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vgbellylover · 2 years

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My Opinion on the Lost Alice Characters as Kinkfuel

I’m gonna start of by saying, until @twistedtummies2′s post about finding this game, I hadn’t actually considered any of these characters in a kink sense. I’m 98% sure this game was made by the same ppl that did Obey Me! since some of the backgrounds from that game’s wiki I recognized from this game. Since I’m more of a stuffing person, I’ll focus on that. Most don’t seem like the type to be into vore with a couple exceptions. Some of them, I didn’t have a lot to say about, since I’m not used to having opinions lol. It’s also my first time doing a list like this. Soo....

??? -Alice-

Alice is the main character and the only female I'll be doing for this list (mostly bc the other female characters are either too refined to be into this or are literal children). She's headstrong, caring, cheerful, and wants to make the world a better place for everyone. She seems to really like sweets and likes to cook, so that should be helpful. I'm pretty sure she feeds at least most of the guys.

And since this is Wonderland, there are some pretty weird foods, like the eat-me cookies that can have adverse effects like changing someone’s personality, according to one of Owen’s side stroies.

Luke Estheim -The Hatter-

Likes: Peaceful Tea Party Dislikes: Crowd of People Luke is one of the first characters you meet in the game (and the story I did first) and the one who was given the role of the Hatter. One of the rules of being the hatter is that he has to host tea parties every day. As such, I think he's one of the more likely to overindulge on sweets. He's also one of those characters I mentioned who's super protective of Alice, so I think the only reason he would indulge in vore would be to keep her safe. Luke is fairly reserved, so I don't think he'd belch openly unless they were alone.

He's one of the participants of the event "The Sweetest Pleasure" where Alice somehow comes across a magical fruit that's poisonous, robbing one who eats too much of it of their sense of reason. He also shows up in "Smell the Blood" where he suffers from a magical disorder that essentially turns him into a vampire.

Kyle Knock -The Cheshire Cat-

Likes: Alice Dislikes: Cold Place To be honest, Kyle's a little lower on my list of liked characters, but that's just me. From what little I know about Che'nya from TW, Kyle doesn’t seem to be all that much different, though that makes sense considering they're both the Cheshire cat. He states in one of his side stories that he enjoys homecooked meals and I think he would enjoy getting Alice flustered when he overeats or indulges in this kind of thing. I think he'd definitely tease her about it. I also think he'd be most receptive to belly rubs.

Is a participant in "The Sweetest Pleasure."

Joker Braze -???-

Likes: Magic Trick Dislikes: Bitter Food Joker strikes me as the type to indulge as many opportunities to fluster Alice that he can. I saw a post here once about exhibitionism when secretly done and that seems to me like something Joker would do. In one of his side stories, he teases her when she gets excited over a cupcake. He's a little like Ace Trappola though not quite as reckless, or stupid, imo.

One of the events he participates in is "Be My Happily Ever After" where he and Alice are transported into a storybook in order to fix it bc it got messed up somehow. The story they end up in is "Hansel and Gretel." Also appears in "The Sweetest Pleasure" and "Smell the Blood."

Owen Chester -The Chess King-

Likes: View from the Castle of Chess Dislikes: Lies Owen is another one who's protective. Being a king, I think he's less likely to indulge. He does have an appearance to keep up after all. I imagine his personality being closer to Lilia Vanrouge's, being a powerful mage and knowing exactly what to say to get Alice all blushy. If he does overeat when she isn't around, he's far more likely to hide it. Like Luke, he'd probably only indulge in vore for protective reasons.

Probably his biggest kink potential comes from his "Be My Happily Ever After" story. They're transported into "Little Red Riding Hood" and he's the wolf. Also appears in "Smell the Blood."

Sidd Rex -The March Hare-

Likes: Travelling Dislikes: Ambiguousness Probably the most likely to overeat on his own, I think. Also most likely to get drunk. (Not that he drinks in-game, but-!) Since he travels a lot for work, I imagine he likes to try all the local cuisine he can. He's pretty laid back, so I'm sure he'd love all the attention he'd get when she's rubbing his belly.

In the side story "Realm of Piracy" he's the cook on Owen's Pirate ship, so I think there's some potential there.

Chronus Carlyle -The Timekeeper-

Likes: Little Animals Dislikes: Night One of the best candidates for hunger-type situations I think. Before meeting Alice, Chronus has little interest in food, choosing to use magic to sustain himself instead, except when Sidd forces him to actually eat something. A bit like Idia Shroud in the fact that he pretty much keeps to himself, though he's less anxiety-ridden, given he crosses Owen in like the first 30 seconds of his story. He's a slow eater, so I don't think he's likely to overeat unless coaxed into it.

Ace Spade -Lord of Spades-

Likes: Coffee Dislikes: Indulgent Unfortunately, Ace is one of the least likely to overindulge, all things considered. Maybe if Alice encourages him enough, he will, but only rarely and when he's absolutely sure they won't be interrupted. A bit like Vil Schoenheit, just not nearly as stuck up and vain, or Malleus.

On a side note, an interesting parallel between him and Malleus: they're both known as the "Prince of Darkness."

Neil Mirror -Mirror Keeper-

Likes: Moonlight Dislikes: Rain Another one who I think is very unlikely to indulge in any kinky behavior. To my knowledge, he's one of the only characters to not have a side story that involves food in some way, but I also haven't looked through them thoroughly. He's a very mysterious and interesting character, but I don't really see him working in the kink community. If anyone manages to kink-smack him, I'd be very interested to hear about it.

??? -Spinner of Tales-

Likes: Cinnamon Tea Dislikes: Incoherent Tales So, the Spinner of Tales is the antagonist in most of these stories. I was very surprised when he was added as a love interest. He also does have an actual name, but I'll let you find that out on your own. I don't think he'd be good kink material as the Spinner of Tales, but after that persona is gone, he changes. Both sides of him are protective of Alice, but for very different reasons. Like Chronus, I think he'd need some encouragement to take part in kinks, but if it makes Alice happy, I think he'd be more willing to participate.

Red Huber

Likes: Cooking Dislikes: Cliffs Whoo boy… he likes cooking. That must mean he likes eating, too, right? I like to think so. I'm pretty sure he's based on Little Red Riding Hood. He has to be, Douglas, who's a wolf, is the villain of his story so…

Hansel Bernet

Likes: Reading Books Dislikes: Spicy Food I… don’t really have much to say about this character. I'd say his personality is closest to Jade Leech, but idk… I was never as invested in this character, so I hardly even remember how his story goes.

Sieghard Grimm -The King-

Likes: Courtyard of Grimm Castle Dislikes: People of the Real World If I remember right, Grimm ordered Alice kidnapped from wonderland to f*ck with the Spinner of Tales. With Alice being from the Real World, he definitely wouldn't be too keen on indulging her, at least at first. As the story progresses, maybe he would under the right circumstances, but like Owen, he is a king and has to keep up appearances. Although, I think he's far more likely to indulge in vore than Owen, again, under the right circumstances.

Frederick Grey -The Dormouse-

Likes: Nap Dislikes: Being interrupted while sleeping A lot like Silver because they're both constantly falling asleep. Also bc I think Alice would have to be very direct when it comes to indulging her kinks, probably bc he falls asleep halfway through any explanation. There's a scene in the main story where they're at a restaurant and he orders a number of dishes with plenty of cheese. I definitely think he has some potential as kinkfuel.

Aldo Bardi

Likes: Relaxing Music Dislikes: Conflict The older of two warring brothers, Aldo is a calm gentleman who I think would be another to be less likely to indulge in kinks, like Luke.

Dino Bardi

Likes: Alone Time Dislikes: Nagging People Another good choice for hunger scenarios. Unlike Chronus though, Dino often simply forget to eat before the events of the story. After meeting Alice, he start to eat more regularly, and I would think he start to put on a bit I weight as well. He's not as refined as his brother, so I think he's more likely to belch in public. He might even do it just to annoy Aldo.

Gilbert Rance -The Griffon-

Likes: Sky Dislikes: Peas Being a griffon, I can't imagine Gil not being a big eater. Flying has a high energy output, so he probably needs the calories. However, he seems to be a bit dense as well, so Alice would need to direct in order to get what she wants. At least he won't fall asleep like Fredrick.

Darius Rosenberg -Earl of Dodo-

Likes: 'Quiet' Meal Time Dislikes: His Role Another stoic type who seems unlikely to overindulge. In any sense of the word.

Allen Blood -Another Alice-

Likes: Nonsense! Dislikes: Huh? It's a secret <3 To me, Allen is by far the most likely to indulge in kinks for the sole purpose of teasing for them, kinda like Ruggie Bucchi or Floyd Leech.

Theophilus Arkwright -The White King-

Likes: Taking a Nap Dislikes: Clerical Job Another napper? Oof. He's not as bad as Fredrick in that aspect. In one of his side stories, he steals a bite from a tart Alice is making, so he could probably be convinced to stuff himself.

Wayne Blouse -The Butler-

Likes: Playing the Piano Dislikes: Noise Probably best suited for hunger scenarios since he's always working. Other than that… I think he's more likely to indulge than Darius, but don't get your hopes up.

Eugene Wainwright -The Red King-

Likes: Fafnir Dislikes: Nightmare So this guy's in a magical sleep for Theo and Wayne's stories, but in his own, he commands a dream world. And we all know anything can happen in a dream.

Jaiden Clover -Lord of Clover-

So, Jaiden is Ace's little brother. He's just a kid, so I think he's more likely to indulge than his brother, but he's often also very busy.

Douglas -The Big Bad Wolf-

Well, I think @twistedtummies2 already made a pretty good argument about why this guy would do good as a predator. I don’t have much more to say.

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sir-crocodile-smile · 3 years

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AH congrats on 50 followers smile! i love reading your writings & you so totally deserve it!!

for the event, how about a 18 (from fluff list) & 42 (from general)? a fem pirate w/ Chronic Sarcasm Disorder and Causes-Trouble-Out-Of-Boredom Disease is stealing treasure off a Marine base or sth and Smoker catches her in the act? but, she got away and since then she just makes it her life mission to bother Smoker as much as possible. start of an enemies-to-lover typa beat ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

hehe thx! do with this as u wish💕

Fluff-ty Followers Event!

Thank you so much!!!!! I really appreciate your kind words so much (*´ω｀*)

I hope you enjoy!

Come Here Often? (Smoker x fem!pirate!reader)

It started out as a gruesomely average day at the Lougetown Marine base, the usual hustle and bustle of his men just white noise in Smoker’s ears. For most on the base, boredom was a sign of peace and an opportunity to rest. For the white haired captain, it was torture. His heart was a relentless engine that told him everyday that there was more to be done to uphold justice, and he knew better than most that there’s truly no rest for the wicked. He was making rounds through the base, checking every potential security breach personally. Anything was better than sitting still right now. He hadn’t really been expecting to find anything amiss, so when he walked into the vault just to give it the once-over, he almost turned right back around.

Almost.

You froze like a deer in the headlights as Smoker locked eyes with you. Your entire arm was inside a bag of confiscated loot, fishing around for the good stuff when the captain himself walked in. One of his two cigars fell out of his gaping mouth, bouncing on the ground and rolling off into oblivion. Think, Y/N, think fast!

“Sooooo,” you began in a singsong voice, slowly pulling your hand from the bag and trying to strike the most relaxed pose you could. “You come here often?” Smoker finally snapped out of his shock, brow furrowing.

“Considering I work here? Yes,” he replied, folding his arms across his broad chest. “Who the hell are you?”

“Inventory management.” You flashed him a sassy smile. He gave a gruff laugh.

“Inventory management, huh? Where’s your uniform?” He took a few steps closer to you. You took a few back.

“Casual Tuesday, sir,” you replied, slowly moving in the direction of one very important item you had found earlier.

“Cut the crap, thief,” he grumbled, continuing towards you. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.” You carefully hid the secret weapon you found behind your back.

“Oh nooooo, the big marine is gonna get me! Whatever shall I dooooo?” You mocked, throwing your free hand up like a Victorian lady about to faint. A faint smirk appeared on Smoker’s lips.

“You’re lucky that you’re the most interesting thing that’s happened to me today,” he sighed, shoulders relaxing. It’s obvious that he didn’t see you as a threat. “Otherwise, you’d really be testing my patience.”

“Sorry about your day, General Grouch. Must be rough sitting in your plush office chair, huh? You poor thing,” you teased, knowing full well you were playing with fire. You’d be happy to take this gamble though.

“It’s Smoker. Captain Smoker,” he growled, puffing on his lone remaining cigar. His sharp eyes started to narrow at you. “Though your day’s about to get a whole lot worse, Major Pain-in-my-Ass.” You scoffed in fake offense to his name-calling.

“Rude. I was just trying to make conversation,” you retorted. “And it’s Y/N. Pirate Y/N.”

“Well, that’s enough chit-chat. You’re coming with me,” he declared, staring you down.

“Jeez, buy me dinner first at least,” you teased. An unexpected blush flooded the burly man’s cheeks at your words.

“That’s- That’s not what I meant!” He protested, getting visibly flustered. Oh, you could work with this. A sly smile spread across your face.

“Aww, are you shy?” You cooed, getting closer to him. He took a cautious step back. “You know, you’re kind of my type. Broad-shouldered, handsome, funny…” His face continued to redden.

“Are you flirting with me?!” He took another uneasy step back from you as you continued forward, a scheming grin starting to blossom on your face. You suddenly closed the distance between you two, pushing him backwards as you did. He fell gracelessly to the floor, with you laying on his chest.

“What’s it look like to you, Smoky?” You purred in his ear as one hand caressed his broad pecs. The poor man was somewhere between mortified and total cardiac arrest. You had him in your clutches.

*click*

The sea prism cuffs clacked shut, one cuff on his wrist and the other around a table leg. Smoker started to realize something was up when you laughed, and he suddenly felt woozy. You hopped off of him, leaving him to slowly realize that you had cuffed him, draining him of energy and robbing him of his devil fruit powers. A loud stream of curses came from him as he struggled with the cuff, trying to grab you with the little strength he had. You ignored him, packing all the loot you could grab quickly into a sack and heaving it onto your shoulder.

“Well, I gotta say, it’s been fun! Maybe next time I get bored I’ll come pay your base a visit,” you laughed as you started towards the exit. “See ya later, Smoky!” You winked at him over your shoulder, and thought that for a moment, you saw a bit of pink return to his cheeks through the anger on his face. With that, you left him in the vault and shut the door behind you. Someone would come get him with all the racket he’s making, and you would be long gone when they did.

You’d come back though. That you were sure of.

#fluff-ty followers event #smoker x reader #one piece smoker #one piece x reader #one piece fanfiction #smoker x reader scenario

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nicad13 · 4 years

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What does Din Djarin Want?

Pedro commented in the Entertainment Weekly article about exploring Mando’s motivations in the second season. “On a moment-to-moment basis, he’s discovering that question: ‘What do you want?’” This got me wondering about the possibilities. It feels like he’s pressed between a rock and a hard place for most of Season 1, doing his best to choose the least crappy of his options, without always succeeding. What he wants has largely been a moot issue – what he wants hasn’t mattered. So I feel like we first have to think about what’s been driving him to start, with what little information we’re given.

1. Greed? Nope. Not on a personal level, anyway. When Greef pays him in the first episode, he puts four disks of Calamari Flan on the table. Din puts all four on the table when he goes to the covert, keeping nothing for himself. He doesn’t even ask for the pauldron – the Armorer offers it to him, and mentions how his generosity will sponsor many foundlings, to which he agrees.

2. Friendships among the covert? Doesn’t look like that, either. He walks by a bunch of other Mandos in the corridor and doesn’t so much as give anyone a nod when they turn in his direction. No one comes to his aid when Paz tries to unhelm him for dealing with the Imps. (Perhaps rightly so – Paz knows whatever Din did to get that much beskar from Imps had to have been horrible, and there’s no honor in earning back what was theirs to begin with.)

3. Family? Not at the start. When he enters the covert in the first episode, a few kids run by him and he walks right through their group like they’re not even there. He doesn’t do the kid thing. He might be starting to reconsider that while on Sorgan. He flat-out admits that it would be nice to settle there, but at that point, he knows he’s not ready. And despite all the Omera-hate going on around the fandom, he takes all the time in the world to stop her from lifting the helmet, in great contrast to his reflex-like reaction in all other circumstances. She clearly impresses him with her abilities with a rifle (Mando catnip right there) and he’s there for three weeks – a lot may have happened between them that we don’t know about. I’m a solid maybe on this one.

4. Sponsoring the covert, particularly the foundlings. As far as we can tell, Din gives every dime he earns to the covert, with special concern for the foundlings. To the point where he’ll even sell a foundling to Imps to provide for the ones at the covert. (For a little while, anyway.) His devastation at the slaughter at the covert is quite clear, despite the fact that he doesn’t seem to have any friends there and isn’t even familiar enough with it to really know his way around other than from the entrance by the bazaar. He’s also keen to stay with the Armorer to help and send the others on their way. I’m so puzzled by his fierce dedication to a place he seems to have so little connection to despite the fact that this is the only thing I can tell that made him tick to begin with!

All of that said, what might drive him in Season 2?

1. The Darksaber? I have to wonder if he even knows about it to begin with. It’s an ancient saber built by Tarre Vizsla, the first Mandalorian Jedi, so it’s both a Mandalorian and a Jedi artifact. Din has no idea who the Jedi are until the last episode of S1. No doubt he will learn about it in S2, but I’m wondering how much about it he will learn? At the very least, it’s something that the Empire has robbed from Mandalore, just like the beskar, and Din is going to want it back at the very least to get it out of Imperial hands. Wookieepedia describes it as “respected by the Mandalorians as a symbol for the leadership of House Vizsla, and later Death Watch.” Some feel that it’s a powerful enough symbol that its owner can unite all of Mandalore. What Din will do with it once he gets it is up in the air. He doesn’t strike me as a leader of that level, at least not yet.

2. To keep or return the child? Din’s attitude towards the kid evolves substantially over the course of the first season. He’s ready to dump him off on Sorgan, but not entirely for selfish reasons. He clearly wants the kid to be happy, and does sound pained at the idea of separation, even if he can’t admit it to himself. “He’ll get over it. We all do.” (You don’t sound convinced, Din.) When they get to Tatooine, Din panics when he can’t find the kid where he left him in the bunk and takes it like a champ when Peli rips him a new one about taking care of kids. By the time they get to Ran’s station, Din flinches when Mayfeld fake-drops the kid (after not flinching when Xi’an comes at him with a knife), and has apparently reached the point where he’s having one-sided conversations with the kid. “I told you that was a bad idea.” While this progression of affection seems evident, it all gets turned on its side when they get back to the covert and the Armorer tells Din to find the child’s people. “You wish me to train this thing… You expect me to search the galaxy for the home of this creature and deliver it to a race of enemy sorcerers?” This thing. This creature. I dunno about anyone else, but Din’s choice of words to refer to the child here feels downright chilling. Particularly since he called him “the baby” once or twice shortly before. Maybe it’s just the concussion talking… I dunno. He’s back to more affection and one-sided conversations by the end though. “Why don’t you hang onto that.” I’m guessing this will be something he struggles with in Season 2.

