#his route was written so well but at what cost

[last-laments]

Finally played Doppelganger last night and hey... I didn't expect The Showman to hurt me so bad

#doppelganger #holostars tempus #gb #hls #what the FUCK betsy #his route was written so well but at what cost #flayon's was too and it was Very him tbh #i played the whole game but i wanna play it again

[fuckyeahizzyhands]

COLLIDER: I'm so glad that we finally got the chance to touch base about the show.

CON O’NEILL: Yeah. It's been really uncomfortable not being able to talk about it.

COLLIDER: Izzy, as a character, really goes on a beautiful, poignant journey this season. In the beginning, Ed is Blackbeard and back to the old lifestyle of raiding and pillaging ships, but it feels like something's off. Izzy has what he wanted back, but at what cost? What was your take on that — reverting to the way that things used to be, but, obviously, there's been a shift, and things aren't quite the same?

O’NEILL: It goes back to how it used to be, but Ed’s broken, and that's the difference. Before Stede appeared, Izzy and Blackbeard worked as a unit really, really well because they were both on the same page. When Stede breaks Blackbeard's heart, Izzy and Blackbeard aren't on the same page. Basically, Izzy’s looking at a man that he loves falling apart, and all the joy is gone — not just from Blackbeard, but from piracy. He can see Ed's decline, he can see the decline in his crew, which is fundamentally really, really the most important thing to him. He can feel his own heart breaking, because he's seeing the devastating impact of his actions. So, it's a pretty bleak start to a season, but we do have fabulous make-up.

COLLIDER: It does feel bleak, especially for Izzy at times, who goes through the amputation and has to adjust to a new normal of not being able to get around the way that he used to. But it's also an opportunity to see the changing dynamic with the crew. I was really touched by the moment when they built [Izzy] a new leg. It's moving on an emotional level, but it's also proof of how far this group has come. Was it nicer to be able to play those moments of camaraderie instead of being at odds all the time?

O’NEILL: What's interesting, though, is the love for Izzy to his crew and the crew to Izzy, it's always been there. It's just not being presented in this way. The giving of the leg, I believe, is the first time in his life where he's actually had an emotional connection that he wasn't able to control. That act of kindness overwhelms it. But he's still a pirate, and the leg ultimately allows him to be a pirate again. He does change his attitude towards his crew after the new leg and after the unicorn statement, but it's also about how to navigate the new crew as the first mate. And that's the beauty of what David's written. It's not suddenly he's this new guy. He's still a bit of a dick, but he's their dick, as Vico says.

It's a beautiful human version of the story that could have been really sentimental, and I don't think we go there. He doesn't suddenly become everyone's mate. That was never going to happen. That would have been dishonest. But he just has a need for them more because he's not as physically able as he used to be, and with that comes an understanding of them. The way he deals with Lucius is very specific in that he can't give Lucius love and understanding without calling him a twat — because that's who Izzy is, but he does give him love and understanding — and that's down to David and David's choices. Remember, this is a comedy. He's done all this in a comedy. That's really profound that we're going on these routes of human stories in what is essentially a comedy.

COLLIDER: One that really stuck out to me was Izzy singing in the “Calypso's Birthday” episode, especially because it plays as a backdrop to some pretty significant moments. I wanted to ask you about the preparation process behind performing that song. Did you have to record it and also do it live on-set?

O’NEILL: I got an email from David a third of the way through the shoot asking me if I knew “La vie en rose,” which, of course, I knew, but only as I'd heard it. I was actually in Wellington filming a different show because I did a different show for a week, and I just got this message. We were just gonna sing the English version because we didn't have the rights to the French version, and I don't speak any French at all. Nothing. Zilch. And then I got the phone call. Would I be able to learn it in French? So I did. I called a lot of people, and a lot of people who say they speak French don't. But my partner does, and I have a friend who just played Piaf. So, between the two of them, they gave me an understanding of the French.

We recorded both versions, and I lip-synced to the English version first before the scene with Ned. I thought we were just gonna do a little bit of the French version for the end of the episode. I had no understanding that it was gonna play out the episode. I’m thrilled that it does, but it was terrifying. Every minute of that, from the recording of it to the lip-syncing it to the filming it, was terrifying. I haven't sung in public for 20 years. But it felt right, and it felt like the absolute right choice of song. It felt like the absolute right choice of language. I didn't want him to be too French, I just wanted him to be able to because Izzy speaks bits of every language, as most pirates would. I thought it was audacious. I thought it was moving. I thought, again, it shied away from sentimental. And I’m just in awe of how David's brain works. If you would have asked me prior to doing it which song Izzy would sing, I'd never have thought “La vie en rose,” and now I can't think of a song that's more appropriate for Izzy.

COLLIDER: I talked to David, as well, about the scene of Izzy talking about piracy in the finale, and he said it's kind of like Izzy giving his own eulogy, in a way, before what happens next. That scene where Taika is holding you feels significant for the show — not just in terms of the weight and impact, but because so much of the cast is there, and it really feels like a moment of family getting to be together. Even if it's mostly an exchange between Izzy and Ed, everyone's there to send him off. I would love to hear about the experience of filming that on the day.

O’NEILL: David sent me the scene a few weeks prior, and the date was set to film it, which was gonna be in the last week of filming. It was early on in the last week, and then it was in the middle of the last week, and then it was scheduled for the morning of the last day. Then, suddenly, it became the last thing we were gonna ever film in Season 2.

Those things aren't easy. They're quite difficult because no matter how you think about it in your head, it's not gonna play that way. We were on a set, we were on the ship, there were hundreds of crew, there was the whole cast, they were setting up the shot. It was busy. David, bless him, played a playlist to help us all get in the mood, but it's just a cacophony of noise and busyness, and we’re getting towards the end of the day.

Suddenly, it was just me and Taika. Suddenly, all the noise disappeared, and suddenly, all the process of filming a scene disappeared, and it was just me and him. And Taika is a wonderful actor. Everyone talks about his writing and his directing, and this and that. Taika is a beautiful actor to play opposite. And in that moment, we just got to say goodbye to a character that we both loved. You never get a death scene that's going to get all those boxes, but for me, it was never about what Izzy said. It was about Izzy being vulnerable enough and brave enough to say, “Sit with me.” It was about Izzy being allowed to be held in the last moments of his life. That's all I remember about the day. I’m very proud of it.

COLLIDER: I just want to say thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me about the show. It's been great to finally get to reconnect with the cast and to really get to talk about Season 2.

O’NEILL: Oh, it’s my pleasure. It’s my pleasure.

COLLIDER: I’ve enjoyed your performance so much these last two seasons, and who knows? Maybe we'll see Izzy's ghost pop up in Season 3.

O’NEILL: Who knows?

COLLIDER: You can't predict anything with this show.

O’NEILL: No, none of us can, and none of us know. Literally, we are all in the dark, all of us, David included. None of us knows what's gonna happen. David always wanted three seasons, and I think this story should be allowed to run its course. I would say that because I'm involved, but even if Izzy isn't involved in Season 3, I would be heartbroken for the show if it didn’t get to conclude, because it's an important show.

#our flag means death spoilers #our flag means death #ofmd #con o'neill #izzy #izzy hands #con interview #interview #2ep8 #ofmd spoilers #season 3

[stonedporcupine]

Past Due

💚 First Lin Beifong x reader fic y'all !!! 🧡

Slow burn! ❤️‍🔥

All reviews and comments are appreciated;

Will eventually add on Ao3;

Warnings: Violence, little blood.

Chapter 1 Ch 2 - p.1 Ch 2 - p.2 Ch 2 - p. 3 Ch 2 - Part 4 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Y/N´s PoV

Ahhh, Republic City, first time I moved in here about 1 year ago I had a blast. I felt it was about time I got myself away from that hell hole I was supposed to call home…but we don’t talk about that. “Bills are catching up to me…and I´ve got nowhere to run.” I mumble beneath my breath, as I hold a bunch of letters on my hand. The large, thick, red letters with a prominent “Past Due” and “Final Demand” written on each one of them. I feel the unpleasant weight on the pit of my stomach and swallow dryly, shoving the letters aside with a loud exhale. Who knew it cost so much to make it to detective?! I mean, sure hands down it’s the fucking capital city of the United Republic Nations AND one of the largest and most modern cities in the world but Tui and La…ease on the prices!

I look up at the old clock, on the small entry hall of my apartment. “Fuck fuck, shit shit shit!!” I gasp, I am so going to be late to practice. I grab my black jacket, with the fire nation insignia on its back, and my dark matte helmet as I run out the door, down the old elevator, towards the garage. The loud and stressful squeaking of the elevator only heightens my already high cortisol levels. I swear to Raava, one day this shit is going to break down and take the building down with it! Once the old, loud, rusty metal doors of the elevator open I barge right out heading for my perfectly parked satocycle on its assigned place. A gift from Asami and Mr Sato for my hard work for the company. Shoving the helmet in my head, part of my dark messy curled hair hangs out on the bottom. I speed out of the garage, the bike taking off the ground slightly as I go over the bump on the entrance of the parking space, joining the satomobiles on the road with a loud squeak from the wheels of the bike, as I drift to the right.

I can´t be late again! Officer Wang will kill me and probably pull me out of the program, which is a big ass no no. I haven’t come this far just to fuck things up all over again.

Chief Beifong´s PoV

“Officer Song, didn´t I JUST tell you to take the route to Northern Avenue?!” I grumble between gritted teeth at the officer who´s driving. Guess I know who´s driving next time. I mean how much of an imbecile do you have to be to not follow simple orders?! Orders I JUST GAVE!!?? I look at the terrified officer, gripping the wheel of the satomobile as he mumbles and gags on his words. “I- uh- Ch-Chief I just I- I´m sorry I wasn´t paying attention.” He swallows. I remain unimpressed with the attempt of a shitty excuse that was made. “Well focus and listen. You´re not getting paid to sit around, mouth agape listening to the spirits.” I groan loudly at him.

Fear in his eyes officer Song nods his head up and down quickly and practically yells “Yes Chief!”. Just as I was about to tell him to tone it down the loud screech of wheels catches me off guard. Just as I look to my side, a black satocycle with a few red highlights speeds right past us. What the flame-o was that?! Swiftly making its way past traffic the motorcycle speeds away. “Officer Song, catch up to that satocycle, now!!” I practically scream at the officer as he presses the clutch, changes to 4th and speeds up.

Y/N´s PoV

Did I just fucking see what my eyes saw. Did I just speed through a police patrol satomobile?! The loud sirens catching up behind me answer my fears. Well, that´s it. I´m officially fucked. I´m done for life. I´m left with two choices, obey, pull over, pray it´s not the fucking Chief of Police, flirt my way out of this and definitely arrive late for class…or drop it, speed off like a demon, hopefully not get caught or die on the way and…still arrive a little late to class. I groan as my head drops in defeat.

I´m so done with my life.

I signal to the right as I slow down, pulling over. The blaring sirens emitting a last Woop before silencing, as the satomobile pulls right behind me. I turn the motor of the bike off, getting off and standing up, as I hear the doors of the car shutting behind me before a deep female voice sends a shiver down my spine. No, it can´t be. You can´t be serious right now. My eyes wide in fear as I slowly turn around to be met with the most beautiful yet lethal jade eyes I´d ever seen my entire life. Damn, hearing her voice back in headquarters from far away was already…something, but seeing her up close?! Not even The Avatar ,wherever they're at, can save me from this one. It´s the first time I get to see the Chief of Police personally. Sure I´m in the Detective´s Program but we rarely stay in the headquarters where she seemingly lives at. I am snapped back from my thoughts when her striking voice booms through my eardrums. Wait, was she talking? Shit I didn’t hear anything…

“I am talking to you. Take off your helmet, now! I asked you a question, better start speaking.” she says. I didn’t even realise my helmet was still on. I carefully take it off, still in shock at seeing THE Chief Lin Beifong in front of me. My messy, dark hair falls to my shoulders. The, once bright, blood red highlights shining on the sun. “I- uh” I try to speak but nothing comes out. My mouth feels dry, as I lick my lips. I look at the other officer behind her, he seems to be putting a strong façade, but I can see the nervousness behind his eyes. “Don’t stare at my officer! I asked you a question.”

Chief Beifong´s PoV

Oh for fuck sake, she´s slow…is she go- why is her hair painted? It´s not exactly unlikable. I think I´ve seen her, but I can´t recall where from. Why am I staring? WHY IS SHE STARING? “Don’t stare at my officer! I asked you a question.” Her mouth agape, my already visible frown deepens. She has three seconds to answer. 1…2..- “I- uh I´m sorry ma´am- uh Chief. Sorry, could you repeat the question? The uh…helmet was- I don’t think I heard.” I groan rather loudly as I exhale. I clench my jaw, as I breath in. “I asked. Do. You. Know how fast you were going?” I speak slowly and clearly as I cross my arms.

Y/N´s PoV

Spirits…and I thought I was stressed, this woman is going to explode! “I asked. Do. You. Know how fast you were going?” I hear her say loud and clear. So that´s the Beifong scowl people talk about. It´s cute. A little unnerving for those who can´t handle it. “Uh…not fast enough clearly!” I joke to get some tension off the air, but as I look at the Officer behind her, I only see his eyes widen beyond possible. I look back at the Chief and if looks could kill… “Is this a joke to you?! Is endangering other citizens lives a hobby for your entertainment? Clearly you seem to be asking for your license to be revoked.” Her stern voice makes straighten my back. It´s not that I´m afraid of her, but if I want my way out of this I might as well show some class. I clear my throat as I say “I apologize Chief, that was never my intention. I am pretty secure on my driving skills, and I am fully aware of the dangerous action I was doing. In my defence I am in a huge hurry. I´m in the Detective´s Program and I´m just trying to not get kicked out of there, this is my last chance…” I mumble that last part as I rub the back of my neck. Fuck it´s weird to be so verbally polite. I look back up at her to see what kind of reaction I got off of her only to be met with the exact same Beifong scowl as before. Well, that was worth shit. Her gaze is penetrating mine, almost as if she´s analysing me.

Chief Beifong´s PoV

That´s where I know her from. She´s in the Detective´s Program and sometimes wonders in the headquarters, she must be the firebender that Officer Wang told me. What was her name? Just as I am about to ask her, I am interrupted by the blaring sound coming off my radio. “Chief, come in. Over.” I groan in annoyance. Spirits, when do I ever catch a break? “I´m busy, what is it?” my stern and strong voice talks back to the radio. “Chief, we´ve got a Triple Threat Triad attack going on, over at the Eastern Market. We need your assistance. Over.” I look back at the young cadet with a scowl as she smiles back at me. Ugh, why is she smiling?

Y/N´s PoV

I just might make it out of here. I look at the Chief with a smile on my face as she stares back at me, the same Beifong scowl on her face but this time thicker, more prominent. I hear her exhale. “I catch you driving that thing over the speed one more time and I revoke your license and you better not drive it on my watch if you ever make it to detective, which hopefully, you won´t!” I hear her yell at me. Before I can even say anything back, she turns back around heading for the police satomobile. Well, isn´t she charming? Hot…and charming. “Song, move it! I drive.” I hear her yell at the officer. Poor guy, spirits. Though he is lucky he gets to be by her side. Hm, maybe I´ll be lucky enough for that once I´m a detective, which I want more than anything now that she seemed so annoyed by it. I smirk to myself as I think how it would be like to be next to this very angry yet stunning woman all day. Pushing her buttons does seem fun.

I put my helmet back on as I drive away towards the officers’ training site. I do my best to keep the speed on limit but as I look at the time on the satocycle I almost pass out. I am already 10 minutes late. FUCK. I groan loudly as I check my surroundings for any secret police satomobiles as I speed away. The faster I get there, the faster this is all over.

.- Later during practice -.

Y/N´s PoV

Fuck, I´m beat. Wang sure is getting his revenge for my late arrival. We are not many in the Detective´s Training Program and we´ll be even less given there are only two spots available. The majority of the class is all earthbenders, me being the only firebender. Which should make me feel perhaps uneasy or maybe a little scared, but honestly it just makes me feel like a total badass. I mean, hear me out, the only firebender in the troop and I get one of the Detective spots?! How crazy would that be? I´m quickly pulled from my thoughts when I hear that annoying voice once again. “So, Y/L/N, seems like you can give up already and give me my position as Detective.” The man says with a pleased smug on his face. “Why don’t you go bother someone else, Kang?” I groan annoyed as I take a sip from my water. “I´m just saying, as the only firebender you should at least make an effort to arrive in time don’t you think?” He scoffs loudly. I ignore his little stunts as I smirk to myself. “And you should make an effort on brushing your teeth. You got a little something there.” I scoff as I point to my own teeth with a disgusted face. I can visibly see him get red as a smirk makes its way on my lips.

“What´s going on over here? Y/L/N, Kang break is over. Get over here you two.” I hear Officer Wang´s voice yell from the other side of the field. Over? Spirits, I didn’t even have time to piss! I groan as I look at Kang´s smug little face. “Quit your whining and come prove your worth, princess.” I hear him chuckle. Did this cunt just call me, princess?! Now he better pray to Raava I won´t kill him. My blood boiling at the nickname I groan angrily. I have nothing to prove to you, cunt.

“Alright cadets, Y/L/N and Kang you two seemed to be having a nice chat back there. Get sparring, the others watch.” Wang´s voice echoes through the dusty field as I walk towards the centre, Kang right in front of me with that smug still plastered on his face. I scoff to myself.

I am going to wipe the fucking floor with you.

