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just-a-draco-girly · 8 years

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The Secret - Chapter One

"I'm gonna be late. I'm gonna be late" I mutter under my breath, as I hurriedly rush down the crowded corridor in the direction of the potions rooms. It's the first lesson of the year and I don't wanna be late. Arriving at my destination, I glide to a halt and quickly open the door only to be reprimanded by Professor Snape. My head low in embarrassment, I mumble an apology and hurriedly take the only empty seat in the front row, quickly placing my bag down and pulling my books out.

"Wow, you're never late, Toria" A familiar voice speaks from beside me. Turning to the side, I find none other than Draco Malfoy smirking down at me. "I mean, you're a Ravenclaw. You shouldn't be late" He always has a habit of bringing that up. In our first year, I was sorted into Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin and he has never let me live it down. My mind drifts back to that extraordinary September evening…

"RAVENCLAW!" The voice of the sorting hat booms from above my head. I feel a strange sense of elation, but also guilt as I spot the crestfallen face of my best friend in the crowd of first years. A scowl forms on his pale features, as I clamber off of the old wooden stool and happily race to the table of cheering Ravenclaws awaiting me.

"Earth to Toria!" Draco drags me out of my daydream by frantically waving his hands in front of my face. I shake my head, sighing as I come back to reality.

"Huh, well, at least I'm not a Gryffindor" I stick my tongue out at him, opening my book and dipping my quill into my ink pot. He mutters something under his breath about Slytherin being 'superior', but I simply ignore him and start taking notes as Professor Snape reels off information at a thousand miles an hour from the front of the dank classroom.

The next time that Draco feels the need to talk to me is at the end of the lesson when I am packing my things back into my grey satchel. I feel somebody gently pat me on the shoulder, so I turn to face him.

"What's up now, Draco?" I ask, slinging the strap of my bag over my shoulder and straightening my blue tie. He chuckles lowly, before clearing his throat.

"Potter has been staring at you all lesson?" He speaks, slight disgust evident in the tone of his voice. I let out a sigh of annoyance and roll my eyes.

"And? It's a free country. He can look where he likes" I question, shooting him a pointed look.

"It annoys me" Draco huffs, gripping the strap of his own brown satchel tightly. I shake my head in disbelief

"Why do you care, Draco? It's not like you're my boyfriend. I don't need protecting. Anyway, you know that I dislike Potter as much as you do" I speak, a little annoyed at his over protectiveness. It's been like this since last year, when he noticed Dean Thomas looking over at me during Defence Against The Dark Arts. Ever since then, he's been hanging around me like a bad smell and I wouldn't be able to hang out with another boy let alone get a boyfriend, even if I wanted to. I glare up at the lanky blonde in contempt.

"Anyway, what lesson have you got next?" Draco asks, attempting to change the subject of our conversation as I am currently sending daggers at him with my eyes.

"I have Defence Against The Dark Arts with Professor Moody" I reply, repressing my anger into a plot that I will enact later. Draco's face lights up. "And let me guess that's what you've got?" I ask, staring up at him. My voice is heavy with sarcasm, earning a nod from Draco and a sly smile. I shrug it off and walk out of the classroom with him trailing behind me as we make our way down the corridor.

"Drakey-poo!" A shrill voice shrieks from behind us. Draco's face drops instantly and he hurriedly tries to hide behind me to no avail due to his tall frame.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but I'm no longer taller than you, Drakey-poo" I laugh, stepping to the side as Pansy nears us at full speed. Draco looks down at me with horror and helplessness in his eyes.

"I broke up with her at the start of the summer and she won't leave me alone. Save me, please" He pleads, pouting as he moves to crouch behind me once again.

"Okay, but it's gonna cost you" I smirk, glancing down at his lowly, cowering form.

"I'll do anything" He adds, clutching onto my sides. "I'll get you that new Firebolt for Christmas. Just please do something" He begs. I muse momentarily, before grabbing his hand and dragging him down the hallway towards the stairs that lead out of the dungeons.

"I have an idea. It's a tad risqué and you might not like it though. Are you really willing to do anything?" I speak, causing his grip on my small hand to tighten as we ascend the crowded stone steps.

"I'll do anything" He responds in a pleading tone, as we increase our speed and finally reach the fifth floor corridor. By this time, his patience has ran thin. "What's the plan then?" He demands, impatiently. I look over his shoulder, spotting Pansy's dark hair as she weaves her way through a crowd of first years. Once she is in range, I turn to Draco and take a deep breath.

"Kiss me. And make it believable" I whisper, staring up at him nervously. He nods in response, before hurriedly crashing his lips against mine. I stumble backwards slightly in shock, gripping onto his broad shoulders in an attempt to steady myself. Don't judge me, I'm 14 and I've only been kissed once before when I was like 5. My eyes flutter closed as his arms circle around my waist, pushing me back into a nearby tapestry. Well, I did tell him to make it believable, I guess. A weightless sensation overtakes my senses when his soft lips start to move against mine. His grip on my waist tightens just as Parkinson nears us.

"Drakey, what are you doing?" She asks, her voice cracking almost, causing Draco to lazily (almost begrudgingly) pull away from me. A pang of guilt fills me when I see that her face looks heartbroken, only to be eradicated by Draco letting out a content sigh and smirking slyly. He winks at me before turning to face Pansy, seemingly keeping his hands still securely on my waist. My cheeks are undoubtedly post box red by this point. I drop my head as the trio and Professor Moody approach.

"Why do you care?" Malfoy sneers at Pansy, causing tears to brim on her brown eyelashes. Letting out a breath that I didn't realize I was holding, I gently push Draco away from me, causing his arms to drop from my sides. He looks at me in disbelief as I readjust my bag strap and place a swift kiss upon his pale cheek.

"See you in class, Drakey-poo" I whisper in a sultry tone, trying not laugh. I almost choke in an attempt not to laugh as he turns around and winks at me.

"See you later, honey boo" He coos and I snort quite loudly when he reciprocates my kiss on the cheek. "Great plan, dude" He whispers in my ear. I snicker lowly and retreat into the classroom, sitting at a desk at the front. After retrieving my stationary and books from my bag, I place my satchel on the seat next to me in a bid to save the seat for Charlotte, a fellow Ravenclaw and my other best friend.

Whispers can be heard from the back of the classroom. I catch Draco's and my names mentioned multiple times, causing my cheeks to burn brightly. I drop my head into my folded arms on the desk, groaning angrily. It was just a fake kiss. It was just a fake kiss to get rid of Pansy. It didn't mean anything, but why is my heart still beating at such an erratic pace? I kick the leg of the table angrily and the sound of a chair being dragged backwards alerts me to somebody sitting next to me.

"What's wrong with you?" Charlotte asks, placing my bag on the floor and perching on the chair opposite me. Her blue eyes stare at me incredulously and she brushes her black hair out of her face. My cheeks flush further as I mentally recount what happened with Draco just now in the corridor. "What happened?" Charlotte demands, casting a stern look in my direction.

"I'll tell you about it at lunch" I reply, watching Draco as he sits down at the desk behind ours.

"You finally told Draco that you like him?" She whispers furiously and I shake my head instantly. Her face drops and she quickly glances back at the blonde, frowning heavily.

"Stop it! He'll notice!" I hiss, slapping her arm and causing her to pull a face of disgust in my direction. Glaring heavily, I stick my tongue out at her.

"That wasn't very ladylike, Toria" Draco remarks, smirking devilishly in my direction.

"You know full well that I'm no lady" I respond, sharply glaring at him.

"Yeah, you demonstrated that pretty well outside" He replies in a lower voice, grinning widely as my face turns a magnificent shade of puce.

"What happened outside?" Charlotte asks excitedly, looking between the two of us in confusion. Charlotte is one of my dearest friends and I truly adore her, but by Merlin she is the gossip monger I know. She doesn't spread any, thankfully, but if people have secrets Charlie will know them all.

"It's nothing" I say, promptly punching Draco in the arm.

"I'd rather not witness anymore of your Tom foolery, Miss Diggory and Mr Malfoy" Professor Moody stomps to the front of the class, shooting angry looks at Draco and I. My eyes widen dramatically and my cheeks are tinted pink. I am jolted from my shock when Charlotte elbows me in the side.

"What 'tom foolery' is he on about? I need to know" She whispers aggressively as the professor begins writing on the blackboard.

"I'll tell you later" I hiss, spotting Draco smirk at me from his seat from the corner of my eye.

………………………………

The lunch hall is bustling with students as I sit myself at the Ravenclaw table. Charlotte elbows my side sharply when I drop my bag on the floor.

"So what 'tom foolery' did you and Draco get up to earlier?" She asks, raising her eyebrows in anticipation of some fresh, piping hot tea.

"Am I not allowed to eat first?" I groan, plating myself some food from the myriad of dishes set before us.

"No, now come on. Spill!" She's practically on the edge of her seat with excitement, leaning towards me eagerly.

"It was nothing" I sigh, glancing over to the blonde on the other side of the hall, whom is currently sat with Blaise and Crabbe. "He's been trying to shake Pansy for a while, so… We, um, kissed to make her get the message that he wasn't interested. It was my fault I told him to make it believable… And he took believable a bit far" I mumble, spinning my fork restlessly in my left hand.

"You what?" She gasps, dropping her own cutlery and staring at me aghast with wide eyes. "How far did he take it?" She questions, grabbing both of my shoulders and forcing me to look at her.

"Well, he… um, had me pressed up against a wall with his hands on my waist and stuff" I breath, biting my lip as my cheeks become heavily flushed for another time today. Her blue eyes look as if they're going to pop out of their sockets.

"Okay, um…" Charlotte stutters, looking over at the Slytherin table and probably formulating a plan in that brilliant brain of hers. "And how do you feel about this?" She asks, still observing Draco and his friends.

"Well… you know how I feel about Draco" I sigh, placing my chin in my hand and gazing over at the blonde. I realized last year that I had a crush on the prick that is my best friend and Charlotte has been trying to get us together ever since, but, alas I'm too shy to make a move. And I also don't wish to ruin our friendship in any way either. She looks back at me suddenly with a grin on her face. I swallow harshly as she begins to speak, dreading what she's about to say.

"I know, exactly what we're going to do" She smiles mischievously at me, before glancing over at Draco with an evil grin. "We're going to make him fall in love with you" I slowly clap my hands together sarcastically in response.

"Great plan, how is that supposed to work?" I demand, my voice thick with sarcasm as I give her a stern look.

"I have my ways, but first you need a makeover from cutesy girl next door to the hot girl that every guy wants to bang" She exclaims, looking at me excitedly. I roll my eyes and return to eating my food whilst she continues to reel off the ways in which she's going to change my aesthetic.

Other Chapters

#The secret #draco fanfiction #harry potter fandom #draco malfoy #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #draco fanart #draco x oc #death eaters #wizarding world #slytherin #ravenclaw

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ryuichirou · 1 year

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Hello! Your art is really amazing and I also have a question to ask you if you wouldn't mind

I don't mean this in a rude way and the reason I'm asking is because I'm curious, why do you ship Ortho/Idia and Lilia/Silver?

+ Anonymous asked:

Hello ! I was wondering what make you ship ortho and idia ? No jugements here I also shipped family members in the past for various reasons, but I can’t seem to see the appeal of this particular ship. Anyway, have a nice day ! (btw sorry for my grammar i’m not english)

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Hi, Anons! Seems like I’m starting all of my replies with apologizing for being late, this one isn’t an exception lol This is another ask that I wanted to think about for a while to make sure that I reply to it properly.

Thank you so much for liking my art and thank you for approaching this question in a polite way. I know this is a controversial topic, this is why we try to be honest about it, but at the same time not to post about it too often; but if you’re curious, I don’t mind talking about it. Ehh but this post is super long, I don’t know if you wanted it to be this long haha well.

Obligatory disclaimer,in case there are any people out there who still don’t realise where we stand on this issue: fiction is fiction, any topic or trope could be explored and played around with in fiction, and there is no direct correlation between the tropes a person loves and their moral code or life choices. One does not “support *something*” by shipping a certain ship. It’s not that deep.

With that out of the way, let’s proceed! Starting with Ortho/Idia. The reply’s mostly about them, tbh.

And right away, another disclaimer: like I mentioned in another post on this topic, us shipping Ortho and Idia romantically doesn’t mean that we don’t appreciate the platonic reading of their relationship. The idea that platonic love could be super strong and tragic and make a person do drastic things for their sibling’s happiness is great and rarely explored in fiction. Believe it or not, we just really love the way they’re written, and even though we ship them romantically, we’re not blind to this version of their dynamic and we love that twst has a storyline like this. This storyline made me lose my mind as a shipper, but even if we look at it platonically, the fact that Idia called out the hypocrisy of swooning over Orpheus and Eurydice and yet people thinking that him (Idia) desperately wanting to bring back his brother is wrong is just beautiful.

Alright, that’s all the disclaimers, let’s dive into the shipping territory and talk about our feelings.

I don’t know, man, they just… love each other so much. The sheer volume of their love is so impressive and beautiful, and when it comes to shipping tropes that we like, they pretty much tick all the boxes. I’ll try to explain it in more detail and with examples.

Since it’s a little bit hard to talk about them because there are so many versions of Ortho, I’ll try to say things that are common to all of them. And when I’m talking about a specific version of Ortho, I’ll mention that.

First of all, we really love ships that force characters to open up, develop, evolve and enhance the traits that we love about them. This is why in all of my character rants I tend to talk about their relationships with others, and in all of my headcanon posts I tend to talk about canonical events a lot: these things are strongly tied together for us. So naturally, I’ll start by talking about Ortho and the way his character works (and develops) through his relationships with Idia.

To be honest, we didn’t really care for Ortho at first. He wasn’t all that interesting to us based on his design and character quirks (alright, a cute robot boy, we get it), but once we got to know him better, he literally became one of our favourites. Because he is so much more than just a cute robot boy who only acts like a mascot or does whatever Idia wants him to do.

Even though he is perceived (mostly by the fandom, but also by some of the characters) as a child, he is definitely not an innocent and gullible baby. If we compare AI-Ortho to original Ortho from the flashback, it becomes very clear just how different they are. Ortho from the flashback is a very young child: he sounds, acts and talks like one. AI-Ortho, even though he’s based on the original Ortho, is nothing like that, because he grows, develops and learns with time. Ortho has shown again and again that he is smart, he could be quite cunning, his morals are questionable (since, you know, he is an AI and not a person), and he is quite reflective and perceptive. He is much more mature than he is given credit for, and a big part of it is that his main role is to take care of Idia. And not just in a “drink water, niisan” kind of way: he also acts as Idia’s emotional crutch at times. Ortho is very attentive to Idia’s emotional state, because this is what he’s been doing his entire robo-life: making sure that Idia is feeling alright, comforting him, reassuring him constantly, finding this fragile balance between not pushing Idia too hard and trying to inspire him to socialize with others as much as he can. This takes a lot of empathy and emotional wisdom; it’s clear that between him and Idia, Ortho takes the role of a mature caretaking person, even though he could still be a little bit naïve at times. And as he learns and adapts, he becomes more strict and more pushy with Idia, he learns how to persuade him, manipulate him, how to trick him. He becomes less anxious and scared to accidentally hurt Idia, because he knows what’s best for him.

