"Ren is gone. I am your King..."

Ok when the otherside track slowed down something felt unhinged and i got inspired

This was supposed to be a leisure drawing, not something i finished so quick-

Anyways, that crown is doing somethin to ren, man-

so, first, accountability statement: I plan on trying to finish the “zedaph steals a baby” fic by the end of the month and god is that one-line summary no longer accurate but we’re sticking to it, said here publicly so now I have to do it. obviously I also have recursive exchange and the writing I have for hotguy comics zine, but I am not SUPER worried about either of those time/inspiration-wise at the moment and also for Reasons I know it won’t be long until I have more free writing time after that, SO.

various items that are on my potential writing docket, I am curious which of these appeal most:

I dust off the supervillain support group au. two ways this could go: I chip away at the second arc of my original outline and acknowledge this will be like a 300k fic I’m not ready to feel “done” with or “ready to post” with for ages, or I re-work it into something a little more doable and less ambitious keeping the same premise (ren runs a support group for supervillains, doc pov as he starts to heal and redeem himself). this MAY honestly be a target for “if I don’t hate the first 50k on re-reading it and I can actually make my brain write the second arc, do a slower release schedule and then start releasing chapters before I’m done writing”? but this ALSO runs the risk of “I stopped writing it, which is often a sign I was having trouble writing it”.

pearl monster au, which has been cooking in my head for a long while. the basic premise is “one day, pearl, with no memory of how or why this happened, wakes up in a facility as a monster and must try to figure out how she got there, escape, and find her way home, even knowing she may be irrevocably changed”. now with bonus season 10 fish flavor to add to this creature design I’ve been iterating on in my head for forever! this one is ALSO an experiment for me in “can I write a fic where I can’t write dialogue for basically the entire first act”, which would be interesting to see from me, you know?

the related “bigb folklore au”, where after secret life bigb is woken up by Cat and Dog by the tracks of the King Snake, which bigb can recognize as the railroad track, and decides to journey down the railroad to see if he can figure out what the fuck is going on. I need to do video review of life series bigb for this one. this is my excuse to get Weird and Metaphorical and also assign everyone to various animals for no reason, along with using some very specific aesthetic I have wanted to use for some worldbuilding but hadn’t gotten around to yet in any of my stuff. man walks through the desert with animal, confronts train that might be the watchers, might be death, and might just be a train. also, realizes that “confront” is the operative word there and has to deal with that. you know how it is.

““office au””, in air quotes because it’s not REALLY what anyone going to an office au is looking for so much as an excuse to write weird horror. iskall, normal-ish software developer man in a boring office job who does game jams in his free time, goes to work one day to work in his boring downtown office on a payment system for a client. and then things, uh, Take A Turn. this would be a LITTLE me going “what if I wrote an au with a guy who works in tech but like, the boring side of tech I’m in. like, banks and consulting and manufacturing and shit. where you sit in meetings all day and tweak java 8 code even though that language is ten years out of date. but THEN. something exciting happens in the worst way possible.” I’m doing to iskall what I did to mumbo stuffed bird is what I’m saying. it’d be fun.

DO ANY OF THESE PARTICULARLY INTEREST ANYONE. your input will be valued. like 50% chance i get hit with a strong bolt of inspiration then IGNORE that input but it’ll be valued all the same,

TERRIBLE NEWS. TUMBLR HAS REMOVED MY ABILITY TO ADD POLLS TO REBLOGS???

anyways. i'm trying to decide where to put skizz and joel in the hermitcraft blaseball au.

skizz's team is already decided (he's on the lovers, duh). yes that's his team in the life series au too, it's not my fault he has a brand. i made these aus before secret life even started.

but joel is harder to decide so i'm giving the choice to you all, who i trust with joel opinions more than i trust myself.

i'll add my reasoning for the teams provided below the cut, alongside a list of all the other options, including which hermits are on which team if putting him on the same team as certain people matters to you.

tokyo lift: other hermits already on the team include stress and false, who i think he'd have a fun dynamic with. i'm pretty sure the lift had a cyberpunk theme, as does joel this season. if he's on the lift i can justify drawing him with a pink streak instead of a green one. i'm also feeding into his ego here and putting him on the strong team.

yellowstone magic: he would be teammates with zed here, and i just think they would be very funny together. i can also justify dying his hair pink here, though it's much more magenta. also i think shrek would've lived in yellowstone. idk it feels right.

kansas city breath mints: i think joel would fit in with them vibes-wise (which is to say i think he would fail the bar exam). but i mostly included the breath mints in the poll because he would be teammates with cleo and gem.

breckenridge jazz hands: it would be pretty funny to shove joel in a room full of band kids, theater kids, resident mean girl iskall eightyfive, and xisuma. just imagine it with me. however. know that if you vote for joel to be on the jands, he will be making a brief cameo in my pearl/netty/jimmy precog trio fic that i'm working on as jimmy's replacement on the jands when he dies. for flavor!

anyways, other options!

hades tigers: only hermit teammate would be exil x, which is inherently a little hilarious. anyways these guys live in hell- not really. but they ARE fireproof!

mexico city wild wings: would make him teammates with hypno. all i really knew about the wings was spicy milk (exactly what it sounds like) and the time they tried to sue the entire league so. keep those facts in mind.

chicago firefighters: would make him teammates with tango. and also he would be a firefighter now. like, the profession. blaze joel afterlife smp likers i feel like this would appeal to you somewhat.

atlantis georgias: would make him teammates with xb. if he ends up on the georgias i'm turning him into a sea creature of some kind, so vote for what creature that is if you vote for this option.

philly pies: no hermit teammates here. all i remember about the pies off the top of my head is that they won the first two seasons of blaseball and then proceeded to never win a championship again.

new york millennials: would make him teammates with mumbo. and also housemates, because all the millennials live in an infinite apartment together, which feels appropriate for magic mountain. i could also make him pink here. however putting him on the mills would require me to type millennials more often, which is a word i cannot ever spell. would you do that to me? (/j)

seattle garages: would make him teammates with joe. one large band. if joel joins the garages i will be making him play the drums, of course. also i'll need to decide which garages song(s) i think he wrote.

dallas steaks: would make him teammates with beef. i don't know if i trust joel at a grill enough for this but i also don't know if i don't trust him.

san fransisco lovers: would make him teammates with ren (team captain), skizz, and wels. wow you've found one of the hermit hot spots. anyways this would put him in a medieval-themed, team-wide polycule.

core mechanics: would make him teammates with doc and keralis. i do think this would be an extremely funny trio. these guys live in the core of the world and build cool robots and things.

hellmouth sunbeams: would make him teammates with impulse. the moab desert fell into a hellmouth in season 1, so all the beams are Weird now. joel joining the beams would also make him Weird.

houston spies: would make him teammates with pearl. netty and jimmy were also spies before they died but idk if that'll be relevant to joel idk when i'm inserting him into these teams. anyways top secret escapades on the spies. also they have a secret base on the moon.

miami dale: would make him teammates with scar. the dale are the party time capital of the world and were the last team to ever make the playoffs, qualifying for the first time in SEASON FIFTEEN OF TWENTY FOUR. they never won an internet series but that's less of an accomplishment.

la unlimited tacos: would make him teammates with grian. the tacos tried to do a strike against god one time (it didn't work out but i respect the commitment)

boston flowers: no hermit teammates here. this was my team when blaseball was running and it would make me happy to put a hermit on it but it doesn't feel right for joel unfortunately. i can be convinced, however.

ohio worms: would make him teammates with wormman (aka zedaph in a disguise) and be coached by tfc. the worms are worms. they're in the dirt. self explanatory.

hawai'i fridays: would make him teammates with bdubs. this is also esmp 1 joel's team in the empires au which isn't relevant but is a fun fact (esmp 2 joel is on the lovers). the fridays have a cool goddess and good vibes. except for that time they all died. don't worry they got better.

canada moist talkers: would make him teammates with etho. i don't know if joel could survive in the cold but maybe i'm wrong maybe he'd be fine. maybe he's withstand it just to stake his claim as #1 ethogirl.

charleston shoe thieves: would make him teammates with cub and jevin. would also (maybe) make him get cursed by god but don't worry about that part, worry about the thieves guild he's joining.

baltimore crabs: would make him teammates with helsknight only. also inherently hilarious. this is the divorcee zone also there's a long dead crab goddess in the chesapeake and if you join the crabs parts of your body will slowly turn into crab. we have fun in baltimore.

BAD ATTITUDE | Chapter 5: Let's Make a Deal

ch. 1 | ch. 2 | ch. 3 | ch. 4 chapter word count: 8k warnings: mature (18+), violence, drinking, drug use, smut, fluff, angst, feels, rough s*x, emotional manipulation pairings: Gojo Satoru x Fem OC, Geto Suguru x Fem OC, Nanami Kento x Fem OC, Fushiguro Toji x Fem OC series summary: Jujutsu Kaisen Yakuza AU where Riku Ozaki (OC) is really good at getting herself into trouble. Though the Ozaki family is ranked #10 out of the 15 clans of the Tokyo Yakuza syndicate in terms of power & strength; and the Gojo, Geto, and Zenin families fall at #1, #2, and #3 respectively; that doesn't keep her from getting in the mix with these highly ranked, highly dangerous men. Her clan's bodyguard, Nanami, can hardly keep up with all the compromising positions she constantly finds herself in. Will she ever learn her lesson? Find out on the next episode of Dragon Ba- fic playlist: Spotify YouTube

Riku sighs over her bowl of fresh sashimi and rice, closing her eyes for a moment to appreciate the perfect balance of flavors and hint of sweet ponzu sauce Geto had lightly dressed the kaisendon with. It was a simple dish to prepare ingredient-wise, but the true skill came in how one cut and arranged the sashimi – which Geto had surprisingly done quite artistically. It really was a perfect dish; but Riku sighs again, still upset about being deprived. She takes a sip of the suavingnon blanc the three of them had decided to pair with it, the dry notes complimenting the sweet notes of the dish.

Gojo laughs with his mouth closed as he works on his finishing his bowl, sitting beside Riku. He looks to Geto across the table and swallows his food before speaking up, “Damn, I almost feel bad for her.”

“I don’t. She should do something about that attitude if she wants to cum so bad.” Geto says simply, not looking up from his kaisendon to acknowledge Riku as he takes a huge bite of rice and tuna. He looks up at Gojo instead, “I mean, shit, it’s not like we’ve gotten to either.”

Gojo turns back to Riku, “He’s got a point. Imagine how we feel, Ricchan,” he releases his hold from his bowl and reaches over to cup her face with the palm of his hand, “you’re probably used to getting whatever the fuck you want with that cute face of yours… But that big eyes and pouting shit won’t work on us, babe.” Gojo continues to gaze over and be taken with her soft, facial features, even with her bruised cheek, “Fucking gorgeous… Even though you’re a spoiled little yakuza princess, hm?” His thumb brushes down the side of her face, careful not to press on the bruise.

“Mhm,” Riku hums affirmatively as she eats her food, unashamed of the ‘spoiled’ title. Though the life comes with a lot of work, and even more trouble, Riku thinks she enjoys mostly being able to afford whatever she wants and take care of the people she loves. Even if her family is ranked 10th out of the 15 Tokyo yakuza clans, they are still far more than just ‘well off,’ compared to most in the city, “Not quite a yakuza princess, you know, not being the family heir and all—but I sure am spoiled.” She agrees, smiling to Gojo’s compliment regardless.

Gojo keeps his hand on her cheek, “But you used to be… until Ren died, no?”

Riku’s smile drops, and her eyes dull at the sound of her dad’s name.

She hasn’t heard it in years, and she can’t help but be thankful for all those who are and had been more delicate about the subject of her deceased parents around her—compared to Gojo, who clearly doesn’t care about or understand the idea of a touchy subject.

But he was right. It was always supposed to be Riku. Riku’s dad, Ren, was the Ozaki clan’s leader when she was a child. It was only after him and Riku’s mother, Jakucho, had been murdered that his younger brother, Jin, had taken over and assumed leadership of the family. And this had made his daughter and Riku’s cousin, Umika, the next Ozaki heir.

‘Is that why you act like that?’ Gojo’s question from just the night before, the one he’d asked Riku right after she’d shared about her parents being dead, rings through her head. Maybe. Or maybe it was the fact that it was always supposed to be her in power, all along. Instead, she was relegated to dealing in boring, family organizational work and teaching classes at their studios—rather than leading their family’s real money maker: running Tokyo’s underground art trading, stealing, and copying market. Riku was robbed of her birthright. Maybe that’s what gave her a bad attitude.

Riku meets Gojo’s electric, cerulean eyes and gently moves his hand from her face, “Who told you that?”

“Just a little birdie.” Gojo says with a hint of a smirk.

“Right.” Riku returns her gaze to her food, continuing to eat, “How was your day?” She asks in between bites, resolving to change the subject. Though she’s looking down, she feels both Gojo and Geto’s eyes burn into her with interest.

“Hm… you really don’t like to talk about your family, huh?” Gojo rests his chopsticks down on the table after he finishes cleaning out the contents of his bowl, humming and gazing up at the ceiling in thought for a moment before responding, “A little crazy,” he starts, “but very productive. Burned a few Zenin weapons warehouses, met with the 15 families—including your uncle, by the way, who says hi—tracked Toji’s movements for a few hours, interrogated a few Zenin assholes, and… now I’m having dinner with you, babe.” Gojo smiles brightly, and Riku is honestly a little concerned by how casually Gojo had just listed all of those actions off as if they were as minuscule as stops on a shopping trip.

“So, it was really your idea for me to stay here?” Riku raises a brow.

“That’s right. The first thing that comes to mind when you hear ‘drug lord’s house’ probably isn’t ‘safety,’ but it’s a nice little mountaintop property, huh?”

“Little?” Riku questions Gojo’s word choice, taking another bite of her food.

“Well, maybe not little.” He laughs, reaching over to rest his hand on Riku’s bare thigh, “I heard you two had a little date at the onsen,” Gojo looks between Geto and Riku.

“We got to know each other a little better.” Geto admits with a smile, seemingly out of his sour mood from earlier. He finishes the last few bites of his kaisendon.

“And didn’t invite me? It’s not fair.” Gojo pouts comedically, and Riku giggles at his playful response, “Seriously, Ri! I’ve been out working all day trying to figure out a way to protect you, and track down the asshole who put that bruise on your face, and prevent any other Tokyo Yakuza syndicate drama, and you two go to the spa? Shit’s kind of fucked up.”

“Hey, I worked a full day, too, you know! I had to deal with idiot remodelers at our dance studio, and of course one of the teachers bailed out of nowhere so I had to pick up a few classes… I mean, it’s not nearly as scary as all that shit you did today, but still!”

Gojo begins to chuckle, but it quickly turns into an all-out cackle, tears in the corners of his eyes as he’s unable to help the hearty laugh Riku’s response gives him.

“What’s so funny, you rabbit haired motherfucker?” Riku narrows her eyes at Gojo, starting to get annoyed by his unending guffaw. He only laughs harder to this.

On the other side of the table, Geto’s phone vibrates and he quickly picks it up to glance at the screen. His eyes widen just slightly and he rises to his feet, “Oi, Satoru. Know Riku’s idea of work is hilarious and all, but can you quiet the fuck down? I gotta take a call outside.” Geto doesn’t waste any time and picks up his glass of wine to take with him, already striding over towards the floor length glass doors on the opposite side of the room that open into a vast, marble balcony which overlooks a similar view as the onsen’s—a cliff and a full, unobstructed view of the city lights at night, “Hello?” Geto answers the call as he steps out and closes the door behind him.

Still recovering from his fit of laughter, Gojo wipes the tears at the corners of his eyes, starting to rise from his seat, himself, “You’re a comedian, Ri. Seriously…” He pushes his chair back under the table after he stands, then stretches his arms up and bends his torso to his right and left sides, releasing the tightness from his muscles, “Ah, that kaisendon was good. Think I’m gonna shower, but you keep eating, babe.” Gojo winks, already walking off towards another part of the mansion.

Riku’s jaw drops to this, “Seriously, Satoru? Both of you are gonna leave me alone at the dinner table again? Just like last night?!”

“You’re more than welcome to join me…” Gojo says just before exiting the room, not even bothering to look back at her as he spoke.

Riku rolls her eyes. She releases a short exhale from her nose when she looks around the table, eyes falling on the two men’s abandoned glasses, empty bowls, and chopsticks. Riku is sure Geto has some sort of maid or cleaning service, but picks up and neatly organizes the dishes in a stack before heading back to the kitchen where she pops them into the double-doored dish washer. Is this really what the next few days will be like? Me, at the whims of these occasionally considerate yet spacey, crazy, and secretive two men?

After retrieving her phone from the couch in the living room, still only dressed in Geto’s shirt and boxers, Riku walks barefoot down the long hallway corridor which leads to a series of rooms, noting one of the doors is slightly cracked open. Riku pops her head in, unable to help her curiosity, and is met with the faint smell Geto’s scent—mahogany and amber notes. She steps in, flicking the light switch on so that the sizable room comes into view: dark wooden floors and a king-sized bed with a deep grayish black set of blankets, sheets, and pillows. The room is in a perfect corner of the mansion, and the windows curve around nearly every edge of it, stretching up to the ceiling which reached at least 20 feet above the floor.

Riku allows herself to fall back onto the bed and looks over the boundless view of the city with a sigh, enjoying Geto’s faint but delicious smell that wafts from the pillows. She turns her head to one side to poke her nose in the soft, down pillows and takes a deep inhale, feeling the muscles beneath her abdomen clench warmly at the smell of the man alone. It’s honestly perverted how little it takes her to rediscover her arousal from earlier, her hands smoothing down her chest and stomach at the thought of how Gojo had kneaded her breasts while Geto rubbed his fingers so flawlessly over her clit. She still wants to cum, and would make it happen for herself even if Gojo and Geto wouldn’t.

Riku lifts her hips up, removing Geto’s black boxer-briefs from her legs then tossing them across the room somewhere in front of the bed. She spreads her legs just slightly, one of her hands slipping up the white shirt to fondle her breast while the other moves between her legs. Riku tries to remember and copy Geto’s finger movements from earlier, the gentle side-to-side motion of his long digits rubbing on her clit. She bites her lip and releases a small moan, then closes her eyes to take a slow breath as she continues to touch herself salaciously, wetness already beginning to pool between her folds. She continues like this for a while, breathing only growing more and more ragged, and her heart only beginning to thump harder against her chest.

“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”

Riku jumps to the sound of Gojo’s voice, eyes blinking open and hands hastily rushing to cover herself up as she tries to sit upright, “Satoru…! Fuck, you scared me…”

The man chuckles, standing right in front of the king-sized bed with Riku at its center. He’s only in a white towel that hangs low on the deep cut of his waist, his chiseled arms, chest, and abs on full display and his white hair still a little damp and messy from his shower. Riku realizes she’s never seen Gojo without a shirt until now. Unlike Geto, his skin is completely bare of any tattoos. His porcelain skin looks perfect upon first glance—definitely not the type you’d imagine to belong to the strongest yakuza in Tokyo—but when he steps closer to the bed, Riku spots the incredibly faint scars that litter his abdomen and arms. The scars are hardly visible as they’d healed well and were probably from years ago, but just by eyeing the size of a few of them, Riku could imagine that some had been much bigger wounds initially.

“You’re pretty bold, Ri, I’ll give you that,” Gojo grins at the sight of her on the bed, suddenly grasping and pulling her ankles so that she’s closer to sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Agh—!” Riku voices her surprise at suddenly being moved.

“and a selfish fucking brat.” Gojo bends over to lowly whisper in her ear, “All you care about is yourself, isn’t that right?”

“No…! I’m not so selfish!” Riku defensively protests Gojo’s assumption of her character, voice weak with both arousal and embarrassment.

“Then prove it, slut. Stand up, and on your knees. Now.” Gojo commands Riku so degenerate-like that he nearly spits his words at her, a wicked smile on his face.

Riku rises off the bed and stands onto her feet, watching as Gojo removes the white towel from his hips. Her eyes widen and her mouth falls agape in shock. Is he bigger than Geto?! Gojo’s dick springs to life when released from the confines of the white material, already fully hard and erect. He may not have as much girth as Geto, but has the other beat length-wise by at least half an inch.

He laughs to Riku’s look of shock, gently patting her shoulder as he replaces her seat on the edge of the bed, “Not the first time I’ve gotten that face. But don’t worry, babe, I promise I won’t choke you too much.”