Once I see Officer Wang´s hand signal us to begin Kang wastes no time and throws a large piece of boulder at me, I swiftly avoid it, turning my body sideways and leaning slightly backwards. Just as quick as that boulder came at me I 360º my body, lowering myself to the dusty floor my right leg pushes forwards as a small wave of fire strikes all the dust away and forces Kang backwards. Before he can react, I get back up and briskly uppercut him in the jaw getting a loud grunt from him. How ´ s that for a princess? I don’t let my guard down knowing this isn´t over until Officer Wang decides. My arms close to my ribs and fists closed tightly near my face I watch Kang´s movements attentively, guessing his next move as he cracks his neck and smugly says “That all you got?” I roll my eyes as I stare at him through my eyebrows. Kang´s right leg rises and hits the ground, making it shake in an attempt to shake me off my feet. I use my fire propulsion to elevate myself from the ground slightly to lower the impact, flying over him and landing on the ground behind him. Before he has even time to acknowledge where I went, I lower kick his leg, spinning my body after the hit to gain power and land a higher kick to his arm which was protecting his ribs. I hear him grunt and groan in discomfort and anger as he throws a punch to my face. I quickly dodge downwards, pulling the same first move by pushing my leg outwards and kicking Kang´s body to the ground. He hits the ground with a loud thud, dust setting in the air around us, I look over at Office Wang to know if it was over yet, but Kang takes my short distraction as a chance. His body still on the floor, he raises his arm and the piece of boulder I was standing on goes flying with me in it. Throwing me through the air and across the field as I land on the ground, rolling over due to the speed I was thrown, getting a few scratches and dirt all over me. I breath loudly as the dust covers my sight, relying on my hearing I hear the rumbling sound of the earth beneath me as I look ahead and see a wave coming from the ground. I barely have time to react, my eyes widening, as I dodge to the right but not fast enough. My left shoulder caught on the edge of the rock-wave as I stumble backwards. I don’t fall, my feet sliding backwards with the dust as I grip my shoulder and wince in pain. Fuck! This bastard almost dislocated my shoulder. I sway my arms in the air and push them outwards as a thin wave of flames pushes the dust away, finally allowing me to see Kang. Does he ever stop smirking? I run towards him as he sends two fat boulders my way, I lower myself, dragging my body through the ground as I avoid the boulders. I get back up quickly and jump, using my fire propulsion to help me gain height. I see Kang´s eyes widen as I stretch my leg down, my foot coming at high speed in contact with his face. He barely has time to register what happened before his body jerks downwards with the force of the hit. Faceplanting on the floor with a loud thud and grunt he stays there, the dust on the ground escaping sideways from us. “Who´s the princess now Kang?” I whisper smugly on his ear as I stand up and hear Officer Wang´s annoyed voice “Alright that´s enough of it. Get here you two.” Is he mad that Kang didn’t beat my ass? Why is it that nobody wants me to succeed?! “You fucking bitch…” I hear Kang grunt between gritted teeth as he gets up. I smirk proudly to myself, “What´s wrong? Hurts much?”. I hear Kang scoff loudly, “Barely feel it.”, pfff yeah right.

We walk backwards towards Officer Wang and the rest of the trainees. “Alright, as you know our program is coming to an end. We have two detective positions open and there are ten of you. Being Detective is no easy job, that is why there is a final exam in five days. Me and Chief Beifong will be deciding on who gets the job positions and who goes out.” No. Fucking. Way. Now I know for sure I won´t make it to Detective! Beifong and I were already off to a bad start this morning! She said it herself; she doesn’t want me to make it to Detective! “…Final Exam will be set in two parts. In the morning you will have the written exam, to make sure you actually listened to what was taught these past few months, and, in the afternoon, it will be a competitive sparring. Just like Kang and Y/L/N did, except the first one to fall is automatically disqualified.” Written exam? What is this, fucking high school?! Ugh, I better not be paired with Kang. “That´s it for today cadets, see you tomorrow at 9am sharp.” Officer Wang glances at me sideways as I mouth a ´sorry` silently. “Y/L/N, hit the showers in the headquarters, your shoulder is bleeding.” Officer Wang says with a hint of despise on his tone. Spirits, sorry I´m not made of fucking metal. I didn’t even notice I was bleeding. I look at my shoulder and notice the few reddened scratches and a small trickle of blood coming out. I hear Kang snicker next to me. The fuck are you smirking about? “Your nose also looks like shit Kang, but I guess a shower can´t fix that for you.” I smirk as I grab my towel, shoving it over my shoulder and heading back inside the headquarters before he can say anything.

My body is covered in dust and sweat; my defined muscular arms filled with small little scratches from rolling on the ground. My once black tank top also covered in a light brownish dusty substance. Gosh do I need a shower…My body is killing me. I pass through the Officer I saw with the Chief in the morning. Shit, she´s probably close by. I rush my way to the showers as to avoid her. It´s not that I don’t want to see her. Spirits know how much I´d pay to see those penetrating jade eyes of hers. But I don’t want her to see me while I look like shit…and probably smell like one too.

Chief Beifong´s PoV

As I am filing down some more reports and going over them, I hear grunts and noises from outside. Annoyed at the disturbance I get up from my chair with a sigh as I look over the window. Must be Wang training the cadets. Seeing the training field, I stare at one of the male cadets throwing boulders and another one dodging them out. Trying to figure who the other one is, I squint my eyes. The amount of dust surrounding them makes it hard, but the worn-out red highlights and the distinctive fire coming from the body allows me to figure out who it is already. It´s that speeding satocycle cadet I caught this morning. I observe them as I see the male cadet shake the ground, a wave heading towards her. But there´s too much dust for her to see anything at all. Fuck even I am struggling to keep up with what is going on. She dodges it but seemingly not totally. “That’s a nasty hit…” I mumble to myself. But she does seem to handle it…quite nicely I must say. Spirits, I´m staring again. I shake my head and groan in annoyance but am quickly distracted by the fire coming off her feet. Fire propulsion, that’s useful. I stare as she lands a powerful hit on the male cadets’ face. That´s going to leave a mark. I guess…she´s not that…bad. Whatever. If she´s to make it to Detective she´s supposed to be, at least, useful. I turn away and decide to head downstairs to check how Song is getting along with the other files. He´s not in the Detective´s Program, but he has some…potential, I cannot deny that.

“Officer Song, how are those files coming along?” I see him tremble underneath his armour. “Uh- well, Chief. It seems that the Triple Threat Triads crimes are lowering in amount…” I scoff. Sure, but they are not getting any easier to deal with. Song continues talking but I barely catch what he is saying as I look over his shoulder and notice the firebender cadet. She´s all dirty. Bunch of scratches in her shoulder too…bummer. She can deal with it. I think to myself, but yet, I can´t seem to find an explanation as to why I feel so drawn towards her. I shake these thoughts away and refocus on Officer Song. “…So, I guess that is pretty good right, Chief?” What´s pretty good? Shit, I didn’t hear. “Uhm yes, yes, it is. Now, get back to work Officer.” I clear my throat as I make my way back to my office. Sitting down on my chair I exhale, looking up at the pile of files and papers to read and fill in. Spirits I´m exhausted. I get started against my will. It´s going to be a long night, I might as well get it over with. After some time of insufferable writing, scribbling, and scratching I hear a knock on the door. I look up from the papers as I catch a glimpse of the clock and then stare at the door. It´s 10pm who the fuck is still in here?

“Uh, Chief, can I come in?" Is that- What is she doing here?

#lin beifong #lin beifong x reader #avatar the last airbender #legend of korra #fanfic

[anonymous-rendezvous]

An Unconventional Relationship

💛 Luca Kaneshiro x GN!Reader

✦ — Written by Mod S 👿. Beta Read and Edited by Mod I ✨.

✧ — Contains: Humor, strangers to friends to ???, & open ended

✦ — Word count: 3.3k+ | Ao3

Based on these prompts - "You're lucky you're cute." "Wait, you think I'm cute?"

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

The sun is just beginning to dip below the horizon as you take your usual route home after work. “Hmm, maybe I should order something for dinner…I don’t feel like cooking, plus I’m pretty sure I still have to do the dishes. Ugh, curse you past me!” You trudged your way down the street, practically sulking as you walked. This was virtually routine for you at this point: getting off work, walking home, debating about dinner, sleeping, repeat. It was a pretty average life, and you accepted it wholeheartedly; the motions and all.

Well, it had been pretty average until a fairly strange encounter happened; the monotonous routine led you to make a very unusual… friend(?) roughly half a year ago. You can still recall the night vividly; the events playing through your mind are more similar to a show than an experience that had happened to you.

You had worked overtime resulting in you leaving work much later than you normally did. The moon was already high in the sky as you attempted to rush home. That was cut short when you were suddenly pulled into an alleyway; a knife pointed right at your neck. Like any sane person, you were about to give the person all your money, until – inches from your face – you see your attacker get punched straight in the jaw. The force sent him tumbling further into the alley. Hardly having the time to process anything, you didn’t notice that the nice stranger had proceeded to pull you away, two people dressed similarly to bodyguards rushing past you towards the mugger.

“Are you okay?” With the moment of calm, you took in your savior’s form. Broad, blonde, a very expensive-looking suit and matching hat that almost hid his lavender eyes from view, and from what few words he spoke; an Australian accent.

“U–um…” You quickly collected yourself, looking down to take a deep breath before thanking the stranger. “Yes, I’m fine. Uhh, thank you for that, by the way. You sure got a punch on you.” Before you can mentally smack yourself for being so awkward, he laughs, causing you ease.

“Well, thanks! I pride myself on my good punches! Oh, but do you need a ride home? Don’t want you to get mugged for a second time tonight. Lots of unsavory characters walking around during this time.”

“Really? Well, sure, a ride would be nice! Although, in exchange, I’d like to know the name of my savior.”

He takes off his hat, and brings it to his chest, letting you see his face without obstruction. “Heh, I can’t give you my full name, but you can just call me Luca, okay?”

You accepted his generous offer, and he did, in fact, drop you off safely. Ever since then, he’d occasionally pull next to you in his very expensive-looking car to check up on you. Hell, sometimes you’d run into him on your later shifts, and every time he’d offer to take you home. In his words, “To make sure you don’t get mugged again, you know?”. Honestly, you have no clue why he cares so much about you. He dresses so expensively, his car looks like it costs more than your entire life’s savings, and he has what you assume are bodyguards. He seemed like someone very important. So why is he constantly coming back to check on your safety?

This question loops back into your brain again as you walk, so much so you don’t even notice the car that pulls next to you. It’s not until the person rolls down their window and calls, “Hey!” that you snap back to reality, head-turning quickly as they stop. You notice there are two people in the car, and they look very similar to the same bodyguards who were with Luca the night he saved you. “Heya, you're the Boss’s friend, right? He wanted us to come pick you up.”

“Pick me up?” You blink in confusion, shuffling closer to the car and leaning toward the window in order to talk clearly. “For what? I don’t remember us making plans or anything…” You rack your forgetful brain for a moment, but nothing comes up. Hell, you’d have probably made a memo on your phone about something like this.

“He made dinner plans so he could talk to you. Said something about feeling bad that he hasn’t had the time to properly talk to you.” The bodyguard has to hold back a laugh at the face you make, waving their gloved hand in front of your face to get your attention again. “He also wanted to make sure we tell you that you don’t have to come if you have prior plans.”

Shaking your head, you respond, “He’s very lucky I don’t have any plans. I’m not gonna turn down a free meal. I’ll meet up with him.” Lowering your voice to a mumble, you speak aloud to yourself, “Lucky too that I had no clue what to eat today…” With your confirmation, you hear the car unlock and, with slight hesitation, you slide into the back seat. As soon as you're all buckled in, they take off.

It’s not long before you realize the car is heading toward an area of the city that you rarely go to. Looking out the window, you watch as the car moves through the richer part of town. Fancy hotels and lights everywhere, you even pass a fountain show going on outside. When the car suddenly stops, your eyes move to the two bodyguards in the front seat, who are already getting out. You scramble to reach for the door, but before you can grab the handle, one of them has already opened the door for you.

“Don’t worry, I got it. My partner here will show you to the Boss. I gotta park the car, then I’ll be in there as well.” You give them a nod as you get out, patting yourself down to look more presentable; and to shake off your embarrassment. Looking up at the restaurant, your jaw almost drops at just the exterior. Suddenly, you feel like you might need more than just a pat down.

Now listen, you've been to some pretty nice places before. However, this part of town is way too expensive for you to even think about coming here too often. So when you take in what you know to be the most expensive restaurant in the city, your nerves start to settle in. You're brought out of your thoughts by the car starting and taking off down the road as the other guard calls to you. “Please, this way. The Boss will be super happy to see you. And don’t worry about being underdressed. I’m sure the Boss doesn’t care.”

Pouting a bit, you begin to follow them. ‘Yeah, but that doesn’t mean the other people won’t think that…’ Preparing yourself for the telltale heat of judging stares, you keep your head down as you follow the guard inside. Eyes only watching the nice red carpet and the backs of the movement of the bodyguard's brown dress shoes – preoccupying your eyes with the stitches in the leather. It’s not long before you arrive in the section where Luca is waiting, only looking up when the guard announces so. “Here we are.” You look up and take in your surroundings, eyes widening at the amount of gold detailing in the room. The lights are warm and dim to give the space a sophisticated yet cozy atmosphere. Something you take in almost immediately is that there is no one else in this section of the restaurant, the only one being the person your gaze falls onto next. As soon as Luca hears his guard talk, he sets his menu down and gives you one of the most infectious smiles that you’ve ever seen. Your lips barely refrained from smiling just as widely, settling on a small polite smile and a wave.

The blonde opens his arms in welcome from his seat, energy radiating from his voice. “I’m so glad you could make it! I was so worried you’d have other plans since this was pretty sudden on my part. Next time, I promise I’ll get your opinion on future hangouts first.” Before he puts his arms down, he beckons you to sit, the chair across from him being pulled open by the bodyguard. “Come, sit. We can order and then finally have a proper conversation.”

You take the invitation, even if you are a bit nervous about what exactly is going on. After you sit and are pushed in, thanking the guard as they make their way to stand behind Luca’s seat. Picking up the menu, you immediately try your best not to physically cringe at the prices. Flipping through the pages, you go all the way back to the appetizers – probably the only thing you can afford on the menu. Luca seems to notice, and he tilts his head, voice laced with confusion.

“Oh, are you not hungry? Hm?”

Looking up at him, you give a nervous smile. “Uhh, well, everything here is pretty out of my usual price range. The only thing here that I can really afford is a soft drink and a small appetizer…” You’re about to wave it off as fine until he puts his hand up, stopping you from continuing.

“Oh! Don’t worry about that. I invited you so I’ll be paying. It’s the least I can do for springing this on you. So order anything, I got it.” He smiles, then looks back down at the menu.

Okay, now you're really suspicious. No one this loaded just… does this. Or if they do, they have a catch. Forcing your expression to remain neutral, you decide you’ll ask when dinner arrives. Even if this is immensely suspicious, he doesn’t seem to have anything malicious planned. Although you haven’t known him long, nothing has really set off immediate red flags in your mind. He’s been super kind and if this is a kidnapping or something, he wouldn’t go through all this trouble. He’d have just done it by now – he’s had more than enough opportunities. Taking a deep breath, you settle on a meal and let him talk you into sharing a bottle of some high-class wine with him. When the server arrives to take your orders, you notice the other guard has returned from parking the car, making their way to Luca standing behind him next to the other one. You're too busy giving your order and feeling nervous about the establishment, that you don’t notice how uneasy the server is; constantly looking to the side and shifting nervously. He scurries off pretty quickly after your orders have been filled, and before you can ponder it, you’re pulled into a conversation with the blonde. 

Luca lets you talk about your life first, and you're surprised at how intently he listens. It’s not like you lived anything remarkable as he must have, but when he listens to you speak, you see the genuine spark of interest in his eyes. The wine arrives in the middle of your story, and you're about to thank the person, but they leave so quickly that you barely have time to. Maybe they saw you talking and just didn’t wanna interrupt or that could just be how the service is here. Either way, you finish talking about yourself before turning the questions back to him.

When Luca starts telling you what he does, you make sure to give him the same level of attention he gave you. He tells you how he’s the owner of a casino; explaining that they have passed it down to him through the family. Well, that explains why he looks so expensive. The bodyguards are still a bit weird to you, but you’ve heard that children of rich families tend to get kidnapped so that could be explained away. After he talks about his family business, you are actually glad he starts to talk about his hobbies and interests. The longer you talk to him, the more you realize just how down-to-earth he is. Admittedly helping you calm down as the minutes roll by.

The food gets to you just as he finishes talking about how he used to surf, and you can’t help but express how talented he seems to be. “Wow, you have so much skill under your belt. If you didn’t own the casino, you’d still be set for life.”

Luca laughs shyly, sipping at his wine. “Well, most of it my parents had me take classes for. They wanted me and my sister to be prepared, you know?” He sets his glass down and gestures to your food; changing the subject. “I hope you enjoy the food, by the way! That looks really good. I might have to get that next time I come here.”

You chuckle, picking up your utensils. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you my premium review of it after I’m done.” He laughs and follows suit in your actions. You both dig into your food, and you have to hold yourself back from letting out a noise of delight. This food was unlike anything you’ve ever had, really tasting like the high price it was. Being so engrossed by the food, you almost forget what you wanted to ask Luca, your brain circling back to the suspicions you had earlier. You wait a little while, but when you think enough time has passed, you call the blonde’s name. “Luca?” He pauses in his sentence, looking at you with concern at the seriousness of your tone. 

“Y–Yes? Is something wrong?” His lavender eyes scan over you, trying to get any hint as to what might be bothering you. 

“No! It’s nothing wrong, per se." You immediately reassure, seeing how he physically deflated. Luca perks back up, a look of anticipation on his face, encouraging you to continue, "I have an important question to ask you." He gives you a firm nod. Seeing his silverware down to give you his full attention. “Okay, this is gonna be a very uh… interesting question, but I have to ask. Is this like some sort of, uhhh, fancy dinner to win me over for favors? Like… convincing me to be your sugar baby or something?” The blonde in front of you seems to choke on a breath, one guard coming up to pat his back. Glancing at the three people in front of you, you realize there's a look of shock written across each of their faces. When Luca gets over his coughing fit, he looks back up at you, starting to chuckle, believing you're joking. He stops, however, when he takes in your serious expression – worry in your eyes – and quickly explains himself.

