#I’ve never drawn my hunter in the same outfit twice

[royaltea000]

This Barbie has killed and become god! 💖✨

#this was supposed to be for Halloween but I’m a very slow worm… #listen what else are you supposed to wear if you effectively already live in Halloweentown #I’ve never drawn my hunter in the same outfit twice #he’s literally just a Barbie doll to me #bloodborne fanart #bloodborne art #bloodborne hunter #the good hunter #digital art #my art #artists on tumblr #digital illustration #barbie #the barbie movie

[fifteenleads]

amīcitia

Chaos amidst order, like fire burning water itself.

All in all, a dire situation, Osamu muses. He means not to wax poetic, but there is a certain beauty, too, in sheer madness.

His grip on the floating plank tightens, willing his weakened biceps to work with him, even as the rest of his submerged body shakes in earnest in the freezing river water below. The dark clouds overhead thicken as lightning strikes the distant altar; the Hydraean is not pleased with Ryuunosuke, and the result of that displeasure is the destruction of Altissia.

While First Secretary Ango had promised protection for the Oracle for the Rite of the Summoning, he did not extend the same to the fallen Prince and his deplorable retinue, who will actually face the Trial and receive the Astral's blessing for it. It was an unfair deal Ryuu accepted, regardless— nothing else mattered to him, so long as his betrothed is kept safe.

A laughable sentiment— Ryuu never considers Lady Kouyou as anything but an estranged older sister, yet he remains utterly devoted to her, nonetheless. Their shared grief over the loss of Kyouka during the Siege of Tenebrae had bonded them in a twisted but tragic understanding to do everything it takes to survive.

It was the only principle Ryuu swore to live by as they embarked on their journey to reclaim Lucis from the Empire— his last order to them, in fact, before everything began and went to hell.

An order, it seems, he won’t be able to see through to the end, as Imperial soldiers stare him down, like vicious hunters to helpless game, trapped without any form of escape.

Osamu considers his limited options at this point— the most logical one would be to swim away, let himself get swept by the unnaturally strong current down the major canals into the open bay. Ango had mentioned something about boats in the briefing; maybe he could commandeer one of them and make his way to the altar post-haste. The other, more impulsive one, is to muster the little strength left in his thin, untrained arms, and teach these glorified lapdogs a lesson in humility for daring to underestimate a half-dead Crownsguard with only raw intellect and an uncanny secretarial experience to show for it.

To be fair, though, he did take combat training with Kunikida seriously— or, at least, as much as what was expected of him at bare minimum. Those lectures on ‘ideals’ and ‘expectations’ didn’t rub off him as much as they both would have wanted, but who needed physical prowess when he had aptitude for harnessing the King's magic?

That sentiment now bites him hard in the back, with the King long-dead and the Prince, too, now feared dead. ‘Don’t blame me when you’re all alone out there, Dazai.’

A small voice in his head tells him to just let go of the plank and let himself sink— a lot easier for everyone, by far.

Osamu levels his would-be executioners with an unnaturally serene gaze. With more than half of the city destroyed by Divine Wrath and the remainder plunged in utter chaos, it wouldn’t be surprising if a member of the Lucian Prince’s entourage winds up dead or permanently incapacitated at this point. Atsushi would probably sense it— he did always have the strongest affinity with the Armiger, probably more than its actual owner, Ryuu himself. Kunikida, who’s always had his back since they were children, would just know — theirs was an unconventional partnership, enough to overturn propriety and station twice over, and then some.

And Ryuunosuke— His Royal Highness, whom he is tasked to protect and mentor— Osamu feels genuine regret at the prospect of leaving his young charge to face the rest of his life alone, all because of a fleeting moment of cowardice. He had been looking forward to teasing Ryuu at his wedding as one of the royal groomsmen, too, but that certainly isn’t happening now.

He closes his eyes and lets go, one finger at a time. Everything around him slows down— the rumble of explosives, the clap of thunder, the sound of gunfire, then—

— the shrill of a drawn blade, followed by two thuds and a loud splash, and Osamu feels himself being pulled to safety and roughly thrown onto the pavement. He barely has time to process the dead soldiers beside him before he feels a strong kick to his gut.

“I’ve always heard that the brat Prince’s shady advisor is an impossible man, but I never expected him to be this much of a mess,” intones a cocky, nasal voice from above him. Osamu looks up at his unwilling savior by instinct, and instantly resists the temptation to laugh. It seems that the rumors about the High Commander of the Imperial Army being a Napoleon are actually quite accurate, after all.

Osamu immediately rises to his full height, dispensing with any courteous gestures right off the bat; his head bows and knee bends to no one else but his own Liege. “I suppose this is the part where I express my deepest gratitude for saving this worthless life, Lord Chuuya Kashimura Nakahara, High Commander of the Imperial Army of Niflheim, First Prince of the Imperial Province of Tenebrae, younger brother to Lady Kouyou Tokutarou Ozaki, Venerable Oracle of the Six.” He cocks his head to a side, as if to ask if he had missed anything.

The recitation of his full title elicits the desired effect, and Lord Chuuya comes at him with full force, roughly grabbing Osamu by his dress collar and yanking him down to his level. “Do not speak Sister’s name with that plummy voice of yours, Lucian scum. It is your royal brat’s selfishness and naivete that brought her into this whole mess.”

A mess which, until now, he still has yet to forgive, Osamu does not say, looking directly into those clear eyes, blue as the sky, yet burns brightly like fire. For a moment, he thinks he is looking into Lady Kouyou’s eyes, deep red as the sunset, yet calms gently like water. It is the only differing trait between the two half-siblings, as they share everything else like copies of each other, from the bright salmon of their hair to the sharp angle of their jaw, down to the unwavering pride with which they carried themselves as heirs to the Royal House of Tenebrae, even as they were abruptly orphaned, deposed, and held captive as political prisoners, acting in the interests of the Empire against their will.

Lord Chuuya, it seems, still retains that fire of rebellion within him, just as Lady Kouyou still holds the quiet spark of revolution close to her heart. It makes Osamu relieved, in all honesty— ‘He still holds you in high regard, Your Majesty.’

“What are you grinning about, Advisor?” The Crusading Prince spits out at him, his voice dropping several octaves as the grip on his collar tightens in all earnest. Osamu widens the space between his lips a little further in response, before finally deigning to reply, “Nothing at all, Your Highness. I am merely amused at how the Imperial Raiment hardly suits your frame at all.” There is no lie in this, either; the stiff, white robes marking one to be from the Empire are made to appear large and imposing— neither of which befits Lord Chuuya’s lithe form at all. Still, he manages to make it work, somehow, and make the outfit his own, in more ways than one.

There is a short silence as Lord Chuuya considers his words, before Osamu feels the tight sensation around his throat loosen and he remembers to breathe once more. “Enough of this farce. We merely waste time here,” the Prince huffs indignantly before brusquely turning in the other direction. “You are coming with me, Lucian Advisor. We find my Sister and that royal brat of yours.”

Lord Chuuya does not give Osamu time to assent, instead trudging ahead along the ruined walkway, angrily kicking the stones along the path. Osamu could sense palpable anger from his hunched form, and the growing urgency and desperation from beneath it. He is reminded of Kunikida’s forcefulness for a moment, and it makes him want to hold on to his life just a little longer for now.

‘You must survive,’ Ryuunosuke had told each of them, coal eyes burning with grief and rage as they watched Insomnia be consumed from the far outside, with no way back in. ‘Promise me.’

“As you wish, Your Highness.” Osamu puts his hands in his pockets, slowly moving forward until he falls into step with Lord Chuuya. Time, too, flows normally once more— the rush of the river current, the crackle of boots on gravel, the howling of a far-away tempest, then—

— a slight pause, followed by a deal to start a partnership, as unconventional as the last. A temporary truce, too, for so long as they have loved ones they cherish and wish to keep safe. “If we’re doing this properly, Your Highness, you might want to know your companion’s name as early as now, just so we can coordinate our attacks properly later, should the need arise.” Osamu follows with a smirk, for added measure— surely, someone who serves in the military should recognize the benefit of the practical suggestion.

Lord Chuuya merely raises an eyebrow incredulously. “What the hell are you talking about? Of course I know your name, Osamu Dazai,” he says in a much more relaxed tone, the sudden use of informal language momentarily throwing Osamu for a loop. A snort leaves his lips before he could stop himself, which soon blows into low, controlled chuckles as he turns away, clutching his sides with one hand and covering his mouth with the other.

Annoyance creeps into the Prince’s voice once more as he questions the sudden fit. “What’s so funny, Dazai?” It takes Osamu a full minute to calm down as he wipes tears of laughter from his eyes. “Nothing at all, Your Highness— or, should I call you Nakahara instead?” he offers, as if to return the unexpected courtesy granted him.