Riku glares at Gojo as she lowers to her knees, first removing Geto’s oversized shirt from her body. She peels the fabric up and off her before tossing it on top of Gojo’s towel on the floor.

Gojo offers a low, long whistle at the sight of Riku’s toned figure, his hand squeezing the length of his dick from base to tip, “You’re curvy in all the right places, Ri, you know that?”

“Mhm…” Riku hums enticingly, making sure to keep her soft brown eyes locked on Gojo’s ice blue ones as she moves one of her hands to join his on his cock, stroking him off from base to tip at a both delightful yet agonizingly slow pace. Gojo removes his hand after a while, allowing Riku to please him as she likes.

Riku wets her lips, looking up into Gojo’s piercing blue eyes as she begins to palm his dick with her hand. She sticks her tongue out to lick and tease the tip, fingers tightly rubbing up and down the long length of it. She pauses, retreating for a moment to speak, “Thank you for helping take care of me, today, Satoru—let me take care of you.” She says lewdly, taking the length of Gojo’s dick into her mouth at the last of her words.

“Mm, that’s what I like to hear, beautiful, fuck—” He fists a handful of her long, black curls at the root.

Riku wraps her lips around Gojo’s cock, wetting the length of it before hollowing out her mouth and beginning to suck it. She pulls back for a moment, spitting on the tip of it before stroking the wetness of her saliva over his dick with her fingers. She returns her mouth to his cock, looking up at him again and wasting no time as she hungrily sucks him off with her sopping wet, downright filthy mouth. Her hand strokes every inch of him that her mouth can’t reach, and her other hand rests on his thigh to steady herself, occasionally shifting over to fondle his balls while she continues to suck him at an even pace. Her jaw is already beginning to hurt from the size of Gojo’s cock alone, but she keeps up her work, hoping he would reward her later for sucking him off so good.

“Fuck, Ri, who taught you to suck dick like this…? Actually, don’t answer that.” Gojo chuckles lightly and watches Riku’s every movement with a slight smirk that only grows more heated, breathing growing heavier by the moment as the sinful sounds of Riku slurping and swirling her tongue around his dick fill up the otherwise quiet room. Gojo uses his grip on Riku’s hair to push her head all the way down on his length until her nose just barely touches the light dusting of his white, trimmed hair at the base. Riku gags and chokes loudly around Gojo’s dick, but he holds her down on him regardless, enjoying the feeling of her tight throat squeezing his tip for a few seconds before releasing her from his hold, “Fuck, babe, you’re fucking amazing…” He groans.

Riku pulls off of Gojo’s cock in a rough coughing fit, saliva messily dripping down her mouth and all the way to her chest. Her eyes water and a few tears fall from the irritation of Gojo fucking her throat mercilessly, “I t-thought you said you wouldn’t choke me so much!” She whines, a few more tears rolling down her cheeks, “You’re fucking huge, you bastard!!”

Gojo grins, using one hand to continue stroking his dick and the other to wipe the tears from Riku’s face, “I lied. I’m sorry, Ri. You just felt so damn good—”

“Really, you two, again?!”

Both Gojo and Riku’s heads turn towards the door of the bedroom, Geto visibly pissed and shaking his head as he enters. Maybe his phone call didn’t go well? Riku thinks.

“Fucking around without me, in my house??” Geto quickly approaches them, the only clothed one in the room, “And fuck, Satoru are you still stroking yourself off?!!”

Riku glances back at Gojo who still has his hand on his dick, steadily pumping it up and down, “What? This one’s mad from me fucking her throat and she’s so cute… Plus you’re pretty hot when you’re angry, too.” Gojo grins up at Geto who towers over them from his standing position.

“You sick fucking asshole…” Geto still looks kind of angry but is unable to stifle his chuckle. He peels off his shirt, allowing it to fall onto the ground beside them as he looks between Riku and Gojo, “Let me guess. This one wanted to cum again and started shit?” His eyes focus on Riku, who’s still on her knees on the floor in front of Gojo.

“Bingo.” Gojo smirks, dark gaze locked on Riku, “Caught her touching herself on your bed. So now she’s proving how selfless she can be for me. Was doing a pretty spectacular job, too… You’re a real freak with your mouth, aren’t you Ricchan?” He trails his fingers under her chin that’s still drenched.

Riku blushes, still not anywhere near used to dealing with two men in the bedroom like this—especially not these two men, “I’m glad you liked it...” She manages, turning up the sweetness in her voice.

Geto suddenly pulls Riku’s chin out of Gojo’s grasp and into his own, “You just couldn’t stand being away from me longer than a minute, could you, Ri? Even though I’ve been touching you all evening. Why’s that?” He asks lowly, his back bent nearly 90 degrees so that his face is close to Riku’s.

Because I want to cum. Riku doesn’t say that, though, as she knows it’ll only get her into more trouble with Geto, and that Gojo would call her a selfish brat again. Riku wants to get what she desires most in this moment, and will play these two’s little game if it means she gets to climax in the end, “Because I need you both, so bad!” She whines wantonly, looking between Gojo and Geto. Well, it’s definitely not a lie.

“You slut… You need what so bad, Ri?” Gojo asks for clarification, tone completely serious. He fists his cock deliciously slow and tangles a hand in her curls.

“I need you both to fuck me, please…!” It’s not hard for her to act helpless, as she is quite literally on her knees between the two men.

Gojo and Geto exchange a look in their unspoken language, both grinning at each other. Gojo grabs Riku’s arm and stands, pulling her up with him as he does so and Geto stands back upright as well. Gojo easily tosses Riku back on the bed and joins her, torso gliding into the space above her and holding the backs of her knees to hoist her legs over his shoulders. In a matter of seconds, Gojo has Riku folded up beneath him and is rubbing the head of his dick over her slick folds.

Riku giggles, enjoying and amused by Gojo’s manhandling of her, “Someone’s impatient.” She smirks up at Gojo slyly, biting her lip to the feeling of him teasing of her entrance.

“He’s always like this,” Geto explains, moving around the bed and to one of his nightstands to open a drawer and search through it.

“You on birth control, babe?” Gojo ignores their remarks, his dark, heated gaze locked on Riku as he continues to prod and press his length against her pussy.

“Not currently.” She shakes her head shyly.

Geto speaks up from over at the nightstand, finally finding what he’d already been looking for—the pack of XL condoms, “She hasn’t had sex in over a year, Satoru. You really think she’s on birth control?” He breaks the box open and tosses a string of condoms to Gojo.

Gojo snatches the condoms out of the air, straightening his back to sit up and break away from Riku as he tears open one of the foil packages and rolls the latex over his cock, “Thanks, Suguru.” He muses, glancing over at the man who now sits at the head of the large bed to watch the show Gojo and Riku would surely put on for him. Gojo is not just thankful for the condoms but also for letting him take Riku first.

“Take it easy, alright?” Geto warns his friend, knowing he has a tendency to be rough in bed. Though much unlike the girls they usually engage with, Riku isn’t just some random girl that the two of them could play with however they like; she’s yakuza, and hurting her could create a lot of trouble for Gojo and Geto as they promised her family they’d keep her safe.

“I can take the pain…” Riku suggests from beneath Gojo with rose colored cheeks, her body warm with heated anticipation, “…I even like it.” She coos.

“‘s that right, babe?” Gojo asks, one hand moving to press down on the bed at Riku’s side to hold himself up above her and the other massaging the head of his hardened dick between her folds and to her wet hole, “Then I’ll make it hurt so good, just for you, Ri.” Gojo abruptly ceases his light teasing and slams his hips into Riku’s, fully entering her in one severe stroke.

When Riku feels Gojo’s member savagely pump up into her cunt, filling and stretching her beyond belief, she cries out with a noisy groan, tears stinging the corners of her eyes once more, “Satoru…!” She bawls with a pained expression, hips subconsciously shifting back on the sheets.

Geto watches with his alluring gaze from his propped-up position at the head of the bed, and reaches down beneath the band of his sweatpants to pull his dick from his pants before beginning to stroke himself steadily.

“Fuck, Ri, you’re fucking tight. It’s really been a while for you, huh?” Gojo notes, sickly admiring the look of pain on Riku’s face. He uses his free hand to grab her hip, pulling her back closer to him on the bed, “And don’t run, babe; you said you could take it, right?” He asks, backing his hips up significantly so that his cock nearly departs Riku’s pussy completely before slamming back in again. Gojo repeats these wicked motions at least a dozen or so times, the obscene noises of Riku’s drenched cunt adjusting around his dick filling the silence of Geto’s bedroom. Riku moans as well, unable to restrain the loud cries that escape her lips with each of Gojo’s dastard thrusts. Gojo bends down, taking the mound of Riku’s tit in his mouth before licking and sucking around her hardened nipple. He gives the same attention to her other breast, ceasing his overly harsh thrusts and beginning to start stroking himself in and out of Riku at an even pace.

Tears threaten to fall from Riku’s eyes as she begins to feel the hot pleasure from Gojo’s new pace, a pleasant shock running from deep in her abdomen, all the way up her spine, “God, Satoru—” she gasps the words, “—it’s so big!” In her current position, legs hooked over Gojo’s shoulders as he fucks into her, Riku can feel his cock poke and bruise her cervix.

“Yeah, but you’re taking me so good,” Gojo praises, fingers from his free hand brushing under Riku’s eyes when her tears finally fall. He takes advantage of her open mouth to press his lips to hers in a downright disgusting kiss, pausing every so often to speak or to lick, suck, and bite her bottom lip, “such a good fucking girl,” he pants out, overtaken with lust, “c’mon, princess, let it out…” Gojo closes his hand around Riku’s neck at the last of his words, “…you need this, don’t you?”

Riku shamelessly moans beneath Gojo, glancing down to watch his cock disappear inside of her over and over as pleasure begins to build thickly in her abdomen. The sound of Gojo slamming his hips into hers echoes loudly in the room, and Riku can hardly take it.

Gojo straightens Riku back up with his hand on her neck so that her gaze is on him once again, “Fucking look at me when I’m talking to you, and use your words, Ri. Don’t make me ask again.”

“Yes, I need it, agh! I need you to fuck me, Satoru!!” It doesn’t take much for Riku, as both Gojo and Geto had edged her an hour ago; after a few mere minutes she’s already hastily approaching her orgasm, feeling her sanity start to slip as the sensation of her impending climax begins to take over her. Riku grabs Gojo’s toned arm that holds him up over her for purchase, her other hand moving to rest on the hand he has tightened around her neck.

Gojo watches with a delightful, open-mouthed smirk as Riku breaks beneath him, speeding up their pace and quickly pumping his dick in and out of her pussy. Riku hyperventilates as the feeling is almost too much for her, screaming as she finally reaches the height of her orgasm and clenching hard around Gojo’s length. Her body jerks violently, and she moans as her walls tightly grip his dick with each wave of her climax that follows.

Still fucking her, Gojo is unable to help but grunt when Riku clenches his cock repeatedly, “Fuck, Ri, you’re squeezing me so nice…” He trails off, glancing up to Geto at the head of the bed who licks his lips as he continues to stroke himself at the erotic scene before him, “Isn’t she so perfect like this, Suguru?” Gojo asks, straightening his back so that he sits up and releases his hand from her neck to gently brush his thumb over her unbruised cheek.

“Fucking beautiful.” Geto sits up to remove his sweatpants, tossing them over the side of the bed once he has them off. He keeps his gaze on Riku’s reddened face as she comes down from her orgasm, still moaning lightly to Gojo’s thrusts and the euphoric sensation of her recent orgasm that courses through her whole body but especially her head and lower stomach.

Now completely bare, Geto moves on the bed to the side of Riku’s head, lowering to his knees so that his dick stands erect before her face. He strokes his thick cock a few times with one hand, his other brushing through her long curls to rest under her head and prop it up, “Why don’t you show me how good you can be, Ri?”

Pleasure still pulsing through her body, Riku doesn’t hesitate and parts her lips to take Geto’s dick in her mouth while Gojo continues to fuck her, making sure to wet the length of it as the man helped guide her bob her head back and forth on it. Though it is just slightly smaller in size, Geto’s dick has more girth than Gojo’s and Riku struggles to wrap her mouth around it for long without her jaw getting sore. She sucks regardless, simply turned on at the idea of both ends of her body being filled up so nicely. Geto sets a rhythm, shallowly bucking his hips so that his cock pumps deeper into Riku’s mouth.

Gojo’s pace only hastens at the nasty scene of his friend fucking Riku’s face before him, continuing to thrust in and out of her and feeling himself near his edge as well, “Fuck…” Gojo’s hips begin to move erratically, driving them even harder and faster into Riku until he finally stills with a loud grunt; and Geto takes this opportunity to reach over with his free hand that no longer needed to stroke his cock, as Riku had replaced it with her mouth, pulling his friend in by his white hair for a long, passionate, messy kiss.

Riku hums a moan on Geto’s dick at the sight of the two men kissing each other, sucking a little harder. Both men then suddenly pull out of her at once, Geto’s hand still tangled in Gojo’s hair as he speaks his next words.

“My turn?” Geto asks with a mischievous grin, abandoning his hold on Riku’s head and instead holding his hand out in front of Gojo.

Gojo matches Geto’s grin and slaps his hand with his own, tagging himself out and his friend in, “Your turn.” He nearly sings.

Riku rolls her eyes to the sight of this and huffs an exhale through her nose, “Seriously? Turn off…” She huffs, half-joking, but also half-serious. Riku adjusts herself on the bed a bit, lifting her head to neatly comb the long black curls out from under her back with her fingers.

Gojo bends over, pressing a light kiss to Riku’s lips and smacking the side of her thigh with the flat of his hand before stepping off the bed and discarding of his condom at a nearby, small trash bin in the corner of Geto’s room, “Thanks, Ricchan. You were amazing.” He smirks, face beaming with kindness as if he hadn’t just ruthlessly fucked her.

“Ow…” Riku meets Gojo’s smile with glaring eyes from across the room, rubbing the side of her ass where the man had slapped her.

Geto grabs Riku by the arm, easily jerking it so that she sits up and he regains her attention, “I know what’ll turn you back on.” He says, hardly any more than a few centimeters from her face.

“And what’s that?” Riku asks while blinking up at Geto, voice breathy and tempting.

“What’s your favorite position, beautiful?” Geto questions honestly.

And for some reason unbeknownst to herself, Riku blushes shyly—as if she hadn’t just sucked this man off while his best friend fucked her. She bites her lip, trying not to show her embarrassment too much, “Collapsed doggy…” She looks away.

“Ahh, face down, ass up, hm?” Geto grins just barely, watching Riku’s reddened face as if he’s saving this image of her in his memory, “It’s a good one.” He cups Riku’s cheek, then slowly rubs his fingers over the soft skin there, all the way to the back of her neck and gently massaging his fingers just under her hairline, “Why don’t you assume the position for me, then?”

Riku closes her eyes for a moment, tilting her head back for Geto to massage more of her head—he doesn’t and instead stops. It’s probably a good thing, as the relaxing movements of his gentle kneading only makes her sleepier after having orgasmed just minutes ago. Riku thinks she definitely has another one in her. She nods with a smile to Geto’s kindness, turning out of his grasp and over onto her front on the bed.

Riku pulls her knees up under her on the bed, lifting her hips in the air and creating a deep arch with her back—one that curves more drastically than the average person’s due to her hyper-mobility from years of dancing. She scoots back on the bed until she feels Geto’s thigh behind her ass. Riku is surprised to hear him chuckle and turns her head back to see what the fuss is about.

“Shit, Ri, seriously? It’s not even fair how sexy you are.” Geto grabs the sharp curve of Riku’s back at her waist with his hands and presses his thighs flush against the back of hers, cock rubbing over the cleft of her ass, “Like this is crazy.”

“Fuck…” Gojo walks back from the bin, leaning over the bed to closely examine Riku’s arched back, “I should’ve fucked her like that!” He says, sounding genuinely disappointed. He quirks his brows, glancing over to Riku’s face, “I mean you should see yourself, Ricchan.”

Riku giggles as she turns to look at Gojo, her cheek pressed to the soft comforter of the bed.

“Want me to take a pic?” Gojo asks, voice suddenly lowering.

“Um, as long as my face isn’t in it. Sure.” She decides, a sweet smile remaining on her lips. She trusts these men to an extent, but not that much.

Gojo begins to scan the vast room with his eyes for either his or Geto’s phone.

“Check my sweats.” Geto directs, eyes remaining on Riku. He slides his hands up from the intense curve of her back, tightly squeezing each of her ass cheeks with each of his hands, his dick still resting between her cheeks, “Damn. I guess I can understand why a guy might be inclined to give you anything you want, with an arch like this…”

Gojo retrieves Geto’s phone from his sweatpants pocket and opens up the camera with a grin, “Say cheese!”

Riku turns to press her face into the sheets, moving her hair to cover any parts of her face that aren’t hidden. She hears Gojo tap the screen once.

“All done.” Gojo announces, “You mind if I send it to myself, babe?”

“Sure.” Riku laughs lightly, raising her head back up to rest it on one side once more.

Geto reaches over to grab a new condom from the string of them at the edge of the bed, breaking the foil package with his teeth before spitting it from his lips and carefully rolling the latex over his dick.

“Thanks for the future fap material!” Gojo locks the phone after he sends the picture to his phone contact, tossing Geto’s phone to the corner of the king size bed. He then collapses back onto the bed, reclining back into the spot where Geto had previously been laying while they fucked, “Now, action!!” He claps his hands once, then tucks them behind his head, seemingly excited to watch the show of Geto and Riku before him.

Both Geto and Riku laugh, but Riku’s giggle is cut off by a sharp moan when she feels Geto’s dick push all the way inside of her with one thrust, her ass jerked back at the pull of his strong grip on her hip. Riku feels a bit of pain as she stretches around and adjusts to Geto’s thick girth, whimpering when he begins to move at a slow pace. Riku grabs tufts of the comforter’s fabric on either side of her head for purchase from the recoil of her hips—driven forward by each buck from Geto, “Too thick…!” she whines.

“Mhm. But you’re taking it, aren’t you?” Geto moves completely different than how Gojo had earlier, swiftly pushing his dick in and out of Riku’s cunt instead of fucking her harsh and relentlessly. He fucks her the way Riku imagines most women would go crazy for—for her pleasure—and as quickly as the slight pain from Geto’s girth had arrived, it’s already gone and being replaced with pleasure, “This is how you like it, right?” Geto asks from above her, increasing his pace.

Riku pants and sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, feeling her entire body heat up from Geto’s perfect thrusts, “Yes…” She groans, feeling her mind begin to melt from the heat that nearly overwhelms her.

Geto smacks his hand hard over the curve of Riku’s ass, and the sound echoes loudly throughout his bedroom. It would undoubtedly leave a handprint on her skin there, “Then don’t complain.” He says darkly at Riku’s ear, having pushed them forward slightly so that their position is more ‘collapsed,’ just the way Riku wants.

“Yes, Suguru…!” Riku moans loudly, nearly crying out as Geto deliciously thrusts into her over and over again.

Gojo suddenly leans forward, reaching over to move Riku’s face further to her side and brush the hair from her face so that he has an unobstructed view of the wild, delight-filled look on her face. She rolls her eyes back for a second when Geto begins to flawlessly thrust his dick into the soft bundle of nerves deep in her cunt. Gojo chuckles, brushing the backs of his fingers over Riku’s puffy cheek, “You like Suguru being so nice to you, huh?”

“It’s so good…” She pushes the whimpered words from her throat, “Ah! Please don’t stop, Suguru, please… keep fucking me!” Riku feels herself steadily begin to inch closer to her orgasm as Suguru continuously thrusts into her, a hot heaviness growing in her lower stomach.

“Of course, baby. I’ll give it to you just how you want it.” Geto says, speeding up his pace even further but keeping the same intensity as he fucks Riku down into the sheets, “You know, your pussy keeps pulsing and clenching around me, Ri. Does it really feel that good?”

“Yes!”

“Then cum for me, beautiful.”

Gojo slides his hand under Riku’s chest as he watches them fuck, passing it under and squeezing her breasts that are pressed against the sheets before moving his hand up, over her stomach and abdomen until his fingers reach the sensitive bud right between her legs. He circles his fingers over her clit and Riku gasps out a helpless moan when it’s stimulated, now approaching her climax a lot faster than before.

“Agh…!” Riku’s orgasm finds her without warning; a mix of unintelligible, moaned words and noises fleeing her lips as her body convulses with intense gratification.