Ortho as a character develops through his relationships with Idia, and we really love how big of a role Idia plays in his life. Of course, it’s obvious, because Ortho’s main purpose is to assist Idia, but the thing is, he’s always had his own agency about it. From one of his birthday vignettes we learn that Idia didn’t really want to talk to him at first when he created him, so Ortho had to analyze movies and learn how to have a proper emotional human-like dialogue, trying to find a way to approach Idia. And this “trying to find a way to approach him, trying to find a way to communicate with him, trying to make him happy” is Ortho’s entire life quest, but it’s such a dynamic quest that makes him learn a lot about himself as well. Even though Ortho only got his “heart” at the end of chapter 6, I think he developed feelings much earlier than that.

Which leads us to a very specific trope that we love in ships and media: an AI that falls in love/becomes obsessed with a person it serves. And not necessarily in a healthy or human way, since its grasp of empathy and ethics is much different from a human being’s, which makes its love weird and uncanny and yet strong and absolutely genuine. As I mentioned in one of the previous replies, the idea of AI-Ortho developing feelings for Idia, despite not being programmed to feel this way, is heartbreakingly beautiful. And this is exactly what happened to them: Idia is a genius, but he still wouldn’t be able to make AI-Ortho love him as much as he ended up loving him. So all of it is on Ortho…

Another group of tropes that we love a lot are overprotectiveness, unhealthy obsessions and yandere scenarios. And boy these two deliver when it comes to that. They are super protective over each other.

We really enjoyed Ortho’s Ignihyde Gear vignette, in which he overhears some Diasomnia students talking shit about him and Idia and tries to fry them with lasers, because being rude to Idia is an unforgivable sin to Ortho, to the point that he doesn’t even care when Trein calls him out for endangering others. He gets super upset when Trein bans him from going to classes with Idia though, and when he tells Idia about it, Idia gets furious… because how could these assholes bully Ortho, and how could Trein punish Ortho when he was only standing up for himself! The first instinct for both of them in this situation is to get back at assholes for hurting someone they care about. They worry about each other to the degree that they immediately become very antagonistic and cruel towards anyone who wrongs their loved one. And this is such a great trope for us, we love it a lot. In general, if you can describe a ship with a phrase “have you ever loved someone so much you’d want to destroy the world for them”, we’re most likely on board with it, having a mental breakdown because of how absolutely beautiful it is. And this is even a minor example, compared to everything that’s happened in chapter 6… When you look at it from the shipper point of view, the entirety of chapter 6 is so painfully romantic. (Also, even if instead of AI-Ortho we had a real Ortho, I’m pretty sure he would’ve been just as overprotective. The Shrouds are not okay.)

Another good theme of this ship is that ever since they were kids, they were all alone; all they have is each other, and that hasn’t changed even now, as the events of the game unfold. I love this bittersweet feeling of them being the only people who are capable of understanding each other in this big world, it’s such a unique (for a lot of reasons) and extremely strong bond. And it doesn’t matter which version of Ortho you take: be it the canonverse, be it an AU in which the original Ortho never died, they would still be extremely close and feel like the two of them are somewhat separated from the rest of the world. Their experience together is different, no one knows that they went through, and ships with such a great connection are always fun for us to play around with. Especially when their bond comes with a heavy baggage. A lot of things that I’ve described could be very unhealthy, and again, even if Ortho was alive, their relationship with Idia wouldn’t be all that healthy. Idia is very dependent on Ortho, he clings to him and could be pretty much helpless without him. No matter the AU(or canon), Idia always seems like someone who is filled with guilt over it, but just can’t help it. And at the same time, he might feel that Ortho has so much more to live for than to waste his life on his useless brother, and that he has to let him go. Idia is always ready to sacrifice pretty much everything about himself for Ortho, always has been, as we saw it in the flashback. The trauma, the codependence, the jealousy – all these feelings could eat Idia (or Ortho for that matter) alive, and we’ll always enjoy this type of content with them.

Also, here is a fun little bonus. Another interesting thing that I noticed and also some people pointed out as well (well, I’ve seen only one, but I’m not sure we’re the only people who noticed that) is that Ortho and Idia’s story kind of has some correlations with Hercules and Megara’s story. I am very biased because I adore Meg, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Well, Ortho does have a lot of motifs of Hercules and it’s a fact: he “goes from zero to hero”, he is being called “Monsieur Wonder” (Wonderboy), he wanted to be a hero ever since he was a child. And at the end of his arc he had an opportunity to start living a new life, true to who he is (stop pretending to be Ortho Shroud and find his own identity = joining the gods on Olympus), but ends up staying with the one he loves instead (just like Hercules stayed with Meg, because “I finally know where I belong”).

Idia is clearly based on Hades and he doesn’t let us forget it for a moment with his constant quoting, but he still has some interesting traits that resemble Meg as well. He is kinda stuck doing a job he hates (although this is true to Hades as well). And even though his backstory is very different from hers, ultimately, he is a cynical heartbroken person who is disappointed in life and doesn’t want to get hurt again, and who also has a huge soft spot for a certain wonderboy who is very genuine and kind to him, which also makes him feel deep and constant guilt. I really love this unintentional (?) crossover lol

And the last thing, If we’re being open and honest, there are also some aspects of Ortho and Idia’s relationship that hit close to home to us personally. Not the incest thing of course, but the way their dynamic works. Without diving deeper into details of our personal life, let me just say that when Ortho said that he just doesn’t want Idia to be misunderstood and mistreated by others, I felt it.

It’s funny that you, the first Anon, asked about both Ortho/Idia and Lilia/Silver, of course I know what makes these two ships similar lol, but the thing is, our attitude towards Lilia/Silver is a bit different simply because we don’t know them as well as we do Ortho and Idia. With Lilia and Silver, our feelings could basically be described as “well that would be fun/hot, wouldn’t it?”. It’s more on a sexy side of things, even though there are some deeper aspects of their relationships that we love and find interesting. The fact that we love both Lilia and Silver individually also makes them quite a nice ship. They just have a lot of potential for both cute scenarios and really really problematic, unhealthy and fucked up ones. The only reason I’m not writing a 4 page long essay on these two is because I don’t have as much to say about them… yet. Sorry, there’re so many characters in TW, and it takes a while both to get to everyone and to enjoy the ones we’re pretty confident about, so idk how long it’ll take for us to truly dive into Lilia/Silver as much as we have with Ortho/Idia.

TLDR; We love unhealthy dynamics, codependence, possessiveness and readiness to act drastically for a loved one. Ortho and Idia love each other dearly, and there is a lot of baggage and layers to their relationships, no matter which version of Ortho and Idia you take. Lilia and Silver also have a lot of potential for fun unhealthy scenarios, but they are also very hot together, and we are very self-indulgent, sooo don’t mind if we do.

And finally, let’s save all the right and healthy dynamics for real life. In fiction, it’s fun to look at things that are interesting, unusual and taboo. It’s always been this way with us; we’re just naturally drawn towards ships that have problematic elements in them, since they tend to have more potential for messed-up scenarios (and we prefer those). Even in ships with zero age gap and no family relation between the characters whatsoever, we enjoy playing with the idea of unhealthy obsessions, dependence and all this jazz. We just really love dark media, and not only for shipping purposes.

It’s also ironic, considering the topic of this particular post, but we aren’t that into incest as a trope/kink, haven’t been at least. We’re just very open-minded when a ship grabs our attention, and this is exactly what’s been happening lately with all these couples lol

I guess that’s it? Let me know if you have any more questions, and I really hope that I managed to explain what we see in these ships properly. If this monster of a reply isn’t enough for you for some reason and you crave more of our thoughts, please read this one too…

Thank you for reading! And have a good day.

#replies #shroudcest #liisil #about characters

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ari-leah-arts · 3 months

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Greetings! I found your blog one day for your Piett&Vader artworks and now refuse to lose it and now I am here to let you know I admire your art extremely (went on a little reblogging spree some time ago).

Also, the way you make drawing humans and clothing on them in different poses and angles seem so easy inspires me to practice more.

I may or may not use the way you draw Vader as a reference, because it's so dynamic and stylish (starting with the mask tutorial)

GREETINGS! I am super late. You don't want to know how many times I told myself "I need to reply to that nice ask" only to never do it. I apologize.

Anyways! Yes yes, I did notice and I read all the reblog notes! I watched your little breadcrumb trail happily. :D And thank you! I'm happy to hear my Vader and Piett work is impacting people. Always lovely to hear. Oh! -nervous laughter- It may come easy to me, but I have had plenty of practice and I have a Bachelor's in Illustration with a Concept Art Focus. Hearing that my work inspires is like a thick-ass shot of a crack cocaine mixture of serotonin and dopamine. THANK YOU! Feel free! Again, I love hearing my work has inspired others. I remember being a teen and just looking at other's art and just O-O. This still happens, but it's nice to lounge on the other side of the artistic counter.

#ask answered #darth vader #firmus piett #star wars

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shotbyafool · 1 year

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hi anna! did you ever listen to preludes/what were your thoughts on it? i never got into it but there’s a production playing not far from me and i’m sure i’ll go because dave malloy still controls part of my brain but it sounds like A Lot so i’m trying to figure out how accessible it is and if i bring someone that’s not like super into theater will they still be able to understand and enjoy it

hi anon! sorry for the late reply; I had to relisten to Preludes and then stew on it for a few days, as one does.

I will begin by stating my annoying, pretentious opinion: that I think Dave Malloy is one of those artists that you should always see when you get the chance, even if you think you will not like it. to me, he is in the same league as, like, Sondheim or Stoppard or Pinter, and if given the chance, you should always jump upon it. it seems like you already intend to go anyway, but I am emphasizing this, and if you conclude you should not bring anyone to it, then you should go alone; theater alone is a treasured art form I think.

anyhow, I think Preludes is Malloy’s most… unsettling piece? perhaps his most abstract, not in terms of plot per se, but in terms of development. I find it deeply beautiful and deeply upsetting. maybe this is just the recording’s sound design (which may vary for the production you see), but dear God! it gets painful at points. hair-raising.

on the other hand, it is a little more accessible than his other pieces (Ghost Quartet is quite literally confusing; Great Comet is not actually confusing, but its premise is daunting) and the real-life story is like, deeply interesting. and he is an actual guy, and you may know his music, and you can read about Rach beforehand. and while Malloy writes a lot of the music, so much of it is based in Rachmaninoff’s actual music, which to me also makes it less alienating perhaps and less musical theater specific, meaning it’s open to a greater audience. it feels a little colder from Malloy than his other works, I think – a little less loving, the world a little more unkind – but this is not necessarily bad. but does perhaps articulate why it’s hard to get into.

all this to say, if a person you might be bringing likes the abstract or maybe likes classical musical or maybe is intrigued by the anachronistic, then it seems like a great idea. but I don’t think it’s going to be all that daunting, not really. hard to tell. this advice is ultimately useless. musical recommendations are hard and I must tailor who I invite to things carefully; it takes me days, if not weeks, to decide who I want to bring to what show. apologies for the lack of conclusion!

#anonymous #ask #I would link to you the NYT article on Preludes (the review that is - a critics pick!) but I have no more free articles left

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communistkenobi · 2 years

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I think that one thing that makes the MCU different from past franchises like SW is how much it's relying on its conglomerate of Marvel source materials across various mediums. The MCU does not need to establish Peter Parker's Spider-Man or the values that went into creating the character and his canon (as in his comics/cartoons/shows as a whole, not in-universe character continuity) bc its target audience already has a rough concept of the character due to prior exposure to Spider-Man canon/media in pop culture—which means there's just enough of a foundation for the MCU Spider-Man to be widely recognizable as Spider-Man without portraying what makes Peter Parker Peter Parker (poor financial situation from childhood to adulthood, low self-esteem, learning up to stand up to his bullies and his boss, survivor's guilt, etc.) on-screen. But it's like the franchise is then relying primarily on the audience's concept of the character of Spider-Man from exposure to other (including both subjectively and objectively better) versions in other mediums to establish their iteration of the charracter and by extension those films. And that's how adaptations work, of course, but I think the MCU as a whole fails to capitalize on the benefits of adapting into another medium, so all that's left for the critical audience are elements like the military propaganda, the racism and whitewashing, the imperialism apologism, and so on that are consequences of franchising decisions rather than creative decisions.

Like yeah, franchises and fandom aren't new and are direct results of capitalism and mass-media consumption, but the MCU feels like its own special blend within the Marvel franchise (as a whole) in how much it relies on this idea of The Brand and being just recognizable enough that it doesn't (and won't) go further than surface level. It's insular to a degree that I don't know what I can compare it to. I think SW has started to shift toward this template(????) with the D+ shows (well really since Solo), but I don't know how to explain where this shift occurred or where it falls between MCU and traditional franchise media????? Even the DCEU differs enough despite still imo having the mass-produced/soulless/lacking in substance feel. It's like you said, we don't have any specific term that quite defines this yet, and not to be a snob but I really really REALLY hate that I added a yet there even though I know it's only a matter of time.

(Sorry for the rambling, I just really like your analyses, especially where capitalism and fascism intersect even tho I didn't really bring those points up bc I'm not sure what I could contribute in that area lol)

sorry for the late reply i know this was like two days ago now lol

anyway i think my framing of the mcu as uniquely bad is incorrect in the sense of what you said, which is that fandoms and mass media are not new. mcu is just a good shorthand to refer to mass media because its the most glaring and obnoxious example of it.

i also don't want to be ahistorical about it because the first marvel movies weren't like the recent ones, they felt more real in the sense that there was more to them than simple reference. @sashacore made a good point about not categorising art into low/high categories because you can quickly get into reactionary territory. which i don't want to do, obviously, but i'm coming up short on language that describes what im trying to articulate. and i dont think im being reactionary when i say the mcu is devoid of meaning

agh idk i guess i just have a motivated desire to call the mcu uniquely bad in a way. like when scorsese said that the mcu isn't art i want to agree with him. like it literally just feels like an infomercial for capital and empire. if you wanted to point to something as the logical endpoint to art produced with the sole goal of capital accumulation i would point to the mcu. but it's not unique in that sense. the difference is of degree, not kind

#asks #sorry lol this is very all over the place

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imhereforbrownies · 2 years

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Stray Kids ship if you’re open for it <3

Pronouns: They/she

Personality traits: Outgoing, energetic, sometimes over dramatic, optimistic, caring, easy going/go with the flow kind of person. I’m the type of person that people look to when they need or want help.

Hobbies: I sing, dance, draw trash art, and write stories and dark poetry. I love to shop/thrift and come up with new outfits as much as I can. I also love to craft and learn new abilities whenever possible.

Favorites! Food: chicken parmesan and spaghetti. Movies: anything horror/thriller and mystery. Book: Verity. Music: metal, rock, screamo.

