit the panic button I think Sergei will throw him out of a window, and nobody needs that headache.

Thanks, I really appreciate it. We'll be in the spa room, so let me know when you're ready to play pool boy…

#stories

[pjsk-writin]

The pjsk boys when another character teasingly asks them out of nowhere when they're going to marry the reader when the reader is RIGHT THERE. Probably with:

Mizuki for Rui and Akito (smug Mizu supremacy)

An for Toya? idk feel free to change that one

and Saki for Tsukasa

YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH I VIBRATED AT THE THOUGHT OF WRITING THIS./pos I hope you like this bc I had SO much fun with it <33

♡ MARRIAGE? - Rui Kamishiro, Akito Shinonome, Toya Aoyagi and Tsukasa Tenma x Reader

Rui:

It was a relatively normal day for Rui, all things considered. Practice wasn't until later, so he was currently hanging out with Mizuki and you

This wouldn't be an issue, except for when Mizuki turned to him, a shit-eating grin on their face. What were they up to now?-

"Sooo, Rui," They began, eyes shining, "When are you going to ask them to marry you?"

Both you and Rui seemed to freeze, Rui's gaze flickering between you and Mizuki. You swore you could see the smallest bit of uncertainty on his face before it was replaced with his usual grin

He tapped his chin, looking you over. "I don't know," He began, your eyes widening as he took your hands in his, "But I'd like to hope soon. They are my dearest, after all."

You could tell he was being completely serious, and you almost melted into his arms. Did he actually mean that?...

Mizuki whistled behind you both, nudging Rui with their elbow, "Oooh, I see how it is! I better be a maid of honor or something for ya!" "I'm sure you will be." He smiled and kissed the back of your hands. He was going to be the death of you.

Akito:

Akito had been invited to a last minute hangout session with Mizuki. While he usually would have declined, not wanting to put up with their constant teasing, you would be there, so of course he had to go

The three of you were sitting together, with you in the middle and Akito and Mizuki on your sides. Mizuki turned to look at Akito, grinning

"So, Lil Bro!" He glared at them in annoyance, but they kept going, "When are you gonna put a ring on their finger?"

The three of you sat in silence before Akito stood up, his eyes wide and face so incredibly warm. His heart was pounding, but he'd rather die before he told either of you that

"I- You- It's none of your business!" His words were sharp, sounding angry but you knew he was just flustered. He ran his fingers through his hair, avoiding both of your gazes, "I mean I- I would- I'd-"

He could barely talk, and that was when you stood to take his hands in yours. He snapped out of it to stare at you, and although his face was still warm, the anger had faded

"...Fuck, I hope it's soon." He had blurted the words out without thinking, and it was your turn to have your face warm. Mizuki was grinning, raising a brow, "Oooo, really? I could give you some tips!-" "Shut up-"

Toya:

Toya had invited you to another practice session with VBS, and the only people currently at the WEEKEND GARAGE was you, him and An

As you all waited for the other two members, An turned to face Toya, a smile on her face as she took a sip from her drink

"Hey Toya!" He turned toward her in acknowledgement, "You ever think about when you'll get married to them?"

The question almost made you spit out what you were consuming, and Toya had froze mid-sip. He took a deep breath before putting his cup down, looking at you

"...I don't know, when do you want to get married?" The question was asked with so much softness, so much care that you almost thought you imagined it.

Except you hadn't, and his face showed just how genuine he was. He had reached out to hold your hand to, and you thought that you could melt from his warmth

You gave your answer, and Toya smiled, squeezing your hand before kissing your forehead. "Well, I can't wait." An was beaming behind you both, "Can me and Kohane be maids of honor??" "Sure, Akito would probably be my best man anyway."

Tsukasa:

You were currently sitting in the Tenma's living room, Saki on one side and Tsukasa on the other. It was always a pleasure to spend time with them both

As you all ate your respective snacks, Saki turned to Tsukasa, eyes gleaming with curiosity

"Hey Bro?" "Yes?" "When are you going to propose to them?"

The question had made you almost drop your snacks to the floor, and Tsukasa had paused, looking at Saki with wide eyes

He was quick to clear his throat, dropping to his knee beside you as he placed a hand over his heart, grinning. "Why, whenever my favorite co-star wants me to, of course! A star is incomplete without his co-star after all!"

He was holding your hand, and you almost melted at the fact that he looked like he was already proposing. In a way, it could seem like he had

You had smiled at him, squeezing his hand as you gave your response. Satisfied with your answer, he went back to his original position, kissing your cheek. Saki gave a mock look of disgust, throwing a pillow at you both. "Okay okay, I get it , get a room-" Tsukasa had merely laughed and continued to kiss you <3

#pjsk x reader #project sekai x reader #rui kamishiro x reader #kamishiro rui x reader #akito shinonome x reader #shinonome akito x reader #toya aoyagi x reader #aoyagi toya x reader #tsukasa tenma x reader #tenma tsukasa x reader

[hitsuzenhusbands]

hey! i hope you're having a good day! i just read your (amazing!) asoue fic "ashes to ashes," and i was fascinated by the way you portrayed kit and olaf. i thought i'd send this ask because i'd really love to hear more of your thoughts on their dynamic if you feel like sharing? but if you don't feel like expanding on it, i totally understand! thank you so much for sharing your beautiful work on ao3!

OHH anon you are so kind...i apologize for being so extremely late but i just finished writing a little analysis so i figured now's about the right time to write a semi-legible response. might have been scary and incomprehensible otherwise. but i am finally here to scream and cry and thank you so desperately because im SO happy you enjoyed them AND decided to ask for more info! <3

to begin, i'd be absolutely inconsolable if i didn't point you towards @virginian-wolfsnake's fic the eye of the storm, probably one of my fave k&o fics of all time that delves into the meat of their relationship through the years from the perspective of kit. they're young and still excited by missions and flirty and tender and genuine, and, in time, when the rest of their world collapses, so do they--messy and tense and so wonderfully realistic you have to read it and then read it again. honestly, if you don't want to read the rest of this but still want an answer, just read that. but also read it anyway

and now i have to ask you to forgive me...i have not read the books in a very long time and while i know the netflix series (in comparison) is bad and awful and terrible, i have watched it a million times. so if i'm wrong on anything. that's why.

to begin, the version of olaf i depicted in my fic is at the height of his...how do you say...pathetic misery. not including the spiral he has during the series. to me, the death of his parents are the beginning of his downfall into something-like-insanity, but he's still (and will continue to be) recognizably himself, if that makes sense. he's always been messy and emotional and dramatic (see the line: "...Kit has seen him in worse states and with a much better view..."), but only now does he reveal not a different side of himself per se, but a different angle of one that already existed.

im a fervent believer that olaf's always been a little self destructive and a lot crazy. hes spent the greater half of his life coming to terms with the fact that he is intrinsically not as noble as the rest of vfd--hes impulsive and obnoxious and self-obsessed, barely even literate at times--and it takes a special kind of guy to carve the insignia of the organization full of people he despises into his own front door. still, his parents' death was a catalyst, meaning he wasn't entirely opposed to vfd beforehand. he probably liked the missions and the secrecy and the dramatics, obviously the disguises and everything, but i think before the night at the opera it was really just a source of fun for him. he never truly grasped the reality of it, the nature of his actions and the weight of his involvement. whether that was out of naivety or pure neglect of the facts is up for debate. (there's a little bit of this in the shattering of thalia and melpomene if that interests you at all, beloved anon. see the line: "...[Esme] could never compare to the extent to which [Olaf] removes himself from everyone else entirely. How he spends so much time worrying about himself he almost forgets to worry about himself...Esme could never truly get lost in her own greatness. Could never turn a blind eye to the inner workings of V.F.D.")