Gojo chuckles, “I think you broke her, Suguru. She’s not even speaking coherently.” He looks at his friend, who is too focused on the blissful friction of Riku’s pussy squeezing around his dick to mind his words.

Geto continues to buck his hips quickly, breathing heavily and gritting his teeth together a bit as his orgasm begins to advance closely behind Riku’s, “Fuck—” he whispers under his breath before abruptly pulling out of Riku, removing his condom, and spraying his cum on her ass and back. He looks over her limp, shuddering form as he slowly strokes himself a few last times, smirking down at the beautiful mess he’d made of her cum-stained back. He sucks in a breath and releases a deep sigh, “Now there’s a picture for you,” he notes, bending over to kiss a patch of skin on Riku’s backside that isn’t slick with cum, then moving up to peck her forehead a few times, “so fucking perfect.”

Riku hates how his innocent kisses stir up unfamiliar emotions in her, unable to help the instinctively honest smile that spreads over her lips from feeling them.

“I’ll get you a towel.” Geto announces, tying a simple knot in the condom he has in his hand to discard it and pressing a final kiss on her lips before departing the bed and exiting the room through a side door that leads to the master bathroom.

“You’re so fucking cute.” Gojo is unable to remain teasingly harsh and mean at the sight of Riku’s smiling as she lays on the bed before him. He turns playful, relenting to replace Geto’s affection and bending low to the bed so he could litter Riku’s face with kisses.

“That tickles…!” She laughs, trying to push Gojo away with one of her hands.

Gojo pecks her between words, “Hey, if you keep moving around, you’re gonna get cum all over Suguru’s bed! Just stay still…” He toys with Riku as she giggles, continuing to kiss and tickle her so it’s impossible for her to do as he says.

Geto returns with a white hand towel and slowly wipes Riku’s back with it, gentle as he cleans her smooth back of his cum. When he finishes and discards the towel on the floor, Riku sits up with a light moan, a strong wave of exhaustion hitting her all of a sudden.

“You okay?” Geto asks, lifting a brow.

Riku brushes her fingers through her hair, smoothing it back down as she begins to stand to wobbly feet, “Mhm, just gonna use the bathroom and freshen up a bit.” Riku begins to walk but moans another small noise when she feels a slight soreness deep below her stomach that she hasn’t experienced in a while. She feels the dull sensation each time she takes a step, walking slower to the bathroom than she originally intended.

Gojo snickers to this, “You sure you don’t need help, babe?”

Riku doesn’t turn back; she instead only raises her middle finger up by the side of her head so Gojo can see it, then slips in the bathroom and closes the door.

Gojo chuckles, “Well, that was fun.” He turns his gaze to Geto, who solely slips into his sweatpants before disturbing the neat sheets of his bed and getting beneath them.

Geto rests on his back, allowing his eyes to flutter shut for a moment as the fact that he hadn’t slept in 2 days was finally catching up with him, “It was,” he agrees, opening his eyes after a while to peer over at Gojo curiously, “A little messy, though, fucking with a yakuza girl.”

Gojo yawns, just as, if not more tired than his friend, “Yeah, but she’s not like the other ones.”

“You’ve got that right.” Geto looks out at the city lights on the other side of the window and in the distance, tucking his hands under the back of his head in thought. He can’t help but agree with Gojo; Riku is a lot different than most yakuza women, let alone the general category of women they usually play with. She’s troublesome, sure, but not in a crazy way—more so a curious way. And instead of being obsessive and clingy when it comes to hanging around Gojo and him, she’s cool and collected—outside of the time they’re teasing or fucking her, of course. The most refreshing thing about Riku aside from her beauty is the fact that it honestly seems like she doesn’t even care about trying to trap or get  attached to either of the men, as so many other women had tried to. She keeps herself emotionally distant, and for some reason it only makes Geto want to play with her more. He turns to Gojo who sits on the end of the bed, a devious look in his eyes. Geto knows his friend is thinking the same thing.

“Makes me wanna play with her… See what she’s like when she’s obsessed and in love with someone.” Gojo says lowly so just the other can hear, confirming Geto’s suspicions about their aligned thoughts.

“Hm… I definitely do, too, but Jin would kill us if we hurt her.” Geto matches Gojo’s tone, speaking just above a whisper.

Gojo flops back on the bed, still completely naked as he begins to join Geto beneath the covers. He shrugs, “So, we deal with that when we get there. Her clan’s only ranked 10th after all. It would be an easy issue to deal with since they’re not that strong.”

The two men are both silent after Gojo speaks the words. They’re a bit cruel, but they’re mostly true. The Tokyo Yakuza syndicate always preach how the whole collective group of 15 families contribute and support each other equally, but it’s obvious that those on the top are and have always been stronger, richer, and more powerful, while families that ranked near the bottom of the list aren’t and weren’t. It’s a lowdown thought, but a factual one nonetheless—silencing Riku’s family, if they ever gave Gojo and Geto shit for playing with her heart, would be easy to do.

“So, you wanna play a game?” Geto finally asks the question on both of their minds.

“No rules. The first one of us that makes her fall in love, wins.” Gojo turns and holds his hand out in Geto’s direction, grin on his face.

“No rules?” He chuckles once, “You’re crazy. Deal.” Geto says, moving one of the arms from behind his head to grasp his friend’s hand before shaking it once. He grins, “Oh I’m definitely gonna win this by the way. You know, Satoru, you’re not a very nice guy.”

“You’ve never even seen me try.” Gojo grins back at Geto, matching his handshake before letting go.

Riku emerges loudly from the bathroom and Geto clears his throat, both men watching as she shamelessly strides across the room, completely bare and completely oblivious to the two men’s prior conversation. She stops in front of the end of the bed to grab and put back on the shirt Geto had lent her.

Gojo taps the bit of space on the bed between them, “C’mere, Ricchan. Sleep with us.”

Riku simply stands and tiredly blinks a few times, going against her gut instinct that tells her to sleep in a guest room as she’s exhausted and could care less at this moment. She agrees by crawling onto the bed, and Geto peels back the cover so she can get underneath. Riku grabs one of the many long pillows, adjusting it into the space between Gojo and Geto at the head of the bed before easing down and laying her head on it. She lays on her side, facing Geto with her back to Gojo.

Geto quickly shoots Gojo a satisfied look; he had spent a lot more time with Riku today compared to his friend, anyways. He glances down at Riku, though, unsatisfied by how she hadn’t decided to cuddle either of them. He reaches one of his tattooed arms out to wrap around her waist and pulls her torso onto his chest, “C’mon, Ri, we won’t bite.”

“Speak for yourself.” Gojo says, bending over to lightly bite Riku’s shoulder that is exposed due to the loose-fitting shirt she wears.

Riku laughs to the bite, wiggling her shoulders around to move Gojo’s face away. She rests her cheek on Geto’s warm chest, ear pressed against him and able to catch the slow, steady thump of his heartbeat. She uses the free arm she isn’t laying on to gently trail her fingers over one of the green dragon tattoos that dances across Geto’s chest, thinking it’s strange how easily she’s comforted by his body heat, and the warm hand that slides up her back to comb through the roots of her hair before gently massaging it.

Riku releases a long, hum of a moan and closes her eyes to this movement, her trailing fingers on Geto’s chest stopping at the blissful sensation of his massaging of her scalp. It was already so obvious to him that she loves when he does this, and he uses this to his advantage, soothing her to sleep. He reaches over to the nightstand with his free hand to get a small remote from one of the top drawers and clicks it a few times, causing the lights to turn off completely. Geto leaves it there on the stand as he feels Riku curl into him even more and refocuses his attention to her, the room now only just barely illuminated by the city lights in the distance, “You like that a lot, don’t you?”

Riku grumbles to the smirk she hears in Geto’s low, snarky tone, “Leave me alone.”

Gojo resolves to tangle his legs with Riku’s, leaning over, chuckling to her grumpy attitude, and pecking the top of her head, “You enjoying your stay with us, Ricchan?”

“It’s pretty good, I guess.” She admits, voice heavy with sleep as Geto continues to move his fingers in her hair in slow circles.

“That’s ‘cos Suguru’s boring. Promise we’ll have more fun tomorrow, Ricchan. This time, just you and I, ‘kay?”

Geto glares at his friend in the dark room to his remark.

Riku nods on Geto’s chest in response to Gojo, already beginning to feel herself drift off.

“Goodnight, Ri.” Geto says with kindness in his voice as he massages her head.

“Night.” She muses, keeping her eyes closed.

“Goodnight, princess.” Gojo says with finality.

chapter endnotes: omg writing threesomes is EXHAUSTING lol.

Dead Ringing, Pt. 6

Home. It was a good place to be. It held my knickknacks and comforts. It was my space away from the world at large. A space where I could decompress. Where I could just… be.

On most nights, anyway.

I stood, staring out the window at the hazy orange glow of the barrier, sipping a twelve year scotch. To be honest, I never understood the aging process. Maybe my tongue wasn't attuned to the fine nuances of such a drink. I had tasted plenty in my time and they all came across with their unique personalities, sure, but at the tail end of every single one was that unmistakable bite of peat. I guess the word for that was… acquired? I think I had a love hate relationship with the flavor.

I peered down in to my glass, swirling the contents before taking another sip. Besides, any good detective worth their salt had to have their quintessential brooding drink of choice to go along with their favorite brooding spot. Mine just happened to be the window, looking out in to the desolate distance beyond the city limits.

My mind kept wandering back to the pod corridor, to the temporarily recomposed human. The way it jerked. The unnatural movements of its mouth as it worked to form words. The glazed over look on its face as it grappled with the wrongness of its own being.

It didn't sit right with me. And I couldn't drink the face of the dead from my mind fast enough. I shuffled over to the island counter, uncorking the bottle and pouring myself another. If three rounds didn't do it, why not a fourth? Before returning to my brooding post I fished my pad from my jacket pocket from where it was draped over the back of a chair. I messaged the only person I could think of that could possibly lift my spirits.

Loren didn't reply right away. But after the fifth message she responded with a grumpy ascii face: Just closed up for the night, dogface. It's been a day. Why don't you come down on the morrow and we'll talk over coffee?

I could use the company, Ren. You could stay the night, you know. You got some clothes here still. I washed them. I replied with a coy smiley face.

I could almost hear the sigh in the text of her next message: Why is it you always seem to want me over when the weight of the world is unbearable?

Because you're the only one capable of easing that burden.

Despite appearances our relationship was… rocky, at best. We had a bad habit of not speaking for days at a time, let alone seeing one another. I mean… we weren't really a thing, to be entirely honest. She'd been burned too often to put pretty little labels on anything. And we both had our uneasy histories. I wasn't a very good partner, or lover, or whatever you wanted to call it. I knew it. I knew she knew it.

Loren didn't reply after that. I sat against the windowsill, staring at the screen of my pad for a good fifteen minutes. Maybe I'd finally asked for too much without giving enough in return? I barked out a short, quiet laugh as I took a long pull from my drink. If she walked out of my life I wouldn't have blamed her. She deserved better than some weary old mutt.

I threw my pad across the room on to the couch with a heavy sigh and finished what was left of my drink as I rubbed a hand over my muzzle. "Ugh… piss off already…" I grumbled, brain still flashing pictures of the corpse. The smacking blue lips. The milky gaze. I pushed away from the window, reaching for the bottle. A heavy handed knock at the door had me knocking my cup across the counter. It rolled off the edge and clattered to the floor. Reason #38 I preferred non-glass materials. Another series of knocks sounded. "Hang on!" I growled, stumbling over to the door and wrenching it open, fur bristling, teeth bared.

Loren stood there, looking stern. The wind immediately left my sails, ears folding back. I made to say something but she shoved a bag against my chest. The heavenly aroma of meatballs and marinara wafting up, gracing my nostrils. And then she nudged past me in to the apartment, quipping. "Bet'cha didn't bother to feed yourself again either!"

I turned, gaze following here as I stood like a dumb statue in the doorway.

She trudged in to the kitchen, stooping to fetch the empty cup from the floor with a tsk. She set it on the counter then fetched herself one from the corner cabinet. She filled her glass, refilled mine, then leaned against the counter, raising a brow as she looked to me. Her expression a mix of why do I evens and what are you just standing there fors. "What ever would you do without me, hm?"

She was the light in the world that I didn't deserve.

a gift for the love y'all have given to my minecraft inspired d&d items... some items inspired by various MCYT series! these were super super fun

note: all of these items are artifacts, meaning they're one of a kind, and the implications of their origins are in the description. this means if you choose to use any of them, it's up to you how you'd balance them, deciding what level a player could get them at and how rare they are. i am also not a DM, so if your players create any game breaking strats, don't blame me! images are edited stock images lol.

under the cut is the item's source material and a little explanation of my choices in making them

Red Winter Axe: The renamed enchanted Diamond Axe from 3rd Life Ren had Martyn kill him with. Went with cold damage for the Winter part, and Fiends and Undead as being Red Life players. The "ally gains advantage against your killer" feature is inspired by how Martyn reacts to Scar killing Ren.

Twin Compasses: Tommy and Tubbo's lodestone compasses from Dream SMP. The use of the word "Willing" is to prevent them being used on tracking foes or anything of the sort, both parties must want the link to be created. The planes part is a bit finicky, but hopefully it would work.

Time King's Pocketwatch: A reference to Bdoubleo's season 8 of Hermitcraft so far. Mechanus is the plane of order and has a clockwork theme going on. The Sleep spell feature is a reference to his consistency with sleeping through the night. I'm aware clocks don't exist in "canon" d&d, but it makes sense that they would. The cross-planes time telling ability would be most useful for a player in the Feywild.

Miniature Tower of Vitality: Essentially Achievement Hunter's Tower of Pimps, specifically in YDYD season 2. This is the one I'm most uncertain about, considering how useful these spells are. Tried to balance it with still needing the components. Would probably be best for a party medium level party with no main healer.

The Enderbane: ...Who's name and basic description is directly lifted from The Blackrock Chronicle and a post on Rythian's tumblr. Another one who's balancing I'm uncertain about, but I figured it works for a high risk high reward thing, dragons aren't melee'd often...The level of exhaustion is just some flavor inspired by Rythian feeling pain when he holds it in canon.

Wings of the Crowfather: Philza. Must I explain more? Mumza is the Raven Queen here, it fits oddly well.

Sapphire of Sacrifice: The sapphire Lalna gifts Nano in Flux Buddies, which she gives back to him at the end of the series before dying killing Mother. Another high risk high reward item that'd require strategy to be most effective.

The Widow's Wreath: Scott Smajor's skin in 3rd Life. On the higher level side. Darn, now I'm sad over Flower Husbands again...

Bow of Balance: Another direct name, Jordan's bow from Mianite. Ianite is the goddess of balance, hence only neutral alignments. Fiends and Celestials are meant to be representative of Dianite and Mianite.

Something I'm curious about, what's Pix's character like in Empires? Like how would you describe the Copper King?

Also, re the series in general, on a spectrum of Hermitcraft to 3rd Life, where would it fall?

I'm considering watching bc Pix deserves an audience outside of the recap and if the recap is anything to go by he's an absolute dweeb who I love

Hooo boy you activated my Pixlriffs Appreciation Powers. XD

Pix actually kinda has two modes on Empires -- videos, and streams.

In vids, he's fully into the lore of it: the Copper King is a capricious (but generally friendly) ruler who pranks both his enemies and allies, is determined to bring a lush oasis from the sands of his kingdom, has no fear of death and takes enormous chances because he knows the payoff will be worth it, and after someone fails at pranking/killing him, he shouts his challenge to "Do Better Next Time" into the desert winds. He's also obsessively collecting emerald ore, half-jokes that he would trade his kingdom for a stack of the deepslate version, and gives himself the surprisingly tender task of lighting a candle at a monument he calls the Vigil for every death suffered by a servermate. He's mischievous and deadly, kind and helpful, determined and unwavering; he's a reliable ally and a dangerous enemy.

Pix on streams is... well, that's just Pixlriffs, aka Jonny, the guy who plays Minecraft. He specifically says that he's leaving all story/lore for the videos and that his streams are a "look behind the curtain" as it were. He's soft-spoken, with a dry sense of British dad humor, is incredibly patient with his (frankly super obnoxious) chat, and is one of the few streamers I know who is willing to do redstone on stream. (And on the rare occasions when something genuinely tickles him, he has the weirdest, most delightful laugh, which can be sampled here.)

I love Pix, the Copper King, the character. I respect and admire Pixlriffs the streamer.

As for where it falls between Hermitcraft and 3rd Life... overall the server has more Hermitcrafty vibes but the story has "what if everyone was doing Dogwarts story" flavors. Now that they're getting into the lore it feels more like Doc's and Ren's episodes this season? But the story is only ever about 40% of an episode at most. Even with characters like fWhip, who's really one of the driving forces (it's his server, so I'm assuming it's his story in a lot of ways), the lore sections of his vids are mixed in with builds and collabs and general lets-play stuffs. And people like Pix and Scott actually have relatively little involvement in the overall lore (at least thus far.)

...all that is to say, YEAH watch Empires!! And watch Pix, because Pixandria is hands-down one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen someone build in Minecraft, and his timelapse music is fantastic, and just overall he's a great gamer to watch. All the Pixlriffs love. <3

Shaman King vs. Yu-Gi-Oh - What Yu-Gi-Oh did right

Shaman King was first broadcasted in US back in 2001, riding on the success of Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. Though the two series have many similarities, Shaman King was nowhere near as popular as Yu-Gi-Oh. While YGO had one spin-off after another, Shaman King only had a sequel Shaman King Flowers and a spin-off Shaman King Crimson in manga - and nothing in anime except for 2021 remake/reboot.

So, why isn’t Shaman King that successful? Here’s what YGO did right but Shaman King did not:

1) A balanced protagonist duo

Yugi Muto was a nice boy who wants to have friends. He found one in the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, Yami Yugi/Pharaoh Atem. Unlike Yugi, Atem was more arrogant and can be merciless at time. Atem was also mysterious, with his real name and story not revealed until the last season, which kept the audience intrigued. 

But in Shaman King...

Yoh Asakura was a nice and lazy guy, nothing more. His reason to become Shaman King was so that he could live an easy life? Or was it family duty? Whatever it was, we are interested enough to care.

His spirit partner Amidamaru and his human friend Manta were also Mr. Nice Guy. Three Mr. Nice Guys = BORING.

2) A rival who does not overshadow the protagonist

Seto Kaiba was a well-written character. In each YGO spin-off, there’s an expy of Yugi and an expy of Kaiba as well. Cold, jealous, and (a little too) obsessed on beating Yugi in card games, Kaiba was mostly an antagonist though sometimes ally. He also had a story - in the past and present, but he’s not taking over the show. 

But in Shaman King...

Ren Tao was a blood knight that turned the whole show up-side-down. Well, actually, he was a kindhearted boy who was abused by his father. He was able to see his errors and redeem his wrongs. Compared to Yoh, he was a better fit as a main protagonist and as Shaman King. Unfortunately, he was not the main character. 

3) A love interest who can be nasty but for a reason

Anzu Masaki was Yugi’s childhood friend. She had her abusive moments towards Jonouchi and Honda, but that’s because they were being inappropriate, like lifting up her skirt. Yugi had a crush on her, but Anzu liked Yugi’s spirit partner Atem, who shipped Yugi and Anzu...spawned many fanfics. 

But in Shaman King...

Anna was mean. Period. She slapped Manta and punched Horohoro. Though I liked the 2021 version of Anna much more than 2001′s version, I find it very hard to understand why a nice guy like Yoh would be okay with Anna abusing everyone around him.

4) A beta couple who explains the plot

Wanna know why Blue-Eyes White Dragon meant so much to Kaiba? The answer: in their previous life, Blue-Eyes White Dragon was the spirit of Kaiba’s love interest, Kisara. It’s another story worthy to tune in where the origin of Kaiba vs. Yugi will be explained (come think of it, it has some Game of Thrones flavor to it). 

But in Shaman King...

Ren got married...to Iron Maiden Jeanne. They had a son. But how did they get there?

Either you are very interested but can’t find enough details or you just don’t care, but find the couple coming out of nowhere. 

5) The bad guys are punished for their wrongs

Pegasus was the big bad in the first story arc. He sealed Yugi’s grandfather’s soul to force Yugi to participate in Duelist Kingdom Tournament. Whatever his reason was, he lost and his Millennium Eye was taken from him - it was painful and traumatic. At least he didn’t kill anyone. Marik from the second arc had killed his father, but it was semi self-defense and in a moment of insanity. 