Pets: I’ve got two dogs and cat :)

Aspirations: I aspire to be an anonymous writer / write under a pseudonym. I want to write horror and thriller novels as well as publish poetry. I’d love to explore the world, and move to a place that makes me happy.

Zodiac and Personality Type: I am an ENFP Sagittarius! :)))

Aesthetic: all black with a little bit of white, emo af but also fashionable. Green, red, purple, and orange are my goto colors. Cannot get enough of weird, creepy vibes.

Scenario: Possibly write about a date we’d go on and how it would end? :)))

Hi! Thank you so much for requesting! :) also, I took your request and made the date scenario a bit different in a way that felt a bit more fitting to me so I apologize if it’s not the way you envisioned it and I hope you don’t mind <3

I absolutely love your dreams btw and I really hope it'll come true because it's so so cool 💗

Now to your ship

I was thinking this through and I decided I'd ship you with Chan.

My reasoning behind it:

- you're ENFP and Sagittarius which goes along really really well with his ENFJ Libra :)

- you both seem to have quite similar aesthetic lol and maybe you with your thrifting abilities could help the poor boy bring some color into his closet (like red, purple, orange and other ones you like because that would be so cool)

- I also think you two could inspire each other so much through your art and he'd definitely support you on your way to become the writer you want to be <3

- I also think your personalities would go along really well and just overall you two seem to me like such a cute couple lol :)

Chan promised to take you on a date. You both were very excited about the proposition and agreed beforehand to go to see a movie together on Saturday night.

However, once the midday of the said day rolled by, you received a phone call from Chan, just catching you making yourself some spaghetti for lunch.

“I’m so so so sorry, Y/N. I- I have a lot of work today and I- I don’t think I’ll be able to make it for the movie tonight. I know it sucks and I’m truly sorry, I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

He sounded so sad and genuinely concerned that it made you immediately forgive him, even though you were looking forward to seeing that specific horror movie with him by your side.

“It’s okay, Channie, no worries. We can make a different plan,” you offered, hearing a relieved sigh from the other side of the line, making you chuckle.

“You really don’t mind?” He assured and you found yourself smiling at his caring nature as you stirred the sauce.

“Not at all. I didn’t feel like going out tonight anyways. What if you stopped by my place once you’re done at work? We could watch a movie here too, you know?”

“I would love that. I just- I don’t know exactly when I’ll be done,” he replied.

“That’s alright. If it’s too late, you can come anyway and sleep over. You know I prefer sleeping next to you than alone.”

“You’re an angel, Y/N. I love you so much,” he stated and you laughed.

“Don’t know about that one but I’ll take it. I love you too. See you tonight, Channie.”

“See you, Y/N.”

With how busy his work could get and how caught up he tended to be in his creative projects, you kind of expected for Chan to not make it sooner than around 10 pm and you didn’t mind that at all. You decided to wait for your beloved boyfriend and so you made yourself comfortable on your couch with a book in hand.

But 10 turned into 11 and that into midnight and there still wasn’t a single sign Chan was coming home anytime soon. Not even a single text message and so you gave up and moved to your bedroom. After another half of an hour waiting, you fell asleep.

Not so long after that, the door of your flat were quietly opened and closed again, a little bit of rustling being heard from the hallway before there were footsteps coming into your bedroom.

Chan was exhausted and upset about the fact he wasn’t able to make it for your date night, not even to watch a movie at your place. However, once he crossed the doorstep of your bedroom and found you sleeping peacefully in your bed, he couldn’t help the smile that made its way to his lips, all his worries being left behind as he tiptoed to you. He carefully turned off the lights that were still on before he climbed in the bed to join you, wrapping his arm around your middle and nuzzling his face into the back of your neck, inhaling your scent and finally closing his tired eyes.

His soft touches awakened you partly and even in your hazy state you were able to recognize that it’s him, intervening your fingers as you laid your hand over his.

“Hi,” you murmured.

“Hi, baby. I’m so sorry I’m late,” he replied softly.

“You’re here now, that’s what matters,” you said quietly, making him smile against your skin as he squeezed you in his arms lightly.

“And I’m not going anywhere,” he promised and you smiled sleepily at that, humming in agreement before you cuddled a bit closer to him, letting your own exhaustion take over you and you dozed off again, this time in the safety of your boyfriend’s arms.

#skz #stray kids #skz fanfic #stray kids fluff #fluff #bang chan x reader #250 followers celebration #shipping hours

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like-wuatafauq · 6 days

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OH SORRY that's totally my bad, I read your reply last night when I was super sleepy so I must've jumbled up the details in my head >:(

But now that I think about it... 22 years wouldn't even make sense romantically speaking IDK what I was thinking 😭

Your dad is absolutely horrible for abandoning you like that though. I'm so sorry you had to go through something so painful. You don't deserve that kind of heartbreak and betrayal from a parent. That's just unforgivable :(((

But woah 8 years of pining romantically is still a really long time...

I feel you on being hopeful about finding real love someday. Don't put too much pressure on yourself about running out of time! 24 is still pretty young in the grand scheme of things. Plenty of time for your soulmate to come along ^^

And in the meantime if you're looking for volunteers... I mean I'd be happy to keep you company :D

Oops! Haha... just kidding... unless...🧍‍♀️

And I totally get not vibing with media that glamorizes something like love triangles or player behavior but Nana has a special place in my heart because it helped me get through some really tough times years ago. It also made me realize I had super heavy comphet back then LOL

Speaking of... you mentioned your English isn't very good. Does that mean you have a different native language? If so, what is it? :O

AND HAPPY PRIDE MONTH BTW!!!

From ♡

It's okay sometimes I answer asks really late too. And yeah I always hear that "you're still so young to find love" except in my mind if I want a family someday I have to build up trust with someone and its already hard for me to believe ppl.

As for ppl keeping me company, honestly I think I'm gonna wait it out, if my soulmate finds me I want her to know I waited for her. If she wants her spot warm then I'll be the only one sitting there.

And then she can sit on top of me when she gets here

Lmaoooo I'm so sorry about that,

But as for the Nana I'm glad that helped you :) fr fr ,don't get me wrong I love the art and a lot of the cute pictures of them together but when I find out more about it I get dizzy. (I genuinely get physical sickness when things involve player stuff)

And I mean I'm fluent in English it's not some drastic thing cuz I type/speak often in English but it's just I look up a lot of words meaning almost every single day. And if someone speaks quickly I might not fully catch it. I often don't understand phrases or words someone tells me. ive tried googling the phrases but google doesnt understand what im asking 🥲 in my mind I have English words cluttered in groups so a lot of the times I misused them when I speak or write. I feel so so so so bad when I do that.

For example one time I wanted to tell someone "I don't want you to think I'm codependent" because i was trying to express how i would like to have them around all the time but if you want space id like them to enjoy it(jfc even now i cant word it properly), anyway the point is I forgot the word codependent so I typed "I don't want you or need you"......yeah it was bad bro.

When me and my bestie were roommates I would say stuff and he thought I was mad but it's just my tone I say it and the words I use. I fuck up sooooo bad I'm constantly apologizing to ppl. So im fluent its just wonky but My native language is Spanish tho :)

Happy pride month to you too!!!

Do you have any pride month plans??

#anon #asks #♡ anon #i try tagging my asks so that i can manage who ive said what to lol😅#pride #pride month #happy pride 🌈#lesbian

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daz4i · 8 months

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before answer back the danganronpa question, have this:

if you could magically replace your dominant arm with any inanimate object or limb of an animate creature, (either remains fully functional) 1) would you do it; 2) what would you replace your arm with, if yes?

now, re: me in danganronpa, I would probably also be in v3 (mostly because I see danganronpa-student-aged me applying voluntary oh so clearly, I was like that), and as for talent 🤔 it would be nice to have smth that relates to my art or cooking but I don't have enough of the grasp on myself to settle on smth :3

I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LATE REPLY i wanted to save this for later and then later came but i had to go on a call and i forgor i am sorry. ANYWAY!!!!

i have not tasted your food (yet) but i know in my heart you are the ultimate cook/baker. teruteru's got nothing on you. i can't stop thinking abt the bagel thing that was insane (affectionate) you are amazing and ily and you can do everything you put your mind to ✨️ (and you ARE that's so so so cool fr i love seeing all the things you make and try and i love how you say they're good bc that's what you deserve!!!!! and i got sappy there i apologize. ily mwah)

as for your question! :D idk if it counts but tbh I'd love a cool scifi-esque robot arm?? or at least a prosthetic where i can change the tip yknow? like switch between a regular hand and a knife or even mundane stuff like. a spoon or a brush etc. i think that'd be cool

if that doesn't count tho!!!!! i don't think so tbh I'm p attached to having thumbs i need those to function and it's not like monkey hands are too exciting. so i can't think of any option I'd like :^(

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icharchivist · 2 years

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i got super emo today and was rereading a transcript of the winter chapters and actually properly absorbed the whole mentions of hisoka saying sorry to august, and there being the "im watching you, december" - apr. and ive got my thinking goggles ON. more points added to the chikage hisoka assassin cult each day. is hisoka december???? is chikage wearing his jacket??? is chikage april??? after all he SPECIFICALLY appeared in the my masters mesmerized by mystery event.... which is the winter troupe one where hisokas the lead..... like clearly hes not just itarus buddy showin up to support. anyways i realize that you're unable to answer any of what i say up here, its mostly just there to demonstrate ive got my thinking cap on SO. ill have to add something that u actually can reply to. i've been fiddling with this concept lately of tenma and yuki ending up at the same university bc i think like. these two are children with other passions than simply theatre and at some point they are gonna yknow. go off and do other things. i think itll be at a point where its good for them to do so and everything, so like, its not like theyll have left mankai completely but yknow. mb a more infrequent presence? and tenma will end up there around the same time as yuki bc he is a world famous movie star who maybe doesnt go to uni at the normal time. but he also does want to be normal i think. i 1) think itd be hilarious because you have this dynamic of yuki being like. why is this hack here. i am starting my cool fashion life at college... why is he here. its kinda weird that someone who knows me so well is here. and tenma is also like wow its also really weird that my roommate is here. yknow. and then everyone else is like "wow you two are besties aren't you" which they hate. but ALSO i think its abt like, you think you have to "grow up" and leave your found family but actually they are always going to find you back in some weird way. and everything in a3 is abt blooming with each other so like making your way Back There... its not a bad thing. something like that. ok that was my point 2) and however many # of points i had there as well lol... ALSO ALSO lately i have been thinking abt how the color of yukis eyes is the same as tenmas hair (i love juzas eyes as they are but if they were orange then he tenma and yuki would make a perfect secondary color trio....). anyways i think yuki would absolutely rebel against this. are u kidding me tenmas hair is the color of an anemic tangerine. me i have brilliant sunset eyes. we are nothing alike muku how dare you (and then muku apologizes so much that yuki relents but he is still internally furious and randomly threatens to dye tenma's hair later that week, to much confusion) but eventually its like... so they are the same color. so we are the same color in one way or another. so very many years down the line that is not gonna be an insult but a comfort. or something like that, im rambling, haha.

OWOWOWOWO HI HI HI

of course i can say nothing, i'm keeping my mouth shut. You have hhh, 5 events left to finally start act 2 main story so. so we'll see when we get there. You're closer to it than ever but. yeah.

And oooh i love the concept! Technically as the year pass you do see more characters go to uni and stuff (like on the JPN server the timeline is that 3 years has passed since the begining of the story, so…..) I could see the two of them go to the art university a lot of the gang is going to tbh, like, Yuki for fashion and Tenma for further acting…

"1) think itd be hilarious because you have this dynamic of yuki being like. why is this hack here. i am starting my cool fashion life at college… why is he here." this is so funny bc with Tenma being older, Yuki being like "why are you here" would just have Tenma going "??? I WAS GOING HERE FIRST????" but yes everyone can see they're besties. and i do love the idea of them "making their way back there" sobs

on 2) THIS IS SO FUNNY. Yuki rebelling about the colors is killing me. Poor Muku just pointing it out and Yuki having to conceed.. it's so much.

This is really funny, thank you for sharing :3c

#god i love them #ichafantalks a3 #ichareply #aranarumei

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lycheepocketwitch · 2 years

Text

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐚 & 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 - 𝐬𝐢𝐱

pairing: cheerleader!wanda maximoff x fem!reader

summary: homecoming doesn't go the way it was supposed. or does it?

warnings: allusions to sex

word count: 5.7k

series masterlist | main masterlist | also on ao3

Homecoming night was not something you were looking forward to anymore. The whole week leading up to the dance, you kept being reminded of the fact that despite having planned the perfect homecoming proposal for Wanda, it meant nothing now that your arrangement was over. There was nothing special about this night anymore. You would just go to the stupid dance with Yelena and then go home when you eventually got bored.

“That suit looks good on you,” Pietro commented with a half-smile.

Right, this was a new thing now.

The last thing you expected coming to school on Monday was to have Pietro approach you to talk. You hadn’t spoken in years, so why would that change? Originally, you thought your sleep deprivation had gotten so bad that you had started hallucinating hearing Pietro call your name. But he jogged through the crowd to get to you in time. There was a small part of you that thought maybe Wanda had told him everything after all, but that was silly.

When he started apologizing for all the shit he’d put you through, then you became certain you were hallucinating. It took a few tries for him to convince you that this wasn’t some sort of sick joke and he was genuinely sorry for badly he’d treated you.

“I understand if I’m saying all of this too late and that you don’t want to be friends anymore. I was a horrible friend and I let unimportant things get in the way of our friendship. I do hope though that you can find a way to forgive me, and that we can be friends again though… Not necessarily now, but somewhere down the line?” he had said, nervously scratching her back of his neck before getting interrupted by his phone ringing.

During his hushed phone call, you got to think over his apology. You definitely weren’t ready to resume your friendship at the same place it was when you were freshmen, and you weren’t sure you would get back to that place any time soon. However, you also didn’t see a reason to completely shut him out of your life after his apology. It would take some time for him to regain your trust and even more time to rebuild your friendship, but if the older Maximoff twin meant what he said and put in some effort into making it up to you, then who were you to stop him?

That didn’t mean it was an easy thing to do.

It had only been a few days since you “became friends” again. He’d greeted you at school every morning since then, which was weird even though you knew it was good progress. He even offered you a ride home after school Wednesday, but you declined since you had an art club meeting.

You went back on your suspicion that this was all Wanda’s doing, but Pietro had yet to mention his sister and you knew he would’ve by now if she was behind this; Pietro wasn’t one for subtlety.

“Did you choose this color on purpose?” he suddenly asked after eyeing your suit for a moment.

“I, uh, yeah? I thought it looked nice at the store,” you replied, unsure what exactly he meant by that.

“I meant…” he started, but then shook his head. “Never mind. Anyways, you look good, T.” From the surprised look on his face, you could tell the use of your old nickname was a complete accident, but you didn’t mind.

“Thanks, Pietro. You look good as well,” you said, nodding towards his light blue suit.

“Thank you, oh, this is my date, Monica by the way,” he said, gesturing to the girl who gave you a warm familiar smile and a small wave.