kit, on the other hand, definitely did. serving as a volunteer was her purpose, the sole thing she had to cling to. she dedicated her life to it, making conscious decisions to go against her moral code in the hope that it all truly was for a greater good. i think, at times, she could fall into her own little fits of self-destruction, putting vfd above herself entirely (see the line: "This wouldn’t be the first time she’d done something she would never truly volunteer for...he’d still spent year after year watching her run off...to do something she could never speak of." "...she still returned with clenched teeth and knit eyebrows, as though she had no choice in the matter at all.")

to avoid any more convolution, in my mind it goes something like this: both are volunteers--olaf born and raised (along with beatrice), kit torn from her family and thrust into the thick of it so early on its all she knows. they grow up, probably-definitely know each other but dont know each other until, say, late teens-early twenties?

up until then, they've been everything previously described, but intermingling with one another changes this. olaf's easygoing approach rubs off on kit, partly because she finds more joy in his company than in missions, partly because he makes every attempt to keep her from leaving. i like to think she tries to keep his relatively flimsy moral code in check, or at the very least restrain his temper to the best of her abilities.

to me, they're a simultaneously great and terrible couple. at their best, they counteract each other in a positive way as described above and serve as a welcome distraction from the realities of a crumbling vfd, a little island of tenderness and domesticity in the ocean of turmoil that surrounds them.

and at their worst, their personalities combat so violently it's hard to see how they ever could have been together. olaf deals out the worst of it, prone to neglect and self-isolation, a deeply inset refusal to discuss anything with her, an inclination towards firestarting and an increasingly poor reputation with everyone kit knows. then again, kit isn't free of blame (if you can call it that), she's just as opposed to talking anything out as he is, and her isolation takes on the shape of running off to do as many missions as as she can before she's dead on her feet. she's pulled in different directions--a well-instilled hatred towards firestarers, only further influenced by whatever rumours olaf's growing list of enemies supplies her, versus her love for him, her knowledge of who he really is, a concept that is often tested. (see the line: "He’s reminded of a fight they once had, about something or other, that ended in her angry admission that it was easier to be upset with him when he wasn’t nearby.") 

anyway, the idea is they grow further and further apart both ideologically and physically/relationship-wise until the opera night and the crash following that (see: the whole fic!) and from then on i think they fall into something like an evil situationship. they barely see each other, complete opposite sides of the schism. i say situationship because i think when they do see each other (on missions, at events/in public, in private, etc.) it is just a terrible experience no matter what. they're both torn between hating the other for what they know about them/what they did (i like to think olaf finds out about kit supplying the darts) and reminiscing/yearning for what they once had.

for the sake of this i wont give my thoughts on whose baby kit has because that's a whole other thing (not really. its just more of a fun hc i think about on occasion as opposed to something concrete in canon or even my version of canon) but their scene in the end does make me insane. its a culmination of all the time spent wishing what happened didnt happen, almost as though theyre seeing each other for the first time once again, perhaps not blind to the past but looking away for (on olafs part) one final moment of normalcy.

i hope thats what you were looking for to any degree, anon. im a little rusty on my lore but they matter to me soo much. if i have to leave this on anything, its go read eye of the storm. kitlaf fic of all time.

#im so sorry this took approximately one million years #i hope it suffices anon... #also i hope its ok to tag u out of the blue my wonderful mutual #that fic is so good....makes me crazy everytime i think abt it #asoue #a series of unfortunate events #count olaf #kit snicket #kitlaf #answered asks #analysis #fic posting

[trashiest-person]

so about those bottle npcs on penacony

(I'd probably redesign them since the new pic shows me their models better)

in game screenshots:

rambling down here dont open if u dont want to see (note: the Bottle & Glass thing is smth you'd understand if you know abt the "Crystal Chalice" hidden mission)

ok im lil bit crazy about them theres so much character i can put into these guys

so like im imagining in Bottle & Glass society, if a Bottle has a heart tag on them it means why have already found a "Glass" to fill their booze with. so they are eachother's "Glass"!!!!!

im thinkin that Poor was just chillin and one day Rich was like

"I like you. Do you have a name or can I call you 'mine'?"

"...What?"

"...Will you date me?"

and Poor was just so shocked at this incredibly, very obviously high-quality Bottle of Wine in front of them, they just blurted out "uh, sure"

and boom, they're dating.

Poor was probably just waiting for the right glass to come into their life, but after they started dating Rich and thought more about how they feel about Bottles they had an "oh." moment and realized they're probably the bisexual equivalent of Bottles & Glasses.

and Rich after dating a couple of some of the finest Glasses realized why they were so unhappy with these Glasses after they let their mind drift to dating a Bottle. "Oh." They were Bottlesexual. Honestly it didn't have to be Poor, they just picked a random Bottle nearby that was single and wasn't eyeing any of the Glasses passing by. Little did they know they'd fall over heels for this Bottle.

(note: i spent 30 mins writing another paragraph on here but i lost it bc im dumb and forgot to press post or smth idk but it didn't show up

but basically, Rich gets flustered when Poor flirts back to them for the first time bc they aren't used to genuine affection that isn't meant to just convey an image in high-society)

tl;dr: im insane

+ scrapped idea im dropping since i reread that screenshot and i don't think it fits:

im also thinkin that like Poor & Rich were originally just friends. and Rich already figured out that they preffered Bottles but didn't really say anything to Poor, and Rich was helping Poor look for a Glass for him thru Rich's connections as a high-class Bottle

AND thru a couple of (failed) dates w/ multiple Glasses later, Poor eventually clicked w/ a Glass and they started dating. and so they got what they've been looking for all this time and stopped talking to Rich often. but whats this????? they feel.... UNFULFILLED???!?!? and when they think about the time they spent with Rich they.. MISS TO SPENDING TIME WITH RICH, LOOKING FOR GLASSES TOGETHER???

"oh. oh my god..?"

they'd rather spend their time with a Bottle? rather than with the Glass they've been chasing after for so long..?

on yet another date with a fairly beautifully-crafted Glass filled with cheap booze...

"Hey, are you alright? Usually you'd drag me over to see another attraction by now."

"...I'm sorry......"

"Pardon?"

"I-uh..I'm sorry....... I don't know if i want to keep doing this."

"...What do you mean?"

"You're a beautiful, stunning Glass but I... I-I think that I don't feel very happy being with you. I'm so sorry."

"..."

"..It's just that I-! I think-!! AUGH!!! I can't say it!"

"..Hey. Tell me. I want to know."

"..i might be in love with Rich... "

#honkai star rail #honkai star rail fanart #i guess it technically is #npc #im insane #i keep getting attached to obscure characters man #im changing the name to bottle yaoi i was originally gonna call them that but now im reverting #BOTTLE YAOIIIIIIII

[thestoriesyetuntold]

Hi! Hope you're having a good day/night! I'd like to ask for HCs (or whatever format you're cool with!) for Casimir, maybe something just like how he would spend the day with MC when they're not working on the House?

Romantic is fine! I hope that's not too vague of a request! Thanks! :)

A/N - Hey, I’m so sorry for the wait I finished this weeks ago but forgot about it I’m sorry ;-; hope you enjoy! (Also thank you really much for being my first Tumblr request)

(I’ll fix the format of this post when I have my laptop later today)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fandom: Fictif, Monster Manor

Format: headcanons

Type: Fluff, a bit comedy

Warnings: none I can think of

Summary: spending time with Casimir

Relationship: Casimir x Reader (Written as romantic but save for like one all work platonically)

Characters featured: Casimir, briefly Mimi and the house, Rainier mentioned

Note: maybe OOC, some of these are kind of far fetched (Also I didn't read any of the paid scenes so I’m sorry if I got something canon wrong)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Renovating is pretty exhausting so of course a lot of work means a lot of rest. There's many ways to do so such as sitting down with some tea and snacks, reading together or to each other, cuddling or watching movies; either way you spend this time together quite often 

speaking of movies, movie and show nights! At first at least there might be more of Casimir nerding over the technology than watching though /hj. Someone just please show this man the Beauty and the Beast. Or Transformers. First one is self explanatory, second one I just think would be funny. Also maybe Howls moving castle. That might be super far fetched but I think he'd like studio Ghibli. 