“No no no! This is nothing like that!” He’s a bit frantic with his tone, waving his hands in exaggeration as he speaks. “I just wanted to have a genuine conversation with you. I…” He pauses for a moment, brows furrowed as he thinks over his next words. “I’ve felt bad that I’ve never gotten to talk to you properly all those times I would pass you and say ‘Hi’.” His gaze re-meets yours across the table. “This is just a normal dinner with a friend, I promise.” 

With a sigh, you cross your arms, “You realize how…” you struggle for the right word, “odd that is right? Like, you look like you own a private island and seem very comfy in places like this.” One of your hands gestures to the lavish restaurant around you. “I’m just a regular person you saved once from getting mugged. I'm nobody. What reason would a rich person like you have to constantly come to talk to me if not for some other motive?” Honestly, you almost feel bad about the way you're interrogating him. Though this is something to be questioned, and as nice and sweet as he is, it’s still good to have a sense of caution. Especially with the wealthy. 

Luca’s silent for a minute, seeming to think over what he wants to say; eyes downcast, staring at his half-finished food. It’s only a few silent moments until his lavender eyes look back up at you, their determination shocking you. “Because you didn’t treat me like that when I helped you.” You blink for a second, confused, tilting your head as he continues to speak. “Well… how do I put this… You just seemed like a nice person who wouldn’t judge someone no matter their status, so I wanted to get to know you? I–It’s honestly nothing like a ruse or a scheme. Trust me, being in this business, many people do try to deceive me. I’m an excellent judge of character because of that, and you just seemed very kind and down-to-earth. It gave me the push to try to befriend you.”

As he speaks, you can feel warmth start to pool in your cheeks, causing you to look away, not expecting that answer. After a moment, you let out a deep breath and then turned your gaze back to him. “Well, honestly, that’s pretty surprising." You say with a light laugh. Slouching back into your seat, you continue. "I’m sure all of this is normal for you, but maybe when we hang out in the future, these places–” your hands raise to gesture around the restaurant once more– “are not really casual for people like me.” 

His eyes seem to light up a bit, a small crooked smile on his face. “So… you still wanna try to be my friend?” 

You have to hold back a giggle at how closely he resembles a puppy at this moment. Uncrossing your arms and picking up your utensils as you return to your meal. “Mhm, you're not a bad person. I can tell that you really are interested in my life, and if you did have any bad intentions, you would’ve done something by now. Plus, you’re lucky you’re cute. Hard to say no to the puppy dog eyes you’ve been giving me.”

He hears his guards snicker behind him, but chooses to ignore it as his cheeks begin to flush. “You think I’m cute?” He watches as you laugh, smiling at him as you take a bite of your food.

“Mmn, this is really good. Do you wanna try some? I can give you a bite.” Luca pouts a bit as you change the subject, but nods nonetheless. He’s happy as you converse for the rest of your meal, talking about nothing and everything. It’s refreshing for you and him, as you act like equals. Feeling like friends.

The pair of you stay for a while, but eventually, you do tell him you have to work the next day. He, of course, offers to take you home, especially since you’d both had a bit of wine. With the moon smiling in the sky as the four of you leave the restaurant, and the surrounding street was lit up by dazzling lights. The bodyguards escort you to the car, giving them your address. The trip gives the two of you a chance to continue talking. Luca couldn’t help the smile on his face, content with just listening to you speak, and this time remembering to give you his number so you could make future plans together. It wasn’t long before the car pulled up to your home. Luca, ever the gentleman, helped you out and up to your door. When you finally say goodbye and wave them all off, you feel warm, and you’re sure he shares the same sentiment.

To Luca, this experience feels like a blessing to him. To have a normal conversation – a normal friend – in his unpredictable life. And to you, this was an exciting change to your routine; being able to make such an excitable and interesting new friend. You only saw good things ahead, and you hoped that it’d continue to get better from here.

It could only get better from here. Right?

─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───

Likes are nice and we do appreciate them. However, comments/feedback is what really motivates us to continue writing. Even just a keyboard smash or emojis are a joy to see!

We do not allow our stories to be translated or reposted/shared anywhere. The only places our stories should be found are on Ao3 or Tumblr. Nowhere else.

#luca kaneshiro x reader #luxiem x reader #nijisanji x reader #luca kaneshiro #nijisanji luxiem #nijisanji luca #nijisanji en #nijisanji #luxiem #x reader #gn reader #gender neutral reader #Written by Mod S 👿

[thefrenchydude]

Some news

Hello everyone!

I would like to apologize for my absence. I've been quite busy lately and haven't had time to do what I wanted to do. The request I wanted to answer is still not finished and I haven't made that much progress on chapter 4. I'm truly sorry. But now that I've got two weeks to rest ahead of me, I intend to do what I love and finish what I set out to do.

Also, I'd like to talk about the VN and everything I've done so far:

About the game:

Firstly, I've written and coded some of the first part of the game, I still have to correct it, complete it, change a few things (and I'd like to implement an inventory and level system in this game, but I don't know how yet.).

The different routes:

Wukong and Macaque: The first two chapters have been implemented in the game.

No choice yet to change the story.

Arthur (temporary name) -a tiger demon-:

Chapter 1 completed

Combat phase (in progress)

Start of chapter 2 (in progress)

M??n Wuk?ng: A hidden path which is not fully developed as yet in the game.

The tea house and sauna routes are still not finished and doesn't have yanderes yet. I think for the tea house it could be a dragon and for the sauna I really have no idea right now :')

The game will have three main paths (triggered by a choice at the start of the game):

Murderous Lust (you're with Lex and you follow the story)

Variant 1 (Lex is dead and you're working with the Facility for Mother)

Variant 2 (Lex wants you dead and you're tracked by the Facility for having betrayed Mother)

About the art:

It was a lot more complicated than I thought. First of all, I needed a furry artist at all costs (Wukong, macaque, ect… are demons with anthropomorphic designs, so a furry artist was the best option). I spent several afternoons looking for artists. On Discord, Twitter, Furafinity… It was so long and complicated. Either their style didn't match my project, or their commission were closed, or I couldn't trust them.

After a while, I found someone. I wasn't totally convinced by his style -although it was beautiful, I wasn't sure it would go well with my VN-. We started talking, he seemed interested… then nothing. With no response even after more than a week, I decided to give up and turn to another artist. So off I went again in search of an artist. Later, I found one. His style appealed to me and everything seemed okay with him. HOWEVER, there is something that I always do, I check all the artist's network. 1 - Because I like to do so and to know more about the person I can work with. 2- Because I don't want to work with a jerk. AND THIS ONE, it was a true specimen. He left hate messages on other artists' accounts and I even found homophobic messages he'd left under the account of someone who'd asked him for commissions. I ran away from this creep.

And the more I searched, the more I lost hope of finding someone for this project. Maybe I was only going to be able to make a VN without art… I didn't like that idea at all, but if I couldn't find anyone, I had no choice.

Defeatist, I gave myself one last afternoon of searching. If I still couldn't find anyone, I was going to have to make up my mind. And then I came across an artist whose style attracted me. His works were beautiful and the more I searched through his accounts, the more I liked this person.

So I went ahead and contacted him, I was so stressed about getting a negative response or no response at all. But the artist got back to me. He's a really cool guy and he draws so fucking good ijnreijnevineinzijnoznfiojfnipnlckd.

The first commission should be ordered early this month. I'm so happy to have finally found the perfect artist for the job!

----------------

One rather important question: Will there be any NSFW? After a lot of thought, yes. There will be scenes like that in the game.

Sorry again for the absence, but I'm very busy with the VN. Thanks to everyone who sends me love through questions or private messages, I love you! It really makes me feel great and I can't thanks y'all enough for that.

#lmk mk #monkie kid #fiction #yandere wukong #murderous lust #yandere #visual novel

[mtap-comics]

Welcome back to my Bad Things Happen Bingo!

Fandom: My time at Portia

Pairing: Arlo x Female Builder

Summary: Elenya was tired. No, scratch that. Elenya was exhausted. She didn't think she'd ever been as exhausted as she was at that moment.

Word count: 6'581

Prompt: Worked Themselves to Exhaustion

Author’s note: I'm not really sure what I have to say to this one. I had these three scenes in my head and tried to tie them into one story. Not sure I managed that that well, but I hope you enjoy this anyway!

Oh, and I'm sorry for the rushed end, but I saw how many words I had already written again and needed to stop myself.^^

Warnings: Fainting, Crying, Lots of comfort, Migraines

Read on AO3: Link

Drained by Duty

Elenya was tired. No, scratch that. Elenya was exhausted. She didn't think she'd ever been as exhausted as she was at that moment. A bad migraine had been throbbing behind her temples for hours, every muscle in her body ached, and she wasn't sure how she was even standing upright.

The last few days, or rather the last few weeks - since Ursula arrived in their little town, to be precise - had been the most exhausting she had ever experienced. 

It all started five weeks ago when Ursula hired them to build a bridge into Somber Marsh. Or rather, two bridges, as she couldn't resist building the more difficult route and leaving the easier one to Higgins.

The entire operation had cost her three weeks of continuous work, and that in winter, which this year was only reluctantly giving way to spring. So she spent most of her time either in the mines, replenishing the iron ore that was constantly running out, or behind the tree farm, assembling the parts of the bridge that had already been completed.

Alone the way from her workshop to there cost her more than an hour every day, time that she could otherwise use much more usefully. For example, to complete all the other open commissions she still had.

Every night she woke up after only a few hours of sleep - if she managed to fall asleep at all - feeling guilty that she was taking much longer than usual to complete the villagers' commissions. Just because she had a little more work to do than usual didn't mean she could leave the others in the cold!

Arlo had tried to convince her to give the urgent things to other builders, but that felt even more like failure to her than anything else. She had promised to help the people, and she would!

So every night she had slipped out of Arlo's arms to do as many commissions as she could out in the cold and sparse light of her work table.

At the thought of Arlo, a small part of her tension disappeared and her heart filled with warmth. Without him, she would probably have collapsed days ago.

They had only been married for two months, but in that short time Arlo had become an integral part of her life. And she never thought she could fall even more for this wonderful, selfless and kind man than she already did.

Every day he had made sure she ate at least two full meals a day and had at least tried to get her to sleep. And this despite the fact that he himself had a lot of extra patrols and other work imposed on him by Ursula.

She knew how concerned he was about her, that he had noticed how little she slept and how much she was exhausting herself. Knowing that had only stressed her more over the last few days, as she didn't want to add to Arlo's workload by making him look after her, but she didn't knew what to do about that. The only thing her brain was still functioning in was 'work'.

Even now she could feel his piercing, worried gaze at her back.

They were currently standing together with Ursula and Mayor Gale in the latter's office, discussing the next steps regarding All Source. Arlo stood much closer behind her than he usually did in Ursula's presence, as if he was afraid she was going to collapse at any moment, and if she was honest, he probably wasn't that far off. 

Just an hour earlier, Elenya had installed the fan that was supposed to remove the toxic gases from the ruin where the final key was located. And if she was honest, she couldn't even remember how she'd managed to do that, let alone make it back to the mayor's office. Somewhere on her way back, Arlo had picked her up and led her somewhere, no doubt very worried at her lack of response. It wasn't until Ursula showed up at the office that Elenya realised where she was.

Something about the woman's aura always made Elenya afraid to show the slightest weakness. So she stood up as straight as she could, ignoring her aching body, and tried to follow the conversation. But that quickly proved to be a futile effort. 

The migraine reared its ugly head, making it impossible for Elenya to form a single clear thought. The roaring in her ears drowned out every sound around her, and her vision kept blurring.

What was being said? She didn't know. She was sure that if Ursula hadn't been standing two metres away from her, she would have lost the strength to fight against her protesting body. It took all her willpower to keep herself upright.

How she would have liked to just lie down. Closing her eyes against her headache for just a brief moment.

Blurredly she could see how Gale apparently nodded in conclusion, as if they had come to an agreement with the plan, and shortly after Ursula's outline disappeared from her field of vision.

The click of the door echoed through the room and, like a signal to her body, the last of the strength she could muster for the meeting dissipated. The roaring in her ears took over, her eyes closed and her legs gave way. She could faintly feel strong arms catching her, but then everything went black.

~~~~~~

"Damn, I should have taken better care of her. Should have insisted on taking a break."

"This isn’t your fault Arlo. I should have done something. Especially about Ursula."

Two familiar voices filtered through to Elenya. One as warm as a roaring fire and the other full of fatherly warmth. But both full of deep concern.

What had happened?

A splitting headache kept her from focusing. It settled over her thoughts like a fog, and the two voices around her vanished into it.

She tried to turn her head in the direction of the voices, but a heavy blanket of lead lay over her, preventing her from moving a single aching muscle. For a moment, her awareness slipped away.

Then, as if out of nowhere, a soothing, cool hand touched her forehead, bringing some relief from her raging headache. The fog that clouded her thoughts lifted just a fraction.

A curse echoed beside her and more confusion spread through her. What was going on?

"Sorry about that, boss. But damn, I think she's got a decent fever too." The hand on her forehead stroked down to her cheek, and she would have liked to lean into the familiar, loving gesture, but not a muscle would stir.

"There's nothing to apologise for, Arlo. If there's a time to curse, it's at a time like this." There was a brief pause, during which the thumb on her cheek drew gentle circles in her skin. "Shall I send for Dr. Xu? I'm really worried about her."

There was another pause as the now warm hand moved back to her forehead and then gently stroked through her hair.

"No... I think she just needs a lot of rest. Dr. Xu won't be able to do much for her. I'll take care of her. Like I should have been doing for the past few days..." At the guilt-soaked words, an instinct stirred in Elenya that had become ingrained over the past few years.

What was Arlo blaming himself for again, and what could she do about it?

With difficulty, she finally managed to open her eyes. An unfamiliar ceiling appeared above her and a confused sound escaped her.

Immediately, the voices that had been talking stopped and familiar blue eyes entered her field of vision.

"Elenya! Thank God you're awake. How are you feeling?" Full of deep concern, Arlo's eyes darted over her face as a second head slid into her field of vision, which she recognised as Mayor Gale's.

So she was still in his office. Probably lying on one of the sofas against the back wall. 

"Sweetheart?" Gently, the big, rough hand went back to her cheek and turned her gaze back to Arlo. Only then did it occur to her that she had probably been staring dumbly at the mayor instead of thinking about Arlo's question. 

She struggled to find the right words, to tell him how much her head hurt and how exhausted she was, but it was difficult to form even a single clear thought. What finally escaped her lips was not at all what she had in mind.

"Cold..." 

And it was only as the word slipped from her lips that she realised it was true. A chill had taken hold of her limbs, and with the last energy her body could muster, she began to shiver.

Confused, Arlo looked at her for a moment. He probably hadn't expected to hear those words any more than she had, but then he jumped up and began to take off his jacket and then the grey sweater he was wearing underneath.

He held the sweater out to Gale.

"Can you help me dress her in this?" 

"Of course."

Confused, Elenya watched the two of them. She just couldn't follow their quick movements.

Then Arlo knelt beside her again and slid his left arm under her back. Slowly he lifted her into a sitting position, but her aching head didn't like the movement at all and she let it fall weakly against his shoulder. Soothingly, Arlo stroked her hair with his free hand.

Then a second pair of hands joined in, manoeuvring her arms into the sleeves of the sweater, and a moment later the soft, warm fabric was pulled over her head. She would have liked to help, but her muscles just wouldn't move when she told them to.

"There, now you should be warmer." Lovingly, Arlo whispered these words into her ear, and soon the warmth of the sweater reached her and mixed with his familiar, wonderful scent, a calm spread through her, causing her eyes to close.

Completely exhausted, she collapsed further into Arlo's arms, burying her face in his shoulder. More of his scent rose to her nose and she felt sleep trying to take her.

The arm around her shoulders tightened and she had expected Arlo to urge her to stay awake. Instead, warm lips pressed against her forehead and equally warm words filled her ears.

"That's it. Get some rest, darling. I'll take you home." A second arm slipped under her knees and a moment later she was in the air, pressed tightly against Arlo's chest. Unfortunately, the movement caused her head to fall off his shoulder, hanging uncomfortably backwards, but she had no strength to lift it back up.

Fortunately, she didn't have to stay like that for long, because two smaller, but just as careful hands came to the back of her head and guided it back to Arlo's shoulder. With a grateful sigh, she curled up even closer to the warm chest and let the fog in her head take over. The two voices around her blended together and soon everything went black.

~~~~~~

Elenya awoke sluggishly. She felt as if she had slept too much and too little at the same time. Her limbs were heavy, her thoughts emerged from sleep only with difficulty, and for a moment she simply lay motionless in bed.

How had she gotten here? She couldn't remember getting into bed. And where was Arlo?

Searching, she opened her eyes. The space beside her was empty. Confused, her eyes continued to wander to the clock on the wall.

10:30, it read.

For a moment she stared at the hands of the clock until the information finally reached her brain. Startled, her eyes widened.

Oh no, it was already so late! Why hadn't Arlo woken her up!? What if Ursula needed her help again? Or someone else? And what about all her open commissions?

Without her realising it, she shot up in bed, her chest heaving up and down in panic. If she hurried, maybe she could still get everything done!

Quickly, she threw off her covers and jumped out of bed. With quick steps she hurried to the door of their bedroom, but before she could reach it, a terrible pain stabbed through her head and she became dizzy. Desperately, she tried to hold on to the chair by the door, but she lost her balance more and more, and with a loud crash, the chair fell to the floor with her.