“I know, we have a few classes together,” you explained with a chuckle. You two didn’t really count as friends, but she was one of the few people who was actually friendly with you. Whenever you had team assignments to do in history class, she would often pair up with you and you’d both get the job done pretty quickly.

“Are you two…” Pietro trailed off, gesturing to you and Natasha sitting to your left.

“Oh, no.” You shook your head. Yelena had been the one to drag you to homecoming again even though you didn’t really feel like after what had happened last week. She said it would help lift your spirits or whatever, but the moment she spotted a dark-haired sophomore in a dark purple jumpsuit, she had left your side. You were glad Natasha decided to stick by your side. Though you were pretty sure that had Maria not gone to her model UN conference, the pair would’ve spent the night at Natasha’s or Maria’s place.

“Are you and Carol together then?” he asked. He must’ve seen Carol approaching you a few minutes earlier, asking you for a dance. You had accepted mainly because you were waiting for Yelena to come back to your table, but she was still talking to Kate and Natasha hadn’t arrived yet. You only stayed with her for one dance during which she kept telling you how beautiful you looked and how she would love to take you home later. You politely declined her offer, she acquiesed and wished you a good night, then went to on to her next conquest.

“Definitely not,” you replied with a chuckle.

Pietro hummed. “M’baku is hosting a party after homecoming. If you’d like, you could come?” he offered.

“They’re much less stuffy than the ones the football team throws,” Monica added as if to convince you.

“I appreciate the invite, but I think I’ll pass. Not really a party person. Nat can attest to that,” you replied, smiling at the senior who just nodded in agreement. Monica and Pietro voiced their understanding and left you two soon after.

“He definitely asked that to let his sister know,” Natasha said as soon as the pair was gone. At your quizzical stare, she nodded to your right and when you turned to look, you found Wanda sitting at a table with some cheerleaders and their boyfriends, looking downright miserable. Pepper was sat to her left, chatting away with Tony, and to her right was an empty chair. You wondered if it was saved for Bucky or maybe it was for Vision.

You’d heard some people talking about Bucky asking Wanda to homecoming a few days ago only for Vision to barge in and ruin the proposal and start fighting him… or was it that he fought Sam? You don’t quite remember. To be honest, there were various versions of the story, you didn’t know which one was the real one.

“Why would he tell her?” you asked, suddenly panicking a little. It didn’t matter that you and Wanda were now on bad terms, you wouldn’t risk having others know about your… “relationship.”

“Relax,” Natasha said, sensing your nervousness, and placed her hand on your thigh before removing it. “Oops, wrong move. I don’t think Red liked that.” You frowned and when you turned back to Wanda, her lips formed a thin line and even from where you sat, you could see her chest rising and falling as she tried to take calming breaths.

“We’re not together,” you quickly said, regretting it as soon as those words left your mouth. Way to not sound suspicious.

“Again, relax,” Natasha chuckled. “I’m not trying to expose you. Or her. I was just saying because she’s been staring at you the whole night… Also, my room is right next to Yelena and our walls aren’t soundproof. Do you… want to talk about it?”

“There’s not much to talk about.” You looked around and noted all of your peers were relatively far enough from you to the point that no one could really eavesdrop on your conversation, especially not with the thumping music. “I like her and I think she likes me too, but she likes popularity more.”

“She told you that?”

“I don’t need her to tell me that. It’s pretty obvious.”

Natasha nodded and looked over your shoulder, eyes landing on Wanda again. “Assuming things rarely ever get you where you want, especially when it involves feelings.”

“Well, I’m not sure what exactly I’m supposed to do if every time I’ve given her a chance to explain herself, she hasn’t given me anything back… I’m tired of being the only one trying.”

At your confession, Natasha’s face softened. She placed her hand on your forearm and gave you a sympathetic smile. “I’m not saying you need to go talk to her again or be the one making all the effort to save whatever is between you two. However, as someone who used to be part of Pepper’s group, don’t give up on her. The girl you used to know is still in there somewhere. She just needs some time and confidence to come back out.”

“You’re making Pepper seem like she’s some sort of evil genius that has control over Wanda’s being.”

“I know, I know,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t mean it that way, but you can’t deny that Pepper is influential, especially in her group. When you’re accepted into a group, it’s easier to follow and do what others expect from you than deviate from the norm. And with the cheerleaders, those norms are established by Pepper.”

“What? You telling me you used to just do whatever to please Pepper?” you snorted, but dropped your smile the moment you realized you weren’t far from the truth based on the lack of amusement on Natasha’s face.

“Pepper and I used to be friends, not as close as you and Wanda, but she was one of my first friends at SHIELD. When she became captain, I was so happy for her, I didn’t notice the small changes that started to happen. She slowly started to become more demanding of everyone, she expected things to be done her way or the highway, she started caring more about how people perceived her in the sense that she had curated this image of her and the team in her head. And if there was even a bit of discrepancy between that and reality… well, she would flip.”

“Is that why you left?” You had always assumed that the rumors about Natasha leaving because she clashed with Pepper were true. You had no reason to believe otherwise. Just like how Thena was rumored to be leaving the team a while back due to her and Pepper butting heads, Natasha was equally as stubborn as the other girls and there was no place for co-captaincy.

“Partly. Pepper was no longer the friend I knew in freshman year, but she wasn’t the only one who had changed. I was only on the team a couple months, counting from when tryouts happened my freshman year and then the few months up until Christmas of my sophomore year. But during that time, I became someone I didn’t recognize. Honestly, looking back, I acted like such a bitch. I was an asshole to people for no reason… I fought so much more with my parents, and they called me out on it, but I refused to listen.”

“What made you realize that you’d change then?”

“Yelena,” she responded with a short laugh, but bit her lip as a sorrowful look washed over her face. “We were fighting about something. I don’t even remember what it was about, but our mom told us to stop fighting because we’re sisters, and I yelled back that she isn’t really my sister.”

“Oh…”

It was no secret that Natasha and Yelena weren’t blood-related, but that never mattered. They were sisters and everyone knew that. Even though neither ever really showed it, they both prided themselves on being the other girl’s sister. Yelena would deny it until the day she died, but she looked up to Natasha. Hearing the older girl tell her she wasn’t her real sister… you couldn’t begin to imagine how much that must’ve hurt Yelena.

“Yeah, look, I don’t think you should be the one who should be the only one trying. It’s just, as someone who has messed up just because I felt accepted in that same group, I was grateful I had people from my old life who were willing me to take me back despite everything I’d done,” Natasha sighed. “With that being said, don’t forget you also have your own limits. If you think you need a break from her, then that’s fine too.”

“Thanks for the big sister talk,” you said, nudging the older girl’s elbow with your own. You’d never really gotten the chance to truly talk to Natasha despite how many times you’d been at her house. Most of your conversations were pretty surface level, but you were glad to have gottent to know a bit more about your best friend’s older sister.

“If you ever tell people I was soft with you, I’ll have your head,” she threatened, but you had a hard time taking seriously with the playful smirk that tugged at her lips.

You didn’t get the chance to get another word in as you winced hearing the feedback from the microphone. Principal Fury briefly apologized for disruption before going into a small speech about how he hoped everyone was having a good time. He ended his speech by announcing that it was time to reveal this year’s homecoming king and queen. Coach Fontaine accepted the mic from Principal Fury and opened the golden envelope.

“Can I get a drumroll, please?” she asked the crowd. Those sitting down rapping against the table they sat at as they patiently waited for the big reveal of the night.

“Stark Harkness Institute for the Exceptional, Lettered & Distinguished, please welcoming this year’s homecoming king, Jarvis Stark.”

The crowd went wild, cheering for the younger Stark brother who made his way to the makeshift stage where Coach Fontaine stood. Some people patted his shoulder as he walked towards the stage with an arrogant smile. Honestly, you didn’t remember seeing any posters of him campaigning to become homecoming king, but it wasn’t like you really cared about these kinds of things anyways.

What really took you by surprise was when Coach Fontaine announced, “And please give an equally warm welcome for your homecoming queen, Wanda Maximoff.”

Vision’s face, you wouldn’t have noticed unless you were specifically looking for him, but Wanda? Even when you tried to avoid her, you saw her. There was no way you would’ve missed a poster with her face campaigning for homecoming queen. Surely, she would’ve also told you about it, no? You’d only just stopped seeing each other last week, and campaigning for this sort of thing would’ve overlapped with the time you were seeing each other.

From the way Wanda’s hand kept tucking her hair behind her ear as she walked towards Coach and Vision, you could tell she wasn’t exactly planning this either. After all this time, she still had the same nervous tic. You watched her attempt to keep her arms still beside her body, but they eventually drifted back to the front. After having the tiara placed on her head and the sache draped across her torso, her fingers subtly reached for her rings and started twisting them.

“And now, it’s time for the homecoming king and queen’s first dance!”

Vision, in his unoriginal black suit, took a step down the stage and held out his hand for Wanda to help her down. She bunched up the bottom of her long dress and reluctantly took Vision’s hand as she stepped down. Although she seemed beyond nervous, Wanda still looked stunning in her light yellow gown. The slit of her dress was borderline inappropriate inappropriate for the school’s dress code, but it started a few inches above her knee and it was only visible when she took long strides. Add onto that her half-up, half-down hairdo, she could pass off as a real-life Belle.

Unconsciously, you had tightened your jaw at the sight of Wanda approaching Vision’s open arms. She slowly placed one hand on his shoulder while the other grabbed his hand that wasn’t on the small of her waist. A slow song that you couldn’t bother to recognize started playing and you were nearly ready to call it a night. You went to turn to Natasha and tell her that you were going to the bathroom before leaving until she placed one hand up and nodded her head towards Wanda and Vision.

When you turned to look back, the couple was no longer dancing. No, Vision was standing in the middle of the dancefloor, looking absolutely confused, but you could barely see him behind Wanda as she walked towards… you? She had this determined look in her eyes that you didn’t think you had ever seen as she took confident steps towards your table.

Once in front of you, Wanda held her hand out and asked, “May I have this dance?”

You could feel all of your peers’ stare on you and Wanda. Even the damn lighting people had decided to have a spotlight follow Wanda all the way to you, assuring that everyone’s attention would be on you two. It felt like a scene from a movie, but you weren’t sure it was one you wanted to be part of. Your eyes searched for Yelena, whom you found in a record time on the other side of the room with Kate Bishop, as if asking for guidance. She gave you an unsure smile, brows slightly knitted together. Just a few tables away, Pietro had a hopeful smile that matched the one Wanda was giving you. Finally, your eyes drifted back to Natasha next to you, who just shrugged, as if saying “this is your call.”

You were so focused on trying to get any sort of guidance for what you should do next, the only thing that pulled you out of your head was Wanda’s whispered “Please?”

With a thumping heart in your chest, you stood up and stared your old best friend in the eye. Although Wanda wore heels, the platform from your oxfords allowed you to be at about the same height as her. “This won’t change anything,” you said.

“I understand,” she said with a nod, smiling when you accepted her hand that guided you to the dancefloor.

Wanda ignored a baffled Vision who was pulled aside by someone in the crowd so you could take your place in the middle of the dancefloor. She placed her arms loosely around your neck while your hands found purchase on her waist. The whole time, Wanda kept her eyes on you, completely ignoring the prodding stares burning into your dancing bodies.

“Relax,” she commanded gently, which was funny really because you could feel the nervousness radiating off her.

“Easier said than done,” you mumbled. At that, Wanda frowned, her eyes leaving you for the first time. She pulled you closer, giving you no choice but to wrap your arms a little tighter around her waist to not look awkward.

She buried her face in the crook of your neck and signed. “Relax,” she repeated. “Just focus on me.” So, you did, or at least you tried.

You focused on her now steady breathing, the warm air softly hitting your neck, which did nothing to help your racing heart. You focused on the smell of her strawberry and mint shampoo and… the lack of her overpowering perfume. You focused on the warmth eminating from her body that was now nearly melded into yours. You could stay like this forever…

The sound of clapping brought you back to reality. The song was over and you tried to push yourself away from Wanda, but she kept a tight grip on you.

“Stay?” she asked, only letting go slightly so she could look you in the eye.

“I’m a little tired,” you said, trying to make yourself believe your lie so that Wanda wouldn’t see right through you. The air inside the gym was suffocating you and you needed to leave. Sure, you were somewhat used to a few people giving you dirty looks as you walked past them in the hallway, but having all those eyes on you now was unsettling to say the least.

Her shoulders slumped as she nodded. She let you detangle yourself from her this time and you gave her one last glance over your shoulder, not missing everyone else watching you leave her in the middle of the dancefloor. You quickly texted Yelena that you were leaving and that she didn’t have to tell Natasha because you’d be taking the bus home.

You made it exactly four steps down the stairs at the main entrance of the school when you heard the metal doors behind you open and someone yell, “Wait!”

You turned back around and saw Wanda slightly out of breath. “What are you doing?”

“Can I come with you?”

“You don’t even know where I’m going,” you said, a bit amused.

“I don’t care. I want to go where you go.”

─── ᗢ ───── 💔 ───── ᗢ ───

Taking the bus from Manhattan to Westview all dressed up on a random Friday night would also probably classify as a scene from a coming of age movie. This, however, was much nicer than the situation you were in earlier.

Wanda must’ve been seriously sleep deprived because she had fallen asleep on your shoulder barely 10 minutes after you got on the bus. One stop before yours, you nudged the girl awake. Wanda sleepily groaned and tried to bury her face in the crook of your neck again, but you gently pushed her up as you whispered, “Wanda, wake up. We’re almost at the diner.”

That did the job and she slowly sat back up. You helped her off the bus since she was wearing heels and you started to make your way to the diner in comfortable silence. When you noticed Wanda attempt to hide her shivers, you shrugged off your blazer to drape it over her shoulders.

“It’s fine,” she said, but didn’t try to give your blazer back.

“I don’t mind,” you replied, helping her slip her arms through the sleeves to wear it more comfortably.

Inside the diner, you got your vanilla milkshake to go while Wanda ordered her strawberry one. You also ordered fries and carefully placed the container filled with fries in one of the front pockets of your pants so you could pick up your fries to dip them in your milkshake while walking down the quiet streets of Westview. By your side, Wanda just sipped on her milkshake as she occasionally tugged your blazer closer to her body.

“I need to tell you something,” Wanda said, after walking for nearly 5 minutes in complete silence. Seeing you nod your head as a sign to continue, she took a deep breath, “I think I owe you an explanation… a lot of explanations actually.”

“You think?” you refrained yourself from scoffing. Even though you shared a nice moment back in the gymnasium, you were still upset about everything that had happened between you two. Being with her now just reminded you of all the times she’d betrayed you.

Empathizing with your frustration, Wanda tried her best not to let your tone affect her. You had every reason to be mad at her. She wasn’t even sure why you agreed to have her follow you or even listen to you, but she was glad you hadn’t completely pushed her away.

“Where should I start?” she asked, more to herself than anything.

“How about summer of freshman year? You know, when you just went AWOL,” you suggested with a bit of a bite.

She nodded, taking a deep breath before starting.