There is hesitation in Lord Chuuya’s stilted movements as he raises a hand to the back of his head, absentmindedly threading the long, red mane there, still dripping wet from the rescue earlier. “... Call me ‘Chuuya’,” he asks instead, looking away, a slight flush on his cheeks. “Only the Niffs call me Nakahara. It makes me feel… quite uncomfortable.”

‘Do forgive him his rudeness,’ Lady Kouyou had apologized for him long before. ‘He is actually quite a gentle child.’

Osamu smiles at the memory, noting all of these things in Chuuya and more. ‘Indeed, he is. You must be proud of him, Princess Kouyou.’

It was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen, befitting only her alone: ‘I indeed am.’

“Very well, Chuuya, since you doth insist so much,” Osamu complies, raising his tone to that of the plummy impersonation the Napoleon Prince hates so much, “but blame me not if I end up calling you names you might dislike. Consider yourself warned.”

The well-placed taunt elicits the desired effect, and Osamu merrily skips on ahead, effortlessly dodging Chuuya’s attempts to stick his daggers into his back. It’s a much easier feat than drowning himself, by far, and surviving seems a lot more bearable now.

Hope amidst despair, like sunlight dispelling the darkness.

All in all, a fortunate circumstance, Osamu muses. He means not to wax poetic, but there is a certain beauty, too, in subdued contentment.

#bungou stray dogs #soukoku #skk #dachuu #dazai osamu #nakahara chuuya #final fantasy xv AU #episode ignis AU #ignis!dazai #ravus!chuuya #first meeting #platonic / romantic compliant

[chaniters]

Fic villains.

One thing I like a LOT about making fics is creating my own supervillains for the heroes to fight. It's like having action figures all over! Right now I’m trying to work in better backstories for my next villains. 

Also, hoping to improve my character creation skills...

I still have trouble processing the fact that @kruk-art decided to draw some of them! 😻😻

Here's the rooster that I've come up with for my fics so far:

Original villains

1.- Darkfist: Role: Thief//Mercenary//enforcer. Motivation: Money Commits superpowered robberies, mostly banks. Does tend to go alone most of the time, but can be part of a team if paid to act as an enforcer. Doesn't care much for what side he's in as long as he gets paid. Works for the best bidder (usually Hollow Ground). Isn't a killer if he's the one calling the shots, but will kill if hired to do so.  He's fiercely loyal to his loved ones and always keeps them out of his masked life.   He took the hero drugs as a means of escape from a life of poverty. He initially tried to become a local hero but grew disillusioned. Usually burns all the money he gets pretty fast in huge parties, men, women, whatever. He has few friends and a goes on and off into short but very intense relationships. He generally tries to end them in good terms, has commitment issues.    Appearance: Korean parents, deceased. Shorter than one would expect due to his reputation. Short hair. Well-formed muscles, and very agile. Powers, abilities: Intense martial arts training. Can teleport short distances at will leaving a cloud of dark smoke. Teleportation charges him with dark energy of unknown origin that he must discharge through his fists else risking it detonating on him.  It's his signature move, and he uses it to instantly hit his target without giving them a chance to dodge. Dark energy is devastating. Specialty: Beating other superheroes is what he does best. He beat most of the rangers including Sidestep back in the day (he could only dodge him twice before getting pummeled). His streak ended when he faced Anathema, and he lost BADLY, and almost didn't make it alive. Ending: Fights against Herald during an attack on the Ranger's HQ. Herald lures him into teleporting to attack him while going through a window, causing him to fall to his (presumed) death.

2.- Pathos:   Role: Assasin. Motivation: Obsession with killing. Obsession with beating Sidestep. He was one of the instructors at the farm, training Psychics there. He trained Psychic and was sort of a vague "Father figure". He retired shortly after. He was blackmailed by the farm forcing him to return and help fix Sidestep once he was recaptured Sidestep (suicide scar) puppeteered him into trying to choke him to death, though the guards stopped him. That left an obsession with killing that lingered in his mind, growing stronger as time passed. Eventually, he couldn't help it anymore and started committing random murders. Once he realized he couldn't stop, he assumed a supervillain persona and began working as an assassin for the corporates of Los Diablos and beyond. He has a wife and two daughters that know nothing about his villain escapades, they just believe he keeps working in secret projects Appearance: Caucasian male in his late 50's. Black body-suit. Moustache and beard. Weapon: Metal cane he carries around while walking. It has a retractable blade. Powers, abilities:  Psychic. Not nearly as powerful as Sidestep, especially post HB sidestep. Still, more experienced than him. Mastery of illusions. Is never where he appears to be. Moderate Martial arts training powered by powerful psychic combat. Specialty: Beating Sidestep. He can break his barriers and basically walk over him since he thaught him ALL his tricks. Murdering people without them being able to stop him. Ending: Shot in the head by Lady Argent while trying to kill her detective fling aboard FarmaCore's ship.

3.- Catastrofiend Demons: Role: Minion/enforcer Controlled mutation: A special kind of superhero drug developed by the Catastrofiend, that doesn't provide random powers nor has a chance to kill. The drug turns normal humans into powerful hulking creatures that can walk both in 2 or 4 legs with ease. Claws and sharp teeth that can produce mild injury even to some "invulnerable" superheroes. Greatly enhanced senses, agility, and strength. Bestial, loss of sentience. Rarely ever speak after their transformation.  Appearances: Sidestep's nightmares of escaping the Catastrofiend. Brought back in numbers by Farmacore. Specialty: Minions, an army of doom. Obedient. Possible link to extra-dimensional entity unconfirmed. Ending: (All?) of them destroyed on board FarmaCore's Large cargo ship as it burnt, exploded and then sunk into the Pacific.

4.- Dark Energy Man// Jake Black: Role: Vengeful human//Posessed human//emissary of evil extradimensional entity Possessed by the same extra-dimensional entity than the Catastrofiend. FarmaCore and it's associated doomsday cult had attempted for years to reproduce the conditions that led to the initial gate's opening after the Catastrofiend was killed. An unloyal employee sold some of the special hero-drugs they were experimenting on and sold them to Jake Black. Black had lost his partner to the Cartel's drugs and wanted to take on them. His idea to take the hero-drug was partially a suicide attempt, but it worked and gave him powers. He believes he had the power to disintegrate objects and people by creating dark holes in reality. Unbeknown to him, these were just the portals FarmaCore was attempting to create, and he became possessed as something came through and entered his body. Unlike the original catastrofiend, the entity thought his personality useless and simply devoured it, joining the rest of the cultists at Farmacore as their new savior while trying to open the portal.  Powers, Abilities: Creating portals to a dark, outer dimension populated by shadow nightmares that eat human flesh. Tossing portals at enemies.  Creating dark energy shields around himself. Specialty: Creating a portal big enough to summon the Demigod of the dark realm with the aid of FarmaCore's tech and cultists. Ending: Killed by Ortega using the Demigod's own energy against him.

5.- Eldritch:   Role: Mutated human//Alien-like savage entity// Sentient non-human entity. Consuming the hero drugs without truly understanding the consequences, Olivia underwent a transformation, changing both physically and mentally.

She quickly transformed into a non-human creature and lost quickly lost the ability to tell right from wrong being overcome by primal instincts. Her primary concern turned to survival at any cost. 

Appearance: Permanently mutating form and shape. Hulking monster, large aquatic snake creature, giant behemoth trashing buildings, smaller alien-like humanoid, regular human (copying a human's form). Powers: Mutates into different organisms at will. Gain or lose limbs, creating bioweapons within her own body. Creating other lesser organisms as her minions. Requires rich biomass to sustain itself. Specialty: Terrorizing the city sewers. Terrorizing the city Godzilla style. Growing armies of mutated monsters. Escaping Geni-tech hunters Ending: Escaped into the sea with the aid of Sidestep who restores her sanity.  Holds a grudge against Geni-Tech.

6.- Aegis:     Role: Super-powered hunter. "Reformed" Supervillain  (former name Darknight) A powerful supervillain known ad Darknight, she managed to gain corporate support in exchange for favors and gained the Governor's pardon for her past life's crimes. She acts as a bounty-hunter for powered villains and creatures that corporation need for their experiments. With her newfound wealth, she enjoys numerous contacts, her own battalion of corporate soldiers and many high tech devices. She is attracted to both men and women and has Genitech's CEO dancing around her finger.   Appearance: Hulking tall and muscular woman with dark hair and Nordic features and impressive muscles. She towers over most of her enemies. Unlike most Enhanced, she has access to drugs and painkillers that very far beyond what everyone else gets. She rarely feels any pain from her enhancements. Powers: Boosted: Can create forcefields of green energy around herself for protection, or detonate when in contact with enemies for offense, causing massive damage. Her reasons for becoming Boosted in the first place are unknown.  Enhanced: Enhanced arms, legs, and spine. She is extremely strong and agile. Her mods can turn into a turbo mod granting her brief periods of blinding speed, which she uses to collide with enemies and detonate her shield at max speeds.    Weapon: Articulated electrical whip. Can be used to choke or electrify opponents, along with cutting through most materials. Ending: After defeating both Sidestep and Anathema, she was tricked by Eldritch, who deceived her by taking Sidestep's appearance, and killed her.