Bonding with Mimi! Casimir really wants to gain back her trust and having you be there calms him Mimi. Though it's better than it used to be already there's still some tension between them and you're definitely helping. You also get to spend time with both of them so that's definitely a win!

You cannot convince me this man doesn't go into hour long rants and rambles about his interests after you asked one simple question. He can get pretty lost in it once he started and tends to get a little embarrassed about it once he realises. Cmon, he was all by himself for multiple centuries, he's not used to people being around. You encouraging him to go on, asking questions or referencing things he told you later on means a lot to him. 

Of course it goes both ways, he absolutely loves listening to you talk, especially about things you're passionate about and will try to bring it up again later or engage in your hobbies with you together. He genuinely wants to know about you and your interests, for one he hasn't really heard from/about anyone else for a very long time (not counting cats and buildings) and also you're, of course he wants to hear everything you have to say

Okay okay okay this one's my personal favourite: hide and seek.​ I actually might write a whole own thing about that at some point soon because it'd just be so much fun!​ The house is quite big with super many hiding spaces. Now it's not something he'd suggest and yeah it might take some force persuasion to convince him but if you ask him really really nicely hell probably say yes, or just annoy him till he agrees (even more effective if Rainier joins). Alternatively just hide somewhere so he has no choice but to search (you definitely gave him a heart attack the first time you did that)

Casimir is old fashioned (I mean- how wouldn't he be) so your regular date nights are pretty classic. Usually it's a romantic dinner (brought to you by The House TM), sometimes it's dancing (like that one paid scene(? Is there one? Or am I mixing something up? Idk); he was taught to be a gentleman and he's gonna use that /hj

Bringing him modern things from shopping trips. It started off by you bringing him something he was curious about after you mentioned it and quickly developed into a habit of you bringing him trinkets whenever you're out. His curiosity makes you much more aware of how interesting even little thins can be and soon turned to you coming back from trips out the house with a bag of things like toys, gadgets and other fun things from the dollar store or similar. You then spend the day looking at what you brought, how it works and so on. Imagine spending the day with Casimir trying out a bunch of toys you bought or found with your old stuff (the type for children, don't think wrong here)

adding onto this because I love the idea of doing fun childish things with him (you'd have to be the one to initiate them though, potentially ‘force’ him, but he secretly enjoys it). Silly sleepovers with pillow forts, movies, teeny magazines (I want to just hand this guy a stack of these teen magazines and see what happens so bad), and snacks! 

related a bit to the one above but spa days! He definitely needs some more self care. I do kinda think he likes stuff as skincare and and used to have a routine (nobility and stuff) he likely had to cut short or even drop it completely with the house's hostility. But now you're there and not only are there so many products your world has for this, it's also much more fun together, leading to entire days planned only for spa and wellness activities (like doing each other's nails, I have a little theory connected to Casimir and acrylic nails but that's all I'm saying on that)

I feel like I have to say something to end this smoothly sooo Casimir supremacy!!

(Requests open)

#monster manor #monster manor casimir #monster manor casimir x reader #monster manor x reader #fictif monster manor #monster manor fictif #fictif casimir #fictif casimir x reader #ficif #fictif x reader

[writingwhimsey]

Hello! If you are still doing the Sparring Writing prompts, I'd like to request the whole *not feeling well, but still training and passing out* with the dialogue, "Oh god- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you that hard-".

If that's doable with IkeSen's hardest training warlord, Keiji. 😁

Thank you!! 🧡

Hello and thank you for the request! Here is what I came up with and I hope you enjoy @bestbryn!

Sparring Prompts:

Prompt 9: You aren't well, but you don't want to skip training and make them worry, so you continue on as usual, thinking it's not that serious. But that's proven wrong when you faint right in front of them mid-fight

Dialog 6: "Oh god- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you that hard-"

ikesen: Keiji

Princess Training

Keiji woke up not feeling so hot. His head hurt and his body ached. He let out a groan as the sunlight filtered in the room, intensifying his headache. He knew he should stay in bed…but then he remembered. He had promised the princess he’d give her some extra training today. He knew she would understand if he told her he wasn’t feeling it today…but she seemed so excited about the training. 

Keiji let out a sigh as he slowly sat up in bed. “Can’t let the princess down…” He muttered to himself. “Just need to wash my face…drink some water and I’ll be good as new…maybe get something to eat.” 

Slowly Keiji got up out of bed and began to get ready for the day. He washed his face and filled a cup with cool water. The maids brought him in a tray of breakfast…and his stomach lurched at the sight of the food. “Maybe we’ll skip breakfast today.” He muttered.

He once again thought about just going back to bed and sending a message to the Princess that they would have reschedule. But then he mentally smacked himself at that idea. Training was when he got to spend the most time with her and…just picturing her smile brought a warmth to his chest. “Just another act to put on…that’s all.” He said. “I can do it for her.”

Keiji managed to get himself dressed and drug his weary body to the training room. She was already there and waiting. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun atop her head and she was wearing hakama for ease of movement. She wore a bright smile as she greeted him.

“Hey Keiji! Thanks for agreeing to the extra training today!”

Her bright smile did funny things to his heart. He was a bitter cynic, but her sunshine… it was genuine and beautiful. It was something he couldn’t get enough of. It honestly made the trip from his manor worth it. Keiji plastered on his own smile, though it was slightly more genuine than normal just because it was her.

“Anything to help our hard-working princess now.” He told her. “You ready?”

“Yup.” She answered, continuing to smile brightly at him.

“Alright, let’s go.” Keiji declared, giving the princess his signature bright smile. He may not have really been all sunshine and rainbows…but seeing her smile always made his more genuine…even if he was straining today from how unwell he felt.

“Did you already start some training?” She asked him, looking at him. “Your face is a bit red and you look like you’ve been sweating…” 

Keiji could detect the note of concern in her voice. “Yup, got going before the sun even came up. Always have to be prepared, you know!” He hoped he could continue to fool her. “Now, let’s get to work.”

“Right.” The princess said with a nod. 

Keiji began leading her through some more stances and swings with the practice spear. It took so much effort for every movement Keiji made, but he really didn’t want to give up this time with the princess. Besides, she was so determined to learn some kind of fighting skill…who was he to turn her down? Clearly she needed this for something personal.

“Alright, now let’s try something new. I think you’re ready to put the moves to use.” He told her. 

“You mean…like actually…spar?” She asked, her eyes widening.

“Best way to learn is to do.” Keiji told her. “Now come on, let’s have a friendly match. I promise to take it easy on ya…but don’t you take it easy on me. I really want you ta give it your all.”

She seemed to be thinking for a moment, processing his words. “Alright, I’ll do my best.” She replied, her face taking on that cute determined look.

“Atta girl!” Keiji whooped before moving to take a fighting stance. “Let’s get this match going. Show me whatcha got, Princess!”

She gave him a determined nod as she took her own fighting stance. “I can do this.” She muttered to herself.

It didn’t take long for the sparring match to begin. Keiji could feel himself moving a little slower and it was taking a bit more effort to block the Princess’s blows than it should have. He was about two or three times her size. The sweat was really starting to pour down his face and coat his body.

The Princess was lifting her staff in an offensive move. He knew she was getting ready to strike and was moving to block, but his arms were moving slower. His body wasn’t responding the way it should, his arms aching and muscles feeling like lead. His ears were ringing and the room was beginning to spin.