3. Omera? We’ve not seen anything about Julia Jones being confirmed for Season 2 (that I’m aware of), but we know that folks on this production can keep their mouths shut on huge spoilers when needed. One of the episode titles is “The Return.” Return to where? Sala Baker mentioned that he would be back for Season 2. He played the Klatoonian Raider Captain on Sorgan, but it’s entirely possible that Baker will play a different role all together. The evidence is admittedly flimsy on this one.

4. Cara? She takes a hard turn from “STAY WITH ME MANDO” to “I’m gonna stay on this crappy planet” in the last episode, much to Din’s disappointment. “You’re staying here?!” She doesn’t do the baby thing. She’s also the first person to ship Din and Omera in the first place. “Settle down with the beautiful young widow…” She strikes me as the kind of person who goes after what she wants, and that’s at least three deflections. She loves Din like a brother, but that’s about where the evidence runs out. But who knows? Things may evolve.

5. Revenge? So far we are of the understanding that Din’s village was attacked and his parents killed by Separatist droids. We also know he was rescued by Death Watch. Fans of the Clone Wars series will also recall that Death Watch was a terrorist organization that was not above staging Separatist attacks only to swoop in and “save the day” to gain political favor. If we put two and two together… well… see the source link below for more details on that possibility. Esposito’s quote about “Maybe there’s an opportunity to get [Mando] to fight some battles for me” has me really wondering about this. IF Din’s parents really were murdered by Death Watch, is Gideon the one who tells him? As former ISB, he would likely know this kind of thing. How then will Din play his disdain for the Empire against his rage against Death Watch? Imagine the taunting. Imagine the angst. This possibility is the one that really has me cracking my knuckles in anticipation.

The next couple of months cannot go by fast enough!

#the mandalorian #din djarin #baby yoda #cara dune #omera

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fics-and-shits · 4 years

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Marvel Fic Recs

***smut

Tom Holland x Reader

Oneshots

The Interview (Actress!Reader) by @bigballofstress

You’re Tom Holland’s costar and girlfriend since the end of Civil War. Usually, you go on interviews together, but this time, you are requested alone on Ellen.

Cinderella (Actress!Reader) by @thewackywriter

Who knew that going to another boring award show and walking around barefoot would lead her right to her Prince Charming?

Drop the Mic by @young-and-bitchy

You’re in a rap battle with Tom Holland.

Vlogs by @spideyyeet

Being in the vlog squad was dope af but having David Dobrik run into Tom Holland and getting him to surprise you was a whole other thing. Now let’s see what’s it like to have Tom meet the vlogsquad and be with the girl that’s making him rethink some decisions.

Tom Hiddleston x Reader

Oneshots

Send to All Pranks (Actress!Reader) by @thrandybaby

You’re a British actress appearing on the Michael McIntyre Chat Show, but hilarity ensues at your expense when you accept the challenge to play the infamous ‘Send to All’ prank.

Morning After by @mindrunningfree

After a drunken night out, you wake up in a stranger’s bed, and on a scale of one to ten, your level of confusion is a fifteen.

Platonic!Avengers Cast x Reader

Oneshots

Beliefs (Teen!Reader) by @supersoldierfreak

A group press conference with the Avengers cast where you reveal your political views.

Sleeping Beauty by @chrixa

You didn’t know that the Avengers cast can also be called sneaky paparazzi. Also you love sleeping. Who doesn’t, right?

Handmade With Love by @capsicletho

Christmas is the time to give your loved one some gifts. What happens when you give your famous second family something handmade?

Clint Barton x Reader

Series

Agent 41 (Agent!Reader) by @nacho-bucky

An easily-distracted SHIELD agent with a sweet tooth and too many pairs of sneakers. Nothing ever quite works out the way she wants. But hey - it does work out! Usually

Peter Parker x Reader

Oneshots

Clingy Peter Parker by @spider-bih

A clingy Peter Parker and the reader loves it

Anything For You by @pparkerwrites

Introducing Peter Parker, dog whisperer by day, Spiderman and dog whisperer by night.

Series

Far From You Trilogy and Blurbs by @hey-marlie

Y/N Stark is really not here for this European school vacay because in this post-endgame world, she’s mourning the loss of her dad. But one (1) sticky boi Peter Parker is just trying to be the friend he once was while also trying not to flirt too much because if she rejects him (which she wouldn’t, not that he knows that) while they’re in Venice, holy hell he’ll just pitch himself off the gondola right then and there.

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Oneshots

Sparks (Enemies to Lovers AU) by @sunriserose1023

You and Bucky started off on the wrong foot and it’s just been downhill ever since, and the last time you gave him a chance, you ended up with five broken ribs. It’s just not meant to be.

Cheap Thrills by @avengerofyourheart

A bet within the Avengers becomes a battle of the sexes, with you at the center of it. Who will be victorious and could it somehow help you snag the man of your dreams?

Air B&E (Enemies to Lovers AU) by @avengerofyourheart

When a mission requires close proximity with your least favorite teammate, you try to make the best of it, but a change in plans adds new challenges and possibly a new opportunity.

Notebook (College AU) by @softlybarnes

Bucky and Y/N sit next to each other all semester. They never talk to each other, until one day they do.

The Florist // The Beekeeper // The Pumpkin Carver (Enhanced!Reader) by @softlybarnes

Bucky and Y/N make flower crowns together. Both reveal more than they plan to.

Freckles (Drunk!Reader) by @softlybarnes

The Reader likes Bucky’s freckles a whole lot.

The Regular by @brooklyn-boy

Bucky Barnes is a regular at your bar. He comes in, he makes sure trouble stays away, and then he leaves. This really wouldn’t be a problem if he weren’t so good looking and you weren’t totally in love with him.

Fourth Time’s the Charm by @brooklyn-boy

Bucky remembers the three times he meets a certain thief, and is blindsided by the fourth.

Trepidation by @brooklyn-boy

You’re rescued from HYDRA by the Avengers, only to be met with a ghost of the past in the form of Bucky Barnes. They tell you he was brainwashed, that it wasn’t him, but you aren’t so sure.

Blink Twice by @brooklyn-boy

Zemo kidnaps Bucky and injects him with some sort of drug that paralyzes him and takes away his ability to speak. He’s meant to die alone, in a ditch like he was supposed to back in 1944. But then someone finds him…

Uptown Boy (30s AU) by @brooklyn-boy

You’ve spent so long pretending to be a selfish, conceited, spoiled little rich girl that somewhere along the way, the line was blurred. Now faced with an ultimatum, you have to decide if your pride is worth the only person who’s ever truly loved you.

The Scoop (POC Journalist!Reader) by @brooklyn-boy

Bucky Barnes laments the fact that every single person he cares about is a dumbass when it comes to their own personal safety. He also hates every single journalist, newscaster or reporter he’s ever met until you.

Who Are You Trying to Fool by @notimetoblog

A perfect chance of messing with new recruits presents itself to Bucky. Can he pull it off or will you foil his plan?

We’re Gonna Need a Bigger House by @sunmoonandbucky

You find the courage to tell Bucky about your latest ultrasound.

But Here I Am (Agent!Reader) by @sunmoonandbucky

After years of being separated from the Avengers, Bucky finds you during a job.

Take it Easy, Romeo by @sunmoonandbucky

The Soldat remembers one person through it all.

***A+ (Dark!Professor Bucky x CollegeAged!Reader)by @chixkencxrry

You thought that all your credits had been complete, but a glitch in the system forces you to take a summary course in order for you to graduate. Insert Professor Barnes, your history professor who’s a total ass.

A Year of Firsts (College AU) by @whitewolfbumble

Part One // Part Two

It wasn’t supposed to be a year of firsts, but then you met Bucky and everything started to fall into place.

13 Cats and a Sorceress by @kentuckybarnes

Beings from another dimension start to invade New York City, and cats invade Avengers Tower.

Sounds Like a Personal Problem (Law Firm AU) by @kentuckybarnes

Part One // Part Two

“Remember that favor you owe me?” “Uh-oh”

Pulling Rank (Agent!Reader) by @kentuckybarnes

A mission has gone badly, and you have a reckoning.

Start With My Name (Medic!Reader) by @kentuckybarnes

Part One // Part Two

Things get out of hand at a strike mission against Hydra, and you’re responsible for cleaning up the mess.

It Doesn’t Mean Anything (Until it Does) (Agent!Reader) by @cordytriestowrite

The things that you and Bucky do don’t mean anything so just drop it okay?

Vulnerability (Modern AU) by @mareli-carter

“We’re both in small claims court and I got into a huge fight with the person suing me but you stepped in to hold me back before security got there.”

Important by @mareli-carter

“I did that annoying thing where I put loads of smaller boxes inside one big box, and you’re getting really mad, but I can’t wait to see your face when you open the smallest box.”

Two Punks In Love (40s AU) by @jaamesbbarnes

Years go by but the way you and Bucky care for each other doesn’t change. You’re still the punk who starts fights with anyone breathing in the wrong direction, he’s still a charming little fucker.

Bulletproof (Agent!Reader) by @jaamesbbarnes

You and Bucky are the most competitive little shits there ever was.

Fair Play (Agent!Reader) by @jaamesbbarnes

After a rough mission, you and the team go to Coney Island for some fun. Still injured, you can’t go on the rollercoaster with the others so Bucky decides to keep you company and to make your day as memorable as possible.

Saving the Day by @jaamesbbarnes

On your way back home, you are being followed by a couple of creeps. When your eyes fall on the most impressive and handsome Avengers, you don’t think twice and find yourself a fake boyfriend and savior.

I’m Not Going Anywhere by @jaamesbbarnes

Working for Stark isn’t always a walk in the park, it’s exhausting. But a certain super soldier and his constant flirting make it bearable.

Emergency Room (Doctor!Bucky) by @jaamesbbarnes

Who would have thought that going to the ER could made a bad night turn pretty nicely?

Series

Holiday Heist (Thief!Bucky, Modern AU) by @avengerofyourheart

When the art gallery you manage is robbed on Christmas Eve, you suspect the handsome stranger who flirted with you earlier in the day, but instead of involving the authorities, you take matters into your own hands with surprising consequences.

Flour Girl (Enemies to Lovers AU) by @avengerofyourheart

Discovering the cute guy you just flirted with is the heir of a rival bakery, you suddenly find yourself running into him all over the city. Can your small boutique bakery compete? And how do you deal with the guy who seems determined to make your life a living hell? Luckily you’re distracted by a secret admirer…But who is he?

Playing With Fire (Modern AU) by @sunriserose1023

Some things just do not mix. Oil and water. Fire and gasoline. You and Bucky Barnes. When it was good, it was great, but when it was bad, it destroyed everything in its path. You’d tried–both of you had–but some things just aren’t meant to be. A year after your break up, Bucky gives you a call, and you willingly dive headfirst back into his orbit. You set boundaries this time, put up walls, determined to keep yourself from being burned again. You’re not about to let him get too close. Only problem? Bucky didn’t get that memo.

***Incubus (Incubus!Bucky) by @after-avenging-hours

When some of the best sex of your life leads to the unveiling of a world you barely even knew existed, you know you’re in a heap of trouble. James Buchanan Barnes is the kind of man that fills your deepest and darkest fantasies, mainly because he is one. When emotions get involved in a relationship that’s been founded on sex, there’s no turning back. And honestly, you’re not even sure if you want to.

***Disney Corruption by @after-avenging-hours

Bucky joins you for your late-night Disney movie sessions. It’s difficult for him to get through them without finding the sexual innuendos

***Hunter!Bucky by @after-avenging-hours

Bucky is part of the hunting party for the village. One day, he catches you in the woods, long after you should be tucked away, safe in the village.

Heartbeat (Soulmate AU) by @after-avenging-hours

Soulmate AU where your heartbeat matches the beat of your soulmate’s; they speed up together, slow down together, skip at the same time, but that means they also stop together…

I’ll Be Seeing You by @brooklyn-boy

The Howling Commandos come across a tortured Italian woman in the winter of 1944. With only rudimentary means of communication, Sergeant Bucky Barnes still somehow finds himself falling in love.

Siren’s Song by @brooklyn-boy

The Avengers come across the profile of an enhanced individual, missing and presumed still under HYDRA’s control. With the power to bend anyone’s will with just a command, the team decides to prioritize freeing this individual. But trust is hard to earn from a former HYDRA asset. Nobody knows this more than Bucky.

Clan of Three (Mandalorian!Bucky) by @brooklyn-boy

Bucky Barnes is a Mandalorian bounty hunter. All he has to do is take this kid and her glorified babysitter back to the client and be done with it. That’s it. Simple?

Revival by @brooklyn-boy

Bucky returns to his childhood home only to discover its inheritor struggling to return it to its former glory. Luckily for you, Bucky’s memory isn’t that bad.

Compromised by @brooklyn-boy

As a Senator for New York, you’ve been fighting hard to have Sergeant James Barnes acquitted. An attempt on your life by a new terrorist sect brings you in contact with the Avengers themselves, and even closer to the man you’ve been working so hard to protect…

Uptown Girl (Millionaire!Bucky, Modern AU) by @brooklyn-boy

Epilogue

Bucky Barnes is a bit of an eccentric millionaire. He lives alone, aside from his housekeeper/personal assistant. When his mother tells him he needs to get married or be cut off, Bucky lies and tells his mother that his long-suffering assistant is his fiance.

Out of Time by @brooklyn-boy

On the run from HYDRA in 2023, you accidentally use your time-traveling technology to jump 80 years back in time. Safe for the time being and with Howard Stark vouching for the legitimacy of your time travel claims, you’re stuck in the SSR headquarters until you can fix your gear. Which wouldn’t be half as hard if a certain James ‘Bucky’ Barnes wasn’t so damn distracting…

Stereotypical (Model!Bucky, Modern AU) by @avasparks

As a PA/secretary, you are all too familiar with the fantasies nearly all men share: banging their hot assistant. Former jobs haven’t worked out for you for that exact reason, and now starting out at a new company, as the secretary for the CEO of the hottest modeling agency in the country, you’re hoping this one will be different. But after meeting your new boss, Mr. J.B. Barnes, you’re not so sure if it will be. Then again, maybe Mr. Barnes is not as stereotypical as you think he is.

Sugar (40s AU) by @softlybarnes

By a miracle of fate, Bucky Barnes does not fall off of the train. He does not spend decades as a brainwashed assassin. Instead, he goes home to Brooklyn to spend his life with a girl he adores, a snarky nurse that he met during the war.

Two Kingdoms (Royals AU) by @softlybarnes

Y/N, set to be a queen, is taken on her wedding day by King James, the ruler of another land. At first glance, James’ Kingdom seems to be thriving but Y/N soon realizes something darker and more sinister is at work in James’ land. And she seems to be at the center of it.

City Love (CEO!Bucky, Modern AU) by @chrevastan

You attend one of Natasha’s office parties against your will and end up meeting a charming stranger who turns out to be the person who runs the company.

Next to Me by @sgtjbuccky

After an attempt on you and your identical twin’s life, your father calls in the Avengers for protection. Bucky soon realizes your father’s goal is solely to keep you sister safe, and decides that the times of doing the bidding of others are long gone, and takes your protection into his own hands.

Most Wanted (Thief!Bucky, Modern AU) by @sgtjbuccky

The life you dreamed of wasn’t the one you lived. Day in and day out you tried to change the outcome, but somehow you always ended up right where you began. Fed up with it all, you wished upon a star and was granted with Bucky Barnes, and it wouldn’t take you long to realize that whatever mess you were about to get tangled up in, it would change your life entirely.

Merry and Married (Modern AU) by @sunriserose1023

It’s been almost a year since the most humiliating moment of your life. You’ve done your best to move on—by literally moving across the country, starting a new job, and you’re finally starting to feel settled. That, of course, is when your bubblehead cousin sends you the invitation to her wedding—which is exactly one year to the day that you were left at the altar. You have to go, but you don’t have to go alone.

Astrophile (Firefighter!Bucky, Single Dad AU) by @all1e23

Orion Rebecca Barnes’s favorite thing in the whole world (Besides her daddy of course) was spending hours after school in the bookstore by her house. Aunt Nattie takes her every time her dad has to work an overnight shift at the station and it’s her absolute favorite place. Plus, the owner GIVES her any book she wants because she’s the coolest girl Ori has ever met. It didn’t take long for Bucky to notice his daughter’s sudden interest in constellations and the large stack of astrology related books piling up in her room. He’s spent her entire life trying to teach her about the stars and where her name came from with little interest from his little comet and all of sudden she’s in love?

To Build a Home (Family AU) by @ussgallifreyfics

The glimpses into a life Bucky never thought was possible for himself. A world where he would find someone who he could love and be loved in return - a person he could start a family with. This is how an ex-assassin navigates the world of parenthood.

Not Happening (Modern AU) by @notimetoblog

An online dating site clearly makes a mistake when it matches you with the one person you cannot stand.

Hero For Hire by @delicatelyherdreams

Tired of constantly being sat on the sidelines for missions, Bucky Barnes decides that he’s going to do his own hero work and offer his services to the public as a freelance “hero for hire.” He expects to be asked to rescue cats from trees or help little old ladies cross the street, but he doesn’t expect to get tangled up in your life. He definitely doesn’t expect to fall for you either. But, when you’re a hero for hire, you’ve gotta see the mission through.

<<p>Stray by @jaamesbbarnes

When Bucky stumbles upon a stray cat near his building in Bucharest and takes him in, he doesn’t expect for his world to turn upside down.

Schlaflos (Rogers!Reader) by @mareli-carter

Steve’s younger sister, a nurse during the Second World War, finds herself in Hydra’s possession after trying to help the Howling Commandos save Bucky.

The White Wolf (Mobster!Bucky) by @captain-ariel-barnes

James “Bucky” Barnes is the most feared man in New York. What happens when a flower shop owner gets tangled up in his empire?

Sly as a Fox (Vigilante!Reader, SocialMedia AU) by @sunmoonandbucky

After the blip, the Avengers continue on with business as usual. But they soon find out that while they were away, someone took it upon themselves to do the job they left behind.

A Lesson in Love (College AU) by @buckyywiththegoodhair

In which you’re assigned to write a story about romance, a subject you know nothing about, and Bucky, a hopeless romantic, offers you his assistance.

***Artistic License (Sugar Daddy AU) by @cametobuyplums

Once upon a time in Paris, there was an aspiring creative down on her luck. What’s a beautiful young woman to do? Agree for the wealthy Bucky Barnes to be her Sugar Daddy, of course.

I’m With You (Modern AU) by @wkemeup

When two strangers meet on a layover in the Charlotte Airport, they are sent on a whirlwind weekend filled with cancelled flights, painful questions over giant checkers, an ex-boyfriend’s wedding, and a confrontational graduation. They find that a lifetime can sit in the span of three days and it doesn’t take very long at all to fall in love.