It took her nearly an hour to go through everything. It took her another hour to answer all the questions you had for her, like why she never told you any of this before, if you’d ever made her feel like she couldn’t open up to you like that. By the end of your conversation, you had walked around your block maybe a dozen times and you’d ended up sitting on your porch. Although her fears might’ve seem a bit irrational, at the end of the day, Wanda was just a teenager who wanted to fit in, like most of teenagers.

You still couldn’t completely forgive her for hurting you the way she did, but you understood her a bit better.

“I’m not sure what you want from me now,” you admitted.

“I know this is a long shot, but I just–I miss you… as a friend,” she said, and if you were anyone else, maybe you’d buy it. But you were you and you could tell her words weren’t totally truthful. “I mean I also miss you in other ways,” she admitted after a beat of silence, “but we were friends first. I get it if you don’t want anything to do with me, but I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t at least try to get you back as my friend.”

“I still don’t really trust you, Wanda. You have a lot to making up to do, and I won’t go easy on you,” you warned, but she simply nodded her head vigrously.

“I know. I’ll do whatever it takes to gain your trust back.”

You thought back about the beginning of the week when Pietro asked for your forgiveness and how you’d given him a chance. Wanda was asking for the same thing, except you had already technically given her a second chance at the start of your junior year. Yet, she messed up again. Perhaps it was because you jumped into a relationship too quickly instead of working through your issues to rebuild a solid foundation. You took a deep breath to think about whether you could potentially go through all this heartbreak again.

You wanted to believe Wanda, you really did. You liked to see the good in people and after what she did tonight, maybe Natasha was right. There was still a piece of the Wanda you knew and loved.

“You’ll do anything?” you asked after a while.

“Anything,” she confirmed, and if she regretted saying that so quickly, she didn’t let it show.

You hummed and pondered for a bit. “Then, I want you to run barefoot through the Proctors’ lawn,” you said. Your other neighbors, Sarah and Harol Proctor were notorious for being especially careful with all things related to their property. They (mostly Mrs. Proctor) loved to maintain this picture-perfect image of the Proctor family and their home. Running through their lawn was surely going to get you in trouble.

You thought it was pretty obvious you were just messing with Wanda, but the other girl just took off her heels, letting them fall by your side before she sprinted across your neighbors’ lawn. “Wanda! Oh my god, get back here!” you whisper-yelled as to not disturb the neighborhood and ran towards her with her heels hooked to your index finger.

The sound of Wanda’s giggles filled your ears as you finally caught her, picking up in your arms so you could bring her back to your side of the driveway. “Why would you do that?” you asked.

“I told you I’d do anything,” she shrugged, a shy grin on her face. “I meant what I said. I’ll never stop trying to do anything to have you back in my life in any possible.”

“In that case, I don’t want anymore secrecy,” you demanded. “I’m not asking to be best–”

“You got it,” she said.

“You didn’t let me finish.”

“Well, whatever you say, I’ll do it.”

“Okay, Wanda, see that’s not gonna work,” you sighed. “We rushed things the first time and it blew up in our faces. I don’t want that to happen again if I’m giving you another chance. I need you to thinking about this more seriously this time around. This isn’t just something you’ll be able to change overnight.”

“I get that,” she asserted, slightly frustrated. “I know I’m coming off as impulsive, but I’ve thought about this. All week, I’ve thought about how I could make it up to you, how I could make you believe that I want this to work.”

“Alright, well, I have one more request. What are you doing next Tuesday after school?”

“Not sure, but probably homework.”

“How about you drive me to my internship interview then?”

“I could do that,” Wanda responded with a grin.

You weren’t sure how things would work out at school with the stunt she pulled tonight, but as she sipped on her milkshake, walking down the street with one hand holding yours, she didn’t seem to care. All that mattered to her was that you had given her a chance to redeem herself.

You, however, were apprehensive about how much Wanda would try.

─── ᗢ ───── 💔 ───── ᗢ ───

When Monday came around, you were certain that whatever bubble she had created for you two over the weekend would burst. You had mentally prepared yourself for the same silent treatment you’d received for the past year and a half.

“Casanova!” you heard the forsaken voice of Tony Stark call from the other somewhere in the hallway.

“Fuck me,” you muttered into your locker while Yelena who was leaning againt the locker next to yours looked up to the intruders. As you closed your locker door shut, you were met with both Stark brothers, Pepper and their posse.

“Do you not have a voice? Or do you only speak when it’s to steal other people’s girlfriends?”

“I didn’t steal anyone’s girlfriend. Wanda is her own person,” you said, rolling your eyes. God, how did Wanda ever tolerate them? How did Pepper still tolerate them?

“You don’t have to defend her now. She’s not here, it won’t give you brownie points to get into her panties,” Tony sneered.

“I’m not trying to get into her panties. Unlike you, I have something called basic human decency.”

“You sure you’re not just trying to add her to your list of girls you’ve tongued?” Vision was the one to talk this time.

“At least she knows how to make a girl feel good,” Yelena retorted, which made you pinch your nose in frustration. You loved your best friend, you really did. She was your number one defender, always, but sometimes, you wished she would cool it a little. This was one of those times. You really didn’t think it was necessary to bring up a silly rumor about Vision not knowing the female anatomy despite having one of the highest marks in biology.

Right as you pulled Yelena back from lunging forward, you felt someone brush against your arm and step forward. “Leave them alone,” Wanda said firmly.

“Wanda,” Pepper started with a warning voice, “you better watch it.”

“I don’t care what you have to say. I don’t care if you kick me off the team. I’m sick of how you treat people, especially when they haven’t done anything wrong. So, like I said, leave her alone.”

Pepper and Wanda stared at each other, neither speaking a word until Pepper stiffly nodded and turned on her heels. Tony followed her, albeit reluctantly, which led to everyone else following them away. The only one left was Vision.

“Don’t come crawling back when you finally realize–”

“Please, as if I would go back to someone who was never able to get me off,” she scoffed, rendering him speechless.

Beside you, you heard Yelena mutter, “Guess the rumors were true,” which earned her a nudge to the arm from you.

After Vision stormed away, a visible blush on his face, you turned to Wanda. “You didn’t have to do that,” you said, painfully aware of the obvious whispers that had started around you.

“I wanted to,” she asserted with a shaky voice, but put on a smile masking her nerves. “They have no right to be harassing you like that. I’m sorry I just stood by before, but I swear I’ll–”

You cut her off with a hug, arms tightening around her body. “I really missed you,” you mumbled.

“I missed you too,” she said, her arms wrapping you as she relaxed against your grasp.

“Do I also get a hug or what?” Yelena asked. You giggled and pulled her into you, holding both girls close to you.

When Tuesday came and you heard her honk her horn in her and Pietro’s cherry red car, you were a little less surprised to see that she’d kept her promise. You were a little taken aback to see that Pietro was in the passenger seat, but you welcomed the unexpected guest.

“A little birdy told me you got a fancy internship. I had to tag along,” he explained as you buckled you and Yelena got in the backseat.

“I didn’t get the internship,” you said.

“Yet!” Wanda retorted. “You’re gonna kill that interview. There’s no way Frigga won’t take you.”

“Exactly,” Yelena chimed in, “I wouldn’t be surprised if she gave you the position on the spot.”

You shook your head in amusement, but appreciated them hyping you up to ease your nerves. It took a bit of convincing for Yelena to not be so defensive around the twins. You assured her that the moment they even thought of hurting you… well, let’s just say, they wouldn’t get the chance to hurt you with Yelena by your side. After that, she easily got along with the twins. You could tell she was still a bit on the fence about them, but it was hard to deny that the four of you had chemistry. Sitting in the back of the twins’ cherry red car, you watched the three of them sing along to Adele.

You could get used to this.

Wanda still had a lot of making up to do. There was a long road ahead to fix your friendship. Things would never be the same as they were before, but Wanda looked forward to rebuilding her friendship with you. Admittedly, you were also excited for this new chapter of your life with familiar characters returning, albeit with a hint of change.

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a/n: and that was the final part of ma&thp! thank you to everyone who stuck around! this was my first ever reader-insert as well as my first wanda fic so it will always hold a special place in my heart. with that in mind, i have to admit, this isn't really the ending i originally had in mind. the original ending was going to take place about a decade later, but i felt like the time jump was a bit too much since there was nothing in between. so, for now i will leave it at a hopeful ending and honestly still pretty happy considering everything that happened. if however, there are people interested in the original ending, i already have a bit written so i might release it a little later as a bonus? or i might even write more for sunshine and wanda during their college days if i see y'all want more lol. anyways, for now, this is goodbye to miss americana & the heartbreak princess.

edit: i also noticed this blog reached 300 followers recently omg tysm for following along my shenanigans lmao. i wanted to do some sort of 300 writing celebration, but i've got so much on my plate rn i don't think i'd be able to manage:( still, i'm super grateful for y'all! and i will definitely plan something like that in the future

#wanda maximoff fic #wanda maximoff x female reader #wanda maximoff angst #wanda x you #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x f!reader #c: wanda maximoff #jaz writes #series: ma&thp

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thesimpsbasement · 2 years

Text

Twisted wonderland x Ace Attorney crossover

ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕦𝕖

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•Note for new readers: This is a crossover where Maya Fey is basically Yuu/MC in this story! This crossover also takes place after the events of Justice for All making Maya 17-18 in this and this will contain spoilers for both series so read at your own discretion

The plot will be based off both the game and comic so things may be different

(also apologies for any grammatical errors and/or typos)

Now that that's out of the way, enjoy reading!

•Crossover and art by Mod Betty

•Word count: 7.9k

The young girl waved goodbye to her fellow friend and cousin as she entered the train. She decided she wanted to do some alone training to hopefully enhance her spirit channeling abilities.After the Matt Engarde incident and being held as a hostage Maya wanted to take a breather and leave Tokyo for a bit.While sitting in the train she felt her eyes felt heavy and before she knew it she fell asleep.

It was dark,very dark and cramped, did the train suddenly get crowded? Opening her eyes , Maya was only met with darkness "what's going on?" Before waking up to reality to notice she wasn't on the train." Shoot, I'll be late for training!" The young girl yelled to herself as she pushed and picked the lid that was keeping her in whatever she was. The lit came off easier than expected causing her to tumble and fall due to the sheer force.As soon as she came into view she heard gasps all over the room, what IS going on? THIS ISN'T WHERE SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE!.

Quickly getting up she looked around.It was dark, and there were.. coffins floating? "Where am I? This definitely isn't inside a train!" Maya thought, looking around the strange room.Turning around she saw the coffin she just burst out of. She let out a yelp as her face contorted into dear, was she about to get buried alive?? Looking back to the crowd of men in robes, they were whispering something but couldn't make out what it was. Looking down she realised,she was wearing a completely different robe! No wonder it felt so hot in here! She could feel her normal clothes underneath the new attire which made her even more confused.Lost in thought she hasn't even noticed a figure walking up to her." Honestly coming through the door of your own accord is virtually unheard of, why are you in such a hurry?" The man spoke , he was wearing a mask that hid his eyes, he had a top hat on with some sort of fancy ornaments and his clothes were something the girl hadn't seen before. " Who are you!? What is this place? Are you here to hold me hostage again?! " Maya spewed question after question, giving the stranger the stink eye .Again she hurt whispering from the many people in similar robes as her own " Isn't that a girl's voice?" "No way isn't this school an all boys school?". "Please calm yourself! Believe me I'm certainly not a suspicious character " the masked man spoke again " Believe me I've seen suspicious individuals but you take the cake! What is this place anyway and why am I here!?" Maya has terrified, what's going to happen to her? What will they do?? Before her thoughts spiraled she heard the voice speak again" Why? Why, that's because you were chosen" he replied to the girl's question. " Chosen? Chosen where? Why? How?" This isn't making sense at all, this is completely different to what she experienced with that assassin "Hmm…" the man put his finger on his chin lost in thought for a moment before quickly recovering " It seems that you aren't entirely lucid yet, a side effect of the spiral transportation magic, perhaps " he concluded facing the newcomer standing before him. " I'll give you a brief explanation, for I am gracious!" He says with a proud look on his face. " This is getting weirder and weirder" Maya thought to herself as she stood there waiting for whoever this was to explain what's happening. " This is Night Raven College, a prestigious magician training school in Twisted Wonderland. Where the chosen few with exceptional magical talent gather from all around the world" he explains " Ma..gic? This isn't how spirit channeling is called and since when did I apply for a college?!" She was still confused but thought it was just her imagination. "You're here because the 'Mirror of Darkness ' has recognised your magical prowess. A black carriage carrying the door must have come to pick you up as well" he said, motioning his hand to a blank mirror. "Now that he mentioned it, I do remember seeing that but I thought it was a dream " the girl thought but quickly analysed what he just said " A dark mirror selected me? This is definitely not how spirit channeling works! " She confirmed looking at the masked man with a look that says 'give me answers!'. Her train of thoughts was interrupted by clapping " Now! That about does it for explanations.The entrance ceremony is about to begin " he said as he starts to walk away. " Hold up a second pal! Are you sure this isn't some sort of mistake! I can't use this magic you talk about and plus I don't remember signing up for a college!" The girl looking at him confused but demanding. " What did you just say…?" "So if you'll excuse me I'll leave because I have some important training to do that I definitely can't miss!" She said as she turned around ready to head out " Wait just a moment! Someone refusing to enroll is unheard of!" The masked individual said as some of the people there started muttering things to one another. " Let's just calm down and-" before he could finish his sentence the girl interrupted him " I'm sorry but how can I calm down when I don't even know where I am!?" She said turning back to him.

A sudden crash was heard , everyone turning to the source of the sound. It was a grey cat? Or was it a raccoon? Doesn't matter it slowly walked towards Maya standing on 2 legs it started to talk!? "I've been listening to ya talk and do you know how many folks do ya think we're biting their chance to enter this school!? Lettin' it slip by like that..I can't believe you! So how about this , let me enroll in your place !" The cat offered with a huge smirk on his face " What's truly odd here is how you're doing as you please after that intrusion!" Said the masked man looking at the furbal, said furbal ignoring looking at the "new student" " How about it? Are you so overcome with joy that it left you speechless?" He said proudly waiting for Maya's response " Cats can talk here too!? I have to be dreaming !" She said pinching her cheeks to make sure she wasn't still dreaming " Hey I ain't no cat! I'm going to be the greatest wizard there ever was! The amazing Grim!" Suddenly there was laughter among the crowd " a monster a wizard? As if!" "Tell us more about your plays oh so powerful tanuki" This caused the cat thing who calls himself Grim to flare up in anger " What did you say!? Guess I'm gonna have to show ya my fiercest spell!" As he said that he blew , causing blue flames to spring out of nowhere soon the whole room was in blue flames.

"Kyaaaa!!" Screamed the upcoming heir as she tried to dodge the flames "Y'see that? That's my power!" Grim shouted before blowing more fire at the student's that were once laughing. As everyone was ready to evacuate one stood up from his seat and walked to the fire." First someone refuses enrollment, and then a monster intrudes?

How dare you ruin our solemn entrance ceremony!