Drawn by @kruk-art here https://kruk-art.tumblr.com/post/182091310695/i-had-the-pleasure-to-draw-sidestep-belong

7. The Crumpler Role: Megalomaniac//Thief//Moustache-Twirling villain.  An unsuccessful salesman suffering a severe inferiority complex, the Crumpler took the drug seeking a way out of a life he disliked. Gaining psychokinesis powers in the form of contracting energy shields, he left a trail of corpses in his path committing robberies and other crimes. Appearance: Long mustache, thin, tall. His outfit seems a bit too big for him usually. Obsessed with looking good for the media and keeping up his 70's villain persona. Bad puns galore. Gimmicks, like leaving crumpled notes about his next robbery at crime scenes.  Powers: Creating red energy fields that he can then contract to a tenth of their initial size, "crumpling" whatever or whoever is inside.  Ending: Defeated the Rangers during Los Diablos's charity ball. Was stopped by Villain MC who handed him over to the freed rangers.       

Drawn by @kruk-art here https://kruk-art.tumblr.com/post/182200055365/some-villains-from-fallen-hero-in-cartoon-style

8.- CEO Richard Elisson:                     Ceo of FarmaCore (company mentioned by Senpai Malin at some point, I don't remember when). He is a cult leader, ally and former lover of the Catastrofiend until her death.                     He knows the entity can be summoned again and attempts to do so by heavily investing in quantum theory and dimensional research. FarmaCore's research fails for a long time until the Dark Energy Man is created, providing him with the solution.                     With the Dark Energy man possessed by the same entity that joined with the Catastrofiend, the two attempt to summon their extra-dimensional overlord into the physical realm.                     Ending: Summoning his master's power through the portal, he attempts to destroy Argent, but Ortega stands in the way absorbing the electrical blast. Ultimately his body cannot handle the energies and he burns to death.

9.- CandyMaster Convicted criminal mobster. Agreed to be experimented upon by corporations to reduce his sentence.

Experiments intended to create a controlled resistance and regeneration to facilitate hero-drug survival rate. The end result caused most of his tissue to be replaced by a crystalline sugar-like substance. He gained excellent control over the growth of these crystals, which can become both sharp and resistant, tough brittle. 

He was a mobster and sociopath before his transformation and went on an overdrive after it. His brain chemistry was affected as well and he became a complete psychopath and hedonist living only for his own enjoyment generally at the expense of others. 

Generally underestimated due to the “Candy” theme he chose for his outfit, he is immensely powerful, able to cause enormous damage, and exerting great control over his ability. 

In combat, he can create sharp candy spikes of any size in any direction, coming from him, or appearing from thin air.  He generally regenerates if his crystalline body is damaged, though it is unknown how much damage can he survive to sustain before death.  

Drawn by @kruk-art here https://kruk-art.tumblr.com/post/181935145790/sooo-those-who-had-read-latest-chaniters-fics

Weaknesses: Very weak against acid. Anathema is his perfect match.  

Ending: Presumed dead when cracked to pieces by Charge. His pieces were not recovered.  

10. HIVE

A group of semi-sentient robots. They were created to be autonomous, using bee-brains interfacing with computers to achieve higher intelligence. Invariably, they turned on their creators, forming hives and serving anything they identify as their queen (Usually the assembly plants building more of them). They are not directly evil, but are hostile to anyone interfering with their affairs, and can be manipulated if someone manages to be perceived as their new queen. 

They have superior strength, some of them can fly, and they can use weapons. They work tirelessly to achieve their goals. They typically use trenchcoats to pass as humans but can be identified once people see their yellow glowing eyes. They are very strong. 

11.- Jupiter

Former Nemesis of Marshall Hood. He was a boost with the ability to generate lightning. 

He enjoyed picking on Hood’s more inexperienced Sidekicks, especially Ortega. Ortega has a special rivalry with him, due to the constant humiliation as his boosts were basically an inferior version of Jupiter’s.

With time, his powers increased exponentially and he was forced to retire and live isolated since he could not control the constant electrical discharges around him, and would cause destruction wherever he went. 

Staying off the grid for 6 years since his last appearance, the villain Vitruvian tracked him down and offered him a powerful techno-suit that could absorb and channel the energy into coherent lightning bolts, using Jupiter as a power source for all of the suit's functions. 

Ending: Drowned at the bottom of the sea after fighting Sidestep, Elyise, Steel and Charge on board a cargo ship. 

__________________

Headcanon Villains (Malin created them, I just made up who or what they are)

12.- Dr. Mortum in his villain suit. I headcanon his suit being mostly robotic, hulking, and with several spider legs added to it. Beam weapons, disintegration ray, missiles, a powerful force-field, and many many other hidden gadgets. When he uses it, he is imposing and greater than life, making Eden (the puppet) blush and swoon like a little schoolgirl groupie. I also headcanon the puppet having an irresistible kink for strong imposing super-powered bad boys and girls in Los Diablos, so when Mortum uses this his individuality goes UP very fast.   Ending: Alive and well. I'd never kill the doctor... I'm just hoping Malin never makes me choose between him or Ortega. Because as I said, I'd never kill the Doctor.  

13.- Hollow Ground I headcanon him having immensely powerful geokinesis, along with several powers gained using the Puppet's (before he was in a coma) abilities to ensure his survival taking the hero-drug several times. Limited invulnerability. Regeneration. Strength. Speed. Very slow aging. Kinetic blasts. (Ok he's op) My headcanon is HG being the Puppets former romantic partner, and it ending VERY sourly.

Ending: Heavily injured by Lady Argent, then thrown by Herald into a pit of lava. (Sry cliche I know.)

14.- Catastrofiend: Ok I made a background for Catastrofiend, that no longer matched after *spoilers*. But here it is.  Name Catherine Fields (Cat Fie... CatastroFiend see what I did there? ... don't kill me pls!!!), she is the head scientist on one of the companies that would later be acquired by FarmaCore. An experiment went wrong, a portal to the dark realm is created and she is possessed by an evil interdimensional entity. The two personalities fuse, creating the Catastrofiend, a cult-leader, powered terrorist,  ally and lover of CEO Richard Elisson, as they seek a way to open a portal for her master to enter the physical world.

14.1 Real catastrofiend: A version of the Catastrofiend revealed in the beta of Retribution. 

15. Vitruvian (Headcanon) /Elyse.

I created a version of this villain (Mortum’s old partner) in two parts. First, I made Elyse, Sidestep’s new telekinetic, slightly telepathic friend. She gains his trust, he teaches her some telepathic tricks... And she uses him to drive the Rangers into her plans. She always seems innocent, but she always performs some unnecessary or odd action that’s easy to miss and those are the moments where she’s enacting her plan. Unknown to them, she is the sinister Vitruvian who seeks to gain access to nano-vore technology to multiply an army of evil robots and take over the city. As Vitruvian she achieves control of the nanites to create buildings and construction domes in minutes, where HIVE droids are created endlessly to take over Los Diablos. 

16. The Void (Headcanon) Awan Cormac’s Handler, turned into a villain. He is a modded sharpshooter, with perfect aim mods and great martial arts skill. He uses an adaptive rifle with energy frequencies that adapt to the target’s resistances.

17. Medea: While a hero in my Cyrus’ fics, she’s a villain in Awan’s world, with reality-altering powers. Awan defeated her in their first battle, but she escaped and is at large. She’s also in a relationship with Lord Ember. 

18. Lord Ember. Another villain only mentioned. I headcanon him with the ability to send a pure stream of hyper-heated fire in a cone ahead of himself, incinerating everything to a crisp within seconds. He’s in a relationship with Medea in that world.  Drawn by @kruk-art here https://kruk-art.tumblr.com/post/182200055365/some-villains-from-fallen-hero-in-cartoon-style

19. Cybra, Cellex, and Cestus: Cyrus’s old team from the farm, forming an evil council to lead his rebellion and free all regenes from human oppression. Cybra can control all electronic devices in a huge radius and can modify her body similarly to Argent. Cellex has hyper acute reflexes and speed. Cestus is both strong and bullet-proof.  

20 Dr. Terror, Dr. Grim, Dr. Blitz: Evil masterminds from the farm, turned sentai Villains

21 Regina/Regis. A sentai-villain version of Regina, leading the apocalypse force and attempting to destroy the rangers. Drawn by @kruk-art https://kruk-art.tumblr.com/post/184877636730/regina-design-for-chaniters-super-sentai

22 Upcoming villain with a reverse process here, this one’s based on a sketch by Kruk

____________________________

My Fanfics: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.