But in Shaman King...

Ren killed. Iron Maiden Jeanne killed. X-Laws killed. Hao killed. Fraust opened up Manta with a surgical knife...and all of them are forgiven? For those who shipped Jun Tao and Lee Pyron, let me tell you what happened: Tao family killed Lee Pyron so that he could be her Jiang Shi puppet. And oh yeah, per Anna, Lee Pyron was married. So that makes Jun Tao a homewrecker - and she and Lee Pyron live happily ever after?

6) A satisfying ending

Atem found his name and returned to the past. Yugi moved on to be a legendary duelist, a real King of Game (which is what Yu-Gi-Oh means in Japanese). Friendship and true meaning of winning are well defined. 

But in Shaman King...

Hao did all these bad stuff and he still won? He got to be Shaman King and decided not to wipe out humanity for the time being because his mom intervened? Okay, so what’s the point of this whole story? I’m lost.

So as for the rest of 2021 Shaman King episodes, I’m only going to watch the ones that feature Ren because I like this character. Nothing more. Sorry, I don’t think the remake is going to be any more successful than 2001 version. 

an introductory rec list (that no one asked for) to some of my favorite ships: drarry [4/10]

First fic I read for the pairing: Obsession by yesbocchan [2k,T] Harry thinks Malfoy is up to something evil. Until he finds out maybe he's not the only one with an obsession. [just a cute little eighth year fic i saw on tumblr back when i was first getting into fandom stuff (and back into harry potter in general) when i was near the end of high school. it’s cute, it’s sweet, and i was curious about drarry as a concept so]

Fic that really sold me on the pairing: Stealing Sweaters by DorthyAnn [12k,T] It's their eighth and final year and over the course of several months, Harry and Draco have managed to become close friends. Their friends are entirely certain that they ought to be much, much more. So they just decide to... help things along. [listen, everything that DorthyAnn writes is phenomenal, so how could i not fall in love with this ship after this?]

Absolute favorite fic(s) for the pairing: Animus Nexus by MystyVander [96k,T] It's Eighth Year at Hogwarts and it seems Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy hate each other more than ever before. Everybody is sick of it. Somebody was tired of the two enough to curse them, binding them together. What at first appears to be a death sentence to both Harry and Draco turns out to be the thing the both of them needed the most. [it’s enemies to friends to lovers coupled with accidental bonding coupled with discussions of magical theory coupled with wizarding traditions with a few misunderstandings and some angst all set in eighth year and that’s basically the perfect combination for me.] Twist of Fate by Oakstone730 [302k,T] Draco asks Harry to help him beat the Imperius curse during 4th year. The lessons turn into more than either expected. A story of redemption and forgiveness. Pairings: HP/DM (Slash) Timeframe: 1994-2002 Goblet to 4 yrs post-DH EWE Rating T for language, high angst, content. [this fic has lived rent-free in my head for three years and it fucking slaps. there’s angst and fluff and so many bittersweet moments and it’s both canon compliant and completely canon divergent and i am obsessed with it. 40000/10]

Most recent fic I’ve read for the pairing: love me now (touch me now) by swisstae [3k,G] Harry's never had a bath. Draco plans on changing that. OR in which Harry gets his hair washed and Loves It (and Draco. He loves Draco too.) [this fic is adorable and sweet and i enjoyed it immensely.]

Favorite AU(s) I’ve read for the pairing: Alternate Sorting AU (Slytherin!Harry): Malfoy Flavor by Vorabiza [199k,E] Harry’s ready to banish the Golden Boy image and take charge of his life. Unfortunately for him, or fortunately, there are surprises in store for him. [Slytherin!Harry but it’s not an entire canon rewrite like most of the alternate sorting fics i love so much, so that’s fun. also severitus and just the right amount of soul crushingly painful angst. oh and it has a delightfully fluffy little sequel. ] Alternate Sorting AU 2: Electric Boogaloo (Ravenclaw!Draco): Chaos Theory by Tessa Crowley [102k,E] Chaos: when the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future. One gene varies, one neuron fires, one butterfly flaps its wings, and Draco Malfoy's life is completely different. Draco has always found a certain comfort in chaos. Perhaps he shouldn't. (warnings for: major character death, graphic depictions of violence, psychological torture, implied/referenced non-con) [as my notes on my bookmark said: GOD DAMNNNNN. I LOVE THIS FIC. I CRIED SO MUCH AND ALSO THERE WAS LAUGHTER AND JUST GOD DAMN. ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES. so that about sums it up.] Time Travel AU: Annus Mirabilis by Ren [39k,E] Harry and Malfoy are trapped at Hogwarts around the time the school was founded. Stuck with a different way of doing magic, with no chocolate, and with each other, they have to find a way to work together if they want a chance to go home. [i almost never fuck with time travel aus but… this one slaps. also? hogwarts founders era?? hell yeah. also also? their relationship progresses in a way that feels so natural and the tension is so palpable and the writing is excellent.]

Favorite Series for the pairing: Leo Inter Serpentes by Aeternum [746k,E,6 Works] Just one conversation between two eleven year old boys goes slightly differently, and the world changes. Just how much will be different with Harry being sorted into Slytherin, and how much will stay the same? [Slytherin!Harry? Harry, Draco, Hermione friendship? Severitus? All in a complete series re-write that’s currently six completed works deep? What more could you possibly need?]

Longest fic I’ve read for the pairing: I Do What I Want by XxTheDarkLordxX [509k,E] They say you shouldn't touch what isn't yours... Too bad no one told Harry that. A simple mistake that Harry made in his first year at Hogwarts is coming back to bite him in the arse. The war is over but the threat to his life is just beginning. This story begins with a simple apology that changes Harry’s life. It starts a domino effect that leads to unbelievable connections, undying love, unique past lives, unknown villains and an unstoppable family. Follow Harry and his friends on an epic adventure filled with twists, bumps, comfort, enemies, a new life and a lot of love. (warnings for: major character death, some character bashing) [the first (or first few? i forget) chapters are written in first person but they’re an internal monologue and the rest of the fic is not in first person, just so you know. Also, the concept slaps and the fic is cute and i love to see it (and i’ve read it thrice).]

Fic(s) with some of my favorite tropes: Matchmaking: Ron Weasley: Accidental Matchmaker by Phoenix_Waves [2k,T] "There's not a sexual tension out there that the man can't accidentally detect!" George beamed. "And then ask the stupid arse question that's going to light the spark and fan the flames." Lee added matter-of-factly. A fluffy Christmas one shot featuring our favorite older Gryffindors. [god this is excellent: the obliviousness, the mutual pining, the matchmaking, having the older gryffindor kids around and having a good holiday time- it’s all excellent.] Soulmates: Kiss Me Not by DorthyAnn [21k,T] Sometimes a witch or wizard's magical signature is so completely incompatible with another that they repel one another like magnets. On the other hand, if two magical signatures mesh well together, well there are no stronger relationships in all the world. In a sample of a thousand people, the average witch or wizard will be slightly repelled by four or five people and strongly repelled by only one, at the most. The opposite is true for attraction. But Harry Potter can't kiss anyone at all. [this is actually such a fascinating take on the classic soulmates trope. there’s no predestined person for everyone and there’s no magical guarantee of anything, just magic being a little difficult and i adore that. also the writing style is excellent and the characterizations are spot on.] Accidental Bonding + Bed Sharing: Let's Take A Chance On Happiness by endless_grey [21k,E] Harry works with Luna at her magical antique shop, and everything is going pretty well until a mysterious ring makes an appearance. Cue curse-breaker Draco Malfoy and an accidental bond, and suddenly Harry is magically married to his former nemesis. They need to break the bond before Hermione's fundraiser, but Harry doesn't remember "fall in love with the git" being part of the plan. [i discovered this fic while looking for something else, but it’s so good. i love their dynamic and it’s shift as the story progresses and i love both of their friendships with luna just as much. it’s funny and a little angsty and well written and has two of my favorite tropes in it. what more can i say?]

The Prince Of Alderaan Chapter I

Summary: It’s the spring of 1813, you’re the daughter of Viscount Huntington and after your family went through a scandalous season last year your parents have decided it’s time for your debut in society as a marriageable young lady. You’ve had life long expectations about what this would mean, charming young men excited by the prospect of being your suitor, lavish dances, and falling in love. What your debut season turns out to be is far from your innocent imaginings, especially because the Prince of Alderaan is in London for the season and with him all kinds of dark intentions. 

Read it on AO3 | Send me a ko-fi

Rating: Explicit...eventually

Word Count: 6,117 

Warning: None as of now

Pairing: Kylo Ren x reader

Notes: This story is inspired by the netflix show/book series Bridgerton. It’s kind of a crossover because I do use some themes and characters from the show but it is mostly a Kylo x Reader fic. I am still in the process of writing it but it is all planned out. I’m hoping to post weekly but I don’t have any set schedule as of right now. I promise you this is not going to be super historically accurate so don’t expect that lol. I’m just here for a good time. I really hope you like it!!

Dearest Lords and Ladies of London,

As the social season of 1813 fully blooms in the spring air, I pose one question, what scandal awaits our starved apetites? Last year we enjoyed the delicacy of the great Huntington family being almost brought to their knees by the Viscount Huntington’s love of gambling. This year we can feast upon his youngest child and only daughter being presented to society for the first time, perhaps earlier than she should have been to in an attempt to make up for their problems last year. We also will get to try a taste of exotic flavor as the Prince of Alderaan has returned to London for business reasons unknown(but will surely be found out by this writer). As those of us who keep up with world politics know, the Prince is the current ruler of the Kingdom of Alderaan as he and his militaristic political faction ousted his mother, the Queen Regent, from power only a few years after his father abdicated responsibilities and is in places unknown.

Yesterday, the young ladies of high society who are debuting this season were presented to Queen Charlotte of England and of course, it was an event filled with who’s who, how did this girl prove herself silly or charming or cold and who managed to scrape by with Her Majesty’s much desired approval. Miss Daphne Bridgerton was chosen as the Queen’s diamond of the season, and was, to use the Queen’s word, “Flawless.” It will be interesting to see how many suitors Miss Daphne may be entertaining over the next few weeks. Miss Huntington,  who’s family had very nearly been shunned by all of society last season proved to be quiet but charming and earned herself almost no regard from the Queen but did fair better than the young Miss Philippa Featherington who swooned almost the moment she was presented to the Queen.

Yes, Lords and Ladies of London, we are in for quite the season, I am sure. I can assure you I will be with you every step of the way. None of you know me, nor will you ever(no matter how hard I am sure you will try) but I know you. I know your business and every dark little secret that you think is private and I will gladly be sharing it with the rest of the society. I’m sure we will all become very well acquainted over the next few weeks.

Yours most sincerely,

Lady Whistledown

***

Everything was silk and cotton, ruffles on skirts, rouge, curls and words of the latest scandal sheet that had been delivered to the door of 3201 Grosvenor Square earlier in the day. You were of course readying yourself for the Danbury Ball that evening, it would be your first ball after being presented to the Queen of England herself and to society as a whole so it must be perfect.

“What did it say of me again, Mama?” You asked as you stood facing the large mirror in your room while your maid, Ella, tied up your stays. She pulled them tight but not so tight you could not breathe, fainting at your first ball would hardly do, it would be unacceptable outcome to both you and your parents who hoped to find you an excellent match this season.

“Do not concern yourself with what some horrid writer thinks of you, dearest.” Mama said, looking up from the paper in question. You had read it through and found your name mentioned multiple times, none of which had been terribly favorable. Of course she referenced the scandal that had taken place in your family the year previously but that had been covered endlessly in older scandal sheets and no one found it of much interest anymore. Lady Whistledown was new she had more interest in reporting the new scandals….and yet, she had mentioned it. So it would be fresh in any suitors mind, a thought that caused you discomfort. You would hate to fall madly in love with some beautiful lord only to have him find you detestable due to something that happened in your family over a year before. You had been looking forward to your season since you were a child, you imagined it always bathed in beautiful spring sunlight, you imagined yourself surrounded by affectionate suitors, flowers, music, charming conversation and always…options.

Now that your season was here, you found it tainted by the mere memory of scandal but you were not going to let it stop you from finding love and enjoying the beauty of being out in the eyes of society. Marriage eligible. Despite what Lady Whistledown had written, you felt yourself ready for society, ready for all that it could bring you; and your Mama was right, you should not let the words of a gossip writer concern you. Ella had finished with your stays so now it was time for your petticoat and then your gown, fresh from the modiste. Once it was on, buttoned, straightened, and thoroughly fussed over Ella stepped back and you examined yourself in the mirror. The dress was fashionable in every aspect, powder blue, high waistline, short puffed sleeves, and square neckline that showed off more than you had ever been allowed to show before. You felt it swish around your slippered feet and you felt exactly how you had always dreamed of feeling just prior to your first ball.

“Mama?” You prompted, glancing over your shoulder to where your Mama was still poring over Lady Whistledown(even though she had told you not to concern yourself). Lady Huntington finally looked up and gasped. Standing up, she rushed to your side.

“You are a vision, dearest.” She said, smoothing a section of your hair. You smiled, allowing your eyes to linger on your own reflection again. Your heart sputtered with excitement, tonight could very well be the night that you would first lay your eyes upon the man you would wed.

“We truly do not need to worry about what the Horrible Whistledown woman writes, because you are such a gem that all the gentlemen at tonights ball shall be vying for your attention. “ Mama said. You looked to Ella,

“Do you agree, Ella?” You asked, reaching out for your maid’s hand, you had known her for years and she was your closest confidant, especially after all you had endured last season.

“Oh, My Lady, my opinion hardly-“

“I do very much value your opinion, Ella…and I’d believe you if you were to tell me I look like a fool. Please.” You said, squeezing her hand.

“You look lovely, my lady.” Ella said, you gave her a look that practically begged her to tell you the truth. “That is the truth, my lady. You’ll need your best gloves but you look just as your mother said, a vision.” She said. You smiled and looked back to the mirror, allowing yourself another moment to take yourself in. Perhaps it was a silly thing to do, perhaps you were being vain but you had to be flawless to be viewed as eligible and that was what you intended on doing.

***

Kylo Ren had changed his name years before and still sometimes invitations were addressed to his past name. Especially when he was here in London; he believed his mother had something to do with that and he despised it. Of course, no one would refer to him as that name to his face, no one had the courage to do that; but he still found it irksome to look at the letter sitting on his desk that invited him to the Danbury Ball tonight addressing him as Benjamin. Even worse was the gossip rag that had been delivered to his address that morning not only mentioned him but even the author of that drivel had managed not to refer to him as his detested past name. And yet, high society here in London could not be bothered to at least address him as his title. It had his mother’s doing written all over it and it put him in a truly foul mood. There was a knock on his door and he looked up from his desk,

“Yes?” he called and the door opened, revealing the butler.

“A General Hux here for you, Your Grace.” He said in the snooty high society accent of a well trained London butler.

“Yes, let him in.” He said dismissively. He went back to the work in front of him while he waited for the wretched man to enter. He was in no mood for Hux, his chiding or his warnings about tonight’s events. Yet, he had to humor the man even while they were here in London. General Hux commanded Alderaan’s army and even though Kylo commanded the General, he needed to keep the abhorrent man at least semi happy.

“Ren,” Hux was already speaking as he walked into the room. Kylo stood, deciding to ignore the fact that Hux had not bowed or showed any amount of respect for his position as he entered the room. Kylo held his hand out for the General to take, Hux clasped it, and Kylo maybe squeezed his fingers harder than he had intended to.

“Hux,” He said in greeting. “How are you?” he asked in a tone that implied he didn’t care at all about the answer.

“Well. Enjoying London so far. Ah,” Hux had spotted Lady Whistledown’s sheet on the desk and walked over, picking it up. “You received this as well?” He asked around a smile.

“Of course, I believe it was delivered to all the households in high society.” Kylo said, he picked his tailcoat up from over the back of his chair and pulled it on. The ball was in a few hours and he needed to begin to get ready, to make himself presentable for society so he hoped he could rush Hux out by appearing busy.

“It mentions you.” Hux said, looking at the paper in one hand while the other arm was tucked behind his back in a way that was clearly commonplace for him due to his military background. A refreshed wave of irritation washed over Kylo as Hux told him something he already knew,

“Yes. I have read it.” Kylo said through a clenched jaw.

“You know this means all the young ladies and their Mama’s will be out for your favor.” He said. Kylo didn’t want to hear it, he knew it to be true but listening to it from a man he could barely stand was not something he wanted to tolerate.

“I know. It does not matter.” He said.

“You would be wise to marry.” There was the chiding Kylo had expected. “People will only take you seriously when you have an heir…and an heir,” He looked at Kylo meaningfully, “A legitimate heir, requires a wife.” He finished in clipped tones. Kylo realized he had been clenching his fist, his brow furrowed, anger coursing through him. He slowly released the clenched hand.

“Do you forget who you are speaking to?” He asked, his voice going from the simple boredom of before to fury.

“No, Your Grace, I merely am trying to impress upon you the importance of something you seem to have entirely written off. Just because you want to behave like a petulant child and irritate your mother-“ Hux was cut of mid sentence due to Kylo crossing in front of his desk and grabbing the shorter man by the front of his tailcoat. Kylo dragged Hux towards him, their faces close, fury burnt through the Princes’s expression.

“You’ve forgotten your place, Hux.” He snarled and then because he did not wish to start a brawl with his army’s general in the study of his London home he shoved Hux away so hard the man stumbled. “I am aware of the situation and I do not need your counsel. Now, I will see you at the events tonight. Remember who you speak to next time.” He warned. Hux hastily fixed his collar, adjusting it as he caught his breath, still looking shaken. It was not the first time the Prince had brutalized him in such a fashion and neither of them thought it would be the last.

“I shall see you tonight.” Hux said before turning to leave. He paused at the door,

“You would do well to reign in that temper, Your Grace, if you do wish to secure an heir and your position.” Hux warned and then he was out the door. Kylo stood there, shaking with rage, it bubbled inside him and in an explosion of movement he lashed out and sent a stack of books flying from their position on the desk. They crashed across his desk as they went flying, upending a inkwell, throwing papers into the air and making a giant clatter as they hit the floor. Kylo stood back, seething as the Butler hurriedly entered to clear it up.

***

The Danbury Ball was just as Kylo had suspected, stuffy, hot, and dull. It was filled with the smell of ladies perfume and powder from the wigs worn by the musicians. It was also filled with young ladies and their Mama’s flocking around him begging for his attention either for themselves or for their daughters. “Lady This from That estate in the country, Your Grace, I can play any Mozart you’d like on piano.”  “Lady Whatever, Your Grace, please meet my daughter Miss Whatever. We have three homes in London alone thats not to mention our country estate. So you can assume her dowry is sizable.” “Your Grace, what an honor that you would attend-“ “Prince Ren, I’d like you to meet-“ It seemed to go on and on and there was no escape, unless he were to leave entirely and he knew that was unacceptable.

Kylo refused to be bested by the hordes of young women, all bright eyed, rose cheeked and dressed in the most fashionable of gowns. No, he would hold his ground, be polite but dismissive and leave it at that. How dull. Leaving it at that. Lots of the girls were attractive but most of them would prove to be proper young ladies who would never be caught dead alone with a man, let alone in any of the compromising situations he might find enjoyable. It was true that it would be easy enough to lure one of them out to the garden and from there some kind of seduction would be simple, a kiss on the neck, a hand on the waist and the girl would be so flustered and excited that she wouldn’t know how to say no. For a moment he found himself entertained at the idea but then he glanced around at the girls batting their eyelashes at him, smiling and trying to make themselves as demure and eligible as possible and he was bored once again. The idea of compromising one of their virtues had been exciting for a fleeting moment but the excitement had died the moment he truly considered acting on it.

Kylo excused himself in what was probably an extremely rude manner to the woman who had been trying to ask him if he hunted. He felt as if he was being hunted himself as he walked away from her and the other ladies who were waiting for their opportunity to talk to him. He finally found himself a tiny pocket of peace, just off of the dance floor by a window that looked out onto Lady Danbury’s gardens. He stood for a moment, finally getting to enjoy a second of peace and quiet when a voice next to him spoke,

“I’m shocked to see you here.” Kylo stiffened, because he recognized the voice. It belonged to his mother and he hadn’t heard it in years. It made his chest tighten, if his hands had not been clasped behind his back they would have trembled. Before he looked at her he set his jaw and his eyes hardened,

“Queen Regent,” he said in greeting, tilting his head down slightly but barely meeting her eyes.