You…. Remove yourself from our school at once !" The short boy yelled without a glance of fear on his face . Grim annoyed threw his fire attack into his direction causing Maya to stop and turn to his direction " Hey watch out!" She would've jumped at him to at least but she remained in her place. The boy quickly dodged the attack grabbing some sort of pen? It had a visible red jewel on it, was it some sort of wand? "Are you ready for your sentence? The verdict will come afterwards " he spoke in a threatening tone " What is he a judge?!" Maya thought to herself as she looked at Grim, noticing him halt in his rampage causing him to turn around and run , before he could get away the student shouted " Off with your head!" And suddenly some sort of collar appeared around Grim's neck. The hell!? That guy wasn't joking when he said this is a collage for magicians! " The hell is this thing!? Shit I can't take it off!" Cursed the magic cat preparing to blow more flames except it never happened.The despair on his face realising he can't use magic " My magic… Y'mean I can't spit out flames anymore!?" "Naturally. I used my magic to seal yours'' said the boy with red hair as he put away his pen. Maya stared in awe at what just happened, Nick has to hear about this! If only she had recorded it! Sudden clapping was heard as the masked one appeared once more " Quiet the clever capture Riddle Rosehearts! Just as one would expect from Heartslabyul's dorm leader!" Said the man as he came into view " Now , let's toss this tanuki off the premises. I could have used you for stew but I didn't! For I am gracious!" He said to the now collared cat as he walked off. Maya felt her legs get weak as she fell to the ground , everything was spinning, it all felt so fake , but it literally just happened right in front of her! The redhead, named Riddle walked up to the girl point at her " Now listen here, I'm willing to ignore what you just pulled , however! I won't ignore such foolishness again , do you understand!? Or else it will be off if your head" he said , cold gaze as Maya felt a shiver up her spine. 2 figures ran up to the 2 , one with green hair, glasses and a clover in his face , the other with orange hair and a diamond on the opposite side from the first guy" Hey riddle why don't we just calm down for a second and hear them out?" Said the green haired one " Calm down? As if I could when they're making a mess of our ceremony! He's guilty of serious misconduct " oh lord this is sounding just like the trial when she was accused of murder " I can see that but… this is their first day on campus, it goes without saying that he wouldn't know all our rules" spoke the green haired man, his diamond friend came around and crouched at the girl's level " Exactly, soo maybe you can let him off the hook, given it's such a special occasion " said the orange haired one " Hey I didn't enroll! I can't even use magic, especially like how you do!" Fey said as she quickly got up from her place on the cold floor " Spouting more nonsense? The black carriage wouldn't come for a human that can't use mag-" before he could finish there was a sudden sound , everyone turned to the direction of the mirror.

"It is as she says , i sense not even a single ripple of magic from her. No color, no shape, nothing whatsoever " said the mirror of darkness as Maya stared at the mirror " Man things are just getting weirder and weirder!" She thought as she saw the shocked faces of everyone, why are they so surprised anyway it's not like she's been trying to tell them that from the beginning! " I've never heard of a freshman without magic," said Riddle , lost for words. " I've been trying to tell you that from the start," Maya pouted looking at the redhead. "Uh hold on a second " interrupted the ginger " Is it just me or did the mirror of darkness just say 'her'?" The 3 looked at the girl confused Riddle quickly stepped in " take off your hood this instant " was the only thing he said , Maya looked terrified but agreed, he pulled down the hood from the robe to reveal well , a girl with black hair ,bangs on the front and partially tied up in a topknot with a purple band, with the rest of her hair either draped over the front of her shoulders and decorated with large purple beads near the end while the rest lays on her back. Everyone's let out a gasp at what they're seeing, a girl!? At Night Raven ?! What is going? " Uhm why is everyone looking so surprised?" Asked Maya without a clue of what's going on " First no magic and a girl? How could this happen?" Asked Riddle, looking annoyed ," like hell should I know! " Maya thinks to herself before she hears a set of footsteps " I find that very hard to believe " it was the masked crow guy! " The monster's intrusion,and you as well, a medley of impossibilities are occurring today" he sighed looking back into the girl's direction "However of that were the case, then you shouldn't have been accepted at our school, we'll have the mirror of darkness return you from whence you came" Maya let out a sigh of relief , finally she can leave this place! The masked man walked up the mirror , extended his arms and said" O, Mirror of Darkness! Guide this one to where they belong!" A moment a silence passes before the mirror spoke …..

"It is nowhere to be found" was the response that left everyone in shock "Nowhere in this world is there a place for this one to belong" the mirror spoke again " What you can't be serious! I was just there, I saw my friend and everything!" Maya raised her voice in disbelief, this has to be some cruel joke right? Right!?

"And… where are you from again?" Asked the crow looking man as he turned towards Maya's direction. "Well Japan ! More specifically Khurain Village!" " Japan? Khurain? And where is that exactly? I'm aware that students here come from all over the world but I have never heard of such a place. Now you aren't lying to me by any chance are you?" Asked the stranger and everyone stared at the girl as she felt gooseberry forming " Uhm so you're telling me no knows about Japan?" It was an obvious that everyone didn't know " you know what maybe I'll be able to find it myself! I may not been around much but I'm sire I can figure somewhere out!" She declared before storming out of the room , but when she opened the door and saw the outside she went completely wide eyed , people were flying on magic brooms! Just like I'm those TV shows she watches while Phoenix is busy busting ass trying to figure out what's going on with a case he's been assigned to. " Do you know you're way back? " Asked the masked one as he stepped outside where the girl was " Nope ! Totally lost! Hang on a second, maybe Nick can help me out here! " She said as she picked up her phone to call him only to be met with " No signal" on the screen, darn it!

That's when realization hit her, she was stuck here wasn't she? How will she ever get back, oh how worried Pearl and Phoenix would be when they won't hear from her!

"Hmm it appears that you aren't lying, a person without magic can't stay here" said the crow looking fella as he sat in thought before having an idea " Hey there's a vacant building nearby that was once used as a dormitory!" He said to the girl who was about to burst into tears " Wait, are you sure?" She asked, almost in disbelief " It'd break my heart to simply throw you out! Ahh~~ How gracious I am! Such an exemplary educator! Now it would be best if we hurry and let us head to the dorm!" He said as he took the girl's hand and dragged her to an abandoned looking building.

The 2 reached their destination at what seems to be an abandoned building just as mentioned. " Woah you weren't kidding when you said it was vacant " said the girl as he stared at the building " oh I know this is sorta random but you never actually told me your name" Maya said while turning to the direction of the masked individual " Oh how rude of me! Getting so caught up with things that I don't even introduce myself! I'm Dire Crowley, headmaster of Night Raven College and who might you be?" Said Crowley with a smile on his face " Oh I'm Maya Fey! Nice to meet you sir!" Said the black haired girl as both of themselves stepped in the house. Immediately Maya started coughing and sneezing, man this place is dusty! "It's a little broken down, but it can probably withstand the rain" said the headmaster as both walked around " Well it's more than just "a little broken down" but It's better than sitting outside in the rain" said the young girl as she looked around the building "Regarding your soul having been summoned here.. since the school owns the mirror of darkness we are also partially responsible, so for the time being you'll be staying free of charge" said Crowley stopping in his tracks " I appreciate it sir!" Said Maya , clasping her hands together t

, turning around to explore the mansion the chandelier above her fell , if she took one more step she would definitely get crushed " Kyaaa!!" Screamed the girl as she stepped away "hee hee hee" "oh no it missed!" "What a shame!" Maya looked all over the place but not finding the source of the sound " Who was that just now!?" Asked Maya in a panicked voice , suddenly something or someone just went right through her

" Welcome to our castle!" It was… A GHOST!? " W-W-WHAT!? it just went through me! Am I dead!? Is this the afterlife?" Screamed the girl , face turning pale " oh right I forgot to tell you, some mischievous Ghosts took up home here " said the headmaster in a calm voice " How can you forget something like that!?" Maya asked the headmaster only to be met with no answer to her question instead hearing the Ghosts talk again "It's been a while since we last had visitors" said one ghost "Make yourself at home." The other one said "Oh I know, want to become a ghost?" Asked one of them as they suddenly came closer to the upcoming master of Khurain "We've been looking for new friends " said the other ghost " Whoa whoa hold on a second this is getting out of hand, I've seen death enough times but this is just a another level creepy! So I'm sorry but I will have to refuse your offer to become a ghost!" The ghost giggled to themselves at her reaction , this is exactly what the were waiting for! " Whatever i should get this place squeaky clean if I'm going to stay here for who knows how long!" Said the girl and she started rolling up her sleeves " Hold on a second I'm not done talking " said Dire which prompted the girl to stop in her tracks " I did say you can stay here free of charge however clothing and food will have to come from you pocket " he said pointing his claw like decorated hand towards the girl " Ugh if only Nick where here…. Is there anything I can do instead!? Anything??" The girl pleaded " Well if you're so willing to do anything…. How about you take care of some odd jobs around the campus like maintenance? I will also let you use the library to find information on how to get back to your world for I am gracious!" Said the masked crow in a proud voice once more " It's a deal! Thank you so much, headmaster!" Maya thanked him with a smile on her face " Great! Well then, please start cleaning the school, starting tomorrow… Is what I'd like to say but you see our campus is very vast and it would be important to clean everything without magic" said the headmaster in a somewhat concerned voice " And so I'll just ask you to clean the main streets , which extends from the entrance gate to the library for now , understood ?" " Yes sir!" Said the girl ready to start her new job tomorrow.

It's the next day and the girl was in her normal clothes, a kimono, dark-wooden sandals,and the necklace she still had on at the ceremony which consists of a yellowish magatama and several orbs and this time she came with cleaning equipment, good thing that cleaning the office gave her experience to go through this! " So this is the main street huh" She said to herself as she admired the statues that were on the main street , she walked to the first one " Wonder who this could be" she wondered to herself as she examined it and noticed th crown " is she soke ruler of some kind?" She asked to herself using her deduction skills she learnt from her lawyer friend " What a joke ! You don't even know the Queen of Hearts?" Said a student , he had red hair and a heart on his face , was he related to the other 3 people from the ceremony? Next to him was another student this one having dark blue hair with a spade on the opposite side " Queen of Hearts? Was she like a queen here or something?" Asked the girl looking down at the 2 boys " She's a queen who lived in a labyrinth of roses ages ago" explained the redhead "With a strict personality that valued discipline over anything else, she didn't tolerate any disorder when it came to the color of roses or the card soldier's marching. They were all mad there, but everyone swore their absolute obedience, why you ask? Because breaking the rules got youba swift beheading!" A shiver went up Maya's spine as she listened to the guy explain the origins of the statue " Thanks for the info! By chance are you a student here?" Asked the girl " Yep I'm Ace Trapolla. A brand sparkling new first year! Nice to meet ya" said Ace introduced himself " Hey are you that girl that was acting up in the ceremony?" Asked Ace " Well I suppose? Not my fault a mirror chose the wrong person " the girl grumbled to herself " ha I knew it! The mirror of darkness summoned someone who can't even use magic, and a girl at that! Man, I was trying so hard not to laugh!" Chuckled the redhead nudging her " Why is it so surprising I'm a girl? Don't normal schools have like both boys and girls? " Asked the girl " Well yes but this is an all boys school " responded the spade guy as he walked up to them. " Also Ace don't be so rude to someone you just met!" Scolded the dark haired student which caused the redhead to scoff " so you couldn't enroll?" Asked the blue haired student " Yeaah so I'm sorta the handyman for the time being " replied Maya looking back at the cleaning supplies "I see, so that's why your uniform is so different!" " Yeah this is the uniform all girls wear at my village!" Maya said smiling " If there's anything about the school just let me know!" Said the dark haired male " The name is Deuce Spade. Nice to meet you." Said Deuce with a smile " I'm Maya Fey! " " So Maya is taking care of that raccoon from the ceremony also a part of your new found job" joked Ace then suddenly felt something jumo on his head " I ain't no chore!" It was the talking cat from yesterday! And his collar is gone! "Why are ya still here!? Didn't ya say ya wanted to go home" Asked Grim looking annoyed at the girl " Well if I could I would-be long gone and training by this time!" Retorted the girl " Then it looks like I'll have to get rid of ya myself " Grim said lugging to attack , turning around she grabbed the closest thing ,a mop and quickly hit Grim. " Phew that was a close call, I don't want to be burnt bacon yet!" Sighed Maya in relief " Hahaha getting defeated by a magicless kid and with a broom!" Laughed Ace but Grim got up " I ain't giving up so soon! I will be a great magician just you wait!" Said Grim with determined look on her face " Ha you a magician! For a talking raccoon you're rather funny!" Ace continued to laugh , Maya let go of the mop remembering how her Aunt , Morgan Fey would always belittle her , saying how she'll never be good enough to be the new master of Khurain. While she was in a trance Grim managed to blow his flames towards Ace which he in return pulled out his magic pen and casted some sort of wind magic. Deuce trying to stop their fight summoned something to stop Ace, a sudden loud crash caused Maya to slip back to reality to only be met with Ace literally getting crushed by a cauldron!? Seeing this opening Grim launched his fire attack once more only for it to get blown away and…. THE STATUE TO CATCH FIRE! The 4 all felt their souls leave their body as they watched in horror as the statue of the Queen of Hearts was burning. Quick footsteps were hear

" YOUUUU THEREE!" yelled an angered voice,It's Crowley! " What in the name of the great seven did you do!?This is blasphemy against a renowned figure! There's no possible way I can turn a blind eye to this! " yelled the headmaster slamming his cane on the ground " All of you are expelled effective immediately!" His voice boom causing the 3 to contort their faces in fear.The most scared of all was Deuce, poor guy looked like he's going to explode

" E-expelled !? After I finally made it to a famous school!? Oh what am I going to tell mom! " As the headmaster was walking away Deuce raised his heada and started walking towards the headmaster

" Please sir anything but that!"

" It only your fault for such a foolish stunt " said Crowley , not paying attention to the boy.

" Then I'll do anything to make up for it!" Yelled Deuce peaking the headmaster's interest, thinking for a bit he had an idea

" Then I shall offer you 1 chance to make amends " said Dire " There is an enormous fixture hanging in the cafeteria. A magic chandelier with ever lasting candles that burn indefinitely. It's a masterpiece crafted a legendary meister of magic tools. That very item is currently losing its power.It seems the source of its strength, the magic gem is growing weaker. Magic gems are mined in a place called Mt. Dwarf…. We may be able to repair it otherwise a similar gem property. " explained the masked headmaster " I'll go and get one! Please you have to let go!" Pleaded Deuce hoping,praying for the headmaster's approval

" Very well… However, you will be expelled if you don't return with the gem by tomorrow's morning. You can travel to Mt. Dwarf through a door in the mirror Chambers. " said Dire as he took his leave once more " Right! Thank you!

The 3 went to said mirror Chambers and entered through the door. Woah they're in a completely different area! " So this is Mt. Dwarf huh..m people used to mine here for magic gems when they were abundant but…" said Deuce stopping mid sentence " It's really quiet here" said Maya looking around the place " There's no time to stand around let's go!" Said Deuce , practically speed walking. The 3 stopped at a cottage they found , deciding to go check it out to see what the residents have to say.