#fallen hero: rebirth #fallen hero spoilers #Fanfiction #my villains

[kentonramsey]

1 Ugly Sweater Vest, 6 Cute Outfits

I found my vest—soon to become a treasured wardrobe staple—at the Brimfield Flea Market two years ago, under a giant white tent filled with vintage gems. The white tent at Brimfield is known for having the best of the best small business vintage shops from the East Coast. Talking to the women who own the shops, you will soon learn that their best finds are always from estate sales. These women are always down for the adventure and are real life treasure hunters. 

As for my vest: I immediately was drawn to it for its distinctive campy design and colors. For the first few years I’ve had this vest, I may have thought it depicted a golf scene, when in fact it is actually tennis. 

The vest tends to receive a variety of feedback every time I wear it. A man on Hinge asked me why I was wearing an ugly Christmas sweater in the summer (Automatic Unmatch, thank you, SEE YA). Another man on the street stopped me to take a picture of the vest so he could buy one like it (he cut off my face in the photo).

Because this vest is so much better than the average vest—so much more complicated, so much more demanding—I’ve found it difficult to style. Below are six looks, which I hope will inspire you to fearlessly mix and match articles of clothing you normally wouldn’t throw together. There are hundreds of outfits, even in the smallest wardrobe. Please enjoy this ugly TENNIS vest, styled six different ways. I hope you find them as cute as I do. 

See All 10

1. The Casual “I Can Glide Towards You” Look 

Skating has become one of the most fun elements of my pandemic summer and, not to brag, but I suck. My dad used to rock these skates in the 8th grade and I have borrowed them from his memory chest without ever returning them. I tied my vintage vest at the bottom to create a shorter top that meets the start of my high rise Levi’s jeans (P.S. these bad boys are on sale rn). For sunnies, I am always attracted to large grandma lenses. These pink ones allow me to skate and see pink… a win win. 

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2. The Picnic Lounge Outfit

This outfit has become my go-to look when meeting friends in the park. The white shorts don’t show butt sweat (key element) and they are light and airy. I decided to only button the vest twice, which shows off more of the shorts. I paired the outfit with some vintage black cowgirl boots which you can’t see (sorry)(but they’re really cute). 

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3. The Any Time Any Wear Get Up

This outfit is 100% thrifted (minus the socks)! I love this look because it is both dressy and casual at the same time. It’s perfect for a day where you’re confused about whether it’s hot or cold outside. I styled it with some white socks, black loafers, and an awkward thumbs up. 

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4. The Grandpa Technique

I thrifted this blue workout suit for $10 and it may be one of my best thrift finds ever. I added some green New Balance sneakers to balance out the green from the vest. Overall this is a 10/10 grandpa look. I’m ready to retire.

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5. The Confused Bundled Up Fisherman 

According to the laws of the universe, when you wear a yellow raincoat you become a fisherman. It is something everyone must deal with. If you’re down for the adventure, you could embrace it and rent a boat, set sail, and never look back. I decided to add my vest on top of the raincoat to give it a revere-layered look. I’m wearing a Patagonia fleece underneath and some navy Levi’s cords. For a fun touch, I also added this blue puff bag and a hat from the Park’s Project. 

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6. Blazer it UP

Here I paired the vest with an oversized colorful blazer, a short skirt and some boots. This could be extremely cute for a lunch date, if and when those become a thing again. Yes, this blazer has shoulder pads in it and yes I like that about it! This outfit is also 100% thrifted. If you’re wearing a vest that is longer than mine, I’m sure you could get away with making it look like a dress, which is what I hoped mine would do here (it didn’t). 

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I’m sure you have a wacky piece of clothing that you bought on a limb that sits in the back of your closet, waiting for discovery and an award winning presentation. I’m sure whatever it is is looking a lot like this right now:

@ssnavarro275

We literally peed our pants making this video #fyp #greysanatomy #pickme #chooseme #loveme #CheckMeOutChallenge

♬ So Pick Me – x_dallas_x

 Your fun clothing is asking you to take it for a walk so it can breathe the fresh air, pick the roses, and wear it with other pieces of clothing so it can feel cherished and loved. 

The post 1 Ugly Sweater Vest, 6 Cute Outfits appeared first on Man Repeller.

1 Ugly Sweater Vest, 6 Cute Outfits published first on https://normaltimepiecesshop.tumblr.com/ 1 Ugly Sweater Vest, 6 Cute Outfits published first on https://mariakistler.tumblr.com/

[neraawritesxx]

Say I Do - Chapter 4

anime: Inuyasha pairing: Sesshomaru x Kagome genre: Drama/Romance words: 6,669 status: Ongoing

summary:  [au] ‘I vow to you today and a thousand times over that I will never let you leave my side.’ The man to whom she was vowing eternal love was supposed to be her husband, not her brother-in-law.

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this work could also be found on ff.net and ao3

Kagome awoke to plush sheets and the soft glow of the morning sun trickling in the room through the crack between the shades. Slowly – reluctantly - she shed the last remnants of her dream, crawling to mental awareness. Her body was languid and she was more than content with keeping her eyes closed, basking in the warmth of her covers. She couldn't remember the last time that she felt this relaxed – this peaceful. Everything in the room was still and she would be damned if she was not going to take the time to laze in this serene moment.

Unfortunately for her, it didn't last very long.

The calm came to an abrupt end when the bedroom door was tossed open in haste, revealing an extremely chipper looking Souten. "Good Morning Kagome!" The olive-skinned woman exclaimed, making her way into the room.

Instead of verbalizing a coherent reply, Kagome released a gurgled wail – a mix between a hiss and a groan – trying to burrow deeper into the safe-haven of her blankets.

"Now don't be like that," Souten 'tsked', coming into the room so that she could toss open the curtains, illuminating the area in a very irksome bright light.

Kagome, once again, chose not to respond. Instead, she tossed the covers up and over her head, trying to block out the sunlight. Curling her knees towards her chest, Kagome tucked the blankets closer to her balled-up form, continuing to discreetly overlook the other occupant of the room.

If she didn't acknowledge her, Souten would leave the room…right?

Her ears picked up the telltale shuffle of feet across the carpet causing her to stiffen. Kagome strained her hearing in an effort to figure out where exactly in the room the crimson-eyed woman was wandering to. Despite her effort, Kagome couldn't seem to place her.

Before she even realized, there was an unanticipated, swift yank on her cocoon of sheets. The ebony-haired woman released a muffled cry of outraged protest, but Kagome's weak attempts in keeping her position engulfed within her covers seemed futile in comparison to Souten's desire to get her out of bed. The battle was quickly lost when Souten successfully jerked the blankets free and divulged Kagome of her hiding spot.

Sticking to her original plan of blatantly ignoring the other woman in the room, Kagome grumbled about the 'unfairness of it all', rubbing the heels of her palms over her eyes.

"Don't sulk. It's not becoming," Souten chided.

"I can't believe that I now live in a house with one of those," Kagome muttered darkly.

"One of those?" Souten questioned from her perch by the bed, curiosity and amusement lacing her tone. One slender brow arched in question as she waited for Kagome to wake up enough to answer.

"A morning person," Kagome hissed lowly, blue eyes slanting towards Souten, pinning her with a half-hearted glare.

Souten chuckled at her anger and politely chose to disregard it, not even phased by the shorter woman's scowl. She dropped the blankets into a crumpled heap at the end of the bed before she turned and ventured across the room, heading towards the closet.

"It's relatively warm today," She called out as she slipped into the depths of the sub-room. "It's humid and sticky from the rain yesterday, but the sun is out." The sounds of hangers shifting accompanied with the rustling of clothes echoed from the closet while she continued to prattle on about the weather.

Kagome shifted on her bed, turning over so that she was laying on her left side facing the wall with the bathroom and closet doors. She took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then released it slowly. Her mind was beginning to come to the very solid conclusion that she would not be going back to sleep any time soon. She also realized that any plans to do so would be easily thwarted. Rolling onto her back, the petite woman propped herself up on her elbows, half sitting up. Blue eyes shifted towards the closet which had now become eerily silent.

"What are you doing in there?" Kagome queried, slipping from the mattress.

Her toes curled on the carpet before wiggling happily as she stretched her arms over her head. A tongue curling yawn passing her lips while she that position for a few seconds longer. Kagome dropped her hands to her side, keeping her eyes glued to the open closet door. After several moments of not receiving a response, she shrugged and turned back towards the bed, fretting around the mattress as she put the sheets back in their proper place.

Souten must have come into the main room when her back was turned – how she approached so silently, Kagome didn't know – because her soft voice answered the earlier question from directly behind her.

"Picking out your outfit of course," Souten responded in a very matter-of-fact tone. Upon watching her employer try and – horrendously fail – at putting the sheets, duvet, and comforter back into their former glory, she asked, "What on earth are you doing?"

"Making the bed," Kagome immediately responded, choosing to overlook the small hint of disparage in Souten's tone.