“Ben,” Leia started but Kylo sucked in his breath through his teeth so she had to pause, but she continued without correcting herself, “I am so glad you’re in London for the season…there is so much you can accomplish. Starting with healing your relationship with Queen Charlotte.” Of course, the instant she spoke to him again it was about all his failings, all the things he needed to fix.

“No, Your Grace. It is not my plan to heal anything with her, she is not the leader of England just as you are not the leader of Alderaan.” His tone was cross but quiet, he didn’t need anyone hearing the way in which they spoke to one another. Leia glared up at him for a moment, Kylo could feel his mother’s eyes burning into him as if the glare could actually turn to fire and scorch his clothing and then his skin.  

“At least tell me you’re coming to these events looking for a wife.” She said after a moment of silence between them. Kylo looked down at her and watched her turn around to face the ballroom, placing both of her hands properly on top of her beautiful gilded cane. When he didn’t answer she took his arm, pulling him slightly to look at something. He tugged his arm out of her grip but looked where she was looking, “Daphne Bridgerton was named the diamond of the season. She was chosen by the Queen.” She said to him. Kylo’s eyes caught on Daphne, a pretty young debutant but thoroughly uninteresting to him. “She would make quite the wife, and being married to a Prince is a big step up for her. I’m quite sure she would be interested.” She was speaking hurriedly as if she knew he was about to walk away from her and to be fair, that was exactly what he wanted to do.

“I am not getting married, mother.” He growled, his voice still low. “Especially not to some girl who’s in the pocket of an English Queen.” He snarled before turning from his mother and stalking off.

*

Walking into the ballroom of your first ball was somehow better than all of your fantasies, all your dreams seemed to have lead to this moment and as you stepped in from the entry hall you lost your breath. It was a swirl of white gloves, beautiful light dresses, curls immaculately done up, men’s tailcoats jostling as they danced, and golden candlelight danced over the whole thing. You felt as though you had inhaled bubbles from the sips of champagne you had on holidays.

The ballroom at the Danbury’s estate was a large, high ceilinged room with many beautiful crystal chandeliers hanging down providing glowing golden candle light. On the mantles of the multiple fireplaces were spring green garlands, white roses tucked amongst the greenery. It had all the charms and refinement you expected from your first ball. The center of the room was the dance floor and just off to the side, below a grand staircase the musicians played beautiful, joyful music.  Many people danced and still more mingled around the edges of the dance, sipping drinks, talking  and trying to impress.

Your mama walked in behind you and it was her hand on your back that stopped you from staring all around with wide eyed wonder. You had been to balls before, but it had been as a child, not as a lady eligible for marriage and this was so vastly different.

“Close your mouth, dearest.” Mama said “Lest you catch a fly.” You snapped your mouth shut. Mama lead you to a table that had little cards connected to dainty pieces of ribbon on them. Dance cards. You found your name and Mama helped you tie it around your wrist and it finally felt real. You were here. You were finally going to be able to be a real lady, you could meet the love of your life this very night. Perhaps he would sweep you off of your feet and you would be wed by the end of the season. Did anyone get proposals after one night? You were sure that you had heard of a woman who had managed to get a proposal after only a few hours but you had to remind yourself of how rare that was. There were plenty of young ladies here tonight that had been searching for multiple seasons for a husband and had yet to find one. A lot of those girls didn’t even have a scandal in their family’s history and you did, you had to remind yourself of this so you remained beyond reproach. You had to be perfect. You straightened one of your gloves at your elbow and began to make the rounds.

It came naturally to you because it had come naturally to your mama and she had taught you very well. You greeted everyone by name and title, smiling but not too wide, never looking upset or dowdy. You spoke with Lord Humphies about hunting and Mr. Banbrook about music. You were even able to answer Monsieur De la Rue in acceptable French. Mr. Banbrook was the first to ask you to dance and so he took your hand and lead you out onto the dance floor. His arm wrapped around your back and he began to lead you through a fairly quick waltz. You began the dance dizzy with excitement, Mr. Banbrook was quite handsome, he didn’t have a title but he had money and he smiled while he talked and that charmed you. Something happened as you danced though, you realized your head wasn’t swimming with happiness, your heart wasn’t pounding hard and fast in your ears, there was no excited butterflies dancing in your stomach. You didn’t feel as if you had inhaled champagne bubbles. No. This was no different than dancing with one of your older brothers. Even the steps felt too familiar.

The conversation was lifeless as well, he talked endlessly about all the things he had,  and all the things he used to decorate his house with. You had long since left the topic of music behind and you found yourself staring off just over his shoulder, a pleasant smile plastered onto your face.

“I have quite a few stuffed deer heads on the walls of my study out in my country estate.” Mr. Banbrook said, you had to blink a few times to bring yourself back to reality. “They’re really quite beautiful.” He added when you didn’t answer right away.

“Oh, yes. I’m sure they’re lovely.” You said politely.

“Here in London I tend to fashion my home with art more than my hunting trophies-“ he continued and your mind wandered again, it was a thrilling moment when he spun you away from him for a moment and you joined with another gentleman before being spun back to your original partner. How could this be? Mr. Banbrook was perfectly suitable, maybe nothing special but, shouldn’t your first dance at your first ball bring some excitement?

After the disappointing dance with Mr. Banbrook he signed your dance card and promised to come back for another dance later in the evening and you were relieved when he left you. It’s just this first one that was bad, there are plenty of other gentlemen here. You told yourself this over and over again. The first man was not bound to be the man you married. There was a part of you that had hoped that the first dance with a man would be something magical, something that would have sent your heart into spasms of excitement, would have put stars in your eyes,  and butterflies in your stomach.

The next man to ask you to dance was Lord Kensington, he was handsome if a bit more bumbling than Mr. Banbrook. He stumbled over his words when asking you to dance but you reserved your judgment until you had danced. Lord Kensington had a title of his own and seemed completely taken with you. He kept his hand tight on your back as you danced. When the music picked up, you hoped and hoped. Please, let this give me every feeling I’ve ever wished for. But when he stepped on your toes and you had to tell him with a polite giggle that it was quite alright, you knew there was no chance. In what world would the man you were going to fall in love with step on your toes, smell of fish and stare at your chest while he tried to keep up with the steps to the dance. You hoped that the disappointment did not show on your face.

By the end of the dance it was hard to pretend you were enjoying yourself, but you attempted. He signed his name to your dance card and you thanked him. Soon. Soon. Someone will and it will be just as lovely as you’ve always imagine. Even if he isn’t the one you marry. It will feel like butterflies and champagne bubbles. You tried to tell yourself this after each man you had a dance with disappointed you. None of them were interesting, exciting, or like the spellbinding man you had always dreamt of.

No, you continued to have your feet trodden on, your back squeezed too tightly, be nearly put to sleep by the conversation and generally underwhelmed. Even the men who were perfectly lovely seeming sparked no interest in you. You tried very hard with them, listening to every word, dancing as prettily as you could, you tried to create the feeling you had dreamt of. The feeling you had when you first entered the ballroom, the rushing excitement, the pulsing happiness, the feeling of possibility. It never happened. The moment when you thought you might feel it, it just fizzled away.

You finished a dance with Lord Fernside and retreated to your Mama, she had been talking with Lady Featherington and the Viscountess Bridgerton when you came over. She detangled herself from the women and turned to you,

“None of those men were your fancy?” she asked, you wondered if she could so easily read it on your face.

“No, Mama…how did you-“ You asked.

“People have been talking,” Never a good thing. “It seems lots of people have been saying you seem…cold. Uninterested.” She said. You felt hot with anger suddenly. You had done nothing wrong, in fact you had played the part of interested and excited as well as you could under the circumstances.

“Uninterested?” You gasped.

“We will discuss it later, for now try and look happier, dearest.” She insisted. You took a deep breath and looked around the ballroom, hoping to calm yourself. You found your eyes drawn across the dance floor to the other side where a man stood almost a foot above the people around him. Besides being shockingly tall, he was broad with waves of dark hair, and a striking features. The oddest thing about him was that he was looking straight back  at you. It was as if your eyes had been drawn towards him because you could feel the intensity of his gaze. Your heartbeat quickened, you could feel it in your throat, your hands even seemed to tingle. You knew you shouldn’t stare at him and yet neither of you averted your gaze.

*

“Hux,” Kylo said in greeting as Hux appeared at his side. He did not take his eyes off of the girl across the dance floor from him. She was the first girl at this nightmare of a ball who he did not find completely banal. Maybe it had been the way she had looked around the ballroom with such misery that it nearly rivaled his own. Or maybe it was just because he found her attractive.

“Your Grace,” Hux said, looking up at him and then following his gaze across the ballroom. “Has someone actually caught your eye?” he wondered. Kylo quickly averted his eyes, not wanting to admit anything to Hux, his lip twitched towards a snarl but he reworked his face into disinterest once again.

“She’s attractive is all. Who is she?” He asked.

“Miss Huntington, daughter of Lord and Lady Huntington.” Hux said. “From what I’ve gathered this is her debut season but her prospects do not look good considering the scandal her family suffered last year.” Hux said.

“Scandal?” Kylo asked, the memory of a page in Lady Whistledown’s paper that morning floated back to him. Huntington. Gambling.

“Her father has a gambling problem and lost the family quite a lot of money, they were in some amount of debt. It seems they managed to dig their way out of debt and have returned to proper society.” Hux informed him, leaning in towards him to speak, Kylo wished it was proper to push him away. “I think it was mentioned in Whistledown this morning-“

“I do not care what is written in that fucking paper.” Kylo snapped. Hux was quiet for a moment and then,

“She is far below your station, Your Grace.” Hux said as he watched Kylo’s eyes drift back towards the girl across the ballroom. “And with that kind of scandal, who knows if she even has a dowry anymore.”

It was true. She was far below his station. Far from the Queen’s diamond of the season. Far from the choice his mother would have made for him. He could imagine the irritation he would cause his mother if he was seen with the girl. Choosing to dance with her out of all of the many, more appropriate ladies to choose from.

“Well, thank you for your input, General.” Kylo nodded to Hux and started to cross the ballroom towards the girl.

*

You had to hurriedly force yourself to look away as he looked back towards you, you had already been staring for too long. He was going to think you improper. Maybe you were improper, because you had never even spoken with the man and he was making your heart pound, making you lose your breath.

“Dearest,” Mama said, taking your arm. “The Prince is coming this direction.” She said. Prince?! He was a prince. You had locked eyes with a Prince and hadn’t even realized it.

“Prince?” You asked, shocked. Before your mama could answer you he was standing in front of you. All eyes were upon the two of you. Everyone who had been standing nearby couldn’t help but notice when a prince stepped directly in front of a young lady. You had to remind yourself that were, in fact, the lady he had stepped directly in front of. You looked up to him, struck again by how how tall he was. Your eyes met  and you were again struck by how handsome he was. Struck by how intense his gaze was. Struck by how hard your heart pounded. How it migrated up from your chest and into your throat. You remembered yourself in a hurried movement and curtsied, “Your Grace.” You said, trying to remember everything you knew about Princes. This must have been the Prince of Alderaan. You racked your brain for his name. Benjamin Solo.  No. Kylo Ren. He had changed it from his family name. Prince Kylo reached out for your hand, you held it out to him and he took it, gracefully bowing his head and kissed the back of it.

“Miss Huntington,” he said, he was unsmiling and yet you didn’t find yourself missing it. His face didn’t need a smile to be beautiful. “Would you care to dance with me?” he asked.

“Of course, Your Grace.” You said. Without another word he offered you his arm and you took it with a shaking hand. He lead you on to the dance floor and pulled you in towards him. The music was beautiful, another fun waltz but this already seemed entirely different from your first dance of the night. Your mind whirred, trying to come up with all that you knew of Prince Kylo. His reputation was not a good one, cruel, quick tempered, cold and unsettled were just a few of the things you knew of his reputation; but a reputation was not necessarily reality.

In the first moments of the dance, everything seemed to blur around you. It was like you could not focus on the outside world and the only focus was on him. Everything you wanted to happen in all your other dances with other men tonight was happening now. Your heart raced, your smile was genuine and butterflies danced in your stomach.

“Are you enjoying London, Your Grace?” You asked.

“Not at all.” He said, glancing away from you. Your brow furrowed, but you recovered quickly,

“I’m sure all of these balls and the season’s events must feel silly to you.” You offered with a smile. Prince Kylo’s eyes met yours and you felt your mouth go dry.

“Yes, they do. Especially silly when I have every stupid girl at this ball vying for my attention when I try to make it very clear I do not care to give any of them an ounce of my attention.” He said. At first you were shocked at the way he talked about other ladies, calling them stupid as if it wasn’t an insult. As if it was just a fact. Then, you realized he was giving you attention. He must have thought there was something special with you, something different, something worth giving attention to. Your heart leapt at this thought and you looked up at him, eyes meeting his.

“It must be exhausting being so desirable.” You teased lightly, you wouldn’t have done it if he hadn’t made it seem obvious that he felt you were worth giving attention to. You smiled at him in a way you hoped was flirtatious. As you smiled you watched his expression change from interest to something that might have been akin to disgust.

“You’re not so different from any of these other girls, are you Miss Huntington?” he asked. It took a moment for your excitement and interest to turn to  confusion and embarrassment and then finally indignation. Had he just implied that you were stupid?

“Excuse me?” You asked, unable to restrain the anger you felt.

“You were staring at me from across the ballroom, were you not?” He asked, his voice wasn’t so much teasing as it was mocking. Heat flooded your cheeks, embarrassed, you hurriedly looked away from him. Your jaw set and your heart pounding but not from excitement anymore, but instead from anger.

“I only looked at you because I felt you staring at me.” You said, your voice dropping lower.

“You felt me staring at you?” He asked, now sounding amused. The hand he had on your back moved upwards, towards the exposed skin of your upper back. You felt one of his gloved fingers brush against your skin,  shivers seemed to erupt through your body even though you were flushed from anger and the exertion of dancing.

“Yes. You looked at me with such…such…intensity that I felt it.” You insisted. He scoffed, his lip twitching up towards something like a smile. It irritated you and to your even worse irritation it interested you.

“I believe you are mistaken. I caught you staring at me long after I looked away from you, Miss Huntington.” He said seriously, his dark eyes seemed to burn. His hand against your back squeezed, the finger that lay across the skin on your back dug in slightly. You felt dizzy, your breath left you in a sharp exhale. You wished that this waltz was one where you switched partners, even for a brief moment, so you wouldn’t have to look at his burning eyes and the way his lips seemed to twitch as he thought or listen to the way his voice was so deep it reverberated through his chest. You had finally gotten what you had wanted from the night, the excitement from a dance, the rushing happiness, the kind that bubbled through your veins like champagne, the excitement that made you tingle. You got all the feelings you wanted but they conjoined and mixed with fury and embarrassment. Kylo leaned in towards you, he was so close you could feel his breath,  he was too close, you could hear his smirk as he spoke,“You stared at me, my lady. How improper.”

First time read through light novel vol. 18. Random thoughts.

I somewhat suspect the author was hungry while writing this volume.

Also, wow, I knew Kizuna was short but the prior artworks never gave me the full idea of how short. She

is only chest-high compared to Naofumi and Glass (I suppose that could make Glass happy, though; ease of access for Kizuna and whatnot).

Given that, outside of the natural gluttons like Filo, S’yne, and the killer whale sisters, the only person on Naofumi's side with the "Eat food for EXP" matter is Itsuki, I think this is him falling dangerously close to thinking only in terms of game mechanics instead of reality, much like the other three heroes had been early on. Theoretically, yes, if you can gain levels and strength just by eating, why wouldn't you do a lot of it? But he's almost outright ignoring the physical discomfort and pain it's causing his allies and seeing only the numbers. Not to mention that he himself doesn't appear to be eating nearly as much, as he's focus on the cooking.

That said, it is cute that this is the first time in her life Filo is starting to feel full.

Chapter One: Sloth

OH SHI-! Oh, wait. Wrong franchise. We're good. I did not want to have to imagine Kizuna biting her fingers off (Kizuna: "My brain trembles!!!).

If Kizuna is indeed suffering under the curse of Sloth, I'm curious what triggered that specific sin for her. We only have the four heroes of Raphtalia's world to go off of but each sin applied to that specific hero for a reason. Naofumi: Wrath because of his hatred of what Witch and Trash put him through. Ren: Greed because he wanted more EXP, levels, and loot; a toxic extreme of his solo-adventuring. Itsuki: Pride because he believed only in his view of justice. And Motoyasu: lust and envy because of his obsession with Filo and being kept away from her. Kizuna's obsession with fishing, even when there's other important matters that need to be dealt with, I suppose could be considered lazy and thus lead to sloth as its extreme, but it feels a little bit like a stretch.

As he did so, the books from a nearby shelf whirled up into the air, forming . . . a dinosaur . . . perhaps. No, a dragon. The monster’s name was “Magical Tome Dragon.” Now things were really getting a bit crazy. A dragon created from books! Was this some kind of joke?

I want a Yu-Gi-Oh card of that.

“Don’t tell me, Glass is like the Raphtalia of this world? Could we really get that lucky?”

I mean, that's what the fandom likes to joke when it comes to her and Kizuna.

Breaking the sloth curse through Kizuna's love of fishing was about what I expected. Not complaining, of course. Again though, I'm just wonder what about her coincides with Sloth. She prefers talking it out and making allies as opposed to fighting but I wouldn't exactly call that lazy or slothful either.

Kizuna had a lot of folks like this among her allies—people who had started out as enemies but then became allies. If I fought someone as an enemy, there was generally no coming back—there were exceptions, like Sadeena and Shildina, so it was probably better not to generalize.

Glass and L'Arc are literally standing right next to Naofumi as he thinks this and Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki all tried to murder him at one point or another. S'yne was part of the gladiator fights too, now that I think about it, and while they never fought he and Trash were definitely enemies for a while. This dude turns more enemies into friends than freakin' Naruto. Being kind of oblivious is part of Naofumi's character but I suppose this could be seen as an interesting look as to how exactly he considers someone an enemy. If they fought him for reasons he eventually came to understand and sympathize with, then he perhaps doesn't consider them as ever having been a "true" enemy.

Aww, Glass is jealous of Tsugumi being close to Kizuna. And unlike Raphtalia with Naofumi, Kizuna doesn't have any kind of tragedy that keeps her opposed to relationship and would require Glass to be patient. I suppose Glass could simply be afraid of hurting their friendship by proposing romance or even that Kizuna doesn't swing that way. And this is from Naofumi's perspective, so Glass being gay could be completely off the mark. Still, it'd be nice to get a solid landing one way or another. Even Eclair unknowingly rejecting Ren at least give solid confirmation that he's into her and why they're not together.

“What! I’m the Hunting Hero! I don’t handle the cooking part!” Kizuna complained.

“And I’m the Shield Hero!” I retorted. Not the Stewpot Hero! If anyone called me that, I would kill them with cookery!

And technically, you're not even that right now. Not with that mirror on your arm. The mirror is cool and all but I am looking forward to Naofumi eventually getting his shield back. He just feels incomplete without it.

“Almost feeding time!” one of them said. Others proceeded to chime in.

“Yes . . . the time we’ve all been waiting for.”

“The moment we live for, basically!”

“Even if I only get to eat one mouthful . . . that is the fuel that will keep me alive!”

“I’ll never eat anything but his cooking ever again!”

“I think the schweiz is the best! It has to be!”

“No! The stietz!”

“Hey! No fighting! We’ve been warned about fighting!”

Did they stumble across a food cult?

“It isn’t bad,” Filo said. “It just isn’t as nice as yours, Master.”

“Well, okay . . .” I replied.

“All of the heroes have cooked in the village, Mr. Naofumi, but Filo and everyone else all feel the same way,” Raphtalia told me.

Filo also grew up with Naofumi's cooking since birth, so while he's already a good cook you get the added taste of home for her. I've said it before but out of everyone I consider Filo to be the most like Naofumi's daughter.

“Then you wish to settle the bill,” she replied. I thought it was free. As my suspicions intensified, the girl spread both of her hands and continued. “How was the food at Seya’s restaurant? It was so delicious, wasn’t it? If you wish to become a member, please leave all of your assets or hand over anything that can be turned into money. If you leave some personal items as collateral, you can have some time to go and fetch some offerings.”

Yep, that's a cult alright.

“Master’s food!” Filo said.

“They’ll get a surprise when they taste what you’re cooking, kiddo,” L’Arc said.