Flowers Bloom (Soulmate AU) by @revengingbarnes

Whenever someone is injured, flowers bloom on their soulmate at the area of the wound. You are born with flowers around your entire left shoulder.

Agent 28 (Agent!Reader) by @kentuckybarnes

He’s a Soviet-trained assassin. You’re a secret agent. He has a thing for thigh holsters. You have a thing for his behind (who doesn’t?) But it’s all hush-hush. What shenanigans will the two of you get into to keep your affair concealed from the rest of the Avengers, all while you’re trying to save the world?

Howler & The Black Cat (Vigilante!Bucky x Vigilante!Reader) by @kentuckybarnes

By day, you’re just another employee at Stark Tower. By night? A justice-seeker known as Black Cat. No one knows your secret, and certainly not your sometime partner in vigilante activity, sometime-pain in the butt Romeo, Howler. But no matter how hard he tries, you have no intention of giving in…

While You Were Sleeping (mentioned Steve Rogers x Reader) by @kentuckybarnes

Mistaken as Captain America’s girlfriend following a near-death experience, you keep up the pretense under the suspicious eyes of his best friend, Bucky Barnes. But soon you find out that Steve Rogers isn’t all he’s supposed to be, and somehow, Bucky is so, so much more.

Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree (40s!Bucky x OC) by @kentuckybarnes

In 1941 Brooklyn, a young woman spends her nights sneaking out of her parents’ house to play jazz piano at clubs. Although she disguises herself to keep out of trouble, it doesn’t fool everyone.

Sugar Daddy’s (Modern AU) cowritten by @kentuckybarnes and @nacho-bucky

Suave, confident, charming Bucky Barnes has a deep dark secret – and you, a small-town investigative journalist, are determined to get to the bottom of it. What lurks in his shadowed past, and how deeply will you be drawn in? Co-written with @caitfairwrites!

Seven-Thirty (Modern AU) by @nacho-bucky

You were planning on a productive — if lonely — weekend, but the little girl across the hall has different ideas about how you and Bucky Barnes should be spending your time.

Lemon Pie (40s AU) by @nacho-bucky

Moments measured in messy days and peaceful nights; in too-tart pies and slobbery toys. Bucky returns from war to find a life he never expected: a rich symphony of mishaps and mayhem and immeasurable love.

#fic recs #marvel #avengers fic #bucky barnes fic #clint barton fic #tom hiddleston fic #tom holland fic #peter parker fic #loki fic

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taronunwin · 4 years

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Can you rate everything that Taron has been in from your most fave to least fave? And giving your reasonings why for each eating. I know this might be hard to do since all of his work has been exceptional. I’m asking just because I need more Taron content to watch!

OH GOODNESS. Anon, this is a bit cruel, like making me pick my favourite children. Except I have no children. And I do not like children. I digress. I’ll do my best.

I haven’t seen most of the voice projects Taron’s done so I’ll just list what I have seen and I’ll rank it by things I love/need to watch vs. things I’m okay with watching less often, sort of thing. This is mostly spoiler free but there are a few things that dance on the line. I’m sorry, but it’s really hard not to explain what I love without getting into that territory.

Deep breath. Here goes.

1: Rocketman

When I watched Rocketman for the first time, it was one of the last of Taron’s films I had yet to see because I was the least interested in it. I wasn’t an Elton fan, I don’t care for musicals usually, and I’m not really keen on movies set in the 60′s. So there were three strikes against it and I honestly expected just to start it, click through, and move on because Taron didn’t look hot (I thought then). But by the time he got to the ‘My name is Elton Hercules John’, I was invested. Wholeheartedly. Even when Taron wasn’t on screen, I cared deeply for the young Elton. I was rooting for him, grieving with him, and feeling his pain and triumphs. That movie is an experience unlike any other and by far the best movie I have ever seen in my life. The pure joy that radiates from it… it’s hard to explain.

2: Kingsman: The Secret Service

I’m not a Bond fan myself, I’m not really an action spy genre fan, so, again, I didn’t really think I was going to love this movie. But when Lee Unwin jumped on that grenade, I sat up in my seat a bit. That wasn’t the beginning I expected. And then when his son showed up later, stuck in a life that was so miserable and far from what he wanted, my heart broke. Eggsy had so much depth and went so far beyond just a ‘kid from the wrong side of the tracks’ kind of backstory. The details about him being in gymnastics and giving it up because his mum had married a good-for-nothing creep who influenced him more than he wanted to admit, being borderline brilliant and doing so well in school, only to give that up, too, because what was the freaking point in even trying when he was stuck in a world he wanted desperately out of. And then, when that opportunity presented itself and he was able to join the Marines, the first time in his life he really felt like he had some control and could follow in his dad’s footsteps, his mum wouldn’t allow it because she couldn’t bear the thought of losing him. So Eggsy was utterly stuck. Until…

3: Robin Hood

Oh, Robin. I think we all have a very special soft spot for the first character we fell for in an actor’s filmography and Robin is it for me. I had seen Testament of Youth in early 2019 with my teary eye on Kit Harington but I loved Edward. However I had no idea that Robin was Edward when I started watching, I just like historical movies and thought Robin Hood looked interesting. When I started, I was pretty smitten by Rob right away but as the movie progressed and the story got more convoluted, I became less interested and actually turned it off. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Robin. So I started watching it again and boy did I fall hard. The movie itself? A stupid, fun, absolutely enjoyable ride. Robin? Well, that beautiful boy is the love of my life.

4: Billionaire Boys Club

I’ve seen a lot of negative things about this film, not just in regards to a certain cast members, but in general and frankly? I don’t get it. I know I’m probably watching it through rose-coloured glasses but honestly, I really, genuinely love this movie. I love Dean’s charisma and charm, how much he loved Joe and wanted the best for him—for both of them. I love Dean’s darkness and how his character gradually yet drastically changed over the course of the film; how he started as just a passionate, excited, enthusiastic young man and ended in such a different place, even willing to give up something and someone that meant so much to him because desperation drove him to do something he would have never imagined himself doing in the beginning. I loved watching the relationships fray and bonds dissolve and I especially loved watching Taron play Dean’s darkness so realistically, paying special attention to how he portrayed Dean’s growing drug addiction. Also? Dean is really hot. There’s no way of sugarcoating that.

5: Kingsman: The Golden Circle

I love Eggsy Unwin. I mean I love him. Like I-would-take-a-bullet-for-him kind of love. And though the charm of the first movie being his transformation from street kid to Kingsman isn’t really in this film, it’s still such a fun ride. My favourite parts are mostly the quieter moments, the little scenes where we see Eggsy, less as a Kingsman and more as himself. His struggles, his doubts, the times where he’s shaken and isn’t really sure of anything anymore. But what I love about Eggsy is how fiercely he gets back up every time. Doesn’t matter what is thrown at him, he will take it all and become stronger.

Also… “Let’s make this fair,” Eggsy says, tucking his right arm behind his back and effectively evening the playing field with his one-armed opponent before he engages in a to-the-death brawl with the man he trained with until snapping his neck with one. hand. still. tucked. behind. his. back.

6: Testament of Youth

I hate this movie so much. But I also love this movie so much. Edward is one of the sweetest angels there ever was and I adore him with every fiber of my body. And watching his story… well… it makes me more unhappy than I’ve ever been. Does that stop me from watching it? No. But it does limit the number of rewatches. It’s one of those movies that’s so perfect for a sad mood. Like when I need a good cry, oh my goodness, I need look no further. But looking beyond just the emotional nature of the movie, Taron’s performance is so so beautiful. Watching Edward’s boyish innocence peeling away to show the more hardened, deeply hurt and disillusioned young man as the war’s grip on him tightens? Honestly, it’s stunning.

7: The Last of the Haussmans

A play? Really? What’s that doing on this list? Well, let me tell you. Taron’s character, Daniel, affected me very deeply and I’m not even being silly. This list is already too long so I’ll spare the details but Daniel… he got me. He’s such a sweetheart, so genuine and pure and good and earnest and wonderful and the kiss scene, well, I don’t even know how many times I’ve watched it. The tenderness he displays, the sweet uncertainty and awkwardness yet visibly bolstering himself so he can do what he’s so unsure about… oh, Daniel. For it being one of his first public roles, I am consistently amazed by how good Taron is. Daniel’s awkwardness does not feel like Taron’s discomfort. Daniel is entirely his own person with his own story and struggles and watching his story unfold is a really lovely thing.

8: Eddie the Eagle

This sweet, fun, encouraging, uplifting, charming movie, oh, how I love it. Though I have to be honest, it isn’t one of those movies I just need to watch like every month or two. I love enjoying it with other people and seeing their reactions but it’s not one that I crave at any given time. Even still, Eddie is a pure sweetheart and I love him and his heart-filled, passion-fueled, wonderful story.

9: The Smoke

I’m actually kinda surprised where this landed on the list, but let me explain. Dennis Severs is so much like Eggsy in terms of being a very layered, three-dimensional, incredibly deep and fascinating character. I love him. Nay, I adore him. I loved watching his ups and downs, his gut-wrenching revelations and triumphant success as he strove hard to free himself of the bondage of his past. But the show itself? It’s, same as Eddie, not something I feel drawn to watch at any given time. It’s intense, very intense, and asides from Dennis’ story, I didn’t really connect with any character, other than Kev. So in terms of watchability and enjoyment of the project overall, this ranks lower, but in terms of Dennis and his importance to me? Well, he ranks much higher ❤

10: Legend

So the first time I checked out this movie, I skipped through, searching for Taron. Next time, I skipped through again. Then I bought the movie and actually watched it, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Ignoring the obviously impressive feat that was Tom Hardy playing both main characters, I loved the relationship between Reggie and Frances and found myself caring quite a lot for them. I don’t know that I’ll ever watch it in full again but I do skip through every so often for Teddy and thoroughly that little psycho.

11: Sing

I’ve mentioned that I don’t really watch much of Taron’s voice work because I find it annoying to hear him but not be able to see him. That’s my ultimate problem with Sing. While a very enjoyable movie and one I’ve watched a few times all the way through, I don’t necessary care enough about the other characters to want to watch it from start to finish. I’m happy just skipping through for Johnny’s story, but there’s always that nagging feeling of knowing Taron is back there somewhere, looking breathtaking, and I can’t see him. And for that, I must place this sweet movie at the bottom of this list.

This honestly took hours for me to write and perfect but I think I’m good with it now. Phew!

I’m so sorry, anon, I’m absolutely certain you were looking for like two sentences to explain what I liked or didn’t like about each of these but instead you got a mini review. Whoops.

#Anonymous #Tracy's thoughts #Ask #Taron Egerton #If I got paid by the word...#No one signed up for this and I'm sorry #Believe it or not I tried to be brief

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letitrainathousandflames-archive · 5 years

Text

Whumptober #2 - Explosion

Fandom: The Clone Wars

Rating: Teen and Up (16+)

Characters: Hardcase (main), Jesse, Kix, Fives

Tags: death, blood, trauma, bullying, only hurt and a teaspoon of comfort, whump, child death, umbara, if I forgot to tag something pls let me know

Summary: Hardcase had a leak in his tube that would’ve deemed him as defective and qualify him for decommission, but someone saved him from this fate. Years later, Hardcase got to choose his own fate.

Eight years and four months ago, the Kaminoans noticed a leak on a clone’s tube and ordered Ninety-Nine to empty it, liquid and embryo altogether. The leak could cause the clone to become defective, and defective products were something inadmissible for their perfectionist standards.

Ninety-Nine had stared at the tube. He couldn’t quite see much of the clone in there aside from a small reddened clump the side of his fist, since it was at such an early stage of its development, but when he touched the glass and the warm liquid trickling from a small crack there trailed between his fingers and over the back of his hand, Ninety-Nine could feel him. He knew he could. No clone deserved to be ruled out before at least having a chance to prove themselves, it wasn’t fair.

The truth is, Ninety-Nine had seen himself in the allegedly defective clone. The clone was there, just waiting for one chance to prove himself useful, and Ninety-Nine would be damned if he didn’t help him get it. So Ninety-Nine fixed the leak as best as he could and prayed for an opportunity to cover up what he knew would be seen as a mistake. He could be killed for this. He didn’t care – dying to protect a brother was a good death, a righteous death for a clone. If he truly had to go like that, he couldn’t ask for anything better.

The opportunity came in a miscarried clone, only thirty minutes later. Ninety-Nine wept for him, as he always would. It’s a sad thing, witnessing a clone trooper being robbed of the opportunity to fight alongside his vod’e. Ninety-Nine emptied what was then a useless tank as required – and transferred the clone from the cracked tube into that one.

The kaminoans had seen Ninety-Nine’s actions in the security feed and demanded an explanation, and what could the clone say for himself? That he cared for each and every clone in the facility, that their lives had meaning and purpose, that denying someone’s right to live when you had intentionally forced them into existing with your unethical science in the first place was cruel and selfish?

So Ninety-Nine had spoken sheepishly, eyes set on the stark white floor.

“I-If I may say so, you’ve already invested your time and resources in this clone, doctor. Why not see him to completion? If he comes out defective, he can” and Ninety-Nine swallowed down, grimacing “be sent into the front lines, used as a shield.”

The kaminoan in front of him stared coldly at the clone, tone dry and merciless.

“This is not up for you to choose, clone. You are not a scientist, you are not a specialist. You are an experiment gone wrong that we chose to allow to exist, and instead of thankfulness, you give us betrayal.” She drew in a breath, looking down at Ninety-Nine to then offer him a smile that the clone knew to be false “Very well. You will be responsible for whatever comes out of that tube. If it can walk and follow orders, it’ll be sent to battle.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously “But if it’s deemed unfit for battle, you will be personally responsible for terminating it. Not with a medical droid’s assistance, not with an injection, but with a loaded blaster.”

Ninety-Nine kept his eyes low, trying not to let his wincing be noticed, fighting off his wish to scream at the scientist and ask what in the moons was wrong with her. For the most of his life, Ninety-Nine had wanted nothing more than holding a blaster, but now the very thought of it had made him sick.

If it boiled down to that, Ninety-Nine would rather shoot himself than execute a brother.

So when the day of batch 6000’s decanting comes, Ninety-Nine takes the newborn clones one by one into the nursery room, wraps them gingerly into warm, soft blankets and welcomes them into the universe. It’s always a joyous occasion to him, seeing his brothers opening their eyes for the first time, taking the very first breath of their tiny lungs, but this time the happy feeling comes with an anxious thought that keeps gnawing at him – what of the clone from the leaking tube? A loud cry cuts Ninety-Nine thoughts abruptly, and he wonders: could it be…?

When he walks back into the decanting facility across the hall, one single clone is placed in a the clear plastoid tray over a nursing cart – the newborn is bare, so, so small like all newborn clones are, still wet with the liquid he’d been immersed in up until then. Ninety-Nine rushes to the cart, looking at the baby lying there, and the baby looks up at him, eyes big and wet with tears, face red from crying. The is a dark blue spot on his cheek, right below his right eye, and Ninety-Nine can see by the reddened skin surrounding the spot that it wasn’t a birth mark – that was a fresh wound.

“This” the kaminoan doctor states dryly “is the tampered clone. I marked it with a small tattoo so that it won’t get mixed in with the others. We will be keeping a close eye on its development, and if it shows any signs of delayed development, if it seems defective in any way, we will have you personally terminate it.”

Ninety-Nine draws in a sharp breath, looking at the baby that still whimpers without comprehending why he had been hurt in this way only minutes after being born. Ninety-Nine reaches for the baby, wraps the fabric around his small body to keep him warm.

“Yes, doctor.”

When they’re alone, Ninety-Nine rocks the baby, cooing gently until he stops crying. When he places the baby – CT6160 – in the vacant clear plastoid box right next to CT6116, he notices his hands are shaking. He swallows down thickly, runs a gentle hand over the baby’s head, wrinkled fingers ghosting over soft skin.

“You’ll be fine. You and your brothers will train together and fight together, and you’ll tell me all kinds of stories from every corner of the galaxy when we meet again. You’ll be fine.” He sighs, shakes his head “Don’t ever let them tell you your life has no worth. You take care out there, okay?”

CT6160 tries his best, he does. But he still can’t keep his mind from wandering during most classes, or his leg from bouncing no matter how many times the instructors tell him to stand still and pay attention. He starts tapping his fingers on his desk instead, or chewing his lip to the point of bleeding. He just doesn’t know what to do with all the energy in his body, and trying to keep it still within him almost makes him ache.

“Kid’s a hard case, as most of the instructors say.” Rex, an older clone on supervising duty sighs to doctor Nala Se during one of her inspections “But he’s doing some effort to keep up. I believe he will improve in no time.”

Nala Se nods, intentionally keeping from Rex the information about what will happen to the 4-year-old clone, should the weekly reports from his behavior take a worse turn.

By the time everyone is calling him that, Hardcase has already accepted the nickname with a wide grin – every clone is eager to shed their ceetee number as soon as possible, to start building a sense of identity.

“I could’ve gotten a batcher named ‘calm case’, ‘quiet case’ but no,” CT-6116, who had recently started going by ‘Kix’ complains, applying bacta to Hardcase’s most recent training-related wound “No, I get the kid that can’t stop getting into trouble.”

“You should be thankful” Hardcase says, wincing a bit when the bacta burns some at his wound “You’re getting extra practice at medical training. Isn’t it the thing you’re going for?”

Hardcase isn’t dumb. He knows that his behavior wasn’t exactly that of a standard clone’s, and despite how hard he had tried to fit in, to be like the others, he would still be too much. Too loud, too chatty, too bouncy. So he gives in, accepts his place as the unusual one, the strange one. After he becomes friends with Jesse, a clone from another squad that was known for his sense of humor, the two of them become an unstoppable duo prone to making the funniest jokes and having the dumbest ideas that would make their brothers laugh like the kids they are. Even the older clones will occasionally allow themselves a smirk at their jokes.

“So, what’s your idea?” Jesse asks, tattoo gun ready to ink

“Blue lines over here and here.” He points the planned trails over his face and head “Then down my neck and over my back and maybe my chest too, and-”

“Vod, if we’re starting with your kriffing face I’m pretty sure you won’t stand getting inked all that much afterwards.”

“Says the guy with the Republic’s crest over his skull.”

“That hurt like hell, you won’t believe how long it took to-” Jesse sighs “Whatever, raise your face up and let’s get this done with.”

Kix throws a datapad at them from across the room.

“At least clean his face before you shove a needle in it, do you shebs even pay attention to any of the classes?!”

Hardcase is always happy. Always. There’s nothing that can bring the kid down. Not even the scolding from his instructors, telling that he’s inches from failing his next test.

I’m trying, I swear I’m trying, he mutters to himself as he curls himself up in a ball under the sheets, sobbing softly into his pillow.