Completely disoriented, she was left on the floor. Her head was pounding like a jackhammer, and the vibrations from the hurried footsteps rushing towards her didn't help. The door to the bedroom burst open and a frantic Arlo stood in the doorway.

"Elenya!" Horrified, he threw himself on the floor in front of her and helped her to sit up. "What happened? Did you hurt yourself?" Full of concern, his eyes wandered over her body, but Elenya had no time for such questions.

She had to get up again!

Desperately, she tried to get her legs under her so that she could stand up, but her muscles began to shake and her dizziness returned, causing her to fall back to the ground. Arlo's strong arms caught her before she could hit the ground again.

"Whoa, hey! Slow down! Easy! What's going on? Elenya, calm down, please!" Panic welled up in Arlo's voice as he tried to stop her next attempt to get up. Firmly gripping both her wrists with one hand, he placed the other against her cheek, gently guiding her gaze to him.

Firmly he held her gaze.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? Talk to me, please."

For a moment she could only stare back. Her chest was still rising and falling in panic and she could feel her heart racing in her chest. 

"I... I'm way too late. I have to... I have so much to do... And wha... what if Ursula needs me? I... I can't rest now..." Stuttering and desperate, she managed to get the words out as tears welled up in her eyes.

She couldn't take it anymore. She could feel her body reaching its limit, every single muscle aching, but she couldn't give in now. Portia still needed her.

Arlo's expression in front of her became incredibly sad and suddenly she found herself in his arms. They were still sitting on the floor, but now she was sitting sideways between his legs, his strong arms wrapped tightly around her upper body.

"Oh, sweetheart... Everything's alright. You can rest. You don't have to do anything for the next few days."

Full of sadness and love, Arlo spoke the words against her head, his cheek pressed firmly against her mop of hair and his arms tightening around her body.

She... she could rest? She didn't have to work?

An incredible relief released all the tension in her body and with it the last chance to hold back her tears. Incessantly they flowed from her eyes and seeking shelter she buried her face in Arlo's chest.

"Shh, everything is alright. You are okay. I got you." Arlo whispered softly into her ear, his strong arms keeping her from falling apart. And so she let out all the pent-up emotions and stress of the last few weeks. Cried against his chest for minutes until not a single tear was left.

In the end, her head hurt even more and exhausted she slumped in his arms. Soothingly, Arlo stroked her hair before stopping suddenly and placing his hand against her forehead.

"Oh sweetheart, I think your fever is even higher than it was yesterday. Come on, back to bed with you." Arlo pulled away from her, stood up and gently lifted her into his arms. Unfortunately, her head didn't like that at all and, overcome by terrible pain and dizziness, she buried her head in Arlo's neck with a whimper.

Immediately, Arlo stiffened beneath her and the arms around her body tightened.

"Oh no, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Full of concern, Arlo's voice filtered through to her through the static in her ears, but she couldn't answer. Even in the darkness of Arlo's neck, it felt like the world was spinning around her and her stomach began to churn.

With another whimper, her hand that held Arlo's T-shirt tightened.

Oh God, please don't throw up... please don't.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong? Come on, talk to me." Desperately, Arlo tried to catch a glimpse of her, but she didn't dare move a muscle. Thankfully, Arlo didn't seem to dare move her either, and after a seemingly endless minute, the world finally stopped spinning and her stomach settled.

Completely exhausted, she went limp in Arlo's strong arms, knowing that he would never let her fall. The world blurred around her and for a moment the only thing that existed was the incredible pain in her head.

Only when she suddenly felt a soft mattress and pillows beneath her did she realise that Arlo had been trying to get her attention. Full of worry and almost panicking, he leaned over her, his left hand gently rubbing her cheek. Trembling, she reached for that very hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Immediately, Arlo's shoulders slumped in relief.

"Oh, thank God. What happened? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?"

"No... My head... I think..." It took her a moment to find the right word through the pain. "Migraine."

The panic disappeared from Arlo's eyes, instead the worry deepened and he sank down on the bed beside her.

"Oh no, my poor darling. How bad is it?" He lowered his voice to a low rumble, for which she was grateful. It wasn't until there were no more loud noises that she realised how much they had hurt her head.

"Bad. Really bad." She rarely got migraines, but this one topped all the others she'd had. The vision in front of her right eye kept blurring, the soft light shining through the curtains stung her head, and she just wanted to curl up into a ball to hide from the world and the pain.

Arlo let go of the hand she was still clutching and stood up. "I don't like the sound of that. I'll just get you a cold cloth and then see if we have anything else for the pain, okay? I'll be right back." Still keeping his voice low, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead and then disappeared into the bathroom.

Elenya let her eyes fall shut. How she would have loved to just go back to sleep, to sleep away the pain, but it was that very pain that kept her from doing so. It kept penetrating her head and she felt a new flood of tears leaking from her eyes, making everything worse. But she couldn't stop them. She didn't have the strength anymore.

A soft sob broke from her throat and she heard muffled, rapid footsteps hurrying towards her. Moments later, the bed beside her lowered again and a familiar, rough hand gently wiped away her tears.

"Oh, sweetheart. It's all right. We'll fix you up." Like a warm breath, Arlo's voice brushed over her, comforting her and letting her relax a little.

"Hurts..."

"I know, darling, I know. Here, this should help a bit." Something wonderfully cold settled over her hot forehead and eyes, and almost instantly the pounding in her head calmed a little. Quivering, she took a deep breath.

"That's it. Try to breathe nice and easy. I'll just see if we have any more of Dr. Xu's medicine for your migraine, okay?"

The edge of the bed beside her rose again and Elenya tried to follow Arlo's advice. As best she could, she breathed deeply in and out, trying her best to fight the pain.

The cold cloth on her face felt wonderful, especially as it blocked the last bit of light from her eyes. Together with the controlled breathing, she actually managed to doze off and forget the pain for a moment.

Only a gentle touch to her hand brought her out of her light sleep and with a questioning sound she turned her head slightly to the left.

"Here, sweetie, this should help." The washcloth on her face was removed and for a moment she wondered how that was supposed to help, but then an arm slipped under her shoulders and slowly pulled her up. 

She was about to open her eyes when Arlo stopped her gently. "Shh, keep your eyes closed. I'll help you." Another questioning sound escaped her, but then she felt something being held to her lips. Judging by its shape, it was a small vial, and after a moment's hesitation, she opened her mouth slightly.

She knew what Arlo wanted to give her. A mixture from Dr. Xu that worked wonders for her migraines, but unfortunately tasted disgusting. According to the doctor, adding honey would counteract the effect, so there was nothing he could do about the taste.

Arlo slowly poured the liquid into her mouth, and as soon as it touched her tongue, she cringed in disgust. The taste was nearly impossible to describe. Bitter and sour at the same time. To top it off, it tasted like three day old socks smelled.

Simply disgusting. But it helped, so she forced herself to swallow the liquid and then slumped exhausted against Arlo's chest as soon as the bottle was empty.

"That's it. You'll feel better soon. Here, I've also brought you a glass of water." After a brief clinking of glasses, something new was held to her lips and she drank the refreshing water greedily. 

Relieved, she noticed that the water both washed the horrible taste out of her mouth and calmed her stomach a little at the same time.

"There you go. Drink it all down. You've been asleep for almost 16 hours, you really need to drink something. I'd prefer you to eat something too, but we'll have to wait for the painkiller to kick in first, won't we?" Still whispering softly, Arlo's words brushed gently over her.

Elenya found it difficult to follow his words. Dr. Xu's medicine had a habit of making her tired within seconds, and combined with her ongoing exhaustion and the pain in her head, the world around her began to blur.

A brief jolt ran through her body as she perceived the words "slept for 16 hours", but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. Instead, she snuggled closer to Arlo's strong chest, who was still holding her upright with one arm, and let out a sleepy murmur.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'll make you something to eat later. Get some rest." Gently she was laid back into the pillows and after a brief splash of water the washcloth, now wonderfully cool again, was placed back on her forehead. The last thing she noticed before falling into another deep sleep was a long, tender kiss against her temple.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Arlo's heart ached as he looked down at his sleeping Elenya. The pale cheeks and deep shadows under her eyes, which he knew were hidden beneath the washcloth, were so unlike the otherwise vibrant, happy woman he had married so recently. Her desperate sobs still rang in his ears, and the memory of her collapsing in front of him would haunt him for a long time.

If only he had taken better care of her.

He knew how much she had built, farmed and fought over the last few weeks, and that she had barely slept at night, but he simply didn't knew how to help her. He couldn't do the building for her, nor all the tasks Ursula had given her. Not that he didn't try, but he quickly realised that Ursula was not to be trifled with.

Gale also felt that there was something wrong with this woman, but neither of them could put their finger on it, so they decided to play along for the time being. With whatever it was.

The only thing he could do for Elenya was to make her eat breakfast and dinner and pull her into bed with him late at night, even if he woke up alone in it in the morning.

But now, thanks to Gale, they had three days of undisturbed time in which he could nurse his little builder back to health. Never again would he allow her to work herself to exhaustion. No matter who he had to fight.

With one last lingering kiss to her temple, he left the bedroom as quietly as he could, picking up the overturned chair as he went, and retreated to their kitchen. He would have felt much better if Elenya had eaten something now, but he also knew how nauseous her migraine made her, and she wouldn't have been able to keep anything down anyway. So he settled for preparing her a sustaining soup for later and hoping that she would be able to keep it down.

And so the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon passed very slowly for him. He tried to distract himself with paperwork, but his anxious thoughts kept wandering back to his sick builder and eventually he gave up and slipped back into the bedroom.

Elenya was still lying there as he had left her, which was just further proof of her exhaustion. She hadn't even turned her head, so the washcloth was still untouched on her forehead and eyes. By now it was completely warmed by her feverish forehead, so he filled the basin he had left on her bedside table with fresh, cold water, pulled the chair to the edge of the bed and then dipped the warm washcloth into the cool water.

Wringing out the excess water, he gently wiped Elenya's face with it before placing it back on her forehead. A soft sigh escaped her lips and with a gentle smile, Arlo watched her sleep. He regularly dipped the washcloth back into the cold water as soon as it got too warm, and each time Elenya relaxed more.

He would have to take her temperature later when she was awake. The cold washcloth seemed to help her, but if it was too high, he would have to resort to one of Dr. Xu's tinctures. Too high a fever would only prevent her from getting the rest she needed.

He didn't know how long he sat there like that, watching over her sleep, but just as he had freshly soaked the washcloth and then gently clasped her hand in his, it twitched in his and a soft moan escaped her. Instantly he straightened up more and watched her face intently.

"Elenya, sweetheart, are you awake?" Tense, he watched as her eyelids fluttered a few times before her eyes opened completely. Confused, she looked up at the ceiling and Arlo hurried to stand up and lean over her.

As soon as her eyes caught his, a slight smile formed on her lips, easing a small part of his worry.

Her smile always managed to put him at ease.

"Hey." Tenderly, he returned her smile. "How are you feeling? How's your head?"

Her attempt to answer him came only as a croak from her throat and he quickly reached for the glass of water he had already refilled and placed on the bedside table. Gently, he lifted her head slightly and held the glass to her lips. 

The glass emptied quickly and, pleased that Elenya had drunk so much again, he put it back and then looked at her expectantly.

After a quiet clearing of her throat, her soft voice finally sounded. "As if I'd been run over by a dee dee. But my head is better. It's just everything else that hurts now."

"That must be the fever. You've really overexerted yourself. But don't worry, I'll take care of you." Arlo's heart swelled with love and concern as he watched Elenya struggle with her weakened state. Gently, he reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.

"You've been pushing yourself too hard, sweetheart," he said, his voice filled with concern. "I know how much you care about the town and its people, but you can't help anyone if you don't take care of yourself."

Elenya managed a weak smile as she looked up at him. "I just... didn't want to let anyone down."

Arlo leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "You could never let anyone down, Elenya. You're Portia's heart and soul. But you have to promise me that you'll take it easy from now on."

She nodded, her eyes filled with gratitude. "I promise."

Gratefully, he kissed her softly on the lips and then moved on to something else that was just as important to him.

"I have made some soup for you. Would you like some? You haven't eaten for almost 24 hours and I'm sure you'll feel better with something in your stomach." He watched Elenya carefully, hoping that her nausea had passed and she would agree. And to his relief, she did.

With a grateful smile, she nodded at him and then tried to sit up, as if she wanted to get up. But her attempt to push herself up with her arms didn't go well and halfway through her muscles gave way.

"Woah hey, what are you doing?"

Arlo quickly caught her and looked down at her with concern.

"Getting up." Came as a hoarse, quiet reply while she leaned her head exhaustedly against his chest.

"Oh no, you're not. You stay nice and comfy in bed and rest. Here." With one arm holding Elenya tightly against his chest, he used his free hand to reach for his own blanket and puff it up behind Elenya so she could lean against it. With ease he pulled her up a little higher until she could sit comfortably.

Satisfied with his work, he straightened up and laughed softly at the pout that had formed on Elenya's lips.

"There, you stay here and I'll heat up some soup for you, okay?" Arlo pulled Elenya's blanket back up to her shoulders when he saw that she was shivering slightly and pressed a gentle kiss against her warm forehead to placate her a little.

With a surrendering sigh, Elenya nodded and snuggled a little deeper into the blankets surrounding her.

Glad that Elenya was willing to listen to him, he quickly made his way to the kitchen to heat up a plate of soup for her. He also filled a glass with juice, hoping the extra vitamins would help her get back on her feet more quickly. Loading everything onto a tray, he brought the items to Elenya and placed it on her lap.

"Here, sweetheart, this should make you feel better. Do you need help eating?" Tenderly, he met her indignant gaze at his words, but it soon became apparent that they were not unfounded.

Determined, she reached for the spoon and dipped it into the soup, but her whole arm shook so much that the soup fell right back into the plate. He let her try three times, her expression growing increasingly frustrated, before he stopped her.

Gently, Arlo grabbed the hand holding the spoon and took it from her.

"Let me help you, sweetheart. Please." He looked at her as gently and openly as he could, reassuring her that he didn't think she was weak, and after a while she finally complied.

"Okay."

"Thank you." 

Pleased that she was letting him help, he pulled the chair a little closer to the bed, sat down and began to feed Elenya the soup spoon by spoon. It wasn't long before both the plate and the glass of juice were empty, and satisfied that she had eaten so much, Arlo set the tray down on the floor.

Elenya's eyes were already closed again when he turned back, and he hurried to remove the blanket from behind her back and gently lay her back down into the pillows. He had just sat down again when her eyes half opened again and looked at him tiredly.

"Thank you, Arlo." Coupled with her warm smile, those words filled him with love and he couldn't help but press another long kiss to her lips.

"Anytime. I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you too." With a happy smile, her eyes closed again, but it seemed she couldn't find rest. Worried, Arlo put his hand to her forehead to see if her fever had risen any further, but as far as he could tell it was unchanged.

Her eyes struggled to open at his touch and he looked at her with concern.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? Do you need anything else? Do you have a headache again?"

"No, it's just... can you hold me for a while, please? I'm really not feeling well." Tears welled back up in her eyes and Arlo's heart broke again at the sight.

"Of course, darling."

He quickly stripped off his uncomfortable jeans and joined her in bed. Carefully, so as not to hurt her, he pulled her towards him until her head rested on his chest, just above his heart. He wrapped his arms tightly around her upper body and intertwined his legs with hers, hoping to give her a sense of security. As long as she was in his arms, nothing could happen to her.