The world fell away as darkness engulfed Keiji  just as soon as the Princess brought her practice spear down  on his head. The last thing he heard before passing out was her voice. “OH MY GOD! KEIJI!”

It was sometime later, Keiji was coming to, the Princess’s face hovering above his. Her hand was on his face, gently patting his cheek. “Come on…oh thank goodness. Keiji can you see me? Can you talk?”

“How…long…have I been…out?” Keiji asked. “And you should…probably back up…”

“Oh God-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you that hard.” She told him as she pulled back, thinking he was probably upset with her. 

Slowly Keiji began to sit up. His head was pounding, but it had nothing to do with the hit. Nothing did. “No…you didn’t hit me that hard. Didn’t even feel it.”

“But…you passed out.” She replied. “You must be delirious. How many fingers am I holding up?” She asked, holding up her hand and three fingers.

“Three.” He answered, grabbing her hand and pulling it down. “It’s my fault. I woke up sick…that’s why I told you to back up.”

The princess blinked. “What…do you mean? You’re sick and you still came to train me? Why didn’t you say you were sick and stay home? This was supposed to be your day off.”

“Didn’t want to let you down.” Keiji answered.

She seemed to be touched by his words. “Well…you wouldn’t have let me down. Now let’s get you some place you can lie down.”

The Princess was then doing her best to help Keiji up. He was unsteady on his feet and she was instantly at his side, letting him wrap an arm around her shoulders as she wrapped one around his waist. “Alright, let’s go…” 

With effort the pair left the training room and were soon coming to a stop. Keiji was surprised to find that the princess had led him to her own room. “I’ll be fine to go home…” He protested.

“Nonsense. You’re in no condition to walk all the way back to your manor.” She told him, “My room is closer and perfectly fine. You just lie down and let me take care of you.”

“I can’t do that…”

“You pushed yourself for training me today. The least I can do is help you in your time of need.” She told him. “Now I won’t take no for an answer.”

“Alright…but only for a little while.”

She helped Keiji get into the futon. She was then leaving for a moment and returning with a small basin of cool water, a rag, and what looked like rice porridge. “Alright, let’s get you feeling better.” She declared as she sat down by his head, wetting the rag and placing it on his forehead.

“Y-you don’t have to do that…” Keiji said, thankful for his fever since it hid the blush he felt.

“If that’s how you feel about me putting a cool cloth on your head, you’re in for it when you realize I’m going to feed you the rice porridge.” She told him with a smile.

“You really don’t have to…”

“Just let me take care of you.” She told him. “You’ve already done a lot for me since you came back. Let me do something for you…besides we’re friends. Friends take care of each other and help each other out.”

“Yeah…alright.” Keiji replied, for some reason the word friends not quite setting right with him.

She was picking up the rice porridge and spoon and began feeding him. “Come on you have to eat to keep your strength up.” She encouraged him as he opened his mouth to accept the food.

After finishing the rice porridge, she continued to stay with Keiji, allowing him to rest in her bed. At one point, she was humming some tune Keiji didn’t know and stroking his hair as he slowly drifted to sleep. He had never been happy to feel so terrible. Being sick and passing out didn’t seem like such a bad thing now.

#whimsey answers #sparring prompts #ikesen keiji #ikemen sengoku keiji #ikemen sengoku #ikesen #cybird #cybird otome #otome boys #keiji #keiji maeda #fanfic #fanfiction

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #116

I'm sleep deprived again. It's been a lot of consecutive nights now. I'm sorry about that. I know I keep asking you to take care of yourself, meanwhile, I'm dropping the ball on myself. I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to get it together though, given all the things that have been happening lately. It's hard to string a coherent thought together, but I'm gonna try to write to you anyway; we all deserve someone who thinks about us enough to reach out, and it doesn't look like you have anyone like that, so… I might as well try. Even if I don't feel well, I'm still gonna try. Hopefully it'll do.

Br made breakfast for us today! She cooked us some eggs! She brought ones that came from a local farm. In my world, eggs come in all sorts of colors; these ones were white, brown, and greenish-blue:

I showed her how to check if the oil in the pan is hot enough to cook scrambled eggs without them sticking to the bottom; they turned out really well! They were so good that I wolfed them down before I even thought to take a picture for you; sorry about that.

I wonder if you like eggs. And if you do like eggs, I wonder how you like them cooked. I like it best if the white is cooked but the yolks are still runny. And they're even better if they're soft boiled, or soft boiled, peeled, and marinated! Maybe sometime I'll make you some marinated eggs and show you how it's done...

Anyway! Br also suggested that we make tea, so that's what we did! Br made me a cup of the maple black tea, and I sweetened it with creamed honey and heavy cream; I'll show you how that turned out:

...I wish you were here.

After that, I visited my friend B today because it's her birthday! She had a reservation at a place that serves really good Italian food! But before that, she, her fiancé, her sister, and I all decided to hang out to watch hilarious things on the internet! We spent a lot of time talking and laughing, and it was beautiful.

...I wish you were here.

Then we went to the Italian place! I got a soft drink made of pureed strawberries and whipped cream! I wonder if you would have liked it. I can't give you a sip though, so I took a picture:

I got steak and a side of pasta and mushrooms! This, too, was really, REALLY good. I can't give you a bite. But I can show you a picture...

There's a lot of pasta at this place; I'm sure you would have been able to find something you would have liked. Here are the things the others got:

...I wish you were here.

We returned to B's house, and we watched some really funny videos about a guy who trolls scammers. I dunno how it is in your world, but in mine, we have unscrupulous people who call vulnerable folks (mostly old people) in order to steal their personally identifying information so that they can then steal their money. This guy keeps these kinds of scammers busy long enough to get them caught!

There was this particularly funny video about this fake password resetting thing that keeps asking for stranger and stranger input, and the scammers, not understanding that it was fake, kept trying to meet the demands to create a "valid" password, and... goodness, I laughed so hard that tears came streaming from my face!

...I really, REALLY wish you were here. I'd give just about anything if it could mean that you'd have opportunities to eat delicious things and to laugh at hilarious stuff and to spend time with wonderful people. There's so much I wish I could give you. There's so much I wish you could see. I can only imagine how beautiful a genuine, wholesome smile and laugh coming from you must be. I can only imagine...

Hey, Sephiroth? Please. Please make good choices. Please turn yourself around so that you can have a chance to really live. Please don't keep walking the path that will lead to you disappearing; after everything you've been through, you deserve to heal, so that you can find so many wholesome reasons to laugh and sing and dance and smile. All humans deserve to heal. All of them. And... no matter what anyone says to you... no matter how you were made... you're still human. You're still a person. You're still a man.