Hardcase is seven when instructor Bric orders him to meet him outside, under the pouring rain that soaks him through the red cadet uniform. He doesn’t try to defend himself when the scolding turns into a beat up, when a fist strikes his cheekbone, sending him down to the ground.

“You are an embarrassment to what it means to be a clone trooper!” Bric exclaims, kicking him in the ribs while he’s still down “A useless, defective clone that should’ve been flushed down the drain before getting even born.”

“I’m not…” Hardcase grits out, lifting himself up on his elbows, breath shallow “I’m not defective!”

Bric kicks him again, and Hardcase drops back on his stomach, coughing. The instructor crouches down to then grab Hardcase by the neck of his shirt.

“Your tube had a leak. The clones say it made you ‘hyperactive’. I say it just made you defective. You are just a defective clone that was never meant to live past your decanting day.”

The rain runs rivers over Hardcase’s head and face, cold and unforgiving like the world he had been put in.

“You’re lying!”

Bric grabs Hardcase’s face, presses a thumb over his cheekbone.

“That’s why they marked you. So that we would know ‘this is the broken clone’.” he growls, voice lower now “I don’t know why the Kaminoans are taking so long to put you out of your misery, but I’m sick and tired of wasting my time trying to train you.”

And with that, he bashes Hardcase’s face onto the ground. Not hard enough to deal permanent damage, but definitely hard enough to split his lip and bruise his nose an inch from breaking.

“So until you get your act together and fix your results, we’re gonna have a friendly little meeting just like this one. And if you die, well… No one’s gonna miss a defective product, though getting rid of you should be the other defective one’s job.”

When Ninety-Nine sees the clone soaking wet and sobbing by the door of the cadets’ dorms, he rushes over to him, kneeling down in front of the boy.

“Are you alright?” Ninety-Nine sees the blood trailing from his nose over his upper lip, his lower lip swollen and reddened “What happened?”

Hardcase wipes his nose, lips quivering. His eyes are red and he blinks his tears away, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Clone troopers are supposed to withstand any kind of stress, but he can feel himself chipping away, and he’s so angry and so tired. He rapidly taps his foot on the floor, body shaking with the intensity of it.

“Bric said I’m broken and that my tank had a leak and that you’re supposed to kill me. S’that true?” and Ninety-Nine draws a sharp breath, staring at Hardcase for a few instants before Harcase insists, louder this time “Is that true?! Am I defective, Ninety-Nine?!”

Ninety-Nine shakes his head, heart sinking. And before he knows it, he’s wrapped his arms around the kid and pulled him into a hug.

“No. No, you’re not defective. I promise you’re not.” he pulls back, wrinkly face offering him a tentative smile “Is it okay if we talk for a little while?”

Hardcase lets Ninety-Nine take him by the hand to the mess, accepts the cookies he offered and sits gingerly on a chair while the older clone cleans the blood off his face with a cloth. And for the first time, he manages to actually listen. He doesn’t know if it’s because Ninety-Nine lets him bounce his legs as they dangle from the chair, or if it’s because Ninety-Nine occasionally stops his tale to ask him if he has any questions, or if he needs him to repeat anything, or how Ninety-Nine doesn’t get angry when Hardcase needs some bits to be repeated two or three times. But he listens. Stars, he listens.

They stay very quiet afterwards, and Ninety-Nine gently places his hand over Hardcase’s on the table.

“I accepted the deal because I always knew you would be fine, you know, kid?”

Hardcase stares at the table, avoiding Ninety-Nine’s eyes, and he’s so glad that he’s not like the other adults that berate him for doing this. The question he asks in a tiny voice feels like it burns his throat with every word.

“But what if they still make you do it?”

Ninety-Nine doesn’t move his hand, squeezing Hardcase’s hand softly instead, and he give him a tiny chuckle.

“If they ever gave me a blaster and told me to shoot you, I’d shoot myself instead.”

That makes Hardcase turn to look timidly at Ninety-Nine, eyes wide.

“Why?!”

Ninety-Nine is smiling still, looking very serene.

“A clone should always look after himself, Hardcase, you should always cherish your life. But sometimes… sometimes it’s worth it to give our lives for something that matters. And nothing matters more than our brothers.”

Hardcase graduates with high marks, his skills and ingenuity at the physical and strategy tests tipping the scales against his difficulty at the written tests. After his first few assignments with his squad, he is thrilled to join the 501st Legion, general Anakin Skywalker’s legendary troops.

“Suck. On. That, Kaminiise. Who’s defective now, huh?” he mutters to himself, painting his helmet with a blue line motif

Kix rolls his eyes, holding still as Jesse tattoos something on the left side of Kix’s head, right above his ear.

“You’re so pumped over that armor.”

Hardcase grins, fingers dirty with paint fixing his grip on the brush, and Jesse laughs as he carefully tattoos an inscription that reads ‘a good droid is a dead one’:

“Like you’re not all giddy with that cross on your shoulder, doc.”

Kix clicks his tongue, and Hardcase’s grin widens. He’s glad to have been able to turn the small blue dot that had marked him a defective clone into part of his newer tattoos, into what identifies him as who he is. The instructors and the kaminoans had deemed him a hard case – he embraced that too, making it his name. He is a person, and his life matters, no matter how others had tried to convince him of the contrary.

It’s a risky plan, of course it is. As they soar through the dark Umbaran skies, Hardcase goes through the plan over and over, pays attention to Fives’ warning to hold his fire. It’s dangerous, but if they do it right, they might save the lives of their brothers from both Torrent Company and the 212th battalion. He can already picture them returning safely to the base, thinks of a good joke to make about the whole deal. Wonders how good it’ll feel to rub this victory on Krell’s ugly face.

Hardcase hands are pressing over the panels of the stolen umbaran fighter as they are cornered by the enemy ships that fire non-stop at them. They only have seconds to do something, otherwise he, Fives and Jesse will die. Jesse had grown with him and had always had his back. Fives is a great leader, and he had taken care of him and the others below his station even when his life was on the line. He can’t let them die. He needs to come up with something, anything.

He glances over his shoulder, sees the generator right behind them past the shield. Hardcase removes his helmet, blaster fire filling his ears louder, lights too bright as his eyes adjust and find a way in.

“We can’t turn back now!” he shouts; It’s too narrow for his ship, but seemingly wide enough for him and at least part of the umbaran fighter. Hardcase’s hands work fast, quickly finding a way to dismantle part of the ship, removing one of its propulsors. “Cover me!”

He exits the safety of his ship’s shield, lowering himself to the ground and rolling away from incoming blaster fire.

“Hardcase, get back to your ship!” Fives barks out, and it would remind Hardcase of all the scolding back at his cadet days if it wasn’t for the clear note of fear in Fives’ voice

“Trust me, I got a plan!” he reaches the large propulsor of his ship, its antigravity engines keeping it afloat; Hardcase pushes it towards the entrance to the generator room “This is for the 501st. Don’t wait for me.”

You’re just a defective clone that was never meant to live past your decanting day.

Fives knows him well enough to understand that this isn’t one of Hardcase’s bouts of hyperactivity; the ARC trooper knows his brother has a plan, and he already imagines its outcome.

“Hardcase, NO!”

Hardcase turns his back on his brothers, a bittersweet feeling blooming in his chest. How many times had he heard someone yell these words? It’s almost funny that they’ll be the last thing he is going to hear.

“You disobeyed a lot of orders today, sir.” he says, keeping his head low and turning to look at Fives one last time “Follow this one: get out of here!”

Sometimes it’s worth it to give our lives for something that matters.

All clones live as dead men walking. From the day they are born, their only purpose is to die. For their generals, for the civilians they’re protecting, for the republic, for the chancellor. It’s never up to them to choose what they are going to die for, so Hardcase feels almost proud for being able to do it.

And nothing matters more than our brothers.

He runs through the narrow corridor, sees the generators ahead and, with a low grunt, pushes the propulsor towards them. He turns to see Fives and Jesse rushing away in the last few seconds he still has left.

“Live to fight another day, boys.” and he sighs, smiles; he feels in peace, and he truly understands what Ninety-Nine had meant before “Live to fight another day.”

When the explosion engulfs him, Hardcase is still smiling.

#whumptober #god i'm exhausted #'it's just a drabble'#*proceeds to write 3k words*

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rosesandrorys · 4 years

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✧･ﾟ( demeter + alexa demie + cis female ) 𝒎𝒂𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝒎𝒊𝒂 !! have you seen ( veronica “rory” flores ) around ? ( she ) have/has been in kaos for ( two months ). the ( twenty four year old ) is a/an ( bartender ) from ( los angeles, united states ). people say they can be ( hot-headed ) but maybe that’s not too bad ‘cause they can also be ( steadfast ). whenever i think of them, i can’t help but think of ( iced coffee at nine pm, the smell of the earth after rain, a four leafed clover poking out of a crack in the road ). ･ﾟ✧ ( penned by neha, 21, est, she/her ).

hiiiii everyone first of all i am so happy to be here the main is b e a u t i f u l and gives me so much greek god inspo! i’m neha this is my bby rory!! i’m going to add my big bio/about blurb that was in my app so if you want to you can read all about her, but if you don’t have time here’s a little tldr; for you!

rory is my LA club kid QUEEN, she basically grew up super poor but going to a school wanting to fit in with the rich popular kids, long story short she started selling club drugs n stuff to them, gained the friendship and money but once hs ended it, everything ended and she basically had to start over, only now she had the uphill battle w/ addiction to drugs/partying/bad decisions to also handle! she’s on the island bc her mom met a rich guy and he has a villa on the island he wants her to fix up, which is also doubling as a kind of ‘get clean’ retreat tho it ain’t rlly working even tho sgenuinelynunienly sometimes want to do better. she’s a hustler and has a sharp tongue, but on the inside she has a heart of gold and rlly just wants to be loved for who she is for like the first time ever <3

PLOTTING STUFF: she’s been on the island for two months now, but lil girl is all about having those connections bc she thinks its the only way she can have value (ugh poor kid) so lmk!! they could’ve met through the whole partying/drugs route, at the bar where she works at a bartender, or maybe at the hardware stores that she frequents because she’s fixing up the villa! i have more specific plot ideas but i don’t want to make this post too long so hmu or like this post for me to come to you!!

ok, that’s my two pieces said, now here’s the longish bio section if you want to learn more in depth about her :)Tw for abuse, drug use/dealing, addiction

B I O G R A P H Y

Rory is from LA born and raised! Her mother is a single mom and it was just them for a long time, with the rotating cast of her mother’s boyfriends. The two could just never seem to get close to financial stability and she grew up rough, never having enough money to keep up with the kids at school, then having to fend for herself once she got home because her mother worked nights.

At home, it all depended on what boyfriend out of the rotation her mother was currently seeing. The best strategy for all of them was avoidance, so Rory spent her days on the streets or at work, never really wanting to deal with the boyfriends. Throughout the years, she suffered abuse and neglect from these men, and though she tried to tell her mother, who was always just a little too busy, a little too high, or a little too blind to the effects. Besides, they needed the extra money that the various boyfriends gave.

Despite it all, at school Rory shined. She was smart, that much was clear, and she exuded a certain aura of warmth that could make anyone, even the girls with birkin bags and ice cold hearts fall in love. Her school was a dichotomy of rich and poor, and if she worked her ass off and put in maximum effort, it seemed she could fit in with both. But she didn’t want both, didn’t want the stigma of her background to follow her everywhere. She wanted to live in the world of marble countertops and athleisure accessorized with diamonds. So, with extreme effort, she pulled herself up to the social ranks of those girls in school, always going over to their houses to study, pretending she never learned how to drive so that they wouldn’t know she couldn’t afford a car, let alone the mercedes and italian sports cars they drove to school.

But keeping up has its price, and that price began to climb as she was integrated deeper. Rory needed money for twelve dollar salads and fifty dollar spin classes, and the money from her job (which she said her mom forced her to do to learn responsibility) wasn’t cutting it. She was a scrappy kid turned into a precocious young adult and she’d been scrambling all her life, this was just another bootstraps moment. She had the connections from her neighborhood, and what did rich kids like more than drugs? The answer was nothing, and Rory made the leap easily, starting off small and gradually building up a mini drug empire in her high school. She finally had spending money, but more importantly she had friends and people who cared about her, and she wasn’t going to give that up for the world.

Rory wasn’t dumb, she knew this couldn’t last forever, so she was also making solid plans to further herself in life. But an addictive personality ran in her veins as evidenced by her mother who was addicted to it all - drugs, boyfriends, and bad decisions. The moment it all started to go south could be pinpointed to the moment she herself started to use the drugs. Her friends were doing it after all, and she didn’t want to be a buzzkill. The drugs were an escape from her shitty life that was going nowhere, after all. They let her put on the rose-tinted glasses that she’d been denied since birth, and Rory ate it up.

But with every ascent, comes a crash and as the lag time from the drugs started to affect her performance in everyday life, grades started to slip, dreams fell to the wayside and prospects started to vanish. By the time she finished highschool they’d say - what a fall from grace. Because she’d forgotten one very important thing. If her friends made a mistake, it could all be very easily swept under the rug and forgotten by way of their parents’ money. Rory, however, had no safety net, and at the end of highschool she was left in the lurch: same terrible grades and attendance as her friends, but no large donations to get her into prestigious schools. Or, for a fact, any schools. She’d peaked, and what followed graduation was a spiralling descent back to where she’d started. The friends she’d been so fiercely loyal to moved on to college and beyond and she was left with nothing but the endless LA party scene filled with people she didn’t care about and worse and worse decisions by the day.

If it’d gone on for a couple more months, she’d probably have died. But the money started to dry up as her friends left, and the final blow was a drop gone wrong - high as a kite, she’d decided that handing off a major package to a much larger man in a dark alley was a good idea, and the inevitable tussle and robbing left her hurting. She was high and dry with no income and no savings. Twenty-two years old and nothing to her name. It was time for that scrappy kid to scramble once again, but that kid now had a mild drug problem and a chip on her shoulder the size of Texas.

It wasn’t going to be easy. But one thing Rory was always good at was cultivating her connections. Though her friends had moved on, Rory’s combination of dimples, winning smile, and just enough ass kissing had created just enough opportunities with the people in their lives, and the people at the parties she frequented. She had an in to the rich, and damn if she wasn’t going to exploit it. Odd jobs here and there was her life now, just enough to keep her drug addiction alive, just enough to keep her name in the back of the minds of the wealthy. She knew this would change her life somehow, she just wasn’t quite sure how yet.And who could’ve predicted how it happened.

It was mundane, a job making drinks at a classy party, one of those ones where the host barely shows up, where the adults sip their martinis and the kids do blow in the bathrooms. The party wasn’t anything remarkable, but what followed was. She was getting picked up by her mother, and the host of the party, a middle aged salt and pepper type man recognized her mother. They had gone to school together or something, Rory was exhausted and didn’t really care, but apparently her mother turned on the same charm inherent in Rory, and the next Friday had lined up a date.

Things progressed extremely quickly from there on out, with lavish dinners and getaway weekends for the two lovebirds. It was astonishing to watch, and the whispers of ‘gold-digger’ from the country club ladies couldn’t even come close to puncturing Rory’s mom’s thick skin. Both women had been to hell and back after all, had worked all their lives for pennies, and finally something serendipitous had happened. All the toxic exs were dropped within the first six months, the crappy two bedroom within a year, and after a year and a half marriage and a kid on the way - though nobody could quite say which one came first. It was a strike of lightning, transforming the tiny flores family immediately. Call it fate or fortune, but Rory was finally back in that world that she’d strived to be in.

This time, when the spiral came it was well supported and well recognized by Rory’s new step-father. He’d already been through the gambit of raising rich kids, two who were now nearing their thirties, and he could see the signs instantly. Bloodshot eyes, partying all night, sniffles and gaunt features. Rory was getting pulled in again, and fast, but this time there was finally someone looking out for her. She couldn’t escape the lure of the partying and the drugs alone, and this marriage had essentially busted it wide open for her, kicking away any barriers that had been there before. They couldn’t control her, really. She’d been scrambling so long that cutting off the money didn’t matter, she had her connections and her grit that had gotten her this far.

What Rory needed was an out, a way to escape the vicious cycle addiction had pulled her into and her step-father had just the thing: a house on a tiny island in Greece, a fixer upper that needed some love. Of course, he could easily drop a few thousand down and have it renovated much quicker, but he knew Rory had lost her purpose, so he offered it to her on a silver platter.Pride almost kept her in LA. The thinly veiled excuse to get her out wasn’t fooling anyone, but the last straw came when her step father asked her a very simple question: “What’s left for you here?”. For her whole life, LA had only given her pain, hardship, and drugs. Now, the latter was the only thing left. So, she took the deal, and the girl who had never left LA booked a ticket for the other side of the world.

Now, Rory has been on the island for five months. It’s not exactly rehab, but the drug usage has diminished bit by bit, She’s starting to find her footing and become part of the community. She still has that chip on her shoulder, but putting her energy into building something feels good. She’s never built anything in her life, and the house with its extensive gardens needs a lot of work so it’s keeping her extremely busy. When she first got there, the first thing she did was immediately pick up a job as a local bartender because she hates being dependent on her step-father’s money, for fear of him taking it away (trust issues much). The LA dust and glitter is slowly clearing from her eyes, and she’s discovering a much kinder and greener world.

P E R S O N A L I T Y

Rory is super charismatic and thus far has been turning on her charm in order to further things in life. She doesn’t have to do this anymore, so her genuine warmness is starting to shine through more. She’s been stung by basically all the relationships in her life, so she holds real companionship extremely close, loyal to the end and extremely passionate and protective.

Bitch has trust issues and a bit of an edge though, so getting to that deep companionship is really hard.She’s also a rough kid, had to claw and fight her way through her life, so she’s definitely a little rough around the edges. She doesn’t open up quickly, and she has a quick temper that acts as a learned defense mechanism. She definitely has a nasty streak when it comes to defense mechanisms, and can be quick with her wrath.

Years on drugs leading up to this quieter life have made Rory a bit antsy, and though she still does some drugs she’s transitioning to chasing an adrenaline high - her addictive personality is always going to be her fatal flaw.

#kaos:intro #like this if you want to plot i'll come to you!!#about

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teddystrap · 5 years

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Drama CD: [幽幻ロマンチカ・真骨頂] ≁Bakeneko Arahagi・Inugami Toneri≁

No audio track this time sorry! But anyway, I’ve made sizeable progress on the Yuuroma series: Hifumi + Utashiro’s Hatenkou, Zakuro, Toneri, and a bunch of tokuten for everybody (/*^-^)/. I’ll do the 2nd Shinkocchou first, for continuity.

And I haven’t listened to the two individual discs before this, so I had no idea who they are... or that their names are actually Arahagi (cat demon; cv. Kaji Yuuki) and Toneri (dog deity; cv, Hirakawa Daisuke) until about 3/4 into the story, since they kept calling each other ‘Stupid Cat’ and ‘Stupid Dog’. Orz

Obvsly this time there is no bromance like in the 1st disc and they fight like... err... cats and dogs (for lack of a better description XD).