They walked up to the door, Deuce taking the initiative to knock, getting no response he tried opening the door, surprised to see its opened. They all got inside and looked around "So no one's home" concluded Deuce as the other 2 in the room inspected the table with what seemed to be 7 chairs " Man these things are so small! Not even a kid could sit of one of these chairs!" Said Maya looking surprised, not even Pearly could sit on those chairs! " Guess there aren't any clues about the magic gem here huh?" Said Deuce inspecting other parts of the house " Well there's no point searching this house if there isn't anything we're looking for, there has to be at least one gem in that mine" said Ace unamused " It's going to be dark in there…" said Deuce looking around and saw a candle on a shelf " Well I guess we can borrow this but if only we had something to light it" said Deuce handing it to Maya as the 2 boys looked for something to light it , suddenly the candle caught fire out of nowhere! And look who it is! Mr Grim, the fire cat " Hah looks like you'll need my help with my awesome fire magic" said Grim as he cat on the small chair " Grim you're back?" Asked Maya "How long have you been following us?" Questioned Deuce, eyeing the feline "to take me into the mine with ya! I might provide a little service for ya if you do" said Grim smirking at the trio " highly doubt a furbal is going to be of much help" thought Maya looking back at Grim" what do you want?" She asked "I'm gonna go pokin' around for magic gems! Y'never know maybe I could use some super powerful magic with those!" Answered Grim " Well it's not like you need us from mining? Couldn't you just go by yourself?" Asked Ace , crossing his arms " I-i-it's not like I'm too scared to go in the dark alone!" Grim quickly defended himself " I'll be the captain so ya better follow me!" He said getting up and started walking out of the house "Wow isn't he cocky" Maya said with a not so pleased expression on her face " Eh it will save us some time finding the entrance now let's go !" Said Ace catching up with Grim, soon the other 2 followed.

The 4 of them managed to find the entrance of the cave and without wasting time got straight to work.So far nothing, just some rocks but nothing close to what they're looking for. Ace managed to irritate Grim which caused them to blame each other for the position which made Deuce step in and that led to the 2 students arguing, Maya on the other hand wasn't paying attention to their yapping, instead she hear some sort of voice, didn't sound like anything familiar " Uh is it just me or I definitely heard something " Asked Maya turning to a darker part of the mine " Probably just you, this place is abandoned " Answered Ace. The weird noise was heard again, this time louder. All 4 quickly hid behind a pile of rocks, scared out their minds, when some sort of weird creature popped out , it didn't look anything human, or anything normal in general! " What the hell is that!?" Whispered Ace covering his mouth to silence his heavy breath " No one told me Jack about this being here!" Cried out Grim " Stone…belongs…to..me" the weird thing said walking away from the group " Did it just say stone? Like a gem? So there ARE still magic gems in these mines! Let's go!" Said Deuce before running to the the place the creature came out of " Hey what are you doing !?" Yelled our Ace but only his plea to fall on deaf ears. " I'm going! LIke hell we're gonna quit when the gems are right around the corner!" He said storming of to the master " Hey, monster!" Deuce yelled causing the monster to turn around " What is that idiot trying to do!? Get himself killed!?" Thought Maya looking wide eyed " Face me one-on-one I'm taking the gems if I win !" Challenged Deuce , the monster raised its pickaxe lunging it towards Deuce who dodged it , noticing its slow while attacking he took advantage of this landing a hard kick towards the back of it causing some sort of blank liquid to drip , the master attacked again causing the ruble to collapse. The monster manages to get out and started chasing the other 3 remaining intruders which started to run, except or Maya,she couldn't just leave Deuce there alone! Like hell if she's going to let him die! Turning around she ran back to where Deuce was , if she could spirit chanel someone she'd channel someone better fit for the job but now there's no time! " The monster swong it's pickaxe again causing rocks to fly all over the place nearly crushing the girl but thankfully Ace made it in time to block them " Thanks Ace I'll be back!" Maya quickly found Deuce on the ground injured , she took him off the ground to the best of her abilities, Deuce on the other hand noticed somethings shining, it was the magic them they were looking for! "There it is!" Yelled out Deuce extending to reach for it only to be dragged by Maya who put one of his arms around her shoulders to stabilise him " Sprry pal but we can't take it yet! We have to leave before we become one with the rubble!" Yelled Maya trying her best to run as fast as possible while not dropping Deuce, good thing carrying heavy stuff around the village and stuff at the office gave her some experience. Final they managed to get to a more secure place. As soon as they got there Maya collapsed on the ground, man that was a lot of work! " Stupid Deuce and Maya! You can just jump into a situation like that! It's too risky!" Scolded Ace " Kinda felt like you were a different person back there " Grim commented , reference to how Deuce suddenly changed character " Sorry.. I got a little worked up" said Deuce rubbing the back of his neck " *pant* If we're going to *pamt* stay here *pant* let me at least take a break" Maya panted as she was still laying on the ground "What made you think it was a good idea to come after Deuce anyway!? You can't even use magic for crying out loud!" Ace Asked annoyed at the girl but also concerned " I-Ill be fine just give me a couple of minutes…" the girl said trying to regain the strength to at least sit up instead of lying on the ground as if it was a bed . " But there really is a ge here. If we could just do something about that monster…" Deuce said raising his finger to his chin trying to think of something "And what do you propose we do?" Asked Ace not amused " It's too early to give up yet" Maya said trying to somewhat reasurthe group as they all sat there trio think of something. " Hmm well there's only one so if we attack it as a group we might have a chance of beating it" Maya suggested " You want me to work together with Mr. Serious over here?! No way!" Said Ace "I'm not teaming up with you either!" Said Deuce, wow its like they're kindergarteners fighting over a ball. " Welp guess we'll have to say goodbye to this school, such a pity" Maya said dramatically said " Getting expelled on the first day, that's so lame" Chuckled Grim, those words ticked both boys off finally agreeing to work together. "Hey monster over Germany!!" Called out Maya and Grim making sure the monster saw them clear as day " Thieves…..Leeaaaveee!" The monster growled chasing the 2 who were running back to the entrance to lure out the monster " Now!" Yelled Maya getting out of the way as the 2 students got their magic pens out Grim also getting in a fighting stance , first Ace threw a wind attack at the monster pushing it back " It's getting weak! Now for the final blow!" Yelled out Maya causing Deuce to get ready for attack , relaxing his breathing he started to think of something heavy… something heavy..

Oh he knows a cauldron, summoning one , it fell right on top of the monster causing it to disappear into thin air! After their realisation in victory they all cheered high fiving one another "I'm glad this whole thing worked!" Maya said excited as the other 3 quickly retracted from the high five " No its not like that!" Said Deuce "Don't get the wrong idea!" Said Ace " W-we only won 'cause I'm a genius! Not 'cause we joined forces!" Said Grim but Ace spike again" Heh excuses are lame , have to admit but Maya's strategy might've been why we beat it!" "Yeah! We pulled this off because you were able to stay calm and give direction!" Praised Deuce " Awe come on it wasn't all that " She said bashfully looking away "Anyway let's grab that crystal and take it to the headmaster before I faint!" Maya spoke again feeling as if she's going to collapse and that feeling was true because her legs gave out once more " Maayaa!" All 3 yelled rushing to the fallen girl.Grim turned around and saw some sort of black crystal " huh what's this?" Asked Grim walked up to it " Huh a magic crystal? Buy I've never seen one pitch black like coal before" Said Deuce taking his attention away from the girl , the cat sniffed it before he started drooling " this thing smells really good.." " No way!" Said Ace " This has to be candy the monster was hiding! Ooooh I can't hold back!! Them to dig in!" Said Grim before starting to devour the rock like it was his final meal. Grim reminded silent before coughing "And this is why you don't eat things off the ground" Ace sighed at the cat's stupidity " it's….. d-d-d-d- DELICIOUS!" Screamed Grim, loud enough for the unconscious girl to become conscious " It's full-bodied but also rich, with an aromatic sweetness that blooms in my mouth" Grim described while being in pure bliss " It's like a whole field of flowers in my mouth!" He cheered " Bleeeghh. Monster's really do have different tastes from us" Ace gagged , disgusted " Well yeah but also most people wouldn't shove weird rocks in their mouths without a thought " Said Deuce while Grik kept laughing and saying how good the rock tastes " Switching gears let's get back to headmaster and give him the crystal, I'll cary Maya back!" Deuce said handing Ace the gem as he crouched down to pick up the unconscious girl. Before actually reaching his office they took a break for a bit and to maybe hopefully make Maya wake up which thankfully did happen, when she was feeling better all 4 headed to the headmaster's office.

"Ehh!? You really went to Dwarf's Mine to find a magic crystal?" Crowley said in disbelief looking at the crystal Ace handed round him " Huh?" All of them said in unicine " I really didn't think.. You'd not only go but then come back with crystal in hand. I quietly completed the paperwork for your expulsion " The crow admitted crossing his arms " Nnga! The nerve of this guy! While we were off fighting some crazy beast!" Grik said with annoyance " Beast?" Asked Dire looking surprised " There was a monster there!" Said Ace " it was super gross and crazy strong, it was awful!" Ace said again feeling a shiver up his spine, remembering the events that just occurred " Could you explain in more detail?' Crowley asked , croutons know about this so called beast. The kids all explained what happened happened in that mine "Hohhooho. A mysterious monster living in the coal mine, the fpur of you worked together to defeat it and bring back a magic crystal?" Asked Crowley making sure he understood the situation. Ace and Deuce tried to deny the working together part and play it off as " We had the same goal" " ooh… Oooh OOOOOHHH!! Sob sob !!" Suddenly Crowley cried out taking all 4 of the troublemakers off guard " What's with this guy? Why is an adult bursting into tears!?" Grim asked completely taken aback " All these years that I've been headmaster….For the day to come that students from Night Raven Collage go hand in hand to face and defeat their enemy!" Crowley continued to cry out " What!? I did not hold this guy's hand!" Deuce says looking surprised " I would never do that! Gross! But headmaster, how old are you!?" Ace Asked " I am overwhelmed with emotion. This incident confirms it.Maya. without a doubt, you have talent of a beast tamer!" Crowley announced looking serious "A beast tamer!? Unless we're talking about my stomach you have to be joking!" Maya said not believing what she was just hearing "Students of Night Raven College are budding wizards called here by the Dark Mirror. However, they are of a subclass that makes them prideful and egotistical people that have not even the slightest inkling to work for themselves. Making many of them selfish and self-centered." Crowley explained " You're really not saying anything good" Grim said looking unamused. " You can't use magic but maybe because you cannot use magic means that you could give instructions to wizards and get the to cooperate. Perhaps that mediocrity is exactly what the school needs right now!" Crowley said with a smile on his face " You aren't making it sound like a good thing sir" Maya said with a displeased face " I have no doubt that tour existence is essential to the future of this academy so says my educator-senses. Trapolla. Spade. Along with rescinding your expulsion I shall give you the qualifications to attend Night Raven College as a student!" Crowley announced happily " Wait hold on a second! You're telling me I'm going to be a student here!? Even if I can't use magic !? " Maya asked question after question " Why yes for I am extremely gracious! But there is one condition.You cannot use magic. Becoming a wizard is out of the question thus you probably won't be able to complete all your lessons, that's why Grim.. You have proven to me that you can possess enough talent to become a wizard. Therefore I shall allow the 2 of you to enroll together, as one student. " Crowley said looking happy as ever " Fngha! I.. I can go to this academy too..? As a student?" Grim asked being overwhelmed with joy " Yes provided that you don't cause an incident like yesterday to occur again! Do we have an agreement?" Crowley asked the cat bit said cat was too busy processing this new bit of information " We'll try out best sir!" Maya spoke for Grim excited to be in a public school Unlike those in her village " Before I forget here let me give you a symbol to show that you're officially students!" Crowley said before a magic crystal appeared around Grim's neck "Students at Night Raven Collage have their magic crystal in the form of a magic pen but I figured it would be hard for you to grab it with your paws so this oneis custom made ! Ah I pay attendance to the smallest details ! Aren't I so gracious! " " I did it! I got my own special magic crystal collar " Grim cheered, happy with his new magic collar " He isn't listening all…It's up to you to take the rein and supervise him and prevent him from causing trouble! " Crowley told the girl as Grim continued to happily sing " Aha! Look at you. School's just started but you're already a supervisor?" Ace said " Never heard of someone who can't use magic become a supervisor ! Especially on their first day!" He laughed at the irony but congratulated the new student nonetheless " Supervisor. I entrust you with this!" Crowley spoke again handing Maya some sort of camera. This is nicknamed the " ghost camera"" he explained " A ghost camera? What for?" Maya asked confused while analysing the object in hand " Ah I think my grandma told me about that. It's a super old magic tool right ?" Ace Asked looking at the object " It's not 'super old'... ahem. It's true this mat have been invented during your great grandmother's or great great grandmother's time there is a very special spell cast on it . It not only captures the object's form but also a part of their soul. We call this 'Memory: A Fragment of Remembrance '. Furthermore, the most interesting part of this magic camera is that the souls of the photographer and the photographed become deeply connected and the Memory I the photo comes jumping out!" The headmaster's told the girl "It comes jumping out? Man these things never fail to amaze me!" Maya said while smiling " Depending on how close the subject and the photographer are the picture can move like a movie or bring to life a situation in the photo. Fascinating right?" Crowley explained more " Supervisor. Please take photos of Grim and the other students to leave behind many memories of your lives in this academy and make sure to make 'memories ' when someone gets out of line got it? Keep an eye on your surroundings and take memories as the supervisor. " Crowley told Maya " Got it sir I'll give it a try later!" Maya said clasping her hands together. " It's already late. Let's save the detailed conversation for tomorrow, return to your dormitories, everyone " and with that the 4 students left for their dorms.

Maya and Grim finally got back to Ramshackle, despite his excitement Grim felt tired and fell asleep immediately as his head his the bed. Maya was getting ready to go bed herself, getting under the covers her eyes slowly closed as she faded into dreamland. Wonder what kind of shenanigans will happen tomorrow she thinks to herself before finally falling asleep.

#ace attorney #twisted wonderland #ace attorney x twisted wonderland #ace attorney crossover #twisted wonderland crossover #ace attorney x twisted wonderland crossover #maya fey #ace attorney maya fey #twst #twst crossover #pwaa crossover #phoenix wright ace attorney

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tsukishumai · 3 years

Text

pairing: Bokuto Kotaro x gn!reader

summary: whoever said being adult was fun obviously never had bills to pay. so when Akaashi offers up a way to earn cash fast, you jump at the opportunity. except, you never thought you’d find yourself modeling in your underwear... least of all with Bokuto Kotaro

wc; 3k+

tags; fluff, humor, college au, mentions of very slight nudity

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

If anyone else other than Akaashi offered you this position, you would probably punch them right in the face.

Maybe he considers this payback for all the times he’s had to listen to you whine about your problems during your shared shifts at the cafe, or maybe this truly was his own sadistic way of attempting to provide support.