I am falling asleep as I write this. So I'm gonna stop writing now.I

I love you. Please stay safe. Please make good choices. I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

#sephiroth #ThankYouFFVIIDevs #ThankYouFF7Devs #ThankYouSephiroth #final fantasy vii #final fantasy 7 #ff7 #ffvii #final fantasy vii crisis core #final fantasy 7 crisis core #final fantasy crisis core #ffvii crisis core #ff7 crisis core #crisis core #ff7r #final fantasy vii remake #final fantasy 7 remake #ffvii remake #ff7 remake #final fantasy vii rebirth #final fantasy 7 rebirth #ffvii rebirth #ff7 rebirth #final fantasy 7 ever crisis #ffvii ever crisis #ff7 ever crisis #ffvii first soldier #sleep deprived #birthday hangouts #wholesome

[lume-nosity]

nerdy bf kazuha hcs !! (ugh yk kazuha is so yk like he's 🥰🥰 and like kazuha is so 😍😍😍😍 and then when he 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

contains: highschool au, mentions of other characters, mentions of getting high lol, kazuha wearing glasses 😋😋😋 (i hc that this man is blind. thick glasses, like a 200+ grade on his glasses.)

notes: here in the philippines, you just sit in one classroom with all the same people. so basically you and kazuha are in the same section, and he sits riiiight beside you. aside that this is vv messy lol, and my first time writing a hc format !, this was to make up for that kazuha fic for valentines that i didn't write lol

how is he like before classes?

he's running with you, why? he woke up late and rushed to class with you 💀

you're probably bugging him while he's spending free time in the library !!; "i need to study, dear..", he says, as he continues to be favored by most teachers...

of course — you have your own things to do and such so, you and him may just be staring at each other... until he's caught off guard by a mutual friend.

since kazuha and you decided to make your relationship public, kazuha has been suffering a few stolen haikus. you two have very few fingers to point, yet not a single one has been recovered.

how is he during class/in the middle of the day?

he's insufferable and cute, but mostly insufferable in the good way.

he's good at studying. he is smart, very, but when it comes to his "deep poems" it's probably something he scribbled while he was high lol.

in your row, (from left to right) you have kazuha, you, ayato, and yoimiya. whenever the other two aren't paying attention, kazuhas definitely teasing you.

...

"why don't you understand? it's quite simple..."

"just let me copy a few missing sentences??"

"no 🥰"

"little shit."

...

and oh man when you're daydreaming infront of him??? and he sees it???? AND YOU'RE STARING AT HIM FIXING HIS GLASSES?????? damn bro he's so fine

kazuha, while being a good student and never causing any fuss (at least nothing serious), might be reprimanded by teachers for paying attention to only you. jesus, it's a miracle you two have not been separated away just yet.

good lord he's honestly so demonic 😭, like you'll ask him "hey 'zuha, can i get some notes from you? i didn't copy fast enough.." and then he'll deny you for a bit before letting you copy 💀

and yk whats sexy and cool? volunteering to answer — you get nervous each time he raises his hand though...

does he bring you back home?

you bet your ass he does, and he's on time too. your poor boyfriend (not really, he does this willingly) multi-tasks while walking you back home, he's writing an essay or something 💀

maybe he might've been writing a haiku that'll be stolen if he doesn't put it away, but who knows? because it certainly isn't you.

...

"what 'cha writing?"

"a haiku, why?"

"can i see? please? just one, tiny glance.."

"as much as I'd like to, no sadly. i'm not finished oka-"

...

you proceed to a) attack him verbally, asian mom style b) keep staring in hopes that you'll be able to see it or c) snatch it away from him (never been successful)

...

i made this to deny and cope because i have a crush on my guy friend now because omg i... i think i... like him 😟 pssst some of the teasing kazuha does is very much based on my crush 🤯

i'm so disappointed in myself

my goodness

this is really good… i can clearly picture that whole thing in my head. kazuha with glasses… so fine tbh. (aha i have glasses too we could be twinning then)

kazuha please let me copy your notes fr like i’m too tired for school HDHAJC

also… did i read that last part right 👁️? another mutual has a crush on someone too?

wow, interesting, seems like a bunch of my mutuals have crushes that i wasn’t aware of? it’s cute, really. (not in a teasing way but in a more genuine way because i’m audibly going ‘aww’)

if you really do feel that way towards your friend, and would like to end up with him, (or you’d like to shoot your shot) i answered an ask similar to that here

either way, no matter what you do, i hope it works out well <3

#📬 lume answers #💛 lumes mutuals #🤍; riri! #genshin impact x reader #kazuha x reader #love this kazuha prompt sm <3 #it’ll live rent free in my mind #and also #dude if another mutual tells me that they have a crush too #then i’d be the ‘wingman mutual’ GSHSJCI

[todayisafridaynight]

hey, i hope life's treating ya well this week! i finished y6 yesterday and came to share some thoughts if you don't mind :)

i think kiryu tried to project on his kids what he wanted kazama to be like as a father, but ultimately kazama'ed all of them, especially daigo. i found the ending of y6 very touching, but that's because i like daigo in all of his bland npc glory, and i agree with a lot of criticism of that ending being somewhat weird, especially when we had so little interaction with haruka, who just. you know. woke up from a coma. i wrote this already in my blog, but i'll repeat myself: that ending would've made much more sense if we had just more of daigo in general amd/or saw his transition from his y2 version to his version later in the series. like, we know haruka and kiryu are close, and we assume daigo and kiryu are close too, but i'd love to see more evidence of it in the actual text. that one substory in y0 clearly wasn't enough. i wish we could have more of haruka, MUCH more of haruka, too. the lack of her agency in y6 after y5 felt frustrating

i did enjoy the game, though. i really liked the callbacks to the previous games. as for side activities, it never seizes to amaze me how the eroge minigames are become just more and more unhinged. but all the missed storytelling opportunities, man

(it's also v funny that daigo's sr card code in clan creator is kiryusavemepleaz. i don't speak japanese and therefore haven't played rggo, but i know about a story where majima lets daigo win him on purpose or something? also the situations daigo's often put in (which are mostly near death experiences), him never getting any kind of resolve with ryuji as well... i think yokoyama kinda hates daigo lmao)

Heya! I sure love thoughts and I sure love talking about Daigo :]

On the note about 'Kazama'ing his kids, I'm going to be ugly and take a minute to interpret what that means if you don't mind.

When it comes to what Kazama did to his kids, he allowed Nishiki and Kiryu to join the yakuza despite knowing the dangers of it at their insistence. Ergo, we see Kazama prioritize the yakuza, telling Kiryu to leave the Dojima situation in Y1 alone. Moreover, despite Kazama lacking faith in Nishiki's abilities as a yakuza, he still expected him to be able to lead a family by himself while he took care of Yumi in hiding.

As for Kiryu and his kids, it was evident Kiryu wanted to be able to parent the kids at Morning Glory- to speculate, maybe as a way to atone of Kazama's messy paretning without outright admitting Kazama had faults. However, his bond with those in the yakuza inevitably kept him coming back, especially in regards to Daigo (who, of course, we find out he sees as a son. In this, it's a case of Kiryu still wanting to be a good parent, but the priorities aren't exactly there). In this (and I've discussed this in a post prior), Kiryu's attempting to spread himself thin when it comes to his family: he wants to help the Tojo, if not predominantly due to Daigo's presence there, but he also wants to father the orphans at Morning Glory. Unfortunately, since Kiryu can justify leaving the kids as Okinawa's a safer setting and he's admittedly at his best in a fight, he ends up leaving for Tokyo every time action's needed.

It's actually Kiryu's constant leaving that had me assume he was writing his letter to Haruka at first during Y6's ending, specifically when he was talking about how he lamented not spending more time with her. On the subject of Haruka, Y6 really did her disgustingly: as soon as she was of age, she becomes a mother and, on top of that, she gets hit by a car and is in a coma the majority of the game and doesn't even get to properly spend time with Kiryu before he vanishes. I genuinely wish and- foolishly- hope one day Haruka can actually get the respect she deserves after having been such an important, prominent, and interesting character throughout this franchise.

To talk about Daigo and Kiryu, the main subject of this ask I feel, I think RGG did as much as they could when it came to demonstrating Kiryu and Daigo's relationship. In Y5, it's revealed that Kiryu believes that people who become close to him suffer (and in this scene in particular, he's referring to Daigo after he gets shot on the roof)- how long he's had this mentality I couldn't definitively tell you, but I wouldn't be surprised if this has been a thought since everyone's deaths in Y1. Because of Kiryu's fear for others' well-being, it can be reasoned that Kiryu might have wanted to keep his distance from Daigo as much as he could lest something go wrong (but of course, he also feels responsible for protecting others, leading him to take action where he should probably leave things be). In Y4, we can see the buds of Kiryu regretting not being there for Daigo when he needed him most, outright apologizing to him for putting him in the position of chairman without any proper training or time. Considering all of this, Kiryu's letter to Daigo aligns with what we've seen: even if Kiryu wasn't able to be close to Daigo and properly guide him like he should have, he still confesses that Daigo was incredibly important to him and he regrets letting that fear stop their bond from deepening.