As before, hidden messages from the both of them:

１．壱、都市伝説『二次元カレシ』２．弐、手が<か>りはどこ？３．参、そこは見せか<け>の幸福世界４．四、ここにず<っ>といよう５．伍、意地でも負<け>られない６．六、この世界が壊れ<る>としても７．七、都市伝説『二次元カレシ』看破８．キャストトーク

Arahagi: bold⋆ spells 「どこにでも」 (‘No matter where [you are]...’)

Toneri: <⋆> spells 「かけつける」 (‘...I will rush to your side’)

...うれしいィィ！！ありがとね、二人とも～^^

[The Second Rumour: Urban Legend ‘2D Boyfriend’]

All the girls at your school are addicted to a mobile otome game app. Rumour has it that players can end up getting trapped in the game world, and their bodies are found in sleeping position holding their phones in one hand.

Toilet Guy has again asked Arahagi and Toneri to investigate. This time your team name is: the Pitch-Black Executors ~DARK (K)NIGHT MESSIAH~. Σ_(꒪ཀ꒪」∠)_. And both your animal manservants have the good sense to hate this abomination of a name. But it will come in handy later on...

So. First order of business is to throw *you* into the virtual world. It’s been rumoured that collecting a full set of accessories from one game character can accomplish this, so your animal bfs possess your body and go shopping.

They push a bunch of bling on you (Toneri makes you wear a choker that reminds him of a dog collar XD), and eventually you can’t take it anymore and run out of the store because you don’t wanna turn into the lovechild of Katy Perry and Flavor Flav. And anyway it didn’t work. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ RIP Operation BringTheBling1.

Plan #2: There is another rumour that players get sucked in when they access the app at midnight. So Catboy and Dogman (henceforth ‘CatDog’) camp over in your bed, and sure enough, when the clock strikes 12, you fall into a deep sleep and enter the game world.

The game is set in a high school that’s an *exact* replica of Nanagiri, with two characters who sound (and look) exactly like your Cat and Dog bfs. [Hirarin is the senpai and Kaji is the kouhai, ofc.] You are shocked by this unfolding of events, and the two of them think you have a cold and need to go to the nurse’s office to rest.

You take this as an opportunity to escape, and as you are running you hear Arahagi and Toneri’s voices from the other side. They successfully possess your sleeping body and enter the virtual world as well.

Senpai and Kouhai can see the demons possessing you. They forcibly exorcise the duo and drag you away. As the exorcised duo come to, they find themselves turned into their chibi forms XDD. Meanwhile, Senpai and Kouhai have taken you to the nurse’s office. As they are trying to approach you, you spray the fire extinguisher at them and make your escape. Niceee.

You manage to find Arahagi and Toneri hiding in the courtyard. They repossess your body to regain their powers and apologise for not being able to protect you. But you have come up with a battle plan: Operation LoveLetter1. Dun dun DUNNN.

The plan is to put a love letter in their shoe locker asking Senpai and Kouhai to meet with you next evening. Being in an otome game, they can only do as they are told to unlock the love event. (Also what is with this 3P-harem setting where you can confess and unlock event for two characters at once?? I need to get in on dis yo. ¬‿¬)

You and CatDog stay up all night to discuss the battle plan, and Arahagi thinks this whole game reeks of the work of a human being. He figures out that they can rob the game characters of their powers by stealing their phones. (Why do even the characters have phones inside the game??) And to power-up themselves, CatDog trade hugs and kisses with each other (I WISH!!) you to feed off of your human energy.

Next day, Senpai and Kouhai show up at the arranged meeting time, and CatDog appear to start a riot. They throw out your team name Pitch-Black Executors ~DARK (K)NIGHT MESSIAH~, which confuses their opponents and gives them the perfect opportunity to steal the opponents’ phones.

Toneri ties the two characters up with chains and Arahagi drops a bunch of machinery and shit on top of them, but dis ain’t ovah ya’ll. The two of them go into *dark mode*. They change the backdrop and damage the data of Arahagi and Toneri’s bodies. As they bury CatDog alive and take you away, you tell them that you believe in CatDog, which gives them the power they need to free themselves from entombment and destroy the game characters.

...When the smoke clears, they see a student that was sucked into the game world. Strangely enough, *it’s a boy*, and they figure that he must be the human that the game monster is possessing and feeding off of.

It turns out that the boy offered himself as a human sacrifice to the urban legend and created this game world to shield his younger sister from the harsh reality. The game world begins to disintegrate, and Toneri tells the boy to face his sister properly instead of doing this stupid shit in the name of ‘protection’. To Toneri and Arahagi, who come into this world all alone, every little detail of the familial bonds and ties between humans seems magical and deserves to be treasured.

The three of you wake up in your bed, and CatDog wonder if the boy’s little sister is going to be alright. You devise a plan... for the two of them to appear to her in a dream pretending to be the two game characters. Toneri flubs his lines and gets beaten up by Arahagi XD. They tell the girl they are relieved that she has finally awoken from her slumber, and invite her to play the game again whenever she is feeling down.

Now a new urban legend has arisen: that whenever a girl gets sucked into the game world, her 2D boyfriend tells her to get out or else she won’t make it to her own wedding in the future. (#meirl XDD.) What’s more, CatDog have erased the oniisan’s memories of the whole incident, and both he and his sister have returned to school as usual.

*Meanwhile*, YOU have become addicted to this game app XD. After unsuccessfully trying to snatch your phone out of your hands, CatDog tease you with kisses and promise to make your real life more exciting than any game ever... yes please Hirarin and Kaji the two of you can come and possess me any time I don’t mind fufufufu~~~ (´┓`*)

[Thoughts] ⋆敬称略⋆

Ok so this was my first introduction to both characters (Arahagi/Toneri). I kept thinking as I was listening to it: wouldn’t it be great if Kaji and Hirarin switched roles? Doesn’t it feel like Kaji has more of an excitable puppy-like personality (or quality to his voice, rather), and Hirarin has more of a slow, cat-like temperament??

In fact in the Free Talk when Hirarin said that he is 100% a Cat Person and he thinks Arahagi is really cute, I was all ready to jump out of my chair all like, ‘I KNEW IT!!!’ #notoverreactingatall._(:3」∠)_. ...I guess Rejet wanted to switch it up a little? Or maybe Kimura Ryouhei was busy, because Toneri [yandere + dog ears] sounds like the job for him. Also I can’t help but wonder how perfect Hirarin would be as Utashiro lulling me to sleep with his soothing voice...

(*ฅ́˘ฅ̀*)♡

But all this fantasy casting aside, every time I hear Toneri’s adorable grumpy/growling noises that he makes when he’s dissatisfied, I feel like they made the right casting choice after all. #omgWANT ლ(⁰⊖⁰ლ)

What else, what else... HmMMmMmm, the story and characters/pair dynamics this time round is a bit more childish and less ‘tight’ than before. So idk, I didn’t feel as much of *Deh Romantic Feelz* towards Arahagi/Toneri like I did for Hifumi/Utashiro. Although I still enjoyed it because I am immature.

The doppelganger bit was pretty kewl though. Although the battle scene kind of got resolved in a very #WTF kind of way and left me wanting more. Also the overprotective older brother story would’ve benefited from a better explanation/backstory of why he did what he did, no? Overall just kind of #わけわかんない, and not a very tight story, like I said.

The otome game theme was kind of relevant and interesting, esp the senpai character in the game who kept emphasising the use of this kind of romance fantasies as a form of escapism. ...Which got a bit philosophical/personal in a way, although I’m not sure if Toneri was the best person to expound on this because he’s so... erm... simple-minded XD.

Nonetheless, the overall message was clear: that it’s always better to face things head-on, and you have limitless potential as a human being. +++

But *then again* this series isn’t meant to be analysed very deeply. It’s more just for ya’ll to enjoy the cute huggable chibi things and the powerful demons protecting the fuck out of you. Yeah? Yeahh.

Although!! From the cast commentaries it seems like the seiyuu themselves can’t/won’t actually protect you from anything in the event of an actual urban legend/haunting. It’s funny how they voice all these powerful/scary demon and spirit characters, but when they see an actual horror programme or whatever on TV they quickly look away and change the channel!! (-_-|||) SENSEI I AM DISAPPOINT.

The only exception so far is Sakurai Takahiro, who spouted off a bunch of kaidan-banashi from his old high school enthusiastically when asked. Like, everyone else is a wimp and he is the One True Hero. He even has ‘he[/i]ro’ in his name!!

#otome #drama cd #yuugen romantica #shinkocchou #yuroma #rejet #arahagi #toneri #seiyuu #kaji yuki #hirakawa daisuke #supernatural #youkai #kaidan #mystery #otome game

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princess-of-luxure · 4 years

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Masquerade [1]

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You moved to the capital city, Altadellys, in search of job opportunities. You had anticipated several significant changes in your life, but nothing could have prepared you for almost getting robbed in an alley, only to be saved by a mysterious masked vigilante. Their mysterious appearance throws your life into chaos, and you soon find yourself swept up in the high-stakes underground operations of a group of... supervillains?!

You didn't ask for any of this, but there's just as much excitement amongst the potentially lethal drama. As secrets hundreds of years olds begin to unfold before you, can you be the missing link in solving a dangerous mystery, or will you bring everything to ruin?

Fandom: Reigning Passions (Visual Novel) Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Relationships: Gen (so far) Characters: Lyris (Reigning Passions), Main Character (Reigning Passions), Amara (Reigning Passions), Piama (Reigning Passions), Hazel (Reigning Passions) Content Warnings: Attempted Robbery, Knives

Welcome to Masquerade! This is a reader-interactive story putting the characters of Reigning Passions into the setting of Villainous Nights. There will be choices for you guys, as the audience, to vote on, which can influence the direction of the story's plot (including the potential deaths of characters!) and also can influence who gets together with who. It's assumed that everyone is poly so don't worry if MC doesn't get together with your favourite LI - you've still got a shot! Plus, any characters with compatible sexualities can get together if you nudge them in that direction, so if you're a fan of, say, Amara and Xenia? Depending on the choices made, they can totally get together.

This is cross-posted on my AO3, which you can find here! You can cast your vote in the comment section there, or send me an ask/DM me here on tumblr! You can also vote in the replies of the appropriate tumblr post for each chapter.

Chapter below the read more.

Altadellys, you were finding, was bigger than you had ever imagined. Prior to moving to the capital city of Lysende, you had lived in a small town so remote it didn’t even have a name. Everybody knew everybody in your little community, but looking around the big city, you only saw the faces of strangers, not a single one sparing you a glance as they rushed to where they were going.

It was also far warmer in Altadellys than in your hometown, you noted as you shucked off your coat and tied it around your waist. The climate where you’d come from was so frigid that it was practically winter year-round, and you were eager to learn what a true spring or fall felt like, let alone a true summer.

“Alright, all you’ve gotta do is make it to Hazel’s place, and then she’ll walk you to your apartment,” you muttered to yourself, fishing around blindly in your bag. “She said it’s near Central Park, which shouldn’t be too hard to find, just follow the map.” Your fingers closed around the object you were looking for, and you pulled out your phone, attitude bright and chipper. “You’ve got this!”

These turned out to be famous last words, as you went to turn on your phone and found that the battery had died on the car ride here. “Shit,” you muttered, because, well, it was an appropriate word for the situation. Chewing your lip, you tossed your phone back into your bag and glanced around. To a local, you were sure finding Central Park would be no problem, but you weren’t a local.

Wait, a local! That’s it! Approaching a man in his late twenties walking a dog, you gave your friendliest smile. “Excuse me, could you—”

“Get lost, lady,” the man growled, and you flinched, drawing back. No one in your hometown behaved so aggressively, their voices dripping with venom as they bared their teeth in a snarl.

Swallowing your fear, you clutched onto the strap of your bag, trying to appear more confident than you felt. Maybe you had just gotten off on the wrong foot. “Sorry to disturb you, I just wanted to ask—”

“Didn’t you hear me?” The man jabbed a finger at you, and you stumbled back a few paces, squeaking. “I said, get. Lost.”

You hid your burning cheeks and frightened expression in the curtain of your hair, mumbling out apology after apology. After several minutes of this, you realized the man had left and was nowhere to be seen, so you lifted your head and took another look around. Every intersection was plastered with signs, but none of them seemed to point towards Central Park, and given your last interaction, the idea of asking a local suddenly seemed a lot less viable.

You fiddled with your hair as you took a deep breath, trying to calm your nerves. Rather than being a beautiful new wonder, Altadellys now just seemed like a living nightmare. “It’s okay, you’ve got this,” you mumbled, your half-assed attempt at a pep talk doing little to restore your confidence. “It’s a big park in the middle of the city. If you just keep walking, you’re sure to find it eventually.”

After what felt like an hour of walking with no change in scenery, your faith in that assumption was beginning to waver. You wrestled with your steadily increasing anxiety as you stopped at the corner of an intersection. Warmth and mouth-watering scents seeped out from underneath the door of the cafe you were stood by, and your stomach rumbled as you found yourself wishing you were inside. God, what I wouldn’t give to be sharing a cup of coffee with Hazel right now.

“Hey there little girl, are you lost?” You nearly jumped out of your skin as you whirled to face the person who had spoken. Most of their face was obscured by their black hoodie, but you could still make out the leer that painted itself across their features.

You swallowed, taking a step back. The stranger took a step forward, and as you continued to try and put space between the two of you, you became hyper aware that they were backing you into a dark alley, out of sight from the rest of the world. “U-Um, no, not lost at all! Just… enjoying the scenery!” Why did my phone have to die now?!

“The scenery, huh?” You were pressed up against a wall now, the stranger’s hand pinning you up against the stone. You could hear your heartbeat pounding in your ears, your breathing verging on hyperventilation as you stared up at your assailant with wide eyes. “It would be a shame if that was cut short.”

Those last words were a whisper, as cold and smooth as the metal blade now pressed against your throat. You couldn’t even squeak, fear stealing the sound from your lungs. You began praying to every deity you could think of, even ones you weren’t even sure were actually from real pantheons, anything to get out of this mess.

“Robbing pretty girls in dark alleys?” A new voice made your heart jump—whether it was in relief or further fear, you didn’t know. It evidently startled your attacker just as much, the surprised flinch of their hand just barely nicking your skin. A single bead of blood welled to the surface, but you didn’t have time to process it before your assailant was being pulled away from you. You remained frozen in place, too shaken to fully comprehend what was unfolding before you.

When you finally came out of your shock, the first thing that occurred to you was holy hell was your savior attractive. His face was partially obscured by a blue-green mask, trimmed with gold and decorated with what were, as far as you could tell, real peacock feathers, but you could still see the steely glint in his mismatched eyes. One was purple, the other gold, and you would’ve probably wondered how in the world he got lucky enough to end up with that genetic combination if you weren’t so busy taking in the rest of him. He was certainly a striking figure, with long golden-brown and green hair, a simple but somehow still shockingly elegant suit to match his mask, and fingerless gloves revealing blue and pink nails (toxic masculinity who?).

All of this paled in comparison to the wings that emerged from the slit on the back of his suit. The shining green plumage made him look like some kind of majestic angel, or bird. Actually, considering the look of his mask, you were pretty sure he was going for the latter.

Your savior said something to the would-be robber that you didn’t quite catch, still feeling in a somewhat faraway daze. Whatever it was, it sent them running, the masked vigilante folding his arms and watching them go with a look of utmost contempt. When they disappeared from sight, he turned to you, approaching with slow, gentle footsteps, the concerned look in his eyes at odds with the easy smile that curled his lips.

“That was a pretty nasty experience. I wouldn’t want to be in your position,” he commented, his tone casual as though he was discussing the weather, and not the fact he’d probably just saved your life. His expression shifted as he came to pause in front of you, gaze flickering to your neck. “Are you okay?”

Numbly, you placed two fingers to where you’d been cut. They came away wet with blood, but even so, you could tell that the injury was shallow—you’d gotten incredibly lucky. “I’ll—I’ll be fine. It’s not serious.” Your voice quavered, barely able to force the words out.

Your savior didn’t seem entirely convinced. “May I see anyway?” he requested, and moving on autopilot, you tilted your head to show him the cut. He stepped closer, fingers brushing against your throat as he inspected your injury, and you tried to ignore how the simple contact sent shivers down your spine. After a moment that lasted both eternity and no time at all, he drew back, humming in satisfaction. “You’re right. It’s not that bad, you’ll survive.” Apparently content with your health, you saw a teasing gleam enter his gaze. “I’d do more, but my power isn’t exactly to do with healing.” He fluttered his wings once to prove his point, and that’s when the reality of the situation came crashing down onto you.

“Your power. You have powers.” The words came out in a breathless rush, and you were completely helpless to stop them. You clapped your hands to your mouth, but too late; you felt the heat rising to your cheeks already. Leave it to you to make an absolute fool of yourself in front of an attractive guy.

He didn’t seem to mind though, evidently amused as he folded his arms, shifting his weight to one leg. “Well, I sure hope so. If I didn’t, my entire life would be a lie.” With the danger gone, he bantered with you in the way one might banter with a best friend, nevermind that you’d never seen him before.

You had enough grace to not try to continue that thread of conversation. “What’s your name?” you blurted out, and as your question processed, you felt your blush darken. You know what? No more talking without permission from my brain, mouth.

Your savior chuckled, pulling you out of your flustered thoughts. “My name is a secret I’m going to take to my grave,” he replied, and yeah, fair. What else were you expecting? “However…” He leaned forward to whisper in your ear, close enough that you could feel his breath tickle your neck. “You may call me Peacock.”

In a single breath, he had drawn back, leaving you struggling to collect your scattered thoughts and calm your racing heartbeat. First things first. His alias was Peacock—unsurprisingly so, given his general aesthetic and the prideful smirk that curled his lips. He was evidently playing things up for the drama, and you couldn’t honestly say you minded.

“I’m…” You took a deep breath to try and scrape together at least some of your composure. Once you felt like you weren’t about to faint from the situation, you finally offered Peacock your name.

He repeated your name back to you, humming in curiosity as you nodded. “A lovely name indeed,” he complimented, and you felt your cheeks burn. So much for composure, but then again, he probably said that to all the girls he rescued. Seeing the intensity of his gaze, though, you weren’t so sure.

You almost missed when he started speaking again, too wrapped up in your flustered thoughts. “...you going, little lady?”

You were going to have to ask the pretty peacock vigilante to repeat himself. God, today just wasn’t your day, wasn’t it? “Sorry, could you repeat that?” you mumbled, burying your face in your hair and doing anything not to look Peacock in the eye. Even if he had very beautiful eyes. Goddammit, you were too bi for this.

Peacock laughed, the sound just as charming as everything else about him. Fuck. “I know I’m handsome, but you shouldn’t let yourself get distracted,” he reprimanded lightly, a teasing smile quirking his lips, and yup, you were going to die. You may as well just go dig a hole and lay down in it. “I asked where you were going.”