And indeed, it didn't take long after that for Elenya's breathing to slow down. Relieved that she was now getting some more sleep, he enjoyed the feel of Elenya's small body in his arms and, to his surprise, dozed off for a few hours himself.

~~~~~~

It was already dark when Arlo awoke from his light sleep. By the looks of it, he too had needed a few hours of extra rest.

Elenya was still sleeping peacefully in his arms, her head still directly over his heart, and for a while he watched her tenderly. Unfortunately, his bladder soon made its presence known, so he carefully pulled away from her and slid out of bed.

As Arlo moved around the room, he couldn't help but cast a loving glance back at Elenya, asleep and peaceful. He knew she needed this rest and it eased his worries about her health.

He quickly did his business in the bathroom, put on an old pair of sweatpants so he wouldn't have to walk around in his underwear, and then went into their living room.

However, just as he was about to step into the kitchen to prepare some herbal tea, a sudden, heart-wrenching scream that sounded a lot like his name pierced the silence of the evening. Arlo's heart leaped into his throat, and he rushed back to the bedside, nearly stumbling in his haste.

"Elenya! Sweetheart, wake up!" Arlo called out, his voice filled with panic. He gently shook her shoulder, trying to rouse her from the nightmare.

Elenya's eyes snapped open, and she gasped for breath, her body trembling with fear. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she clung desperately to Arlo, as if he were her lifeline.

"Shh, it's okay," Arlo whispered, his voice soothing. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, as she continued to tremble. "It was just a dream, Elenya. I'm right here. You're safe."

It took a while for Elenya's sobs to subside, her emotions still fragile from the stress of the past weeks. Arlo held her through it all, murmuring comforting words and pressing kisses to her forehead.

Once she had calmed down, Elenya buried her face in Arlo's chest, her fingers clutching the fabric of his shirt. "I... I dreamt that you were gone," she whispered, her voice quivering.

Arlo's heart ached at her words, and he tightened his embrace. "I'm right here, my love. I'm not going anywhere."

For a moment he wondered if the sudden lack of his heartbeat under her ear was the cause of her nightmare, but decided not to think about it any further. That would not help him right now.

Elenya was still clinging desperately to him and isolated sobs escaped her. "There... there was so much blood and... that awful laugh..." Her voice broke with every other word and Arlo was afraid she was going to cry again.

"Shh, it's alright. I'm here. It was just a dream." Gently he rocked her back and forth, but she wasn't finished yet.

"It was him... That mysterious knight... He... he killed you."

At those words, everything inside Arlo tightened painfully. Subconsciously, he tightened his arms around Elenya even more and curled around her, shielding her from the world.

The mysterious knight had been a looming threat in their lives, a shadow that refused to leave, and he knew how much she feared him. Ever since their first encounter a few months ago and the realisation that neither of them could really do anything to counter him. And he didn't blame her. If he was honest, he was also afraid of the next encounter. 

But unlike him, she was still primarily a builder, not a fighter. Of course, she could easily keep up with them in combat, but that didn't mean her heart could. 

In all the years he had been fighting for the Civil Corps, he had seen and experienced quite a bit, and he was glad that his sweet, loving Elenya had been spared this so far. But now such things hit her all the harder, and he wished nothing more than to be able to protect her from all the evil in the world.

He pulled her a tiny bit closer to him until there was not a bit of air left between them and pressed a long kiss to the mop of her hair.

"It was only a dream. I'm here. Everything's going to be all right. We'll get through this. Together."

He didn't know how long they sat there like that, ignoring the cramp in his back from his twisted position and just concentrating on holding Elenya tightly in his arms. She was still trembling slightly and her tight grip on his t-shirt had not yet loosened, so he continued to rock her gently from side to side and whisper comforting words into her ear.

Eventually, though, her tense posture relaxed and she sagged in his arms. A low murmur sounded against his chest, but the words were too faint to make out, so he pushed Elenya slightly away from him and gently lifted her face.

Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, dark shadows still under them, and yet his heart swelled with adoration at the sight of her. Gently, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"What was that, sweetheart?"

"Thank you Arlo and... sorry. I didn't mean to..." A soft hiccup interrupted her and he hurried to immediately dispel her thoughts.

"Hey shh, there's nothing to apologise for. I'm always here for you, just like you're always there for me." Arlo kissed her again, gently, but with a promise to always support her. Only when they needed to catch their breath did he pull away, gently wiping away the last traces of her tears.

With a happy sigh, she leaned into his gentle touch, her eyes only half open again, her emotional outburst taking its toll on what little energy she had managed to replenish.

"Everything will be alright. I know it."

#bad things happen bingo #bad things happen bingo: worked themselves to exhaustion #my time at portia #mtap #mtap arlo #my time at portia arlo #mtap female builder #mtap builder elenya #arlo my love #hurt/comfort

[marukrawler]

Maybe it's because Sellon didn't have a arc of her own. and despite her relatively good character development, she had few episodes that focused on her and had little involvement in the season compared to Alice or Fabia.Although it's a little unfair to compare one of the main characters and the antagonist of the first season.Fabia, despite her poorly developed character, also had a great influence and participation in the season.I think it's also influenced by the fact that Shun is considered a bit ooc in ms due to the poorly written plot and incorrect dubbing

yeah, i don't know about that, chief.

having a character arc of some kind or good character development isn't the be-all and end-all when it comes to shipping. people can ship two characters for a multitude of reasons that range from being pretty basic ("they look good together" or "they had (1) single interaction and now i'm hooked) to being because of whatever deep and intimate relationship those two characters might've had in canon. implying that shunfabia and shunalice are popular ships because fabia and alice have more screen time or because they have arcs or good character development is just false. shun doesn't play a significant role in the journeys of either alice or fabia and and vice versa so i fail to see why that has anything to do with why they're popular ships.

and as for you saying that sellon had little involvement in her own season compared to alice or fabia, that's also not true. sellon and mag mel practically had a hand in everything that happened in ms1. she was incredibly vital to the progression of the plot. you're right in that it's unfair to compare sellon's screen time to that of fabia and alice but you're also incorrect to state that sellon had little involvement in ms1 when she's one of the major players advancing the story.

you're also very mistaken to say that sellon had "relatively good character development."

sellon remains entirely unchanged throughout ms1. her story starts and ends with her being exactly the same person. now, is it a bad thing to have very little to no character development? not necessarily. giving every single character a personal arc or development of some kind is just not feasible. sometimes a character simply exists to embody a certain theme or highlight another character's traits, like a narrative foil.

in sellon's case, she exists as a foil to shun just like anubias is a foil to dan. sellon and shun have different principles, morals and values but on some level, they also share similarities. the reason why it's so easy for sellon to manipulate shun is because she understands him in a way no one else does.

sellon exists to highlight the worst parts of shun, the part that isolates himself, relies only on himself and pushes forward in reach of his goal to the point of obsession. we saw this when sellon encouraged shun into becoming the leader of the brawlers and almost destroyed himself trying to preserve the integrity of the original bakugan battles, and we see it yet again when shun destroys a potential escape route from interspace because of his relentless pursuit to unleash his anger upon sellon. that same unwavering dedication towards a goal at the cost of everything, even one's own life, is what sellon admires about shun and it's what makes them alike.

sellon fulfills her character role perfectly and the same can be said for fabia. she's a princess, a leader and acts as the beacon of hope and strength for her people. her characterization, as well as her dynamic with the brawlers and the gundalians, greatly showcases what a compassionate and kind person she is. there really isn't much need for fabia to change as a character because she's already amazing as is.

the dubbing of ms1 is the only that i'll lend some credibility to. not only does sellon always sound like she's scheming, shun also sounds like he's annoyed by her and generally wary of what she says, which is completely different to what happens in the japanese dub. i imagine this is precisely why fans didn't see a romantic connection between the two, which is sad but understandable. i suppose that's just another thing the dub ruined alongside fabia/mason lol.

#bakugan #also alice is also not the antagonist of the first season #masquerade is #even if they are two parts of the same whole alice is not responsible for masquerade's actions and doesn't have the same views as him

[jacksgreysays]

Hi hello i have bleak!primadonna au brain rot and was wondering if you had though as to what chiyako thinks and what the aburame stance is. And also what tsunade thinks. I may be daydreaming about a “5 conversations naruto has about shikako during his reign and one he had with her right after the execution” fic that i dont think will ever get a single word written for it

Anon! Long response is long, PREPARE YOURSELF!

So here’s the thing anon, I HAVE prepared two routes in which Chiyako’s (and, thus, the Aburame clan’s) opinion on the situation would be discussed—but they’re both extremely circuitous:

Shino (as in canon) is the Academy teacher for the next generation and depending on what the curriculum for Team Seven’s various regime changes is, and how much it would risk including the Nanadaime’s genin team if that led to students inquiring after Her. Then, the scene would be a Shino and Chiyako have a conversation dancing around the topic of Her, as a sort of — today I taught the class about *insert Team Seven regime change here* — and whether or not they agree and if Chiyako, as heiress to the Aburame according to my own headcanons, is making plans for the Aburame to join the ANY clan secession or if they would even let her be heiress if they don’t agree with her stance. Sort of a internal family drama vs external clan politics situation.

Chiyako is the jounin sensei for the attractive!one-year-older!Hyuuga genin that Shikadai has a crush on. Which is way more funny to me as a route because it’s Shikadai, being an adolescent in the proximity of his crush, trying to pay attention to what an adult who is a significant political leader that could affect his own clan’s situation but just absolutely SUFFERING by dint of being an adolescent in the proximity of his crush. HE CAN’T FOCUS HE IS BUT A BOY AND HIS CRUSH IS RIGHT THERE.

All that being said, I think Chiyako as an individual is very firmly in the pro-Shikako camp, but the Aburame clan as a whole are more neutral if not slightly pro-Naruto (but not for the same reasons as other pro-Naruto opinions).

As an individual, I do think Chiyako never really gets rid of her hero worship of Shikako so much as it becomes tempered with time and familiarity and as their age difference becomes less significant they become more like peers than the pedestal-like placement she may have had before. Additionally, I have to imagine that if Chiyako is even SLIGHTLY as protective/feral a sister as Shikako was, then she would ALSO think that Shikako is justified in KILLING THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR HER BROTHER’S DEATH. If anything, Chiyako might disagree with how swift and painless the killing was, as opposed to making them suffer, making them WISH for death. Test out the more carnivorous kikaichu strains on them without killing them first, etc. etc.

However, I think as a clan, the Aburame probably think Shikako’s actions were rash (which they were) and ultimately not worth the consequences (which… maybe?) And I know the Aburame being matriarchal is entirely a headcanon and thus has no basis whatsoever but, like, it’s my headcanon so I’m gonna use it: Shikako shouldn’t have risked her position to avenge her brother. She should have become the Nara heir (perhaps she should have been the Nara heiress from the beginning) and from there politically maneuvered things so that she could avenge her brother legally. Or maybe not even bothered with avenging her brother. After all, he’s dead, what use is avenging him? It’s not like that would bring him back. It’s not like she was eliminating an active threat (the councilors would have been just as neutralized whether they were imprisoned or dead.) It’s a sunk cost to avenge him, ESPECIALLY since it cost her her place in the Nara clan (ie, heiress/future head) as well as her position in Konoha as one of the few alternative Hokage candidates/councilors/advisors/etc

Essentially, from their point of view, what she did was the equivalent of a potential queen bee excommunicating herself from her hive just to avenge a fallen worker bee. Unnecessary, irrational, and honestly just an absolute waste.

If she REALLY wanted them dead, then she could have waited and then delegated that to literally anyone else who she had sway over (which is A LOT OF PEOPLE) as opposed to being SO OBVIOUS that she was the one who did it. Like, of course, if those councilors died she would be suspect number one, but at least she could have given herself an alibi or plausible deniability. Although, considering the Hokage’s specialty is “I can make a hundred physical copies of myself” and Shikako managed to make a seal that lets a henge/illusion attach and ground itself on someone who isn’t actively providing it chakra, I don’t know how alibi/murder investigations work in the Naruto world…

And also the Aburame might think killing those councilors is a waste of potential resources, in the sense that—well, maybe not quite as bloodthirsty as Chiyako’s “test out the carnivorous kikaichu on them while they’re still alive”—if they were councilors in Sand, they must be important/valuable to have gotten that position. Whether that is because they are members of Sand’s various clans which may or may not have bloodlimits of their own, or have economic/political clout--though obviously that collective importance/value is less important to Sand than not pissing off Konoha, more specifically the Nara clan, most specifically Shikako. And I’m not necessarily saying the Aburame are proponents of bloodline experimentation (because that’s not their vibe, they care about the breeding of their kikaichu, it’s not just weird MAD SCIENCE) but it could be something like… in a few years, if there’s some kind of trade deal or treaty being made, maybe you trade back one of the councilors for concessions from Sand if they are significant to the negotiation team.

But I think that would be filling out more backstory about throwaway OCs who are dead than they deserve so let’s put a stop to that line there.

Ultimately, I think Chiyako is pro-Shikako internally, but in order to maintain her position as Aburame clan heiress, she adheres to the loyal Konoha shinobi line. That’s not to say she’s not having secret meetings with Chouji and Ino and Kinokawa about having the Aburame possibly join the ANY clans secession—especially since I have to imagine that the Akimichi and Yamanaka have a lucrative business relationship with the Aburame regarding apiaries and crops/flowers and pollination etc etc—but that would have to wait until she is in a firmer position as Aburame clan head, once she’s established herself as powerful enough to protect her clan from any backlash should it come to that.

I HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS, ANON, SO MANY.

In regards to Tsunade, I did mention her tangentially/briefly in the (fills the void up with celluloid) ficlet: “Had it been the Godaime Hokage—raised with the importance of clan politics, understanding how concessions must be made for peace—there would have been no problem.”

But I suppose if we are differentiating between Chiyako the person versus Chiyako the Aburame clan heiress, we may as well differentiate between Tsunade the person and Tsunade the former Godaime Hokage. Although, I don’t know enough about Shippuden/Boruto to know the timeline of whether or not Tsunade is still alive and through to which point and what she is doing after foisting the hat onto Kakashi. Unlike Neji’s status as alive, I don’t think Shikako would be able to make much difference in Tsunade’s death or not.

Like… it seems like anything that COULD take out Tsunade isn’t something that Shikako could deal with/be in a position to deal with/could affect. But, again, don’t know enough about Shippuden/Boruto to know for sure.

All that being said, if Tsunade IS still alive during the event of the bleak!primadonna AU… I can’t imagine she’s still in Konoha. She did her time as Hokage when the village needed her, but she passed on the hat AND her legendary medical skills, so what else could they possibly need from her? Surely she’s owed a relatively uninterrupted retirement by now.

… I’ve not actually thought further about Tsunade’s personal opinion on the situation, for all that I’ve repeatedly said that in this AU Shikako is pulling a more extreme Tsunade.

Because Tsunade was also a sister who lost her brother, but she turned it into hospital/medical reform instead of revenge murder, and she didn’t leave Konoha until after the war had ended, even though surely it continued on for a while after Dan’s death. And, of course, Tsunade is extremely fond of Naruto. Ugh, not to reduce Tsunade’s opinion into her relationships with various men.

Tsunade is, presumably, the last of the Senju clan. Or maybe the last clan head? But considering we don’t hear anything about them, they’re either entirely dead or—as my headcanon goes—married into other clans earlier in Konoha’s timeline to foster peace amongst the village (and also take advantage of what their clan name meaning thousand hands, which I have to assume means they are good at many different techniques/styles WITHOUT the cheating Sharingan, even if Mokuton was their most prominent ability that sadly needed specific elemental chakra ratios) except that it backfired because they’ve all married out and none remain to BE the Senju clan.

Anyway, all that to say that she doesn’t have any familial/clan responsibilities beyond what she self assigned in regards to Shizune as her almost niece. And for all that she did abandon Konoha for decades, being a drunken gambler around the continent, she DID come back when the village needed her. So, like, she’s probably unimpressed with Shikako’s actions overall.

Shikako might have been acting on the Nara clan’s justifiable desire for revenge for their assassinated heir, but in doing so she left them in the lurch, both leaving them without a proven, trained heir—for all that she never wanted it, she WAS trained alongside Shikamaru in how to run the clan—since Kinokawa wouldn’t have received that same heir training—and also without one of their biggest political/actual powers: Konoha’s premier Seal Master. Shikako is to sealing what Tsunade was to healing. And, yes, she did set up the Seal Research Group as a teenager, so it’s not like she didn’t have a system in place to take over for her, but it’s still a difference between a once-in-a-generation genius versus a group of very smart people who collaborate with each other sometimes?

But, again, I do think Tsunade WOULD have given the Nara their revenge. They were owed the deaths of those Sand councilors who killed their heir. That Naruto deprived them of that was the first in what Tsunade would consider a series of mistakes on both sides. None of this would have been an issue had Naruto done the correct thing: put his personal feelings on capital punishment aside, and considered what was best for Konoha. But then Shikako ALSO made a mistake in exacting that revenge personally as opposed to, like, lobbying for it or setting her OWN feelings aside and doing what was best for Konoha. They’re both foolish children who have compromised Konoha because of their emotions instead of doing their duty and suppressing their bitterness under endless work and various vices. It’s interesting because I think Tsunade is so conflicted about Konoha—she both loves and hates it, what it has become and could be versus what it has done to her, taken from her—she would never act against the village, but hasn’t already asked so much of her? Doesn’t she deserve to leave?

Anyway, I think then Tsunade would appreciate that Shikako did square the circle of the political landscape created by her own actions—ie, the theoretical hot civil war that would have happened had she stayed—by disavowing her name and career so as not to be a threat to Naruto’s status as Hokage or a risk to Konoha. Of course, it’s not nearly enough to fully neutralize the dissent, what with ANY clans’ secession plans, but there’s no way Tsunade would know about that if she’s enjoying her retirement away from Konoha.

It’s not as good as Tsunade’s own decades-long sabbatical, but considering what her two teammates did when they were away from Konoha (what with Orochimaru joining a terrorist organization then leaving that to create a village specifically to invade Konoha and kill their teacher and then Jiraiya having trained the founders of said terrorist organization, thus leading to the biggest threat against Konoha, and then all the terrible porn and no doubt sexual harassment throughout the continent), Shikako’s path is certainly not the worst.

Also, I think Tsunade does enjoy Shikako’s movies, especially the ones where she’s behind the camera either as writer or director. Because for all that Tsunade is fond of Naruto, she think Shikako is fascinating: clever and strange and efficient in such a bizarre, sideways manner. Shikako’s thought process is so unexpected yet compelling to Tsunade, that I have to imagine that translates to Shikako’s movies as well. I don’t think she’s as die hard a fan as Kakashi is, but I do think she has a lot of time in her retirement, and why not go to the movies?

Ahhhhhhh, just thinking about Tsunade looking at Shikako and seeing a girl with so much potential thwarted by war and violence and her own trauma is just… AHHHHHHHHHH.

Anyways, anon, that’s what I think about both Chiyako and Tsunade in the bleak!primadonna AU. And you are correct, I am EXTREMELY bad at writing specifically Naruto himself, so you will NOT be getting a “5 conversations naruto has about shikako during his reign and one he had with her right after the execution” because that’s SIX TOO MANY CONVERSATIONS INVOLVING NARUTO than I am comfortable taking on.

... but I could probably be tricked into writing more bleak!primadonna AU stuff with the right/compelling enough prompt, lol

#jacksgreyson #anonymous #asks #answers #primadonna girl (says no thank you) #dreaming of sunshine #brainstorm #fanfiction #chiyako aburame #tsunade senju #shikako nara

[semi-imaginary-place]

fe3h: which route is best?

Objectively, all 4 are equally good. Silver Snow is the strongest thematically, Crimson Flower is the most empowering, Verdant Wind has the broadest view and most answers, Azure Moon has a strong emotional appeal. Which one someone likes best I've found over the past 4 years depends on the person's personality and interests I've found. Each route has it's unique strengths and weaknesses that appeal to different people. In the end all 4 routes are about equally well made and only together do they paint a full picture of the game.

For example Azure Moon fans are crazy about it because Azure Moon has the most character driven emotional narrative, it has the single most focus on a single character arc. However because AM is all about Dimitri it comes at the cost of everything else. Unlike other routes the thematic progression of the other blue lions is either forgotten or reversed, and all the other interesting plot threads brought up in White Clouds are forgotten about in favor of Dimitri's angst. The strong focus on Dimitri is also a weakness, as unlike other routes where even if the player does not like other routes there is still a lot for them. In AM if the player does not like Dimitri there is nothing else to the route. Which is why AM is my personal least favorite by a long shot.