Daigo on the flip side, we become very aware that he values Kiryu immensely. To return to Y5, at the end of his taxi ride he tries to reassure Kiryu that he's able to carry himself without his help (i.e. 'I'm trying my best to walk this path' after Kiryu kicks him out of the car). Daigo's need for Kiryu's approval is also evident in RGGO: the story with Majima you're talking about is one of his character stories where he first becomes chairman. In this story, Daigo struggles to understand what Kiryu's intention was entrusting him to the Tojo Clan, but once he realizes it, this is his turning point to stop being the brute he was in Y2. To extend on RGGO shining light on Daigo's feelings for Kiryu, during his initial meeting with Mine in Mine's story, he lets Mine know he was so ardent in watching the Tojo at first so he could make 'the man' who put him in that position proud, and later during their bar conversation in another one of Mine's stories, he lets Mine know that while he doesn't consider Kiryu family at this point, he still considers him someone incredibly close to him (and as we see in Y6, Daigo will do a hard 180 on this and proudly call Kiryu his father). To jump back to Kiryu for a second, we can argue that Mine's whole 'what could Daigo see in a man like you' line could have contributed to Kiryu's want to distance himself from Daigo. Because what if Mine had a point: what WAS there to admire in Kiryu? What could Daigo POSSIBLY like about Kiryu, and would it not just be better if he wasn't in his life after- inadvertently- getting him put in a coma? To end this segment on a goofy note, Daigo's clan code being 'kiryuhelpmeplz' is super funny with the father/son lens: Daigo's gotta call his dad to help him out </3

EDIT: In regards to the RGGO story I mentioned here, I misremembered the exact quote and that drastically changes the scene and meaning I'm referencing, and significantly portrays the relationship between Daigo and Kiryu differently from what I've said. For the correct quote and sentiment, please refer to this ask here (x)

In all of this, it's reasonable that RGG couldn't expand on Kiryu and Daigo's relationship, but that's what makes Kiryu's letter so significant. We see from Kiryu and Daigo's sides individually that they saw each other as family, but neither of them were able to confront that fact directly for one reason or another (Kiryu, again, with is fear of hurting those he loves and his general inability to express his emotions perfectly. Daigo might have thought seeing Kiryu as his dad was inappropriate, especially after having had to believe he killed his actual dad). Kiryu lamenting the bond they could have had wouldn't have had the same merit if Kiryu and Daigo were actually able to bond more, but because they didn't and we see they still cherish each other, the impact's there.

My long ugly ramble aside, I'm glad you still enjoyed the game! I don't know if you have any more of the games left to play, but if you ever get around to them I hope you enjoy them!

#long post #snap chats #if you guys ever want any of daigo or mine's RGGO stories i do have them bookmarked and saved so ! ask away and ill link em to you :) #this is a lot of disjointed rambling forgive me i just have a lot of thoughts about daigo and kiryu and daigo and kiryu #yokohama hates daigos ass fr LMAO

[detrasystem]

hey! this is chance & here’s this week’s prompt. what websites or resources do you use while you write or develop a character/story? what do you think of them and would you recommend them?

hi chance!! tysm for the ask, this is such a kind and fun thing for you to be doing 💕

i have a LOT of resources to talk about with regard to this prompt. i'm actually planning in-depth posts for almost all of these, but for now i'll list out the things i absolutely cannot live without when developing a story.

websites

Random Generators. i have literally been to hundreds of random generator sites over the years, and they have become an absolutely invaluable resource for generating ideas, whether it's for a character name or a complete adventure. one of my all-time favorites, Chaotic Shiny, introduced me to the concept of NaNoWriMo and thus the writing community at large! i'd also recommend Seventh Sanctum and, as i'm sure everyone's already familiar, FantasyNameGenerators.com. each website is completely independent, some are still being updated to this day, and they each have a different Vibe to them so all three can be used depending on what kind of ideas you want to spark at the moment. HIGHLY recommend this unrestrained summer fun.

Springhole.net. this is kind of an expansion on the above, because there are some fantastic random generators on this site, but there's so much more here, too. in-depth advice for character development, worldbuilding, writing in general...it's great. and criminally underrated!

Susan Dennard's newsletter. Susan Dennard is the author of the Witchland series, among other things, and she's been keeping a long-running advice newsletter for writers for a LONG time. she's traditionally published and often has some great insight into the publishing world as well as just generally really good tips for writers of any stage. i'm not personally a fan of her books, but i am a fan of her advice. <3

YouTube. ok. hear me out. this could be for a few different things. i find it kind of fun to see how other writers tackle the writing process, so i'll watch writing vlogs every now and then--Kate Cavanaugh Writes is by far THEE best channel out there for this. her videos are excellently edited, her joy of writing is contagious, and she does a lot of fun and inspiring writing challenges! i often get bored watching people just stare at a camera and talk for 30 minutes straight, but her videos are Absolutely not like that so they're really easy to watch.

but even if you're not into vlogs, did you know that there's a whole subset of (mostly Japanese) YouTubers who make royalty free music and just like...post it? and it's GOOD? like genuinely?? go check out PeriTune right now and thank me later. i'm one of those writers that NEEDS music to write and develop characters so PeriTune (and the others that will eventually get recommended to you the more you watch their videos GHNGDFHG) makes the perfect background music for scenes, locations, characters, etc. and did i mention it's insanely good for being 100% free?

this isn't a resource for development, per se, but i can't recommend 4thewords enough. it's an online word processor that turns writing into an RPG: battle monsters by writing words during a certain time limit, and then complete quests with the loot you earn from your battles! there's a free 30 day trial for new users, and if you're participating in NaNoWriMo, the devs usually put coupons for free writing time during those months, so if you're not constantly in need of drafting several words at once, you really don't have to spend a cent. though 4thewords IS independently owned and developed by a wonderful team of writers who are very inclusive, so i do recommend supporting them if you can. :-) one month starts at $4, and if you use my referral code IRZVE23798 you and i both get free "crystals" that count toward subscription time <3

books/publications

there are two writing craft books i need EVERYONE to read, regardless of medium. Damn Fine Story by Chuck Wendig, and 27 Essential Principles of Story by Daniel Joshua Rubin. this is not the writing advice you've heard before. this is not elitist, prescribed advice. these are two books that will change the way you THINK about story, no matter how experienced you are. i am ALWAYS consulting these books. they live on my desk permanently.

Writer's Digest. i will admit to being subscribed to this magazine (and Poets & Writers), and for good reason! each bi-monthly issue is full of insider information about the publishing industry, creative writing prompts, and great food for thought about the craft. even if you can't/don't want to subscribe to the magazine, their website is full of great articles to get the inspiration flowing.

Publishers Weekly. i just check their website out periodically, to get a pulse on what's getting published these days, and by whom. if you want to be traditionally published, it's ALWAYS a good idea to understand the trends of the industry; plus, reading reviews on PW is a great way to find books to read that you might not have found otherwise.

and finally, of course, if you want to write, you have to read. like. i cannot stress this enough. find books that speak to you. reading others' work is essential to finding out what kind of techniques, tropes, characterizations, etc you LIKE as well as DON'T like. some people don't like reading in their genre for fear of accidentally plagiarizing, but i'm in the camp that NEEDS to read in my genre to get the right words into my brain so i can spit them all back later. no matter how or why you read, though, you gotta do it. even if it's just one novel that you read over and over again to keep getting inspired. GO TO YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY. thank you.