Okay, focus. If you manage to screw this up you may as well move back to your town because your pride will be completely gone. “Central Park,” you replied, finally lifting your face from your curtain of hair and clutching the strap of your bag. “I’m supposed to meet my friend at her place, but my phone died, but her house is near there so I thought if I just found my way there…”

You trailed off as you saw Peacock already shaking his head. “Altadellys is a big city,” he explained. “Bigger than you think. I could direct you to Central Park, but you’d still get lost trying to find your way to your friend’s place, and I can’t always be around to save you.” He paused, but before you had time to begin to panic, he was already asking another question. “Do you know where you’re staying?”

“Yes!” You turned your eyes to the sky, eyebrows creasing as you tried to remember the name of the building. “Spring Apartments.”

You’re sure you didn’t imagine the shock that briefly flickered across what you can see of Peacock’s expression, the way he was caught off guard if only for a moment. “Spring Apartments? You’re sure?”

You cocked your head to the side, uncertain as to what about your place of residence would elicit this kind of reaction. “Yes? Is there a problem with that?”

If Peacock’s gaze on you had been intense before, it didn’t come close to comparing to now. You had to fight the urge to hide yourself away from his scrutiny, unable to help but feel like he was committing every detail of your visage to memory. “Not at all.” His easy smile was back as quickly as it had vanished, leaving you feeling out of the loop. “I can take you there.”

“That would be nice, thank you—” You paused, blinking owlishly as his words fully processed. “Wait. Take me there?”

“Let’s just say that helping you will help me as well,” Peacock replied cryptically, as if that clarified things at all. Still, it was hard to be frustrated at his vagueness as long as that unbearably attractive smile remained. “Of course, that’s only if you’re okay with it.”

“I’m okay with it, but how—ah!” Your words dissolved into a yelp as you found yourself unexpectedly scooped into Peacock’s arms. His almost ethereal nature belied how strong he truly was, you realized as he held you securely against his chest, hoping desperately that he couldn’t hear the thudding of your heart. That really would be the icing on your embarrassed cake; the final nail in your flustered coffin.

“Sorry,” Peacock apologized, and this close to him, you could feel the rise and fall of his chest, his warm breath tickling your neck with each exhale. “I’ve never been one to walk in the front door.”

You didn’t have time to even begin to process that before Peacock took to the air. You let out a decidedly undignified shriek, burying your face against his suit and clinging to him like your life depended on it (which it technically did, but you were trying not to think about that).

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” Peacock murmured, and between his soft voice and assured grip, you realized he wasn’t saying that just to comfort you. You really were safe in his arms, even as buildings and people blurred past beneath you. It was a surreal feeling, to be truthful, but one that once you got used to it, you couldn’t honestly say you minded.

It was over all too quickly, Peacock placing you down on the roof of the apartment building within minutes. “This is where I leave you,” he explained, flashing you another one of those damned smiles. “I trust you can handle things from here?”

“Well, unless the apartment building is as difficult to navigate as the rest of Altadellys, I should be fine,” you replied, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. Pride swelled within your chest as Peacock laughed at your joke.

“You’re quite the witty one, aren’t you? I like that,” he complimented, winking, and by some miracle you didn’t fall over then and there. “Keep me in mind? Who knows, maybe we’ll meet again.” He leaned forward slightly, and you stared up at him. Wow, his eyes are even more enchanting up close…

Your name fell from his lips, and this time you nearly did fall over. For a second, you wondered if he was going to kiss you, but instead he took a step back, leaving your heart thudding and your chest filled with a strange sense of disappointment.

There was silence for a brief second, before you took a deep breath. “Thank you for saving me,” you murmured, figuring you at least owed him that.

Peacock paused, tilting his head as he regarded you, a smile curling across his lips. It was different to the others, somehow—more real. “The pleasure was all mine, my lady,” he replied, giving a mock bow before walking to the edge of the roof. Before you could get another word in, he spread his wings and jumped, disappearing before you had a chance to call after him.

It took a minute to recover from the excitement you had just experienced, but you made your way inside from the roof stairwell, finding your apartment with blessed ease. I deserve this much mercy after the day I’ve had, you mused as you knocked on the door.

The door opened quickly, revealing a small and delicate-looking woman. Her most striking feature was the floral tattoos that swirled across her whole body, though the gorgeous flowers pinned in her white, yellow-tipped hair came a close second. Her white and pale yellow dress was deceptively simple, the flowers stitched into the opaque overskirt being the most complicated detail of the design.

“Hey.” You introduced yourself, putting on your friendliest smile. “Is this your apartment? If so, I’m your new roommate.”

“That’s today?” The woman huffed slightly, glancing around. “Damn it, Lyris…” She muttered a bit more to herself, leaving you feeling more and more confused, before she finally addressed you. “Oh, but where are my manners? I’m Piama.”

She extended a hand for you to shake, and you reached down to take it. “Nice to meet you, Piama,” you offered, uncertain what to make of your new roommate.

Piama cast an appraising eye over you. “You aren’t from around here, are you?”

You blushed, not exactly embarrassed but still shy about being so easily placed by a beautiful woman. “Yeah. My hometown’s pretty far away.”

“That much speaks for itself.” Piama pressed her lips together, resting her chin on her hand as she considered you. “Your clothes are so last season, we’re going to have to do something about that.”

You had no idea how to respond to that. Initially, her words came off as rude, but the context implied she was only trying to help. “Um.”

Before you had a chance to come up with a more intelligent response, there was a melodic chime from Piama’s pocket. Pulling out a phone that looked more expensive that all your past phones put together, Piama scanned what was presumably a text before letting out a huff. “About time!” she complained as her fingers flashed across the screen. “I was supposed to go out with Lyris an hour ago! I called him four times and texted him like, fifty, and he just got back to me!” Putting her phone back away, she rolled her eyes. “This has been happening more and more lately. I’m starting to think he’s gotten a partner and hasn’t told me about it.”

Despite yourself, you couldn’t help a small laugh. “Well, don’t let me keep you. I can settle in by myself.”

Piama let out a relieved sigh. “Thank God. Lyris and I have been planning this for weeks, and I would die if I waited a second longer.” She paused, looking like a realization had just struck her. “Not that I’m trying to get rid of you, of course. You seem like a lovely girl, it just seems impossible to spend any quality time with him lately.”

You waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it, no offense taken.”

Piama flashed you a small smile, wishing you a quick goodbye before sweeping past you. You wasted no time entering the apartment, quickly finding an outlet to plug your phone into. With that done, you fixed yourself a cup of coffee before flopping on the couch, sighing deeply as you finally began to process the day’s events.

You’d arrived in Altadellys, only to find your phone was dead. Asking a local for directions had proven useless, and soon after that, you had gotten yourself hopelessly lost. You’d nearly been robbed in an alley, only to be saved by an attractive masked vigilante calling himself Peacock. He’d taken you to your new residence and then disappeared. You’d found your apartment and met your roommate, an extremely pretty woman named Piama, and had a brief conversation with her before she’d had to leave. Now, you were here, relaxing in your new home while waiting for your phone to charge.

A distinctive chime alerted you to the fact your phone was now alive again. Carefully grabbing it, you switched it on, seeing that you had five unread texts from Hazel. You wasted no time in unlocking your phone and swiping over to your messenger, finding that the first of the texts was from around two hours ago.

Hazel: Hey did you make it to the city safely?

The next message was about half an hour later, around about when your phone had died.

Hazel: Freckles?

Hazel: You’re starting to worry me

The next two messages were from around half an hour ago, and you can tell Hazel’s increasing worry from the fact they were typed with perfect grammar.

Hazel: Okay, this is totally weird for you.

Hazel: If you don’t message me within the next hour, I’m calling the police.

Guilt and affection mingled in your gut. Guilt that you’d made her worry so much, and affection over the fact that she cared that much for you. Placing your mug down, you quickly typed out a reply.

You: I’m fine Hazey dw

You: My phone died on the way here

Hazel’s response was immediate, and you wondered if she’d been waiting for your message for the past half hour or so.

Hazel: Holy hell don’t scare me like that Freckles

Hazel: Ppl are saying crime rates in Altadellys are higher than they’ve ever been

Hazel: I was worried you’d gotten murdered or smthin

You couldn’t fight back a chuckle, smiling as you responded.

You: Not dead yet, amazingly

You: I’m at my apartment now but getting here was a nightmare

You hesitated as you went to type your next message. You definitely wanted to tell Hazel about your encounter with the mysterious Peacock, but would she believe you? ...of course she would, she was your best friend! She’d definitely heard far weirder stories from you.

You: Hey I’ve got a kinda crazy story to tell you

Hazel: [eyes emoji] [eyes emoji] [eyes emoji]

Hazel: You know crazy’s my middle name hmu

You: It might be too much to put in a text

Hazel: Np we can meet up in person

Hazel: I’ve been dying to see u again anyway it’s been way too long

You: Agreed

You: Text me your address and I’ll be there ASAP

Plugging the address Hazel sent you into your GPS app, you discovered that her place was only a ten-minute walk away. That was a small miracle; you didn’t feel like tangling with a taxi right now. Draining the rest of your coffee, you got up to place your cup into the sink and write a note for Piama explaining where you were going. Once your phone had charged enough to the point where it wouldn’t die again while you were out, you grabbed your bag and made your way out of the building.

Finding Hazel’s house proved to be blessedly simple now that you had directions, and soon you found yourself standing in front of it. It was modest only in comparison to the other houses along the street, one story with a moderate backyard rather than two stories at least with sprawling acres of land.

“Looks like just the kind of place Hazel would love,” you mused to yourself as you moved to ring the doorbell. As you waited, you noticed that the door also had a knocker in the shape of a lioness’ maw. Interesting—had it been there before Hazel moved in? You couldn’t imagine why she’d have both a doorbell and a knocker.

The door opened shortly, a wide grin breaking across Hazel’s face. “Freckles! It’s so good to see you again!” She wasted no time pulling you into a giant bear hug that nearly crushed your bones.

“Good to see you too, Hazey,” you gasped, hugging her back as best you could. “Uh, you’re kinda crushing me.”

“Whoops.” Hazel quickly let go of you, though she didn’t move back far. “Sorry. Kinda forget my own strength sometimes.”

You smiled, but before you could respond, a new figure appearing over Hazel’s shoulder stole your attention. Blonde hair spilled over her shoulders in waves, her golden eyes shining with a gentle warmth. She wore a simple red and white tunic that looked like it could have dated back to medieval times (and here you thought your fashion was out of date). “Hazel, who’s this?”

“Oh, this is my best friend from my hometown!” Hazel quickly introduced you to the unknown woman and—holy mother of God she was ripped. Lean muscles rippled beneath her clothes, and you were so distracted staring you nearly didn’t catch Hazel adding, “And this is Amara; she recently moved in with me.”

Callout to myself: too bi to function. You tried to push down the thoughts of how attractive Amara was to extend a hand for her to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Amara.”

Amara accepted your proffered handshake, her grip deceptively light. “You as well. Hazel has spoken highly of you.”

You felt your cheeks turn red as Hazel laughed. “‘Course I have! Gotta make sure everyone knows how amazing my best friend is.”

“Hazel!” you exclaimed, trying desperately to cover your darkening blush. First Peacock, then Piama, and now Amara. Were you the protagonist of a romance visual novel or something? If you met one more attractive person you were going to die—which was a problem because Altadellys seemed to be full of them.

“Hey, you never know, Amara might find you just as amazing.” Hazel winked conspiratorially and yup, this was how you died. There was no way Amara wouldn’t notice the obvious wingwomaning—

“Well, I wouldn’t know, but any friend of Hazel’s is a friend of mine.” —or not. Was Amara seriously oblivious to your evident fluster and Hazel’s teasing? Whatever, you would take what you could get. Your poor bi heart still hadn’t recovered from your earlier encounter with Peacock, anyway.

You took a deep breath, praying your voice wouldn’t wobble. “Likewise,” you agreed, shifting your weight awkwardly and flicking your gaze to Hazel. “Also uh, Hazey? Can I come inside or am I going to be standing on your front porch for this entire conversation?”

“Is something wrong with my porch?” Hazel teased. Amara’s brow creased with concern and she quickly added, “I’m joking, Amara, don’t worry. We’ve teased each like this since we were kids.” She stepped back from the door and disappeared into the corridor, calling behind her, “I’m gonna make drinks. You two get to know each other!”

Amara offered you a polite smile. “I apologize for this. Hazel is a dear friend of mine, but I remain bemused by her antics.”

She really was oblivious to Hazel’s wingwomaning. You weren’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth though, chuckling nervously. “Yeah, she’s always been something of an enigma, but you know how best friends are.”

Amara didn’t respond, and you began to worry you’d said something wrong by the completely blank look on her face. “Amara?”

Amara shook herself, her expression taking on the polite, friendly smile again. It didn’t reach her eyes, and you couldn’t help but feel you’d touched on a sensitive subject, though you had no idea what it was. “My apologies, I was lost in thought. Allow me to show you to the living room.”

As you followed Amara, you couldn’t help but note she carried herself with the posture of a soldier, complete with the famous Murder Walk™ that tumblr loved to talk about. That sent alarm bells ringing in your head and your heart panging with concern—what had happened to her to cause her to always be on her guard?

You knew better than to ask, settling into the cushions of one of the simple white couches in the living room. Amara sat across from you, studying you with a curious expression. “You are not from Altadellys?”

Somehow, the question made you feel less self-conscious than when Piama had commented on it earlier. “Yeah, I’m from Hazel’s hometown. What about you?”

“I’m not from Altadellys either,” Amara replied, confirming a growing suspicion. “I moved here many years ago.”

“Didn’t exactly embrace the lifestyle?” you guessed, gesturing to her clothes and praying your inquiry wouldn’t be considered rude.

To your relief, a genuine smile lit up Amara’s features, a soft glimmer in her eyes. “Not exactly,” she agreed. “I have never been able to immerse myself in the glitz and glam of the city, though I have nothing against those who do.”

“My roommate’s the complete opposite of you,” you mused, trying to latch onto this thread of conversation. “She’s stunningly beautiful, but in a way I feel like I’ll never compare to, you know?”

Amara considered you thoughtfully. “Sometimes simpler is better,” she remarked. “If it is of any comfort to you, I think you look wonderful just the way you are.”

You were saved from spontaneous combustion by Hazel reappearing, carefully holding three mugs full of hot, steaming liquid. If it were anyone else, you might’ve been worried about her spilling or dropping them, but you had complete faith in Hazel. “Coffee for me and Freckles, and tea for Amara!” she hummed, placing down two of the mugs before flopping onto the couch next to you.

“Thank you, Hazel,” Amara responded politely, carefully picking up her drink, blowing on it gently before taking a sip. You echoed the sentiment, retrieving your coffee and nursing it as your thoughts wandered in the direction of gay again.

“So Freckles,” Hazel interrupted, and you nearly spilled your drink as you were jolted out of your thoughts. “You said you had a crazy story to tell?”

“Oh! Yeah, I did, but…” Your gaze flickered hesitantly to Amara.

She caught the look and smiled, gesturing for you to continue. “I assure you, I have heard many extraordinary stories in my time. I promise I will not judge.”

Amara was so open and kind that you found yourself believing her without a second thought. You nodded and took a deep breath. “So like I said in my texts, my phone died getting here. I thought I’d just go to Central Park and find this place from here, but I uh…” You rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly, averting your eyes. “I kinda got lost.”

“Understandably so,” Amara said, and you glanced over at her, surprised at her input. “Altadellys is a city of enormous proportions. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, things could’ve gone seriously wrong,” Hazel agreed, concern painted across her features. “Seems like you hear about more and more robberies and people going missing everyday.”

You figured that was as good of a leadup to the ‘crazy’ part of your story as you were going to get. “I’m alright, but it was a close call. Someone tried to rob me in an alley.” You tilted your head to expose the faint scar on your neck.

“What?!” Hazel gasped. “Did you see what they looked like, Freckles? I’ll give them a piece of my mind for daring to lay a hand on you—”

“You should calm down, Hazel,” Amara interrupted gently, but you could see the concern and fury shining behind her golden eyes. “How did you get away?”

“I was saved by a masked guy with wings. He called himself Peacock,” you explained, scanning the pair’s faces for reactions. Hazel’s eyes were wide, her surprise evident, whereas Amara remained more composed, shock passing over her expression for only a moment before she closed her eyes, presumably lost in thought.

“Peacock, you’re sure?” Hazel checked, before shaking her head. “Who am I kidding, you said he had wings, that can’t be anyone else.”

“Yes?” You couldn’t help but feel surprise of your own at Hazel’s reaction. If she recognized his name—and knew about his powers—then just who was Peacock? “Do you know him?”

“Only by reputation,” Hazel replied. The look of awe on her face almost felt surreal. “After Fox disappeared, he took over as Altadellys’s protector of the night!” She struck a pose, then paused. “Okay, so I’m pretty sure he’s more active during the day, but details.” She chuckled to herself. “Seriously though, you’re super lucky, Freckles. Getting saved by Peacock is almost every girl’s dream at the moment.”

You picked up on the phrasing, unable to help quirking your lips at the subtle quip. “But not you?”

“Nah, I’m too much of a lesbian for that.” Hazel grinned, obviously amused by her own joke, before leaning in. “But what about you? Is he as dreamy as they say?” She waggled her eyebrows.

You knew she was only teasing you, but you couldn’t stop the heat that flooded your cheeks as you thought back to your interaction with the masked vigilante. Visions of those beautiful eyes and that breathtaking smile filled your mind. “Um…”

You were hardly subtle. Hazel caught on immediately, and she burst out laughing. “Oh my God! Freckles, you have a crush!”

“I do not!” you immediately defended yourself, already knowing it fell on deaf ears. “He’s as attractive as they say, okay? But that doesn’t mean I like him!”

Hazel wiped a couple tears from her eyes. “Sure, sure, you keep telling yourself that, Freckles. But man, you had one hell of a first day in Altadellys, didn’t ya?”

You really couldn’t disagree with that, though you were just glad Hazel seemed to have dropped the teasing about your non-existent crush on Peacock. Absently, your gaze slid over to Amara, who had yet to rejoin the conversation. You found her staring off at a black-and-white photo hanging on the wall—looking closely, you were pretty sure it was of her, along with a man you’d never seen before. A family member or best friend? I’d consider that it could be her boyfriend, but I get the idea she’s not into guys. But why is it in black and white?

“Freckles? Were you listening?” You jumped, embarrassed at having been caught zoning out.

I’m really off my game today. “Uh, not really,” you admitted sheepishly. “Mind repeating that?”

Hazel rolled her eyes affectionately. “I asked how the job search was going.” Her tone was filled with the fond exasperation only a best friend could capture.

“Oh, that.” You sighed, wishing you had better news on that front. “Not well, honestly. None of the places I’ve applied to have even called me in for an interview.”

Hazel winced sympathetically. “Yikes, that sucks. I’d offer to help ya, Freckles, but I don’t think my line of work is exactly for you.” She gave a meaningful look at your less-than-impressive physique and you laughed.