Verdant Wind takes the most holistic view of the war, it's the route where the player takes a step back to see the truth of the conflict in it's entirety instead of getting caught up in personal drama. It's also the route the provides the most answers as to what is really going on in Fodlan and why. Like CF and SS there is a strong narrative with the secondary cast/class but I'd argue VW is the strongest with some of the most dramatic character arcs in Ignatz, Marianne, and Lorenz. There's a strong sense of mystery through out White Clouds and VW, it has the most emotional and atmospheric continuity of all the routes and the smoothest transition between Parts 1 and 2. Claude as a lord enhances all this by being a mystery himself. He's the most misinterpreted of the lords as his character arc is subtle and presented through implication instead of directly told to the audience like Edelgard or Dimitri's, so it requires reading comprehension and critical thinking that is generally lacking on the internet. The main problem with VW and SS is that they end up sharing content you can tell some of the early part 2 chapters were designed for VW and last minute slapped into SS and that some of the later part 2 chapters were very much SS chapters copy and pasted into VW.

Crimson Flower is the most unique as it was designed as a secret route, in that sense it has the most "content". After an entire game about how messed up the Church is CF is the only one that let's you directly do anything about it. Then there's the interesting moral complexity of being part of the faction that instigated a continent wide war. CF's main problem is that it is the shortest of all the routes and almost feels like it is missing a couple chapters at the end. CF continues Black Eagles White Clouds sense of tension, it almost feels like a thriller.

Silver Snow is the heart and thematic core of FE:3H and the default route the others are written around. People call Silver Snow the Church route but it's really the Byleth route. SS is about Byleth's truth which ultimately is wrapped up in Rhea and the Church. Putting Edelgard on a different path/side than Byleth (and Rhea) is so juicy. Like all 3 of those characters and Nemesis foil each other and it's beautiful writing. Edelgard is such an important character in SS. Edelgard's cutscenes in SS are probably my favorite in the game. It's why the conflict between Edelgard and Rhea is so interesting. Neither is wholly evil but they both do questionable things (although personally I agree with Edelgard more). Both CF and SS are very interesting for the Black Eagles and this is best seen in Ferdinand who has a very different path depending ont the route. It is the lordless route however and the 3 lords is a big draw to the game. SS also ends with a totalitarian theocracy so morally many find it questionable. When people only want O play 1 route I recommend SS because it is fe3h at it's essence.

#fe3h

[crxssjae]

Strengthen

Summary:

How appealing to meet an adventurer who saved him from further confrontation. Besides, it's not like the inventor has been "fine"—though the adventurer is going to change it.

a/n: This one-shot is not a samijey/jeysami ship in this steampunk au. Sami is an inventor, while Jey is an adventurer. Ngl, it's one of the most difficult one-shot I've ever written, but I pulled it off well.

Some characters are mentioned, though not appearing.

Also posted on AO3 (here) and Wattpad (here).

Other WWE fics and samijey/jeysami fics are posted on my WWE masterlist here.

Word Count: 2,975

Warning(s): slight angst, but mostly fluff and a happy ending

__________

Sami Zayn isn't quick. If he had the speed to leave, this situation wouldn't be a whole cycle in weeks or months. Visit the workshop, create inventions, and be satisfied like his customers as an inventor. Sad to say, the schedule got sidetracked.

He got caught in something he didn't do, receiving an ambush, and that is going back to work.

First time? No. Second time? Not close. Many times? Yes, a thousand times yes.

For the past hour or two, he'd been collecting materials outside the city. Whatever places are sorted, everything needs to be required so he can make citizens, even himself adore. Without equipment filled—it couldn't work like a recipe gone wrong.

His hours had other meanings during the afternoon.

Trash bins scattered along the rotten garbage in the alley apart from the muffled bustling crowd with steam mobile cars zooming on the street outside. Old lights twinkled in a few abandoned buildings, overcasting fading shadows behind four people. One of them is Sami.

Back pressed against the wall, already a mess on his tattered yet smudged clothes and little cracks on the goggles around his neck as his disheveled hair fluttered. Sami's face paled, wide-eyed in terror at the three figures; those men all wore bowler hats with scowls across their faces.

Not this again, he wondered with a whine.

"You gonna speak now?" a tall man with a low, gruff voice sneered. "We've been waiting three days for our weapons to be retrieved, and you got some nerve to slack around behind our backs?!" His face inched closer to Sami's. "Care for an explanation?"

Sami swallowed a gulp. No escape routes, no bystanders to check what's going on. At this rate, yelling for help won't do any good.

He peered at the two men. One is well-toned with an aggravated expression, while the other is shorter than him, patience wearing thin. Sami averted as soon as possible back to the tall one in the group.

"Uh…" Sami's voice quivered, close to high-pitched, but made sure to be polite. "I… I have to find requirements on fixing them like I told you a couple of times, gentlemen. It's not simple to fix them right away in one day. You know how I—"

"There you go again!" the well-toned man barked, interrupting. "Searching, searching, searching! Is that all you do now?! Throughout these few weeks, you've been standing in our way, and now you won't do anything that we said for the past three days!"

"Technically, it was five weeks before the three days hit," Sami muttered.

"What did you say?!"

"Nothing, nothing!"

The shorter man snorted, cracking his knuckles. "Don't act scared, big mouth."

"I-I didn't mean to!" he interjected. "At least let me go!"

"Unless you give our weapons to us," the well-toned man said.

A lingering fear fixated within Sami's eyes. Fight, fight, fight repeated in his mind, itching and clawing the rumbling anger inside, giving the pressure away to stand up for himself.

No, that'll give everything away of who I am, he thought.

He took a deep breath, clearing the sudden aggression. All the bragging from the thugs or crooks, whatever Sami called them, almost snapped an instinct to fight.

Everything will cost the sanity and reputation of how they look at him if he unleashes the aggression.

Monster. Violent. Murderer. Criminal. Anyone will utter names without hearing the real reasons.

No one will care.

No one.

Sami had to take matters into his own hands. Kill them with kindness. Foolish, he knows, though he can try.

"Okay," Sami spoke and glanced at the tall man. "I understand your frustration. I understand you and your friends are impatient. But…"

He paused, then showed a genuine smile. The crooks each arched their brows at his change of demeanor.

"Your request has been denied."

Oh, they can tell the seriousness in his tone. Sami saw the tall man stepping back, eyes widened alongside the other two men, as he steadied to make sure they understood. From the looks of it, their expression changed from shock to something unexpected.

The tall man's expression grew grim, gritting his teeth. "You…!" he trailed off. His hands reached out and grasped Sami on the collar of his shirt, pulling him close. "You think you can cancel our requests? You're looking damn stupid right now!"

"So? I wouldn't be pushed down like a ragdoll by a bunch of wannabes who couldn't cope with their behaviors!"

Wide-eyed, Sami realized the words he said before covering his mouth. A juggle amount of apologies doesn't help, and neither does the warning against the men.

The tall man curled his fist. His arm drew back, aiming for the face with a punch, and fell on deaf ears of Sami's pleas. Sami couldn't process before shutting his eyes—as the leader's fist inched closer.

Nothing new or surprising. Bruised eye, swollen cheek, letting customers and guests see what happened like a bunch of nosy strangers. Nice "look," they say, how ironic.

Then, everything went black.

Seconds passed—a startled grunt rumbled in the tall man's throat. Sami opened his eyes; he thought he'd be beaten into a pulp again till he let out another gasp. It didn't happen.

He couldn't believe who he saw. A messy black-haired man with goggles and a necklace wrapped on his neck, dark eyes hardened in an icy glare. His fingerless glove hand tightened in a vice grip on the man's wrist, whose face scrunched in pain.

"You know," he began, tone thinned with coldness, "you shouldn't harm my buddy when I'm around."

Sami's brows furrowed in confusion. Since when did he and the adventurer become friends with a stranger he didn't know about? They never met.

What? B-Buddy? I've never—

"So you better leave with your no-good gentlemen. Otherwise, things could get dirty if you don't." the adventurer warned before releasing the grip.

The tall man rubbed his wrist while narrowing a glare. "This is none of your concern, boy! Stay out of it!"

"Well, I'm in the situation. Don't make me say it."

The shorter man's mouth opened to interject, but the adventurer's gaze pierced the same answer. He and the well-toned crooks didn't let out a peep, exiting the alley without adding fuel to the fire. The tall man, however, glared at the adventurer, a sign meant to watch his back, following ahead where his buddies left.

A sigh of relief escaped Sami's lips, thankful to be alive if it wasn't for the adventurer. He gave a genuine smile. "Um… sir?"

The adventurer turned his head, lips pursed. "What up?"

"Look," Sami let out a sharp exhale, "I know we met just now, but I want to say thank you for saving me."

"Uh-huh, and I'm not old. Don't call me sir." the adventurer responded in a flat tone. "So, what's your name?"

"Sami." His hand shot out in front of him. "Nice to meet you."

"Jey." The adventurer responded, accepting the handshake.

Sami released Jey's hand, scratching the back of his head. He couldn't help but respond. "Um, thank you—"

"Stop apologizing! I saved your butt, you're alive, and now we got our names," he grumbled. "Sheesh, you sound like a wreck."

"Ah— I'm sorry." Sami fidgeted his fingers. "It's just I'm... I'm surprised someone like you would swoop in and save me." His voice lowered in a whisper. "Nobody… nobody did until now."

"Nobody? No one?" Jey repeated.

Sami shook his head.

"Oh man," Jey scratched his beard, "no wonder you're actin' like a scaredy cat."

Sami's eyes shot up in shock. "I-I wasn't scared!" he retorted. "I'm brave!"

"No, you weren't, I can tell."

Sami glanced back, about to respond, but his eyes fell to where Jey's finger pointed, a secured bracelet on his wrist. Its energy hummed with the matter of reasoning, though Sami himself couldn't tell, so why is Jey the only notice?

"That bracelet, what is it?" Jey questioned.

"It's… a bracelet. An ordinary bracelet, of course."

Lie.

"No, it's not."

"Yes, it is." A nervous chuckle betrayed the truth from Sami's answer.

Jey somehow isn't irritated but understood a little. "Then why does a 'bracelet' glow when danger occurs?"

Another question caught Sami off guard like a knife stabbed a couple of wounds over its heart.

Lie, lie again so he can get off my back. Maybe he'll… he'll leave just like everyone else.

"Hello? Are you there?"

Sami's eyes fluttered open, his expression softened. "Uh… I— well…" he sighed before admitting. "This bracelet… is no ordinary bracelet." Lips curved a shaky smile. "It's a gauntlet."

"... What?" Jey said, anger bubbling in his voice, left eye twitching.

His smile faltered. "A gauntlet. Is there a problem?"

"It is a problem, man!" Jey lashed out, causing Sami to flinch from the outburst. "Why the hell didn't you use the gauntlet to fight back those who... who were pickin' and threaten' your life?! Do you think lettin' yourself be silent make them go away and let you escape?"

"I don't tolerate myself to violence! I'm an inventor, not a fighter!" he fired back.

"Fine," a huff escaped Jey's lips, "then how about this, inventor?" He stepped forward, staring into Sami's eyes with a glint of determination. "Where's your workshop?"

"Why do you want to know? You screamed your head off like a maniac, and now you want to visit?"

"I wasn't screaming my head off!"

"You're doing it now!"

"No, I'm not!" Jey crossed his arms and turned his head to the side. "Just, just a force of habit…" he confessed under his breath.

Sami rolled his eyes. How is he supposed to believe after Jey demonstrated seconds ago? He got saved, now having a fuss with an adventurer's temper.

But a tingling feeling made his heart pound, a thump through his chest. Fear isn't one, as Sami gazed at Jey, who had his lips sealed. This man, this adventurer—he's different from other customers and guests.

Though something was missing, Sami couldn't wrap his finger. For the time being, he'll wait.

"Want me to lead you to my workshop?" Sami asked.

Jey unfolded his arms. "Yeah, I guess." he stammered.

That made Sami's smile wide. He grasped Jey's hand, firm but gentle. The fabric of the glove brushed over his palm. "Let's get going, shall we, mister?"

"Hey, I'm not that old!" Jey interjected before Sami pulled and began to run, forcing him to follow with a stumble.

No way would Sami ever listen while excitement took over his heart.

__________

Sami confessed himself: he hadn't let his ears ring to the overlaying conversations from citizens in the city, nor seeking the districts full of exposed gears and pipes on unpolished, steel buildings. Mechanical birds flapped across the navy sky with fluffy clouds above, greeting cheerful chirps. He grinned at the peaceful sight.

Jey, on the other hand, wanted to visit Sami's workshop and look around whether he liked it or not.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the workshop. Sami fumbled in his pocket and took out a key, then unlocked and opened the door.

Gaping, curiosity glinted in Jey's eyes. Few gadgets were polished and completed, thanks to its shine from the light on the ceiling. He stared in amazement, admiring the work Sami did. His fingers smoothed one of them, surprised when he saw the project of a camera. Simple—though tough to make.

After staring at the camera, Jey pulled his hand back and narrowed his eyes at Sami, who tweaked one of the current gadgets with a screwdriver. He cocked his head—the inventor hasn't spoken since entering the shop.

No tours, no explanations, Sami goes straight to work.

Weird.

"So, uh, cool shop." Jey cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "I admit, you worked your butt off on these things."

"They're not called 'things'." Sami retorted. He didn't bother to glance over. "Either gadgets or inventions are fine. All of them are important to me and the people in this city."

"Uh-huh. I know, smart guy."

"Good. Sit and wait for me, will you?"

"And let you pass out, man?" Jey said. "I'm not sure…"

"Oh, I'm sure." Sami laughed. "Trust me, this one is the simplest. It'll be quick. No fainting allowed."

"... Alright, I guess." he sighed, sitting across the workbench beside him, watching the invention unfold.

Sami shot a confused look, his other hand on the screwdriver hovering. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"Waitin'. You told me, remember?"

"Yeah, I did, though you do realize there's another chair right behind me."

Jey rolled his eyes. "Stayin' beside you is better."

"Oh, boy, here comes the handful." Sami couldn't utter anything else when Jey gave an icy glare through his soul. He gulped and continued working. "Never mind…"

His troubling mouth, what an idiot. He doesn't let a stranger sit beside him, seeing as a cause led to an unfocused concentration. So why did Sami let Jey sit beside the first place?

How unfortunate—he doesn't know either.

Something felt off once more. Between them, an exhale escaped Jey's lips. Sami couldn't tell whether or not boredom had something to do with his mood, so he kept his mouth shut, not pushing the adventurer to the edge.

"You know, you kinda remind me of my brother." Jey blurted out all of a sudden.

Sami paused with a quizzical look. "Your brother?"

"Yeah." Jey withdrew a necklace tucked under his shirt, tugging a smile. "He acts a bit crazy, over the top, and isn't afraid, unlike you."

"Don't get me started on the fear part. I told you a thousand times." Sami reminded him.

"Whatever you say."

"One joke about me being scared, you're leaving. Understand?"

"Alright, alright," Jey replied, his hands raised. "Those jokes are off limits, I promise."

Sami side eyed him, unsure but continued. "What's your brother's name?"

Jey put his hands down, smiling. "Jimmy, my twin brother."

"T-Twin brother?!" he exclaimed.

"Yep," Jey unsealed the necklace to reveal a photo of him and Jimmy, both mirroring their grins. "He's the one on the right."

Sami took a closer look. "Wow. He doesn't even look hard-headed unlike you." he joked.

"Thanks— hey! I'd thought you said we laid off the jokes!"

"I mean, you already—"

"No, I don't, and you better stop lyin'!"

"Okay, I'll stop," Sami said with a half-chuckle, seeing Jey pursed his lips. "What now?"

"Liar."

"Hey, I'm pointing out the things I see. Is that fine with you?"

He shook his head, cracking a smile. "Shut your mouth and do your work."

"Oh, now you're threatening me?"

With grins, they guffawed at their argument. Sami settled the screwdriver aside and clutched his stomach with tears running down his face while Jey held Sami's arms, grinning ear to ear.

Once Sami simmered down, he stared at the undone gadget, then Jey, who still had a laughing fit. Strange—he's supposed to dislike him and be skeptical of his attitude. And yet, he recalled Jey saving him from those thugs who threatened and almost took his life.

He's not bad. He's not a bad person.

A memory flashed in his mind. His two friends grinning with their eyes gleaming with joy. Oh, it'll hurt his jaw more after this.

Kev. Becks. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to be free once in a while, like Jey.

Sami made a decision.

"I'm taking a break!" he interrupted, beaming.

Jey stopped, taking a breath or two from laughing. "Really? You haven't finished your work yet."

"Well, change of plans! How about we go somewhere to eat? I haven't taken a break for four hours, so…"

"What?!" Jey yelled in horror.

Sami flinched and twiddled his thumbs. "Uh, I… didn't…"

Great work, Sami. You shouldn't say anything because he's a damn hothead!

"Oh my God, man!" Jey groaned, bothered. "You're tellin' me you've straight up work without a sense to taking a break?! You could make yourself pass out!"

"Y-Yes, but—"

"Uh-uh. No excuses. At least…" Jey sighed in frustration. "At least stop being coped in the shop for a while, okay?"

Sami's lips parted to speak but pressed them in a flat line. He tore his gaze from Jey's and stared at the floor like a troubled child.

"Okay?" Jey repeated, voice soft yet stern.

"Okay…" Sami whispered.

__________

He understood. Somehow, not always. Jey understood him like reading a book, though still annoying.

Fresh clothes, no longer filthy after a shower—Sami left the bathroom and glanced at Jey. Flashing a bright smile showed how grateful he is.

"So, um, which place do you want to go?" Sami asked, adjusting his collar.

"Hmm," Jey hummed, placing a hand on his hip. "I'd thought we could eat at the tavern and get to know each other. Then we can walk, talk more about ourselves again, and introduce my brother and your friends. And finally," he held out his arms, wrapping Sami in a hug before leaning to his ear with a whisper, "you can close your shop for a couple of weeks, remindin' people you'll be taking a break, and relax."

Friends. Relax. Sami must've forgotten what he does for life. With his heart beating over his chest, the fluttering sensation tingled again.

Warmth.

He tightened the hug back, his head leaning against the shoulder, not sure of the words he wanted to respond to. All he can think of is warmth and trust.

Maybe he can thank him with words this time.

"You're too nice. Thank you," he murmured.

Jey smiled, fingers caressing his hair. "Don't be slick."

"I know, but thank you."

A new life changed ahead of Sami other than being an inventor stuck every day in the workshop.

And it's all thanks to Jey, who is a good friend as an adventurer.

[The End]

__________

Thank you for reading!

#sami zayn #jey uso #sami zayn fanfiction #jey uso fanfiction #wwe fanfiction #steampunk au #alternate universe #crxssjae writes

[anon-e-miss]

Ember

He did not doubt for a moment that Chromedome had intended every time to leave and ember in his spark, just as Prowl did not doubt that Chromedome’s neglect of the newspark, of his duties to contribute had been intentional as well.  It was revenge, served chilled. When Chromedome had been called Tumbler, when he had been apprenticing in Praxus, he had admired Prowl but Prowl’s procreators had not given him leave to court their creation. Only after he had become king had they agreed not just to a courtship but to a political match. For that old slight, he punished Prowl and would have continued to until the end of time. It was a shame for Chromedome then that Prowl was not the sort of mech to linger and suffer without a fight.

He had known that  the mnemosurgeon had found himself on the throne of Damaxus through an odd route. At some point he had been brought into the service of King Dominus Ambus. The king had died and his widow by a peculiar bit of law had inherited. Not long after, the widow, Queen and then King Rewind had bonded to Chromedome, much to the displeasure of much of the court. Again, not long after, Rewind had died. No one could say if Rewind had bonded to the mnemosurgeon by true choice or if the choice had been made at the tip of Chromedome’s needles. All Prowl knew was that in order to secure his position with wealth and arms, Chromedome had approached Prowl’s procreators for a bond and this time, they had humoured him.

“Down the hall, on your right,” Prowl told the soldiers who had thrown open his door, waving them away without so much as lifting his helm. A few moments later, Prowl heard shouting and his spark finally stilled. Since Barricade had written him, detailing Chromedome’s crimes beyond his cruelties to Prowl himself, and the plans of his bonded’s kinsmech to reclaim land that had once been held by their line. Was that high pitch shriek that of Chromedome’s current favourite? Prowl was not over worried. There would not be a slaughter, Barricade had promised him.

There was an ember on Prowl’s spark again, and he would find for it. Polyhexians came for him and with them carried armour to suit his new status. Prowl’s pride might have seen him refuse the scant armour but when he was informed that the deposed king would see him claimed by his new sovereign, Prowl stripped of his plane vestments and dressed in the fine, if scandalous armour he had been gifted. Not forged of metal, the armour was carved from crystals. He could not transform in it but there was no need for that in the moment. The girdle cut of translucent crystal covered Prowl’s array but hardly disguised his equipment.  It was the same for his chestplate, the crystal was not opaque enough to high the shape and colour of his nozzles, nor the glow of his spark.

The spark Chromedome had abused from the beginning. He had taken the jewels that had come with Prowl’s dowry but also the royal jewels meant for his queen and had passed them around to this favourite and that. Chromedome had taken Prowl’s armour and gifted it to another leaving him in what amounted to rags. As his queen, Prowl had not been permitted to deny him and time and again, Chromedome had ordered Prowl to his berth and left him with an ember, only to dismiss him and ignore his responsibilities until the ember had faded. He had broken Prowl’s spark over and over.

Bracers inlaid with jewels were closed around his wrists and cuffs around his upper arms. Bangles around Prowl’s ankles jingled as he walked, as did the crystals dangling from the mesh sleeves over his doorwings. A cape of sheer linen fell from those sleeves and it matched the loincloth, its belt being made of metal inlaid with more gems that hug from his hips. Prowl could not imagine a courtesan in Praxus dressing like this but knowing those cost of the crystal used in the armour, Prowl could not think of a duke or even king whose armour was so costly. Luridness came with a high price tag.

Prowl might find the jingle as he walked annoying later but for now he heard it, felt it, as a symphony of victory. Those who had so readily bowed to Chromedome sat in the throne room on pretty cushions as Chromedome sat, bound, facing the throne he had stolen. On that throne was the mech who had in turn stolen it from him, a prince of Polyhex, twin to the prince who had taken Prowl’s brother for his consort. Did Barricade armour as Prowl did, or was this spectacle simply a means to further humiliate Chromedome? It did not matter, ultimately. Prowl walked past him with his helm up and back and doors straight and proud. There was little time left to secure the ember and had it not suited this prince to claim Prowl and it, he would have sought a guard or a dozen.  The Praxian was exhausted by the losses.

“The true pearl in Damaxus’ crown,” Prince, now King Jazz, declared. He offered his servo to Prowl as the Praxian bowed at his peds. “My Queen doesn’t kneel.”

“My lord,” Prowl murmured as he stood. He stood only for a moment before his new liege pulled him onto his lap. Prowl made a little squeak and blushed as Jazz admired him.

“I don’t know how that fool coulda treated such a rare beauty with so much contempt,” Jazz declared as he held Prowl’s thigh and smiled up at him. “There’s not a mechanism in this court that could match ya.”