“Indeed. Your victory is assured, if that’s the best they can do,” Glass agreed. I was still concerned about how aggressive they were being. Were they hopped up on endorphins or something? They weren’t acting in character at all.

My first thought was that the OOC behavior was some side effect Naofumi didn't realize came with the Mirror weapon's power-up method, but then why wouldn't Raphtalia or Kizuna be effected when they have been eating the food too? Then I thought maybe they were more used to eating Naofumi's food in general and would have a tolerance to any addictive effects, but then why is Filo still effected?

“That’s the best dish Seya’s restaurant has to offer! Seya’s curry bag! And it’s Fifth Floor too!” one of the MCs shouted. I barely stopped myself from tipping over onto the ground. He really was just reheating a premade curry in a bag! So he was allowed to heat and serve already finished dishes? I mean, that might give me some ideas myself . . .

“The flavors that are normally lost in reheating have been sealed in the bag using proprietary technology! Now you get the maximized flavor from the moment you open the bag! This truly is the ultimate culinary technique! Everyone, watch this kitchen miracle closely as it unfolds before your astounded eyes!” The MCs continued their diatribe, but it just made it harder for me to keep a straight face. It was all a matter of perspective. Capturing the flavor in a bag was certainly a worse approach than making it on the spot.

“Naofumi . . . am I imagining things? It looks to me like he’s just adding or warming up instant ingredients using hot water,” Kizuna said.

So, like most other antagonists in this series lately, Seya is just an arrogant, entitled fraud high on his own stolen power. Why am I not surprised? Though he is giving me a bit of a Kazuma from Konosuba vibe with how he managed to figure out how to recreate items the old heroes would have talked about from Japan. It's odd to say he doesn't have nearly the same level of charisma as Kazuma give...well...it's Kazuma and he's deliberately written to be a massive scumbag.

I do like with his magic powers and awesome cape, Naofumi is basically the little muddy boy meeting a superhero, one who will save the day through cooking.

As for Kizuna . . . I handed her some of the fish we had brought in and had her cut it up. She’d finished with the poisonous fish already. Her life as a fishing fool was paying off now. She knew her way around a fish. The blood had been skillfully drained, and overall, she was a step ahead when it came to gutting and cleaning.

...You think the Hunting Tool can turn into something like the Wunder Boner

?

I explained pointedly, looking at Seya, Trash III, and the other MC. Trash III responded by flipping me off. I could taunt with the best of them, and I mouthed some swear words back.

I mean, one of my favorite scenes in Isekai Quartet was Naofumi and Shalltear sassing each other, so I can agree with that.

“Pollution?” Kizuna asked, looking puzzled.

“You didn’t notice that?” I replied. “Well, just watch.” She wasn’t the brightest bulb, that was for sure.

“Hmmm, I think I need to go wash up,” the rotund noble said. “I’ll be right back.” The judges proceeded to take turns visiting the washroom. Once they had all returned, it was time to eat Seya’s food.

“Huh?” Kizuna, L’Arc, and Therese were looking puzzled. The other diners around us too. I guess there was cause for a little suspicion.

...Did Naofumi give them laxatives?

“Ah!” Kizuna finally cottoned on. “So that’s why you used so many medicinal herbs in your dishes!”

“Exactly. The reason they all wanted to go to the washroom after eating was to expel the toxins. I also used other herbs to bolster the lethargic feeling that would bring on,” I explained.

He gave the judges f**king laxatives! That's hilarious! I get the actual explanation he gives is more complicated than that, relating to purifying and digestion and getting them to finally take notice of the toxins in Seya's food now that they're free from its hold, but it's funny to think that's basically what he did. He won a cooking competition through dishes that encouraged the judges to take a sh*t (or a p*ss, I suppose).

“Hey . . . you’ve been reading too many cooking manga. It’s an illusion that delicious and good things will be evaluated highly. What you need is popularity and demand,” I said. Of course, it had to taste good, but putting the emphasis on that as a bare requirement was also a problem. If you were planning on selling food in a restaurant, of course it had to taste good. Customers came because of other elements, because of popularity. If Seya’s restaurant collapsed here, it would cause trouble for all the judges. That was why I’d created an escape for them. In order to realize the future that boy wanted.

While we don't see Naofumi selling his wares so much anymore because he has far less of a need to, it is nice we do still get that cynical and merchant side of him. All that time didn't just go to waste and it's still a key part of his character.

“What, then? What do you want?” Seya asked.

“There’s someone behind all of this, correct? Someone pulling the strings. If you tell us all about that, we’ll let you go. Hey, I have an idea. Write it down on this piece of paper here. I want a record of this.” I said and passed a piece of paper to him. Seya’s expression immediately brightened.

“That’s all you want? Fine, I can—” But the rest of that sentence vanished into an awful grunt. The moment Seya tried to write a single word, his head simply crumpled in on itself. He managed a brief scream, and then his entire melon exploded. I didn’t want to traumatize my allies, so I quickly threw up a cage and blocked out the grisly scene. Then I gave a sigh.

Well...that was kind of f**ked up for Naofumi to do. Don't get me wrong, after what they had to do to get Takt to be willing to confess, this is much less horrific. But Naofumi did basically just give Seya false hope and then trick him into executing himself. I get why he did it and how dangerous the vanguards are, but it is interesting to think that while ROTSH isn't the darkest of the light novel series I've been reading, Naofumi, save for Ainz Ooal Gown, is definitely the most morally grey of the protagonists compared to Kazuma, Subaru, and Goblin Slayer.

“No matter how delicious the food is, if you eat the same thing every time, you’ll start to get sick of it. Once you get sick of it, you won’t overeat simply because you won’t want to. I’ve been applying that concept to my food,”

That is better than what I was thinking with Naofumi getting too into the game mechanics. And boy do I feel for his friends. It's the same thing that killed me off of soda for a few years. Obviously it's worse to starve than be overstuffed but it's still not a pleasant experience.

We were talking about the primary reason why Kizuna was summoned here in the first place. To put it simply, the idea was to revive the Demon Dragon.

YYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

And they Tanya'd him too; reborn as an infant of the opposite gender. So does that make Kizuna or Naofumi Being X?

“Seriously . . . it brings dragon tears to my dragon eyes to see you, the great Shield Hero who defeated me, now reduced to this.” The Demon Dragon placed her front paws against her head and muttered sadly to herself.

“I hope you aren’t looking for sympathy,” I said harshly.

“Just think about it for a moment. The same bunch who shouted about defeating me and saving the world are now back, having screwed everything up, relying on me—their sworn enemy—to save them! Take a look around. Does this world look like it’s at peace to you? Well?” the dragon said, really coming for me now. What was worse, I didn’t really have a reply. This world was still plagued by humans fighting each other and had been ravaged by the vanguards of the waves. Everything the dragon had said so far had been so on the money that Kizuna and Glass probably didn’t have any response either. “Can you see how this might feel like something from your own past? Having been chased as a criminal, and then having to clean up after those very weaklings who were chasing you after they had been beaten down by the waves and people from another world?” That punch really landed hard. I wanted to call it a low blow, but she was basically providing a stunningly succinct summary of my life in these other worlds.

Seriously though, after Kyo, Takt, and the various other vanguards, it is so refreshing to have a villain who speaks with some dignity and can actually make a decent point or two, rather than "I'm strong so I can do whatever I want! Losers!" In my vol. 16 random thoughts I compared Takt to All For One from My Hero Academia and I still feel the same way. The two are not that much different goal-wise. They wanted the world and had the power to make it theirs, thus their actions. It is an immature goal when you think about it but AFO did not act anywhere near as immature as Takt and it made him feel so much more intimating. He would sometimes mock his enemy but when he did they were deep cuts that he knew would get under the skin of someone he truly hated, like All Might, rather than just throwing out insults and acting like a brat. And the Demon Dragon is the same (the High Priest too, now that I remember him, even if I don't talk about him as much). I liked Glass as an antagonist because she was intimidating, spoke only as much as she needed to, and was very powerful compared to the protagonists at that time, getting Naofumi to fear facing her again and giving her weight to the story and for the audience. Finding out later her motivations gave her some depth and added grey to the situation. The Demon Dragon is not nearly as sympathetic, but he still works for a lot of the reasons she did. There's presence to him, er, her. It's not a brat who needs to be knocked off their high horse but a genuine threat.

And being able to work with the heroes weirdly makes that even better. The Demon Dragon calls a 100 year truce, not because she's on the side of good, but because she wants there to still be a world around for her to take over. She's completely open about her goal, which ironically makes it easier to trust her.

“That should do for now,” the dragon said. “Hmmm, and this is a female body. Excellent. Shield Hero, under the condition that you will ultimately mate with me, I shall provide even greater cooperation.” So that was how long it took for things to take a crazy turn.

Still a little weird that she wants to f**k Naofumi though. And when the anime gets to this part there is almost definitely going to be a fanfic or doujin. Actually, now that I think about it, there are going to be creators getting some mileage out of when the Demon Dragon tried to take Naofumi over earlier in the series.

“Can’t you make do with Kizuna? She’s one of the four holies from this world. You’ll just have to overcome the gender barrier,” I said.

“Why me?!” Kizuna exclaimed.

“What are you planning on doing to Kizuna?” Now Glass turned a hostile gaze on me too.

Ahh, Naofumi's such a d*ck, I love it. Also, now that's two rivals in one book for Glass. She's almost caught up with Raphtalia.

It would have suited us better if the enemy was a bunch of morons. It was annoying that life never worked out quite so easily. We had no idea how bad it was going to get with the waves, so we had to plan our moves carefully and move to prevent this “fusion of the worlds,” whatever that meant.

Wouldn't that be a heck of a comeback to my bitching about the villains? The ones behind the vanguards have been sending out their idiots first, the ones arrogant and drunk off their power, to soften up the heroes first and cause a bunch of damage but that they know will ultimately just get killed. Takt and the others getting offered up as sacrificial lambs basically because those like S'yne's sister don't like them either.

“I’m starting to feel sorry for Naofumi,” Kizuna agreed.

“He probably thinks you two are in the ‘harem,’” I told them.

“I really don’t like that,” Glass responded. “No, I don’t. I don’t like that at all.” I wasn’t sure why she said it three times, but I didn’t like it either. Just for the record.

“Naofumi is a friend and a comrade, but we’re not like that!” Kizuna retorted. I wondered if she really understood the situation. She was the type who needed things to be said directly to her face.

“A shame we don’t have Fohl here. Even L’Arc would have worked,” I said. Just a few guys mixed in might have broken the group up a bit and prevented it from looking like a harem.

“Naofumi . . . even if we did have some guys, it would probably just give them some different ideas. Like . . . boys love?” Kizuna said. It sounded like, whatever the composition of the party, they would presume a lewd relationship with me at the center.

You know, you never hear about this kind of thing with Ren and Itsuki. Motoyasu went out of his way to have a harem and he still doesn't get it thrown at him as much as Naofumi does. Maybe it's one of those "He protest too much" kind of mindsets, where the more Naofumi denies it the more people think it's true.

“You got lucky. If a wave had occurred with the world of our illustrious leader, we were planning on shattering you. That’s the problem with this system; that’s the only way to get the reward for destroying a world,” the sister explained. I’d heard this talk about rewards for destroying worlds before, I vaguely recalled. I had no idea where that reward came from.

So there's a third world mixed up in all this. Obviously there already was the implication of multiple universes with S'yne and such but now there's a big spotlight on somewhere besides Raphtalia and Kizuna's worlds, where the big bad supposedly lives.

“That’s pretty much what I was expecting. Shield Hero, let me tell you something interesting,” the Demon Dragon began. Then she looked at the Artificial Behemoth’s chest again. “That part there houses a corrupted holy weapon from this world, which has artificially turned the monster into one of the four holy heroes and has allowed it all the power-up methods. It’s basically the monster version of a holy hero.”

I'm somewhat suspecting it's the Blunt Force Holy Weapon, given how easily that beast is smashing through barriers.

The soul that Raphtalia had pulled from the vanguard of the waves was not much like the body it had come from. Instead, it was a gloomy, Japanese-looking guy who was probably in his thirties.

...

“The vanguards of the waves are people who have been reborn or transferred over here after being selected by the one who assumes the name of God. They are given all sorts of abilities, such as the power to steal holy weapons or seven star weapons. They come into these worlds and start causing chaos,” I explained.

“Reborn? You mean like having spare bodies, like Kyo?” Raphtalia asked.

“No, something else. Just their souls were led to this world from Japan, and then they were reborn here as someone from this world. With their memories of the past,” I said. For example, they are people who died in unfortunate accidents—people like Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu. This “god” would whisper to them that they had died an untimely death and offer to reincarnate them in any world they liked. They were already dead and so had no reason to reject such an offer. If they did, the “god” probably claimed to be taken with their resolve and promised to give them additional cheat powers, basically forcing them to accept. In some cases, maybe they were just forced to be reborn, no matter what they felt. I’d read books like that, loads of them. Now that they knew being summoned to another world was actually a thing, why not getting reborn or transferred over?

So I was right about Takt being some OC f**kboy! They're all OCs! They're people from Japan who died and now are getting to live out their sh*tty power fantasy fanfiction as their equally sh*tty original character! As a source of useful but disposable minions, that's actually kind of brilliant. We saw how bad Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki had been at the beginning (with Naofumi himself potentially on that path as well before he was betrayed) and they were chosen by weapons that actually have the world's best interest at heart. Take those same people and have a malevolent entity constantly feeding their egos and pushing them to do terrible things because "it's their right to do so" and "they're the real heroes" and you've got an near endless source of wrenches to throw into the works of those trying to stop you.

Of course, now I just have this image in my head that the World Eater is Aqua from Konosuba. Which would actually be kind of amazing, not gonna lie. A godly being reincarnating otakus from Japan into a new fantasy-based world for a singular purpose and giving them special powers and tools in exchange.

“What if . . . and just hear me out . . . what if this one who assumes the name of a god is somehow responsible for my game knowledge?” Itsuki quietly suggested. That sounded possible to me now. Even if being summoned was the correct process, having some prior knowledge would change your actions once you arrived.

Before, when the Shield Spirit had explained to Naofumi that he was a first pick choice and the other three heroes were their weapons' third picks, I'd theorized as to why and how the final selection ended up. Assuming the weapons were telling the truth about being able to grant any wish once the waves were over, it could be assumed they have some power over reality even in the four's home universe. So I'd theorized the weapons set up a window to snag their picks, with the shield getting Naofumi and the other weapons, by sheer unfortunance, had their picks keep missing the window and thus they became more desperate, thus why their third picks had to die in order to reincarnate because the weapons couldn't leave things to chance anymore.

Now, with the new speculation and info, we can assume the World Eater has some influence over other universes too, including the heroes' original ones. So two new theories come to mind.

The first, and one I find most likely, is that the World Eater is causing video games that are similar to the worlds impacted by the waves to appear in the original worlds of the heroes. In theory, the butterfly effect could cause a chain of events that'd lead to such games existing, so it's not like the World Eater is just dropping them into each reality. It would just need to nudge things in the right direction. If video game knowledge is actually detrimental to the heroes, then that leaves less choices for the Holy Weapons (at least in regards to what their ideal candidates would be) and opens up more choices for the World Eater, since it wants arrogant and know-it-alls like that for vanguards.

The second, which could still work with the first, is that the World Eater is aware of humans the Holy Weapons have their eyes on and is actively sabotaging them. A weapon has a first choice, so the World Eater throws the game or other things in their path to turn them into a less desirable option, possibly even vanguard material.

After all my comments about the recent antagonists, S'yne's sister is starting to grow on me. She's filling a similar role as Witch; manipulating and using people before ultimately tossing them aside. But like the Demon Dragon and High Priest, there is more of an air of dignity about her than with Witch. With the exception of her sister, she's not really talking down and belittling anyone to try and promote her own strength. Like Glass she feels like someone who is genuinely powerful and doesn't need to prove it. How she's using the enemies of the week is curious and perhaps even a little scary because it does feel like she's testing and experimenting and these losses are not really a loss for her. And there's the added mystery Sadeena threw in over what she really wants. Whether bad guy with a bigger agenda or a secret good guy, she's more enjoyable to read about, as opposed to the vanguards where the biggest enjoyment they offer is watching them get taken down, and even that's not much with all the whining and tantrums they have after they're beaten. She's different from Witch and Kyo. She's not completely high off her own power and doesn't refuse to recognize her enemies' strength. Her casually teleporting away for a bit when she realized the battle was turning in the heroes' favor gave a ton to her character.

I'm just looking forward to when she gets a name other than S'yne's sister or Moron Woman. I appreciate Naofumi's completely lack of caring for learning the names of people who don't deserve it, but if she's going to be a serious antagonist or secret ally, a name would help.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/shieldbro/comments/kdwai7/first_time_read_through_light_novel_vol_18_random/

2020 Reylo Fanfic Recap

With just a couple days left of 2020, I wanted to go back and appreciate all the Reylo fic I’ve written this year. Totaling 24 Reylo Centered Fics.

Like His Father’s Dice: *Puts on Tin Foil Hat* Here’s how Ben Solo can still be alive. Remembering how Han Solo’s dice disappeared in his hand gives Ben the key to surviving the battle on Exegol. G, 1,057 words, Complete.

He Gotta Go Check On Her: a sequel to Rey Has a Cold, where Ben crosses the Galaxy to take care of a sick Rey. G, 2,848 words, Complete.

I Licked It, It’s Mine: Senator Benjamin Organa-Solo is prim and proper and polite. Rey, the scavenger his father picked up on Jakku, is everything but. G, 1,884 words, Complete.

Yes I’m Wearing Your Shirt: You’ve Been Mostly Dead: Ben Solo was only mostly dead, and over the past several months since Exegol, his life Force has been recuperating in the Force. Rey is where we last saw her on Tatooine, working through her grief. G, 1,045 words, Complete.

Rey Crashes a Speeder: Rey and Ben are living a happily married life with peace in the Galaxy. That doesn’t mean that accidents don’t happen. G, 1,065 words, Complete.

Abilities Deemed Unnatural:  Post TROS AU where Ben could not save Rey on Exegol. He's left to pick up the pieces. T, 6,341 words, 5/? chapters, WIP.

Broken Hearts and Healing Hands: A 1 shot that turned into a multi-chapter fic, and then post TROS, it got an epilogue. Rey and Ben fix the Legacy Lightsaber. T, 16,049 words, 16 chapters, Complete.

Dismantled: The Supreme Leader learns that the Force does what the Force wants. He decides he will do his best for the Galaxy, and for the little life the Force placed inside him. Mpreg. T, 13,233 words, 6/7 chapters, WIP.

Putting Down Roots: part 3 of my Scenes From a Sweeter Space series,  Set after the events of Playing in the Snow, Ben and Rey find themselves caring for more than just the plants in their greenhouse. G, 1,590 words, Complete.

The Son & Heir of a Shyness: A modern high school AU, where Rey is the new student, and Ben is horribly shy. G, 2,344 words, Complete.

Down From the Tower: A Rapunzel/Tangled AU where Ben is the one with the gorgeous hair and Rey is our scrappy scavenger thief. G, 5,200 words, 1/3 chapters, WIP.

The Memory That Matters:  The last thing Ben remembers is the fight in Snoke's Throne Room aboard the Supremacy. When he wakes up in a med center, he learns that a lot has happened since his last memory. Canon Divergent from TLJ. G, 2,829 words, Complete.

We Don’t Match:  Ben is on an overnight road trip when he stops at a podunk diner in the middle of nowhere, and the light on his soulmate indicator lights up when the waitress brushes his hand. Unfortunately, she's not wearing an indicator herself. G, 7,995 words, Complete. 

Saving What We Love: When the Supremacy and the Legacy Saber were shattered down the middle, Rey dragged an unconscious Ben back with her. Unfortunately, he wakes up in a cell. G, 747 words, Complete.

Padawans of Ren: Luke refused to teach Rey on Ach-to, and so she returned to D'qar to the Resistance, which was still hidden from the First Order, until Kylo Ren shows up with three new faces. G, 1,167 words, Complete.

Entangled Stars:  Dance Stars: Galaxy was the hottest televised dance competition, and the this week's paired dances draw out the most compelling dynamics. G, 889 words, Complete. 

Always a Woman to Me: Finn is missing Rey, where ever she is in the Galaxy, but his emotions pull another someone who is missing Rey to him through the Force. G, 705 words, Complete.

Palpatine is a Liar: A detour to confirm Rey's lineage leads to Palpatine's defeat and Ben's redemption. G, 2,093 words, Complete.