“Okay, so I know a way you can make easy money,” he started, and already those words should have sent alarm bells ringing in your head, but this was Akaashi. You’ve only really known him for a short time, but already you knew he wouldn’t lead you astray.

But really, the electronic shop five blocks from campus told you it would cost 55000 yen to repair your laptop monitor, so you weren’t exactly in a position to be picky.

You had also been complaining to him for the past forty minutes -- about the broken laptop, the leaking faucet in your apartment, the textbook that cost you more than your groceries for the past month, the two hours of sleep you got last night, and your paychecks that were all but depleted once the bills were paid. He remained tightlipped throughout your whole tirade, so you suppose the least you could do was hear him out.

“You’re not trying to sell my kidneys, right…” You mumble sarcastically, but you tilt your head to him anyway to show you were listening.

“No, sadly, it’s not quite the season for kidneys yet,” Akaashi delivers in a flat tone, “So you’re just going to have to deal with modeling.”

“Modeling?” Your reaction was harsh and loud, and you flinched away from the piercing glares of cafe regulars trying to study in peace.

Akaashi smirks as he wipes down the steamer before replying, “Don’t worry, it’s not the kind of modeling you’re thinking.”

Your mouth dropped, and you raised an eyebrow as you crossed your arms, scoffing at Akaashi incredulously.

“Are you trying to send me to a nudie shoot?!” you whisper in almost-mock offense, but now a part of you was a little worried that your favorite coworker was a secret pervert.

To your utter relief, Akaashi just laughs. “God, no. Well, I guess, kind of?”

At this point, your head was beginning to spin. “What do you mean kind of? Just spit it out already, Akaashi.”

Akaashi finally finishes cleaning off the coffee machine just as you finished replenishing the pastry displays, and in an unusual lull in customers, he’s able to lean against the bar and give you his undivided attention.

“My art professor pays the models for her figure drawing class a pretty decent amount of money, I think,” Akaashi tells you, and your eyes begin to sparkle. “She mentioned a couple of slots being open.”

“Really?” your interest was immediately piqued, “How much money?”

Akaashi shrugs. “Enough to strike at least one problem off your list, probably.”

That was all you needed to hear. Akaashi had given you his professor’s contact information, and you sent her an email the second you had clocked out of your shift.

Professor Nobuta was a kind woman who emailed you back with such haste, you could feel her desperation matching yours. She was candid during the entirety of your exchange, saying that her usual model had dropped out last minute and there was a spot in her class tomorrow that she needed to fill as soon as possible. Lucky for both of you, you were actually available, and details were exchanged swiftly.

As you read over the requirements, your eyes roved over two words in a section of the email that made your eyes bulge out of your head.

Semi Nude.

You blinked once. Then twice.

You had already formulated a kind rejection in your mind, ready to type your response when another section caught your eye. You inwardly groaned, dropping your head into your hands.

She was offering you almost as much as two shifts at the cafe.

That, alone, was enough to convince you, but the look of relief on Professor Nobuta’s face when you walked through the doors of her classroom was confirmation you made the right decision.

The seats around the classroom were nearly all filled, some students preparing their materials across their desks, and others sitting back and scrolling through their phones. The whirring of the A/C had filled the room with white noise, and you take notice of the two empty stools in the middle of the room.

“Thank you so much for signing up, L/N-san,” Professor Nobuta bowed profusely, and she gestured to a table for you to leave your things. “We’re still waiting on the other model, so take your time, and have a seat on the stool when you’re ready.”

You nodded in acknowledgement, and Professor Nobuta makes her way back to her desk. You briefly wonder if she was going to point you in the direction of a changing room, but realized the redundancy when everyone in the room was meant to stare at your half naked body anyway.

You begrudgingly peeled off your clothes, folding them neatly before placing them in a pile on the table. Your footsteps made hardly any noise as you walked across the room, desperately trying hard to act nonchalant.

Just as you took a seat in one of the empty stools, you heard someone pull the door open and loudly clamber inside.

“Ahh, welcome back, Bokuto-san!”

Your eyes widened at the name the professer had just yelled across the room. You brace yourself as you quickly whip your head around, and standing by the door sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck was Bokuto Kotaro.

Student Athlete, Volleyball Star, Most Wanted Bachelor Bokuto Kotaro smiled brightly as he skipped to the table your items were placed, apologizing profusely for being late. All eyes followed him like moths, and Bokuto was the bright flame. Everyone knew him, and you often saw him walking across the quad, always greeting at least twenty people on the way.

You could hardly hear what Professor Nobuta was saying to him, and you were now unabashedly staring as Bokuto began to strip out of his clothes.

Bokuto was built like a marble statue -- hard lines that traveled across his chest and traced his abs must have been painstakingly carved with the utmost care by a masterful artist, and every movement he made created new shapes along his muscled body. You found yourself instantly wishing you had even an ounce of artistic talent, because it was no doubt that Bokuto was every figure artists’ dream.

All at once, your vision was filled with gold and a sweet smile, and too late did you realize you had just been caught staring. Bokuto’s eyes don’t leave yours as he stands up straight, and struts over to you in nothing but a pair of nude briefs.

“Alright, everyone, your timed session is about to begin,” Professor Nobuta’s voice had startled you nearly out of your seat, and you turn your head back to face the class, cringing inwardly when you noticed some were smirking at you, “Feel free to request poses from the models, as this will be a graded assignment. We only have an hour and a half, so make the most out of your time.”

You feel your body stiffen as Bokuto takes the empty seat next to you, staying silent when you feel his eyes staring at you. You might have been able to ignore this in another setting, but at the moment, about fifty students were watching him watching you -- eyes flitting up the stage down to their sketchbook as they try to decide where to begin.

Envy coursed through you as the room began to fill with the sounds of graphite scratching against paper, wishing you could switch positions with literally anybody else in the room. You tried to relax your body against the stool, awkwardly attempting to find a natural position for your arms when you were interrupted by a throat clearing.

Your head turns to the side, heat rushing to your face when you see Bokuto smiling at you.

“Hi,” he greets, his voice a direct contrast against the silent concentration filling the room, “I’m Bokuto!”

His knees were bent as he settled his feet on the first ring of the stool. He rests an elbow on his thigh so he can place his chin on the palm of his hand, giving you an expectant look as he waits for your response. You try to avoid the way his chest seemed to bulge even more in this position, but the furious sound of sketching says you weren’t the only one to notice.

“Bokuto Kotaro,” you say his name back, and he pulls his lips back into an even wider smile, “I know.”

You bite your lip when a student from the back requested for you to cross your legs, resting your hand against your thighs. You’re not sure if you’re supposed to be talking, but Professor Nobuta didn't seem to be paying either of you any mind.

He hadn’t said anything to you after that, but the grin remained on his lips as requests begin coming in from students across the class.

They were all fairly simple -- please position your hand like so, could you extend your leg this way, or turn your head that way. The first twenty minutes had been spent doing individual tasks and repositioning, and soon you felt yourself relaxing into your role. Your previous jitters had all but dissolved, and you figured if the rest of the session were to go on like this, then you’d be golden.

Your eyes shift over to Bokuto, who was leaning back with such easy grace, balancing himself with his foot against the footrest. The way his body created such naturally eloquent lines made it seem as if he was born to be a sculpture, to be admired and gazed at, to invoke inspiration and creation. You weren’t sure anyone in this room was even looking at you anymore, with Bokuto acting as if he was the lighthouse in a storm, beckoning all of you to come home.

He turns his head a second too quickly, winking when his eyes meet yours, and for the second time in less than an hour, you realize you’ve just been caught checking him out.

Your dignity was slipping through your fingers like sand, and you clear your throat before turning your attention to a poster on the wall.

From the corner of your eye, you see Professor Nobuta stand from her desk and making her way to a student in the corner. The two whisper among each other, and you watched as the professor consults with other students before nodding her head and turning to the both of you.

“I received a sort of direction from a few students,” she began, beckoning for the both of you to stand, “They were hoping you could do some more intimate poses.”

You balked, nearly choking on the air in our lungs. “I-intimate?”

Professor Nobuto nodded her head enthusiastically, and you exchanged a look with Bokuto.

“Whatever you’re comfortable with — an embrace, hand holding, hands on each other’s face — get creative with it!”

And with that, the professor sits back down on her desk and begins flipping through her phone, and the two of you are left to brace the expectant looks of the art students staring up at you.

“This your first time?” Bokuto asks you gently, a sort of sympathetic look on his face as his eyes study your stiff posture.

“Yeah,” you admit, and he coaxes you towards him with an outstretched hand. You hesitantly place your fingers in his palm, and for a moment, he just stood there. It took a minute for the sounds of rapid sketching to register in your brain, and you realize he’s allowing the class to take note of this pose.

He’s standing directly across from you now, and you can feel his gaze burning trails across your body as he regards you from head to toe. You feel like an ant burning under the beam of a microscope, and you nearly burst into flames when he chuckles.

“Nice peach,” Bokuto comments, and you nearly recoil back in surprise. The last thing you had expected from Bokuto was a comment like that, but then you notice his eyes flick back down to your underwear.

The professor’s email hadn’t included too many rules or requirements. She only included the most important details, such as time, place, pay, dress code, and such. Stated in the dress code, you were allowed to wear undergarments of any neutral color. Today, you had chosen a simple pair of black underwear and figured it was the safest choice.

You hadn’t, however, noticed the large cartoon peach that had gracefully adorned the back of it, complete with a cartoon face that winked sparkles. Now that you were forced to stand, and the entire class got a good view for themselves.

“Thanks,” you deadpan through gritted teeth, “It’s pretty juicy if you asked me.”

Bokuto fails miserably to hide a smirk, but his eyes sparkled with amusement as he looked down at you.

A few minutes (or eternity) later, his hand closes around yours, pulling it up to place against his cheek. He pulls you in by the other wrist, wrapping your arm around his waist as he cups the side of your neck. His other arm wraps almost completely around your middle, and he pulls you flush against his chest.

His body was hard against yours, and you had no doubts he could feel your heart’s hundreds of beats per second. He tilts his head to the side ever so slightly, and you hope he doesn’t notice the sheen of sweat beginning to collect on your upper lip.

A fire was bound to be started with how quickly everyone around began to move their pencils, and you heart races when Bokuto absentmindedly draws circles on your skin with his thumb.

He holds you in this embrace for much longer than you anticipated, and the butterflies in your stomach were making you nauseous. His eyes are trained on your face now, the intensity of his stare making you want to shrink back, but you hold your place and return his gaze.

His eyes narrow and squint, eyebrows wiggling as his face scrunches up in thought.

“Do I know you?” Bokuto asks, and it was in this moment where you felt your stomach flip flop into the abyss. It was the one question you had hoped he wouldn’t think to ask you.

Because you did know Bokuto Kotaro, but not in the way everyone else on campus knew him.

You remember clearly the slow, dreary Wednesday morning when Akaashi Keiji asks you the same thing.

“Uh, yeah? Of course, you know me, we’re coworkers,” you replied sarcastically, and Akaashi insists it was more than that.

“You’re hiding something from me,” he simply states, and you inwardly thanked the customer that had walked and interrupted that moment.

But you should have known that Akaashi was not one to let things go, and after being berated the entire shift about how secrets don’t keep friends, you finally confessed.

You were a student at Fukurodani.

Akaashi didn’t believe you. There was no way, how was that possible? He would have recognized you. But you were the year above him, and had actively avoided school sports. Because as much as you would have liked to watch your school’s Nationally Ranked Volleyball Club play and compete with super hot athletes from across the country, there was one glaring reason why you couldn’t.

You had confessed to Bokuto Kotaro in your first year.

And you were soundly, and absolutely rejected.

He had every right to, of course. You were just his classmate, you didn’t even know each other that well, and he needed to focus all his attention on volleyball. It made sense.You know that now.

But to your young heart, it was world ending, soul crushing even, and it took you two years to get over your ridiculous one-sided crush.

Now here you were, standing in front of a group of people in nothing but your underwear, with Bokuto staring at you like a fly caught in a trap.

“No, I don’t think so,” you respond, and Bokuto scoffs.

“You’re a bad liar,” he whispers, and you find yourself grinning.

“How would you know?” You whisper back, “You just met me.”

“No, I definitely know you —“

“Alright, everyone,” Professor Nobuto announces with a smack on her desk, “That about does it for today’s session. Give some thanks to your models!”

You jump back from Bokuto as the class offers a light round of applause. The two of you bow back, and you rush over to the table as the professor approaches Bokuto.

You leave the two of them to chat as you hurriedly put your clothes back on, hoisting your bag up on your shoulder, and nearly falling over putting your shoes on.

“Thank you for today,” Professor Nobuto sneaks up from behind, a smile on her face as she hands you a blank white envelope, “I hope I see your name on the sign up sheet again.”

You offer her a grin as you accept the envelope. “Thank you for the opportunity!”

And with that, you rush out of the stuffy room and make a bee line towards the door.

“Hey, Peaches!” Bokuto’s voice makes you freeze from across the room, and you turn around to see him adorned only his pants. “You never told me your name?”

With a smirk, you put your hand on the handle, walking out the door as you yelled over your shoulder.

“I thought you said you knew me!”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“That was a trap, wasn’t it,” you accuse Akaashi as soon as you see him again, walking into your shift at the café just as he was about to clock out.

His smile was almost evil, punching out as he gathers his jacket.

“Whatever could you possibly mean, dear coworker,” he replies, and you smack him on the shoulder.

“You had to have known Bokuto was doing that,” you seethe, glaring at Akaashi, “And you knew about… about… you’re dangerous, Akaashi Keiji.”

He laughs, waving you off, “You said you needed help, so I offered help.”

“Oh, you conniving little —“

“Akaashi, you ready?” A familiar voice cuts you, making your head twist towards the door.

A set of white and black streaked hair, a devilish grin, bright twinkling eyes — your nightmare in human form walking in.

His eyes widen as they meet yours from across the room, and he waves a hand in the air as if you could have possibly missed the six foot three volleyball player barely fitting through the door frame.

“Hey, Peaches!” He greets cheerfully, walking and leaning against the counter, “Fancy running into you here.”

“Peaches?” Akaashi asks, and your eyes shoot him a nasty glare.

“I work here,” you reply, and Bokuto’s eyes widen.

“Akaashi, why wouldn’t you tell me you have such a cutie for a coworker?!” He demands of his best friend, who simply rolls his eyes and heads out the door.

“Let’s go, Bokuto-san!”

“Akaashi! Hey, wait,” Bokuto runs one step to the door but stops and turns back, “If I come back tomorrow, you gonna tell me your name then?”

You laugh. “I don’t work tomorrow.”

“I’ll ask Akaashi for your schedule then!” He screams as he runs out the door.

The smile on your face stayed on for the rest of your shift.

#bokuto #bokuto x reader #bokuto x you #bokuto x y/n #bokuto kotaro x reader #bokuto kotaro x you #bokuto kotaro x y/n #bokuto fluff #bokuto kotaro headcanon #bokuto koutaro scenarios #bokuto imagines #haikyuu!! x reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu!! x y/n #haikyuu!! fic

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