“Thank you,” Prowl replied. He felt more like a beauty that he often had in his life. Scandalous or no, the crystal armour made him feel ethereal. He saw the courtiers who had worn his treasures in watching in their rags and felt a petty thrill of justice.

“Y’ll rule wit me on this throne,” Jazz assured him. “‘N  receive the honour ‘n care y’re due.”

“It would be my honour,” Prowl said.

He was sure Chromedome would have been cursing him, except he was gagged as well as bound to that chair. The Praxian sat, unresisting as his new king unclasped the crystal girdle from him and handed it to a courtier. Prowl gasped as his loincloth was pushed aside and his node and valve petals stroked. There was a little buzz, something from within those digits and Prowl moaned as his channel lubricate quickly under the soft touch. Jazz kissed and sucked the hollow of his throat as he pleasured Prowl with his digits. Soon, Prowl’s chestplate was also removed and he writhed a little in the new king’s lap as his new liege played with his nozzle. He took his time bringing Prowl to peace, only stilling his digits when Prowl overloaded with a soft cry.

“Ya see what ya threw away now, don’t ya?” Jazz asked as he turned a languid Prowl around on his lap, so that he was facing out. Prowl saw Chromedome’s panel had opened and his cruel king had overloaded as the king had cuckolded him on his throne. “Y’re gonna watch me claim yer queen, Murderous scum. Yer gonna watch me claim yer ember. It’s gonna be the last thing ya see.”

“Oh!” Prowl gasped as he felt his new liege’s spike press against his swollen folds. He saw Chromedome’s optics bulge as the Polyhexian slowly brought his stolen queen down on his turgid spike. “Ah!”

Prowl brought his servo to his valve to feel the way his valve petals spread taunt around the Polyhexian’s girth. His node ached with charge and Prowl stroked it frantically. Above his valve, Prowl’s plugged spike twitched, in an odd way milking the crystal plug that had been lodged in it. Jazz purred against Prowl’s doorwings as he held him by well and hip and impaled him fully on his spike. Prowl squealed as the great spike cleaved through his gestational tank and flushed scarlet as he saw every optic in the room trained on him. He felt it descending the plating of his lower belly and moaned all but deliriously. Not a drop would be wasted with his new liege overloaded in him. All would go to the ember and give it the life it deserved.

“Ride me, My Queen,” Jazz ordered as he fondled Prowl’s hips and wells. “Take what yer ember needs.”

Spurred by lust and maternal need, Prowl forgot his embarrassment and rode his new liege with vigor. His wells bounced and slapped his chassis, echoing around the room along with the filthy squelches and clangs as Prowl’s array struck Jazz’s lap. He could feel Jazz’s lustful groans against his crystal covered doorwing and they bade Prowl rock and grind on the other’s spike as his channel strained around it. Jazz nipped his doorwing as he seized Prowl’s well and hip and thrust up hard, making Prowl shake in his lap as he was publicly claimed in front of the whole court. Prowl’s jaw hung open as his optics glazed over. Cries of lust were punched from his vocalizer as he gestational tank was battered and then flooded.

“Oh, oh,” he cried as he felt Jazz’s overload fill his gestational tank. He squeaked and squealed as his belly began to round out. The Polyhexian had transfluid stores like no lover Prowl had ever taken. As Prowl sagged in his hold, Jazz sighed with contentment.

“A few overloads like that outta do,” Jazz declared.

“Oo?” Prowl asked unintelligibly. A few overloads? “Ahh. Oh!”

Jazz folded Prowl over the arm of the throne as he fragged him from behind. Prowl squealed and cried as he was hollowed out on his liege’s spike. Lubricants and transfluids trailed down his legs as his gestational tank could not take another drop. Above Prowl’s slack valve petals, his sheath gaped, the plug gone and Jazz’s transfluids oozed from it. More transfluids stained Prowl’s face as it was pressed against the seat of the throne as Jazz reamed his aft, claiming this last piece of him. Chromedome sat in a puddle of his own transfluids, lubricants and energon. His needles now plugged his spike. A large mech stood behind him as he pleaded through the gag for mercy. Blaster, the cassette-carrier who had created Rewind showed him none as he stabbed the last of Chromedome’s broken needles into the mnemosurgeon’s processor.

Though Prowl had thought Jazz comment that they would rule on this throne together had been a figure of speech, the Polyhexian king proved to mean it. They ruled on the shared throne, though Prowl said less given it was difficult to speak or thing coherently while skewered on the King’s spike. His belly was large now, round with not one but three newsparks who had split off from that ember. Jazz kept his frame so achingly of transfluids that a new ember had formed on Prowl’s spark despite his forge being swollen with triplets. The medic called it superfecundation. Jazz had seen to it that it did not fade, insisting that he would not stand by as Prowl suffered another loss. Now there were small protosparks orbiting Prowl’s spark. If they remained or faded was in nature’s servos. If they remained, Prowl’s frame would immediately begin forging their spark chambers in preparation for their descent into his belly as soon as he gave emergence.

By the time Barricade was able to visit, with his own carryings complicated attempts to travel, Prowl had five bitlets and another three in his forge and Barricade was newly delivered of his third set of twins. It seemed to Prowl like Jazz was trying to give him twins or triplets for every ember he had lost to Chromedome. If this was the case, Prowl would have many creations before his spark ignited no more. As he sat in the garden with Barricade, they nursed their bitlets and shared their joyous exhaustion. It was here and how Prowl learned that Polyhexians never sired less than Twins. Over the vorns, he would fill every room which had at one time held the by-blows of not just queens but concubines. He was carrying another set of twins when his eldest mechlings announced they had ensparked their lover, the court medic. Ratchet had blanched when Prowl had reminded him Polyhexians only ensparked in their mates twins. The medic had wide hips and a sturdy frame however and Prowl thought he would manage.

#valveplug #maccadams #ember #noble au #one shot #tf prowl #tf jazz #weird revenge is weird #this is smut let's not read into it too deeply.

[heartfragment]

Hi there! I hope you don't mind me asking, but how's book 3 going? I don't mean to ask this to pressure you or anything. Your own health and wellbeing come first and foremost above the game, that will never change and I hope no one ever makes you think otherwise! I was just curious. Hope you're doing well! 😊

Quite well! The first ending in Jasper's route is mostly done (needs a few scenes fleshed out and bugs that I'm squashing as I do test playthroughs of the game). The second is outlined but still needs to be written out of the rough draft.

I've admittedly hit some writer's block on Natalia's route though which has made progress a challenge. It's all been outlined well in advance but fleshing out Point A to Point B to Point C has served more of a challenge than I thought it would.

I would be progressing much faster if I had the funds to commission Jasper's Style A CGs (the only artwork that's not finished yet) but since I'm overbudget and can't afford to pay for them out of pocket as mentioned in a previous update, I've been taking that as an excuse to take it easier than I did with the previous releases where it was all rush rush rush and grind grind grind to get it done on time. I'm sure a few people have noticed that some CGs for Style A, though roughly the same in overall consistency, are done in a few different...well...styles. It's been hard to find someone who consistently stays in contact throughout such a large project with this many CGs, and as a result the cost of development overall has ended up varying significantly from what I expected initially.

Once both routes are written and coded, I think I might release the game in early access so that anyone who buys it in early access can help with funding those last few CGs for the complete release. :)

#heart fragment #asks #author note

[thebarontheabyss]

Sorry long post anon again.

The update was well written and it really drew me in. I didn't experience any bugs which I'm sure must delight you hehe.

Highlights:

Death is a special tiny bean and should be protected at all costs. No seriously his interaction was my favorite, his obliviousness to being flirted with is adorable and the entire dialog left me smiling. It was so soft and sweet.

I enjoyed how different the dynamics were when interacting with each RO. Where death is all sugar, Damien is spice and Morgan is a mystery wrapped in some antagonism.

Having to do crisis management was fun and really entertaining because duh that is part of the job. Engaging with the staff was a really nice touch and I liked getting to know them better.

I also kind of see why you would bring in staff as ROs Shelly seems like she would provide a wholesome route/kinship with our MC, Peisinoe seems to have alot more depth than I thought and Hastur is clearly running from something. But again like you mentioned power dynamics are at play and that could be a shitshow. But I wanted to mention that you wrote them well in terms of getting me very invested in what lies behind each of them personally.

Overall I enjoyed the update. It was honestly good. And your dedication and scheduling is admirable. You are probably regret saying you wanted feedback at this point so I'll just leave 🙈

NoooOOOooo, don't leave! ALL your feedback is amazing and insightful. I WANT MORE! 👹 Death is everyone's favorite, I see. Quite the opposite of real life :D I'll likely revisit some romantic interactions as I build the lore and characters more. Glad you enjoyed them! Crisis management is the cornerstone of customer service, haha, and the crises will get more severe as the story goes on! The more I write Peisinoe, the more I see their inner depths. In another story, they would definitely be the main characters. Shelly and Hastur's stories are super dear to my heart. Anyway, by the end of the week, I’ll hopefully officially end chapter 2 and start building all the consequences of the opening night.

#choice of games #dating sim #choicescript #hosted games #cog #interactive fiction #fiction #interactive novel #wip #hosted game #if wip #if game #dashingdon #romance #romance options

[unseisokel]

I wrote a thing, it's 💙🤍 x 🗡️

General rating uhhh nothing too romantic even happens you can read it as platonic

Everything is based off their in universe lore or in U-sans case fanon lore, its written abt the characters not the people you get the idea

U-san uses singular they/them pronouns

Vague allusions to U-san's pl, though nothing is explicitly stated or name dropped

Shoto hates chasing demons. He would much rather have every hunt of his start and end with a single confrontation. Most of the time he tracks them down based on reports coming into his guild and takes them by surprise, or on rare occasions a demon who thinks they're capable of striking him down will try to get the drop on him instead. He always taught his guild members that when confronting a demon, make sure you're aware of every possible escape route a demon might take if they decide to bolt. Tonight however he missed an opening, and of course the demon just had to take the one route he missed in his inspection of the location. His Guildies are gonna wring him out for sure.

This particular demon had been trying to squirrel itself away in an old dilapidated building now going through reconstruction. Equipment and raw materials laid about the premises, making this chase even more cumbersome as he jumped and weaved through the obstacles while the demon made fast and precise turns on a dime, their long quadruped legs attached to an emaciated, giant rat body.

Those precious moments spent avoiding construction hazards had now cost Shoto his visual on the demon. He steeled himself for a much longer night than anticipated as he made chase outside the building and into the alleyways of the city.

Shoto had been running through what felt like his hundredth alleyway he didn't know existed until now when suddenly he hears demonic wailing. Now sprinting double time in the direction of the sound, he cares not in the moment that a demon wouldn't be making such loud noises when they're actively trying to get a demon hunter such as Shoto off their tail, he's just thankful to be close to done with this supposed to be easy hunt.

He rounds a corner, and Shoto and the giant rat demon collide right into each other, both falling over. Shoto momentarily panics as the demon has collapsed on top of him, gaining the literal upper hand but bewilderingly, the demon spares only a glance down at him, before getting back up on its legs and running away once more. 

Shoto, now scrambling to get upright, takes a second look and notices that the demon is seriously hurt, limping and has what look like dents on a car, like they've experienced a volley of blunt force trauma. But he shakes off the weirdness of the situation for the moment and throws his signature knife, which lands cleanly in the back of the demon's skull, finally putting it out of its misery as it falls dead to the floor.

Shoto immediately deflates like a balloon, letting out a long sigh and trying to get his breathing back to normal. The chase had tired him out more than he expected, though it was compounded with the fact it was the dead of night and humans like him should be sleeping.

"Awww I was so close to killing it myself!"

Shoto whips around to see someone who he thinks is his friend U-san at first glance, but the more he looks the more he finds that this person is definitely not his musician friend. They have the same face and body type for sure, same distinct voice even, but this person's hair was a stark white, piercing yellow eyes and a disconcerting grin. The way they carry themselves is all wrong too, compared to the 'normally scared to take up space' U-san, as this human(?) coyly approaches Shoto. One hand holding their head cocked to the side in an inquisitive manner and the other hand dragging a long metal pipe, which leaves a trail of much too dark, too viscous blood to be anything from the natural world.

'Well that explains the state the demon was left in' Shoto thinks.

"Do I… know you from somewhere?" The stranger asks, stopping their approach a few scant feet away from Shoto, who has been frozen in confusion as he tries to wrack his brain recalling if U-san ever said they had an evil twin. Wait. They were attacking a demon, that's hardly a reason to classify someone as evil, but Shoto can't shake the feeling that somethings loose in this person's head.

"It's me… Shoto? Your friend?" He tries and internally cringes. He just established to himself that this was NOT U-san so why did he say that?

"OH! My bad, I couldn't recognize you with it being so dark." They give a half hearted chuckle. "Sorry about that Shoto." The stranger apologizes, despite both of them now under the bright neon light for a laundromat, well illuminating both of their figures.

…Well their smile does look like a sincere apologetic U-san smile, and they now let the pipe they've been dragging with them fall to the ground, the sound reverberating in the barren alleyway. 

'At least I'm probably not going to get brutally pipe murdered now.'

"No biggie U-san." God his Guildies are never gonna let him live this down, so ready to accept this person's story because they look like their musician friend. Well, he can simply not tell fans about this… if he makes it through this. Plus, who are they to judge him? U-san is undeniably attractive, they'd probably ditch him for a U-san that can also handle themselves in a demon fight in a heartbeat. Suckers for a pretty face that's competent in a fight, his Guildies.

Like fans, like oshi, as they say.

"Oh, you don't have to use that name when I'm here, just call me Shiro" 

'...What?'

"What?"

"It's just so you don't get us confused in your silly little mind of yours" Shiro playfully knocks their fist against Shotos head.

"No no no no," he starts, "THAT is what's confusing in this situation, why did you respond like U-san before but now are saying you're a different person?" Shoto's speech picks up speed like it usually does when he's flustered.

"Shhhhh…" Shiro brings a finger to Shoto's lips to stop his worrying. "Don't think about it too hard, okay? All you need to know… is that I'm a part of U-san, but U-san doesn't know about me just yet, yeah?" Their hand now moving to cradle Shoto's cheek, trying to be comforting.

"...You're not making it easy to understand you Shiro." Shoto says exasperated with this conversation already, but notably not moving away from Shiro's touch.

They giggle, that same giggle U-san has, the one that Shoto enjoys hearing so much. "Sorry, I'm not sure how all of this works either," Their hand moves to touch Shoto's neck. "I just take over when U-san is… getting stage fright, I don't know if that's the right way to describe it…" Their alluring demeanor drops for a second as they struggle to find the right words.

Something U-san does too.

"No no, I get it, that metaphor kinda makes sense" Shoto says encouragingly. He still has a lot of questions but he keeps them to himself for now.

"Ah, I'm glad" that smile reappears on Shiro's face. "Well Shoto, it was nice talking to you, I can see why U-san thinks of you so highly." 

"... They do?"

"Mmm-hmm, they like that you're easy to talk to…" Shiro's voice drops to a whisper as they lean in closer, their lips dangerously close to Shoto's ear, he closes his eyes as he feels himself getting flustered at their close proximity "...and that you're easy on the eyes."

"WHAT!?" 

Shoto snaps out of the spell he's in, his eyes shooting wide open and his hands shooting to Shiro's shoulders and pulling them away from his body. 

But instead of the white hair and yellow eyes he was just getting used to, he's greeted with black hair and fluttering blue eyes as U-san comes to.

"Mmm? Shoto? What're you doing here…" they start, talking like they're just waking up from a nap.

"Um well…" Shoto panics. "You- you were attacked by uh, t- that demon over there" he points to the giant rat demon corpse, his knife still embedded in it. "Y-you must've gotten your head hit on something running away from it" he cringes for a second time, wondering why his first instinct was to cover for Shiro.

"Oh… hope I didn't worry you too much…" U-san yawns.

Shoto sighs, typical U-san worrying about other people when they're the one in need of worrying. 

"Let's just get you home safely" 

"Mmm… it's late, you don't want to stay over? Your guild is a bit farther away than my apartment" U-san says, a bit more awake and alert, taking in their location. "My U-reis really like it when they hear that I'm with you."

"Glad your fans appreciate me at least, I don't get that kind of love from the Guildies..." Shoto is sure they're gonna worry if he doesn't return to the guild soon, he'll just have to send a guild-wide message to say he's sleeping over at a friend's since this demon hunt took longer than anticipated. 

"Awww but you like the teasing type of love…" U-san comes to Shoto's side, giving him a playful shove before locking their arm with Shoto's.

Shiro's teasing words echo in his mind- 'They like that you're easy to talk to… and that you're easy on the eyes.'

No sense denying it now, when it's just the two- 'or is it now three? Damn it he should've asked more questions while Shiro was here'- of them walking down the empty streets.

"Yeah… I do, don't I?"

—

It had been little over a month since the strange incident with U-san and self described Shiro and truthfully, Shoto almost completely forgot about it as slowly but surely demon activity was increasing throughout the city. Shoto and his guild were kept busy trying to hunt and deal with the new threats popping up, when U-san invited him to hangout, noticing his stress mounting and wanting to take his mind off from demon hunting just for a bit.

"You helped me deal with what was probably the most stressful time of my life, please let me return the favor" U-san pleaded with him after Shoto was dodging their previous invites, sheesh U-san could really be a sap when they want to. 

They both agreed to an evening of drinks and karaoke, Shoto walking through the city streets to the karaoke bar they agreed to meet at. But of course as he’s nearing the venue Shoto’s keen hearing and recognition of all signs demon related alert him to a disturbance. ‘Dammit, it's supposed to be my day off..!’ he grumbles to himself but makes haste regardless, sprinting with his dagger at the ready.

Shoto finds the source of the demonic disturbance in an alleyway corner, a large canine demon with  scales coating their body along with singed fur on its head and tail, who immediately recognizes Shoto as what he is, a demon hunter, and raises its head upwards. ‘Ah fuck its gonna try to call for backup’ Shoto more than familiar with the type of behaviors a demon might pocess, and reaches out to throw his dagger. 

‘Wait fuck it’s got scales to protect itself with’ he hesistates.

Then from the other entrance to the corner, a large ball of blue flames shoots toward the creature, immediately engulfing the demon in its entirety, it’s howl dying in its throat. Shoto comes in closer to peek around the corner to find the source of the flames, and finds- 

“Shiro?” the memories of that odd night coming back to Shoto.

“Ah! You remember me!” Shiro smiles almost genuinely.

“You’re an enigma. I hope you know that.” Shoto crosses his arms over his chest, trying to come off as authoritative but looks more pouty if anything.

“Ouch, what’s with the sudden cold behavior?” The smile doesn’t leave Shiro's face.

“This is the second time I’ve found a demon already showing signs of being attacked by you, so… are you really taking over when U-san’s in danger or are you doing this preemptively?” Shoto doesn’t have a clue as to why that would be the case, but this is technically U-sans life being brought into peril, he needs to sus out what the hell is going on with Shiro. He hopes the bluff will goad Shiro into trying to set the story straight.

“Woah woah don’t get the wrong idea man, the demons do come for U-san, honestly!” Shiro’s posture and expression turn defensive.

‘Gottem.’ 

“They just come for us because of deal U-san made to survive drowning, the big guy didn’t like how I- we- fuck, whatever you get it- were going around ruining shit, something about having a plan for us.” 

Shiro rambles, “When U-san decided to break away from the demon control, they subconsciously made a new deal as they passed back into the human realm, sealing off me, the manifestation of their memories and powers of that time.” 

They gulp in some air before starting again, “Guess the boss finally found out that we’re here…”

‘What the fuck.’ This is a lot of new information coming into stark contrast with what Shoto thought he knew about U-san. He never once sensed anything off or demonic about U-san, their pleasant attitude never suggesting a past brush with death or deal with a demon. 

“Okay, hold on, so let me get this straight- '' Shoto feels a headache come on as he tries to puzzle everything together. “You- Shiro, are what, U-san’s demonic half?”

“Mmmm well, the power and physical changes come from an angel who didn’t survive the fall into hell. Their energy was just laying there unused for a while before the Big One figured out how to repurpose it, giving it to U-san, saving their mortal life. Me as a person- do I count as a person? No nevermind that, I’m made of everything U-san knows plus the knowledge and power they had in their life working with demons.”

…Shoto was definitely gonna need a drink, preferably sooner than later.

“Okay- yeah. Sure, why the FUCK not!” Shoto’s frustrations of the recent demonic threat to the people here under his protection bubbling to the surface. He suddenly walks up to Shiro, grabbing them by their shoulders, and pushing them against the closest alleyway wall. 

“So YOU just think you can stick around here, letting yourself be a nice juicy target for any demon that makes it in this realm, endangering the rest of us!? And for what? Running away from the choices you made, expecting a deal with the devil to work out in YOUR favor!?” 

Shiro face falls, doesn’t bother fighting off Shoto’s grip, letting Shoto vent his frustrations.

“It’s not that I- we- fuck okay let me just speak as U-san for a second here- I knew it was a bad idea, but I had so much left to live for, so many songs left to sing, people I couldn’t let down, yeah?” Shiro’s head comes back up to face Shoto, tears welling up in their eyes. “You saying you wouldn’t do anything drastic to meet back with your Guildies if your life came to a sudden end?” 

God, his Guildies. U-san’s U-reis. He remembers them before they were the little blue flame balls they are now, how broken they were when the person they had grown so attached to seemingly wasn’t coming back. The burning away of their old form, when U-san reappeared, changing to match U-san. Confusingly both no longer the people they once were, but still with the memories and love in their heart.

“...you think of me as someone who made this choice for U-san, but I am U-san- fuck- no, ugh why is this so hard to explain-” Shiro’s throat seizes in frustration.

Shoto is brought back to the time right after U-san appeared how they had remembered him, but couldn’t go back the person they first met Shoto as, their sense of identity all but non-existent. 