“Probably not, but thanks anyway.” You ran your fingers through your hair, thinking. “It’s a problem, though. Rent isn’t cheap here—I’ll get kicked out pretty fast if I don’t find a job soon.”

Hazel gave a thoughtful hum. “Well, why don’t you apply for an internship at Optimus? Seems like your kind of place.”

“Optimus? Are you sure?” Amara’s sudden interruption startled you, and you glanced over at her. Her expression was completely closed off, betraying nothing about how she felt. You had to fight the urge to swallow, somehow feeling like you’d just stepped into a social minefield.

“I don’t really know anything about Optimus,” you confessed hesitantly. “Should I?”

“They’re the world’s foremost authority on powers,” Amara explained, still completely neutral. “They help connect people with places that need their powers the most.”

“They donate to a bunch of charities too, and help with a bunch of other stuff,” Hazel added. “It’s like, the dream job for everyone living in Altadellys, and the pay’s incredible.”

You exhaled softly, considering your options. Hazel was right—it did sound like a dream job. You’d been interested in powers since you were little, always wishing you’d been one of the lucky ones, but nobody with powers had been born in your hometown for generations. “That does sound amazing Hazey, but there’s no way I’m qualified for that sort of thing.”

“If it’s just an internship, I have a friend who may be able to help.” You gave Amara a curious look. “I can let him know. He’s a private man, but he’s reliable.”

You were burning with questions you wanted to ask about Amara’s friend, but given that she still had that blank look on her face, completely devoid of any emotion at all, you didn’t want to push your luck and risk her rescinding the offer. “I guess it’s worth a shot. Thanks, Amara.”

She nodded in acknowledgment, but gave no other response. Suddenly, Hazel gasped, bolting to her feet. “Oh shoot, I totally forgot! I was supposed to meet with a client like, ten minutes ago!” She turned to you apologetically. “Sorry Freckles, I gotta run. If you want, though, we can meet up in like an hour or so? There’s a cafe right around the block, Sweet Enchantments, it’s the best cafe this side of Altadellys.”

You chuckled, unable to pass up the prospect of hanging out with Hazel again after all these years. “Sure thing Hazey, sounds great.”

“Awesome, catch you later!” Hazel darted from the room. Amara stood as well, brushing off her clothes.

“I’m afraid I have places to be as well,” she apologized, and even though it didn’t compare to earlier, you were relieved to see a hint of genuine regret in her eyes. “Before I leave, however, perhaps we should exchange phone numbers.”

“Oh!” You were going to get a pretty woman’s phone number. Yeah, this was a first. “That’s probably a good idea, yeah.”

Amara didn’t stick around long after giving you her number, and you headed back to your apartment, feeling awkward hanging around Hazel’s house while neither of its occupants were home. To your surprise, you found Piama perched on the couch, deeply engrossed in some kind of nature documentary and sipping at a cup of tea.

“Hi Piama,” you greeted, gaining her attention. “Weren’t you hanging out with Lyris?”

Piama waved a dismissive hand. “We just went out to a nearby cafe,” she explained, and you couldn’t help but wonder if it was the same one Hazel had mentioned. “Besides, he needs to get his stuff out of your room.”

You raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Piama sighed, as though the reason Lyris’s stuff was apparently in your room was of great disdain to her. “He’s been half-living here for years,” she replied, turning her attention back to the TV. “He would have moved in, but he has a cat, and if his fur ball wasn’t the most annoying creature on that planet, I might’ve considered putting up with my allergies for him, but as it is, ‘Madame Whiskers’ has it out for me. Of course, I’m not going to ask my best friend to give up his cat for me, so now he lives on the floor above me while dumping half his stuff here.”

“Piama, who are you talking to? Is your roommate home?” a very familiar voice called from the hallway. You couldn’t quite place it until he stepped into the living room, and your jaw dropped as realization dawned on you. You wasted no time in appraising his physical appearance; his hair, his build, his general aesthetic, even his nails—everything matched up to Peacock. Even so, you might’ve chalked it up to a coincidence if not for his eyes. His damned eyes. His damned, beautiful eyes. Deep purple and breathtaking gold; even if your mind didn’t recognize them, your heart would’ve.

Peacock—Lyris?—was staring at you just as openly, and you could see the recognition and shock blooming across his expression as well. If Piama replied, you didn’t hear it, too swept up in the feeling of holy shit I’m meeting Peacock as a civilian and he’s my roommate’s best friend.

Your phone chimed, shattering the moment. You coughed to cover the awkwardness, quickly pulling it out and glancing down at the texts you’d just received.

Hazel: Client cancelled [rolling eyes emoji]

Hazel: U still wanna hang out at the cafe tho?

Oh, was all you could think as your fingers hovered over the keyboard, having literally no idea how to reply. Glancing up didn’t help, as you saw Lyris staring at you with the same shocked expression he’d had moments ago, Piama looking between the two of you in confusion.

Oh shit.

CHAPTER CHOICE

You're in a bit of a tricky spot here. You did say you were going to hang out with Hazel, but if you do that, the situation with Lyris is going to get... awkward. To say the least. Do you: A) Commit to going to the cafe with Hazel B) Stay to try and diffuse the situation with Lyris and Piama, and hopefully get some answers

#reigning passions #lovestruck reigning passions #lovestruck voltage #voltage lovestruck #lyris reigning passions #lyris of the spring #piama of the spring #piama reigning passions #amara of the summer #amara reigning passions #hazel reigning passions #masquerade #villainous nights #lovestruck villainous nights #mal writes #villainous nights au

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mars-the-4th-planet · 5 years

Text

Yuri Gagarin harasses a truck driver and talks about politics with Penny Polendina

Yuri landed on the firm Russian soil in a rural town next to a gas station. Well, not that firm, but firm enough. At least, that is what the 4th panzer Corp thought while they rolled through the area, but that is neither here nor there. "Vodka, nyet kaliningrad luftpanzer kozorvorisc niemcy?" She asked the gas station person politely.

Roughly translated the gas station persons response was "No we do not have plutonium fuel, thats not actually a planet therefore it cannot produce fuel!"

Yuri moped excessively until the gas station person handed her a small lump of uranium. "Look, you can have this okay? Maybe you can turn it into plutonium."

Yuri handed it back and shook her head. "I apologize for wasting your time comrade, please have a nice day in our glorious soviet union."

"Our wha-"

"Penny are you a communist or a filthy cappie?" Yuri asked her robot friend, surprised that she never asked this before.

Penny put two fingers together. "I dont know... I am not really into human politics... Personally I think that the best solution would be a society run by robotics like in New Polendine Mesopotamia. It brought peace and prosperity to an otherwise chaotic and violent region."

Yuri Gagarin rolled her eyes. "That is just a mechanically led puppet state overseen and funded by the United States of America."

"Yes but us Polendinas cannot be corrupted by greed or power lust and we always make calculated and empathetic decisions according to our makers... So..."

"Robots supercede the working class Penny, so a nation run by them is anti-worker by default!"

Penny shrugged, a bit nervous about the conversation and to change the subject she pointed at a Republic of Amazon truck and exclaimed "Hey look Yuri! I did not know they had amazons in Russia!"

Yuri frowned and popped up next to the truck man as he applied gas to his truck. "Hello anti-comrade, what are you shipping through my beautiful motherland?" She asked in Russian.

The truck man looked at her, puzzled. His eyes were bagged, his shoulders sagged, his skin was pale and his limbs seemed frail. The man was in bad shape, but that was to be expected of Amazon workers.

"Ma'am... No hablo Español.." He mumbled and continued with the gassing of his truck.

"What are you shipping in this truck for the foul corporation of the Republic of Amazon?" She asked again, in English. There was a slight threatening tone in her voice.

The man blinked. "Bread, ma'am."

Yuri narrowed her eyes. "Right. Give me your keys."

"Are your robbing me?"

"No. I have authority granted to me by the USSR to search any capitalist vehicle."

"My truck does not have a political idealogy ma'am..."

Yuri powered on her rocket and raised her fist. "Silence. Give me your keys in the name of the Soviet Union."

The man sighed. "The soviet union is dead ma'am."

Yuri was about to strike him, but Penny suddenly grabbed her waist and pulled her back.

Penny moved in front of her. "Sir, I apologize for my friend. She is in much grief about the fall of the USSR."

The trucker put the gas nozzle up. "It's alright babe. I best be going now."

"BABE?!" Yuri Gagarin flared up. Literally. "You FOOL! This Penny belongs to ME!"

Startled, the trucker scampered back. "Wait! Fine, take the keys, I'm sorry!"

Yuri nodded and took them, and used the keys to unlock the back door. "Aha!"

"Oh... Oh my... Um" Yuri didnt know what to say about what she saw. "Where are you taking them?"

"C-China..." The trucker stammered.

Inside the truck were what appeared to be twenty humans wearing the yellow and white Amazon Prime uniforms, except they were lacking mouths and their heads had two colorful blue and pink horns or antenna (Yuri wasnt sure which) that were aerodynamic looking like the tail fins on the back of a plane. They curved up and swooped back. The strangest thing about them however was how they all looked pretty much the same. They all had pale skin and black hair, and the males among them were all tall and muscular. While the women were all small and slim and sleek. Every one of them had striking blue eyes that gleamed in the dark. One male was making hand motions but immediately stopped as Yuri Gagarin opened the door.

"Who... Or what... Are these people?" Yuri Gagarin asked. "How could you ship people packed in like this! Like property!"

"I honestly don't know ma'am please... I am just the driver... Amazon has my son in mandatory daycare and I had to take this job to save up for the fee to see him on weekends..."

"they have him in what?"

Penny explained because the trucker was clearly scared. "When Amazon employees complain about not having the time or money to properly care for their children, the Republic of Amazon files a statuate of neglect against them and takes their child into corporate custody. The parents can still visit their child, but it costs them a fee and the price is measured by the minute spent with them. Sometimes with a government permit the parents can get their child back, but only if they make a lawsuit about it and that is even more expensive."

The trucker started crying. "I miss my boy! Please, I know this transport is wrong but it pays well and I am saving everything to see him again! I havent eaten in three days!"

Yuri Gagarin sighed. "Typical abuse of the working class... We are clearly living in the worst timeline. So what are these people? Aliens?"

"I honestly have no idea..!" The man stammered, continuing to cry.

Penny shook her head. "They seem to have mostly human DNA. I would say they are genetically modified human beings made for servitude."

"Why don't they have mouths? How do they eat? What are those things on their heads?"

"I do not know the answers to the last two questions, Yuri my friend. But their lack of mouths is likely intended to keep in accordance with international law on the property rights on genetically modified life forms. If a creature is intelligent enough to speak like a human, it cannot be made into property. This does not apply to robots like me, because I am not a biological lifeform..." Penny added sadly. While she enjoyed her friendship with Yuri, she could not shake the fact that in her mind she was in servitude to her.

"That is rather disturbing, since they are probably just as sentient as you or me or this malnourished worker here." Yuri Gagarin said, and got up into the truck. "Hello comrades, my name is Yuri Gagarin. I believe that your time as chattel is over. Come with me, and we shall run down any who seek to oppress and exploit you. First we must make it to our secret communist headquarters, alright?"

They seemed scared by this, and backed away the best they could with how crowded it was in there. Amazon officials assigned to train these people were sure to really into the idea that any opportunity to escape was just a test, and that failing the test would result in horrible punishment. So they believed that Yuri Gagarin was just another setup to catch disloyals among them.

"Come on, let's go!" Yuri Gagarin insisted. "It is not often that I am optimistic about anything, but I am optimistic about saving you."

They did not budge.

"They are not the brightest beings in the bulb, are they Penny?"

"I think they are just scared Yuri my friend. But they are already in a big truck, why don't we just drive them there?"

"The truck could have a tracking beacon Penny."

Penny doubted that possibility. "You could be right, but my sensors do not detect one. Perhaps I could try to communicate to them that they are safe now?"

"Go ahead, but I don't know how you could do so better than me..." Yuri Gagarin moped.

Penny made a bunch of ASL hand signals to them, reassuring the people that they were safe and free to go now. She added that she was an EA-built robot unaffiliated with the corporate empire of Amazon, and so they had no reason to be afraid of her. For the most part they seemed unconvinced, because they were never taught sign language as that counted as a form of speech. The hand signals they made to each other was a simple code they made themselves, which was punishable whenever they were caught doing it.

Yuri Gagarins brief optimism about the situation seeped away. "Why does everything have go be so complicated and hard! Oh, woe is us!"

She grabbed Penny and held her for comfort. "Oh, my dear Penny! Do you see now the sins of capitalism?"

"To be fair Yuri my friend, many capitalist nations have placed an embargo on the Republic of Amazon for their treatment of their workers. And some other major companies refuse to do business with them. These genetically modified humans were on their way to a communist country anyway... So it is not merely capitalism at fault, but a few corrupt individuals who have a lot of power, and that is a recurring theme in every system. And I mean no disrepect to you by saying that!"

Yuri Gagarin held Pennys shoulders and looked at her eye to eye. She smiled. "You remind me of Freedom Sayori sometimes."

Penny frowned. "Sorry..."

"No no, I meant that as a compliment! I may dislike her beliefs, but I have... A strange respect for Sayori as a person. She is naive, but she is no hypocrite and practices the freedom and kindness she preaches."

Penny giggled. "Hehehe.. I think you like her Yuri!"

"What? No! Never!"

"We should get these people to safety now Yuri. The driver too. Even if there is a tracker, what can Amazon do against a Polendina and a Rocket Girl?"

Penny's sweet and determined smile brought some optimism back into Yuri. "You are right. I am prepared to fight for what I believe is right. Let us go, Penny, and bring some small justice to the world! Even if it is neglible in the larger picture!"

"That is the spirit Yuri!...I think..."

#Yuri Gagarin

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d-s-winchester · 6 years

Text

Pieces of Me

(gif credit to the creators)

Part One

Master List

Pairing: Jensen x OFC Word Count: 1,555 Warnings: mentions of teen pregnancy A/N: Part one is here my lovelies! If you’d like to be tagged let me know! Hope you guys like it! Anyway, feedback for this is awesome! :)

“Gab let’s go! You’re gonna be late! Don’t wanna be late for the first day of school!” Audrey McIntyre called out to her daughter.

“I’m almost ready! Just need five more minutes!” Gabriella called back.

Audrey shook her head, knowing that five minutes meant ten when it came to her daughter. She wasn’t surprised though, she was the same way when she was sixteen -- although when she was sixteen she took so long because she was trying to fit into her pants at nine months pregnant. In Gabriella’s case she was concerning herself with what lip gloss looked best with the shirt she’d chosen to wear. All things a teenage girl should be worrying about Audrey thought to herself as she poured some coffee into her thermos.

“Okay, okay, I’m ready!” Gabriella said, rushing into the kitchen, as she pulled her backpack onto her shoulders. “Do you have time to drive me or am I walking?”

“Well considering school is like -- oh, I don’t know -- three blocks from here I think walking would do you some good,” Audrey joked. “I’ll walk with you.”

“Isn’t it a little early for you to head to A New Chapter? The bookstore doesn’t open for another hour,” Gabby said as her mother followed her to the front door of their house. “Meetings?”

“No,” Audrey replied, locking the front door behind them. “Just gonna drop by Ariella’s for some breakfast before work.”

“You had breakfast.”

“Poptarts don’t count,” Audrey smiled.

“Wait... mom! You’re only going there because Rob likes to experiment with recipes on off hours!”

“Guilty,” Audrey chuckled. “What kind of person would I be if I turned away free food?!”

Gabriella shook her head, chuckling along with her mother, as they approached the high school. She went up on tiptoe to place a kiss on her mother’s cheek before giving her a small wave and heading up the front steps of the school. Audrey watched her daughter disappear behind the front doors before heading off down the street in the direction of her best friend’s house.

“Knock, knock!” Audrey called out as she walked through the front door of Ariella and Rob’s house.

“In the kitchen!”

“Oh, something smells good!” Audrey said walking into the kitchen.

“That’s because it’s pot roast with some new sauce he’s developed,” Ariella laughed.

“First of all it’s a glaze not a sauce and it’s gonna be freaking delicious!” Rob interjected.

“Pot roast for breakfast? I’ll take it,” Audrey shrugged off her jacket, taking a seat at the kitchen table. “What time did you get up to make this, Rob? It’s only like eight thirty.”

“He’s been up since like five. It’s ridiculous. Why he can’t make these things for dinner, I’ll never know.”

“Because inspiration strikes in the morning, my love.” Rob chuckled as he put plates down in front of them.

“So, any word from Jensen since he missed his last two visits?” Ariella asked as they ate their food.

“Not on my end,” Audrey replied. “I’m sure Gab has talked to him but I haven’t had any contact. It’s strange though, he’s usually always here for the first day of school.”

“I know,” Ariella agreed. “It’s weird not seeing him walking through town this time of year. What’s going on with him?”

Audrey shrugged. “Beats me. For all I know he’s moved again and is working some other low level job trying to find meaning in his life. It’s fine though, I’m sure he’ll show up again soon. He always does.”

Ariella nodded and the friends finished up their dinner for breakfast. When the food was done and the plates were cleared both women stood from the table and pulled on their jackets, ready to head to the bookstore for work. They walked into the small shop, nestled in the center of their quaint but quirky town, and got ready for the day.

Even though Audrey was the owner of the shop she made it a point to be there every day. She didn’t want to have to hire other people to take care of the everyday dealings of the store. She’d loved the shop with every fiber of her being, having worked there since she’d shown up in the small town fifteen years prior. The only person she’d kept on when she bought the store was Ariella. She’d met her best friend in that very shop when they were both stocking shelves at seventeen. From the day they’d met they’d been best friends. Even though the entire town had come to love Audrey and her daughter, Ariella was the only one who didn’t judge her for being a teenage mother when they’d first met.

Once the shelves were balanced and the till was counted Ariella flipped the sign on the door from closed to open and the pair got ready for their day. The influx of customers was nothing out of the ordinary for Audrey and Ariella but by the time lunchtime rolled around the two women were spent. During the lull Audrey took the opportunity to head to her office to finish up on some paperwork for orders that needed to go out the next day. As she was finishing signing her name she heard a knock on her door.

“Just a minute,” she said not looking up from the paper she was signing.

“Only just a minute, jeeze, I thought I was worth more than that,” the familiar voice said.

Audrey’s head snapped up at the sound and looked over at the door. She couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across her face at the sight of Jensen leaning against the doorway of her office.

“Jay, what are you doing here?” she asked, standing from her seat to pull him into a hug.

“Well, I know it’s the first day of school and I know I’m like really late but I figured picking Bug up would be better than not showing up at all.”

“I’d say so,” Audrey grinned. “She’ll be thrilled to see you. Especially since you’ve been MIA lately.”

“I know, I know and I’m sorry for that,” he sighed. “I’ve been busy.”

“Busy doing what? Selling cars? Working at Staples? Mucking stalls?”