She liked to think of herself as a neat and tidy person, though she never really had a knack for proper housekeeping. That wasn't going to dispel her from continuing to make the bed, however.

In hopes to change the subject, Kagome added, "You don't have to pick out my clothes, you know."

Patting the comforter lightly when everything was made to her own liking, Kagome turned towards the other woman. Souten was holding a formal, black sheath dress in one hand and a white cotton cardigan in the other.

"I know I don't," Souten started, not bothering to even look at Kagome, her eyes taking in the clothing held out in front of her. "But that is not going to stop me. It's my job to make things easier for you, after all."

Souten suddenly frowned, sun-kissed lips drawn down in taunt, tight line. A skeptical light entered those red hues and before Kagome could question her on what was bothering her, the other woman turned on her heel, back tracking across the room and disappearing once again into the closet. Kagome cast the spot Souten was previously standing in a deadpan look. Shoulders slumping, she huffed dejectedly while making her way towards the bathroom.

"It's not your job to dress me up like a doll," Kagome called out in rebuff.

Flipping on the lights, she almost flinched at the quick and blinding illumination of the room. Venturing towards the vanity, Kagome released a small shudder, bare feet now padding against the cold ceramic tile of the bathroom floor. Turning on the sink, she waited until the water reached a warm temperature before she cupped both hands underneath the faucet, bringing them up towards her face so that she could begin to wash away the last fragments of sleep.

Souten came into view once more, still holding the same dress, but she traded the cardigan for a hunter green blazer. She hung both articles of clothing on the towel hook that was built into the back of the bathroom door, tucking the blazer over the dress as she did so. Taking a step back, Souten surveyed the outfit with those scrutinizing eyes once more. Bringing a hand up to her chin, a slender index finger tapping idly as Souten mulled over whatever it was that she was thinking so hard about.

"I'm thinking black pumps," Souten murmured out loud after a pause, head tilting slightly to the left as her eyes narrowed a fraction. "You could pull off flats, but I feel like they wouldn't look right."

Kagome turned off the sink, patting her face dry with a small towel that was residing on the counter. Tossing away the used cloth, cobalt hues flicked towards Souten. The serious tone that she used during her in-depth fashion analysis caused Kagome to roll her eyes towards the ceiling.

"You would think with the way you are planning out this outfit that I would be attending a red-carpet event."

Souten shrugged her shoulders in response, bringing her both of her hands to rest on her hips, gaze never leaving the clothing hanging on the back of the door.

"If it's one thing my mother always taught me, it's 'dress to impress'."

Kagome released an un-ladylike snort. "Souten I'm serious, you really don't have to do this. I'm a big girl, I think I'm more than capable of dressing myself."

The earnest tone Kagome used caused Souten to hesitate, the hands on her hips dropping down to hang limply at her side. Souten stared blankly at Kagome for a moment; blinking once, twice, before a large, warm smile curled at her lips.

"I wouldn't do anything that I wouldn't want to Kagome," She offered softly.

Crossing the threshold into the bathroom, Souten reached out and grabbed one of Kagome's hands in her own, giving it a small reassuring squeeze. "It's been a while since I've been able to do what I'm paid to do. There's only so much of this house that I can actually clean daily and Lord Sesshomaru is a very reserved man. He doesn't really make all that big of a mess."

Souten paused, pursing her lips in thought for a moment, before adding, "Plus, I don't think he would let me pick out his clothes."

Kagome unwillingly released a small giggle at the thought of Sesshomaru being exposed to this extremely lively woman so early in the morning. She may not know him well enough, but from what she could tell, Souten crossing Sesshomaru's path this early in the morning would definitely not turn out well.

It seemed that Souten was thinking the same thing because her smile grew to the point where it crinkled the corner of her eyes. "It's nice to have another woman to dote on and talk to. You said it yourself that you want us to be friends. Think of this as a way for us to get to know each other."

She leaned in, bumping her shoulder with Kagome's in an encouraging nudge, much like her husband had done the day prior. Getting Kagome to look her directly in the eye, Souten broke into what Kagome could only assume – was her best begging 'puppy-eyed' face.

"Please let me do this," the older woman pleaded.

Kagome instantly knew that this was another battle with Souten that she was not going to win. Accepting her defeat with as much dignity that she could muster, Kagome jabbed Souten's shoulder with her own, a small smile playing upon her lips.

"Alright, I give. Stop looking at me like that, you look ridiculous."

Souten grinned broadly at her victory, smugly giving Kagome a quick 'thank you' before she turned and began dragging the smaller woman out of the bathroom.

"Now with that settled, you need to get into the kitchen to grab something to eat. My instincts – which are never wrong, I might add – tell me that you're going to have a long day ahead of you."

The way she said it made wheels in Kagome's head turn. Souten was aware that something was going to happen today, something that involved herself. Cerulean orbs narrowed at the taller woman's back, though, instead of trying to wrangle information out of her, Kagome chose not to question anything. If it was related to her, she would find out soon enough.

"Now don't come back in here until you've had something to eat," Souten commanded in her best bureaucratic tone, practically shoving Kagome out of her bedroom door.

"Yes mother," Kagome drawled sarcastically, earning a bark of laughter. "If you're going to pick out shoes for me, save myself and everyone else the embarrassment by keeping the heel size under three inches. I'm a notorious klutz."

Kagome didn't have to look over her shoulder as she walked out of the room, she could feel Souten's Cheshire grin boring into her back.

"No promises!" Souten called out, slamming the door closed behind her.

-o-

The kitchen was easily the biggest room in the house.

It was also the most open.

The ceramic tile that made up the floor was a light cream color which complimented the polished oak hardwood of the cabinets. To the immediate right of the entrance was a door that lead into the walk-in pantry, a few hanging cabinets were mounted on the wall to the left of the door. The wall opposite the entrance was mostly covered in glass. Two large windowpanes took up the majority of the expanse of the wall, nestled between them was a pair of elegant sliding glass doors.

Offset and to the left to the doors was a long, extravagant looking glass-top dining table which looked like it was barely used. In the middle of the room was a lengthy, white granite-top island. It was concave in shape, angled so that it separated the left corner of the kitchen from the rest of the room, creating a semi-enclosed space. Nestled in that little alcove was an exceptionally grand, built-in stainless-steel refrigerator and its matching appliance counterparts. There was countertop space built along the left corner of the room, stemming from the fridge and running along the curve of the wall. Along the bottom of the marble top were built-in cabinets, made up of the same wood as the additional ones which hung above.

The light that filtered through the windows cast an intimately pleasant aura, in an almost picturesque type of way. It was like the entire layout was picked out of a home décor magazine. Kagome was sure that when her mother came to visit, the older woman would immediately be struck with kitchen envy.

Upon her arrival, Kagome was greeted with the sight of Shippo pouring what looked like miso soup into two small bowls which were laid out in front of matching table settings on the island.

"It smells delicious in here," Kagome hummed, catching the redhead's attention.

"Good morning Kagome!" Shippo chirped happily in greeting.

"Oh no," Kagome blanched in mock-horror. "You're one of those just like your wife!"

Her groaned accusation caused Shippo to pause, looking at her questioningly with both brows raised.

"One of what?" He questioned, clearly confused.

"A morning person," Kagome groused for the second time in the last half an hour.

There was a pregnant pause as Shippo simply stared at her, mirroring the same expression his wife had worn just before. He blinked at her once before he tossed his head back and released a chest rattling laugh.

'It's scary how similar their reactions are,' Kagome joked internally.

Turning from her, Shippo continued to chuckle, moving towards the counter behind him. Opening the cabinet above his head, he plucked a large ceramic mug from the array of glassware before shifting to one of the intricate looking appliances on the countertop. Kagome caught the distinct sound of liquid flowing before Shippo turned back to her and made his way out from behind the island, glass in hand.

He crossed the room, holding a steaming cup of something and instinctively, Kagome's eyes lit up as the bitter aroma of coffee infiltrated her olfactory system. He stopped just out of arm's length, holding out the glass, jade orbs dancing with amusement. Kagome had no time to indulge in tricks he was going to try and play and crossed the unnecessary distance between them, snatching the mug from his grasp.

She quickly brought the cup to her lips and greedily took the first few sips of the caffeinated liquid, eyes closing in utter bliss.

"Easy there tiger, there's plenty more where that came from."

Much like she had done with his wife, Kagome chose to ignore Shippo's teasing, continuing to sip on the coffee while making her way towards one of the stools near the island. Sitting down, she pulled her right foot up on the seat, tucking her knee close to her chest. Cradling her mug in both hands, she balanced it on top of her knee, azure hues watching Shippo as he resumed his position in front of the stove.

It was silent for a few minutes, Shippo turning on the rice cooker before he cracked two eggs into the pan residing over the open flame. The bubbling sizzle resounded throughout the room.

"Do you need help with anything?" She questioned after half of her coffee had been depleted, finally starting to feel awake enough to assist if needed.