#beneath the ask #digital-chance #writing #writing advice #writing resources

[scribbledquillz]

As promised, a little life update on me for - well mostly me, but also anyone who'd like to know where in the hell I've been.

Around when I was last here winter of 2021, the hip pain I'd had since I was pregnant with my little one - which until then had mostly just been annoying - started to become more of a problem. It became far more prominent and persistent, as well as moving up into my pelvis and lower back. Spasms, achiness, stabbing pains, lots of fun. It made basic necessities difficult, and continuing exercises other than using the treadmill (which a friend of mine graciously gave to me for free, bless her) impossible.

Fast forward through physical therapy, x rays, mris, steroid injections and a last ditch effort with acupuncture and I'm finally in a place health wise that is, while not ideal at least generally manageable. There's something going on in my SI joint compounded with 30+ years of random factors that probably made it worse that causes just. Boatloads of inflammation. Massage, acupuncture and walking keep it in check, but sadly I don't know when or if I'll be able to get back into weight lifting the way I used to. But hey I can function and I can grocery shop without spending the rest of the day in agony on the couch, so I'll gladly take it!

In that same time in a more positive lane, I did a lot of work on myself and my mental health. I took the time to try new hobbies, dabbled in a lot of creative outlets I never thought to try, and started keeping houseplants. Most of which - save a few casualties to my learning process and one poor rubber tree plant that just can't seem to catch a break - are doing great and making my house feel so much more cozy!

I also got the kick in the ass from a friend (the same one who gave me the treadmill, girl is amazing) to start an original project that I'm really excited about. I'm writing a graphic novel style comic. 😁

It's a long, LONG way from ready to share. But my prologue script is done, and I've connected with a comic artist who I've been working with to illustrate the pages. Once those are done and I've got enough of the main script drafted up, I'll be looking into getting the prologue posted / hosted, as well as a Patreon running to help finance the development of the main story. I don't want to give anything away about the plot just yet, but I will say I want to get this right. Hence the possibility of a Patreon to help fund hiring on several sensitivity readers as well as hopefully bumping up the hours I can afford to pay my illustrator to work.

So yeah - that story is my main priority and focus right now. I want to see this done and completed, because I genuinely think people will like the story I have floating around in my head and the idea of finally being able to turn writing - something I've been passionate about for as long as I remember - into more than a hobby would be AMAZING.

But that being said, I will always have love for Revka and Zevran. Their ship is what pushed me back into writing after a years long dry spell, and I want to give them their due. Not to mention I miss the idiots. ♥️

So that's it! I'll be poking away at their fics as I have time, but want to make it clear their stories will have to stay as something I do as I have spare time and energy. I most likely won't be able to do a lot of meme style writing or prompts - at least for the time being. But I'm excited and happy to be here to gush about my favorite fictional husband and share my love for whatever random fancies pop into my life with you all, and to continue seeing your lovely digital faces on my dash.

I can't wait to share my writing with you all again, and to eventually let you be some of the first folks who can check out my comic!

#personal stuff #real life shenanigans

[novelmonger]

imaginary brother idea

This is a story idea I'd love to turn into a visual novel someday, and I hope to work in collaboration with my sister to make that happen eventually (she would do the programming and artwork, I would do the writing and maybe help with finding music/sound effects).

I don't have a solid grasp of the plot yet, just a basic premise. The main character is a ten-year-old boy named David who lives with his mom, who has to work long hours to support them. David is something of a loner and doesn't really have any friends, but he does have an older brother named Jonathan, who is fourteen and David's best friend. Jonathan is basically the ideal older brother - he's smart, fun, cool, always seems to know what to do or what to say, and never complains about having to spend time with his kid brother. He genuinely likes hanging out with David, and David looks up to him so much.

There's just one catch: Jonathan is imaginary.

Excerpt below the cut (from a thing I wrote in a burst of inspiration before we got the idea to make this a visual novel).

“What are you talking about?” Jonathan got to his feet and headed for the door. “You have to have supper.”

“No. I'm fat enough already.”

Complete silence fell over the room. Jonathan stood frozen, his hand on the doorknob. Slowly, he turned back to face David. His expression was inscrutable in the dim light. “What did you say?”

David felt tears welling up, burning at the backs of his eyes, and he quickly rolled over to face the wall again. “You heard me,” he whispered.

“Who told you that?” Jonathan's voice was hard. “David, who said that to you?”

David shrugged. “Nobody has to say. Isn't it obvious already? I'm just a...a fat...l-lazy...pathetic....”

The mattress sagged with Jonathan's weight again. This time, he sat right next to the pillow, and David wondered if he could see the tears beginning to leak out again. He wondered if he was going to give him another hug, or rub his back like Mom probably would in such a situation.

To his surprise, Jonathan did neither. Instead, he grabbed David's chin and turned his head a little roughly to face him. “Hey—listen to me, dude. Don't let anybody get away with talking to you like that. Especially not yourself. Hear me?”

David wrenched out of Jonathan's grip, turning his head away again in shame. “Easy for you to say,” he muttered. “You're strong...fast...good at everything.... You don't get picked on every day. You don't...prove how...how uncool you are...every d-day....”

Jonathan snorted. “So just because I don't have to try as hard, that means I'm better than you? Sheesh, you've got a lot to learn about this life if you think that's how it works.”

David peeked over his shoulder at Jonathan, too confused for the moment to continue feeling sorry for himself.

Jonathan was nothing but a silhouette against the orange light streaming in through the window. “So you wanna be cool, huh? Well, why the heck are you listening to those bozos who talk to you like that, then? Why do you want their approval anyway? Sounds to me like all they do is put people down to make themselves feel better. That doesn't sound like a cool person to me. Just sounds like a loser.”

Slowly, David rolled over to a more comfortable position to watch Jonathan's silhouette. “You think so?”

“Hey, I can prove they don't know what they're talking about. Remember Lord of the Rings?”

David nodded. Jonathan had read it to him last year, and then they'd borrowed the movies from the library. He'd watched them over and over until they had to go back. Maybe they should check them out again....

“Okay. Then think about Samwise Gamgee. He's a chubby little Hobbit. A gardener. Not a graceful Elf like Legolas, not a cool sword-wielding warrior like Aragorn. He doesn't have magic like Gandalf. But you know what? If it wasn't for him, the Ring would never have made it to Mordor. Some people say he's the true hero of the story. And did he ever stop to say, 'Oh well, I'm fat, guess I'll give up now'?”

Despite himself, David giggled at the thought. Already, his heart felt lighter. Somehow, Jonathan always seemed able to make anything bearable. He swiped his hand across his eyes again. “So...are you saying that...I'm not fat?”

Jonathan shrugged. “I'm saying, who cares if you're fat or not? Some lame guys at school think you're fat? So what? That's like the oldest insult in the book. Just goes to show you've got more creativity in your little toe than they could ever hope to have.” He could hear a wry smile in Jonathan's voice. “Of all people, I should know that.”

Smiling, David sat up. “Okay. Pot roast?”

With a laugh, Jonathan ruffled his hair. “Sure, pal. Pot roast.”

David beamed. He loved it when Jonathan called him pal. More than anything else Jonathan had said, that was what convinced him: He was cool. He was cool to Jonathan, and that was the only opinion that truly mattered in the end.

WIP ask game

#ask and you shall receive #x-i-l-verify #ask games #wip games #imaginary brothers #(which really needs a real title so i don't give away the secret right away XD) #tw: fat shaming #fun fact: originally the younger brother was going to be jonathan and the imaginary one was going to be david #(the characters would be the same just their names would be switched) #but i really think this suits them better #and yes i intentionally chose those names for their biblical significance and i hope that will be obvious to my readers

[armatization-a]

“And this took you how long-?”