“Seriously Aud?”

“What? I’m just saying. I never know what job you’re working these days.”

“If you must know I’ve been busy getting my life together. I got a job as a partner in a firm in Austin.”

Audrey’s jaw nearly hit the floor. She regained her composure quickly and let out a laugh.

“You’re a partner at a law firm? You? Jensen ‘I don’t want to follow in my father’s footsteps’ Ackles is working at a law firm? Is it a real firm or one of those ones you see on TV? Should I call you if I suddenly contract mesothelioma? What about if I get into a car accident? Will you sue the guy who hit me?”

“Audrey,” Jensen sighed.

“I’m sorry,” she said with a laugh, “but this is something I need to wrap my head around. I can’t picture you in a suit and tie everyday. In fact I think the last time I saw you in a suit and tie was my debutante ball and even then that was a tux not an actual suit. Do they let you go to the office in the jeans and flannel you’re wearing now? Because if so that’s my kind of law firm.”

“Audrey. Be serious for just one second of your life, please. I beg you.”

Audrey composed herself and did her best to not continue to mock her ex-boyfriend for his new line of work.

“Ok, you’re right. I’m sorry. So you’re really doing this? The whole law firm, courtroom, depositions thing? That’s your life now?”

Jensen nodded. “It is. I was getting to the point where I realized I needed to have something stable. Not just for me but for Gabby. She needs to see her dad is serious about something. It will help keep her on the right track.”

Audrey nodded. “I get it. Well if this is really happening then I’m happy for you, Jay. Really.”

“Well thanks for the vote of confidence, Aud.”

“What did I not sound serious?”

“Not in the slightest,” he chuckled. “But I know you meant well. So, can you beg off for the rest of the afternoon or are you desperately needed here?”

“She’s not needed!” Ariella called out from her spot at the front of the store.

“Thanks, Ari!” Jensen called back before smiling at Audrey, “So, let’s go do something.”

Audrey cocked an eyebrow. “Like what? The End of Summer festival isn’t until this weekend so there is nothing going on in town right now. What do you want to do?”

“We could get coffee at Greg’s,” Jensen suggested, knowing that Audrey couldn’t say no to coffee.

Audrey thought his suggestion over for a minute before standing from her chair and pulling on her coat.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” she asked, grabbing her purse. “Gotta get to Greg’s before he runs out of coffee.”

“He only runs out of coffee when you’re there.”

“That’s fair,” Audrey shrugged.

Jensen followed Audrey out of the shop. They both said their goodbyes to Ariella and headed toward Greg’s diner for the much needed coffee.

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diaryofsecrecy · 2 years

Text

A bit over 6 months ago, I got the cloest to ending my life than I ever had before.

What got me there doesnt really matter in hindsight, nor in the moment. As sadness seems to strike everyone at any given time, for no rhyme or reason. It is so easy to allow ones thought to wonder into despair. & for a person whom has a tendency to wonder in general, it has been especially difficult to stay grounded both physically and mentally.

Lot has gone on since then.. ended the life I had presently, Closed it all out completely. Ended 5 years of a relationship I felt I would need all my life.

Found a New home, of my own. It small, it temporary, but.. it feels so freeing. When I go out I have this comfort knowing I can do or say anything without anyone to wonder why I choose whom I consern myself with, and when I get home it all feels so comfortable to my individuality.

Went to school, got a New job. First adult job really, with all the benefits and what haves. Amazing to think that a bit of selfish passion in a career direction can be so rewarding. Has it been easy, absolutely fucking not. Am I greatful of all the new paths I can see myself leading, yes. Greatful doesnt cover it and I am glad I allowed life to do me justice rather than robbing it of the chance.

I've lost over 200lbs, staying busy, watching what I eat and focusing on the end goal.

Who do I want to be remembered as? Well, for starters, my next door neighbor sure set the bar high. A women of God, recklessly loving, force to be reckoned with. She stayed herself no matter the trials she had to face for many of her last years. If I could be half the women she was, that alone would encompasses so many lives in big and small ways. That's who I've always been called to be, and with intentional moves, I belive I can be a women she would have been proud of.

Firm. Strong. Determine. Compassionate. Loving. Empathetic. I have that, just need to channel it toward positivity on my behalf as well as others l, rather than emptying myself to refill those around me.

One step at a time and I hope to never look at myself again as I once did.

When I get life more figured out I am keeping faith that the right people, places and things will open my life up to opportunities I would have never imagined for myself.

Sidenote, I still think about him multiple times a day. Much like an addiction I feel tainted even with his absolute absence. I wonder more than anything else if it was ever real. The passion. Familiarity, soul connection I felt or more of a make-believe coping mechanism for us to carry on though own life darker chapters. Feels As if he has left a part of himself inside my head. Every song I hear differently. When i speak with new people and we are bantering back and fourth, even in a flirtatious way, i so often compare it to our first encounter that didnt feel like a first at all. Sigh. I wish he understood how deeply I care but as he told me before;

"Somethings are just better left unsaid until it is time to conquer what you need to help you through all things in life."

It's a run on sentence and I'm in love with the way i can still him the way his lips would say it, with kind eyes and his crooked guestered smile.

As much as I want these next few months to be not pleasurable for him. I want nothing but for him to have peace. Even if this was real for him, which I have a deep feeling it wasn't, I want him to wake up each morning truly happy. To fall asleep fufilled and to feel that warmth of comfort when his restless mind is drifting. To be pampered and appreciated and to have someone that listens to all of his fast, fast thought processes, to slow him gently enough yet never hold him back from exploring all he ever desires. Even if it is not to my benefit in any way shape or form.

In the meantime, I want to fix me completely, because should I ever find someone i feel this intimate about.. I want to be a women that he can not go on living the same without. I dont want to be the girl he talked to and thought highly of. I deserve it to myself to be the Women he firmly had to stand beside because he didnt want to miss another moment an amazing Journey with a life partner.

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missstormcaller · 6 years

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CAN’T FEAR YOUR OWN WORLD Vol.II Part 2 Full Translation

(This is part 5 on the app, chapter 7 continued.)

A few days ago - Department of Research and Development.

"Good grief, quite the stubborn one aren't you. I'm surprised your attitude is still uncooperative." Kurotsuchi Mayuri remained expressionless in the presence of the test subject before his eyes as he gave utterance to these words. There stood a large cylindrical glass tank. Inside, it was half filled with some sort of liquid solution, a woman who was currently submerged in that solution only up to the lower half of her body, raised her voice in anger.

"…How does it look as if I'm going to bend to your will under these circumstances? Huuhh!?" Faced with Candice who was in a state of containment as though she was sealed from head to toe, her limbs and the nape of her neck fitted with things like tubes and electrodes, Kurotsuchi Mayuri addressed her in an aloof manner. "That's an odd thing to say. The very moment you were able to shout in such a loud and clear voice, you might at least have realised that you are receiving the highest level of privilege as a specimen." "I have long been aware that you're a nutcase sadist." (TN -- she says サディスト [sadisuto] which is a loanword from the term 'sadist', that in mind the next line should make sense) "What a pity. If I were to put it in your own choice of words, I am not a sadist, but a scientist." (TN -- Mayuri says サイエンティスト [saientisuto] which is of course a loanword from the term 'scientist') "…But you don't deny that you're a nutcase huh." "Looking at it from an average person's point of view, it's only natural that you would perceive the work of a genius as strange. I feel a sense of pity towards those who can do nothing but waver in the face of unexplored endeavours and try to exclude themselves from it. It would only be a waste of time to deal with such people one after another." Candice clicked her tongue at Mayuri who displayed a haughty yet serene attitude. "And? Am I supposed to express gratitude and shed tears for the Shinigami punks who treated my injuries, and at the same time become your pawn?" "It is not accurate to say that your injuries were treated. Rather, we 'rebooted' something that was almost a corpse. Well anyway, during the time you were half a corpse, the experiments which included an autopsy are more or less complete." "Wait a minute… what did you just say!? Autopsy!?" "As far as I'm concerned, I rescued you lot from your cruel master who tried to eat his pets so untidily and without mercy too, not to mention casting you all away, so it's certainly not too farfetched to expect one or two words of gratitude." Whilst fixing a glare at Mayuri who said as such, Candice flashed a bold smile. "Ha… you merely removed the hunting dog collar from our necks. I will not fall so low as to choose a scumbag like you to be my new master."

"It's unthinkable that you would refer to me as scum. Given that I am known as a prominent gentleman among members of the Gotei 13, I don't want to treat women roughly."

"You have the nerve to say something like that and yet you don't consider this rough!?" While disregarding her cries of protest, Mayuri released a heavy sigh as he continued to speak. "In any case, my research into your rare species naturally came to a close long ago. The 'subspecies' known as Yhwach… no, I should say 'original species' to be more accurate shouldn't I… anyway, although it is somewhat trickier to carry out an analysis on you lot who have shared his powers, as long as I have a sample, synthesis of results is an easy thing. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to continuously analyse things until things become messy, just like it did with past samples." Mayuri recalls the many gruesome experiments he used to perform on Quincies. Sometimes he would chop them up, sometimes he would grind them down to fine particles, sometimes he would drill holes into their skulls while they were still alive, and sometimes he would let the Quincy scorch their own fledglings to death during these 'experiment' days. Perhaps there is a reason why the same is not being done to Candice and the others today, whether it's simply 'because that's not necessary' as far as Mayuri is concerned, or there was a change of heart regarding some aspect of his research, this is something that would be impossible for others to comprehend. ---- As for Candice who knew nothing of the miserable fate of those Quincies much less comprehend such a thing, she was unable to accept his words as anything but a mere bluff. "It doesn't make any sense to me. If you've finished your analysis, shouldn't we have been disposed of right away? However, you don't think you can just kill me do you? Because I'll turn every last one of you assholes to ashes before I die! Starting with that Kurosaki Ichigo guy who made a fool of me!" Whilst it looks like idle talk, Candice spoke with an expression in her eyes that said she was brimming with motivation to put up a resistance for as long as she was alive. "That man has already left Soul Society. He is a naive man. So if he was to observe your current circumstances, he would probably complain that what I'm doing is unjust." Easily brushing aside her gaze which looked as if it could shoot a person to death, Mayuri gradually began to insert the 'candy’ into his words. (TN -- In Japan they say "candy and whip" to refer to what is commonly known in the west as a "carrot and stick" approach.) "Anyway, with regard to internal research, no more specimens are required. However, when it comes to actual combat in the future… that is to say, if the lot of you are uncooperative in an examination of your performance in battle, then it will be necessary to replace you with substitutes." "Substitutes…?" Mayuri fixed a piercing stare towards a perplexed Candice as he crafted his words. "I'm talking about that zombie girl and the little girl with a big appetite who mobilised together with the lot of you. It appears that recently, they've been sneaking around Hueco Mundo for some reason or another. Well, all my research concerning the zombie has been completed, and I can also make an educated guess about the big eater's abilities so I'm not particularly interested in them." "……?"

For a moment, she couldn't quite grasp what was being said, but her memory circuit soon made the connection, the sparks of hope that had already disappeared, began to flicker once more. "Hey… just a minute. Lil and Gigi are still alive!? Well then, is Bambi alive too!?" "Ah, if your talking about the girl with the bombs, it seems she's still zombified. Honestly, the one time they had made an appearance before me, they didn't even notice that I had administered tracking bacteria into her system, these so-called Quincies truly are an unsuspecting bunch." At Mayuri's unsettling grin, Candice masked her slight joy with irritation as she spoke up. "…If that's the case, why are you leaving them alone? And even regardless of you, other Shinigami will have no reason to turn a blind eye to them will they?" "Much to my disappointment, in the midst of war, the captain commander and others took the liberty of accepting the proposal to put up a united front against Yhwach. So it's come to be that those girls are no longer considered hostile forces. Dear me, even if it was for the sake of bringing down Yhwach, I think that's being far too lenient." "…United front? You mean, they betrayed his majesty…?" Candice was puzzled by the various facts she was hearing for the first time. However, since she distinctly remembered the feeling of Yhwach robbing her of her powers in her final moments, she extended the scope of her speculations in her own way. "… or rather, his majesty seriously wanted us to…… if that's the case, judging from Lil's personality, she would certainly……" In response to Candice who was mumbling to herself whilst contemplating something, Mayuri proceeded to take the conversation further. Like converting poison, injected in the form of information, into sweet candy. "How about it? For my part, it is said that I have compassion coursing through my veins instead of blood, that is, if the lot of you are compliant…" "……I'd even be willing to return the specimens I've finished experimenting on, back to their Quincy friends."

Present time. In reality, Candice Catnipp did not believe Mayuri's words. She never trusted Shinigami to begin with, but among them, that man named Kurotsuchi Mayuri in particular could not be trusted. Nonetheless, Candice considered it worthwhile to just play along on this occasion and have some means of connecting with the outside world. She took into consideration the possibility of working together with Meninas McAllon who was taken prisoner alongside her, and even the chance of catching the Shinigami off guard and taking advantage of the opportunity if she was able to get in contact with Lil and the others who were still out there. Of course, she can't be too optimistic, but as far as Candice was concerned, it's enough reason to temporarily pose as a Shinigami puppet. Even if the same had been included among Kurotsuchi Mayuri's calculations. That's why Candice did not plan to make any compromise for the task she was assigned to. "Incapacitate the Fullbringer and then secure him." As a Quincy, Candice had always fought against Hollows or Shinigami, however she knew next to nothing about the existence of Fullbringers. She felt as though Lil had told her something about them before, but after all, determining that they were a very small group of gifted individuals who weren't even hostile forces, she didn't pay enough attention to the topic. Nevertheless, Candice had no intention of being regretful of that. This is because she strongly prides herself on the idea that no matter what kind of foe, they would all fail to to keep up with her lightning strikes, nor could they even hope to ward off such an attack. Be that as it may, that pride was once smashed to pieces during the war with the Shinigami, beginning with Kurosaki Ichigo. ---- But it was precisely for this reason, that when her first arrow was repelled and sent flying by that big sword, her limit which was known as being short-tempered, was easily sidestepped. And then, utilising a transfer technique which employed the use of shadows characteristic of the "Wandenreich" and derived from the 'equipment' Mayuri had prepared, she was able to throw an extra large bolt of lightning at point-blank range towards her targets. Although her might has significantly weakened now that she has lost the power of her Vollständig, the blow from her "Electrocution" still far surpasses any lightning in the realm of nature. Kurotsuchi Mayuri who was observing the lightning strike from a fair distance away, shook his head whilst his eyes narrowed. "Oh for crying out loud, apparently the meaning of words 'Securing a target' has not been properly conveyed." The lightning strike was unleashed with the intention of completely reducing her opponents to burnt cinders. As a thunderous noise that tore through the very space itself reached his ears after a few seconds of delay, Mayuri released a sigh with a blank expression on his face. "I don't remember preserving her so haphazardly to the point where her brain tissue would be made to decay." At Mayuri's back, the throaty voice of a man could be heard. "I told y~o~u so, didn't I? I said that tomboy seems to lack refinement, and therefore she's not suited to this kind of delicate operation…" "Who permitted you to speak?" Without turning his face to look, Mayuri pushed a button in one of his hands whereupon the crackling sound of an electric shock came from behind him, corresponding with that, the shrieks of a few men and women resounded through the air. "Hmph…in the presence of ultimate beauty, this amount of lightning is practically a spotlight for me!" "Argh… quit making any more noise! Why must we all be implicated and receive an electric shock!" "Perhaps it's better to ask, why the all-important Charlotte is jumping around with so much health and vitality!" "He increased the strength just when I thought I was steadily getting used to this…" Four people characterised by white garments and scars on their bodies, each sang their own praises or let slip words of complaint. Charlotte Chuhlhourne. Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio. Cirucci Sanderwicci. Luppi Antenor. They are powerful members of the "Arrancar" who would not normally exist in Soul Society. Treated as deceased and brought back to life in the Department of Research and Development long before Candice and the others, they were forced to serve as members of the "Kurotsuchi Corpse Unit" which simultaneously held elements of being both a test subject and a hunting dog. In the end, Dordoni and Cirucci who were well prepared to accept jobs in the form of a contract, have not yet lost heart for the sake of their own objectives, Luppi has half abandoned hope and accepted the state of affairs around him, and Charlotte seems to enjoy his current situation to a certain extent, each had varying agendas. "What's more, was it really necessary for us to come along on this trip?" At Dordoni's query, Mayuri uttered his reply in a detached manner and without averting his eyes from the lightning.

"You will be a sort of suppression device in the event of a malfunction with the Quincy specimens. Haven't I effectively communicated to you my benevolent mercy which is allowing you to breath in the outside air this very moment?" "If you merely want to suppress them, you can use the electric shocks and poisons you're so proud of." "Hey wait, quit provoking him. What's to be done if we receive electric shocks by being implicated again?" Cirucci muttered idle complaints and Luppi rebuked her for it, meanwhile Charlotte struck an enigmatic pose in a spot that was a little further away. "Anyway, what happened to the promise of letting me meet up with that orange-haired niño?" At Dordoni's words, a bored looking Mayuri gave a shrug of his shoulders as he replied. "I'm going to bring you along to the next best thing. After all, the target to be captured this time, was a substitute Shinigami same as that Kurosaki Ichigo… a man who lost his life by suffering a defeat at the hands of Kurosaki Ichigo." Hearing those words, Dordoni's facial expression became tense. "Woah… he actually killed a fellow human being rather than a Hollow like us, has he cast aside that innocent nature of his? If that's the case, I suppose I can't call him ‘niño’ anymore." "He's quite an extraordinary specimen, for a human. Moreover, he is also the man that once cut down the Quincy Ishida Uryū." Then, Cirucci who appeared to be uninterested until just now, raised her voice. "Huh!? Just a minute, stop screwing around! You don't mean to tell me that irritating Quincy four-eyes, was easily knocked down by that nobody over there!?" "Oh, and if it's true, then that fact alone would be proof enough that he's not a simple 'nobody'. Well, that's precisely why I ordered the Quincy corpses to recover him this time." In response to Mayuri who continued with his observations, Luppi mutters something as if speaking to himself whilst looking in the direction of the flash of light which gleamed brightly. "Recover you say, at this rate there's probably nothing left of them by now." However, there was no sign of anxiety on Mayuri's face. "…Interesting." "Huh? …What is, that?" And finally, the smoke that rose up from the scene and the afterglow that was scorched into the back of their eyelids simultaneously began to fade, watching what materialised within their field of vision ---- every member of the corpse unit including Luppi, widened their eyes. Whilst smiling in content, Mayuri compared the data streaming in from his observation mechanism with the spectacle before him. "If that is part of the power of his 'Fullbring', then I am truly intrigued."

#CAN'T FEAR YOUR OWN WORLD #CFYOW #BLEACH #bleach novel #mytranslationtag #Mayuri Kurotsuchi #Candice Catnipp #charlotte chuhlhourne #luppi antenor #cirucci sanderwicci #Dordoni #ginjo kugo

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