~~~

“Listen, you don’t have to figure it all out now- Don’t worry about finding a name yet. Find a meaning behind a name, then decide. And whatever you choose will be you.”

~~~

“I think I’ll go by U-san, like, officially.” 

“Wh-huh?” Shoto looks up from his meal, cheeks comically filled with food like a hamster. He takes a moment to chew and swallow before speaking again. “Are you sure? Everyone is just using it as a placeholder for now…are you giving up on finding a name?”

U-sans’s body wilts a little, they pick at their own plate of food. “Well yes and no. I’ll keep Unnamed as my musician title, it works for what I want to do, to be recognized for my voice. But U-san is… cute. My fans made it because they wanted me to be more than a nobody…” U-san lifts their head up to look Shoto directly in his eyes, their own gaze filled with fondness, “...and it’s what my friends call me.”

Shoto breaks the stare with an awkward cough, as he feels himself blushing. 

“Sap.”

~~~

History seems to be repeating itself, Shoto faced once again with his friend going through an identity crisis.

“...but if I knew it would end with demons pouring in trying to hunt me for getting away, I would’ve never-”

Their pained pleas are cut short as Shoto goes from pinning them to the wall to hugging them. Shiro hesitates, before reciprocating the hug, burying their head into Shotos shoulder.

“Tell me what to do to make this right Shoto…”

“Well you can start by giving back U-san their memories and powers”

“B-but it’ll destroy them! I mean- look at me I’m- I’m a mess!” Shiro argues. Their playful and almost crazed demeanor they start conversations with, hiding what Shoto now guesses is a lot of trauma.

“Then we start slow, I’ll talk to them, tell them that the demons are after them, they deserve to know that much at the very least- and we’ll go from there.”

Shiro melts further into the hug.

“Thank you Shoto, you don’t know how much you mean to me...”

“It’s alright Shiro.”

“...who?”

Shoto very reluctantly pulls himself away from the embrace, and is met with black hair and blue eyes again.

“...I’ll explain later, U-san. Lets just head to the karaoke bar, I need a drink.”

U-san’s  face lights up at the mention of karaoke, they take Shoto by the hand and walk with him in tow towards the karaoke bar.

“We need to make the most of tonight, who knows when you’ll be able to make time for breaks like these again.” 

“Well… there's always the option of you learning to hunt demons with me.”

“Eh!? But I’m not a fighter, a- and I have no powers to speak of!”

“...Well, me and your fans are gonna have to disagree on that last one.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have the power… to make people fall in love with you!” Shoto gives his best rizzler smile.

“Oh, fuck off bro, that was so cringe” U-san breaks into cackling.

“What do you mean!? That was so smooth dude, I’ll have you know I’m called the Rizzler.”

The rest of the night is filled with many more laughs and bad pickup lines and flirting. U-san and Shoto sing their hearts out, and end up drinking quite a bit, they leave the bar in the early hours of the morning still giggling and just a tad drunk still.

“Let’s go back to my place, yeah?” U-san says, already linking their arm with Shoto’s dragging him before he even responds.

When they make it back to U-san’s place, they’re both bombarded with waves of u-reis, their blue flame bodies only leaving a warm feeling on both their bodies. 

“Wh- I was gone for a few hours! Why do you guys always act like this?”

Shoto gives an understanding smile to the u-reis huddled against him, their beady eyes staring at him in appreciation, no doubt glad for the protective eye Shoto always has for U-san.

“I think they’ll always miss anytime spent away from you, you just have that effect on people.”

#unnämed #shxtou #shoto vtuber #u san #vtubers #fanfic

[beanieman]

I think the theory that Reko is the character made to be in the logic route, while Alice is the character made to be in the emotion route, makes a lot of sense.

(Disclaimer On This Post: I HATE it when a choice based game comes out and everyone argues about what’s “canon” because it beats the entire purpose of a choice based game. So this isn’t saying the Reko/Shin and Alice/Kanna route’s are the only canon one’s, this is me saying that the Yabusame’s writing could support the idea that they’re written for certain route’s, but they can belong on either.) 

More Undercut

First, just take a look at the CG’s above. Reko is in Shin’s place, and Alice is in Kanna’s. Which lines them up with a certain route. But it also makes sense narratively for Alice to written for the emotion route while Reko is written for logic. 

If you want to save Reko, you have to push a sentient being to save Gin. This is an act of logic where Sara says “This doll isn’t a real person. But Gin is. Therefore his life hold’s more value.” 

It’s a very black and white thought process that Keiji agrees with as he dismisses doll Reko’s crying as part of her program. And as we know Keiji is one of the more logical characters in the game. 

But if you want to save Alice, you have to either run out of time, or not push the Reko doll.

If you don’t come to a conclusion in time, then your Sara isn’t able to come up with enough logical proof to convince everyone in time. Therefore Sara isn’t acting with logic.

But you choose to not push doll Reko, Sara decides that she can’t kill an ally. Even if that ally is a doll, and sparing them will lead to death. Except this time, the death will be more indirect then if you directly push the Reko doll. 

Because of that, not shoving the Reko doll is an emotional choice. It’s Sara deciding that a doll is a real enough person that they can’t just murder her, and that she can’t shove an ally into a bed of spikes no matter what.

I think it lines up well with Sara declining to escape with Ranmaru on the emotion route, and putting her allies first. Meanwhile, sacrificing an ally for the cost of one is something Sara does in the logic route.  

So I think Reko being the logical choice while Alice is the emotional choice makes sense. Again this isn’t me calling them canon to either route, but I do think they have more set up for certain path’s. 

#YTTD #Your Turn To Die #Reko Yabusame #Alice Yabusame

[ddarker-dreams]

I love the constant rivalry that bruno has going on in the sr verse. Like sr reader’s respect and admiration plus sr’s love bc he awakened her puts him on a inevitable pedestal the others cant really dream of. Abbachio wants to be mad at him but also respects him so much he can’t even argue that bruno has done a LOT for u. Fugo being being ur roommate but u were living w bruno way before u met. Narancia and Mista give more boyfriend vibes compared to Bruno’s husband vibes. Giorno is as cool and collected as Bruno but Bruno was always your precious capo even after Giorno gets upgraded to boss. Just ur sheer adoration for bruno is definitely way different than your love for the others. Like he housed u, saved u, and awakened ur stand and hes lowkey arrogant that if anything at least he can say he cared for u a way no one else has even touched. Just thoughts cause i read your Bruno vs. Abba meet the parents drabble and the bruno vs. fugo drabble #BrunoSupremacy

why did reading this make me emotional wtf... i bestow upon you a bachelors degree in scarlet ribbons lore ... SR reader’s relationship with bruno is honestly one of my favorite relationship dynamics that i’ve ever written. i have a few themes that i go for when writing the different relationships with the boys, but the barely suppressed yearning that bruno has for SR reader is hard to top. 

he’s cognizant of his sway over you — he’s your leader, the one who threw you a lifeline when you were drowning — yet he feels he can’t pursue you with a clear conscience because of this. what if you feel pressured into reciprocating his advances due to all that he’s done for you in the past? he knows you well enough to see your inclination toward making everyone happy, even at the cost of yourself... this makes you all the more vulnerable to manipulation if done right. it stresses the man out. he feels you’re on more equal footing with the others, no matter how much it pains him to admit that. he’d literally never forgive himself if he felt he was taking advantage of you in any way. hence his hesitation to pursue you romantically. it’s tragically ironic. your admiration for him is a blessing and a curse, what gives him hope that he might have a chance yet births apprehension he’s doing something he shouldn’t. 

you’re right about SR reader having a different type of love for bruno though htjkemgrw i noticed that she tends to mention him very often, even in situations with the other boys. he lives in her head rent free regardless of if it’s a route where she holds romantic or platonic feelings for him. 

bucciarati, looking at a polaroid of SR reader he keeps in his wallet that always makes me smile whenever he sees it: i just think she’s neat. in a professional capacity though. strictly professional. 

#someone has been doing their SR homework <3 #bucciarati x reader #scarlet ribbons #answered #Anonymous