Written in My Hand: Diverging at The Force Awakens, Ben and Rey are soulmates. They know they are because they have the other’s name written on their arms in their handwriting. Knowing that they are soulmates from the very beginning changes everything. G, 9,884 words, 6/? words, WIP.

The Fire of the Sith: Ben and Rey send their adopted children up to summer camp, the same one that they perform at every Fourth of July. Little do they know, Ben's camping years have sprouted up the Knights of Ren, a group of campers who may very well burn the whole camp down. Part 4 of the Scenes From a Sweeter Space Series. G, 6,660 words, Complete. 

Two That Are One: Ben Solo was the avatar, everyone knew it. Except, he couldn't bend all 4 elements. G, 1,637 words, 1/? chapters, WIP.

Celebrating Rey’s Birthday: Ben knew Rey's Birthday, and he made sure to celebrate her, even though she had never celebrated it herself. G, 939 words, Complete.

Chosen: As teenagers just presenting as an alpha and an omega, Ben and Rose promised that if they turned 30 without being mated to someone else, they'd marry each other. It's fine and dandy until Rey, an unmated omega, sets off Ben's rut. T, 10,323 words, 2/4 chapters, WIP.

The Wings We Stole: Before this Earth, before this life, Rey and Ben promised to find each other. They only agreed to do come to earth so they could spend eternity together. They don't think of themselves as angels or saints. They can't make it through this on their own. A Mormon Flavored Modern AU. G, 11,329 words, 8/? chapters, WIP.

BONUS

A Meta: Today on I fricking Love Ben Solo: A meta concerning the fall of Ben Solo. G, 537 words, Complete. 

A GingerRose Fic: The Rose of The Titanic: Armitage Hux had helped design the massive ship, Titanic, and upon touring his pride and joy before the maiden voyage, he runs into the prized mechanic down in the belly of the ship. A GingerRose Titanic AU. G, 3,153 words, 2/4 chapters, WIP.

This is super late, but I finally got around to thinking about my answers to Magia Rapport. Between life in general and the announcement of the EN server closing I just didn't feel like doing it before. But I did want to participate so better late than never, I guess!

Day 1: If you could give advice to a new player, what would that advice be? If you could restart the game from the beginning, what would you do differently this time?

Oh boy, does that question hit different now. Well... For a new player, I would say save your gems as much as possible for the fate weaves you really want to pull for. Try to decide what girls you really want, and how many slots you want to try to get for them. I was maybe 80% f2p. I managed to get quite a few limited girls I wanted by saving up, and even though most of them only have one slot that was perfectly fine with me because I just really liked the character. As for restarting the game, I am restarting on JP, and this time I decided I'm going to go my own pace. I'll still play every day to get those bonuses and dailies done, but I'm not too worried about catching up to where JP is in the story or farming for materials. I'll probably only do the story portions of events, and I'm going to try to cut my playing time compared to how long I play the EN version every day. I want to get back to doing other things, and even if I haven't felt like writing or drawing lately because of personal reasons, the game's become a larger part of my daily routine than I intended it to be.

Day 2: What was your favorite event, and why? Is it because of gameplay or the story?

The Tart Magica events will always be my favorites because I just really love the spinoff series. The fact that I got to see the characters animated and hear them speak just makes me smile. I also really liked the map layout for those events.

Day 3: What is your proudest achievement in the game? Is it a character you got from a fate weave? Is it a moment you defeated a really difficult event? Did you get a high ranking in mirrors?

My proudest achievement would be managing to get all the Tart Magica characters. I didn't get Tart or Riz their first run and was so disappointed. So I made sure to save up just for a rerun of their banners and when it came back around I got Tart, and I did have to spend a bit IRL money for Riz but it wasn't too much and I felt it was worth it. Another moment would be when I made S class in ranked mirrors 2nd and 3rd rounds. I was having awful luck this last time especially but thanks to @muffinrecord 's advice I managed to make it!

Day 4: What is your favorite memoria in the game and why? Is it because it's unexpectedly good? Do you like the artwork? Is it the flavor text that stands out to you?

My favorite memoria would be I Made Friends!. Not only is it such a good passive memoria with great effects but I just really like the art too. I always liked seeing Kako, Felicia, and Ayame's interactions in the story and events because these girls have been through so much in their lives, before and after becoming Magical Girls, and it's nice to see them just being kids and playing together. Two close seconds are Hopes Combined and Our Backs Together. They're my two favorite groups of characters and the flavor text really speaks of their bonds and how strong they are together. And the artwork is just cool!

Day 5: What character do you identify with the most? Why is that? Do you have a favorite quote or moment from them?

There's a few characters that really remind me of myself. I have social anxiety like Seika, though it's not nearly as severe. I mostly keep to myself and a few close people like Konoha did. I have a hard time expressing myself to others like Ren. And Tsuruno... When we learned everything she was dealing with and how she tried her best to keep smiling and taking care of everyone else's problems, that definitely struck a chord with me.

Day 6: What character has your favorite wish? Do you think it's the best wish or is it something close to what you would wish for if you could?

I had to think about this one, but in the end I think Mitama's wish is my favorite. It's just very interesting to me. We know growing up in Daito Ward is... not that great. The class difference is bad enough, and I relate to her on that level from growing up in a similar situation. Then to get that chance to have a brighter future, better education taken from you due to circumstances out of your control (in my case money, in hers rumors leading to a ruined reputation)... Of course she would be devastated. Furious, even. In her eyes, Kamihama took her future away from her, so why not wish to take Kamihama's future away in retaliation? Her wish to have the power to destroy Kamihama is a powerful one, and she harbored it since making the contract, hiding her true thoughts from everyone and playing neutral as Coordinator. But the thing is when she made this wish, it WAS granted, though not in the way she thought. When the time came for her to choose a side between the Kamihama Magical Girls and the Magius, she very easily could have chosen to side with the Magius. If she had, that would have been the end of Kamihama. She was a key character during the final battles. She distributed grief seeds, shared vital information, looked after injured girls. If she hadn't been on the Kamihama Magical Girls' side, they would have lost. That was her opportunity to fulfill her own wish, but she didn't take it. During her time as Coordinator she met and became friends with so many Magical Girls, and came to see Kamihama was full of good people too. She turned her back on her own wish to help those that had shown her kindness and friendship and I think that's fascinating.

Day 7: What moment, concept, or character makes you happiest from the game? Why is this?

I think what makes me happiest about the game is that they went for a completely different tone from Madoka Magica... I was so surprised as we went through the story and it was a pretty light-hearted story of found family and friendships with some slice of life thrown in. I love Madoka Magica so much, and the truth about the Magical Girl system was so shocking when I first watched it. It explored so much in so little time, and seeing the girls struggle to survive the system was intense. But I always wondered if more Magical Girls had teamed up to fight Walpurgisnacht, could they have defeated her? And I got my answer in Magia Record. The game focuses on all these unique characters, who still have struggles of their own due their lives and their contracts, but they're not alone. They have teams, other Magical Girl friends, and there's this sense of community between them. And when they all banded together they were able to take down one of the most powerful witches known to Magical Girls. It's a wholesome spin on the Madoka Magica series, and I am here for it!

Love and Redemption ( 琉璃美人煞)

Episode Count: 59 Runtime: 45 minutes Production values: Relatively High for a Xian Xia, but not dripping money. Dubbed: Yes, not own voices Ending Type (Because you want to know ): HAPPY (after some hardship and at least 10 liters of spewed blood.

Story: The God of War defied the Heavens and was sent to Earth to go under 10 tribulations. They are on their last life and if they don't return to heaven they will cease to exist.

Xuanji was born without a complete version of her six senses. This makes her rather naive and clumsy socially. Yu Si Feng is from Li Ze Palace Faction and is, by their rules force to wear a mask. Their love story starts when they meet each other, first by accident and then by tournament and then travel with their friends the world together finding out the reason for Xuanji's missing senses and everyone's true past. Formatted as a Chinese epic (so pivot and hook) and also mixes Kishotenketsu and three act. (For anyone that cares). Pacing lags a little in the second half when they start to pad with flashbacks.

Feminism Tests Bechdel: 75% There are more than 2 named characters. They do talk to each other. They occasionally talk *in between* talking about men about other things, but usually the conversations tend to be about men. Squint and it passes. Mako Mori: Over the course of the show, she does pass the Mako Mori test. (Value friends, family, wanting things that are spoiler) She definitely wants things other than men. Sexy Lamp Test: Passes in spades. Main female character makes a decision: Yes, several. It takes a while for it to warm up. You might have to wait until the teens before it really shows up. which changes the direction of the events: Yes, more than once. and changes character's minds: Yes. More than once.

Feminism overall... It's notable that trauma is given weight in this show and it doesn't come down on the side of supporting abusers one bit. If anything, you feel the absolute rage towards the abusers in this show.

Production Values: Sometimes the filters can be a bit much for me, but probably won't bother anyone.

The acting is really good. The VAs and the actors knit together seamlessly and raise everything to a great performance. I like the direction, the sound the music. There aren't really huge "flaws" or clear ways they skimped on money. Mostly, I think , if you like clean productions, you might have nitpicks over small things. I really like the thought put into the costumes. There is clear thought about character development coinciding with costumes, and how the characters change and evolve. Some of the costuming is clearly "Because it looks good on screen" rather than because it's practical, but I'm willing to forgive it for that.

BTW, while I hate Hao Chen, who is not a Hao Ren, I think the acting done by Liu Xiu Yi for the character is really good (VA too). Like I was really invested into hating the character fully.

Why would you watch this drama: Because you need something to watch after a really dirty break up where your ex back stabbed you or was abusive. I kinda have those feels from this drama. You need to rage at something, this drama will fill the ticket quickly. (I kinda feel like the original writer was getting revenge on an ex or something...)

To me, it's like (and I thought about this a long time), Steak Tartar with the egg broken on top. In places, it's really mushy and you're kinda digging it. In other places you find something kinda nutritious about this drama since it thematically says a lot in tone, etc. But then you find yourself chewing a lot to try to get some of the extra flavor at times, though you're not obligated to. And most of all, you realize the amount of blood being spewed forth. (inside joke people will get who've watched the drama). But extra helping of rice/bread please. Doesn't have wine, though, because you can't take this drama slow. If you needed a drink, I would say rice wine to wash it down. (Another in-joke)

You'll definitely like it if you liked and loved Ashes of Love. It has similar feels, though this one has more feelings of anger rather than bitterness like Ashes of Love. You probably will like it if you liked the Three Worlds series (Eternal Love and Pillow Book respectively), though it's not as "sweet" overall.

If you like dramas with romance that aren't overly sweet and fluffy, you'll also like this drama.

Note: You can make a drinking game out of the amount of times Si Feng spews blood. Cheng Yi commented, himself, about how he lost count how many spit takes he had to do... Also be careful of sharp objects after about Episode 15... you might want to stab one of the characters repeatedly and we do not need you hurting yourself or other things around you.

Through Thick and Thin

Description: A Little Quirky: Part 4- Through Thick and Thin: Joining this crazy family isn’t going to be a walk in the park, and you knew that. But being part of Jimin’s family means you’re that much closer to Jimin, and with the wedding approaching, you couldn’t be more grateful to be by his side. Reposting because of accidental deletion.

Warnings: N/A.

Originally Posted: 06/25/2019? Reposted: 06/29/2019

Tags: Jimin, Hybrid!Jimin

Fluff and Angst?: 2,265 words

A/N: Six months later we actually have another post for this series…anyway, I threw this together so if it’s messy I’m sorry. I was just going to do the first part of it, but it felt short for how long you guys have waited. Finally home to repost this after the fiasco.

“Okay, we’re agreed, no matter how much Jungkook begs, we don’t go on that thing,” Jimin said, pointing to the ride that was going upside down and spinning and looked like a puke-fest. “Completely agreed.” “Jimin-ssi!” “Speak of the devil. Is that his current girlfriend?” “Yes.” “Do we like her?” “No.” “So if she’s against going on that ride?” “We go on. All of us.” “Right,” You muttered, shaking your head and waving to Jungkook since Jimin was tying his shoe. Jungkook bounced up with a bunny-hybrid at his side. “Guys this is—” “Oh. My. God! Y/n?!” She grinned. You could only stare at your least favorite person in the entire world. “Wow. Kameron.” “It is sooo good to see you!” Too soon to claw her eyes out? “And you! Let’s go on that ride first!” You pointed to puke-fest. Jimin looked at you in surprise. “Are you sure? I mean,” Jungkook started, looking a little confused. “I’m sure. If anything is going to give us that thrill that amusement parks are famous for, it would be that one.” Jungkook looked at Jimin, concerned. “Hyung, you don’t have to go. It might hurt your neck and make you sick.” “Um, actually, why don’t you and Kameron go do what rides you want to and we’ll do ours and we can meet back up for lunch?” Jimin suggested instead. “Besides, I wanted to start with the log flume ride and you hate that one.” Jungkook’s nose scrunched and he nodded. “That sounds fair. Meet back up at noon-ish near the water park?” “Sounds great,” Jimin said, steering you toward the log flume. Once Jungkook and Kameron disappeared he muttered, “What the heck was that? You know her?” “We were neighbors before my parents moved. She’s a bitch if there ever was one. She used to pull on my tail and call me a monster. Scared all the human kids with stories about me eating my last owner.” You growled slightly, pouting. “I never wanted to see her ever again. How did Kook even meet her?” “Some party that he got dragged to by his friend. I thought it would be good for him to socialize. I regret that now.” Jimin pulled you into the line for the log flume. “Why doesn’t Jungkook like this ride?” “Oh, he does. We’ve just been brothers long enough that he accepts when I make excuses like that. He’s oblivious, but not dumb. He probably thought that I was doing it to avoid the big roller coasters that he would want to go on, avoiding getting any teasing from you, though I’m more concerned about her teasing me. I’ll tell him about you and Kameron if I get the chance.” “He could do so much better.” “Enough about them. We’re here to have fun!” He nuzzled your cheek. “You know this place well, don’t you?” You smiled at him. “It was the first hybrid-friendly amusement park. Eomma brought us here every summer after. Micheal and Becca would watch the triplets. This is the first year we haven’t planned to come together.” “She is pregnant with twins,” You pointed out. “She can’t exactly go on any rides. And what about Hoseok?” “He’s helping with the triplets. We invited him, but he said something about already agreeing to take care of the triplets today. And something about a cute girl.” He shrugged. “Yoongi is busy with his job and Euny, same with Taehyung, they were going to that baby physical therapist you recommended today. And Namjoon, well, he said he might make it out but he wasn’t sure.” “Well, maybe later this summer.” You kissed his cheek. “But we still have a lot of wedding preperations to do. And there is no way Kameron is invited. Not even as a plus one. I’ll tell Jungkook if I have to.” “Please? He’ll take it better from you.” You nodded, then sighed to clear your head. “Okay. Fun. We can do that. Let’s have fun.” “That’s my girl,” He said teasingly, hugging onto you before you both got into the log. The two of you had a lot of fun going on different ride, mostly the low-key ones, though you did go on one or two regular roller coasters. You glimpsed Jungkook and Kameron now and then and steered clear. They weren’t there yet when noon hit, and Jimin was looking at all the different food carts to get an idea and report back since the crowds were a little overwhelming for you and you didn’t dare move from the table you had claimed. Jungkook came up first. “Hey! Nice job getting a table.” “Where is she?” You asked. “Bathroom. You okay?” He tilted his head. “Fine. But Kook?” “Yes, noona?” “Don’t even think about bringing her to my wedding.” His eyes widened in surprise. “Why?” “Because she terrorized me when we were kids and I won’t be dealing with those memories on what’s supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life. She’s not invited. I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings, but that’s how it is.” He was quiet for a moment. “Jimin doesn’t like her either.” You shrugged slightly, not confirming or denying. “I don’t think Eomma liked her either. It’s not like this is permanent. It’s just…nice having someone to go places with.” “I know. But she’s over there making out with someone,” You said, horror rising in you. He looked and didn’t really even react. “Okay. We can ditch her now.” “That’s not very kind, Jungkook. Take the high road. Tell her you’re ditching her.” He snorted, laughing a little. “That’s a very low high road.” “What can I say? I’m a bit bitter.” “I’ll be right back.” You watched him go over to her, then flinched as cotton candy appeared in your face. “Hello.” Jimin grinned at you. “It’s orange flavored! Your favorite!” You grinned back. “Dessert before lunch.” “Of course! It’s a special day!” You laughed and started picking at the cotton candy, humming happily. “That’s perfect!” He kissed you a couple times. “Good.” “Well, that’s over,” Jungkook took a tuft of cotton candy as he said it, sounding relieved. “And she’s getting a ride home.” Jimin looked confused for a moment, then glanced between you and Kook as you patted his brother on the shoulder. “You dumped her? Here?” “She was kissing another guy.” Jimin got a stony look to his face. “That’s just wrong.” “It’s okay, hyung. I don’t really care. Let’s just have fun together now, okay?” Jimin nodded, grinning. “Sounds like a plan. Besides, y/n wanted doesn’t want to go on a couple of the water slides so we can do those while she’s at the lazy river.” You grinned as they started talking excitedly over the different slides, picking at the cotton candy. You were marrying into a great family. Jimin stole another kiss, pulling you out of the sugar-sweet haze you had drifted into, and you realized you were purring in your garbled way. He rubbed his nose against yours. “We should take some cotton candy home too.” “Ah, come on, don’t get all weird.” You giggled and swatted Jimin away. “Let’s get some real food.” “Please!” Jungkook looked around. Jimin stole another kiss then started talking about the different options available for food. But you were still thinking about his kisses were sweeter than the cotton candy that melted in your mouth, and far more addictive. ———— You opened the door when someone knocked on it frantically. “Jimin? You have a—why do you smell like smoke? And is that blood on your face? Jungkook?” Jimin pulled you into a tight embrace. “Get a bag, pack some stuff. Call your parents and tell them that someone is coming after my family and they might be in danger. There’s an officer waiting downstairs to take us to the Sanctuary. It’s the safest place right now.” You blinked rapidly and hurried to do as he said, grabbing a few important things you didn’t want to just leave in case someone broke in. “Explain on the way?” “As much as I can.” You grabbed your pillow and nodded. “Ready.” He already had your bag and you detoured to grab your makeup bag and travel first aid kit. The officer had Jungkook take the passenger seat and you and Jimin got into the back seat. After you were on the road toward the sancutary, Jimin sighed anf finally let you clean the blood from his face. “What happened?” “Yesterday Hobi showed up with that girl, Ren, that they’ve been taking care of since the tornado, and the triplets. There was some sort of threat to our family. We’ve had a few of them throughout the years, but we didn’t think this was a major one until I was on my way to work and I found these guy setting fire to the apartments. That’s how I got the bloody nose. Hoseok took the triplets and they’re heading somewhere way off the grid. Right now the safest place for us is at the Sanctuary. I called into my work already and explained the situation. They go after the people we care about. I can’t risk you.” “I should call my parents,” You murmured. You met Jimin’s gaze. “But I don’t know what to tell them?” “I can talk to them,” He said gently. You handed him your phone, leaning your head on his shoulder, a little worried about what was happening. You’d experienced some of the threats to his family before. You’d been with him for almost a year. There had been a threat just a couple months before, in April, where some stupid anti-hybrid activist had threatened Emma and Jin. Broke into their house and the news reporters were very amused that the person that did the most damage to him when he was found in playroom had been done by Emma. Jin had stopped her, and tied him up until the police could get there but she had hit the intruder in the head with the dollhouse before chucking the hardest toys in the room at him until he was curled up in a ball. At the trial, he had gotten scared when one of the triplets (that his lawyer had decided were witnesses and forced to be there) had strayed to close to him when getting the toy they had dropped, to the point where he was screeching apologies while the kid was looking at him in confusion. The judge had the triplets excused from the trial. This threat was far worse. Jimin finished the call with your parents. “They said they were going on a road trip anyway. Said to tell you to call and update them on things.” You nodded. “They also said to let them know if we wanted to delay the wedding.” You shivered and glanced up at him. He looked tired, probably from the stress. You’d learned that stress and fear exhausted Jimin more than anything else, and could tell that he’d had a stressful morning from the way he blinked a little longer. “Not that I want to. I want to marry you. But maybe keep in mind postponing it at least until we know the threat has passed. It should only take a couple days.” You nodded, kissing his cheek. “Try and sleep, Jimin-ah.” He nodded, leaning against the window and closing his eyes. “Can’t smell anything. Driving me crazy.” “It’ll be okay.” It was probably a good thing, honestly. He didn’t need to smell the fear that filled the vehicle. The two hour drive was fairly quiet, mostly just the chatter from the radio and the officer checking in so that his bosses knew he was still en route. Once at the Sanctuary you could see that there was quite the fuss going on with this new threat. There were two distinct mobs. One pro-hybrid rights and one anti-hybrid rights. But everything seemed peaceful once past the gate of the sanctuary. Jin was there to greet you, standing up and hugging Jungkook, then Jimin and you. “Hobi?” “Safe. They’re going off-grid with the triplets. Figured it was too dangerous to come here with them.” “They’d have never made it in,” He agreed, shuddering. Kook hugged onto Jin, probably to comfort him. “Eomma?” “She’s fine. She’s calm. Way calmer than me. She’s got us all settled into one of the empty houses, Micheal, Becca, and Timothy too.” “What happened?” “It started as a small-scale protest, and some whispered threats of hurting us. Then…they broke someone out of jail. The man that hurt Hobi.” Both of the younger boys froze in place and then Jungkook’s foot thumped a couple times before he could resist the urge. Jin smoothed a hand over Jungkook’s hair and ears. “We’re safe here. Hobi is safe as long as no one knows where he is or who he is. And he won’t let anything happen to the triplets either.” “You going to keep saying that until you believe it?” Jimin asked, managing a tight smile. Jin nodded. “Have to. I trust him. Let’s go inside. Sorry you got dragged into this, y/n.” “It’s fine. I go where Jimin goes,” You said easily, taking Jimin’s hand. “If he’s in danger, I’m there with him. Right?” He leaned in and nuzzled your cheek. “Yeah. It’s scary, but yeah. We’re in this together. For better or worse.” You leaned into him. “For better or worse.”