He seemed startled by her question, turning to look at her over his shoulder with wide emerald eyes. The 'deer-in-the-headlights' look didn't last long, Shippo quickly collected himself and shook his head as he grinned at her. He turned back towards the cooking food before he responded.

"No, thank you. You just sit tight and wake up a little more. Something tells me I shouldn't trust you anywhere near hot objects this early in the morning."

Kagome bit down the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him, settling instead to give him a small 'hrmph' while turning up her nose. "I'm going to pretend to not be insulted by that."

Shippo laughed at her sulking, muttering something under his breath that suspiciously sounded like 'definitely not traditional'.

A flash of orange caught the corner of her eye and Kagome turned towards it, pouting momentarily forgotten. Her gaze landed on a neatly stacked pile of paperwork and file folders that resided on right end of the countertop.

It was her paperwork.

A frown furrowed between her brows, confusion evident as her mind come up with an answer as to why her work files were in the kitchen.

'That's right!' She exclaimed internally. 'I was reviewing files out on the patio last night.'

Her realization didn't clear up her confusion, however. It didn't take long for another question to form in her mind.

'How did I end up in my bed last night?'

The logical side of her brain declared that the answer to her question was quite obvious. Unless she had somehow developed a highly advanced case of sleepwalking within the last few days, someone had to have carried her to her room.

The better questions was: who?

Again, the rational side of her brain screamed that there was a clear answer to that question, though Kagome refused to even broach the possibility. No one besides Sesshomaru and herself were in the house last night, but he wouldn't have carried her off to her room. It was her own fault for falling asleep outside and Kagome wouldn't be surprised if he would tell her so to her face. This man – who basically was a stranger – would not submit himself to the lowly task of looking after her.

There was just no way.

Then again, she really didn't know him, did she? Most of the information she had on Sesshomaru was from secondhand sources. Who was she to say that he wouldn't do something like that for her? He had, after all, given her a newly renovated room.

"…Shippo?" Kagome ventured in a hesitant tone.

"Yes?" He replied, not looking up from the stove.

"Did you or Souten come back here last night? For any reason?" Kagome asked though she was well aware of the what the answer would be.

Even if the staff has come back last night, there was no realistic possible outcome as to how it could have occurred. Myouga would definitely not be able to carry her anywhere and, though she was relatively small, Kagome doubted Souten would be able to even lift her. The only one who she knew could complete that task without any real effort would be Shippo. Despite spending most of the day yesterday getting to know him, Kagome seriously doubted Shippo would be comfortable enough to carry her to her room. He would have politely woken her up.

"No, we didn't…" Shippo responded, voice trailing off as he turned his head so that he could look at her. Green eyes surveyed her face for a short moment before he asked, "Why? Did something happen?"

"No, no," She hastily replied, quelling any fears that she might have caused with her inquiry. "Nothing happened. I was just wondering, that's all."

Shippo stared at her for a moment longer, jade orbs narrowing minutely. For a moment, he looked like he didn't quite believe her and was going to call her out on it, but he must have thought better of it. He resigned with a small nod before turned back towards the stove.

Her right hand released its hold on the coffee cup, coming to grasp the ring that was suspended on the delicate silver chain around her neck. With all the packing and unpacking, Kagome chose to wear her wedding ring on a necklace so that she wouldn't lose it. Slowly, she traced the engraved stones on the band while her mind shuffled through the barrage of different questions racing through her head.

'It could be his way of thanking you for the food,' she thought.

Quickly, Kagome swept her gaze down to the other end of the island, looking for any evidence of Sesshomaru even eating the food that she left out last night. Of course, there wasn't any, the dish and her note were long gone. As nonchalantly as she could, Kagome looked towards the sink, trying to distinguish if there were any dirty dishes that vaguely looked familiar to her. It was to no avail. Due to her angle and distance, she couldn't see over the lip of the countertop.

Absentmindedly, she continued to fiddle with her wedding band, twirling it between her thumb and pointer finger.

Much like on her wedding day, Kagome found herself plagued with thoughts of her new husband.

And much like on her wedding day, Kagome was trying to figure out the mystery that was Sesshomaru.

-o-

Sesshomaru found her like that a few minutes later.

As he entered the kitchen, golden eyes immediately took in the sight of her. She looked dazed, staring off at the opposite wall, but not really seeing. Briefly, he wondered if something had upset her; if someone had said something to cause her to be in such a state. Sesshomaru flicked his gaze over towards Shippo – who was contently absorbed in cooking breakfast – and brushed that thought aside as quickly as it had come.

There was no way the young man would continue to carry out his tasks if he knew that he had caused one of the guests in his house any distress.

Then again, Kagome wasn't a guest.

Either way, Shippo was attentive, personally enveloped with those around him. It was one of the reasons why Sesshomaru hired him in the first place. Sesshomaru also knew that if this woman was anything like how his father and half-brother described her to be, then her temper was not to be trifled with. He had only caught a small glimpse of it on the night of the Inuyasha incident, but he knew when she was enraged, she was extremely loud.

It was a stark contrast the melancholy behavior she was presenting now.

No, this wasn't anger or frustration.

Kagome looked lost, confused even.

The movement of her hand captured his attention and Sesshomaru glanced down at her fidgeting fingers. The glint from the sapphire stone was easily recognizable and his left hand twitched in response. The sight of her wedding ring suddenly made the golden band on his own finger feel incredibly heavy. He wouldn't admit it out loud – especially to the likes of his father – but he knew interacting with her would be easier from this point on if he showed that he wasn't making an effort to resist their unique circumstance, hence him sporting his own wedding ring.

And suddenly, it clicked.

He understood the topic that seemed to have her so derailed.

It was him…her…them.

The conversation that he had with his father the day before came back to the forefront of his mind. Sesshomaru chose to overlook a lot of things over the course of the last few days, Kagome being one of them. He supposed that his ignorance was unsettling for her, being brought to this house without so much as a conversation between them. As much as he wanted to place the blame equally on both of them – she didn't necessarily reach out to him either – Sesshomaru had too much pride to allow himself to point the finger at anyone other than himself.

He knew his little stunt at the wedding gave her more questions than answers, but instead of allocating time for her to even inquire, he had all but disappeared the last few days. This entire situation – where they were now – was because he brought them here.

Maybe he avoided her because he would be uncomfortable with the questions that she would ask.

Maybe he avoided her because he was unsure of how he would even answer those questions; if he could even answer those questions.

Sesshomaru didn't want to treat her callously, though he knew better than to treat her like a chummy companion. They were on neutral ground and addressing her as a partner was what he should have done from the beginning. Kagome held her right to question why he had spontaneously intervened at the wedding and he knowingly chose to take that right away from her.

Tawny hues glanced towards her face once more. There was an air of discomfiture around her that unsettled him, paired with this unusual look of perplexity in those blue-gray eyes of hers. There was always something about her that he couldn't place. She was an unknown and he wanted to grasp her, to understand what it was that made her tick.

This woman was going to play such a panicle role in his life and career, but he knew nothing about her.

Instead of fully venturing into the room, Sesshomaru chose to remain in the archway, not making his presence known as he apprised her with creased eyes.

She continued to twiddle her ring, dark brows drawn down in concentration. Before long she stopped, tilting her chin downwards so she could gaze at the band clutched between her fingers. Kagome situated herself properly on the stool then, placing her coffee mug on the countertop before she brought her hands to the nape of her neck. She played with the clasp of the necklace for a brief moment, the chain parting with little effort. Carefully she unwrapped the circlet from the silver strand, holding it out in front of her.

Kagome scrutinized the ring for a concise minute, azure eyes taking in every intrigue and infinitesimal detail. Whatever thoughts she had which caused her to act meekly seemed to have disappeared instantly. The longer she peered at the ring, the more her face set into hard lines of determination. Placing the silver necklace on the counter, Kagome continuing to eye the ring as if it was the answer to all of her un-vocalized questions.

It was another moment before she slid the band on the appropriate finger of her left hand. Something twisted in his gut at the sight of her. She held out her hand, gazing at the sapphire stone nestled on her finger with – dare he say – approval in her eyes.

Before Sesshomaru could contemplate anything further, the shrill voice of his head attendant broke the silence of the room.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Myouga called, making his entrance into the kitchen from the patio. "Good morning!"

Both Shippo and Kagome snapped their heads in his direction. Shippo quickly followed in his elder's footsteps and gave Sesshomaru a lively greeting while Kagome simply stared at him, wide-eyed.

Sesshomaru chose not to bask in her shocked expression, greeting both of his employees with curt nods as he finally crossed into the kitchen. He traversed the room swiftly, long strides carrying him towards the island. He tried to politely ignore the way her wide-eyed gaze trailed his movements as he swiftly and smoothly occupied the chair to her right.

He half-turned to her then, offering her the same brisk nod that he had given Myouga and Shippo.