A simple question, yet carried with obvious awe to its tone, left the ethereal bard as his gaze fell unto genuine art. Emblem Forwin just couldn’t look away from Princess Hortensia’s portrait, taking in every last bit of almost uncannily lifelike detail… He could barely believe that Rosado’s sketch hardly took more than a couple of minutes!

Hey, game recognises game, and from one artist to another? He was amazed! No good talent should go without praise.

“That is remarkable, Rosado! You’ve captured the likeness of Her Highness wonderfully. I wouldn’t be surprised if some nobles would try to commission you for the same…”

"It's only a quick sketch, but I think it helps that I spend a lot of time with Hortensia," Rosado said. He looked down at the painting fondly. He loved her in a way that could not be explained, simply that he did love her.

He giggled at Forwin's words. "Well, thank you! It's so nice to have someone around who gets art." It was a different style - music versus drawing - but it was art all the same. It was different to compliments about how pretty it was, even though he loved those too. It was just different, not bad.

"She's gorgeous, isn't she?" Both the painting and the girl. "But I don't know if I'd want to make a living out of painting. I just paint because I want to show the world its own beauty. Thanks to travelling with everyone else, we get to see so much beauty. That's all I want to capture."

And, if he was honest, he was looking forward to an 'easy' life as Hortensia's retainer. Wealth didn't interest him much, not so long as he was surrounded by people he loved.

"Did you ever work on commission? I bet plenty of people paid you to write songs about them, right?"

#↻┊ ROSADO ( in character. ) #galeforged #art bros being bros!!!

[memes-saved-me]

I Think We're Alone Now...(Spideypool AU)

AO3

A little something commissioned by @withoneheadlight for Harringrove For Ukraine, thank you for donating!! 🖤 (And making me finally write this)

It really was becoming ridiculous how much Billy thought about him. What he said the last time they met, how he moved so effortlessly like he didn't weigh a thing, how gentle his hands were when touching him just after punching someone in the face, but most importantly his voice. It was all he had that was well and truly him. The real name, the face of Spiderman a mystery and it was beginning to drive Billy insane.

He imagined that he lived in some high-end apartment that overlooked Central Park, living it up and jumping into action the moment he was needed. A much more luxurious life compared to his own. Sure he had enough money to survive quite nicely but after deciding to only kill people who deserved it the bills started to pile up and what was once a nice place to live became a shoebox apartment that looked out to an alleyway. Billy didn't go out into the public much, his suit being his everyday outfit unless he was meeting his one and only friend Robin who knew exactly who he was and what he did.

She didn't even notice the burn scars now, too busy rolling her eyes at whatever weird comment he made that she didn't understand to care. Spiderman, however, was probably handsome. That's what Billy liked to think late at night, or midday... Still, he knew he didn't look anything like him, no secret hiding behind his mask other than his identity. Something Billy tried to figure out many times before feeling guilty and stopping before he got too close. The need to know didn't outweigh the code he lived by, even if it was pretty much the only one he followed.

That was until he found himself on the rooftop overlooking Central Park with a very injured Spiderman and no way of getting him down other than jumping and breaking his own legs to cushion the fall. An option he would go through with but first, he wanted to make sure he wasn't going to bleed out.

"I'm fine," he waved Billy off as he limped over to slump down against an air vent. "Had worse."

"Rude," Billy replied which got him a huff, followed by a wince.

"Just give me a moment."

Billy did want to give him a moment but also he needed to see his wounds to calm his own nerves, his injuries healed already but he would need to spend Sunday stitching up his suit.

He sighed and crouched down before him to get a better look at the slashes across his chest. "You gonna flash me or what?"

"What do you know about first aid?"

"I was human once, Bug Boy."

There was a moment of silence, no way of reading the other's expression. "Fine. Unlatch my neck."

"Is that a spider thing or...?"

"I swear if you don't..."

Billy lifted his hands jokingly before leaning forward to unlatch the top of his zip to let it run down his back so he could pull his arms out and let it sit around his waist, his blood-covered torso in full view. It took Billy a moment to remember he was supposed to be checking his wounds not staring at his chest hair and abs, tight toned and right there.

"Hey," he snapped and clicked his finger in his face. "You not regenerate some brain cells?"

"You're just jealous," he replied and carefully wiped away the blood with his kind of clean handkerchief.

"You say that a lot."

"What?"

"That you used to be human."

"Well, yeah but that's a long story," Billy shrugged trying to concentrate on the job at hand instead of letting his hand shake. "Nothing exciting."

"Will you tell me it some time?" he asked.

Billy looked up and even though he couldn't see it he knew he was being genuine. "Sure."

"I'd say you're a human but with a little extra something," Spiderman laughed softly and for the first time in a long time Billy didn't feel like some sort of monster among men. "You used to do some messed up stuff but you still help people and that makes you a human in my books."

"Thanks," he chuckled lightly. "Apart from the fact I can't die."

Which was another thing that got to him. Billy knew that Spiderman wasn't immortal or at the least eternal like he hoped the person he would fall for would be. None of the actual immortals he knew being an interest, leading to him shutting himself off to avoid the pain. Like some sort of ancient vampire who lost their soulmate in the 17th century and vowed to never love again, a thought he found funny at times but then again there he was obsessed with someone he didn't even know the real name of.

That was until he felt a hand on his cheek and looked to see his hand. Which was slowly tracing his jaw, smooth brushes of his thumb over his mask as he looked up at him. "I always hope you're gonna turn up to big fights like this," he spoke so softly Billy felt his throat dry up and his heart stumble over itself to correct its beat.

But just before he could say anything smart or funny in return he almost choked because he was watching Spiderman pull up his mask to reveal the bottom half of his face which revealed a smile. One that was beyond his most creative dreams. Teeth showing ever so slightly but the warmth that spread through his stomach as he stared at it was something he had not expected at all. Realistically he had wanted to fuck Spiderman but now he wanted to cuddle him...after sex of course but still, he could feel himself falling headfirst right there and then.

They were so soft, so kissable but just as he fooled himself into thinking that was what he wanted he remembered his own face. The pink, scarred mess he hid so well and before he could really think it through he was pulling away.

"Shit," he breathed as Billy stood up to get a grip and find a way to charm his way out of this. "Sorry I completely read the room wrong. I just...I probably hit my head a few too many times or something. Shit yeah. Sorry."

"No," Billy replied looking the other way out at the flashing lights of the police who turned up just as they were leaving after finishing their job for them. "You're right...it's just me."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not what you think I am," he turned back and kneeled before him once again. "Under this mask is a mess."

"I don't care," he smiled tenderly and all of a sudden he wasn't scared to pull his mask up so that it was sitting on his nose, his smile only growing until he leaned forward with a slight wince to cup his cheek with his free hand. The other on his own side in some sort of instinctual action to diminish his pain.

Billy went for it, leaning in, meeting him in the middle to kiss him. His own hands moved to caress his neck as he took in the taste of sweat and blood, something that turned him on too much for it to be normal but nothing about this was normal or appropriate in the slightest so he forgot about all of that. Forgot about the fact he was an immortal ex-assassin kissing a man who had spiderlike abilities and fell into his touch like it was the first time he had ever felt loved.

Soon enough they had moved closer, not a word or even a full breath exchanged as their bodies became flush against one another. Both of them pulling off their masks without letting go until Billy moved to slide his hand down his back and grab his ass to tease him, causing him to wince from his own jolted reaction to the sudden touch.

Billy pulled away, guilt rushing through him which was rare but when he looked up from the sliced chest of the boy who made him forget just how messed up his life was, he saw the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Deep brown, big and looking right into his own as they finally took in each other's faces.

"Wow," Billy breathed as he realised he was well and truly fucked.

#this will probably get a part 2 #or another oneshot #Harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #edit #writing #fic