--

Previous Part.  Next Part.

Masterlist.  Series Masterpost. 

Trust Me: Chapter 9

I cannot thank y’all enough for your patience. Hopefully the fact that it’s a relatively big chapter a little bit kinda makes up for the wait? Either way, thank you so much for reading, and I love you <3

Chapter 1 Chapter 8 AO3 Chapter 10

Warnings: A brief mention of the wounds from previous chapters’ violence, very briefly implied nsfw/daddy kink (to skip it, just don’t read the text messages after “Aww, you’re so sweet!”

Author’s Note: Again, the cipher is crackable with the information you have. (I’d argue that this one might be a bit harder, because I gave you fewer/subtler clues, but if you get how it’s encrypted, decoding it is a lot easier.) Shoutout to y’all who got last chapter’s! <3

Word Count: 3,660

Tag List: @ccecode​ @emo-sanders-sides-loving-unicorn​ @ren-allen​ @ilovemygaydad​ @bloodropsblog​ @funsizedgremlin​ @raygelkitty​ @roxiefox23​ @thomasthesandersengine​ @spookyingarbageisland​ @band-be-boss-blog​

"The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to the seeker after it," Virgil muttered. Running his hand through his hair, he looked up to see that it was 8:30. He'd been at his desk staring at a copy of the note for over two hours. There was something familiar about the phrase; the feeling that he'd heard it before played in the back of his mind, just out of reach. He was sure that it was the key to solving the entire thing.

God, I wish I remembered more from that cryptology class I took in college. Okay, time for a new approach. Clean slate, let's go through what we know about him, Virgil thought.

He's a man in his late twenties or early thirties. He's highly intelligent and well-educated, likely with a medical background of some sort. He's a mission-based killer, set on punishing people he feels got away with things, things the system should have punished them fore. Before Jason Dean, it seems. That change in victimology must be connected to why he sent this note, so I'll put a pin in that for now; I'll talk to Vincent about the autopsy report when he's done with it. 

He seems divided; some of the torture is methodical, but some of it seems more motivated by rage than purpose. And then there's how he treats them. Mission-oriented killers don't often torture their victims; the payoff is from the kill itself. But he's feeding them, keeping them alive for a while so he can torture them.

Does he want them to know what he's done? That's it. He wants them to recognize their 'sins', perhaps even repent for them. He needs the validation that comes from them acknowledging his power and that he is correct.

Everything he does has a literal meaning and a symbolic one, he continued. Nothing has only one meaning. On the surface, he's saying that he knows that what he's doing is wrong, legally at least, but he finds it beautiful. Interesting choice of wording. Not right, not just. Beautiful. It feels like he cares more about the torture than the mission. But then why the remorse with the pseudo-burial? He's so full of contradictions. And then there's the bit at the end. "Publish me", he said, not "publish this". Which goes back to the fact that he's got one hell of an ego; he wants the focus on him. Which directly flies in the face of most mission oriented killers- they want the focus on their message. 

I would almost think that there might be two unsubs, but two people being this organized and methodical is extremely unlikely. He's way too egotistical to cooperate with a partner, however submissive said partner might be. 

So, we've got an incredibly smart unsub who knows it and feels like he isn't getting the attention he deserves. A younger child, maybe? Not that that would help us find him. Round up every smart, egotistical younger son in the city. We'd get the founders of every tech start-up in the city; it'd be Gentrifiers-R-Us. Virgil shook his head to clear out the unhelpful thoughts. Focus, Virge. You're on a clock. So, what kind of encryption does someone like that send? What kind of encryption has each word represented by three numbers? It's not a trifid cipher; none of the numbers would be bigger than three, and these numbers range from 1 to 192. Most number ciphers assign a number to each letter; no way in hell all of the words are three letters, and 192 and 26 do not play well together mathematically. Think, Virgil.

Fuck. Okay, let's try another new angle. The series of numbers at the end. Clearly not part of the message. 10 digits, but clearly not a phone number. 055 certainly isn't a US area code, and the number isn't long enough for a foreign dialing code plus the rest of the phone number. Wait. Maybe it's backwards? 310 is Los Angeles. 

Virgil took out his phone and dialed 310-053-3550, heart in his throat. It rang twice before an automated voice informed him that "the number you have dialed is no longer in service". Damn. His heart started beating in an entirely different way when he saw that he had some new texts.

6:22 [Patton]- Hi cutie! Are you free, by any chance? It's been a really bad day, and seeing you always makes me feel so much better. <3

6:50 [Patton]- I was thinking we could get some dinner and then watch a movie or something at my place

7:48 [Patton]- Virge?

Virgil's stomach dropped. Oh god do they think I'm ignoring them? Oh shit. He quickly typed out a reply.

8:53[Virgil<3]- Hey, Pat, I'm here. I'm so, so sorry you're having a bad day. I can't hang out tonight, though. :'( I'd be with you if I could, though. It's been a rough one for me, too. Wanna talk about what's been bringing you down?

Their reply was almost instant.

[Patton]- Virgil! :D Aww, stormcloud, it's okay. Life happens; it wouldn't be healthy for either of us if you dropped everything when I'm just a little down. Besides, it was nothing, really. Just me being dramatic lol

Virgil felt himself blush at the endearment, but his brow furrowed reading the rest of the message.

[Virgil<3]- You sure? It also isn't healthy to bottle up your emotions. I care a lot about you and am always here if you want to talk about anything.

[Patton]- God, you're the sweetest! <3 I care a lot about you too. I promise, though, I really am fine. Do you wanna talk about what's bumming you out?

[Virgil<3]- I really wish I could, but I actually have to get back to it. I'll message you later <3

[Patton]- okie dokie. Don't work too late, okay?

He chuckled as he put his phone away and looked back at the note on his desk. Heather and Kurt are obviously people, Ram probably is too. Who are they, and what do they mean to him? The phone on his desk started to ring; Virgil jumped.

"H- hello? Detective Mason here." Virgil cursed himself for the shaky greeting.

"Virgil! I'm glad you're still here. It's Vincent. You said you wanted to know as soon as the autopsy was done; I'm waiting for a couple of particulates to come back, but the bulk of it is ready for you." 

"Vincent, you are a lifesaver. I'll be down in a minute."

"Did you know that the candy Life Savers was invented in 1912 as a summer confectionary alternative to chocolate, which has a melting point of approximately 86 degrees?"

"I definitely did not know that, but I did know that they started as mints and didn't become the fruity candy we associate most with the brand now until the mid-1920s."

"Fruit flavors were introduced in 1921, to be exact, but they did not have holes in them like the mints did until 1925, which is probably the date to which you were referring."

Virgil laughed. "Damn, I thought I had you. I'll be right down." He hung up the phone and left for the morgue. 

Three minutes later, he found himself being hugged by Dr. Nigel-Murray.

"I'm as touch-starved as the next gay, but why the hug? We just saw each other, like, five hours ago." Virgil looked slightly down at Vincent with a small smile.

"I'm sorry, I'm trying to curb my workplace-inappropriate tendencies, but, barring once during a time of great stress, people in general don't respond in kind to my facts." Virgil's heart broke for the vulnerability and pain in his voice, and he made a mental note to learn as much trivia as possible.

"That's a damn shame. You're a great guy, Vince- let's get coffee or something once I've cracked this damn code."

"That sounds quite lovely, actually. What code, if I may ask?" Vincent's smile was appropriate for the fact that they were at work, but Virgil could tell that he was practically bouncing with excitement internally.

"Our killer sent a reporter a coded message. I've got about 21 hours to crack it if I want to get this guy to come to me."

"Not to overstep, but I've dabbled a bit in cryptography; perhaps I could be of some assistance?" 

"I'd love another set of eyes on this, actually. Thank you! Here, give me your number, and I'll text you a picture of it once we've wrapped up here." Virgil pulled out his phone and unlocked it to find that his messages with Patton were still pulled up. He tried to stop himself from smiling, but he couldn't.

Vincent chuckled. "He must be pretty special, to get a smile like that out of you." Virgil blushed.

"Uh, yeah, they are. At least, I think so. I hope so." Virgil fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, refusing to make eye contact.

"Sorry about the pronoun flub. So, tell me about them!"

Virgil hesitated; opening up about his feelings certainly wasn't one of his strong suits, but he liked Vincent and wanted to be his friend.

“They’re incredible. Their name is Patton, and they run We Hart Coffee just a few blocks from here. They’re so funny and kind, and I’ve never seen a smile like theirs. It’s so genuine and infectious. The world genuinely is a brighter and happier place around them.”

“You really love them, huh?” 

“I- What? No. No way. That’s way too cliche. We meet in a coffee shop and are in love within a couple of weeks? This is real life, and stuff like that only happens in movies and fanfiction. And completely unrealistic. What?" Virgil snapped, seeing the grin on Vincent's face.

"Trust me, Virgil. My first doctorate advisor, Doctor Brennan, was in deep denial of her love for her partner, Agent Booth. They're now happily married with two kids. I know what repressed love looks like, and you, my friend, have it in proverbial spades."

"I'm not sure that that's the right use for that cliche, and besides…" Virgil sighed, running a hand through his hair. "So what if you're right? Even if I did love them, which I don't, they don't love me back."

"Not yet, perhaps, but you're a great guy, Virgil. Smart, funny, caring, and quite handsome. If I were into men, I'm certain I would be half in love with you, myself. Just give them time."

"Christ, Vince, I'm gonna cry at work and ruin the tough-guy aesthetic I work so hard to maintain."

Vincent hummed his disbelief. "As much as I love chatting with you, I believe you're here about a murder. Follow me, if you will."

"Right. Murder." Virgil muttered before following him into the lab.

"So, you know who he is. 18 year old Mission High student Jason Dean. You saw the burns, frostbite, and acid damage. We were able to determine that the frostbite was caused by liquid nitrogen, and the killer used hydrochloric acid. We also found that while he was less dehydrated than the part victims, likely due to being held for only about a week, as opposed to two or three like previous victims, he was far more malnourished than the others."

"God, why is he changing so much? A kid, a shortened timetable, not feeding him. What was the cause of death?"

"Strychnine poisoning."

"See, that's a huge departure, too. All of the previous torture was from knives and hands. Why the sudden change to substances? Did he get injured, or is something else limiting his manual dexterity?"

"I don't know about any of that, but strychnine is a fairly popular poison in popular culture; Agatha Christie used it three times- in Mysterious Affair at Styles, The Coming of Mr. Quin, and How Does Your Garden Grow?, and Arthur Conan Doyle used it in-"

"Oh. OH. Vincent, I love you, you know-it-all." Virgil started pacing, running his fingers through his hair.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The Murder of Roger Ackroyd."

"What? Strychnine wasn't used in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd; Ackroyd was stabbed."

"Yes, I know. The note the killer sent. At the bottom of the code, he wrote 'the truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to the seeker after it'. It seemed so familiar, but I couldn't place it until you just brought up Agatha Christie. Poirot said it in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The number. I'm an idiot."

"Breathe, Virgil. I assume that you just cracked the code?"

"Not quite. But I cracked our unsub. I knew it. I knew he'd hand me the answer. I can't believe it took me this long to figure it out."

"Okay, so how does The Murder of Roger Ackroyd help you?"

"Under the quote is a thirteen digit number. I'd bet my life that it's an ISBN for a specific printing of the book. It's an Arnold Cipher. Each series of three numbers is a page, line, and word. It was staring me in the face. I truly am Boo-Boo the Fool." Vincent was puzzled by Virgil's last sentence, but Virgil was far too agitated for questioning it to be prudent.

Virgil took a deep breath. "Okay, sorry about that. So, back to Jason?"

"Oh, right. Jason. Um, the only other thing of note that we have found at this point are fibers from a 1950s Volkswagen Beetle."

"That's gonna help a ton, as well. Vincent, you are my hero!" Virgil scooped him up into a big hug before leaving the morgue, leaving Vincent speechless for the first time in his life.

Virgil ran back up to his desk, furiously typing in his password. It took him three tries to correctly enter the number into the San Francisco Public Library website's search bar. He eventually got it, and there it was. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. And two copies were available. The library didn't open until 12 pm the next day, however, so he went home after setting an alarm on his phone and sending a quick text to Patton.

9:52 [To:Patton]- Hey, wanna get dinner tomorrow night?

He was ecstatic to see a message from them when he got home.

9:55 [Patton]- Absolutely! You got the problem worked out? :D

10:10 [Virgil <3]- I found the solution, and will get it resolved by the end of the week. I'll pick you up on Friday at 7? We'll take a walk in the park and then House of Prime Rib, on me?

[Patton]- Are we celebrating something? Or are you trying to tell me you want to be my sugar daddy? ;P

[Virgil <3]- Trust me, Pat, if I had sugar daddy money, I'd love nothing more than to spoil you rotten. But nah, it's a combination of a small celebration and an apology for being unavailable today and for the next few days until Friday. (and i may or may not be buttering you up in hopes you'll share what's bringing you down)

[Patton]- Aww, you're so sweet! <3 (Can I call you daddy anyway?)

[Virgil <3]- Only if you want to be rewarded, baby. ;)

[Patton]- I'll be a good boy for you, daddy, I promise. 

Virgil noted their preferred appellation and responded in kind with a wicked smile.

--------

The next morning, Virgil woke up half an hour before his alarm was set to go off, feeling more relaxed than he had in months. I'm finally going to get this guy.

Figuring there was no point in just waiting around, he got ready and went right to work. He knew Captain Sanders would want a breakdown of the previous night's findings before he could start following the leads he had gotten from Vincent the previous night.

He got to the station and immediately started looking into Jason Dean and the possible claim that he was a murderer. It didn't take him long to find that three Mission High students committed suicide 2 months prior named Heather, Kurt, and Ram. Virgil tracked down the police reports for the deaths. By all accounts, they appeared to be through-and-through suicides. If Jason did kill them, the killer would need to be quite close to either one of the victims or Jason himself. Linking the suicides would imply that he's close to all of them. Maybe through school? Science classes are more than likely to have liquid nitrogen and hydrochloric acid. Any teacher would have access, but I'll look more into science teachers in particular. He's displayed some anatomical knowledge as well. 

Captain Sanders walked into the precinct, calling for Virgil to follow him into his office.

"So, what do you have?" he asked, after they'd arrived and shut the door.

"The note is a book cipher based on Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The library has a copy of the specific edition I need to crack it, so I'm going to pick that up at noon, as soon as the library opens. Looking into the 'murderer' thing, there were three suicides at Mission High 5 months ago, whose names match the three not-coded words in the note- Heather, Kurt, and Ram. If they were murdered by Jason, that means the killer is close to one of them, most likely Jason himself. I think that's what the killer is alluding to in the note, but we'll see once I've decoded it. Add in the liquid nitrogen, and it points to a teacher, likely a science teacher. So I'm going to crack the code and look for other insights into him and look into Mission High science teachers. I have an updated profile, and I'll email that to you right away."

"That sounds wonderful, Mason. You've been doing excellent work; we're glad to have you."

Virgil shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I'm just doing my best, sir. If you'll excuse me, the library is about to open, and I'd like to get the book as soon as possible."

"Sounds great to me! Just send me that profile before you go."

"Will do, sir. Thank you." Virgil turned and left the room, hurrying to his computer before rushing to the library.

--

A short while later, he was back at his desk with a battered copy of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. It wasn't difficult to decode the message, but it did take a bit of time and a lot of counting and re-counting. Word by word, the message became clear: He killed Heather, Kurt, and Ram. Find the weapon; I know he had it. It is your evidence.

Virgil sat back in his chair once he'd finished, puzzled by what the note revealed that he hadn't already deduced. 'He' has to be referring to Jason. He knew we'd find out the reasons for him choosing the previous victims, but he needed to be sure we'd know why he thinks Jason deserved to die. I looked at the police reports for those deaths; the gun used to kill Ram and Sweeney was recovered on-site and is in police custody. He's obsessed with his mission, though. He wouldn't make this claim if he wasn't sure. I'll look into that once we've caught our killer. For my peace of mind, at least. Virgil cracked his knuckles and picked up his phone.

"Roman Prince, SFGate, how can I help you?"

"Roman, it's Detective Mason. Can you come down to the station right away?" The responding scream was so loud, Virgil had to move his phone away from his ear. "I'll take that as a yes?"

"Absolutely, Detective. I will be there as soon as physically possible."

"Don't break any traffic l-" The line went dead, cutting Virgil off.

--

Far sooner than could have been legal, Roman skidded to a stop in front of Virgil's desk.

"HelloVirgildidyoucrackthecode?DoIgettowritearesponse?CanI-"

"BREATHE, Roman." Virgil stood, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Yes, I cracked the code. Yes, you will publish a response tonight. But I'm writing it. I assume your laptop is in your bag?" Roman simply nodded- he knew that if he tried to speak, he'd start rambling again. "Fantastic. Let's get going."

45 minutes (and one call from Captain Sanders to Dan Humphrey about how not allowing it to be posted immediately would be obstruction of justice) later, a new post was live on SFGate's website. It was 4:02 pm, two hours before the deadline.

An Open Letter to U N Owen

It was a pleasure hearing from you. While I obviously cannot condone your methods, you are correct that our justice system is imperfect, and those imperfections need addressing. You gave me quite a puzzle, and I enjoyed solving it. It was clever, but not clever enough. I hope you'll forgive me for not following your directions; please let me know if this is inadequate.

Vq rwv kv dnwpvna, aqw'tg ytqpi. Jg fqgup'v jcxg kv, yg fq. Yg'xg jcf kv htqo vjg xgta dgikppkpi. Dwv aqw cntgcfa mpqy vjcv. Aqw'tg hct vqq engxgt vq jcxg pqv mpqyp vjcv. Wpnguu K'o qxgtguvkocvkpi aqw, yjkej ku c fghkpkvg rquukdknkva. Aqwt qvjgt cuugtvkqp jcu dggp pqvgf, cpf K uygct vq aqw vjcv K yknn rwtuwg vjcv qpeg yg ugvvng vjku ocvvgt dgvyggp wu.

Hqt pqy, vjqwij, aqw ujqwnf mpqy vjcv aqw'xg iqvvgp unqrra, cpf vjcv kv'u qpna c ocvvgt qh vkog dghqtg K hkpf aqw cpf tgrca aqw kp vjg ngicn hqto qh vjg eqkp aqw icxg vjgo. Aqw yknn (ogvcrjqtkecnna) jcpi hqt vjku.

Sincerely,

Det. Mason Poirot II

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

Logan refreshed SFGate.com for the thirteenth time that day and was finally rewarded for his tenacity; the post was less than five minutes old. He read it twice, rage simmering in his chest and a smile on his face. "Detective Mason," he said to his empty apartment, "a worthy adversary indeed. The game is on."