"Kagome," Sesshomaru greeted.

The ebony haired woman seemed caught off guard by his acknowledgment, her mouth opening and closing sporadically like a fish out of water. It took her a moment to gather her wits before she recognized him in return.

"S-Sesshomaru," She squeaked, bobbing her head.

"I take it you slept well, sir?" Shippo interjected, depositing two large plates in front of both occupants of the countertop. It seemed Shippo chose to keep things simple for the new lady of the house. Each of them received a bowl of homemade miso soup along with a dish filled with steamed rice mixed with natto, topped with a fried egg.

Sesshomaru liked to believe that it was because she was extremely hungry, instead of her wanting to focus on anything other than him, but as soon as the food was placed in front of her, Kagome dug right in. She clasped her hands together and shyly offered a soft 'itadakimasu', trying her best – and failing – to not look in his direction. Sesshomaru followed suit, offering his own thanks for the meal before taking the first few bites of his breakfast.

He swallowed, saffron eyes taking in both Myouga and Shippo as they chatted amongst themselves, moving about the kitchen in an effort to clean up the pots and pans the younger male used to make the meal.

"I did sleep well, thank you." Sesshomaru stated after a moment's pause. "It was relatively quiet here last night. It allowed me to get a lot of things done before going to bed."

His implication was not lost to either of his employees, nor the woman sitting next to him. Both men stiffened, turning their heads to give Sesshomaru matching sheepish expressions. He could feel Kagome's gaze upon him, but he continued to stare down his employees, waiting for an explanation. Shippo awkwardly scratched the back of his head, nervously chuckling.

"About that…" Shippo started.

"Milord, you see it-" Myouga grasped for an excuse.

Whatever they were going to say was lost to Kagome's resolute declaration.

"It's my fault," she aforementioned, all traces of her seemingly bashful demeanor long gone. For a fraction of a second, Kagome seemed almost shocked at her own words, but she quickly collected herself.

Politely, she placed her chopsticks down, determinedly straightening her spine as she turned her head towards him. The strongminded gleam in her eye didn't go unnoticed by any of the males in the room, his employees graciously keeping their mouths shut, watching the scene play out. Sesshomaru graced her with an inquisitive arch of his brow.

The longer she was under the speculating scrutiny, the more her tough deposition seemed to crumble. She squirmed slightly under his glower, but instead of cowering back, cobalt eyes locked with his own and her steadfastness strengthened as she took a breath.

"I wasn't trying to be presumptuous, so I'm sorry if I came off that way, but I sent them home. They helped out a lot in the afternoon, moving everything from the car to my room and such," She explained rapidly. "And um, well…It just seemed silly, you know?"

She was crumbling and she knew it.

"To keep them here when they worked so hard and I figured giving them the night off would be okay. You weren't home and we didn't know when you were coming back and there was no point in them cooking just for me to only sit around and wait for you and wow I'm rambling…"

An embarrassed flush dusted across her cheeks as she finished her babbling, but despite how distressed she seemed to be, Kagome never looked away from Sesshomaru. Her embarrassment eased the small amount of tension in the room, Shippo chortled somewhat, turning back to the sink so that he could continue the task that he started.

Myouga, who was gracing Kagome with an extremely grateful look, offered, "Miss Kagome thought things would be easier for the both of you if you both were alone when you arrived home, Milord."

The woman in question sent the older gentleman a small pointed look of betrayal as if that was the last thing that she wanted Sesshomaru to know. Myouga chose to ignore the glower, offering his employer a small bow. "I apologize for not being here when you arrived home last night Lord Sesshomaru, but your wife is very convincing when she wants to be."

Sesshomaru shifted his gaze between the two, Myouga seemingly feeding off Kagome's previous strengthened resolve, while Kagome was now nervously gnawing on her bottom lip. She looked away from him then, eyes shifting to every other corner of the room.

He didn't understand what she was nervous for, it wasn't like he was the type to yell or scream when something went wrong. He wasn't going to berate her for her choice of action, but he did want an answer to what had occurred. It didn't help that he held a reputation of being vindictively cold towards most people, but Sesshomaru liked to believe that he had a better hold on his attitude within his own hold. Especially towards his staff. He held the utmost respect for him and he returned that respect tenfold.

It didn't help that his bastard of a half-brother was one of her best friends. Sesshomaru could only imagine the things that Inuyasha had said about him over the years, but he wouldn't do anything without reason. Technically, as his wife, she had every right to dismiss the staff if she felt like it. Now that he knew the reason why no one was here last night, he deemed it an acceptable excuse.

In the back of his mind – the very dark corner that he liked to discount on most occasion – Sesshomaru took a small amount of satisfaction in the thought that this woman thought ahead to take into account his own comfort when it came to their first meeting.

"Hn." He hummed, dismissing the situation entirely as he turned back to his meal.

The kitchen fell into comfortable silence then, or at least a comfortable silence for the three men who were used to the inner workings of this household. The only noise was the running water and occasional clatter of the cookware as Shippo and Myouga washed, dried, and placed them back into their respective cabinets. Kagome idly picked at the remainder of her meal, passing glances towards Sesshomaru out of the corner of her eye.

He chose not to outwardly acknowledge her. If she was looking for something to say, she should simply say it. Until then, he focused on with his breakfast, mulling about the different things he needed to get done at work. When he was finished, she was still peeking at him but remained tightlipped.

Sesshomaru pushed the empty bowl and plate away from him before standing. He didn't move right away, looking down at the woman sitting next to him. Kagome, who was still trying her best to continue to watch him out of the corner of her eye, immediately turned towards him. Sensing that that he needed to tell her something, she looked up at him from under dark lashes, fingers nervously twitching around her chopsticks.

"Father thinks it would be best for you to come into the office from now on," He stated with an authoritative tone. "With the merger being finalized it would be optimal for you to start getting yourself acclimated to how things will be run. With that being said, you will accompany me to the office today."

He watched her take in his words, processing them slowly. That fire was back in her eyes again, excited sparks of elation flicking within her orbs. It took Sesshomaru a moment to realize that she was still fidgeting under his gaze, but this time it seemed to be with enthusiasm. The thought of going to work had brought her joy, like a kid who was couldn't sleep the night before Christmas. It was highly amusing to watch.

"Okay," She confirmed with a bob of her head.

Suppressing the small smirk that threatened to curl on his lips, Sesshomaru carried on. "I also noticed that there isn't another car in the driveway, do you not have one?"

Kagome didn't look uncomfortable or ashamed by his question. She shook her head in response, "No, I don't. There was never any need for one since I lived so close to campus and dad's office."

"It's of no consequence, you can ride with me to work." He didn't give her a chance to comment or rebuff what he had said, shifting his body away from the counter as he began striding towards the entryway.

He didn't make it very far before a hand reached out and wrapped around his forearm, halting his movements.

"W-wait!" Kagome stuttered out as she stopped his retreat. Sesshomaru cast her an inquiring look, inwardly attempting to quell the uncomfortable feeling rising up within him as the cool metal of her wedding ring resonated against his bare skin.

"I wanted to thank you Sesshomaru," Kagome stated in a sincere tone. "Not just for the ride to the office, but for everything. Allowing me here, the room, and what you did at the wedding…for this." She emphasized her point by gesturing wildly around the kitchen with her free hand.

"I'm not sure why you did it, but you helped me. You really don't know how much this means to me… so thank you."

The earnestness in her voice took him back slightly and he feared that if he remained under her gaze for long, he would end up being the one squirming uneasily. With a sharp nod, he gently disentangled himself from her grip and continued on his original path towards the entrance of the room. When he reached the archway, he paused to turn to look back at his onyx haired wife.

She had been trailing his exit with her eyes, instantly meeting his gaze with raised brows, looking surprised that he had stopped to turn back towards her. Cocking her head to the side, Kagome patiently waited for whatever it was that he wanted to say.

"For future reference," Sesshomaru's voice monotone voice drawled, "I prefer my curry spicier." He said nothing else after that, turning his back on the trio and exciting the room with the same long strides he used when he had entered.

The tension in the room snapped then; any notion of awkwardness from the previous interactions was suddenly erased. Both Shippo and Myouga paused in their cleaning to share a confused glance, slowly turning towards Kagome for an answer as to what their boss was talking about.

Kagome's mouth hung open, brows drew down in a frown, her shock and confusion evident. Before long, the look of stupor morphed into one of startled delight, a large grin breaking out on her face. The pair of bewildered looks that she was receiving turned even more perturbed as a bubble of gleeful laughter crawled its way up her throat, echoing throughout the room.

"Uh…Kagome?" Shippo asked hesitantly, watching her.

Kagome's ill contained mirth now caused her shoulders to shake. She may not know Sesshomaru well, but she easily recognized that comment being the closest thing she was ever going to get to a 'you're welcome'.

"Duly noted Sesshomaru," She murmured to herself in between snickers, turning back to her breakfast, offering no explanation to the other occupants in the room.

Sesshomaru only made it halfway through the living room when the string of bell-like giggles made their way to his ears.

The corner of his lips quirked up at the sound.

#sesshomaru #kagome #Kagome Higurashi #sesshomaru and kagome #sesskag #inuyasha #Inuyasha au #say i do #Say I Do Chapter 4 #my OTP #my fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #alternate universe #non cannon #Romantic Fiction #Drama

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 9/4/19

Ace of the Diamond, Vol. 23 | By Yuji Terajima | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Seido is reeling from their surprising loss in the final round of the West Tokyo qualifiers. Promptly, the third years retire to focus on college while the rest of the team gears up for the fall tournament. Many pivotal spots have been left vacant, so the junior varsity players are fired up to finally secure a place on the varsity squad. Not fired up are Eijun, who has trouble shaking the image of his pitch hitting a batter, and Kawakami, who squandered Seido’s lead and ruined the upperclassmen’s hopes of making it to Koshien. I always appreciate anything that leads Eijun to a more humble state of being and also really liked seeing Miyuki seriously step up to a leadership role after he is made the new team captain. I’m excited to see how this iteration of the team fares. – Michelle Smith

Barakamon, Vol. 18 | By Satsuki Yoshino | Yen Press – Much of the final volume in this series involves showing us that time is slowly marching on. There’s no time skip or anything, but life keeps happening. Tama gets a manga published. Miwa’s father is leaving to work on a ship, similar to Naru’s father, and Naru and Hina move on to the next grade, though the island is so small that they don’t get any underclassman to be sempai to. As for Handa, he’s become the stable part of the group; still teaching calligraphy, still being a bit of a goofball, but not going anywhere—this is where he belongs now. The overall tome of this series was relaaxing and fun, and that’s how it ended up, with the characters undergoing mild but meaningful journeys. I’ll miss it. – Sean Gaffney

Count Fujiwara’s Suffering | By Mahito Aobe | Yen Press – I’ve talked before about how I think that omnibuses of comedy manga are a bad idea, and this 540-page volume bears that out. That said, I don’t think I’d love this even in single volumes. Count Fujiwara is a cat, whose thoughts we are privy to. He’s dealing with two sisters—one an airheaded NEET who stopped going to school after a past event we only find out about near the end; the other is a more “normal” girl who has an unfortunate crush on her sister—unfortunate in that it contains all the annoying “comedy lesbian” tropes. There’s a speck of a storyline here about what happened to make Shizuka like this, but for the most part it’s “look at the silly girls and their frustrated cat.” You can do better. – Sean Gaffney

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 8 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – I have occasionally wondered as I read a manga where a character discusses the fact that they’ve never felt love like other people if said character will actually end up being asexual. It’s rarely happened, and I don’t expect it to happen here, but it’s an interesting thought. Ayumi’s thoroughly analytical personality is great for a career as a newshound, but very bad when dealing with Takaya, who we’ve known for a while has fallen for her in his quiet, hard-to-read way. Her thesis paper on why they should or shouldn’t go out doesn’t help. Fortunately, we have Kai and Riko being adorable fluffs in love to balance things out. And this time Kagura’s on the cover, but STILL gets nothing to do. Arc when? -Sean Gaffney

Komi Can’t Communicate, Vol. 2 | By Tomohito Oda | VIZ Media – Much of this volume is cute. A classmate declares herself Komi’s rival in the national health exams. Komi attempts to tell (lame) jokes in writing. The gang goes out for ramen after school. Najimi encourages Komi to go shopping for clothes and the gang all chooses different outfits for her to try on and rate. And then there’s Ren Yamai, who has a crush on Komi and promptly goes into scary, knife-wielding psycho mode. I liked that Yamai’s threats against Tadano prompted Komi to firmly state (in writing) that she decides who her friends are, as well as the fact that this whole situation prompted Komi to “talk” a lot with Tadano and allowed for some funny Najimi moments. But I really disliked that, after all Yamai’s terrible, alarming behavior, Komi consents to be friends with her after all. Yamai is the Mineta of an otherwise really fun series. Sad face. – Michelle Smith

Murcielago, Vol. 11 | By Yoshimurakana | Yen Press – The police have had a very odd relationship with Kuroko, for obvious reasons, but they find themselves more drawn into the current case than usual. The people getting eaten by sharks rapidly led to brains in jars, including the wife of Tsuru, who he’s been trying to avenge but sadly reality gets in the way. Also, his partner may be secretly evil? Fortunately, Suiren is saved, and deals with her grief. She’s not even seduced by Kuroko—yet. And so we move on to a new arc, which involves someone going around killing master swordsmen. Murcielago will never win any good taste awards, and its leads are all sociopaths (even the police, to a degree), but it’s fun, and there are some great Kuroko faces here. – Sean Gaffney

One-Punch Man, Vol. 17 | By ONE and Yusuke Murata | Viz Media – When the hell did this get so boring? Its strength remains its humor, and the best parts of the volume are showing off that humor, such as Fubuki desperately trying to rally the incredibly apathetic troops, or Saitama only getting really pissed off because the hero hunter keeps ignoring him. But for the most part, it’s serious fights between serious heroes and serious villains, and honestly I can get that much better in My Hero Academia. The world is also pretty nihilistic here—we need the heroes because the villains are not going to stop and wait for them, as a Private Merc Force finds out when they are quickly beaten and enslaved. I want more funny stuff, please. – Sean Gaffney

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 8 | By Kagiji Kumanomata | Viz Media – It’s time for new employee orientation, including a field trip and a hot springs visit. This actually means a bit more fanservice than the other seven volumes combined, as of course Syalis goes along with everyone—they have to pretend she’s working as a demon in order not to give it away. (This being a comedy manga, the author lampshades that Syalis is in a swimsuit twice within three chapters.) The jokes are the same, though—Syalsi is spoiled and a bit appalling but also too difficult to say no to, and also sort of cute and adorable. At least she’s not gleefully killing everyone anymore, so that’s a plus. It even feels a bit like an extended family now. – Sean Gaffney

Tales of Wedding Rings, Vol. 7 | By Maybe | Yen Press – We’ve hit a new harem manga record with this volume, as fully HALF THE BOOK is set up to have Satou and his fiancées get it on so that they can gain the power needed to defeat the Abyss King. Sadly, for anyone hoping for a payoff, there’s lots of skin and titillation but everyone is still a virgin by the end of the book. We also get some details of the prior hero, who was seemingly corrupted by the situation of “get to bone all these girls” and ended up getting killed by said girls, one of whom is still around thanks to the long lives of elves. Will Satou end up going down the same path? Well, not if this keeps up. This is a good series for fantasy fans but harem fans may be getting irritated. – Sean Gaffney

We Never Learn, Vol. 5 | By Taishi Tsutsui | Viz Media – As with the series’ spiritual successor, Nisekoi, We Never Learn is very good at balancing out each girl in the romantic comedy stakes so that they all get something to do. Unlike Nisekoi, the choice is not obvious from chapter one, either. It doesn’t help that Fumino seems to be honestly trying to help Naruyuki get together with someone else… even as she gets the shippiest chapter in the book, the classic “we have to share a hotel room and there is only one bed” trope. But the others get their moments as well (including the teacher, which I suppose I will have to get used to), and it’s cute, fun, and a bit sweet and romantic as long as you don’t mind it then snapping back to status quo. – Sean Gaffney

Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku, Vol. 3 | By Fujita | Kodansha Comics – Sometimes series can falter after their respective love interests get together, but so far that hasn’t been an issue with Wotakoi. There are some chapters that I find less engaging (generally the few that take place “in game”—I prefer the manga’s exploration of real life experiences), but as a whole it’s still consistently entertaining. I especially appreciate the importance placed on the series’ non-romantic friendships. The fact that Hirotaka and Narumi are dating is still being kept a secret in the workplace, so one of my favorite running gags in the third omnibus of Wotakoi is that their coworkers are all essentially rooting for them to hook up. In part this requires Fujita to introduce a few new recurring side characters who end up being a rather amusing addition to the manga. I continue to greatly enjoy Wotakoi. – Ash Brown

Yuri Life | By Kurukuruhime | Yen Press – Yuri Life is a collection of 4-koma vignettes about various cohabitating couples, the vast majority of whom are working women in their twenties. Some stories are kind of cute, but none is in the least bit funny, so it’s not that kind of 4-koma. Probably the best story in the lot is “Life with a Grim Reaper,” in which a grim reaper falls in love with a woman who’s supposed to die soon. I could see a concept like that filling at least one volume, but not so much the rest. The collection also includes “Life with a Yandere,” in which we get creepy inner monologues like, “If I snipped off those small, slim fingers, would I be the only one you touched?” Um, that is seriously fucked up! Why is that in the same collection as these other frothy tales? This is definitely a mixed bag. – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown

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